HC Deb 28 July 1896 vol 43 cc894-5

In the construction of the seventh Section of the Land Law (Ireland) Art, 1887, the word "agricultural" shall he construed to mean agricultural or pastoral, or partly agricultural and partly pastoral.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND

We accept the Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 4,—

MR. MAURICE HEALY moved to leave out the word "seventh" and to insert instead thereof the word "ninth.

Amendment agreed to.

MR. T. M. HEALY moved, at the end of the clause to add "and the words 'city or town' in the Land Law Acts shall be deemed not to include a village.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND

thought the Amendment, instead of making the law as to what constituted a town park more clear, would make it more involved, because a village was just as undefined and un-ascertainable a thing as a town. The leading judgments had pointed out the difficulty of fixing a statutory limit of population, but they had said that where there was a number of persons congregated together sufficient to create a demand for accommodation land, it should constitute a town within the meaning of the Act.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

MR. MAURICE HEALY moved, at the end of the clause to add,— and a holding shall he deemed to have been let and used as an ordinary agricultural farm within the meaning of the said section, unless the contrary is proved.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

said the Government could not accept the Amendment.

Amendment negatived.

MR. KNOX moved, at the end of the clause to add,— and no holding to which the Ulster custom applies shall be deemed to he a town park within the meaning of that section. He contended that in a case where a dual ownership had existed for generations then the tenant should not be excluded from those portions of the Land Act allowing him to get a fair rent fixed. It was a small Amendment, which, though not affecting a very large number of cases, did affect a number of cases in which injustice had been suffered.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR

thought that no sufficient reason had been given for inserting this Amendment. The Government had pointed out that nothing in the Bill should in any way abridge the privileges of the Ulster custom on any holding whore those privileges existed.

Amendment negatived.

Clause 5,—