§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Longford, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Has his attention been called to the following judgment of the Land Commission in The Freeman's Journal of the 12th instant:—
There were two cases on the property of Colonel King-Harman, Michael Killeen, £14 0s. 2d. old rent and £9 judicial rent, and Thomas Hoey, £15 10s. old rent and £9, which were heard before Judge Curran. Judge Curran appended to his order a statement that he thought £12 would be a fair rent in both cases, only for the unreasonable conduct of the landlord as to the cutting of turf by the tenants; and in consequence of that unreasonable conduct he made the rent £9…they would make the rent in both cases £10 10s.;and, were the Government in possession of the text of the Judgment of County Court Judge Curran, or would it be possible to lay a copy of it upon the Table?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)My 1009 attention has been called to this matter through the Question appearing on the Paper. I understand that the tenants on this property have no right (excepting where turf is actually on their holdings) of turbary; but that the bank containing the requisite amount of fuel is let to them for sums varying from is. 1s. 6d. to 3s., the landlord keeping the whole of the roads and drains in order. The cost to him, over the amount he receives for the supply of the turf, averages annually from £200 to £250. But the arrangement is advantageous to the tenant. The two tenants alluded to were offered turbary on the same terms given to the other tenants. This they refused until after the appeals were heard, when they accepted the offer. The text of the Judgment of the County Court Judge appears to be among the records of the Land Commissioners, It would be possible to lay a copy of it upon the Table; but the doing so would form a very inconvenient precedent, as it would then be hardly practicable to decline to do so in any other case of a judicial rent if asked for.