New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-25
IRISH LAND PURCHASE.
MR. BALFOUR BRINGS FORWARD THE GOV
ERNMENT'S SCHEME.

A
GUARANTEE FUND OF ef3cooOOO-MR. GLAD
STONE ASKS FOR TINE TO CONSIDER IT.
London, March 24.-In the House of Commons
tonight Mr. Balfour Chief Secretary for lrean"'
introduced a bill for the purchase OF lana IN lie
land and for the improvement OF the poorer anu
more conrcsted districts The bill also provides
for the establishment Of an Irish Land DeParI
ment.
Mr. Balfour said he believed that every party
agreed as to the necessity for increasing ,c ""''
Der of occupying owners in Ireland. some on
both sides viewed with disfavor any pohoS .n"O
excluded the landlord class from rural soci'i i'io'
With these he greatly sympathzeu' hho"i7 Nv"
in Great Britain the landlords contributed " 'n'
well-beinr of others. Fortunately it was easier
10 increase the number of occupying owners III
Ireland than in England, because the price of
lo,d in ireland was lower and the tenants pos
sessed tenants rights irrespective of the land
lords Still. a measure dealing with land pre-
sen,ed complicated issues. In proposing the
formation of Land Department the complex
roture of the question presented itself. There
,rere now no fewer than five bodies for the val
nation and sale of land, namely. the Land Estates
Court. the Board of Commissioners appointed
under the acts Of 1881 and 1885, the Commls-
kiouers of Valuation and the Board of Works.
The bill proposed the amalgamation of these into
one body Cries of Hear, hear!O
Regarding the question, Ought the Lana
Purchase bill to he compulsory ?" the Government
answered. NO" Compulsion should he used
most sparingly. (ronical Irish cheers But
when justified by necessity it should he applied.
Ministerial cheers Compulsion could not he
one-sded. If they compelled landlords 70 sell
they must force tenants to buy. The most cogent
60 hof fbpV
not make the bill compulsory without applying
il to the whole of Ireland The Government
saw no possibility of proposing AT one 90 such an
enormous transaction the compulsory transfer
of the whole land of Ireland from the existing
owners to the existing occupers. T. Hear,
hear" Ought they to throw any risk upon the
British taxpayers? The Government again
answered NO" Such course was practically
impossible Even British credit could not be
used for carrying ont the proposals If a risk TO
British taxpayers involved. STILL British
credit. lTnder perfectly secure conditions, must
be used tParnclliic lauehter) Unless that was
done, neither would the landlord have assurance
that he would receive for the land anything
better than waste paper. nor would the tenant
receive assistance inducemcnt 10 buy In
dealing with the question OF advances 10 tenants
to enable them to purchase, the Government had
years rental meaning the rent from which had
been deducted the local rates. which are now paid
by the landlord, bat which after the purchase
must be paid by the tenant
As illustrative of the working Of tie scheme
Mr.. Balfour instanced a holding the gross rent of
which is e107 and the net rent c1 90 yearly, upon
which one wear is due. The bill he said. en-
couraged the landlord and tenant TO bargain as
10 the price of Tie holding and II they ialied 10
agree, referred the question of the price TO the
Land Department. the officials Of which. putting
aside the years arrears. must satisfy themselves
of the bona idCs of the transaction and that the
security is adequate. and must see that not more
than twenty years rental is advanced The de-
partInent might next issue a vcstins order making
the tenant the owner of the holding. all Of arrears
of debts 10 landlords being wiped OUT the dead
rents abolished and the tenant put in possession
free of Obligation. except the payment OF 4 per
cent yearly upor the money advanced. This
per cent he called the normal annuity. but during
the fist I'VE years the bill required the tenant 10
nay so per ccat Of the net annual rent. In the
case supDc srd this would amount TO ESQ. Of which
the Government proposed 10 retain tl2 a. 'hc
tenants insurance fund 10 meet seasons OF slS-
cial distress The Land Department might ara"
upon this fund if the tenant fell into arrears
So far the bill was the Ashbourne Act improved.
In addition to the provisions Of the Ashpourne
Act the bill required security for purchases They
might take as security local or general taxation or
the fund contributed to Ireland from the Imperial
pxcbeauer He proposed TO take security the
contributions of the British cXchequcr To local
Irish purposes and as cOrOary 10 make the local
county authorities responsible for default. The
bill would thus establish guarantee fund con-
sistinp Of two portions cash and contingent. The
cash portion would consist of 100000 yearly,
which Ireland never had received, but ought to
receive as a set-oh against Engands and scot
lands getting the advantage Of licensing duties;
next there would be the probate duty. the grant
ass pned for the future being estimated at E2O0.O0O
yearly and next would be One-fourrn per cent on
qnnuities. payable by the tenant. The contingent
norton would consist Of Government con-
trbutons to pOoi-law, education ana SIM
liar purpo,es The total advance thus guaranteed
was not to exceed the capitalized value Of these
two portions which, at per cent, 1T was cal
culated. would amount to G33, ,OO0, 900. In the
event of local purposes being intcricred with
through the operation Of the bill, it would be the
duty of the Grand Jury to levy equivalent
compulsory rate upon the locality where such
interlclence occurred. All this did not form
the only security given under the guarantee
fund. In addition the Treasury would hold
landlords fifth and the tenants insurance Be-
fore the contingency fund was approached in
tine of distress the landlords portion would be
taken with the accumulated reserves The eX
perience of twenty years showed that less than
2 per cent Of the annual instalments in Ireland
remained unpaid. Under the new scheme per
cent would have TO remain unpaid before any
security would be touched excepting the IA
Der cent reserved from the tenants annuites
After further elaborate financial detail show
ing how the Imperial Exchequer was secured
against default. Mr. Balfour said it impos
sbe unless there were "A repetition of the calamity
OF the famine of 1876, that the guarantees Affect
ing the poor law and education grants would ever
be approached lie next explained that II was
desinIied The Ia Lcr cent from The tcnamls-