St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-25
Bloody Balfour Presents His
Long-Promised Irish Land
Purchase Bill.
1t Aims at Relief for the
Poorer and More Congest-
ed Districts.
A Fund Of Nearly Fifty Mill
ion Pounds to Be
Provided.
From This Tenants Will Be
Assisted to Purchase Their
Holdings.

LONDON, March A.-In the house OF
commons tonight Mr.. BalfOur. chief
secretary for Ireland, introduced a bill
for the purchase of land in Ireland and
for the improvement Of the poorer and
more cOngested districts. The bill also
provides for the establishment of an
Irish land department. Mr.. Balfour
said he believed every party agreed as
to the necessity for increasing the num-
ber of occupying owners in Ireland.
Some on both sides viewed with disfa-
vor any policy that excluded the land
lord class from rural social life. With
these he greatly sympathiZed, knowing
how in great Britain the landlords con-
tributed to the well-being of others.
Fortunately it was easier to increase
the number of occupying owners in
Ireland than in England. because the
price of land in Ireland was lower, and
the tenant possessed tenants rights ir-
respective of the landlords. Still, a
measure dealing with land presented
complicated issues. In proposing the
formation of land department the
complex nature of the question pre-
sented itself. There were now no fewer
than five bodies for the valuation and
sale of land; namely. the land estates
court. the boards of commissioners ap-
pointed under the acts of 1881 and 1885,
the commissioners of valuation and the
board OF works. The bill proposed the
amalgamatiOn of these into one body.
Regarding the question, "Ougnt the
land purchase bill to be cOmpulsOrYr'
the
Government Answered No.
Compulsion should be used most spar
lngly [ironical Irish cheers], but when
justified by necessity it should be ap-
piled. ministerial cheers.] Compul-
sion could not be One-sided. If they
compelled landlords to sell. they must
force tenants to buy. The most cOgent
reason against cOmpulsion was that
they could not make the bill compulsory
without applying it to the whole OF Ire
land. The government saw no p0SSl-
bility of the immediate cOnsummatiOn
of such an enormous transaction as the
compulsory transfer of the whole land
of Ireland from the existing owners to
the existing occupierS. Ought they to
throw any risk upon the British taXpay-
ers? The government again answered
no. Such course was practically impos-
sible. Even British credit could not be
used for carrying out the proposals II a
risk to British taxpayers were involved.
Still British credit under perfectly Sc
cure conditions must be used. [Parnell-
ite laughter Unless this were done,
neither would the landlord have asSur-
ance that lie would receive for the land
anything better than waste paper, nor
would the tenant receive assistance or
lnducement to buy. In dealing with
the question of advances to tenants to
enable them to purchase. the govern
ment has decided against advancing
more than twenty years. rental, mean
ing the rent from which had been de-
Quoted the local rates, which are now
paid by the landlord, but whicn after
the purchase must be paid by the ten
ant. AS illustrative OF the
Working of the Scheme.
Mr.. Balfour instanced a holding the
gross rent of which is a107 and the net
rent e1OO yearly, upon which one year
is due. The bill, he said, encouraged
the landlord and the tenant to bargain
as to the price of the holding, and if
they failed to agree. referred the Ques-
ton of the price to the land department,
the officials of which, putting aside the
years. arrears, must satisfy themselves
of the bona fides of the transaction and
that the security is adequate, and must
see that not more than twenty years
purchase is advanced. The department
might next issue vesting order, max
ing the tenant the owner of the
holding, all arrears of debts to
the landlord being wiped out,
the dead rents abolished and
the tenant put in possession
free of obligation, except the payment
of per cent yearly upon the money adj
vanced. This per cent he called the
normal annuity, but during the first five
years the bill required the tenant to
pay 80 per cent of the net annual rent.
In the case supposed this would amount
to ESQ, of which the government pro-
posed to retain e12 as the tenants in
surance fund to meet seasons of special
distress. The land department might
draw 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 AshbOurne act,
the bill required security for purchases.
They might take as security local or
general taxation or the fund con-
tributed to Ireland from the
imperial eXchequer. He proposed
to take as security the contributions of
the British exchequer to local Irish pur-
poses. and as cOrollary. to make the
local country authorities responsible for
default. The bill would thus establish
a guarantee fund consisting of two por-
tiOns,
Cash and Contingent.
The cash portion would consist of
$1,000 yearly, which Ireland never had
received, but ought to receive as a set
off against England's and Scotland's
getting the advantage of lincensing
duties. Next there would be the pro-
bate duty, the grant assigned for the
future being estimated at e200.000 year.
ly. and next would be Il per cent on
annuities, payable by the tenants. The
contingent portion would consist of gov
ernment contributions to poor law,
education, and similar purposes.
The total advance thus guar
anteed was not to exceed the
capitalized value of these two portions,
which, at per cent, it was calculated,
would amount to a33O00,O00. In the
event of local purposes being interfered
with through the operation of the bill,
it would be the duty of the grand jury
to levy an equivalent compulsory rate
upon the locality where such interfer-
ence occurred. All this did not form
the only security given under the guar
antee fund. In addition the treasury
would hold a landlords fifth and ten
ants insurance. Before the contingency
fund was approached in time of distress
the landlords portion would be taken
With the accumulated reserves. The
experience of twenty yearsishowed that
less than per cent of the annual in
stallments in Ireland remained unpaid.