SCOTCH DEER FORESTS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1943, 29 December 1913, Page 7

SCOTCH DEER FORESTS

LAND AT £2 PER ACRE. ' DUKE OF SUTHERLAND'S . OFFER. , " In the course of an interesting letter to tho ''Daily Mail,!' tlio Duko.o£ Sutherland says:— When I read tho report of Mr. Lloyd- . Gcorco's recent remarks about deer forests I felt sure ho was talking on a subject with which hp was. not in tho, least familiar, and., I at onco wrote to him and ftsked him'to como to Sutherland and study tho question, .on tho snot, and offered to pivo him every facility for doing so. Mr. Lloyd-George lias not replied to.'m.y letter, but I bco I. was right in my estimate of his personal knowledge of tho subject, as at Swindon lio took croilit for nover bavins: been on a deer forest.

.It. is difficult for anvono iiot familiar with the facts to .realise how reckless and far. from the truth arc the statements made both at Bedford and Sivin\don. Mr. Lloyd-Georso obviously intended to crcatc tlio impression , that hundreds of thousands of acres availr able for npriculturo are wilfully kept under deer by myself and others. Howfar this is from the truth! It is no exasperation to say Hiatnot 1 per cent. 5f the land under deer could be used for airy other, purpose. Putting land under, .deer is tlio least .profitable use to which a landowner can put his property., Is it. likely, therefore, that if tho '.'tens of thousands of,people" (who presumably would pav sonio rent) referred to by Mr. Lloyd-George, could be found to populate tlio land tiny proprietor could be .foolish enough to refuse to let .it to them P Offer to tlie Government. Mr. Prothero, in liis letter to tho "Morninn Post" of- October 17, says: "Offe,r the Duke of Sutherland £2 an acre for 200,000 acres of his Highland, property and he will jump at It." This is. true. I will gladly sell 200,000 acres of land, or, more, now under deer to tho Government .for £2 an acre. This i-' cheaper than land can bo bought in any of. the, countries.,named . hy 3\[>. Lloyd-George at Bedford aiid is hardly above tho price of prairio lands in Canada.

Here, then is iK ehanco for tlio- Government to "repopulato these glens" and show how corn can be made to grow on land-now given up to deer forests, but beforo embarking on the project I hope Mr. Lloyd-George will-per-uso Mr. James Loch's, well-known book on m.v ancestors' improvements in Sutherland. •

Times havo not changed. Crops on land used as deer fo'rest c ,. • inost of which is manj hundreds or feet above sea level, can only bo grown in small patches. The crops only ripen in very favourable years, and then are too far from the 'markets to mako them profitable. Take away tho sporting tenants in Scotland, /rom whom most of the crofters in. tho neighbourhood of deer forests get remunerative employment, aiid there'is little left.

According to'one newspaper "report, Mr. Llovd-George said, "Why. ,-jou remember the story of the steamer which was coasting along the shores -of Sutherlandshiro. Tho smoko was so thick coming from tho' bvming.. crops that tlie. steersman could not see his way. That is the first thing you do when you make a deer forest." - 'i ■ v

It is almost .incredible that .Air. LloydGeorge could believe this story, or tiiat he could-. be so ignorant .of his subject as 'not to', know .tliat_tho Leather is periodicity burnt, jiot, by tho, landlords, but-jb.y .the rslieop farmers in order to prrtiiid&.batter.pasturnge.for their shcop. : L, do jiot-:quite,, ; foilow?; Mr.YLloyd--Georgo's.somcwhat-Jftbourecl joke about turning deer fqrests into golf links ; but I should-like to-kno\r why it is almost a .crime-thai there should be i;i .the United Kingdom 23,000. gamekeepers, who <nro. mostly employed in preserving game from vermin, which game at any rate forms.a valuablo food for..the.pub'-, li?, and a meritorious act to employ on one golf .course 110',men-whose principal occupation is to cut grass, and throw it •way. I thought-one of tho first principles of Free-trade is that no labour is valuable unless it. is productive.... Will Mr. Lloyd-Georg© Kindly explain ? . Reply from Mr. Lloyd-George, The-following official announcement was issued later from the Treasury Chambers: — . "Wo -understand that the Chancellor of tho Exchequer has addressed a letter to the Duke of Sutherland with' regard to his indirect offer, to tho Government of two hundred thousand acres of his. Highland-property at £2 ah acre.- Mr.' Lloyd-Georgo has; indicated that-if. the, Duke would be good enciugh. to write, to him officially, stating' nature of tho offer, together with the price,- he would take care that it is placed before the proper Department with a view to a. report being made upon the proposal for the. consideration of his Majesty's Government." ;

In reply to a message stating Mr. Lloyd-George's attitude.. tho "Daily Mail"received tho following telegram' from the Duke of Sutherland...;

"Shall ho pleased officially t-o ' make offer to Mr. Lloyd-Gcorgo of 200,000 acres. Shall ho very, glad jto, make compromise about fataud. loan land with him, provided wo havo right to retalu certain' areas farpiin'd residence, quite irrespective/of quality of land.—Sutherland." -.

' Sir Arthur Bignold has written a letter 'stating that ho was' responsible fnr tho : creation of a deer forest"' iu Ross-shire. Thirty-three' years ago, lie says, it'was 6hcep ground in the hands of a farmer, who employed four sheftherds and maintained a few sheep. With the making of tho forest.caino the following changes Eight stone houses for tho people erected on the land; fourteen instead'of four persons permanently employed a- hill road'of eight'miles.con-, structed to open iid the country; 8,400,DOO frees planted l : the assessment raised; a church built, and a resident minister installed.- ' During these thirty-three years ■ as many as a hundred men havo been'. at work at. the- same' time in road and bridge making, draining, and- ticc-plaut-ing. Out of Sir Arthur Bignold's "30.000 acres; the amount which could possibly hfe cultivated is, it is pointed-out, only 3J. .