Immense British Fortunes.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 1

Immense British Fortunes.

The laws of entail, by which vast estates in the British isles, are vested in noble families for the benefit of the eldest eon, are seriously condemned as being adverse to sound financial polity. Not only in Ireland, but also in Scotland and England, there are many heads of families who would willingly dispose of large tracts of land that cannot be managed to advantage, but are unable to do so through the effect of these laws. In the important cities such holdings are inimical to the prosperity and welfare' of the citizene. Thus the west end ot London belongs principally to the Dukes of Bedford and Westminster, who own miles of streets and squares, and assert to themselves the right of denying their use for public traffic unless under special favour. Covent Garden Market, and its adjoining slums, is a disgrace to London, but scandal cannot be renovated until some leases of the surrounding property have fallen in. The land cannot be sold, so it is leased in lots for.! even as long as ninety-nine years in some instances, and at the expiration of the lease the land and buildings revert to the proprietor. It is estimated that the holder of the Westminster dukedom in 2050 will be worth £1,000,000 a year from, his London property alone. This state of affairs has led to the establishment 1 of leasehold enfranchisement associations, and a report shows a curious state of affairs at Holy head, one of .the rising, towns of the west of England. Of the 2,000 houses,. 130 are, freehold, so that in a few years, with this exception, the entire town, with its population of 10,000, will belong to Lord Stanley and Lord Boston. The Stanley leases run only for three lives and thirty-one concurrent .years, while the Boston leases run for sixty years. The ground rents are e aid. to be in all cases urireasonally high. Trade has, been seriously depressed for years, and nowj when bueiness at Holyhead is improving, consequent upon the development of . the harbour, sound property from which the ownershave derived little advantage is rapidly falling in everywhere, to the great benefit of the landlords.

.The derivation of a number of popular words or phrases is curious, to say the least. The word "pamphlet" comes from' Pamphilla, " Punch and* Judy V from Pontius and' Judas, "Bigot" from Viaigotha, "Humbug" from Hamburgh, It was a piece of Hamburg news L - not, accepted. " Old " Scratch " 'comes " from ttie demon Scrati, who still 1 survives irf<the superstitions of Northern Europe. ''"Old Nick" is from the demon Nikar, a dangerous water demon of Scandinavian legends.