§ MR. MEEHAN (Queen's County, Leix)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant for Ireland if he is aware that on the M'Neale estate, situate at Clonkeen, Queen's County, legal proceedings without any previous demand, are constantly taken against the tenants for the current half-year's rent; that ejectment decrees were obtained against some of the tenants for one year's rent which included the hanging gale; that the tenants offered to purchase on terms giving the landlords their net rental; that this offer was refused, and 24¼ years for the first and 27¾ years 351 for the second term rents being demanded; and whether, seeing that on the 14th instant the county and district inspector, with u force of police, assisted at the eviction of one of the tenants, who with his wife and children were expelled from his holding of six acres, he will direct the Estates Commissioners to intervene with a view to bringing about a sale of this estate to the tenants on equitable terms.
MR. BRYCENo application in connection with this estate has been made to the Estates Commissioners, and they have no information as to the matters referred to in the Question. I am, however, informed that on the 14th instant the police afforded protection to the sheriff in the execution of an ejectment decree on the estate. Beyond affording this protection, which they were legally bound to give, the police did not in any way assist in carrying out the eviction. As regards the last few lines of the Question I may add that if the Estates Commissioners think it would be beneficial to intervene in order to bring the parties to an amicable agreement they have full power to do so.