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THE LAND COMMISSION. -

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THE LAND COMMISSION. TOWYN. The llDyalCommission sat at Towyn on Wednesday. The first witness was Dr. R. T. Jones, of Harlech, -coaniv councillor, who gave evidence relating to ênÍ! parishes. He said the district, comprising <$2 t acres, was chiefly mountain pasture for sheep end sows. In some instances the runs should be divided among a larger number of farms. Rents ,w been raised upon almost every estate, but the ft&ftliema had bean by no means uniform, the TXOCftafcW varying from: 10 to 30 per cent. In some "ags the increase took place soon after the tenants "AA nmde imDrovements. In a few instancos per. t reductions had been made, and temporary abatements varying from 10 to 20 per cant. had been ,gf9f!6 in most cases. No payments was made in the .,uioteiat to tenants for haulage except on the estate ifaa late Mr Samuel Holland, M.P. He knew of ,one instance where the rent was raised after the tenant had carted all the materials for new buildings. '(b&Mie was preserved throughout the district, and -fJOttJpUfcints were general as to the damage done by 1"8 in trespassing on farms. Farm labourars had rfscceased in number, for with improved agricul- itaral implements less labour was required but btwíd6d this farmers were unable to pay wages. Mr Foulkes Jones, schoolmaster, Llwyngwril, said tonVS clauses in the agreements operating in the viiisen were considered oppressive, especially one widen Nluirad lime to be put into the land beyond wk" W lS necessary. Another clause bound the <»tttgoUig tenant to soil the sheep at a valuation, but did not bind either the landlord, or the incoming teoant to buy at the valuation. Again, spare fodder WSoII to be left to the incoming tenant whether he prefer rod paying for it or not. On another estate -tiio itwjoraing tenant paid a reasonable amount of .good.wm for permanent improvements made by the iotttgtiRttg tenant, and that was the only thing *{>peaacaing tenant right existing in the district. Wttfe the exception of walling, all permanent im. fHttreinents were made by the landlords, interest eia« added to the rent, but the tenant was not paid 4 iittthing for carting. On several properties there there had been no general revaluation, but there had ibeen (Ul almost invariable advance in rent when a thrift changed hands as well as to the occupying ftf oasts. In the case of Mrs Royle the rent of old was raised on their own improvements. TtMfe bad been a general fall in the price of produce dotiag she past fifteen years. Wages had increased ,,Iod per cent, duriug the past thirty or furty years. Lttb't&refa' cottages were in poor condition, without jjitror convenience of any kind, and many of them were in ruins. Some of the land nearest to the oioatttfrins was going out of cultivation, because it ,p&td better to graze it than to till it. The little btjaA which was properly tilled was not deteriorating but, the fact was that farmers could not afford to properly till most of their land. During the past ithirty years a great deal of land had been cleared of «tones, rocks, old wa la, &c., and drained at the g&lo expense of the tenant without compensation. Many hundreds of acres had been enclosed in the dist4et on the borders where the small cottars ana the villagers used to get peat. That had been put a atop to by Mr Wynne, of Peniarth, who claimed as lord of the manor. He also prevented people catting pent- on anenolosed mountain land not apportioned to {turns, David Edwards, Pantyffa, Llwyngwril, said he rented a farm of 20 acred on the estate of Mrs Royie, Bala, for irhorn Mr John Williams, of Gwernhefin, ao<ea aa agent. The farm consisted of dry, ihin kfftd oi very poor quality, and it was a continual ff&rfKnrie to keep it clear of farze and brambles. The tent seventy years ago was iourteen guineas, and ftltfcootfb since then two acres of was e land on the tarm W been reclaimed by the occupiers and stono «rall« bad been built, the rent was now X22 8s., an of.55 per cent. The increase had been made on.tba improvements of successive tenants, the iand- &1 spending practically nothing to improve A*- piwo. Ifoeid Humphreya, of Tyrgawen, Llanegryn, said ke farmed 212 aores on the estate of Mr W. K. M. of Peniarth. Tenants in the district availed