The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-25
A NEW IRISH LAND ACT.
BALFOUR SUBMITS A PURCHASE
SCHEME TO PARLIAMENT

Measure - Statement of All It's
Financial Features Made by it's Au-
thor-Gladstone Thanks Him.
LONDON, March 24.-In the House of
Commons tonight, Mr.. Balfour, chief
secretary for Ireland, introduced bill for
the purchase OF land in ireland, and for the
Improvement of the poor and more con-
gested districts. The bill also provides for
the establishment of an Irish land court.
Mr. Balfour said that he believed that
every party agreed as to the necessity for
increasing the number of property owners
in Ireland. Some ON both sides viewed with
disfavor any policy that excluded the land-
lord class from social life. With
these he greatly synlpathizod, knowing how
IN Great Britain tho landlords contributed
to the well-belng of others. Fortunately it
was easier to increase the number of occu-
pyIng owners in Ireland than in Eng land,
because the price Of land in ireland was
lower, and the tenants possess tenant rights
irrespective of the landlords.
COMPLICATED ISSUES.
Still, a measure dealing with land pre-
sented complicated issues. In proposing
the formation of land department the
complex nature of the question presented
Itself. There We're no fower than five
bodies for the valuation and sale of land,
namely: The land estates court, boards of
commissioners appointed under the acts of
1851 and 1855, commissioners of valuation,
and board of works. The bin proposes
the amalgamation of these into one body.
lCries of Hear, hearp'1 Regarding the
question Ought a land purchase
bill to be compulsoryf' the government
answered no. Compulsion should be used
most sparingly. [lronical Irish cheers,
But when justified by necessity it should be
applied. ministerial cheers Compulslon
could not bo one-sided. If they compelled
landlords to sell they must force tenauts to
buy. The most plausible reason against
compulsion was that they could not make
the bill compulsory without applying it TO
the whole Of ireland.
AN ENORMOUS TRANSACTION.
"The government saw no possibility Of
proposing at one 60 such an enormous
transaction as the compulsory transfer of
the whole land Of Ireland from the existing
owners to the existing occupiers [dear
hear.l Ought they to throw any risk upon
the British taxpayerss The government
answered no. Such course was prac-
tically impossible. Even British credit
could not be used for CARRYING
out the proposal if risk to British fax~
payers was involved. Still, British credit
under perfectly secure conditions must be
used. lParnellite laughterl 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 or in
dncement to buy.
- Ia dessling~yyistr the question Of advances
| to tenants TO enable them to purchase. the
| government had decided against advancing
| more than twenty years rent, meaning a
debt from which had been deducted local
| rates which are now paid by tho landlord,
but which, after purchase, must be paid by
the tenants.
WORKING OF THE SCHEME.
AS illustrative of the working of the
scheme, Mr.. Balfour instauced a holding.
the gross rent of which is el07 and the net
rent Z 100 yearly, upon wlch one year is due
The bill, he said, encouraged landlord and
tenant to bargain as to the price of the
holding, and If they failed to agree referred
the question Of price to the land depart
ment, the officials Of which, putting aside
years. arrears, must satify themselves of
the bona fideness Of the transaction, and
that tho security is adequate, and
must see that not more than
twenty years. purchase is advanced. The
department might next issue q vesting order,
making the tenant owner Of the holding, all
arrears Of debts to landlords being wiped
out, debts abolished, and the tenant out in
possession free OF obligation except the pay
ment OF per cent yearly upon the money
advanced. This per cent. he called nor
NAL annuity, but during the first five wears
the bill required the tenant to pay per
cent. of the annual rent. In this
case this would amount to $50, of
which the government proposed to retain
Ell as tenants insurance fund, TO meet
seasons Of special distress. The land de-
partment might draw upon this fund IL a
tenant foil into arrears. SO far the bill was
the Ashborne act approved. In addition
10 the provisions OF the Ashborne act.
the bill required security for purchases.
They might take as security local or gen
eral taxation or the fund contributed to
Ireland from the imperial e1chequer. He
proposed TO take as security the contribu-
tions of the British exchequer to local pur-
poses, and to make the local county author
tiles responsible for default.
A GUARANTEES FUND
The bill would thus establish guarantee
fund consisting Of two portions, cash and
contingent The cash portion would consist
Of $40, 900 yearly which Ireland never had
received, but ought to receive as a set-off
against England's and Scotland's getting
the advantage Of licensing duties;
next there would be probate
duty, the grant assigned for
the future being estimated at 9200 600
yearly, and the next would be one-fourth
per cent. on the annuities payable by the
tenant. The contingent portion would con-
sist OF government contributions TO tho
poor law, education and similar PURPOSES
The total advance thus guaranteed was not
to exceed the capitalized value of these two
portions, which at PER cent it was calcu-
lated would amount to 433, 200, Geo. In the
event of local purposes being Interfered
with through the operation OF the bill, 1t
would DO the duty of the grand jury to levy
an equivalent compulsory rate upon the
locality where such interference occurred.
All this did not form the only security given
tae guarantee fund. In addition the
treasury would hold the landlords fifth and
the tenants insurance. Before the con-
tingency fund was approached In time OF
distress the landlords portion would be
taken with the accumulated reserves.
WELL PAID UP.
The experience of twenty years showed
that less than % per cent. OF the annual in
stallments in Ireland remained unpaid.
Under the new scheme per cent. would
have 70 remain unpaid before any security
would bs touched, excepting the a per cent.
reierved for the tenants annuities.
After further elaborate financial details,
showing how the imperial exchoquer was
secured against default. Mr. Baifour said il
was impossible, upless there were
repetition of the calamity OF tho
famine Of 1876, that the guarantees affect |
ing the poor law and education grants |
10.