Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-25

them. and the local affairs were managed
under the Anticipated grand jury system
All that has been abolished and we now
have local home rule in every county and
district The people are allowed to select
the men who are to manage their affairs.
The powers formerly vested in grand ju-
ries have been transferred by the act of
1888 to representatives of the people,
chosen at popular elections from their
own class. to control the fixing of taxes,
the making OF new roads and other public
works. the management of warehouses
and asylums and other matters which
closely AFFECT the welfare and the happi-
| ness of the people. The excellent rec
ty and district councils throughout the
country has justified the placing of this
power In the hands of the common peo-
pie. This Is admitted even by the repre-
| Ireland
The Wyndham Land Act.
What is known as the wyndham land
act Of 19O3.'' continued Mr.. Johnston.
| pledged the imperial government to ad-
vance $500. OOO, 600 to the tenants of the
great estates in Ireland to purchase
their holdings at a price based upon
| the rents they are now paying. This
purchase money is to be repaid in
sixty-eight annual installments of
three-fourths of per cent Of the
purchase price, and the purchaser is
| also required to pay ~ per cent interest
upon the purchase price until the debt is
cleared. In other words, the imperial
government loans each farmer of Ireland
sufficient money to buy the farm upon
which he lives. expecting to be reim-
bursed for the full amount with interest
| paid annually. More than $3.50, GOO 600
| has already been advanced for this pur-
pose. and out of the 5O0.OOO tenant farm
| ers in Ireland more than 100000 already
own the land they till.
Following the act of 1903 the Irish
party secured legislation to protect the
| interests of tenants Of property in the
| towns. Under this measure any tenant
who is unjustly evicted can make appli-
cation for compensation for good will and
| all improvements he had made upon the
property and is entitled to damages for
disturbance. These claims invariably have
the effect of preventing landlords from
| evicting tenants who have made improve
| ments upon their property or have built
up business that involves a good will.
Then came the laborers' act of 1906.
Under this measure a laborer may apply
| to the guardians Of the poor for money to
selecting the site. Under this measure
$4,000 cottages have been or are being
erected throughout the length and breadth
| of Ireland for the working people and
with each cottage the family gets an acre
Of land"
And Mr. Johnston showed me an object
lesson in the form Of a photograph of
cottage in County Meath for which a
rental Of SIS year has been paid by the
| tenant for many years. 1t has single
room, a mud floor. a matched roof of
straw and is entirely without the simple
conveniences or comforts He showed me
another photograph Of a cottage built
| under the laborers' act Of 1908. which is
now occupied by the same family with
the same rent Of SIS year, with an
acre of ground attached to 1t as a gar
den. It is a one-story structure Of four
rooms, with two fireplaces, three win
dows on each side, a slate roof and walls
Of concrete.
Provision for the Evicted.
1.-The next STEP" continued Mr.. John
ston was to secure the evicted tenants
act of 1907. which authorized and in
structed the estates commissioners, who
have the administration Of the land act
Of 1903 and previous meausres, to send
inspectors throughout the country to
make a record of all untenanted lands in
possession of landlords; to have those
lands examined and appraised, and to
insert public notice in the Dublin Ga
zette Of their intention to distribute such
land among evcted tenants and others
who desire allotments. Under this meas
ure and the act Of 1903 nearly two thou
sand evicted tenants have been put back.
farms of equal size and value,-and nego-
tiations are pending for the reinstate-
| ment Of 1000 other evicted families.
THE estates commission is also author
lied to erect comfortable cottages for
| such families wherever they are neces-
sary. and that is now being done. Here
is a photograph showing a miserable
howell from which Bernard King was
evicted in 1902. 1t stands on the De-
Freyne estate, near the town OF Feigh.
born defense Of his home, but the police
finally elected him. But the estates COM
missioners have put him back and TN
place of the miserable hut from which
he was evicted they have built him fine
two-story six-room cottage that Is good
| enough for anybody to live in. There
could not be any better illustration of
the BENEFITS of the evicted tenants act.
and this is a type of some two thousand
cases.
THE records show that $50. 1876 tenants
had their rents fixed by the land court un-
der the act of 1881. The extent of their
holdings was 10, .SO4 acres.
The total rents paid previous to this
adjudication were Ell .208.O70. They were
reduced by the courts to 95.715.156, a re-
duction of G1, 49O, 921.
1T will be seen from these figures alone
that the recent legislation has benefited
the people OF lTeldNQ u d very large OK
tent and no one can dispute the right of
the Irish party to claim the fullest credit
for it,
Lord Denman's Report.
Lord Denman made a report to the
house of lords recently on this same sub
ject His figures are Official and come
from the government and are as follows:
Total amount of applications for ad-
vances for the purchase Of land under the
land act of 1908 and other acts, e62, 49,
GEO. or this EGO. 4O4,257 has been paid;
f072, 400 is now awaiting disbursement in
the courts and E1, 900, S92 has been used
for purchase by the congested districts
The sum OF s1e.oos, 1873 has been actual
~ paid to the landlords as purchase
money.
In order to secure funds for these pay
ments the British treasury has issued
eos POI ,444 in guaranteed two and three
fourths per cent bonds, the proceeds of
which amounted to 24,S62.297
The cost of carrying out the provisions
of the land act during the year ending
May 81 was E175.43O.
Craft at the Shipyards.
The new power launch. Pet B. owned
in this city. which has been at Benefits
boatyard for several weeks having an en-
CINE installed and other work done to fit