The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-05
HOME RULE FOR IRELAND.

Gladstone's Bill for the Purchase of
the Land in Ireland.
Mr. Gladstone in a long speech has in
Toduced his land purchase act in the house
of commons. The land act, he said, was in
tended to 60 into effect on the same day on
which the home rule bill would become opera
tive. 1t could not 80 on without the operation
of the other, which would provide a legisla-
ture in Ireland to appoint statutory authority
to deal with the landed estates and act be-
tween vender and purchaser.
The purchases would be made through the
issue Of 91S0, 600 of three per cent stock
issued at par. These new Irish consols might,
muted for stock of O lower denomination. If
the stock could not be issued forthwith, script
of equal value would BE- issued for the same
purpose. The act was to give the landlords
the options to sell out under the terms Its
enactmentS were confined to agricultural
holdings, and did not include mansions hay
ing deInesneS and woods.
The state authorities, acting between the
peasant and landowner, would purchase the
land from the latter and put the peasant in
possession as absolute proprietor, subject to
an annual rent charge until the total pay
mentS eaualled the purchase money.
The state would not force the small occnpi-
ers to become proprietors. In districts where
the population was congeSted, the state
would have the power to decide whether ex-
preparation of the too crowded land should
be compulsory. Nobody except the inn
mediate landlords would have the option to
sell to the inoumbrancer, and then he must
sell by foreclosure and not at an option for
himself. Applications to sell would have to
be made by all the tenants on an estate, and
all these applications and sales would be
registered
Applicants would be required to give So
curity for costs in certain cases. The land
commission would be empowered to refuse
applications. The bases of prices would de-
pend upon the rental for a fixed period. The
judicial rental of 1915 would be the standard
in all cases wherein the rent of the land to be
sold was theK fixed; in. all other cases the
land commission would have the power to
arrive at price by comparing the other
judicial rentals with Grifith's valuation.
Twenty years rental would be normal
purchase; in exceptional cases twenty-five
years rental would make purchase. Appli-
cations for sale would not be received after
March 81, 1890. Ten millions Of pounds of
the stock would be issued during 1887,
$4,000, 900 in 1855, e2O OOO, 600 in 1888
The charge upon the Irish exchequer would
be L., COX, ,0OO per annum, to meet which it
would be able to levy for rents amounting to
g., 500, 900 per antum, and this sum would
be the first charge on the rents and taxes
raised by the Irish government Adding to
this the imperial contribution, the sum paid
to England by Ireland would be e6,243 900
per annum, secured on a revenue of 910,-
$4,000, no portion of which would be ap-
piled to any purpose until e6, ,0O0, 600 was paid
into the English exchequer.
The present contribution Of the Irish tax
payers to England was e6,9SO,O0O, of which
England paid back in the Irish civil service
and in the service of collection "a, ,S40,-
600. The residue, which seemed to represent
an imperial contribution for army, navy, ma
tional debt, and imperial civil charges, was
E2,0S5, 900.
What did England do with it9 AS an in
stance, she sent an army of 10000 men to
Ireland and kept them there at an annual
cost of 5000, ,W0-e915, ,0J0 more than the
balance mentioned. That was specimen Of
the economy of the system the speaker
wanted to root up.
Mr. Gladstone commended the scheme to
the strict, jealous, careful, unbiased exami-
nation of Englishmen. He was convinced it
would be recognized as fitting part Of the
great auspicious effort to sustain the plans OF
the British legislature for the welfare of what
had long been, and, the speaker hoped, would
ever I've, under circumstances far happier
than heretofore, an integral part of her
maiesty's dominion.
Mr. Gladstone spoke for one hour and
thirty-five minutes, and sat down amid great
applause: