§ Mr. J. TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that John Lynch, senior, of Deffier, South Leitrim, in the year 1893, applied to the Board of Works for a loan of £35, and the inspector having visited his land, he paid on the 1st December, 1893, ten shillings on account of preliminary expenses, but that on the 6th January, 1894, the Board of Works refused to consider the application for the loan, and have retained the money he forwarded them; and, whether, as this tenant purchased his holding under the Ashbourne Act, and was willing to give solvent security for the repayment of the loan, he will be prepared to recommend, in view of the prevailing distress, that the rule of the Board of Works in these cases be modified or suspended, and the loan granted to this man to enable him and his family to make necessary improvements on their holding.
§ *SIR.J. T. HIBBERTJohn Lynch, of Deffier, Co. Leitrim, on 27th November, 1893, applied for a loan of £35, and lodged the usual deposit of ten shillings to cover expenses in the event of the loan not being proceeded with. Before a loan can be granted under the Land Law Act, 1881, the Board of Works, amongst other conditions, have to be satisfied that it is required to meet the cash expenditure involved by the proposed works, and not as a fund from which to recoup the applicant and members of his family for their personal labour. The Board's Inspector estimated the value of the proposed work at 1282 £38.17s. if done by hired labour, but reported that the applicant and his three sons could do half at least of the work. This reduced the estimate of cost to £19. 8s. 6d., and, as the minimum loan is £35, no loan could be made to Mr. John Lynch. The deposit of ten shillings has been retained to meet part of the expenses of the Inspection. I am afraid that I could not recommend any relaxation in the rules for land loans.