§ Mr. JOHN ROCHEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether an offer has yet been made to Lord Clanricarde for the purchase of his estate; and, if not, considering the unrest that now exists in the district in consequence, of the delay and also the fact that the tenants were led to believe that an offer would have been made last Sepetember, can he now fix a day by which an offer will be made?
§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Mr. Birrell)The matter will be again before the Congested Districts Board at their next meeting on the 12th instant, when I have good reason to hope that they may be in a position to issue their offer.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether an inspector of the Estates Commissioners recently visited some lands situate at Gravelstown, near Carlanstown, Kells, on the estate of Lord Howth; and whether he will state if the lands have been offered for sale to the Commissioners?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners cannot identify these lands as being the subject of any proceedings before them for sale under the Land Purchase Acts.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked whether the untenanted land on the estate of the Misses Barlow, situate at Drumrone otherwise known as Possenstown, in the parish of Nobber, county Meath, has been acquired by the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, whether a distribution scheme will be prepared this year?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe owners have accepted the formal offer of the Estates Commissioners for the purchase of these lands, and a scheme for their distribution will be prepared; but the Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when they will be able to take over the lands.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked whether the Estates Commissioners are now in a position to provide an equivalent holding for Francis Hopkins, evicted from the estate of Colonel Lyster Smyth, Nobber, county Meath?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners received an application from Francis Hopkins for reinstatement in a 1230 holding formerly occupied by him on the estate referred to, and his name was provisionally noted for consideration in the allotment of untenanted land. On further inquiry and consideration the Commissioners decided to take no action in the matter.
§ Mr. O'MALLEYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether Lord Ardilaun has yet offered to sell the Connemara portion of his estate to the Connemara tenants; whether there is any immediate prospect of this estate being purchased by the Congested Districts Board; whether the estate of the Provost of Trinity College, in the district of Carrick East and West has been offered for sale, and, if so, when the sale is likely to be effected; whether the O'Kelly estate in the Clonbur, county Galway, district is yet acquired by the Congested Districts Board; and, if not, will he state the cause of the delay?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estates of Lord Ardilaun, and of the Provost of Trinity College, have not been offered to the Congested Districts Board for sale. The estate of Mr. J. A. O'Kelly, county Galway, has been offered for sale, and a decision will be arrived at regarding purchase as soon as practicable.
§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners have sent a gentleman named Mr. Booth to act as their inspector over the Sandesford, Castlecomer, property, as to the security of the farms for the purchase moneys agreed on by the tenants and the landlord, or rather the purchase moneys signed by the tenants on the understanding that there would be a review by the Commissioners as to the fairness of the prices; whether he is aware that this Mr. Booth acted as a Court valuer for the same property for the appeal cases on this property when some cases were before the Land Court; whether he is aware that Mr. Booth was the valuer in the appeal case of James Meally, Noneenroe, on this property, and that his valuation of the farm was about £7 9s. 6d. more than its value was fixed by the Sub-Commission, and that the tenant at the time considered the Sub-Commission value too high and was the appellant; whether he is aware that the present occupier of the farm in question, Mr. Fintan Lalor, son-in-law to James Meally, refused to sign any purchase agreement on the terms mentioned by the landlord owing to the prices asked 1231 being, in his opinion, too high; and whether the Estates Commissioners will see that his case will be fairly considered by them when the estate is finally before them for purchase?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is the subject of proceedings for sale under the Irish Land Act, 1903, direct by the owner to the tenants. The inspector who visited the estate, which comprises over seven hundred holdings, acted in 1903 as one of the valuers to the Court of the Land Commission in connection with proceedings for fixing judicial rents in two or three of these holdings. In the case of Fintan Lalor, who has not signed an agreement for the purchase of his holding, the inspector was directed to inquire and report why no agreement had been lodged. He reported that when he visited the holding the tenant drew his attention to the fact that he had acted some eight years ago as one of he Court valuers in connection with the fixing of the judicial rent. The inspector at once withdrew, and asked for instructions, when the Commissioners decided to send another inspector to visit Lalor's holding.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, have the Estates Commissioners yet sanctioned the sale, arranged in the year 1908, of Lord Lansdowne's estate, situate in the parishes of Bonane and Kenmare, county Kerry; if not, when it is expected that the sale will be sanctioned by the Estates Commissioners; and if he can state the probable date of the vesting of their farms in the tenant-purchasers of the parishes of Bonane and Kenmare?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners inform me that the advances were made and the holdings vested in the majority of the purchasing tenants on the estates of Lord Lansdowne referred to in the question on the 1st instant. The outstanding holdings will be vested as soon as certain rulings of the Commissioners in reference to them have been complied with.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he can state the probable date of the taking over of the Palmer estate, near Kenmare, county Kerry, by the Congested Districts Board, seeing that the occupier of the grazing farm at Ash-grove, on the estate, has now acceded to the request of the Congested Districts Board to hand over the holding for distribution among the tenants on the estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe offer of the Congested Districts Board for the purchase of this estate has not yet been accepted. Possession of the property cannot be taken by the Board unless terms of purchase are agreed upon.