The Irish Land Bill.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 26, 26 June 1902, Page 18

The Irish Land Bill.

In our issue of June 12 we outlined the provisions of the Irish Land Bill, introduced in the House of Commons by Mr Wyndham ]ÜBt before the Easter recess. We then pointed out that while the Bill contained some really excellent provision!", and waa a step in the right direction, there were several serious flaws, which if allowed to remain would nullify the beht features ( f Mr Gladttone' land legislation in 1881. In introducing the Bill, Mr Wyndham. anticipating a sharp debate on the obnoxious clauses, intimated that unless the Bill paeeed as a whole he would drop it ; but it would seem that better counsels have prevailed, as it has now been cabled that the Government will drop the contentious clauses if the remainder is agreed to. What these clauses were we have already pointed out, but in view of later developments we may again mention them. The machinery for the purchase of land wag to be placed in the hands of two officials, to be known as Estates Commissioners, who were to fix the price to be paid for the land and against their decision there was to be no appeal. If the tenants refused to purchase at the price fixed, preferring to continue paying rent, they were debarred from having their rents fixed by the land oourts. This penal provision it was which evoktd opposition to the Bill, not only by Irish members, but by the Liberals who had helped to pass the Act of 1881. The dropping of these clauses will facili. tate the passage of tho measure, which, however, lacks provision for the compulsory sale of estates, and as the number of landlords who are willing to sell is annually growing smaller, the prospect of the purchasing clauses becoming a dead -letter is not remote. As the instalment of justice accorded to Ireland in this respect ha 8 been followed by results which even the Government have to admit are successful, this proves unhappily that the landlords and their friends are not yet prepared to go to the root of the just national resentment.