andMr. M. Ryan asked the Minister for Lands whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction which exists in the Emly district, County Tipperary, regarding the scheme for the division of the Ballyholohan lands and whether he can indicate whether any steps will be taken to remedy the local grievances.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Division of County Tipperary Lands.
asked the Minister for Lands if he will state the reasons (a) why none of the uneconomic holders adjacent to the lands of Ballyholohan, Emly, County Tipperary, were allotted additions to their small holdings; (b) why none of the industrious cottiers adjacent to the lands, some of them renting gardens and grazing for years, received an allotment; and (c) why all the landless men in the vicinity of those lands were ignored in its division, while almost the entire estate has been allotted to migrants.
asked the Minister for Lands if he is aware of the grave opposition—now likely to lead to serious disturbances—in the Emly district to his Department's scheme for the division of the lands of Ballyholohan, Emly, County Tipperary; and, if so, whether he will consider holding up division of those lands until he makes more minute inquiries into the scheme with a view to a more satisfactory division, and so try to remove the cause of the existing trouble in the district.
I propose to answer together Deputy J. Ryan's two questions and Deputies M. Ryan's and Fogarty's question on the same subject.
I have looked personally and fully into the scheme for the division of the lands at Ballyholohan as approved by the Land Commissioners. I am convinced that the scheme was prepared and considered with extreme care and diligence and that it is fair and reasonable in every respect.
I am aware of the local agitation and of the circumstances which gave rise to the opposition and dissatisfaction referred to by the Deputies. There are no sound reasons for complaint against the Land Commission and the situation has been aggravated by the malicious destruction of fences erected at public expense and in respect of which a claim for compensation has been lodged in court.
The lands of Ballyholohan comprise about 100 acres of upland and 247 acres of low-lying, wet land, the dry land being concentrated about the centre. Owing to the silting up of the Drumcomoge River and its branches much damage has been caused to a large area of the estate, and the lack of drainage and periodic flooding have rendered a great deal of the land suitable only for seasonal grazing. The general lay-out made it impossible to divide the estate into small or standard holdings, or to treat it for the purpose of division as if all the land were of good, agricultural quality. In planning the scheme it was difficult to find sufficient dry land in convenient places for building sites and for the construction of approach roads. There is no road frontage to the estate except a small field adjoining the herd's dwellinghouse, the only other approach being a narrow right-of-way from the public road which passes over a holding outside the estate boundary. The owner of this holding objected to the extended usage of the right-of-way and an agreement had to be reached with him to settle this difficulty.
In the opinion of the Land Commission, which is the competent authority in the matter, such congestion as exists in the neighbourhood is not so real or so acute as in other adjacent places and it would not be in the public interest, nor in the interests of the local cottiers and landless men, to allot small separate plots—which would have to consist entirely of wet land—on the greater part of the estate. It appeared to the Land Commission that the bulk of the lands could best be utilised by providing four economic holdings for migrants from more congested parts of the country—10 to 20 miles away— two from County Tipperary and two from across the County Limerick border. A holding was also provided for a former herd on the estate; an enlargement was given to an adjoining holding, and an accommodation plot to a small local freeholder. The allotments given to the migrants are the smallest that the migrants would accept in exchange for their home holdings and could not be reduced in size owing to the only possible location of suitable sites and to the actual location of the arable land within the estate boundaries.
There were 172 applications for allotments on the Ballyholohan estate. It would be impossible to satisfy even a small proportion of the applicants. Some of the applications were of a most peculiar kind, it having been suggested to the Land Commission that allotments should be made ostensibly for certain purposes (including a sportsfield) with the object of enabling the allottees to obtain more suitable land in exchange elsewhere at a later date. Some local farmers were approached by members of the Emly Hurling and Football Club and asked if they would agree to such an exchange.
