CORRESPONDENCE.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 17, 21 January 1910, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

A REPLY TO "RADICAL."

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I notice in your paper of the 10th and 12th a letter signed "Radical" and a paragraph. "Radical" speaks with some severity of the action of the Duke of .Buccieuch in cutting off a £1 subscription from a foothall club. I am not going to act as an apologist for this man named Scott, but to call attention to some of the figures of acreage and rent quoted and to compare these with what we enjoy here-—some of the family have been eccentric. It brings to mind a story I heard when a boy of a late Duke in his old age. The weather was severe and snow on the ground. To keep the snow out of his boots as he pottered about he pulled a pair of stockings over his boots. A fish wife, having sold her fish to advantage, was making her way home with the empty creel with a drain or two of whisky inside her and some to spare in a bottle, and at peace with all the world. Suddenly her eye was caught by the Duke apparently in his stockings in the snow. Her sympathy was at once aroused. "Ma puir man," she said, "it must be hard to no he able to Imy a pair o' shoon in sich bitter weather; tak' a dram to warm ye"— offering her bottle. The Duke took the dram. These women used to carry about a hundred-weight of fish on their backs from the boats nearly daily six miles uphill into Edinburgh, and then the empty creels downhill back to their cottages near the boats. Besides this they often walked about the town till the fish were sold. It is from their cry while doing this that we have the song "Caller Herren." Their distinctive dress, short kilted petticoats, set off their strong legs and hacks. Worthy mothers of the hardy fishermen that man the boats—splendid sea boats that sail like the wind . I have often gone in them. But let us get hack to our sheep. You see the Duke owns in Dumfriesshire 253,514 acres, with a rental of £97,840, or roughly about 7s per acre average. Agricultural and pastoral land in Britain is rarely let at more than three per cent, on the capital value, while our well meaning Government who have to borrow the money and so the best it can do is to charge the settlers five per cent, as rent. So that "Radical," if he Avere a tenant of the Duke of Buccleugh instead of our Government, Avould be rented at a maximum of about three per cent, instead of five. As it is our Government has brought rent to little more than half what it used to he. As a good deal of the Duke's land is arable some of it must he let at a good deal more than the average and some at very much less. When it is considered that this land lias been in human occupation for at least 800 years, that it is substantially fenced and subdivided often Avith stone Avails, that it is approached by Macadamised roads, substantial slate-roofed stone houses provided for the tenants, drained on the hills with sheep drains, on the arable land Avitli tiles, there does not seem much for the tenant to find fault Avith. Suitable stock and crops ascertained hundreds of years ago, a quick and cash market for all produce. Land laws Avhich haA r e practically remained the same for the best ]iart of a thousand years are contrasted Avith our perpetual experimental legislation, Avhich may he changed in the night and different any morning. The farmer also having security of tenure avow Id, I think, get temporary loans from the Banks against his crops and stock at five per cent. Practically the Duke of Buccleugh and other landed proprietors never farm, their oavii lands—it is all let in moderate areas. This aIIoAVS the proprietors leisure for Parliamentary work and tb officer the army, both of Avhich are done practically at their own expense. The serious difficulty I have seen in the Avay of a NeAv Zealand army is that we have not this leisured class, and therefore that the Avhole of the officers' pay A\ - onld to be found by the taxpayer. As a random estimate I A'cnture to say that the British officer requires an of about £2OO a year more than his pay. Some haA-e been really Avoalthy men; for instance, Lord Cardigan, of the 11th Hussars, of BalaclaA'a Charge notoriety, gave £IO,OOO toAvards the better mounting of his regiment—his income Avas £40,000 a. year. If Ave had an army of eA'en 20,000 men, the proportion of officers would be about 700. If the whole thing Avas not to be a costly farce these Avould to bo educated on purpose and give their Avhole time. Then they could hardly be offered less pay than our M's-.P. get for six months Avithout any special knowledge.—l am, etc., "FAIR PLAY IS BONNY PLAY." DanneA'irke, January 17.