BRITISH LAND INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1614, 4 December 1912, Page 7

BRITISH LAND INQUIRY.

ALLEGED ILLEGALITY. By Telegraph—Press Ausociatlon—CoDyricht London, December 2. Lord Halsbury, speaking in the House of Lords, drew attention to the fact that the land Committee set up by the House of Commons was circulating forms without an imprint and headed ''private and confidential, the .ciroulators apparently seeking to suggest that the forms were public documents. He suggested that the Law Officers should prosecute.

METHODS OF THE INQUIRY. The organisation of England, Scotland, and Wales for the purposes of the in- ? mr J v 15 conducted tv tho Laud Committee) is now complete (wrote the "Manchester Guardian" of August 26), and upwards of a hundred of regularly accredited and instructed- investigate are at work in tho different areas which have been mapped out for the purposes of the committee. Extremely care-fully-drawn and detailed documents have been given .to each investigator, containing instructions and a series of questions, the answers _to which are to form the material which tho committee will sift for the purposes of its reports—reports j that will in turn be made the basis of legislation. The exact terms of these questions and instrnc'tions are, of. course, confidential, but it may bo stated that they are conceived in a spirit which, establishes the judicial and scientific nature of the inquiry that ,is being entered on. Tho investigators are warned to eliminate politicitf or class prejudice from their inquiries, to guard against allegations of hardship prompted by nothing better than self-interest, and to guard against evidence solely put forward by witnesses who have at heart any particular legislative remedy for the abuses they allege. In any case where information is %/• bearing against any particular landlord or authority they aro to be careful to get and stato fully the case for tho defence. Finally, as far as possible tlicy are to get the views of people irrespective of party. _ It is recognised that, as the information gained will be used by a Liberal Government, Conservatives may 'be chary of contributing to it, but it is hoped that many, at any rate, of them will recognise that the inqiury is being conducted in no party spirit, but with a real desiro to seek out anomalies and abuses which need redress, and that this being the case they will givo it what help tlucan.