958 EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED 10th Sept.,
1844.
4.
Is the state of agriculture, in your opinion, improvmg, or otherwise ?
Very fittl
„—— improving.
J e Rev Jam B
5" ^-Qa* maiuires are principally used?—Mostly
sand and sea-weed at the two sides f arry.
^e parish ; north and south it is all sea manure, and in the interior they use bog stuff an 1 straw, and every thing they can make up together to form manure.
6.
Are there many farms held in common, or joint tenancy, in tho district ?
There arei good many of that kind.
7.
What, in general, is tho effect of that mode of holding ?—I
should think it is not so good, with regard to the well-being of the tenantry, as if they held their own portions 8.
In what manner is the rent fixed; is it by private contract, proposal, or valuation?—
In general by proposal.
9.
Is it usual for the landlord to accept thc highest offer ?—That
is generaHy the case as far as I can observe.
10.
Is there any preference shown to the occupying tenant?—In
general there is the tenant resident in the place; ho generally gets a preference.
The person offering the higher rent would be chosen ; but at tho same rent tho landlord is generally inclined to take the occupying tenant.
11.
What is tho usual rent of average good land in the district ?—We
have very little knowledge of acres of land.
The land is set by the gneeve, and the half gneeve, and quarter gneeve, and there are twelve of those in a ploughland.
The ground is very rough, and in my parish they seldom, in taking the ground, mention thc rent by the acre at all; it is so much a gnceve, and thoy are to subdivide the rent.
12.
What proportion does the usual letting value bear to the poor law valuation?—I
should think that tho poor law valuation was at least one-third or one-fourth under what the tenants hold it at.
13.
How soon after the rent becomes duo is it usually demanded?—In
a great many instances there is a running gale; but for thc most part in the parish I reside in the rent is required in a few days after it becomes duo—sometimes a month, or six weeks, or two months; but I would say it is almost always the case, where there is not a running gale, that the fh'bt gale is not allowed to overtake the second.
14.
What mode Is usually adopted to recover rent from defaulting tenants ?—The
mode usually adopted is to distrain, to charge driver's fees, and impound, and by those means compel the tenant to make up the rent.
15.
What is the usual driver's foo ?—One
shilling to the driver for each distraint.
If thero are two men employed, I havo known instances where a second man's hire was also charged.
Thoro is sehMm more than one beast distrained, as tho holdings are so small, and there is Is.
charged for that distraint.
16.
Does the distress often proceed to a sale ?—It
does.
Tbe distress very often proceeds to auction, and the cattle are canted, and the tenant may have tbe chance of recovering them back by paying* tho amount for which they aro canted, which is under the value.
It is the tenant's interest to take tho cattle back from tho purchaser ; and I also consider that the driving of the cattle may sometimes have the effect of breaking the tenant altogether.
It may proceed so far, that tho distress bo suffers from tho impounding of the cattle will drive him to any means in the world of making up the rent, rather than incur such a great loss.
17.
Have you known any instances in which they have submitted to a severe loss rather than have their cattle driven?—Yes,
I have; whore thoy had recourse to loan funds and banks, and borrowed raonoy at a groat loss to themselves to save themselves for the time.
_
18.
What is your opinion generally of tho loan fund system ?—I
think it is gencraffy very disadvantageous.
19.
Do the tenants hold in general immediately under the proprietors, or are there many middlemen in the district ?—Yes,
a groat many middlemen ; for the most part, in the parish I officiate in, they aro principally middlemen.
There aro some instances of landlords in fee, but not generally.
20.
Which of thc two classes aro most comfortable?—!
think the tenants under the land* lords m fee are most comfortable.
There are exceptions.
There are some tenants under the middlemen who are doing very well, but, speaking generally of those who hold from the head landlord, they are much better off.
21.
Do the tenants hold generally at will, or by lease ?—There
are very few leases.
_ 22.
Is thero any anxiety "on the part of the tenantry for leases ?—I
should think there is a very great anxiety.
23.
What effect, in your opinion, has the holding at will upon tbe condition of the tenants, or the improvement of their farms ?—I
think that the holdmg from year to year only is calculated to deter the tenants from improving, from making any expenditure^ or even going to a great deal of trouble in improving thc ground.
He is not certam that if he improve* the ground that the landlord may not notice Mm, and turn him out, or make a new bargain with him, and increase the rent.
There are many instances of that, to my knowledge.
24.
Is it usual to turn a tenant out in that case without allowing him any thing .—ies}
generally so.
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25.
Has there been any considerable consolidation of farms in the district with wmeJi you are acquainted?—Not
much, indeed; very little in my parish.
.
2"6.
With respect to the condition of the farming population, are the large farmers gew»g richer' ?—I
should think not.
The most part of the parish is held by persons who •^•^•J smallholdings.
I do not see any great improvement among the smaller landlords: m&y workiitg on tho old system still.
