BRITISH TENANT FARMERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1062, 27 February 1911, Page 5

BRITISH TENANT FARMERS.

FEELING OF INSECURITY. by Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. London, February 2t. Speaking at York, Earl Carrington, President of'tho Board of Agriculture, announced that a Departmental Committee would inquire regarding the position tenant farmers were in when there wero changes of ownership in tho landed estates, numbers,of which havo lately been coming upon tho market.

Lord Carrington attributed tho selling of estates to a boom in land. The feeling of security among tenantry which had hitherto existed on most of the large estates had. been uudermined, and the tenants wero haunted by a dread of being turned out.

Speaking in February, twelve months ago, Larl Carrington alluded to this samo matter. As a consequenco of tho prosperous condition of agriculture, land had increased in value, ho said, and landowners, and especially peers, were takingadvantage of tho boom. Largo estates were being sold en bloc, and tho outlook for the tenants was n very bad one. He wanted some scheme by which these poor people might be protected, and by which he might bo able to prevent them iosinr their livelihood and their homes. That was what his Lordsliip wanted for the British agriculturist—what was left of him.

Out of 508,629 holdings in Great Britain only G1.258 aro owned or mainly owned by the occupiers, which is in tho proportion of 12 per cent. Tho rest are rented In the great .majority of tenantries tho lease is a year-to-year understanding, without security of tenure.