§ 3. Mr. LONSDALEasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that originating agreements for the purchase of the Stearne estate, Middletown, county Armagh, were lodged with the Irish Land Commission in 1907 on the basis of twenty-two and a half years' purchase of the agricultural portion and twenty-six years' purchase of the town holdings; that the agreements for the town holdings were 566 ignored, after inspection, and these holdings were purchased by the town landlords for the sum of £4,829 instead of £8,224, as was originally agreed upon; and that the local landlords were thereby relieved of all rents, as the amount payable out of the sub-tenants' holdings exceeded the entire sum payable as interest by the middlemen on the £4,829 advanced; and if he will state the reasons why the Land Commission decided to ignore the interests of the sub-tenants?
§ The CHIEF SECRETARY for IRELAND (Mr. Duke)This was not a case of direct sales, and agreements such as those referred to in the question were not lodged with the Estates Commissioners in 1907. The owner instituted proceedings for sale to the Estates Commissioners under Section 6 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the portion of the property purchased by the Commissioners included holdings wholly or partly in the town of Middletown. Such of these holdings as were purchased by the Commissioners were resold for £4,144, of which £571 was paid in cash by the tenants, the balance — £3,573—being repayable by purchase annuities.
As regards the sub-tenant in the town of Middletown, I cannot add anything to the answers given to questions by the hon. Members for Mid-Armagh on the 11th February and 28th March, 1917, and the 26th February, 1918. I may remind my hon. Friend that the law with regard to town holdings dealing with estates in Ireland is different to the law relating to agricultural holdings, and if he looks at the Regulations he will appreciate the significance of that.