§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the two Circulars recently sent to the County Down tenants of the Lord Lieutenant, signed by His Excellency's land agent, Mr. Brownlow, in which the Marquess of Londonderry holds out strong inducements to the tenants to purchase their holdings, and declares his inability to continue to give to his tenants the reduction—
Which he has granted the last two years, and by giving which he has received absolutely nothing from his own property;whether he is aware that owing to charges on the Londonderry estates created by the late Marquess of Londonderry, and not on account of any default on the part of the tenants, or by reason of any benefits given to them by the landlord, this inability to accept a reduced rent arises; and, whether, considering that according to present arrangements none of the fair rent applications made by the tenants of the Marquess of Londonderry are to be listed for hearing at the first sitting of the County Down Sub-Commission at Newtownards in May next, and considering that nearly 4,000 applications from County Down still remain unheard, he will now take steps to have an additional Sub-Commission appointed for that county?
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet)(who replied) said: My attention has been called to the Circulars in question through the hon. Member who puts this Question sending them to me. I have no knowledge as to whether the inability to accept a reduced rent arises from charges on the estate created by the late owner or otherwise. As has been stated, the Government are anxiously considering the steps to be taken to deal with the arrears of business in the Land Commission.