§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary what bogs, if any, were purchased by the Irish Land Commission under the Turbary (Ireland) Act, 1891; whether he is aware that the owners of some estates now being sold treat as their property adjoining large bogs over which they hold only sporting rights, and which belong to the Crown for the use of the public; and whether the Estates Commissioners will, before completing the sale of the Pollard-Urquart estate and Captain Smyth's Coole estate, Westmeath, examine the alleged titles to the bogs withheld from the purchasing tenants, and take over those bogs under the Act mentioned?
§ Mr. BIRRELLOnly one application was received by the Land Commission under the Turbary (Ireland) Act, 1891, which was refused. The Estates Commissioners are not aware of any foundation for the allegations in the second paragraph of the question. In the Pollard-Urquart estate, county Westmeath, which was sold direct by the owner to the tenants, two portions of bog were not included in the lands sold under the Land Purchase Acts. In one case the turbary was almost cut out, and the plot was only fit for plantation, and in the second case the turf could not be reached without extensive drainage operations for which there was no fall available. In the estate of Captain T. J. Smyth, which is also a sale by the owner direct to the tenants, the question of the provision of turbary for the tenants is engaging the attention of the Commissioners.
§ Mr. FRANCIS MEEHANasked the Chief Secretary whether he would state if the Estates Commissioners have yet made any provision for the reinstatement of 1660 Michael Flynn, an exicted tenant on the O'Reilly estate, Kiltubride, county Leitrim; and whether the estate which the Commissioners have recently acquired in that parish through the Congested Districts Board would be divided among the uneconomic holders and evicted tenants?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe O'Reilly estate does not appear to be the subject of proceedings for sale before the Estates Commissioners. Flynn's former holding is in the occupation of other tenants, and no portion of the untenanted land on the estate of C. C. B. White, which has recently been acquired by the Congested Districts Board in the locality, can be applied to provide him with a holding, as it is not even sufficient to meet the requirements of the tenants on the estate whose holdings are uneconomic. At present the Estates Commissioners have no untenanted land available in county Leitrim.
§ Mr. REDDYasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the recent decision of Mr. William Hunter Pringle, Assistant Land Commissioner, in fixing fair rents in King's County; whether in all, or nearly all, the cases tried by him a substantial increase in rent was the result, and on appeal many of these decisions have been reversed, showing the inequity of Mr. Pringle's decisions; whether he is one of the officials whose term of office expires annually in March and therefore have to be reappointed by the Lord Lieutenant; and will he look into this man's antecedents and qualifications for the post before assenting to his reappointment next year?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Land Commissioners cannot identify the case referred to in the first part of the question, as the names of the parties are not given. Judicial rents are fixed by the Sub-Commission Courts after hearing evidence in Court and duly considering all the circumstances. If either of the parties is aggrieved by the Order of the Court he can apply to have his case re-heard in accordance with the provisions of the Statutes and the rules made under them. Mr. Pringle is a permanent Lay Assistant Commissioner, and consequently is not reappointed from time to time. His qualifications have been set out in the Returns which have been prepared and laid before Parliament in this connection.
§ Mr. O'DOWDasked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board have yet completed their negotiations for 1661 the purchase of the MacDermot estate, situate in Monasteredin, near Ballaghadereen, county Sligo?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate referred to has not been offered for sale through the Congested Districts Board, but they understand that the owner is willing to sell. When the necessary maps and documents have been lodged, the property will be inspected, and a decision arrived at regarding purchase as soon as practicable.
§ Mr. O'DOWDasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the tenantry of the Doongeelagh estate, owned by Messrs. Robinson, Riversdale, Terenure, county Dublin, and others, agent Mr. Robinson, Rent Office, Sligo, have repeatedly approached the owners with a view to the purchase of this estate, which is situate in the parish of Geevagh, union of Sligo, but without result; and, if so, what steps, if any, the Congested Districts Board mean to take in regard to the matter?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe tenants on the estate referred to have informed the Congested Districts Board that they approached the owners with a view to purchase, but that negotiations fell through. The Board communicated with the agent asking him to lodge the necessary documents, if the owners desired to soil the properly through the Board, but no reply has so far been received.
§ Mr. FRANCIS MEEHANasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that a number of tenants on the Dickson estate, Tullaghan, county Leitrim, who had signed purchase agreements in 1905, and paid interest at the rate of 3½ per cent. on the purchase money since, were now noticed to pay all arrears of rent and sign new purchase agreements; whether he would state the cause of such procedure on the part of the Estates Commissioners; and were the tenants to be deprived of the benefits of the Land Purchase Act if, through no fault of theirs, the sale fell through?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Dixon estate, which includes the townland of Tullaghan, is not the subject of proceedings for sale through the Estates Commissioners. The sales on this estate were carried out directly by the Land Judge in the matter pending before him, and by means of proposals of the tenants to purchase, the advances being made by the Land Commission. The Land Commissioners are not aware what holdings, if any, remain still unsold, nor have 1662 they any information as to what proceedings may be pending in the Land Judge's Court in the matter, nor as to the collection of rent in respect of any unsold holdings. These matters are entirely within the control of the Land Judge.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware of the feeling of unrest and dissatisfaction which exists amongst the people of Athenry in consequence of the slow action of the Estates Commissioners in taking over the Lambert Minors estate, situate in the town; is he aware that the middle tenants in the town are still obliged to pay up the old rent to the estate, whilst receiving only interest in lieu of rent themselves; and, having regard to the character of this arrangement, will he call the attention of the Estates Commissioners to the matter so as to have the sale immediately completed?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners have no power to make advances to middlemen for the purchase of their holdings, and until arrangements for the extinction of the middlemen's interest have been completed the Commisioners cannot take over that portion of the property in Athenry which is sub-let. The Commissioners understand that the arrangements for the determining of these middlemen's interests have now been practically completed, and they hope to be in a position to deal with this portion of the property at an early date. The question of the rent payable by the middlemen, and by their sub-tenants, pending the sale of the premises, is not one in which the Commissioners can interfere.