§ MR. M'GOVERN (Cavan, W.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, is he aware that the tenants on the Finlay estate, in County Cavan, made an agreement with the receiver and owners in April, 1898, to purchase their holdings, and that the receiver did not lodge these agreements in court but continued to collect the old rent off the tenants, although the terms were that the tenants were only to pay one half-year's rent to May, 1898, and interest on purchase money after that date; is he aware that the tenants wore obliged to make an application to the Land Commissioner in November, 1901, to stop legal proceedings against them, and to compel the receiver and owners to carry out their agreement of April, 1898; and, seeing that the Land Commissioner made an order to have the agreement of 1898 carried out notwithstanding the opposition of the receiver, and that the receiver on the 24th July, 1902, asked the Land Commissioner to set aside this order, although three-fourths of the tenants had already complied with it, will he direct inquiries to be made as to the reason for the agreements to purchase, which were signed by the tenants, not being lodged in court.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) In respect to the first paragraph I would refer to my reply to the hon. Member's previous Question of the 14th March last † The Land Commission has no jurisdiction
†See (4) Debates, cv., 48.952 such as is suggested in the second paragraph. The Commission has not made and has no power to make such an order, nor was such an order made by the Land Judge in whose court the estate is administered. On the 30th July Mr. Justice Boss issued directions as to the amount of rent each tenant is required to pay, as a condition precedent to the completion of the sales. The provisional agreements made with the tenants were taken into consideration in arriving at these sums. In default of payment, the receiver has been instructed to take proceedings for recovery of the moneys.