New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-26
SUP[RFLUOUS ACRES
Tho English Land Boom
wv Rarons and Workers.
London. April 10.

| l. cumulative SNi"~
noterial way their most usefui oene-
e. His drastic budgets, land vaiu-
svs.em and increment percentages
l'iO" ,,n,ied them with plausible pre-
a. for breaking up their estates ana
.,,v charging their financial re-
When the selling movement
last year it was considered
political maneuvre, since II
80 70 indicate that Radical lesisia-
uas running the land owners out
r. ,,scoverv was made at once that
r. commanded good prices and that
r. Conversion Of large tracts into farm
belts was profitable undertakings
10 course Of a few months there was
.,,cal evidence of land boom III
-, all sections of the Kingdom
80, farmers. small occupiers and Land
movement societies swarmed into the
- There was an upward trend OF
irlces eyery"here'
The estates 10 be disposed OF by auc-
~ bv agreement during the spring
"a earlv summer range from u re"
srnd ceres 20 fifty thousand. or even
-. thousand. Many Of them are well
- sporting properties, such as Sir
T., Nenzies's deer forests. grouse moors
ss,,rr courses in Perthshire: Lord
t.,,,-ooke's Lanarkshire mcors' with an
-ooge exceeding twenty thousand: the
[,..rieoo estates in Islay. the Phones III
.s,,ess.shire and large shootings IN
I.her Scottish shires. There are agrl-
,,u,al belts OF considerable extent IN
Election with the shootings and hsh-
o,A both classes Of holdings are 10
orc.,oned of merrily as time goes on.
tortshire no0rs, tracts In Lincolnshire
Ia among the Norfolk Breads. estates
novonshire. Gloucestershire and Sus-
80 arc n be sold in the course OF a rev
Lo,tbs A single estate firm has over
topl0 acres on its selling hst' ana
H. aggregate holdings may run INTO
,rions This enormous traffic woniu
l.. have sprung up if the lords OWNING
t,',aas, oDe-third Of the land in Great
b-3,,n we're not convinced that the!
f,,Id oct excellent prices for their prop
It's Pv selling the surplus LANDS OF
lr-snunerativo estates they increase
q, resources for profitable investment
va materially improve their condiuon'
la vet there is no evidence that they are
lr.tefu, m their arch enemy. Mr. Lloyd
beoree.
I ors ~ the effects of this land boom
hys, be a shrinksge Of large estates
Astounding castles. halls and country
to,sas with a corresponding decline IN
I,oo,i,g fox hunting and other OUT
H. recreations Of the titled rich Inc
,a,e Of outlying farms and park ianos
Involves an extension of the area under
.gaee and the multiplication oil occu-
,s-s with holdings of their own Ihe
Iords and souires after the breaking up
~ their estates will take less interest ID
l,,e,, rural residences and in the sports
,connected with them. They VIII nave
,o,e seasons in London, make journeys
-, ,ho Continent and around the world
and not be preoccupied with what Is
going on in their own shires. 1here are
.wo hundred packs Of hounds in the
,.,,,o5 Kingdom and millions are ex-
.e,aeS annually on the breeding ana
maintenance Of hunting horses anu Oh
che employment of kennel ana slaoie
r,.r This established rural industry
will ,,evj,atlv decline when the sur
Illus lands Of the great estates are
,yc,iore6 of. Shooting must also suiier
from the shrinkage Of the landed pos
.assions ~ the titled rich. Fashion mas
Unmarried value 10 the bleak moors OF
Yorkshire and 90 the rough hiilsioes'
the tangled underbrush, the WOODED Ia
vines and dense deer forests on SCOT
land With many of the best shootlngs
in the North already in the market, IL Is
evident that game-keepers. giiiies ana
heaters VIII have less employment th@h
formerly. Less entertaining VIII oe
done al the country houses. "A httie
quiet Snort in pheasant coverts VIII be
substituted for the big drives for grouse
and rartridees and for deer stalking In
trackless forests.
Titled people who have been keeping
I'd unmanageable and unprofteple es
iates without having large sources o.
income outside are finding relief IN dis
posing Of their superhuous possessions'
The Chancellor has given them con-
verian. excuse for the conversion OF
their unused acres into interest bearing
Investments. and for dischargins oe-
pendents. reducing the expenses OF 'hei'
countrv residences, Withdrawing local
euhsorintions and relinouishing re-
scurces Of patronage. When they dis-
covered how strong IS the oshah'
Tor land at unexpectedly high prices
their reluctance 10 sacrifice Their ancss-
ual domains vanished. Nearly every one
o. The fourteen peers owning one-foorth
Of the entire area Of Scotland Is seliing
and, and it will not be long oetore
majority of the Upper Chamber are
breaking I'D their estates from motives
Of self interest. VIII the movement also
Re for the benefit OF the massesE Ihe
lano teformers sre confident that II WIZ
be equally advantageous for FARMERS
and workers. Although land is not so
cheap as the landless would Ike 10
hare IL. there is an abundance OF 1t.
and the majority Of the purchasers are
getting it on easy terms. The number
Of small land owners has been largely
increased: the area Of cultivated iahd
will be considerably enlarged IN the
course Of few years, and small farmers
and agricultural laborers will be en-
couraged TO make q profitable use or IT.