The land question was raised in the House of Lords
on Thursday by Lord Lansdowne, who, while urging that the movement to bring back more and more people to the soil should have the support of both political parties, described the Premier's recent speech as an unjustifiable attack on the landowners of the country, and moved for the official returns referred to showing the refusal of landlords to satisfy the demand for small holdings. Lord Carrington in reply declared that the official evidence embodied in the answers to questions in Parliament on Wednesday proved the Premier's case up to the hilt, and stated that the numerous applications he had himself received as Commissioner of Crown and Agricultural Lands showed that the demand was general and unsatisfied. Lord Crewe also defended the Premier's speech, which he regarded as aimed at local authorities rather than landowners. We have dealt elsewhere with the spirit in which the Government are approaching the land question. But we should like to add a word here as to their proposed Valuation 'Bill. We find no great harm in the proposal per se, though we very much object to the spirit in which it is urged, and to the notion that a Valuation Bill may be used to penalise land- lords. If, however, the Government are determined to have an official valuation, we sincerely hope that one thing will be insisted on,—viz., that the valuation may be acted on by the payers of Death-duties. What we mean is this. Suppose the owner of a landed estate has to pay on inheritance £5,000 in Death-duties, and that he finds that a certain farm on his estate has been valued by the Government at 24,000. In that case we would give him the right, if he likes, to say to the Government : "I shall pay you my Death-duties by handing you over the farm in question and £1,000 in cash." A regulation of that kind would be a very sound and very proper check upon overvaluation, which otherwise is only too likely to take place.
Previous page
