The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-03-17
Land Question Is. Still Big Irish
 Problem

Dublin.-The Dai1 Eireann's De- partment of Agriculture is dealing with what is regarded as the most important work of the Irish Repub-- lican government-the alienation of land from the big estates of landlords and it's distribution among small farmers, who have not enough land to earn a living.
 Since last April when there was revival of the Land War" which has occupied such a conspicuous place in Ireland's history, the DaiPs so-called Hand judges have dealt with 229 cases involving about 5O,000 Irish acres. An Irish acre is a third again as large as an American acre
 In s3 of these cases POSTS acres were -'a1ienated," that is. taken by decree from big estates and sold to small farmers who were able to prove that they did not possess sufficient land to provide a living for them selves and families. In 67 cases 5udg- ant" the farmer, in favor of the
 tfresister," the landlord with a big estate.
 More than 100 cases are pending. most of them in Roscommon which Is in a highly disturbed state If the hand judges are not permitted to deal with these cases, Sim Fetn fears another upheaval in the spring. Land lords in the districts affected are said to view the situation with great anxiety.
 Love of Old Standing. The land question has been acute in Ireland for hundreds of years. It arose when the first Irishmeen were ancient clan lands The great war in the last century cleared off the land lords and then the British govern ment set up the Congested Districts Board.
 Kevin R. O'ShieL a land judge, told
 the correspondent, that the wilful and incredible slowness of the board is the principal cause Of the present agitation. "In RoScommon alone IL is the landlord of 60,0 acres of ex- ceIlent. 11ntenanted land and it is the lord of many thousands of acres, all untenanted, in Galway, Mayo, clare and other counties" he said. TheSe estates are capabel of supporting at least 250,O00 people and there are many valuable ranches lying derel1cf fn parts of the country where there IS serious congestion.
 The Dali Eireann, 3ne said, 'fs mere Iy carrying out the work which the Congested Districts Board neglected.' @Arbitrafion Courts" he continued, ''have been a revelation or efhclency and dispatch Now that the way mas mas ! been made clear the solution of the land question is only a matter or 1 time"
 Landlords and Courts The landlords themselves, who are mostly Unionists, welcome the work l of the land courts. according to MT. O'Sfriel. He said that after the shoot | ing Ho death last spring of the Gal way landlord, Captain Shaw-Tayfor
 IanIords made earnest appeals to Dali
 Eireann to intervene
 According to MT. O'Shiel. peasant
 farnl'ars with large families f1no themselves entirely unable to support them on the meagre income from Sheir small holdings They are made desperate when they are unable tc | p11rcbase a few additional acres from nearby estates which often arc lying idle or used only for grazing | 'Tt is only with such cases that we deal- he said. +HThe burden of proof that his holding is unecononic is on the claimant. We do not touch cases concerning historic claims to land | through eviction"