I should say here that of the numerous applicants for parcels on the Ballyholohan estate, the more deserving have been considered by the Land Commission in connection with the division of the adjoining estate of Michael O'Connor consisting of 204 acres of arable land, on which new holdings are being provided for four ex-I.R.A. local landless men and one landless ex-I.R.A. man from across the County Limerick border; one holding for a former herd; two enlargements of local holdings; one accommodation plot for a cottier, and one accommodation plot for a county council quarry. When the landless men in the Emly district were shown the impossibility of having the usual size holdings for landless men created at Ballyholohan they did not press their claims on the inspector subject to an undertaking, which has been honoured, that their applications would receive full consideration when the O'Connor estate was being dealt with. Unfortunately, owing to delay on the part of the owners of the O'Connor estate in proving title, it was not possible to arrange for the division of the Ballyholohan estate and the adjoining estate of O'Connor to take place simultaneously. Pending settlement of the title difficulty, lettings have been made by the Land Commission to the approved allottees.
The local agitation has been mischievous and futile. A lot has been said about the refusal of the Land Commission to provide a sportsfield for the people of Emly, but it has not been made public that when the application for a sportsfield at Ballyholohan was being discussed locally, the inspector was informed that it was the intention of the persons to whom the sportsfield would be allotted to utilise the allotment for an exchange of land elsewhere which would be more suitable for the purposes of a sportsfield. The lands of Ballyholohan have not been used as a playing field since 1927, and are not well situated for such a purpose. The possible sites pointed out to the inspector by those interested in the sportsfield project were situated on the only portion of the Ballyholohan estate suitable for building purposes, and the Land Commission could not agree to allot any of these sites as a sportsfield. The Land Commission have not refused to provide a sportsfield for the people of Emly. They have refused to make a sportsfield allotment on the Ballyholohan lands. I feel sure that the commissioners would be willing to consider the question of exercising their powers of compulsory acquisition with the object of providing a proper sportsfield in a suitable location for the Emly people if an application were made to them in a proper manner. The commissioners have been generous in the provision of sportsfields in County Tipperary, and the public attacks that have been made on them in regard to the Emly district are dishonest and unfair.
It has been stated in this House frequently, and it is now repeated, that the relief of congestion, wherever it exists, is the primary object of land division. That object is being served fairly and disinterestedly in the Emly district and nothing exceptional or unjust has been done by the Land Commission in this instance. Other features of Government policy, such as preference for I.R.A. service, have also been faithfully observed. It is my intention to see that the decisions of the Land Commission, which is the duly appointed and responsible authority in the matter of land division, and the requirements of law and order, are enforced.
Does the Minister believe that there is any area in this country which there is a ranch around in which there is not congestion? Does he believe that there are no uneconomic holders within a mile of that place and does he feel that the lands should not be divided amongst them? There is certainly an amount of congestion there, and information with regard to it was put before the Minister. May I also ask if in such cases all advice from priests and prominent people in the area goes unheeded? I thought it was usual for the Land Commission to see the priest and some of the prominent reputable people in the area, but, in this case, the opinion of priests and other public men in the area has gone unheeded and has been defied, although these are people who had nothing to gain from the dividing of the land. The Minister and his inspectors have paid no attention to that advice, at the instigation, I should say, of one or two political hacks.
I think I could perhaps satisfy myself by saying, in reply to the Deputy, that if he wishes to take responsibility for associating himself with campaigns of this kind on the rather flimsy grounds he has given in his Supplementary Question, we can properly estimate the Deputy's influence.
I was afraid of making a speech instead of asking a Supplementary Question.
I said in the course of my reply that I have looked carefully into this matter. I am satisfied that there is no serious congestion in the area, and that the cases to which attention should be given by the Land Commission are dealt with, and probably more than adequately dealt with, on the neighbouring O'Connor estate.
And especially in respect of the cottiers who live half a mile away?
Cottiers are not congests. The Deputy shows that he has no understanding of the meaning of congestion. What I mean by congests are uneconomic holders, persons who have already some land of not more than £20 valuation.
Even though they have only nine acres of land?
There are no such persons.