18. Captain CRAIGasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that when the Congested Districts Board was in negotiation for the purchase of the O'Callaghan Westropp estate one of its officials, Mr. Henry Doran, expressly stated to Colonel O'Callaghan Westropp that all his staff would be employed in the management of the estate on as good terms as they had from him until the untenanted land would be divided; that Robert Bell, of Knocklaur, Bodyke, county Clare, was one of such employés so transferred; that he had been a trusted herd on the estate continuously for fifteen years; that Mr. Francis S. Sheridan, one of the Board's officials, wrote, under date the 18th September, 1912, to Messrs. Maunsell, Darley, and Orpen, of 18, St. Stephen's Green, North Dublin, that the Board could not give Robert Bell a holding as he was not a herd; that the Board, contrary to their representative's promise, deprived Robert Bell of his position and appointed a herd in his place; that he has since been served with an ejectment notice by the 1209 Board for no fault except that he is a loyalist and is the subject of persecution by a Nationalist named Patrick Wall, of Knockbrack, and a branch of the United Irish League; and whether, under these circumstances, he will recall the ejectment notice and allot him a holding?
§ 23 and 24. Mr. MALCOLMasked the Chief Secretary (1) whether he is aware that, after fourteen years' service as a herd on the O'Callaghan Westropp estate, Robert Bell has been dismissed, for no fault, by the Congested Districts Board, and that his place has been filled by John Cudmore, who is a cousin of one of the inspectors to the Board; and whether such action has the sanction and approval of the President of the Board; and (2) whether he will consent to postpone the ejectment of Robert Bell, of Knocklaur, Bodyke, county Clare, until such time as he has put the full facts leading up to the decision of the Congested Districts Board in the possession of this House?
§ Mr. BIRRELLMr. Doran informs me that he did not make the statement attributed to him, but he did say to Colonel Westropp that it was the custom of the Congested Districts Board to continue the employment of bailiffs and other persons who had been employed on an estate purchased by them while their services were required in connection with the preparation of the estate for resale. The letter referred to was sent to the solicitors named on the 18th September as stated, but the Board subsequently decided to admit Bell's claim as a herd under Section 53 of the Act of 1909, and offered him a farm elsewhere in the county which he refused. The Board have appointed a man named John Cudmore to take charge of one of the bogs on the estate, a duty formerly performed by Bell, but they are not aware that Cudmore is related to any official of the Board. Bell's appointment was terminated because his services are no longer required on the estate, and the Board see no reason for delaying the proceedings for tasking possession of the house and land which he occupied. It would seem unreasonable that a landlord should sell his land to the Board for the relief of congestion, which is great in the neighbourhood, and expect them to provide for his herd when he could have rewarded the faithful service of the man by making him either a "present" or a "future" tenant before selling his estate. The alleged attitude of the League had nothing what- 1210 ever to do with the action of the Congested Districts Board.
§ 48. Mr. NEWMANasked the Prime Minister whether he can give a date for the introduction of the Land Purchase (Ireland) Bill; and whether it is intended to send the Bill for consideration by a Standing Committee after it has been read a second time?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. I cannot make any statement as to further stages until after the Bill has been introduced.