The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1888. LAND QUESTION IN SCOTLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1787, 8 September 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1888. LAND QUESTION IN SCOTLAND.

Thb Land Question is the great question in every part of the world at the present time. The Democrat, at Scotch paper of a recent date, sajs^^f' “ In presence of the fact, which we hare so often extracted from the Qoiernment’s own returns, that there are in Scotland alone 1,200,000 acres of the best lands in that country put out of cultivation of late years, the

exportation of the men wlio wish to till the soil can only be regarded as the proceeding of a body of men whom the gods hare doomed and therefore demented. What the coun« try needs is more soil tilled, and the instincts of the people would lead them to supply the want. Bat a demented Government stands iu the way, and when the people become troublesome it imprisons them at home, or transports them to other lands. In regard to the counties more particularly affected by the Crofter revolt, the agricultural returns, for 1887 allow the following glaring elate of things; LAW SRI TOT OUT OF CULTIVATION. Acres. Pose and Cromarty ... 19,329 Inverness ... ... 69,098 Argyl* ... ... ... 68,668 Caithness ... ... 25,973 Sutherland ... ... 8.619 Shetland 41,707 Orkney ... ... ... 24,006 Total ... t ... 247.400 All this being in reality arable land, ten acres of it would be more than enough for a family, so that here we hare at the doors of the men who cry out for land more than enough for 24,740 families.” This is what landlordism and Freetrade are doing for Scotland, and doubtless; they have a similar effect in every part of the United Kingdom. In the face of these facts, who can wonder at the Scotch people and the Welsh people following the example of the Irish people in their efforts to relax the, grasp which their tyrant masters have upon them ? As an instance of the tyranny exercised by these landlords, we can give no better example than another paragraph from the same source, showing the effect of the game laws. The writer says“ It will be remembered that a few months ago a number of young men in this parish went out to shoot hares upon their own hill-pasture, and, it having come to the ears of Sir Kenneth’s gamekeeper, two of them were caught, and subsequently, after a fruitless letter had been sent them by Sir Kenneth’s law-agent, were cited to appear before the Court at Dingwall. They did not put in an appearance, but were convicted in absence, and sentenced each to pay a fine of £4, including expenses, or go to prison for twenty days. The men, on being informed of this, expressed themselves willing to go to gaol at once, but they were allowed a month to pay the fine, and were accordingly left undisturbed until Thursday last, when they were apprehended, and conveyed to Inverness prison to serve their term of imprisonment, 'During the interval which had elapsed since their conviction, several efforts were made, it is said in the interest of the proprietor, to get them to pay the fine and keep out of prison, but without success. Mr Dixon, the shooting tenant, offered to pay it, but on conditions as to the future which the men would not accept. The itnpresj’on here is that the delay was only given the men to save Sir Kenneth from a public exposure while the Land Court wore here; but he may rest assured that the imprisonment of these two men will be no security to him that his troubles in connection with the game on what is most undoubtedly their own hillpasture are at an end. —I am, etc., Sympathiser. Strath, Gairloch, 4th June, 1888.” This is good robust tyranny. For shooting a hare on the land for which they pay rent they are fined £4l They have met the tyrant with a courage worthy of their race; they have, like the Irish, accepted the alternative of going to gaol, so as to draw public attention to the wrong indicted on them. In this they are doing a good work, as without doubt their incarceration will hasten on the time when such outrages will not be tolerated, and when the disgraceful game laws of England will be greatly modified. The whole matter is involved in the land question, which, though slowly, is year by year drawing nearer to a solution.