Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-11-02
FOREIGN DISPATCHES,
THE IRISH A ACT.

IHn @N
The Rent Commission In Session
Operation OF the Act-First De.
cision Under It-fhe Landlords
W0rsted.
New Yonx. November IA Herald
Castle BlAynsy special says: AT last,
after . struggle Of two years. landlords
and tenants came on Monday face to
face before the judges to decide what 10
fair rent. The arst case examined nm.
der the Land Act has just been decided
here. It's result 10 . swssping reduction
amounting altogether to ca los. In .
yearly rental Of CO les. Two Commits
sIons are sitting. but that ct Castle
Blaynsy was more important than that
at Belfast. the latter being concerned
with cases under the Ulster custom, the
farmers being 10 . district where smaller
holdings prevail and being more likely
to bring out the Characteristic features
Of the land question. Castle Blsynsy
IL surrounded by much wrstchsd land
and minute holdings. II 10 the hsms Of
the Nellie Msguirss. The coming Of
the Commissioners attracted . number
Of persons to the town. including many
lawyers. Commissioners Kane. Bailey
and Garland sat in the Courthouse.
The first case gone into was one Of
the most famous which has arisen. II
was one in which the League t~riumphsd
90 far and near. a. Il wal . case Of
typical hardship. The members for
Northeast Lancashire became sponsors
for the tenant. and published the cir
cumstancss throughout the press OF
England. Tho government yesterday
accepted the challenge. The decision
was Of great interest and Importance.
The FIRST tenant who thus came under
the operation Of the Act was Patrick No
Avery. OF Calatroy. County Mouahan.
on the estate Of Henry Bond. an alb
ssntee landlord. living In London. The
holding 10 ten acres; rent, co 16s.; gov.
eminent valuation. &c. MoAlvsry IL an
IN intelligent young fellow. about 70
years old, who. after considerable Q
dsring. having lived In the United States
about four years, returned to his native
land and claimed possession Of the
holding. which his uncle then held.
Since then no has lived mostly 90 o rail.
way employs in England. being. a. the
landlord counsel characterized him, an
''absentes tenant"
The first witness for the tenants was
unfortunately q lamentable failure. He
wa Vincent Smith. surveyor and valu.
ator for some OF the large estates In the
north OF Ireland. who swore that he sur.
vsyed McAlvsy's holding last week and
gave ON official estimate that II wal
worth los. Cd. per acre, but cross exam.
nation brought out that he made the
valuation for the Landlord In &c. when
he valued the holding at 23s. and Sd.
per acre. When confronted with his
former figures. he said that he rendered
the valuation by order Of the landlord
without regard TO his own estimate, but
as this admission convicted him Of fraud
in giving o false valuation. hs left the
court discounted and ruined a. Q wit.
ness 10 any future case.
McAlvsry then made his testimony.
He proved by documents that his land
lord had forced him to sign an agree
ment contrasting out oil benefits Of the
Ulster custom. This was not denied,
and witnesses were called TO prove that
MoAlvsry's holding was too highly
rented. one swearing that the tenants
right in Il was worth nothing; others
that Il was worth about CO. The agent
on the estate, however. swore that Nc.
Alvery had refused E100 for HE hold.
ing and wanted E150. Some tenants
swors that the land was bad and would
hardly support . family. The agent
swors II was light and sandy soil, cspa.
bic Of bearing good crops II acceptably
farmed. Thus the issue was fairly
Joined. The Commissioners resolved to
visit the holding yesterday and then
give their decisions. They therefore
drove out early to McAlvsry's holding,
where . considerable number Of neigh
boring tenants gathered and followed
curiously at their heels 90 they went
from Geld to field testing the soil. They
examined the gathered crops, asking
questions OF tho agent. tenant, and oil
who were concerned. The land on his
holding was certainly In . wretehed coz
dition. badly drained, and really inca.
pablo Of being made very valuable.
Returning in the evening. the Com.
mission sat to hear further evidence. but
nothing important was ELECTED. When
the testimony was finished there seemed
to be many doubtful points; but the
Commission decided to give judgment at
once. and reduced the rent to six pounds
ak shillinRs and obliged the landlord to
pay halt Of the county cess, the. whole
Of which the tenants paid before, saving
the latter Eve shillings yearly. Il was
also revealed that the government valua-
ton on McAlvery's holding was really
seven pounds eight shillinss, making .
reduction OF q pound two shillings
under Grifith's valuation.
This Is o serious defeat for the land.
lords. but II Vas inevitable that the frst
decision should involve reductions.
This decision proves Parnell's clever.
ness and wisdom in selecting for test
cases these In which rents were not ex-
brilliant, but generally moderate. 90 that
the decision which was ct FIRST really nee.
sssary to the success Of the act would
be . precedent for further decisions. It
was taken for granted that the landlords
would Ale an appeal to the Chief Com
mission. The important Judgment in
connection with this case was the decis-
ion Of both parties to pay their own