15. Captain CRAIGasked whether the Chief Secretary has received information of a cattle drive which took place last week on the property of Mr. W. B. Murphy, Lallymore, in county Kildare; whether the adjoining tenants have demanded that this property should be sold and distributed amongst them; whether this cattle drive has been carried out with a view to compelling the landlord to sell his property; whether any arrests have been made or anyone made amenable; and whether, in view of this intimidation, the Congested Districts Board or Estates Commissioners will intervene to compel the landlord to sell?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe police authorities inform me that thirty head of cattle and forty-four sheep were driven off the lands of Mr. Murphy on the night of the 20th January. No person so far has been made amenable, but the police are taking 1162 special precautions in order to prevent a repetition of the offence. A memorial from the tenants on the estate asking the Estates Commissioners to acquire the untenanted land was received by them in 1910, and an inspector has recently visited the property, and his report is awaiting consideration by the Commissioners. At present they cannot make any statement as to what action they may take in the matter.