The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1887. IRISH TENANT FARMERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1475, 5 February 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1887. IRISH TENANT FARMERS.

A pamphlet has lately been issued by the Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union upon " The Land Question m Ireland," m which the present position of the Irish tenant farmer is discussed. The compilers of the pamphlet, have judiciously confined themselves to facts and figures, refraining as much as possible from comment, and leaving the truth to speak for itself. A perusrl of this pamphlet will open the eyes of persons who have-not taken the trouble to really study the Irish land question, and who have been accustomed to accept the diatribes of professional agitators as gospel. Indeed, it may safely be affirmed that it is only through the prevailing ignorance of Irish affairs that Irish agitation has been suffered to proceed the lengths which it has done during the last few years. The ordinary colonist, conscious of his own loyalty and willingness to obey the law, is scarcely able to grasp the fact that a strong organisation exists m Ireland — and similar organisations have frequently existed there before — which systematically persuades the more ignorant part of the population to set the law at defiance, and whose ultimate aim is carefully kept secret, although, if we may judge from the utterances ot ita leaders m unguarded moments, and numerous overt acts of disloyalty, it is no less than the severance of Ireland from the British dominions. The facts disclosed m the pamphlet under notice prove irrefutably that by the legislation of the Imperial Parliament during the last sixteen or seventeen years the Irish tenant farmer has been placed m a position incomparably superior to that of the tenant farmers of either England or Scotland. Any Irish tenant farmer is now entitled by law to compensation for improvements — a most just provision, but one of which the English farmer does not enjoy the benefit — and can sell his interest m his holding ; a right which as the pamphleteer proves by instances quoted, is one of very substantial value indeed. ( During the course of last year as much as 20 years' purchase was obtained for this tenant right.) If the tenant considers his rent too high, he can apply to the Land Commission to have a "fair rent" fixed, But the principal and especial boon afforded to the Irish tenanr farmer is that by the fixing of a " fair rent " by the Commission a statutory tenancy is created, lasting for fifteen years, during which period the rent cannot be raised, nor can the tenant be evicted, save for breach of certain specified conditions, which are, m brief, that he must pay his rent, he must not subdivide or sublet, persistently waste the land, nor unreasonably obstruct the landlord m the exercise of any specially reserved rights. With regard to the whole of these conditions, however, except the one relating to payment of rent, the power of the landlord to evict is only contingent : and even when the rent is left unpaid, the landlord cannot take eviction proceedings until the rent is twelve months m arrear. Some months will necessarily elapse before the landlord can obtain a decree; and even when the Court has made a decree for possession by the landlord, the tenant may redeem at any time within six months after it is granted, or he is at liberty, within the same period, to sell his tenancy to any purchaser, who may redeem m his place. Supposing, again, he has not asked the Land Commission to fix his rent, he may forthwith serve a notice to fix it, and, during the time this notice is pending, his landlord's proceedings will be stayed. In cases where a tenant has not had a statutory tenancy created he may, instead qi seeking the aid of the Land Commission, stand up on his rights under the Land Act of 1870 and claim compensation for all improvements made by him, and get additional com-

pensation for disturbance, amounting, as may happen, to seven years' rent. It will perhaps surprise many persons to learn the actual number of evictions during the present troubled times. There are, according to the latest statistics 562,254 holdings m Ireland. Now the number of evictions throughout Ireland during the six months snding June 30 1886 was 20,07, representing the same number of Families. . Of these, 54 families directly were fterwards re-admitted is tenants and 1093 as caretakers, so that there were but 860 cases >f absolute removal, and many of these embvals were only temporary, the persons ejected being readmitted as :aretakers subsequently. And this, it Till be borne m mind, at a time when m organised conspiracy existed m the :ountry to deprive the landlords of their ents. . Under the Land Purchase Act cf [885 the Irish tenant enjoys the urther privilege of being able to obtain 1 loan from the Government to enable iim to buy his holding. If he is able 0 arrange with his landlord as to terms, ' he can change his position from that )f a perpetual rentfpayw into that pf an ,

annuity terminable at the end of 49 years, the Government supplying him with the entire purchase-money, to be repaid during those 49 years at four per cent. This annual payment of £4 for every borrowed covers both principal and interest." No doubt there is a section of the Irish peasantry whose necessities even these liberal concessions will fail to relieve. They live on poor holdings, of small area, which can by no possibility support them and their invariably large families. Here they regelate m squalor and ignorance, the prey of political agitators, and when the sole remedy for their ills, r-rnely Stateassisted emigration, is proposed to them, they are taught to believe that the proposal is a base scheme on the part of the British Government to "exterminate" them. This class of the Irish people may be fitly compared to the masses of paupers m the large cities of England. The evil is a social one and must be treated with appropriate social remedies. It is not to be healed by political nostrums.