THE IRISH LAND BILL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2547, 20 May 1881, Page 3

THE IRISH LAND BILL.

A special to the “New York World” from London says :—The Irish Land Bill, thej niece de resistance oi the session is as yet oniy imperfectly understood by the general public, its provisions being extremely complex and obscure. I have consulted several Irish land proprietors, and their opinion is that the measure reduced them to the position of trustees for their tenants; or as I the Saturday Review says:—Practically " the bill throws the soil of Ireland into the hands of the Land Commission, who assign it to tenants charged with an annuity to landlords;' The power given to the tenant to sell 'the tenant right of his holdings, without the consent of the landlords, and pocket any profit he may make on transactions, ? is also regarded as. a distinct infringement of the rights of property. The landlords feel, however, that if rigidly enforced, the bill would press more hardly upon tenants than.upon themselves. The land, in a majority of cases, is now let below its value, and most tenants are in arrears, some being two, three, and five years of rent behind. Under the Bill the landlord may demand arrears of rent and failing to get them, turn out the tenant. Then they call upon the Land Com'mission to fix a fair rent, and thus deriveimmediate gain by getting rid of ter ants and recovering old debts. It is probable, however, that the Home Rule members will ask the Government to amend these provisions so as to bar the collection of overdue rents beyond a certain date. The clauses for State aid for the reclamation of waste lands will open up tempting opportunities for speculators.’