HC Deb 12 February 1884 vol 284 cc679-80
MR. HEALY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether he will call the attention of the Irish Executive to the following extract from the "Kerry Weekly Reporter" (a Conservative organ):— Ejectments in Kerry. The number of ejectments is becoming alarming in Kerry. Every Quarter Sessions Mr. Bland, Mr. Blennerhassett, Mrs. Drummond, Miss Busteed, and a host of other proprietors are proceeding against tenants. One attorney made over £300 last year law costs, by one estate alone. A sickly poor man, who never joined the Land League, never combined against paying his rent, was served with an ejectment. The priest wrote that the poor man was, very likely, on his death bed, offering one gale and costs, and offered to become security for the second gale, but was refused. Many of the other cases are of a class with the above; and, whether he can hold out any hope that the forces of the Crown will not be granted to landowners indiscriminately to carry out evictions under circumstances of hardship?

MR. BLENNERHASSETT

As this Question may be supposed to refer to me, perhaps the House will permit me to say that, as far as I am concerned, there is absolutely no foundation whatever for the statement it contains.

MR. HEALY

I never supposed for a moment that this Question referred to the hon. Member. There are a score of Blennerhassetts in Kerry, and my Question refers to one of them who lives at Ballyseedy.

MR. TREVELYAN

I have no information from Dublin about this Question. It is rather difficult to say in what respect it could properly be put to me; and I am not quite certain that I would be doing any public service in giving the House any information as to the truth or want of accuracy of this newspaper. With regard to the last paragraph, I may say that no change will be made in the administration of the law.