The Lords on the Land Act.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4224, 15 July 1882, Page 4

The Lords on the Land Act.

The following is an abstract of the preliminary report of the Lords' Committee on the Irish Land Act: —

Special and almost exclusive attention is devoted to a proposed extension of the purchase system, in connection with which three points are mainly dealt with. The last'of these is the. question,of "notice of particulars to be given by landlords or tenants respectively as to the points of difference that may arise in trials. It is proposed that the tenant should be obliged to give details as to the improvements on account of which he claims a reduction of rent. The second point has reference to the fixing of a fair rent. Upon this matter, exception is taken to the manner in which the decisions of the SubCommissioners are given. It is explained that they merely state the judicial rent fixed without making known any determination as to what is the gross fair rental of the holding, or statiug separately at the same time what deductions have been made on the score of tenants' improvements, as only the judicial rent is fixed. The materials for contesting the decision upon appeal are not afforded. In the third division of the report the Peers comment upon what they describe as the failure of the purchase clauses of the Irish Land Act, which failure they attribute largely to the fact that the terms upon which a tenant can pay subject him to a higher yearly payment than is at present expected of him in the shape of rent. The committee suggests large and liberal terms, including the advance of the whole amount of the purchase mouey to the tenant purchasing, the withdrawal of all limitation on the amount to be paid, and in the number of years' purchase to be given, the settlement to be left primarily to the parties. During the extended period allowed for repayment a fixed rate of interest, either 3| or 4 per cent., might be exacted by the State, subject, as already indicated, to the condition that the annual payment on account of interest and sinking fund in the number of years over wkich the payments are to extend, shall be so regulated that a tenant shall not have to pay a larger yearly sum than the amount of his annual rent. The proposal that the Government might advance the whole of the purchase money is accompanied by the suggestion that it would be left in the discretion of the Land Ctmmission to limit the sum advanced to the amount of the security. Reference is made to the cumbrous and expensive character of the machinery now required for registration of title, and an opinion is expressed that increased facilities should be afforded for the record of taxes; but their Lordships do not enter into any particulars as to the precise manner in which this may best be accomplished, leaving that and other details to the Government. Upon the question of costs, it is pointed out that under the present system these are yery unequally distributed ; and the committee propose that a more equitable arrangement be made in this respect.