On the 24th May, 1939, this subject was before the Dáil. The Dáil agreed to Vote £25,000 on account to the late owners of the Erne fisheries as it was decided that we should compensate those people as the owners under the Act. It will be remembered that they had been declared as not the owners by the Supreme Court here. Nevertheless, we thought that they should get compensation as they had purchased the fisheries in good faith, and thought that they had a proper title to the fisheries on that occasion. I said then that I thought we were not going too far in voting £25,000, because the fishery was purchased in 1869 for £45,000. In 1926 we had documentary evidence that a one-sixth portion of it was sold for £12,000. That would mean that it was worth about £70,000 in 1926. That transaction, of course, included the fresh-water fisheries as well as the tidal-water fisheries. Now, the owners claim that the fresh-water fisheries are not worth very much, if anything, but, whether they are or not, it does not make any material difference to this particular Estimate, because they would eventually be purchased, and the whole transaction would come up for final settlement at the same time as the tidal-water fisheries and certain fresh-water fisheries. Some of those people are old, and would naturally like to get whatever amount may be coming to them now, as it is believed that it may be some years before this thing will be finally settled.
We have gone into this very fully in the Department, and I think that I can safely recommend the Dáil to vote another £6,000. That is on the understanding, which has been made clear to the owners, that the matter is not to be reopened for another four years— until the end of 1945. As I said before, we have to be careful not to set any headline for the arbitrators who may be appointed in connection with the Inland Fishery Act of 1939. There are certain guiding principles laid down for the arbitrators, but I think we are well within the amount that they may decide to pay. I do not think we can be accused of setting them any headline by voting £6,000, in addition to the £25,000 already voted, which will make a total of £31,000. I, therefore, recommend the Estimate to the Dáil.