WCP2657

[1]

35. Bryanston Square, London 31 Charlotte Square Edinburgh

Dear Sir

I am much obliged by your letter about roadside strips.

The matter is a very serious one — we have for three years been trying to deal with it by a Bill which the Society¹ has introduced in Parliament (thro' Mr. W. H. James⁾² in the session of 1881, 82, 83 and the present session[?]. But the bill has always been blocked. &[2] never even put to a division or 2nd reading. I brought in another bill for the same purpose last year, with the same result. The rules of the Ho. of Commons offer fatal obstacles to any attempts by private members to deal with these questions, and the best help which you & other friends in the country can give us is to agitate for a change in[3] the present monstrous[?] system of parliamentary procedure, we (I mean the Liberals who care for this question) have done all we can, & are powerless[?]: it is for the country to speak.

Thank you for your paper which I shall read with care and interest. I have directed the Secretary to the Society to send you a full statement of the law as to the enclosure of[4] roadside strips. Believe me

Very truly yours| J. Bryce³ [signature]

I will also send you copies of the Bills, from work[?]. You will see that we have been trying to deal with the [one word illeg.] subject of enclosures. I agree as to its point in an instance[?], but this is one of those things in which even if we had got our Bill thro' the Ho[use] of Commons, the Landowners' House⁴ w[oul]d. checkmate us.