§ MR KENDAL O'BRIEN (Tipperary, Mid.)To ask the Chief Secretary to Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the amount of monetary compensation alleged to be paid to James Feehan and Patrick Cormack who claim to be evicted tenants on the Lamphiere Estate; is he aware that the solicitors for the vendors admitted that both these men were evicted tenants whose claims would be considered on the termination of the grazing tenancy; is he aware that the evicted tenants deny entirely that they at any time made objection to the proposal of the vendor that they be placed back in their respective farms provided that advances yielding annuities of £5 and £15 were made by the Estates Commissioners; have they called for a public investigation into the whole circumstances of this affair, and is it proposed to accede to this request; what is proposed to be done with the £700 retained out of the purchase money; was James Cormack, the person to whom the sale of the plots claimed by the evicted tenants was made, a tenant within the meaning of the Land Act of 1903 at the time of sale, or a grazier holding under the eleven months system; is he aware that the peace of the locality has been disturbed owing to the sale to this man; and will he say if the landlady, Temperance Ann Lamphiere, and James Cormack and his brother-in-law, Martin Cormack, are receiving police protection because of their action in the matter.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The subject of this Question has already been dealt with in my reply to the hon. Member's Question of April 10th,† to which I beg to refer. The Estates Commissioners inform me that, according to their information, Denis Feehan, as whose representative James Feehan now claims, voluntarily
† See (4) Debates, clv., 1145.958 surrendered his farm of ten acres in 1876, having been compensated to his satisfaction, but the amount of compensation given is not known to the Commissioners. James Feehan was then put into possession of 3 acres of the farm, but surrendered the same in 1879 owing two years' rent and receiving £12 compensation. Mrs. Elizabeth Cormack, as whose representative Patrick Cormack claims, received £10 compensation in cash, and was forgiven arrears of rent amounting to £50. As already stated, the sale to James Cormack has been completed, and the holding legally vested in him, and the Estates Commissioners do not intend to re-open the case. The disposal of the £700, portion of the purchase money which has been withheld, is a matter for the decision, under statute, of the Judicial Commissioner. James Cormack purchased as a tenant within the meaning of the Act of 1903. I am informed that it is the fact that the peace of the locality has been disturbed by persons who are in sympathy with the applicants, and proceedings at the suit of the police have been instituted with the object of having three of the offenders bound to keep the peace. James and Martin Cormack are receiving police protection.