§ Mr. DORISasked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that Mr. James Foy, when last receiving rent from the tenants of his congested little estate in the parish of Turlough, county Mayo, assured them, in the presence of his solicitor and others, that their next payment would be to the Congested Districts Board, to whom he was selling the property; and, as another gale of rent has now become due, will he ask the Congested Districts Board to communicate with Mr. Foy again and request him to sell upon reasonable terms?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have no information regarding the matter referred to in the first part of the question. They have issued an offer for the purchase of the property which has not, so far, been accepetd.
§ Mr. DORISasked the Chief Secretary whether Mr. John Durcan has intimated to the Congested Districts Board that he will not sell his congested estate in Turlough parish, county Mayo; is he aware that before Mr. Durcan acquired this property the Estates Commissioners had agreed to purchase it from the former owner, Mrs. M'Clung, and that, pending completion of the contemplated sale, the tenants paid to the Land Commission a considerably reduced sum as interest on purchase money in lieu of rent; can he state why the Estates Commissioners or the Land Commission refused to complete the purchase; is he aware that Mr. Durcan, on purchasing the property, compelled the tenants to resume payment of the former rents, and to pay him the difference between such rents and the interest which they had paid to the Land Commission in lieu of rent before his purchase; and, in view of the extremely congested condition of the tenants, will the Congested Districts Board again request Mr. Durcan to offer the property for sale under the Land Act of 1909?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Congested Districts Board have been approached regarding the purchase of the estate referred to, and they communicated with Mr. Durcan from1608W whom they have recently received a letter stating that he is having a map prepared for lodgment. The former owner, Mrs. Elizabeth D. M'Clung, had previously instituted proceedings before the Estates Commissioners for the sale of the estate referred to direct to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon were lodged with the Land Commission, but the Commissioners could not see their way to declare the property fit to be regarded as an estate for the purposes of sale, and dismissed the purchase agreements signed by the tenants. Under the terms of their purchase agreements the tenants paid interest on the purchase money set out in such agreements until the agreements were dismissed, whereupon under Section 35 of the Act of 1896 they became liable for rent and arrears, due allowance being given for sums paid as interest under the purchase agreements.