§ MR. BYRNE (Wicklow, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he is aware of the serious loss and inconvenience which 42 tenant farmers in West Wicklow have been subjected to who served notices to have fair rents fixed in the beginning of September, 1887; whether the application for Baltinglass Union did not appear on the first list for the sitting of No. 6 Commission at Rathdrum, on May 8 last; whether only a portion of the cases of the district were heard, leaving the whole of the Baltinglass Union applications undisposed of; whether he is aware that, in consequence of several tenants having so applied, their landlords demanded payment of one year's rent, up to September 29 last, within a few days thereafter, with an intimation that unless the same was paid in four days all the powers of the law would be put in force against them; whether, in the event of this being done while the applications were pending, he will refuse the assistance of the forces of the Crown at evictions; and, whether he can state when the Sub-Commissioners will sit to hear the great number of cases now waiting a hearing?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)The Land Commissioners inform me that it is the case that 42 applications to fix fair rents were served by tenants in the west district of the county of Wicklow in September last; also that the facts are as stated in Paragraphs 2 and 3. 1521 With respect to Paragraphs 4 and 5, I am not aware of the landlords having acted as alleged. But, even if it were the fact, the Court before which the proceedings in ejectment would come has full power to suspend any such proceedings until the hearing of the application for a judicial rent; and in cases where the holding is valued at not more than £50 a-year, it has further power to order the payment of the arrears by such instalments as it may see fit to direct. The Commissioners are not at present in a position to state the date of the next sitting of a Sub-Commission.