§ Mr. DORISasked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet made offers for the estates of Mr. Richard Gibbons, J.P., Mr. M. Carey, and Mr. Livingstone, near Westport, county Mayo, and, if so, with what results; and when the Board hope to complete the purchases?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have not yet issued offers for the purchase of the estates referred to, but they hope to do so shortly.
§ Mr. DORISasked what steps the Congested Districts Board have taken to acquire the congested estate of Mr. F. C. Garvey, of Murrisk Abbey, Westport, county Mayo, who has long since expressed his willingness to sell the estate through the Board?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate referred to has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, and a decision will be arrived at regarding purchase as soon as practicable.
§ Mr. BOLANDasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the M'Gillicuddy, when selling to his tenants, excluded from the sale several agricultural holdings; has this estate been recently inspected on behalf of the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, whether the Estates Commissioners will refuse to treat as an estate the holdings agreed to be sold unless the vendor agrees to sell to the tenants of the excluded holdings?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate has been inspected and the cases of any tenants on the estate who have not signed purchase agreements for the purchase of their holdings will be considered by the Estates Commissioners when they are dealing with the estate.
§ Mr. J. P. FARRELLasked when the division of the untenanted lands of Clonfin, on the J. E. Thompson estate, North Longford, will take place?
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§ Mr. BIRRELLThese lands will be divided by the Estates Commissioners when acquired, but they are not at present in a position, having regard to the priority of other estates on the register, to advance the purchase money in this case and take over possession.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked whether, seeing that Colonel Rice, of Bushmount, Causeway, has for the past two years refused to acknowledge or reply to the letters of the Congested Districts Board re the sale of his property at Bushmount, the Congested Districts Board will now take action to acquire the lands and relieve congestion in the district?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI have nothing to add to the reply given to the question asked by the hon. Member on this subject on the 7th August last.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked if any steps have yet been taken by the Congested Districts Board to purchase the Thomas Studdert estate, situate at Ballyouneen, Bully-bunion, for improvement and resale to the tenants?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on the 7th August last, to which I have nothing to add.
§ Mr. DORISasked the Chief Secretary if be can give a list of the estates in Mayo county which have been acquired by the Commissioners since the Land Act of 1909 was passed, and a list of the landlords of the county who have refused to sell their estates under the Act?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have purchased or agreed to purchase the following estates in the county of Mayo since the date of the passing of the Irish Land Act, 1909: Christie and Fitzgerald, C. G. Orme, C. C. Ormsby, P. and L. Cuddy, F. F. Dundas, Miller and Ormsby, Lord Harlech, Ronald McDougall, Henrietta McDougal, Ant. O'Malley, W. Y. Batley, T. J. Kyne, A. Allen, Lord Lucan, Mark Blake, Lady de Clifford, Earl of Arran, Misses Logan, Sir R. Palmer, A. K. S. Robinson, Count Blake, M. A. T. O'Donel, Anna M. Griffin, Mrs. J. C. Wills, C. T. R.. Crampton, Representatives H. B. Brabazon, J. P. Begley, Sir C. Waller, H. Rose Gibbings, Patrick Doherty, Colonel M. C. J. Blake, Ant. Ormsby, Major R. R. Fair, Rev. G. E. Browne, A. J. McDermott, Michael McNulty, John McGloin, Thos. Flynn,970W John Lindsay, T. F. Ruttledge, Mrs. B. Cannon, John Garvey, W. C. H. C. Knox, Captain P. A. Clive, Moy Fishery Company, C. A. and A. E. Joynt, H. N. G. Bushby, Lloyd and Daunt, Joynt and Browne, Colonel H. W. Joynt, P. A. Malley, Colonel P. Crampton, Mrs. J. Kennedy, F. Chapman, G. H. Acton, W. E. Churcher, S. L. Kenny, Earl of Erne, E. B. P. Griffin, M. R. Kelly, Gibb and Martin, F. O. Bowen. The Estates Commissioners have purchased the following estates in the county during the same period, namely: J. Paget and others, the Earl of Arran, and Patrick Doherty. It is not considered desirable to give the names of the persons who have refused to sell their estates under the Act.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked what reply the Congested Districts Board have received from Mr. P. D. Griffin, Cork, who holds about 100 acres of untenanted land at Laharden, Ballybunion; and whether, in view of the number of small holdings in the immediate vicinity, these lands will be acquired for the benefit of the local poor people?
§ Mr. FLAVINasked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet purchased the John P. Stack estate, at, Muckenaugh, Lixnaw, for enlargement of holdings and resale to the tenants?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board are not taking steps to purchase this estate as they understand that the landlord has arranged to sell to his tenants direct through the Land Commission.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked how far the negotiations have progressed between the Congested Districts Board and Mr. Eyre Stack for the purchase of his tenanted and untenanted lands at Mweevoo and Ballyconry, near Ballybunion?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board are still endeavouring to negotiate for the purchase of Mr. E. M. Stack's estate near Ballybunion.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked if the negotiations between the Congested Districts Board and Mr. Denny, of Tralee, receiver on the John Sandes estate, are yet complete for the purchase of the lands with a view to relieve congestion, enlarge the holdings, and resell to the tenants?
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§ Mr. BIRRELLThe estate referred to has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, but they have not yet considered the question of making an offer for purchase.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked when the untenanted lands acquired by the Estates Commissioners on the estate of John Vesey Vesey Fitzgerald, Newtowndillon, Listowel, be divided among the poor people of the immediate neighbourhood; and whether he can state what money the Estates Commissioners have kept out of the purchase money to protect the flooded lands of the tenants who have signed agreements on the Fitzgerald estate from continuous flooding of their holdings?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe owner has accepted the Estates Commissioners' proposal to purchase some 370 acres of untenanted land on this property, and the Commissioners hope to be in a position to distribute these lands at an early date. In connection with the sale of the tenanted portion of the property direct by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, the owner lodged £200 for repairs which were required to the embankments on the estate and, at the request of the Commissioners, is providing a sum of £400 out of the purchase money to provide a fund for the future maintenance of the embankments.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked the Chief Secretary whether a full and complete inspection has taken place on the Ormathwaite estate in connection with the flooding of a large number of the holdings; what improvements have been carried out by the landlord since the purchase agreements were lodged with the Estates Commissioners; and whether he can say if the Estates Commissioners consider that the small amount of money reserved by them out of the purchase money is sufficient to protect the holdings subject to continuous flooding on the estate during the annuity period?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners inform me that the vendor carried out such works in connection with the embankments and sluice gates on this estate as were considered necessary by the Commissioners to put them in a proper state of repair. The vendor has also arranged to provide at the request of the Commissioners a sum of £650 out of the purchase money to be paid to local trustees upon972W the trusts of a deed to which apparently all the purchasing tenants interested were parties, and in which these tenants bound themselves to assist the said trustees in the upkeep and mainteaance of the embankment works. With such assistance, the Commissioners consider that the said sum will be sufficient for the upkeep of the embankments.