§ LORD ARTHUR HILLasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the county court judge of the county Leitrim, Mr. Waters, Q. C., recently appointed a Mr. Irwin Flaherty as the court valuer in cases under the Land Act of 1881, where applications had been made to fix a fair rent, and which were to be heard before him; whether this is the same person who is a yearly tenant in the same quarter sessions district where he was appointed valuer; whether his valuation is under £20 annual value for all the tenements or holdings of which he is the occupier, in county Leitrim, or elsewhere; and, whether he carries on a small business as an auctioneer in the 1295 village of Drumkeeran, county Leitrim, and keeps a car for hire and posting purposes, which he drives himself?
§ MR. TREVELYANThis Question appeared on the Paper some time ago, before I had arrived at the decision that I could not ask Mr. Waters to favour me with his observations on any more such Questions. He was good enough to furnish me with a report on the case referred to, from which I find that in February last he did make use of Mr. Irwin Flaherty's services in three cases in his Court. He had endeavoured unsuccessfully to get from the Land Commissioners the aid of a valuer. He then tried to get a disinterested person who would not be objected to by any of the parties, and Mr. Flaherty was the best man he could find. He visited the farms and gave evidence in Court, and Mr. Waters fixed judicial rents in the cases, which, he believes, have not been appealed against. With reference to the last Question of the noble Lord, I have received a long letter from Mr. Flaherty which, in justice to him, ought to be read to the House. In that letter Mr. Flaherty, gives the names of a considerable number of persons of very respectable and, indeed, high positions who have recommended him. He then goes on to say—
Lord Arthur Hill asked whether my valuation was under£20, to which I can reply with correctness that my annual value is £38 15s. It is true that my late father kept during his lifetime seven horses for hire, which branch of industry I now keep on, as well as that of auctioneer. But the number of horses a man may or may not keep has nothing to do with his practical knowledge of the value of land. For instance, Charles Bianconi in his lifetime kept some thousands of horses, and I venture to say he was not able to put a fair letting value on a holding of land.That is Mr. Flaherty's account of himself, which I felt bound to read to the House. I must repeat that I do not feel myself bound to ask Mr. Waters to answer any more of these Questions.