§ Mr. REDDYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he could say why the tenants on the Shortt estate, near Clough- 917W jordan, having signed purchase agreements six or seven years ago, have not received their vesting orders, or what is the cause of delay?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate of Albert Shortt and others, King's County, is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the vendors to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903. The purchase agreements were lodged in October, 1908, and the estate is on the principal register of direct sales (all cash). It will be dealt with in its proper order of priority, but the Estates Commissioners are not at present in a postion to say when it will be reached in its turn.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary whether Mrs. D. Mullins, of Clarenbridge, county Galway, at the request of the people of the district, offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board the farm of Coolraugh; is he aware that the district is one where a number of small holdings are to be found; and, having regard to the need and urgency of acquiring this farm in the general interest of the community, will he explain the reasons why the Congested Districts Board refuse to make an offer at present for this farm?
§ Mr. BIRRELLMrs. Mullins offered the farm referred to for sale to the Congested Districts Board, but it turned out that as she was not a registered owner she could not complete the sale without the appointment of trustees or the concurrence of the Court of Chancery.
§ Mr. J. P. FARRELLasked the grounds on which relief under Section 6 of the Land Act, 1903, has been refused to Michael Hetherton, of the O'Brien estate, at Cornakelly, county Longford; whether Mr. Lodgdell, the Commissioners' first inspector, reported favourably on this case and recommended that a grant of £10 or £20 should be made to give him a chance to build some kind of house on the land; why this recommendation was not carried out; and will he direct that the grant be now made to keep this man?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners inquired into and considered this case, and, in the exercise of the discretion vested in them, decided to made no free grant to Hetherton. They are not prepared to depart from their decision in the matter.
§ Mr. JOHN WALSHasked why, although the lands of Clunkeen, in the 918W parish of Kilmacabea, county Cork, on the French estate, are now vested in the tenants, the lands of Reenogreena close by, on the Deasy estate, are not yet so vested, seeing that the former sale did not take place for two years after the latter?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners inform me that these estates have been dealt with in their due order of priority. The vendors of the Savage French estate elected to take payment partly in cash and partly in stock in 1910, whereas the vendors of the estate of Mary J. Deasy and another did not so elect until the following year, and in accordance with the regulations made under Section 23 (8) of the Irish Land Act, 1903, and Section 4 of the Irish Land Act, 1909, the latter estate was entered on the register (part stock and part cash) after the estates of vendors who had elected in the previous year to have their cases transferred to this register.
§ Mr. JOHN WALSHasked the Chief Secretary whether he can give any idea when the tenants on the estate of the Misses G. and H. Hungerford, of Dunowen, county Cork (No. 4,239, agreements dated 1st July, 1906), will get relief from the high rate of interest they are paying at present in lieu of rent?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate which is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owners to the tenants is on the principal register of direct sales (all cash), and will be dealt with in its order of priority, but the Estates Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when it will be reached in its turn.