It  is  right  to  say  here  that  there  were  other  forces
at  work  which  made  the  landlord  anxious  to  get
out,  if  he  could  at  all,  on  reasonable  terms.  The
fall  in  the  price  of  produce  continued,  and  the  Land
Commission,  which  had  under  the  Act  of  1881  twice
revised  the  rentals,  and  reduced  them  each  time  by
twenty  per  cent  on  an  average,  were  preparing  for
the  third  revision.  The  landlords  looked  forward
to  1911  with  fear  and  trembling.  With  their
estates  mostly  heavily  mortgaged,  and  the  third  re-
vision at  hand,  they  were  as  anxious  as  the  tenants,
if  not  more  so,  that  Parliament  should  step  in  to
their  mutual  aid.  It  did  so  in  the  Land  Act  of
1903.  The  introduction  of  this  measure  was  pre-
ceded by  a  conference  of  landlords  and  tenants,
representatives  in  Ireland  which  met  in  the  Mansion


250     IRISH   HISTORY   AND   THE   IRISH   QUESTION

House,  Dublin,  and  after  five  sittings  reported  as
follows :  —

"Whereas  it  is  expedient  that  the  land  question
in  Ireland  be  settled  so  far  as  it  is  practicable  and
without  delay,

"And  whereas  the  existing  position  of  the  land
question  is  adverse  to  the  improvement  of  the  soil
of  Ireland,  leads  to  unending  controversies  and  law-
suits between  owners  and  occupiers,  retards  prog-
ress in  the  country,  and  constitutes  a  grave  danger
to  the  state,

"And  whereas  an  opportunity  of  settling  once  for
all  the  differences  between  owners  and  occupiers
in  Ireland  is  very  desirable,

"And  whereas  such  settlement  can  only  be  effected
upon  a  basis  mutually  satisfactory  to  the  owners
and  occupiers  of  the  land,

"And  whereas  certain  representatives  of  owners
and  occupiers  have  been  desirous  of  endeavouring  to
find  such  basis,  and  for  that  purpose  have  met  in
conference  together,

"And  whereas  certain  particulars  of  agreement
have  been  formulated,  discussed,  and  passed  at  the
conference,  and  it  is  desirable  that  the  same  should
be  put  into  writing  and  submitted  to  his  Majesty's
government,


IRISH   HISTORY  AND   THE  IRISH  QUESTION    251

"After  consideration  and  discussion  of  various
schemes  submitted  to  the  conference,  we  are
agreed :  —

"  i.  That  the  only  satisfactory  settlement  of  the
land  question  is  to  be  effected  by  the  substitution  of
an  occupying  proprietary  in  lieu  of  the  existing
system  of  dual  ownership.
