Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-14
THE IRISH LAND BILL
As AGREED UPoN By BRITISH
PARLIAMENT.
It Provides for Credit Of $500, 000,
600 to BE Repaid In Sixty
Eight and HALF Yeara

The Baltimore Sun of today gives the
following summary of the Irish land bill.
which was passed yesterday by the British
parliament:
The new land bill. which is expected to
settle Ireland's greatest problem. provides
for a credit Of $50O.oo0.OO0 to be repaid in
sixty-eight and a half years. s8o.0O0.00e free
grant to be distributed over a course OF
years. never to exceed 81 950,OOO in one year
and as return for all this an annual re-
duction Of 81. $50. 600 In the cost Of Irish
government.
The financial operations proposed by the
sellers bill fall under two heads-credit and
gift.
Vendors will be paid in cash and not In
stock. To raise the cash a new stock will
be granted. to be called guaranteed N
per cent stock" not redeemable for a Pc
Rod of thirty years.
The process of transferring the land from
owner to tenant is expected to take fifteen
years.
The sum of $825.OO0 due Ireland as its
equivalent grant under the recent educa-
ton act is to be regarded as security for
any losses incurred in floating the stock.
OF the $60OOO000 gift percentage grad
uated inversely on the amount of the pur-
| chase price Of each estate will be paid to
the seller.
The maximum addition to be paid for es-
tates of $4,000 and under Is Is per cent.
the minimum of per cent being paid for
estates Of 100000 and over. The scale is
liable to revision every five years.
The annual payment by each tenant pur-
chaser will be to the extent Of seven
eighths terminable annuity and to the
extent of one-eighth a perpetual rent
charge. The price will be ascertained by
capitalizing the annuity at 81 per cent.
and the rent charge at 2A per cent.
new procedure Is introduced for the
purchase of estates and a new department
of the land commission Is established,
called the estate commissioners. The es-
tates commissioners are placed under the
general control OF the lord lieutenant of
Ireland. They are empowered to decide
what constitutes an estate. This does not
of necessity mean the entire property own
ed by landlord. considerable portion of
which may ba in his own hands 1t en-
ables the estate commissioners to refuse
their sanction to the sale of q number of
poor and uneconomic holdings unless rea-
sonable facilities are given for their en-
largement when necessary and for ade-
quate access to turf for fuel. Separate
bargains for the purchase of single holdings
may continue under the existing law.
Where estates are sold purchase agree
ments are to be sanctioned by the estates
commissioners whenever the annual sum
to be paid by the tenant-purchaser is
(a) From 10 to 80 per cent below his
rent. If that rent is a judicial rent fixed
or agreed to since 1895. or If 1t is a nom
judicial rent on holding to which the
land laws apply; and
CD From 20 to 40 per cent below the rent
II it Is judicial rent fixed before 1898.
Provided that by consent of landlord and
they think it reasonable. treat rent in
class o. as II 1t were in class {a) and on
the same conditions treat a non-judicial
rent as If 1t were in class (b). Agreements
- r. 49,
ments falling either above or below the
limits of these scales.
These limits do not apply to congested es-
tates as defined in the bill, or to estates
purchased by the congested districts board
Within these limits the terms are left to
bargaining, which may be either between
landlord and tenants direct, or by the es-
tates commissioners buying from the land
lord and selling again to the tenants. In
the former case the commissioners must
sanction the bargains II within the limits.
The commissioners are not to buy an es-
tate without having agreements to pur-
chase from three-fOurths Of the tenants In
number and ratable value except in spe-
cial cases with the sanction Of the lord
lieutenant and the treasury.
Besides sales Of holdings to the occupy
ing tenants advances for the purchase Of
untenanted land on the estate may be made
to tenants or sons Of tenants on the estate
to small tenants on neighboring estates, to
persons who within twenty-five years past
were tenants in Ireland and have los.
their tenancies and to the personal repre-
sentatives Of such persons.
When the estate commissioners buy an
estate no fee Is payable for the registra-
ton of their title, and any searches made
by order of the land commission in the
registry of deeds or the registry of title
will be made free Of charge. No stamp
duty Is payable on any conveyance Of land
to any person where an advance Is made
under the land purchase acts.
II tho proprietor of a holding subjects or