§ MR. MURNAGHAN (Tyrone, Mid.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners have accepted the proposals of a minority of tenants on Lord Belmore's county Tyrone property to buy at twenty-six and a quarter years purchase, and declared as an estate a moiety of the property consisting of portions of some ton townlands and plots of turbary on these and other adjoining townlands despite the protests of the majority of tenants on the property; whether he is aware that at present the Estates Commissioners are collecting half-yearly interest from the few isolated tenants who have accepted the price already stated and signed agreements therefor; and whether, in view of the effect of these prices upon the tenants desirous of purchasing on reasonable terms, and to preserve freedom of contract and to prevent the turbary being unfairly allotted or disposed of to outsiders to the injury of agricultural and town tenants who have a just claim to the turbary, the Estates Commissioners are prepared to use their good offices to bring about the sale at a fair price of the entire estate either directly to the tenants or through the Commissioners themselves accompanied by equitable distribution of turbary.
§ MR. CHERRYThe Estates Commissioners inform me that two originating applications in respect of the sale of the Belmore estate were lodged with them on January 3rd, 1905, and April 19th,
† See col. 347.659 1906, respectively, and each of these applications contains a statement that the owner will provide plots of turbary for the purchasing tenants. The applications have not yet come before the Commissioners for consideration, nor have they yet declared any of the lands to be an "estate." Interest in lieu of rent is, pursuant to Section 35 of the Act of 1896, collected in the case of all purchase agreements lodged with the Land Commission, but such collection of interest is independent of any orders the Commissioners may subsequently make on the question of declaring the lands to be an "estate." The Commissioners are not aware of the terms on which the owner is negotiating the sale of this estate, and have not boon asked by the parties to intervene with a view of settling any difference between them. The case will come before the Commissioners at an early date for the purpose of considering the question of declaring the property to be an estate.