§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the reports in the Irish Conservative papers, to the effect that it is his intention to bring in a Bill at the beginning of the next Session to enable the Land Commission to fix fair rents, in accordance with the system now adopted for the revision of judicial rents, and without giving the tenants any opportunity of appearing before the Sub-Commission to give evidence as to the improvements made by them, and as to the productive qualities of their farms; whether it is his intention, as reported, that the alteration of the rents is to depend on the prices of certain articles of produce, and without regard to the yield of the crops, or to the respective interests of the landlord and tenant in the farms; and, whether the cause of delay in fixing fair rents in the thousands of cases entered from County Down before November, 1887, is due to the fact that they are proposed to be dealt with under this new system?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND(Mr. MADDEN) (Dublin University)(who replied) said, the Chief Secretary had not seen the reports, which must be founded on unauthorized gossip. As regards the delay in fixing fair rents, he would remind the hon. Member of the opposition which the proposals of the Government, as embodied in the Land Law (Ireland) (Land Commission) Bill of the earlier part of the Session, met with in the House.
§ MR. M'CARTANHas not the attention of the Government been repeatedly drawn to the fact that out of 19,000 cases sent from Ulster in 1887 only 3,000 have yet been heard; and that the rest of the tenants, though entitled to have a fair rent fixed, are still obliged to pay the old rent?
§ MR. MADDENI am quite aware that the attention of the Government was called to that fact; and failing their endeavours to pass a Bill which they thought would remedy the mischief, they did appoint a considerable number of additional Sub-Commissioners.