, 1881-11-06
HOW THE IRISH LAND Law woRE;

t Our dispatches from day to day indicate
that the new Irish Lalld law is working
smoothly and with satisfaction to the ten
ants. Tie Land Court, though crowded
with business, there being already $4,000 ap
plicatlons OF file, is making its dccisinns in ;
manner that will soon relieve it Of tile pres
ent rush, and not only this. but will in /:
years time restore perfect order in Ireland
and make the tenants condition more salts
factory and prosperous than it has been
III 200 years. The reductions in rentals nj
ready noted by the dispatches arc Of peculiar
interest because they head the list and are
in some sense key to what will follow
III all lie other cases, and also be-
cause they will unQuestionably fur
nish the grounds for Il mutual basis
upon which landlords amd tenants will
amlcably adjust their rentals without guing
through the expensive processes Of the Land
Court The court ut Belfast has given judg-
ment in the cases OF fifteen tenants OH the
small Crawford estate, the extent Of which is
AL acres. Prior to 1SCG the annual rent was
$780, or 81, 2,150; since 1866 it has been .Ci0. or
S3,20o. The reduced rent fixed by the court
is E472, or S, SG0-a present reduction Of GlJs,
or $50. Ofthe Individual rents Oh tie same
estate, one WAS reduced. from S6lo IT, S44:5,
one from 1885 to $40, and another from s:}l5
to S2Go. The reductions range OIL The whole
estate FROM 25 to 81 per cent, or all average of
80 per cent, anu tile landlords are also re-
Quired to pay half the cess tax. Tie de-
cisions made oil the Tennent estate, OH tile
same day, were equally sweeping, the pres
ent rentals Of $3.50 being reduced to $3.50.
On the day these decisions were made
it was mar6et-tlay, and Belfast was crowded
with farmers, who were not slow III their ex-
press0ns Ut satisfaction. AS the Court COM
pels each side to pay the costs, and its rcduc-
lions are general and in a fixed proportion,
there is no question that landlords and ten
ants will make mutual agreement to save
expense. The dispatches report still another
agreement under the law which is still more
Interesting than the rent reductions, and this
is the purchase OF an estate belonging to one
William Ancketell by the tenants. The lat
ter met Under the auspices Of Mr.. Giyan,
member Of Parliament, who advised them to
purchase the estate on the basis of the exist
ing rent. The landlord met the tenants cor
daily and offered to give them every facility
to BECOME their own landlords, and Mr.. Gyan
(M. P.) offered to find the means fur those
who could not raise the one-folrth bur-
chase money rather than that they should
lose the opportunity to purchase. Under the
law, after the tenant has agreed to buy and
the price has been fixed by the commission,
the latter may advance three-fourths of the
money, which must be repaid by
an annual sum for tilirty-iive years at per
cent. the other one-fourth being due upon
the security Of the premises. At the elld Of
The thlrty-tive years the holding will be the
absolute property of the tenant, rent free,
md the tenant is also at liberty to pay off tho
sum rs rapidly as possible, and thus shorten
lie term OF payment Under these provisions
'ne sale has already been made aud more may
'e expected to follow, for the reduction Of
entails now going OIL will correspontllngly
'educe the selling price, II tile court re-
luces rents onc-third, the land will sell for !
'ne-tllird less, anu there will he numerous |
hances for the tenants to buy their holdings.
" taking advantage of tile peasant proprie- !
airy clauses Of the bill. Iris one Of the most |
ilaerlng indications of improvement in the !,
onult1on OF the tenants that the Land law, |
dough 1t has been in operation but very /
hort time, is already beginning to afford im,-
iediate relief. That relief will increase as /
tnie goes on and the tenants grow more ia
iliar with its workings. The mission of tie
4and Leagueis rapidly drawing to a close.