§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that it is now three years since negotiations for the compulsory acquisition of the Dobb estate, county Kildare, under the provisions of the Land Act, 1909, were commenced, and that the final offer has not yet been issued; can he say what is the cause of the delay in the proceedings; is he aware that this estate is a congested estate, and that there is an abundance of untenanted land in the neighbourhood of the estate which is capable of purchase and of being applied to the relief of congestion in the district; is he aware that much misery prevails amongst the poorer tenants on the estate from floods, and that their small crops and turf were totally ruined last year through that cause; and will he take steps to hasten the purchase of the estate and such untenanted lands as may be necessary for the proper settlement of the tenants thereof?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe owner has not instituted proceedings before the Estates Commissioners for the sale of this estate under the Land Purchase Acts, but at their request he supplied them with a map and particulars, and they have had a preliminary inspection made. The Commissioners have not yet decided as to whether or not they will make an offer to purchase in this case, but it will be considered by them, due regard being had to the circumstances and to the claims of other estates which are pending before them.
§ Mr. LUNDONasked whether the untenanted land on the estate of Lord Massy, at Castleconnell, has yet been acquired by the Commissioners; and, if so, when will it be distributed?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe reply to the first portion of the question is in the negative. The Estates Commissioners hope to be in a position to issue their formal proposal to purchase these lands at an early date, but until their proposal has been accepted by the vendor and the lands acquired by them they cannot make any statement as to their distribution.
§ Mr. LUNDONasked when the untenanted land on the estate of Sir Charles Barrington, at Coolnahilla, Murroe, county Limerick, will be distributed?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe owner has intimated his willingness to accept the Estates Commissioners' estimated price for these lands, 2237W and the Commissioners recently issued their formal proposal to purchase them. When this proposal has been accepted and they have acquired the lands, the Commissioners will proceed to allot them as rapidly as practicable.
§ Mr. LUNDONasked whether the estate of Lord Massy, at Aherlow, county Tipperary, has yet been inspected with a view to having the vesting orders issued; and, if not, will care be taken to have the farms of William Hanly, of Ballygeana, Galbally, and three others who have not signed purchase agreements, valued, and not allow the sale to be carried through until they get their farms at a reasonable price, their land being much more highly rented than any others on the property?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThis estate is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and has not yet been reached in order of priority on the principal register of direct sales. When it is being dealt with the cases of any tenants who have not signed agreements to purchase their holdings will be inquired into by the Estates Commissioners.
§ Mr. DORISasked whether Mr. R. Vesey Stoney has lodged with the Congested Districts Board maps and papers relating to his property at Mulranny, county Mayo, with a view to a sale thereof through the Board?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe maps and documents in connection with this estate have been lodged with the Congested Districts Board, and they are at present in correspondence with the agent regarding the purchase of the property.
§ Mr. O'DOHERTYasked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board has received any intimation from the Earl of Leitrim as to his intention to sell his Donegal estate to the tenants; have any maps been lodged with the Board on behalf of the landlord, and, if so, what is the surveyor's name who prepared the same; what are his qualifications for acting as a land surveyor, and on what date were those maps lodged; whether the Board received a memorial from the tenants, praying to become purchasers of their holdings; and what is the cause of the delay in inspecting this estate?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have been informed that the Earl2238W of Leitrim proposes to lodge with them the maps and documents necessary for a preliminary inspection of his county Donegal estate, but they have not so far been received. The Board have received numerous communications from the tenants and their representatives asking them to purchase the property.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary what is the alleged nature and character of the holdings on the Lord Gough estate, Gort, county Galway, which prevent the Estates Commissioners from conferring at present the benefits of purchase on the town tenants; can he supply the number and names of the town occupiers whose buildings, from their alleged nature and character, embarrass the Estates Commissioners and prevent them from dealing simultaneously with the town and agricultural portions of the estate; and whether it is proposed to allow the agricultural portions of the estate to go through before dealing with the town holdings?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe houses in Gort, which are subject to rents payable to Lord Gough, are in many cases held under fee farm grants, and long leases, and in a number of cases sub-let to monthly, weekly, and other tenants, and do not, in the opinion of the Estates Commissioners, afford security for advances under the Land Purchase Acts. The Commissioners do not think it desirable to furnish the detailed information asked for in the question.
§ Mr. FLAVINasked the Chief Secretary whether he will take some steps to have the small property of Lord Cork, situate at Kilmoiley, purchased for the benefit of the tenants, the present agent being Mr. Barrington, 58, South Mall, Cork?
§ Mr. BIRRELLInquiries will be made by the Congested Districts Board as to whether the owner would be prepared to negotiate for a sale of the property mentioned through them.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Chief Secretary (1) whether he is aware of the state of congestion which exists on the Wakely estate, Mountshannon, county Clare; is he aware that a gentleman named Bulger grabbed the only grazing farm on this estate some years ago and now proposes to purchase it in the joint names of his brother and himself through the Congested Districts Board; whether, before sanction 2239W is given to the purchase, an inquiry will be instituted as to the tenure under which Mr. Bulger holds his farm; (2) if he will call the attention of the Congested Districts Board to the fact that the uneconomic tenants on the Wakely estate, Mountshannon, are about to be deprived of the conacre and other accommodation which they formerly enjoyed on the Clounty grass farm on this estate through the sale by the Board of the Clounty farm to a gentleman named Bulger; seeing that the sale of this farm to Mr. Bulger would stereotype the acute congestion which exists in the district, whether he will make immediate representations to the Board in the matter; (3) if the attention of the Estates Commissioners has been directed to the state of congestion which exists on the Wakely estate, Mountshannon, county Clare; is he aware that a large grass farm known as the Clounty farm, on the estate, which formerly served as an accommodation farm for the congests of the districts, is about being sold to two brothers named Bulger; whether he is aware that special evidence was given before the Dudley Commission, proving that the purchase of this farm by the Commissioners was absolutely essential to enlarge the holdings of the small tenants as well as to secure for them a right of way to their homes; and whether, in view of the urgency and importance of the matter, he will call the attention of the Estates Commissioners to the entire circumstances?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Estates Commissioners inform me that Henry and Denis Bulger appear to have been made tenants in 1905 by the owner of the property of certain lands on this estate which had formerly been in his hands, and in 1907 they signed purchase agreements under the Irish Land Act, 1903, to purchase these lands from him. The owner at the request of the Commissioners has expressed his willingness to sell the estate, portion of which is congested, to them, including some sixty-six acres of land in his own occupation for purposes of distribution, and the property will be dealt with by the Commissioners in order of priority. The estate has not been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, and they have no information regarding the matters referred to in the questions.