LAND TENURE IN DENMARK.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 62, 15 March 1910, Page 6

LAND TENURE IN DENMARK.

FACTORS TO PROSPERITY. Land tenure as a factor towards the prosperity of Denmark, is the subject of an interesting article by Mr H. B. Sorenson in a Canterbury journal. On the question of the tenure of the land, freehold, or, as it is called, "selvijergaard," which, of course, is subject to no restrictions as regards either cropping or disposal of the estate, is the prevalent tenure. Then there is what is called "faste," or fixed lands. These are generally either entailed or held under the common la wol : inheritance. The entails are either held directly from the Crown, and were granted for services rendered to the State (and these in the case where there are no heirs naturally revert back to the State). Hands entailed by the proprietors themselves under certain conditions, and these are known as family estates, very similar to those existing in Great Britain, with, however, this important difference, that they cannot be burdened with mortgages either for the proprietor himself, or for his widow or children after his death on any pretext whatever, and is practically theirs to use for life only, and the owner must save out of his income if he wants to provide for his widow and family after his death. Yet he has power to sell, subject, however, to the apprival of the Minister for Justice; but if sold the proceeds must be re-invested, and only the income 011 interest arising therefrom can be used by the seller, and the principal remains as rigidly entailed as if still invested in the estate. jS'o lands can be entailed since 1848. Legislation has been made on several occasions in order to prevent the joining together of several farms,

whicli, when let, are generally provided with suitable houses and stock, according to its carrying capacity. Thus, ii : a man becomes possessed of two or more farms, he must see that each is thus provided and let out either on fixed deposit or freeland tenure. In this way the large estates are gradually disappearing. iNo new large estates can be formed, as in no case can the present proprietor or leaseholder bo dispossessed so long as he carries out his obligations connected with his lease. There are practically three classes of tenure. First, there is a lease for a fixed number of .years, very similar to our ordinary agricultural lease, but the conditions are much more stringent. The duration is something twice as many years as there are fields on the farm. Rotation of crops must be strictly adhered to . The term may be for thirty years or a life tenure, in which case, if the man dies, his widow, if she carries out the conditions, may retain the lease, but if she marries again her husband cannot claim it. Then there is a fifty years' lease, and what is practically a lease-in-perpetuity. The State, in order to enable peasants to become proprietors, has set aside a sum of money, £IIO,OOO to £166,000, for five years. By this means they have been able to start for themselves. To get this benefit a man must be a Danish subject, not under twenty-five years of age, of good character, sober, and industrious, and must for five years preceding his application liave been working as an agricultural laborer. The cost of such a holding, except in special cases, must not exceed £277. In 1850 there were peasant farms to the number of £06,841; in 1895 they had increased to 75,300; and in 1908 the estimated number was 90,000.