The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-06-27

fore the great estates of ireland are
divided into small farms owned and
cultivated by peasant proprietors.
A similar scheme was undertaken by
the government of Russia after the
emancipation of the serfs in 1851. Each
serf family was given an average of
about 16 acres of land from the estate
of their former owner and the govern
ment paid for it, taking a mortgage to
be paid off in 40 years. For the first
few years the payments were made
after a time the farmers grew poorer
and less able to pay; their families
grew larger and the land had to be di-
vided among their sons and daughters.
Finally the second generation refused
to pay at all, and the government only
recently remitted back accounts
amounting to more than $12,O00,O00 to
prevent riots and revolution.
Thus far. however. the Wyndham
&C. .aas peen carr.ea ouI without .sl mucn @
friction. The complaints have an come
from the landlords because the COM
missioners, from a lack of force and
lack of money, have been unable to
close up the deals as rapidly as might
be desired.
Up to the first of January, 1908, 2,O75
l,o1 I:,,sx1 =
among 50,9SS tenants and other pur-
chasers for which the government had
advanced the sum of E19,736,31S,
which is equivalent to nearly $780,.
100000.
Advances amounting to s54.725,034.
equivalent to nearly 100000. have
been asked for by 153,5so tenants, and
other persons. for the purchase Of
5,9S5 other states. These transac-
tions have nearly all been agreed to by
the estates commissioners" as they
are called. But the condition of the
treasury has been such that the money
has not been paid and the commission
is considerably embarrassed, while
both the landlords and the tenants who
have agreed to purchase the land are
becoming very impatient at the dee
lay.
This has. been a very large business.
For example, the estate of Lady Wall
lace, in Antrim County, has been di-
vided among 5000 purchasers: that of
Lord Lurgan in Armagh has been sold
to $50 of his tenants; that Of the Mar.
quis Of Londonderry, in County Down,
to 900. and that Of Sir Victor Brook in
Fermanagh to 577 of their tenants. The
Marquis of Bath has sold his property
to 1,240 of his former tenants, and the
Duke of Leinster, who was one of the
largest land owners in Ireland, has
sold to about 500 of his tenants all but
about 1000 acres of the lands around
his castle at Kildare, and the govern
ment has paid him more than $4,000,
900 in cash upon basis on the rent
o1S polu ny LucIlI. NdoLlGtOWu,
the Marquis of Lansdowne the Earl
Of Granard, the Duke Of Abercorn, the
Marquis of Waterford, Baron Kill
maine. Earl Fitzwilliam. the Earl Of
Annesley and others have disposed of
nearly all of their property in Ireland
in this way. And the government has
paid for it in cash, as I have already
explained, to the amount Of nearly
$100,000,000. which is to be reimbursed
to the treasury in small installments
during the next 6s years.
We have a similar system of dis.
posing of the lands that are reclaimed
by the construction of irrigation sys-
TENS in the arid districts of the United
States. Our government, through the
reclamation bureau, is expending many
millions of dollars, derived from the
sale Of public lands. in building reser-
voirs and canals to irrigate large tracts
of territory, and the land is disposed
of in, tracts Of 100 acres to homestead.