tJttve8 generally of the Ground Game Act to their crops, but no attempt was made to kill utxte. Farmers felt there should be a radical amend- of the game laws, especially with reference to b land, which was nothing but a rabbit ..bere the landlords caught most of the game feafoc* allowing tenants to go there. The pheasants .w the corn on the ground until it rotted, WMI0 tit* damage done by them to the aftermath wis dgogugaig, Farmers in the neighbourhood calculated ttx&t their loss owing to depredation by gtluie •m-flflted to 10 per cent. The struggle to pay the tent wsw. incredibly keen, although thu farmers and tboir wives woi-keci like slave. Me Richard Jonfa said the witness stated that adopted the Ground Game Act as rt.'Ø.l.rJ. raobits. Why did they nut adopt it as r+g*critid hiic» t.*Iso i Writes* snid they left hares alone out of respeot for Me tvyuua, the landlord Me Hie hard Jones Is it respect, or fear ? Wfctwss*. Partly from fear and partly from respect jabwftau giit^r). Mr k,'v,,n Evan,, Gesail, Towyn, farmer, Siid few fwseitf iaing agricu-turiets were left in the district,, Mul the condition of the tenantfarmers was wretched, M. tJæy could t-carcely, if at all, make end, meet. of rent by landlords were an acknow- irtrwumt this, but they were a charity, and niacin -the "lJt" feel like paupers. As Protection wa-, "u dt ttie questiola, farmers had to compete with fur^ign ,e,cmu,tr; eg, and to do <,0 must havd substantial re.luc- tfvjiiiin vent. Mr William Llovd, of Llacgelynin, said ho bad t1 a ter.ant u .d< r Mr Wynne, of Peniarth. He <teae-ibe<i how por ions of his land were taken for the I r.Aring of game AND the dam^E that WHS duut by 1taxil8 to hi* crop*, for whioh he received no coinp-n- nor was bis rent reduced. In 1892 he re.>tv«d notice to quit. He knew of no reason why hi shouni tamed away. His family had been tenants on lh. vUJ nee LS17. He on one occasion saw Mi Wynne 4vbm.% be was wearing black clothes, and Mr Wynne he bad been doing. He said he had b e toa tafierttl of thH poor. They had a ta k ab mt thi itt connect on with Dolgeiit y Board of Guard iai.8, Of Mfiisch he was a vice-chairman, when Mr WyiiM,- 4aid "Try to keep them down, Lloyd" (laughter). attribute 1 hiR notice to quit to the fact th »t be waa a weil-kuown Liberal and a con^cieiitiou- IJoaeauformist. af,d that Mr Wynne was a Church. BjiMjAiid an enthusiastic Conser vative. Witness iiad ttied to do away with" the cx-OI)icto guardians, and hAd vateu for the use of charity funds fur inieime ii- ,d&- AfttoBfcion. Mr Wsnne being opposed to those i The present tenant was a CrburchuiiiiJ I who had been a Nonconformist. Mr Richard Jones: If I recollect lightly, Mr WYf1 ktted üt Barmouth tbat he .Jitd never sfivfl. tJóûee to a tenant to quit except in one instance, and thai wa« for arrant bad farming. Do you think he ««« a lading to you ? Wt'neB.s: Yes (loud laughter). No (renewed fa.«Hrbfc*r). Ask it again, please (g:, ore laughter). The <jae8;.ion was repeated, when witness replied tha wa only an excuse for their feudal s; stem » Qsub vfcter). 1 Mr Jones: Could you bring witnesses to testify to rl,ar gwi character as a farmer ?-Yes, as good as jtt* neighbours. yjQ. say that the general impression was that you tcLrIL. d "ut fr.,m your farm because you werd a ■^(Kieooformist and a Liberal?—Yes. Mr Owen Slauey Wynne, brother of Mr Wynnp, of P.nurth. replied to the stiteruenis of the three wiutAive* who had referred to his brother's estate. JLriter expiainintf ot- denying other statements, witness mc&soi Mr Lloyd, of Ywaon. That farm was in a musfftble state. lIe went over it himself, and h-i did Got tttink in the whole of Nor.h Wales a farm in a mo/tf wretched condition could be fuund. H;> had liadi eKto'rien'e of sixteen (r sevenleeu hundred SimfA a.ud had never come across such a dirty farm jW Sfr Lloyd's. It, was not on account of L<ovd\- or political principles that he was turned Witne* whose brother was away at the time, the notice himself because thA f.-irni was in uch "a oiMrable state. Mr L'oyd, recalled, e tid Mr Wynne never slid any- ÖlÎIlIt to him about cultivating his taim till he pave fstat notice, but he said s > now. It was all an exsuse Wt the feudal system. He denied that the farm was IK a. AUty state. Ti»« Chairman Have you anybody you cr.n brr> g 4a sbow the Litate of the farm ?