§ MR. KNOX (Cavan, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1) whether the Land Commission in hearing appeals in Cavan acted on the Report of Mr. Bomford, whose connection with landlords in the county has been the subject off comment and who has had no experience of farming tillage laud, or whether they obtained any independent evidence; (2) whether he can say in how many cases recently heard in Cavan the rent was raised and in how many lowered; (3) and whether he has conveyed to the Land Commission any intimation of the general feeling against the employment of Court Valuers in places where they are connected with the landlord interest?
THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. J.MORLEY, Newcastle-upon-Tyne)(1) The Land Commission inform me that on hearing the appeals at Cavan they considered the evidence produced on behalf of the tenant and the landlord and also the Reports made by the Assistant Commissioners or by the County Court Valuers, and the Reports made by the Appeal Court Valuers in each case. Every case in which a judicial rent had been fixed by the Commission was valued and reported upon for the rehearing before the two Appeal Court valuers—that is to say, either by Messrs. Bell and Grey or by Messrs. Bomford and Callan. Mr. Bomford states that it is not the fact that he has 1154 had no experience of farming tillage land; that, on the contrary, he held for a number of years as tenant a large farm in rotation tillage. (2) There was no case at the late Cavan Sittings in which the rent was reduced. (3) On the 26th of April I expressed the opinion that it was extremely and obviously undesirable that the Court Valuer should be sent to a district in which he has connections amongst the landlords. This opinion I. have communicated to the Laud Commission.
§ * MR. T. W. RUSSELLinquired whether those Appeal Court Valuers were not described as graziers and land agents in a Parliamentary Return, and whether persons so described were proper persons to be appointed to value tillage holdings?
MR. J. MORLEYsaid, he was afraid he could not go into Mr. Bomford's history. He believed the valuers did describe themselves as suggested by the hon. Member for South Tyrone, and, judging from that description, he would not have thought persons so described were the best to be selected for the work.
§ MR. DANE (Fermanagh, N.)Did the Commission act on the Report of Mr. Bomford?