MR. FITZ-PATRICKasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ire- 1953 land, Whether Mr. Meek, one of the Sub-Commissioners for the county of Armagh, is the same individual who gave evidence in favour of the tenants at Cookstown, in March last, before the Sub-Commission composed of Messrs. Fitzgerald, Comyn, and Mahony; whether, upon that occasion, the Sub-Commission in question fixed the fair rent of the tenants of Colonel the honourable Stuart Knox twenty-five per cent. above the amount which Mr. Meek swore was the fair value; whether, at the same sitting, the said Sub-Commission fixed the fair rent of the tenants of Mr. Bell thirty-three per cent. higher than the sworn valuation of Mr. Meek; whether the said Mr. Meek is the same person who gave evidence for the tenants at Magherafelt, on or about the 14th February last, before the Sub-Commission, composed of Messrs. Burke, O'Brien, and Davidson, and whether this Sub-Commission fixed the fair rent of Lawrence Madden thirteen per cent. above Mr. Meek's sworn valuation; whether one of the chairmen of the above-named Sub-Commissions publicly animadverted on the conduct of Mr. Meek in connection with his evidence; and, whether the Mr. Davidson, with whom Mr. Meek has since been associated as a Sub-Commissioner in the neighbouring county of Armagh, is the same Mr. Davidson who sat at Magherafelt in February last, when the land cases in which Mr. Meek was valuator for the tenants, were adjudicated upon?
§ MR. TREVELYANMr. Meek gave evidence of valuation on behalf of the tenants of Colonel Stuart Knox and Mr. Bell before the Cookstown Sub-Commission, which was constituted as stated in the Question. In the former cases the judicial rents were fixed at about 25 per cent above Mr. Meek's valuation, and in the latter cases they were fixed at about 36 per cent above his valuation. With reference to the rest of the Question, I have not yet received the information as to what occurred at Magherafelt; but the Land Commissioners have written to me explaining that the answer they sent to me in reference to a previous Question put to me by the hon. Member had reference solely to the Tyrone Sub-Commission. The cases referred to were Tyrone cases, and they accordingly limited their inquiries to that county. They are now making further inquiries with reference to the Maghera- 1954 felt Sub-Commission. If it should turn out that there was any inaccuracy in my previous answer, I must hold the Land Commissioners as entirely responsible for it.
§ MR. HEALYHas the attention of the Chief Secretary been called to the language of the Marquess of Salisbury in "another place," in which, when speaking of a Land Sub-Commissioner, he referred to him as one of the most persistent persecutors of the landlord; and whether, in view of this statement, the Government thought it necessary to take any steps?
§ MR. TREVELYANsaid, he had seen the speech and regretted it; but he did not think it called for any action on his part.