-I think my neigh- itKMMM will tert-ify it id not right for him (Mr Wynne) ifci* a lie ahout me. T-itti 0. I cannot have that sort of language bfgte. the Commission. If you like to bnt.'gyour ,.Ineighbouts or anvon,3 to prove that you farmed W\\ should be gliid to hear them. John. Morgan, Feiinyrwyp, a farmer on the .Y&f<m*GDgwjn estate, belonging to Mr J. W. Carb^tfc, gave evidence for the Towyn p irish. He .woitkl have wished that the larger farmers ca;> e •-|iir«ard themselves to speak, bub ho believea the al1 why they had not come was that they were .afctidof the landlords ard the agents taking revenge CVM them in the future. Ho was afraid that the om,we (ear in a lesser degreo possessed many of the ,irifc«i«HBea who lad ulready spoken. Mr Humphrey Soø, cf Caigenreeb, told him that he had been øÁrin.r the agents whether they were willing that he abofjJA make a statement before the Commissioneia. .6M. &I.a that he had made th., statement, as Htnoothly p"hibly in order that it should pass through that lMOW ifiiteway (laughter). BALA. Thursday's sitting of the Welsh Land Commis. sioners was held at the Town Hall, Bala. Mr T. E. Ellis, the member for the county was present. Mr R. J. Lloyd Price, of Rhiwlas, continued his evidence in chief commenced at the last Bala Bitting of the Commission. He said that few farms had been consolidated and no waste land had been reclaimed in his time. Nearly all improvements were made by the landlords. Compensation was given by agree. ment according to scale for such improvements as were made by the tenants. Farms damaged by game were let at specially low rents. The agreements did not require tenants to act as beaters, and if they did they were well paid and fed. Poultry farming might be pursued to more advantage. Judging from the way the recent dairy classes were attended, he should say that they would do mnch good if con- tinned. Labourers preferred to live in villages, where they could meet and gossip at nights. Isolated cottages were not popular. Mr Price said that the father of Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., resided at Cyn as, on his eatate, and his son was now member for the jounty. Asked as to the causes of the present depression, witness said he scarcely understood them. Rents, rates, and taxes were no higher than they were ferty years ago. and the prices of agricultural produce were now nearly double what they were at the beginning of the period he mentioned, and yet farmers complained that they were in difficulties. The cause of their trouble must be the great rise in prices of labour or toe increased cost of carriage of manure,and generally more extravagant in living (Oh). Examined by Mr Richard Jones, witness admitted that the estate was revalued in 1876, but he had not the valuation with him nor could he Dcsitivelv state that it had been adhered to in every instance. W Mr Richard Jones In his evidence Thomas Davies, of Lledrlwyd, told us that in 1876 5 per cent. was returned from the first half-year's rent by you to the tenant in response to a petition for an abatement. Every tenant who did sign the petition, he said, received 5 per cent., but all those tenants who bad not signed received double that amount. Is that so ? Witness: Quite so. I am of opinion that those who are best off in this world always howl the loudest, and that those who are badly off keep their misfor- tunes to themselves (laughter). Mr Richard Jones You punished those peoDIe for trying to strengthen their position in dealing with th.,i landlord. Wituess: No; I thought I should take pity on those who said nothing, but who the more required assistance. Mr Richard Jones: Are you aware that your game- keeper a fortnight ago shot the dog at Ddolwen while it was standing near the tenant's son ?