HC Deb 20 March 1888 vol 323 cc1786-7
MR. J. E. ELLIS (Nottingham, Rushcliffe)

asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether his attention has been called to two circular letters addressed to the tenants of the Skinners' Estate, County Londonderry, urging them to purchase their holdings, and containing the following sentences:—

"Gentlemen,

"It is necessary that you should decide finally, and at once, whether you will purchase the fee-simple of your holdings * * * I shall assume that those who do not purchase on one or other of those days have decided to remain as tenants, and I shall, on the 22nd instant, return their names to Mr. Young, so that he may collect the arrears of rent from them.

"Yours faithfully,

"R. H. Todd.

"Londonderry, 12th Feb. 1888."

"Londonderry, 25th Feb. 1888.

"Gentlemen,

* * * * "the Company have decided not to change the terms and to collect the rents from non-purchasing tenants without delay * * * *

"Yours truly,

"R. H. Todd."

And, whether he will refuse to sanction advances of public money to complete purchases of holdings whenever it appears that pressure has been used to induce tenants to buy, either by a throat to collect rents from "non-purchasing tenants without delay," or by the issue of ejectment notices for the recovery of arrears in cases where there has been no opportunity of recent adjudication of the rents in the Land Courts?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. GOSOHEN) (St. George's, Hanover Square)

No advances have been made to tenants for the purchase of their holdings on the Skinners' Company's Estates since December last, six weeks before the earliest of Mr. Todd's letters. Whenever the Land Commission sanction advance they give the purchasing tenant a month, in which to apply for a stay of proceedings on any ground; and they never make an advance unless they are satisfied that the agreement of purchase has not been entered into under duress or obtained by threats. They are strongly opposed to any unfair pressure being put on tenants to induce them to purchase.

MR. T. M. HEALY (Longford, N.)

Might I ask the right hon. Gentleman, if he considers the issuing of a writ against a tenant and the placing of it in the Sheriff's hands is duress?

MR. GOSCHEN

I should think that that might come under the term "duress;" but I am not aware that in this case to which I have called attention there has been anything of the kind, and the hon. and learned Member will observe that no advance has been made since December.

MR. T. M. HEALY

Then I can inform the right hon. Gentleman that the Land Commissioners have decided that the state of things to which I have referred was not duress.

MR. SPEAKER

Order, order!