Sir James Caird sent a letter to last Saturday's Times
on the sudden fall of rent in the United Kingdom, in which he threw great doubt on the survival of economic rent in any shape, as far as regards the greater number of Irish holdings, i.e., the vast majority of small farmers. To this letter there have been a great number of replies from various sources, and of various ability, all tending to show that though Ireland has been in many respects exceptionally unfortunate as an agricul- tural country, yet at the present time she is suffering much less than England and Wales from the special causes of the existing agricultural depression ; nay, that, as compared with 1852, when Griffith's valuation of Ireland was made, she has a great deal to be thankful for and nothing to complain of. Ireland now grows extremely little wheat, in which the fall has been greatest, and even wheat is not quite so low as in 1852. As regards other products, Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, in his letter to Thursday's Times, gives us the following tabular comparison between the price of Irish produce in 1885 and its price in 1852 :—
Wheat, per 112 lb. ...
Oats Prioes of 1852.
7s. 6d. 4s. 10d.
Averag5Pri. oes, 8e. 5d
8s. Od.
Per-tentage increase.
12 65 Barley 5s. 6d. 7s. 5d. 34 Butter 65s. 4d. 95s. Od. ...... 45 Mutton 41s. Od. . 54s.95. 33 Beef 35s. 6d. 55s. Od. 55 Pork 82s. Od. 46s. 6d. 45
That certainly does not look as if Griffith's valuation were unfairly high for the year 1885.
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