—No, I am not. Mr Grove: You have given a veiy interesting narrative as to the success of a member of the Cynla., family, Mr Thomas Ellis, M.P. I Eluppose you would consider his case an exception ? Witness I consider it a very great credit to the young man to have used his brains to acquire such an uncommon position, and I al3o consider it even more creditable Lo his father for having found money to give him such an education (loud applause). A question was handed in by Mr Lieweliyu Jones as to whether witness had ever turned ouc l,50t) or 2,000 young pheasants reared in his pheaeantries to teed on the crops of the teuantry. Witness I kept them in my own covers and fed them on my own corn. If they went outside the covers they only weut for amusement, and uot tor food (loud laughter). Mr Thomas Davies said he had visited Y Foel, owned by Colonel E. Evans Lloyd. There were holes in the roof, and the floors and rafters were in a bad condition from dry rot. The tenant was a labourer working here and there, and was often away at night. The wife asserted she often got out of bed on stormy nights to sit by the fire, for fear of the roof falling on her. Colonel E. Evans Lloyd gave rebutting evidence. He contended that the rent was quite reafouable. The wall was in excellent condition. It had been allegbd that the sky could be seen through the roof. The tenant himself might easily have replaced the single slate which was off. After eight and forty hours storm and rain, on Thursday and Friday of last week, Mr Davies and the sanitary inspector went to the place and could not find a spot of damp there. This was an example of the style of evidence given by witnesses before the Commission. He fcand a corner of the floor of one of the rooms where dry rot had produced a hole, but it was nothing serious. Witness and another gentleman who was with him jumped on the floor and found that their uuited weight—they were each fourteen stone- produced no impression (laughter). All the rest of the floor was sound. The statement about the rotten condition of the floor was a malicious inventiou. The Chairman said that two of the Comuaissionere would go up during the afternoon and see the house r Foel. David Roberts, Tynybryn, Rhyduoha, Bala, said in 186G he took a tarm called Llanerchyresyr, Llandt rfel, on Rhiwlas estate, the agent promising that thd rabbits should be kept down and the buildings put ioto a proper condition. He remained p +:1, l m r; JIJ- 1.4. —J N-ri- r -1. repairs were carried out, and even then hd had t J do all thd cartage. Tne rabbits were not kept down as promised. He once received £ 10 compensation from tiis landlord for damage uone by game, but thai was uot half enough to cover his losa. A large number of his neighbours suffered as much as him bolt fVoin the rabbit pear. After the passing of tn Gruuud Game Act witness de'ermined to keep down rabbi's himself and having cleared the place as well us he could he settled down to make the farm pay, but soon afterwards he received notice to quit, ana th., farm had since been turned into a rabbit warren. He had to sell all his stock and go to live in a small cottage. In the year 18S3 he took a farm called Pen.au, on the sam* estate, in the parish of Lianycil, at a rent of £ 31. He was promised that the house and outbuildings should be put in good repair, and that new pigfetyes and pnvies should be built. Tlte hou-je uni outbuildings were siighUy repaired, but tiie other things promised were never given, a"d Ujv farm co-day had no privy accommodation. Dur.i y t jc time he was on the ilhiwlaa estate he lost soui tiii. g like i'200. John Jones, of Troedybank, Bala, said he bad bsen chosen by a number of liniwlas estate tenants to appe ir before the Oominiission. The farmers in the Pnn-lyn district compla.ntd that th" landowners em- lo.fd as agents men who were ignorant about land aud wJag-e. The Khiwias estate had been for a Ion.. j time buffeting from the disadvanrage arising from diIforenc. s of race an 1 language, ilr Price knew no Welsh, and during the last 30 yejrs bad had four a^Oiita, three or whom were utterly ignorant of the Wt lsh langusg". On the Rhiwlas estate farms were le* to the highest bidder. Witness said he knew of a farmer on the estate who was afraid to state his grievances before the Commission, but on been apked for his name, said thit he could not give Ü, having pro mised the farmer not to mention it. Tin chairman announced that Mr Price wished it to u" understood that any of his tenants were at per- fect liberty to give whatever evidence they pleased. He ha.i himself asked six of his lar gest teca. iLi to appear before the Commissioners. Rjpiying to Mr Richard Jones, witness said h- knjw t'aat so late as last month a. dog belonging io one of Mr Price's tenants was shot by a keeper. Witness did not know the name of that tenant, except that he was called Robin, the son of Nancy Lloyd" (iaugbter). The man told him that the keener went to him to