§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that at the time of the signing of the terms for the sale of the Wandesforde (Castlecomer) estate, county Kilkenny, some eighty-three tenants on the said property declined to complete the signing until they were informed by a letter from the Estates Commissioners that before the sale was ratified the Commissioners would send down an inspector to value the farms (the tenants signing under duress); whether the Estates Commissioners have done so; and, if not, whether any steps can now be taken to satisfy the people who were misled into signing?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is being sold under the Land Purchase Acts direct by the owner to the tenants at terms agreed on between the parties, and the great majority of the holdings on the estate have been vested in the purchasing tenants. The Estates Commissioners cannot identify any such letter as that referred to by the hon. Member, and no duress was proved. They have no power to fix prices in the case of holdings which come within the zonal provisions of the Irish Land Act, 1903. In cases not within these provisions the Commissioners have notified the vendor of the amounts they are prepared to advance, and if purchase agreements are lodged in the outstanding cases the Commissioners will proceed with the vesting of the holdings in the tenants, otherwise they cannot be included in the sale.
§ Mr. MEAGHERasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland as to whether the Pauls-town (county Kilkenny) estate of the representatives of the late Mrs. Francis Maud Hazel is yet complete, and as to whether the untenanted portion of this estate is included in the sale; is he aware of the number of uneconomic landholders residing in the neighbourhood of this estate; and will he impress on the Estates Commissioners the desirability of acquiring the untenanted lands for distribution amongst those and others who may be entitled to portions thereof?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is the subject of proceedings for sale before the Estates Commissioners, but has not yet been reached in order of priority to be dealt with by them. The owner has offered to sell some 200 acres of untenanted land to the Commissioners at their esti- 2115W mated price, and in the allotment of the Jands, when acquired, the wants and circumstances of the occupiers of small holdings in the neighbourhood will be duly considered.