Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-20
WRONGS OF bR|T0NS
Oppression of Landowners
Explained by Rich Londoner.
NATURALIZATION OF SOIL
Assessed at Worth Estimated in
1858, Regardless of improvements.
COMMONS M1SAPPROPRIATED
Joseph Fels Predicts New Dooms-
day Book-Expects Great
Liberal Victory.

work for the unemployed. Hope for
the toiler. The burden for the back of
him who is best able to bear It,.
These are the slogans of the admins
tration in the electoral contest now being
waged in Great Britain against the action
financial budget Of the government. says
Joseph Fels, the millionaire manufac-
turer Of London and Philadelphia, in an
interview with a Star reporter today.
lords as an institution" said Mr.. Fels.
1T is an appeal to the country to know
If rank injustice and monopoly. which
for upward Of three hundred years have
served to make the rich richer and the
poor poorer, shall continued uncurbed.
Not since 1888 has there been a valua-
| tion-or, as you call 1t here. an assess
| ment-of land in Great Britain. The
value placed upon the great source of all
wealth, the soil, three hundred and
twelve years ago is the value now en-
ployed upon which to base taxes.
improvements Not Taxed.
Nor is there any separation in valua-
| ton of land and the improvements put
upon it. such as you have here. If q
broad park of hundreds of acres was as
sessed In those remote times at a valua-
| ton of f1O. or 500 of American money
| that Is today the valuation upon which
| IL based the tax required of its owner,
ia to- ;,,ta .{ Will - l~l
lars worth of Improvements may have
| been placed upon it.
1.-The 7s,OOO,OOO acres Of land that COM
prise the soil Of Great Britain is owned
by 1900 people. Think of it, Think, too
! OF the revenue they pay as land taxes
| into the government Golfers and compare
1t with the millions that must be wrung
| from the people in other ways.
| 'It Is the provisions of the rejected
budget providing for a revaluation OF the
land and a tax Of a half penny TO the
pound as we'll as a tax the increment
| Of land values amounting to 20 per cent
| of the profits realized in the sale of land,
| that are the dominant features of that
budget and the prize for which those
who supported it are contending.
Two-Thirds Of Land Useless.
mot over one-third of the land Of
Great Britain is put to its best use. The
remainder is held out for sporting and
amusement purposes OF for speculation.
I'm London alone there are 10000 acres
Of unused land which. 1t has been said.
has never known spade In the memory
of man. Many landowners are absentees.
without local interest other than as it
affects the value and the rental Of their
| property.
The agricultural lands that are not
used are not taxed at all. No taxes are
levied while a farm Is idle. Suburban and
urban land Is also free from taxation
practically while not In use, except in the
matter Of water rents and the like.
| Land is sacred thing in the eyes
of the land owner of the British empire
So city and county officials have ex-
perienced the greatest difficulty In get
ting the land actually needed for public
| improvements The right Of eminent do
main. such as is employed in this coun-
| try. exists. but is seldom ever exercised
In Great Britain.
mot only is the landowner not con-
tent with what he has. but for years
he has been encroaching upon the COM
mon lands of the people, the pasture
lands along the roadsides and the pub
/ lie commons, which are an institution
not generally known in this country.
In numberless instances 1t has been
found that the owners of the land con-
tiguous to these lands OF the common
people have advanced their fences and
taken them into their own Enclosures.
| Commons Are Stolen.
! Twenty years continuous possession
of land thus dishonesty obtained vests
| a title in the man who has appropriated
it. One may find all through England
where this has been done and see
where the old fence lines were and
where the new ones have added acres
dishonesty to those who built them.
| so great was this evil that an or