Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-08-11
0NE-FIFTH SCOTLAND
IS DEER PRESERVES
Vast Land Held From Cultivation
aCuses Conditions Worse Than Those
in the Slums Of Big cities.
BY Ed L. Keen.
(London Correspondent of the United
Press.)

by I'D L. heen.
(LOndon Correspondent of the United
Press.)
London, Aug. ll.--Tlat Scotland
cares more for its deer and grouse than
it does for its men and women and
children has long been a matter of gen
eral knowledge. But the British public
was totally unprepared for the startling
revelations of the evils of the land sys.
TEN in that part of the empire, which
have just been made by the Scottish
land inquiry committees.
1t was known that vast tracts of land
that might be devoted to agriculture
were used solely as game preserves for
tine occasional recreation of the landed
aristOeracy and their friends. But it
was not known that as q result nearly
half the urban population of Scotland
live more than two in a room, nor that
over fifth of the population live more
| than three in 4 room, and under con-
ditions of insanitatiOn and immortality
that rival those prevailing in the worst
slums of the metropolis. The effect of
the report, which was prepared by tle
Clifford Pinchot of England, Ian Mac
! pherson, NJ. p, and corps of experts
privately appointed by Lloyd George to
make an exhaustive Investigation into
the social and economic conditions in
the rural parts of Great Britain, has
been to give tremendous boost to the
land reform campaign of the chancellor
of the exchequor. Many of the com
mittee's recommendations particularly
with reference to the breaking up of
these nuge Scottish estates by abolish
ing the present entail SYSTEM their tax
alton according to its value, it was
, learned today, are to be incorporated in
the governments s land bill which is now
in the course of preparation.
A Mockery of the Law.
The committee was able to show that
the landed proprietors have almost
made mOckery of the recent law
whereby local communities may acquire
agricultural tracts for the benefit of
small holders. Compensation far above
the actual value of tine land invariably
is claimed, and as result the demand
for these small holdings remain unsat-
isfied throughout the country. An in
stance is cited where the Glasgow cor
poration had to pay $150,000 for a
farming section of about II acres, the
real value of which, based on actual
rentals, was only $4,000, and in addi-
| tion had to reimburse tne owner to the
extent of $4,000, for the alleged "dam-
ages to tho amenity" of some 1888 acres
of swamp land, of no value to anybody.
Still unsatisfied, the owned brought in
a bill of 1922 damages to 1lshings and
shootings and collected it.
More than one.fifth Of Seotland--or
3,599,744 acres out of total of 49,
070, ,466-is occupied by deer forests or
is otherwise exclusively devoted to
"sport" The committee does not con-
tend that the whole of this area is
tillable, but it is pointed out that more
than 100000 acres are below the 1000
foot level and as such could readily be
turned to agriculture, while probably
twice as much, situated contiguous to
Sood farming country, could be utilized
Vt grazing. There ae some 200 Of
these deer forests, ranging in extent
rom 100 to 10000 acres, nine of them
over 10000 acres in extent, the chief
owners being the Duke of Richmond
md Gordon, the Marquis of zetland
and the trustees of the Duke of Fife.
Country Is Depopulated.
The general rapacity of Scottish land
ords and their utter Indifference to the
agricultural developments Of the coun
try have resulted in steady depopulatioI
If the rural districts and the consequent
crowding of the cities and towns, no
Ito mention the growing emigration h