asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that an absentee landlord, named Sholto Douglas, has included as tenants on his estate, which comprises the townlands of Curry, Cartrons, Moneylagan, and Lisnabee, near the town of Longford, in returns made to the Land Commission, a number of graziers, to enable the latter to come under the Land Act, 1923; whether the same landlord has another estate, part purchased, part unsold, in the parish of Drumlish, which is held by some 80 tenants, with valuations ranging from £5 to £10; whether these and other congests of the neighbourhood are to be considered in the implementing of the Land Act, 1923; whether the claims of the above mentioned graziers to be registered as tenants are to be conceded; to ask what steps it is proposed to take to prevent graziers being returned as tenants within the terms of the Land Act, 1923.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. [ORAL ANSWERS.] - LONGFORD ESTATES.
Mr. HOGAN
I have no information about the Sholto Douglas estate to which the Deputy refers. Section 73 (2) defines tenanted land and makes special provision for tenancies which have been created since the 1st September, 1922. No land will be declared tenanted land by the Land Commission for the purpose of resale except in accordance with this Section. I do not know what the Deputy means by the term grazier. Its meaning varies with the point of view of the person who uses it—the Labour Party have one definition, the farmers another. There is a provision in the Land Act empowering the Land Commission when considering whether they will make a larger advance than £3,000 to a tenant to take into account the manner in which the particular farm is being worked. This provision gives the Land Commission ample powers to deal with tenants who are loosely called graziers, and I do not propose to extend them.
If there are eighty uneconomic holdings on the estate these holdings will be made economic so far as there is land to do it. The main purpose of the Act is to relieve congestion.