§ Mr. SHEEHANasked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have approached the Land Judge with an offer to acquire Massey House and demesne, that portion of the town of Macroom known as Masseytown, and all other properties on the Massey estate at the same time, so that there may be a complete and final settlement of this matter now, and that the claims of all evicted tenants, small holders, and labourers on the estate or in its neighbourhood may be justly and fairly considered and dealt with?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners understand that the lands in respect of which the Land Judge has caused them to be furnished with particulars with a view to a sale under the Land Purchase Acts comprise the entire property, the subject of proceedings before him, with the exception of the mansion house and surrounding demesne, and certain non-agricultural holdings. The Commissioners, who have not yet received their inspector's report on the estate, are not in a position at present to come to any decision as regards the other matters referred to in the question.
§ Mr. O'DOHERTYasked the Chief Secretary what progress, if any, has been made by the Congested Districts Board in the purchase of the holdings on the following estates, namely, the estate of George Gilliland, Carrichue, Greencastle; M'Clelland, Balleighan, Greencastle; Major Torrens Lecanny, Greencastle; Charlotte McNeill, Carromena, Moville; the Hon. E. Cochrane, Ballylosky, Carndonagh, all in the county Donegal; whether the Congested Districts Board has invited the respective landlords,' or any of them, to sell; if so, what reply, if any, was received; and whether steps will be taken to expedite the purchases, seeing that the applications have been lodged for over three years?
§ Mr. BIRRELLNone of the estates mentioned have, so far, been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board.
§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that one of the terms of the sale of the Smyth estate, Coole, Westmeath, comprising a thousand 1110W acres of bog, was that a sufficiency of turbary should be allotted to the purchasers for their own use; whether the vendor now offers of this area only fifteen acres for the use of fifty-two purchasers, and offers it in a remote and undrained part of the bog; whether the Estates Commissioners will require the condition in the agreement to be carried out to the extent of allotting to the purchasers in the part of the bog nearest to them sufficient turbary for their own use during the payment of the annuities; and what provision of turbary is being made for the village tenants who are not yet allowed to purchase?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe question of the provision of turbary for tenants on this estate who have agreed to purchase their holdings under the Land Purchase Acts is at present under the consideration of the Estates Commissioners. They have no power to interfere in respect of holdings which are not included in the sale of the estate.
§ Mr. JOHN WALSHasked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay in vesting in the tenants their holdings in the following townlands on the estate of Captain Townshend, of Derry, Rosscarbery, county Cork, Ardea and Ballinacar-riga, in the parish of Ballyrnoney, and Saroo and Maulirane, in the parish of Castleventry, all in the West Riding of county Cork?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and will be dealt with in order of priority on the principal register of direct sales (all cash). Having regard to its position on that register and the claims of other estates, the Estates Commissioners do not anticipate that it will be reached for at least another year.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary when the Law proceedings for the compulsory purchase of Lord Clanricarde's estate, county Galway, by the Congested Districts Board, are likely to take place?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board cannot say when this case will be heard, but it will probably come before the Court before Easter.
§ Mr. FFRENCHasked the Chief Secretary if he will consider the advisability of bringing in a Bill next Session to facilitate land purchase by paying the landlords either with cash or in three per cent, stock 1111W equivalent to its market value at the price of the day, and of giving tenants who have a right to get fair rents fixed the power of serving an originating notice to redeem the rent at a fair price which might be fixed by the Land Commission in case landlord and tenant did not agree as to price?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI have nothing to add to the reply given by the Prime Minister to the questions addressed to him on the same subject on the 12th instant.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that two inspectors visited the Wade estate, at Clonabraney, county Meath, to put a value on the untenanted land; whether their visit was in consequence of an offer by the vendor to sell the lands; whether it was since that date the owner instituted proceedings to repurchase his demesne; whether he can state who is now the legal owner; and if he is the same person who originally sold direct to the tenants on the estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe originating application lodged with the Estates Commissioners in May, 1907, by which proceedings for the sale of this estate direct by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, were commenced, contained an application by the owner to repurchase his demesne under Section 3 of the Act of 1903. As the Commissioners understood that the owner would be willing to sell all the lands in his occupation provided a satisfactory price were offered they had an inspection made of the lands in his occupation, and communicated their estimated price to the solicitor for the owner, who, however, replied that the owner desired to repurchase the lands in accordance with his original application. No change in the title to the lands appears to have taken place since the lodgment of the originating application.