try to hush the matier up in view of that inquiry. The Chairman repeated his former statement. The Commissioners weie unanimous in their determina- tion that they would put the power Parliament had given thetri into force if they were informed of any Sdlt/tïy case of intimd-ttioa or threatening of nesies. They did not believe, as he said b fore, that landlords would be hard on their tenant whtn they came forwarti to give evidence, but they could not sllqt their eyes to the lact that there was a baluf that that might happen. Mr John Jones, Berth Lafar, tenant farmer, under Mr Friae. of Rhiwlas, complained very much of the Iiir ;s*,Iip of the farmer's life and the of the railway rates. He did not favour a, land court. Security of tenure was Dot needed if there WAS proper security for improvements. Mr T. F. R owlands, of YVoiglod-ddu, on Sir W. W. Wvnii's e,t;tte, complained that ha was too highly r«:.ti;d, and though he frequently app ied to the agent for a reduction he was overlooked. He alleged that his action in regard to the question of education in the parish, iu which he went against the -vishes o! the agent, was the only reason for his claim being >-o long overlooked. At last he applied to Sir Watitdn himself and was kindly received. The Chairmau said that on behalf of the Commis- sioners Lord Kenyon and Mr Griffiths bad visited Y Fuel, the cottage about which there was a difference ot opinion. They were accompanied by Mr Davies and Colonel Evans Lloyd. Tiiey found an old sing le- roomed cottage built of the rough atone of the country, with bedroom above. The roof of old slates on somewhat decayed iafters was apparently uow watertight, there being traces of recent repairs. 1 he bedroom floor was partially decayed at one end nod tueded lepair. It gave way under the Coinmi-i- doners (laughter). The cowhouse, where a pig vas also kept, was attached to the eud wall or the cottage, and ia the division wall were interstices in:o whicu a sti'k could be pushed for some distance. Th- y were of opinion that the sanitary authorities should; have directed Col. Evans Lloyd's attention to the unsdtiofactory condition of this case. Col Hughes, agent to Sir W. \V. Wynn, g4vp rebutting evidence in reply to the previous witness. Wheu he came to the estate he found 137 Not e m- formi-sts and 19 Churchmen tenants on the Glanity n estate, and since then no stranger had ev,, been admitted among the tenantry. Mrs Gwen Jones, Gelly Isaf, Bala, a tenant of Mr Lloyd Price, of Rhiwlas, complained of the exorbitant rent of her holding. which she declared was 33 per cent. too high. If salvation came not from some- where she would soon be a bankrupt. The sitting of the Commission was on Friday held in the Victoria Hall. Bala. When Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., entered the hall just before the commencement of the proceedings there was quite an outburst of applause. When the noble Chairman (Lord Carring- ton) entered a few momenta later the audience again applauded with some vigour. The Chairman at the opening made a statement to the effect that Welsh, speaking witnesses were requested to verify the translations of their statements in the presence of one of the Welsh-speaking Commissioners, so that the Commission might be perfectly satisfied of the accuracy of the transla'ions read ont in court. These proceedings were, as hitherto, open to the public and Press. It is generally understood that the Chairman's statement was made in consequence of a leading article in Thursday's Tinies. Mr T. E. Ellis, M.P., was the first witness called. He said he was the son of a tenant farmer. He had been three times returned to represent his native county in Parliament. He had been a fairly diligent student of the rural economy of Wales. From his boyhood he bad had a 'strong and deepening convic- tion that the system under which the land of Walps is cultivated requires drastic modification. In Wales, as in every other country, the relation be- tween the landholder, or rent reoeiver, and the occupier of the soil was one which must influence, if not control, the whole system of society. The enor. mous growth and development of industrial Wales had helped to modify very materially the influence which the landholders and the land system of Walea exercised over the life and destiny of the Welsh people. Nevertheless the influence was still great and they were entitled to apply some tests of the efficacy and sanity of the present system in Wales. He proposed to apply five simple tests :—1. Was it calculated to produce a self-respecting tenantry and peasantry who could think, speak, act, and combine like free men P 2. Did it bring out the full capacity of the soil and ensure an adequate reward to the tillers for their skill, outlay, and labour P 3. Did it conduce to enable as many families as possible to live and thrive on the land ? 