IRISH LAND PURCHASE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1258, 13 October 1911, Page 5

IRISH LAND PURCHASE.

'ITS INTERRUPTION CONDEMNED. $y Toloeraoh—Press Association—Oopjrieht (Rcc. October 13, 10.10 p.m.) London, October 12. Tho Land Owners' Convention, sitting at Dublin, has protested against the interruption of land purchase operations in Ireland as disastrous to tho country's welfare, and urges the amendment of the Act of 1909. Under Mr. Wyndham's Irish Land Purchase Act of 1903, 250,000 tenants purchased their holdings at a price of £73,612,000, during tho first fivo years of the operation of the measure. The landlords were paid in cash by the Government, and the tenants were charged an annuity rate of ,£3 ss. on every .£IOO of the purchase price—.£2 15s. for interest, and 10s. for sinking fund. At the end of 68 years the tenant became tho owner of his holding. In 1909 Mr. Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland, had a new Act passed, raising the< annuity to bo paid tD the tenant to ,£3 10s., and providing that landowners should be paid in three per cent stock, which must be taken at its face value no matter what the market price may be. Under the new Act land purchase is stated to have practically ceased.