§ MR. LANE (Cork County, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, as the purchase of the Ponsonby estate by a London syndicate is now acknowledged by them, he will cause the local authorities in Cork to inquire into the alleged intention to evict 300 tenants on the estate, and to report to him upon the probable effect such evictions will have upon the peace and good order of a wide district?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am not aware that there are any circumstances connected with the Ponsonby estate which require special inquiry on the part of the Government. I am aware that the Plan of Campaign has been in operation for two years upon the property, and it requires no profound knowledge of Ireland to be aware that under such circumstances evictions often become necessary, and that the peace and good order of the district may be seriously disturbed.
§ MR. LANEDoes the right hon. Gentleman think that the unjust eviction of 300 families, and the peace of the whole of the South of Ireland, ought to be a matter of perfect indifference to ths Irish Government?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURAn unjust eviction must always be a matter of regret to everybody; but I have no ground for believing that any unjust eviction is about to take place.
§ MR. CHANNING (Northampton, E.)Has the right hon. Gentleman seen a letter in the Freeman's Journal, in which Mr. Townsend, the agent of the syndicate who have bought the Ponsonby estate, declares that it is the intention of the syndicate to evict all tenants who do not purchase or otherwise settle on the terms proposed by the syndicate?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have not seen that.
§ MR. LANEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, while negotiations were being carried on to arrange a scheme of purchase under Lord Ashbourne's Act between Mr. Ponsonby and his tenants, the hon. Member for South Huntingdonshire (Mr. Smith-Barry) publicly declared that "Mr. Ponsonby would not settle with his tenants"; whether Mr. Brunker, acting for Mr. Ponsonby, telegraphed to Canon Keller two days subsequently that "Mr. Smith Barry's statement was utterly unauthorized;" and whether Mr. Brunker wrote on the following day that he regretted he could no longer continue the negotiations which he had hoped he could have satisfactorily concluded?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have no special knowledge of the matters referred to in the question. But from what I know of my hon. Friend the Member for South Huntingdonshire I feel perfectly certain he would never give the advice to any Irish landlord not to settle with his tenants upon reasonable terms.
§ MR. LANEThat is not an answer to my question. The question I have on the Paper is whether the hon. Member for South Huntingdonshire, in the midst of a settlement between this landlord and his tenants, declared publicly that Mr. Ponsonby would never settle with his tenants; and, whether, in a few days afterwards, it was ascertained that the hon. Member for South Huntingdonshire and some friends had combined and conspired to prevent Mr. Ponsonby settling with his tenants?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI told the hon. Member I had no special knowledge of the circumstances; but I took care to guard against the inference he appears to draw, that my hon. Friend would ever recommend any Irish landlord not to settle with his tenants.
§ MR. LANEAs this is a matter of great importance to the whole of the South of Ireland, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will cause some authority, say in Cork or in Dublin, to inquire into the circumstances under which this syndicate intervened between landlord and tenants, and bought the property over the heads of the tenants just as they were about to purchase from the landlord?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have already stated that, as far as I understand the transaction, the position of the tenants is in no wise altered; they will now be in the same position relatively as before.
§ MR. LANEI am sorry to press the matter, but it is so vitally important that I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman if he does not think the position of the tenants very much altered when, instead of being on the point of settling with their landlord—
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order. That is clearly a matter of opinion, which cannot form the subject of a question.
§ MR. J. O'CONNOR (Tipperary, S.)I beg to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, before he gave such a character to the hon. Member for South Huntingdonshire, he was aware that the hon. Gentleman was Chairman of a Committee, the principle of whose operations was to prevent settlements between landlords and their tenants.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI have no ground for thinking that at all. I believe my hon Friend is connected with a Committee, the object of which is to prevent the Plan of Campaign succeeding. I do not think the hon. Gentleman has given an accurate description of the Committee.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)Is it not a fact that is the City of Cork the hon. Member for South Huntingdonshire made use of the language ascribed to him?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am a very inadequate reader of the newspapers, and have not seen the report.