TYRANNY IN TIREE

NZ Truth, 5 October 1918, Page 1

TYRANNY IN TIREE

1 How Landlords Love Laborers

HUNGRY COTTAR^ CULTIVATE IDLE ACRES.

Industry Penalised With Imprisonment and Fines.

In 1914 the cottars and small leaseholders m the Island of Tiree (writes a 'Truth" correspondent) petitioned the Land Board and Commission to have a 'portion of an estate occupied by one Thomas Barr, and owned by the Duke of Argyie. which was not being cultivated or otherwise used to the best advantage, cut up into small lots and^apportioned among the settlers on the island. Th* Commission, after consideration, decided to'comply with the islanders' request. A portion of the estate was surveyed a and pegged off m small "crofts." and duly allocated. But before the successful selectors could take possession of^ their sections the lessee, with THE AID OF THE "DOOK," . applied for a stay of proceedings on the ground that his lease had not expired and other plausible excuses His appeal when brought before the court, m. which other .landlords acted as judges, was. upheld, and the decision of the Land Board overturned, thus dispossessing the cottars. t As the war proceeded and time went on, the post of living m Tiree, as m God's Own and several other places beside, went soaring upward, till m 1918, the cottars found that they could not purchase food and were m clanger of starving before the year would be out, while thousands of acres of land were lying idle, upoii. which foodstuffs might be grown duringthe summer months and thus provide them with plenty to tide over the dark, drear days of an island winter. And they had read m the newspapers, also, appeals by Lloyd George, and others, to the people of Britain to cultivate every foot of soil so : as to fight back famine and defeat ■■-■ THE HXJN U-BOAT; PIRACY, With the fear of famine before them the possibility of a plenteous "hairst" | m return for a little extra toil on their : part, and the encouraging appeals from leading statesmen ringingrin their ears these loyal cottars determined to cultivate a portion at least of the thousands of acres lying waste and use-

less at. their very. doors. The suggestion once made was soon put m practice. Cottars' from ' yai-ious parts of the island came with ploughs, harrows, and other cultivating gear. Those who had not gear brought horses and seed, and soon a goodly number of acres of recently "barren land. was pregnant with the . promise of plenty. ' : But once .more,- 'as oft before, and despite the many times repeated statement that the lord's of the soil would be more brotherly and humane towards the "common people," because of the comradeship born of the > great war, these Highlanders of the Scots islands were soon 'brought to remember that, war or no war, the land still "is a' the MarkisV That. ' The hills that to'er, the moss, the muir, Whaur men can fecht or wark Is his; . ; Ilk glen an' dell 'tween heaven an' hell, ,•■•'-■■■■ He says' himsel's the Markis's. As soon as the matter was reported to the landlord; , the law was set m motion against them. The men who had dared to break the sacred soil without the permission of the landlord were dragged into court, and WERE^.SEn't TO PRISON for ten days, and individually fined, with costs additional. Did the Prime Minisfer of Britain and his standard bearers who had appealed to the people to "till every vacant foot of soil m order to help to defeat the Hun" come to the. assistance of these cottars, many ;pf whose sons were helping to defeat the Hun m Northern France and Flanders, and justify their action m the eyes of their countrymen? Only the poor of the mainland stretched out a. helping hand, by giving out of their ownscant store to help those of their class worse off than themselves. Yet not so many years ago Tiree belonged to the inhabitants, of the island, as sail land once belonged to the members of the, clans inScotland. It is questionable if the Duke of Argyll can show a title to a ; single inch bf. the island soil, whereas the ; present" inhabitants are , the descendants of the men who owned the whole of the island m former years, and who ■'. defended their right to its isoil: with their swords.