§ MR. JOHN O'CONNORTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the estate of Fleetwood Rynd and others in the County Kildare was offered for sale in the Land Judge's Court on the 18th instant, and that various prices were bid for lots of the same by occupiers who hold the said lands on the eleven-months system; whether it was stated that the Land Commission had agreed to advance certain sums towards the purchase amounts; whether the holders of the said lands are all graziers; and whether he will take steps to secure that the moneys of the Land Commission should not be used to purchase farms for the crazier class of holders at a time when 1244 land is needed for the settlement of cultivators, evicted tenants, and migrants.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I am informed that this estate was offered for sale by public auction in the Land Judge's Court on the 18th instant. Only one lot was sold, and the names of the; bidders for the other lots are not known. Four of the lots had been the subject of proceedings under Section 40 of the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1896. In pursuance of orders made by the Land Judge under that section, the Land Commission some time ago communicated to the tenants offers for the sale to them of their holdings, the purchase money to consist partly of cash and partly of advances to be made by the Land Commission. These offers were not accepted, and were only mentioned at the auction to show the inadequacy of the prices then bid. The lands in question are held on Court lettings for seven years, and are mainly used for grazing. As there is no present intention of making an advance for the purchase of these holdings the concluding paragraph of the Question does not appear to call for a reply.