§ 25. Mr. FIELDasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received a resolution from the Keady Urban District Council protesting against the proposed sale of the town of Middletown to middlemen, excluding the occupiers; and whether he intends to take any action to sustain the Land Act principle and prevent the expenditure of public money in opposition to the intentions of the Legislature?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI have received the resolution referred to. The Estates Commissioners have not sanctioned any ad- 383 vances to middlemen in the town of Middletown, whose holdings are entirely sub-let, but in some cases they decided to make advances to tenants whose holdings were partially sub-let. The cases of the sub-tenants were carefully considered by the Commissioners, and they decided that they could not make any advances under the Land Purchase Acts to the sub-tenants, most of whom hold under weekly or monthly tenancies.