§ MR. JOHN O'DONNELL (Mayo, S.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists on the Blake estate, Ballindereen, County Galway, over the way in which an inspector named McGill acted in connection with the striping of the farms; that he gave a piece of land about 30 acres to a man named William Forde; that when the boundaries were pointed out to Forde he observed that there was no water on the farm, but that within a few yards there was a sufficient supply; that the tenant asked for a right of way to this water supply and offered any necessary portion of the land allotted to him in lieu thereof; that the inspector refused to entertain his application and cancelled the arrangement previously made; that the holding as parcelled out by McGill would be. useless as there was no water on it; that since then Forde has been left without an additional perch of land, although his holding is poor in quality and uneconomic, so much so that he was given the holding already described; and whether, seeing that this man was victimised by an official because he pointed out the necessity for a water supply, he will have full inquiry made into the matter and a holding of land given to Forde as quickly as possible.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Estates Commissioners inform me that the only dissatisfaction of which they are aware in connection with the division of the Blake estate is that which exists on the part of William Forde. In July last this man agreed to surrender his holding of 12¾ acres, consisting of six separate parcels, and he was to receive in lieu thereof a new holding of 39 1247 acres, which he specially asked for. In January last he was asked to sign an agreement for the new holding, but declined to do so, and stated that he would remain as he was. The Commissioners thereupon allotted the new holding to Forde's cousin, and they cannot now reopen the matter. The Commissioners understand that Forde was dissatisfied with the plot offered to him because there was not attached to it a right of way to a watering place in the landlord's demesne.