In The Cold Celtic Times When Men Held By The Strong Hand, The Numerical
Fighting Power Of The Clan Was Of The Utmost Importance, A Chieftain
Being Valued By The Number Of Men Who Would Follow Him To The Field.
As
a consequence, men were precious.
In these more peaceful times, when the
lords of the soil are rated by their many acres, lands, and not likely
lads, are the symbol of greatness.
Sir Allan Bellingham is such a fresh-looking active gentleman that I
could hardly bring myself to think that he had reached, by reason of
strength, the scriptural fourscore. I was almost too much taken up
admiring to think of the Land Question, but, after the fashionable five
o'clock tea, had some conversation with Sir Allan and Sir Thomas on the
subject.
Sir Allan thought the Land League much to blame for the present
miserable state of affairs. Men well able to pay their rents, and
supposed to be willing to pay their rents, were prevented from paying
from a system of terrorism inaugurated by the Land League. Some
instances were given. One was of the man who had the mill which we
passed on the road, who being behind in his rent, was willing to pay but
dare not do it. Certainly by the busy appearance of the mill and by the
style of his dwelling-house it did not seem to be inability that kept
him from paying. Another instance was that of a man holding a large
farm, on which he had erected a fine house, which I saw in passing, a
very nice residence indeed, with plate glass windows, and carpeted
throughout with Brussels carpets, I am told. The large fields were
waving with a fine crop; there were some grand fields of wheat, the
stack yard had many stacks of last year's grain and hay. This man had
given his son lately L2500 to settle himself on a farm. It certainly
would not be poverty that prevented him paying his rent, for there was
every evidence of wealth around him. I heard of men, who, having paid
their rent, could not get their horses shod at the blacksmith's shop.
For breaking the rules of the Land League they were set apart from their
fellows.
I can well imagine that serious embarrassments must arise to landlords
when their rents, their only income, are kept back from them. How I
would rejoice to know that landlord and tenant were reconciled once
more, that lordship and leadership were united in one person.
Sir Thomas Butler informed me that, "when a landlord dies and his son
succeeds him the Government do not charge him succession duty on his
rental but on Griffith's (or the Poor Law) valuation of his estate, plus
30 per cent. If his estate is rented at only 10 per cent over the
valuation, he has to pay Government all the same, and is consequently
over charged 20 per cent because in the opinion of the Government
authorities, the fair letting value of land is from 25 to 30 per cent
over Griffiths valuation, and they charge accordingly." (I suppose it is
founded upon this law of succession duty that when a tenant dies the
widow has the rent raised upon her.) "Under the Bright clauses of the
Land Act of 1870 the Government is authorized to advance to the tenant
two-thirds of the purchase money for his holding. At first the Treasury
fixed 24 years' purchase of the valuation as the scale they would adopt,
and under that they lent 16 years' purchase to the tenant, who at once
remonstrated that their interest was a great deal more. After numerous
enquiries, &c., the treasury changed the 24 years into 30 years, and
consequently let the tenants 20 years value of their valuation, they
finding the other ten years, clearly showing that in the opinion of the
tenants themselves and the Government land was worth 30 years' purchase
of its valuation. What is the proposal now by the tenants and agitators?
That they should clearly only pay at the rate of Griffith's valuation,
which, a few years ago, they themselves asserted was fifty percent below
the selling value, and which valuation was taken when wheat, oats,
barley, butter, beef, mutton and pork were much below the present value.
Landlords have not raised their rents in proportion. My own estate in
1843 had 116 tenants, in 1880 it had 105 tenants on 5,760 statute acres.
The difference in the rent paid in 1880 over that paid in 1843 is L270,
barely six percent on the whole rental, which is almost 16 percent over
valuation. Over L2,000 was forgiven in the bad years after potato
famine, and over L1,000 has been lost by nonpaying tenants, and a
considerable sum has been expended in improvements without charging the
tenant interest; in some cases the cost has been divided between
landlord and tenant. It is a very common practice in Ireland to fix a
rent for a tenant and to reduce that rent on the tenant executing
certain improvements. No improving tenant, or one who pays his rent, is
ever disturbed in possession of his farm - it is only the insolvent one
that is put out, and by the time the landlord can obtain possession of
the farm it is always in a most delapidated condition. An ejectment for
non-payment of rent cannot be brought till a clear year's rent is due,
and usually the tenant owes more before it is brought, and he has always
from date of decree to redeem the farm by paying what is due on the
decree with costs. The landlord has, in case of redemption by the
tenant, to account for the profits he has made out of the land during
the six months. When dilapidation and waste have taken place no
compensation for the loss can be obtained by the landlord from the the
tenant.
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