The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-28
TROUBLE AHEADFOR
 BRITISH LANDLORD
Will Lose Favored Position
 as Result of War
PARLIAMENT WILL ACT
Married Men Who Join Colors Will Be Granted Relief on Rent-Land- lords Now Have Strangle
 Hold on Their Tenants

London, May -(SpeciaD great war has shaken English life and En-. glish vested interests to their founda- tions and no more remarkable instance or It's effects is to be found than it's dislodgement of the British landlord from his centuries old entrenched posi- tion. What years of agitation. sup ported by the great mass of English public opinion had failed to accomplish has been brought about in a few weeks by the necessities of the situation
 As long as the recruiting and con- scripting for the army was confined to single men, the landlord was secure but now it is becoming increasingly evident that England must call on her married men for service if she is to obtain sufficient soldiers to win the war Already notices has been given that the first groups of married men who attested for service under the Derby scheme will be called up in few weeks, and here is growing be- lief that before long it may be found necessary to extend the operation of the compulsory service act, now ap- plicable only to single men, to married
  gan to be generally realized the mar ried men al once began to say: That's all very well. We are willing enough to serve, but what about the rent?"
 EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONS
 In order to understand this question one must know something about the truly extraordinary relations of land- lord and tenant in England. Put in as few words as possible, under the English law, the landlord has all the rights and the tenant has none. This is easily explained by the fact that until a few years ago membership of Parliament was practically confined to the landlord class, and as is the rule everywhere they looked pretty well after their. own interests. The result Is as the law stands at present the landlord in England is a preferred creditor, has a lien for rent on all his tenants goods, and can enter and take possession with a minimum of legal proceedings.
 It is impossible in England for the middle class family man to secure a house except on a fairly long lease. Three years is the minimum term for which a house, valued at anything above about $150 year can be obtain ed. Seven years leases are common and IA year leases are not unknown. There is no process of law by which these leases can be broken, and the tenant who has once entered into them is responsible for the rent for the whole term, no matter what happens to him or to the house. He may lose his job and be unable to pay. In that case the landlord may take his furni- ture, his bedding and all his effects and sell them and apply the proceeds to the payment of the rent, but even this does not relieve the unfortunate tenant of the growing accumulation. Even if the house should be burnt down or become uninhabitable the ten ant, having signed the lease, is still liable for the full rent. The lease is recognized in law as a contract to pay the full amount of the rent for the full term and bears stamp showing payment of duty on the full amount.
 Naturally such a condition as this set the married men who expected to They were willing enough to serve but they wanted to know what was going to be done about their pre-war con- tracts, rent, insurance, etc. The army separation allowance is about $5 a week for the families of soldiers, and the man who earned in civil life some thing like $50 a week and lived in a house the rent of which was about $250 a year or the whole amount of his sep aration allowance, was naturally wor- ried as to what was going to become of his family, if the landlord enforced his claim to the full rent He also