§ MR. SEXTON (Belfast, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what has been the result by the offer of the Irish Land Commission of sale by public auction, at Listowel, on the 26th ultimo, of two farms bought by the tenants Jeremiah Cregan and Michael Mullally, under the Ashbourne Act, through the agency of the Purchase Commission; how many years' purchase of the rent was allowed to the landlord in each case, and whether it was calculated on the old rent or on the judicial rent; what is the arrear due to the Land Commission by the tenant purchaser in each case; whether, in one of these cases, the annual instalment payable by the tenant is £12, whilst the Poor Law valuation of the holding is only £8 10s.; and, how many other farms were bought by the tenants on the same estate upon similar terms of purchase?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Land Commissioners inform me that Cregan and Mullally having made payments on account, the sales were at their request adjourned. The prices agreed upon between landlord and tenant, in each case, were advanced. In Cregan's case the rate appears to be 14¼ years' purchase of the judicial rent; in Mullally's case the rate was 20 years' purchase of the judicial rent. The arrear due by the tenant purchaser in each case is six pounds, being the instalment which became due 1st November last. In Mullaly's case the Poor Law valuation 1573 appears to be £8 15s., and the annual instalments £12. The average price on the entire estate appears to be 17.7 on the rental, the prices varying from 13.3 to 21.7. The Commissioners add that the apparent disproportion, in some cases, between the Poor Law valuations and the rents is accounted for by the fact that upon many of the holdings in question there had been a considerable expenditure in improvements by the landlord.