THE IRISH LAND COMMISSION—PROCEEDINGS IN CO. SLIGO. (Hansard, 17 August 1882)

§ MR. SEXTON

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is the fact that many tenants in the Ballintogher and other districts of the county Sligo, served originating notices in the Land Court so long ago as the month of last December, or thereabout, and that the Sub-Commissioners, at their sitting in Sligo last May, heard only a small proportion of those cases,; leaving the great majority of them still undecided and unheard; whether it is the fact that in numerous cases the tenants who served originating notices have been pursued at Law by their landlords for the full rack-rent due; that the landlords have refused to take any payment on account; and that, in consequence of the delay of the Land Court in dealing with their cases, many tenants have been compelled to pay the unreduced rents up to and including the last May gale, together with heavy legal costs; whether care will be taken that the Sub-Commissioners sit again in Sligo in time to apply the fixing of judicial rent to the gale due next November, and 2043 thus save the tenants who served originating notices long since from further exaction in respect of unreduced rents and law costs; whether it is true that, early last November, about 250 tenants on Lord Huntingdon's estate in the county of Waterford, and about 100 tenants on Mr. Chearnley's estate in the same county, served originating notices in the Land Court, and, although a Sub-Commission has sat in the county, and cases from other estates have been heard and disposed of, the cases of the tenants in question have not yet been heard, or listed for hearing; whether arrangements will be made to have judgments given upon the cases of the Huntingdon and Chearnley tenants before another gale falls due; and, whether the Government will lay upon the Table Copies of any correspondence between Mr. Richard Rice, the solicitor to the tenants, and Mr. Godley, secretary to the Land Commission?