4. Did it nreserve for the common good the user and revenue of the public or common land P 5. Was the rent or surplus produce of the land over and above what was necessary to feed, clothe, maintain, and educata the tillers of the soil, wisely spent in the interest of the community of Wales P He believed that the land system ot Wales, when searchingly tried by these test., stood condemned. The answer to questions one and two was in the negative, mainly because of the insecurity of the tenure incident to teneucies-at-will. The aaswer to questions three and four was in the nega- tive owing to enclosures made with or without Act of Parliament, to consolidation of holdings, and to the grafting of the manorial system upon the old Celtic tenures of Wales. The answer to question five was in the negative owing largely to the diver- gence of aims and ideals, religious, social, political, and national, between the rent-receivers Hod t Ie tillers of the soil of Wale. He considered in- security of tenure the first and worst evil—worst for the peasants' rights and duties of citizen- ship, and worse for good husbandry in Wales It would take years to forget the thrill of horror which spread through Wales, more especially through its tenantry, owing to the political evictions after the elections of 1859 and 1868. Four uncles and relatives of his were evicted for refusing to vote fo the Tory candidate in 1859. In the election of 186.) the landlords in this district stood in the Bala Hall to watch their tenants voting, and he had heard tenants express their shame that, terrified by the evictions of 1859, they voted against their will and consc ence. As to ti e preiservatiin- of e'ame. he ha. heard evidence given that liberal compensation for damage done by game was given by the landlord and the agent. He had not the facts to deny this, but what compensation could there be for the agony and irritation of the tenant at seeing his crops destroyed by game, while gamekeepers were prowling about to see that not a feather of the sacred birds was ruffled? He had referred in the House of Commons to aa incident in connection with game, the truth of which had been challenged in a widely-circulated pamphlet, He should give the details of that incident. In Fi bruary, 1867, on an afternoon while his father was away in the Vale of Clwyd, one of his two dogs, while wish the servant who was ploughing, ran after but did not catch a hare. That night a gamekeeper, one George Stretton, came to the house and bully- ingly recited the dog's offence. Next day, after his return, his father was ordered to take his two dogs to Rhiwlas. Both were taken and shot. On September 27 a notice to quit came. His father went at once tw the estate agent to know the reason. The reason was that the dog had chase-I the hare, and that the game. keep. To reported that his father destroyed the hares on his farm. Weeks of dread anxiety followed, with sickness and death in the fam ly. Aftir much egociation the farm was offered to his father at an n. re&oed rental of £ 10. ais capi al auu twelve ^B:_h :,rod horn-?. Thi offer was »u ultimatum. Itliad to be accepted. Daring the 26 years which had elapseu every penny of the infill enhanced rent had been paid w hen a fa iner received a notice to quit ill order t iavu his rent rair.ei he was iu a very heiploss con- i tioii, tor to lnttVe his ia in wa to leave the fruits his skill, outlay, 1m.: labour in hili farm, aud to a a .liuu bis means of liveiinoo.l. He Wild no nior, a free agerit iu the con ract than a purchaser was i, a bes iged and straitened town. Another m-ttio,, ,vas the exactiou of high, sometimes unpos^ihio. rents in tm-i-i of severe depression. DUrin.4 the lust ten yeara there had bnen great Buffering. The ab-ence of any inipartial authority to which till- t ;tia;its miht appeal had been k -enly and