ISBN: | 978-5-5106-2308-6 |
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The `Land Question`, as it pertains to the history of Prince Edward Island, Canada, related to the question of the system of ownership of land on the island. Proprietors, the owners of the land parcels on Prince Edward Island, favoured a system of renting to tenants, whilst the tenants preferred a system of freehold. In 1767 the British government divided all land in Prince Edward Island into lots to be owned by `proprietors` who would collect rent from the settlers, or `tenants`. Problems soon arose with this scheme, and low numbers of tenants resulted in proprietors collecting little rent, which in turn led to many proprietors defaulting on their quitrents. An attempt at compulsorily acquiring the land by the Prince Edward Island government from rent defaulters in 1781 resulted in Colonial Office intervention in 1783. In 1786, Governor Walter Patterson, who set in motion the compulsory acquisition, was removed from office.