MR. O'BRIENasked the Secretary to the Treasury, Whether, in view of the distressed condition of the poorer classes of purchasers by right of pre-emption of glebe lands in Ireland, owing to the largeness of the purchase-price, fixed at a time of exceptional prosperity, and owing to the heavy depreciation of every description of stock and farm produce in recent years, arrangements can be made for their relief by enabling them to obtains loans from the State or from the Church Temporalities Commissioners of the fourth part of the purchase-money supplied by themselves (which was in most cases raised from money-lenders at exorbitant rates of interest), on the same reduced terms as to interest that they are now offered under the 23rd subsection of the Land Purchase Act, with respect to the three-fourths advanced by the Commissioners on mortgage; and, whether the benefit of the 23rd section can be extended to purchasers who hold short terminable leases of their holdings, and upon whom the agricultural depression has told with equal severity?
§ THE SECRETARY (Mr. JACKSON)In reply to the first paragraph of the Question, I have to say that the question how far the terms allowed to purchasers of church lands under the Act of 1869 could be modified was most carefully considered by the Government when the Purchase Act of last Session was under 310 discussion; and it was decided that no change in these terms could be justified, except that embodied in the 23rd section of the Act of 1885. The Government see no reason to modify this conclusion, and are not prepared to propose the legislation which would be required to carry out the hon. Member's present suggestion. With regard to the second paragraph, the 23rd section of the Act of 1885 extends to—
Any land which is held immediately from or under the Commissioners by virtue of any lease or tenancy,and this would seem to cover such cases as these now referred to.