bitt-jriy felt. It ha already been pointed out 111 evidence uefore the Commission how on the Rhiwlts ts ate au attompt ata c Jinb natiou of t',Ia tenants w»s treated A respectful petition, si/ned by many of tae teuanih, tfut to Mr Tho-e who signed the p^titi n reofived an ubar.emeut of 5 per calit., those who ■ tui not were blessed with 10 per cent. Und^r « system of tenancy at-will such au ar itiee was vcr> likeiy to produce a submissive and 4ubijrvl.nt tenantry. Another m'-ihol was tne uncertainty of obtaining comoen^it on for imp ovements. He ventured to think that the expenditure by thi- tenant on permanent and unexhausted improve mente on an upland farm fair:y established Wb", 'vas popuiarly known as tenant right," iiamely, it cer- tain claim of the tenant in the actual farm which Le 1111-1 tiileu for a Ja..ge number of year*. There was a similar ineradicable itnp-ession in Wales, and h.: urgod that it should likewise in Walos receive legai recognition. Wicn regard to tests tnree and tour, ne |believed that the consolidation of farms and the exercise of manorial rights on the waste aui coinmoi. pastures of Wales contravened diametrically the whole spirit of the old Celtic tJnure of Wales. Lietd would be handed in to the Commissioners from every rural district of Wales showing how small tenancii- had disappeared, and how labourers were drifting L the to.vns. Enclosures had buea ruthlessly male without sufficient forethought for the poor &ad for the labouring classes. As a rule common pastu. is and m^aoows h.d been shaded among landowners I, f Ll),Vllsiiil)s i-:i a proportion corresponding to the area. ot the *>sUtiJs belonging to them there. He hoped ttJ, Cor-im ssion would help to regulate the remain-ter ,J the unappropriated common land in Wales In a laud atid anting a pea.,antry singular y devoted to social converse, tuere ws not a public village hab .,r institute keeulv foud of reading, there was not a publ.c library. In a changeable climate mainly d i), and wi h homes email and confined, there was no 11 su.g.e hospital or puolie dispensary. In a land wuoe people were-inguiarly attached to the soil and its associations tne dwellings of peasants and oj .ttger. were allowed to fail to ruiu. Thill was too severe a stfriu upon the country xnd could uot last. il.,i,iviiig to Lord Kenyoii, witness said the ttlO- de cy all over the world was for p iople to gravit.-tte towards too to .n'l, owing to a fancy for city life am i r, z3,,ciil attractiots-kt teudency which they might iike or di.iKe. I think it is one of the first duties of the rnt reciver to s.e that his estate ia well l,ro- i viied with buildings 00 h for labourers and faruiers undrr the present system. Lord K Miyon 1 perfectly agree with you. I de- p'uve the depopulation, but I am looking for the re- nte Jy. \Vitne»e The rent-A for the cottages won't pay the priv it, e o 11 r. Wh it c in be done, unless some pub- lic body builds the cottage"? Under thd present system of land tenure., by which in Wales something lik", ti'.ree m lliotis aie psid rn rent, tile duly iu tin- first, place devolves til;ou the rent receiver With eve y good intention on the part of tn* landt ros w b 1 re.-ided 0:1 their estates hd thougnt tb,i want of acquaintanc-i with the ruial life ot the distriov was quit" pathetic. L -ny-.n I know of twn young and »ucking ot*iuudl..rds ,hl are at the preaeut moment- being taught Welsh, namely, tile young Lord t'owis a"d • tie > oung Sir Wa kLU (iaUZhtel). Wituct-s, in reply to Lor-i Ka.iyou, s-iid he would n c ir wth some amount of game preservation. It was tho1 excess ot it which was tUe evil. in reply 10 other questions, witne-s said he *as in favour cf mIdi tioo'ments. Two tendencies > Wtiles s weL as in Hug and were working for good— one towards allowing free. arid ea-der acosr'S to thn hu,d to labourers, and the otn-r the growtn of a vig- orous and corporate vihatfe t f. lie did nut think t'iai witti t-io 111.jortty of landlords & LfJd Court would lead to their ceasing to have any interest in thn farms ttud the r teuants, but even if they did, the loss would be but temporary, b8 the land must bo t ii!tiv,,te(i, aud peop e would tiil it and build even under tie new system. Mr Ellis said that tenant* should nave peifaot liberty to cultivate tha land as

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THE LAND COMMISSION. -