§ Mr. FETHERSTONHAUGHasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners took steps to acquire a portion of the Rupert Collum estate, county Fermanagh, under the Evicted Tenants Act; was the owner willing to sell, and was the price ascertained 716W by order of Mr. Justice Wylie; have the Commissioners now refused to acquire the land because they could not take it at their own price, or for what other reason; and will he call the attention of the Commissioners to the very small progress, if any, made in the restoration of evicted tenants in county Fermanagh?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners instituted proceedings for the acquisition of 42 acres on this estate under the Evicted Tenants Act, and fixed the price at £3,000. This was increased on appeal to £3,216, and the Commissioners pursuant to the powers conferred on them by Section 2 (14) of the Act served notice on the owner discontinuing the proceedings. As regards the concluding portion of the question sixty evicted tenants in county Fermanagh have already been reinstated in their former holdings, or provided with other holdings.