I was dealing last night with the limited pool of land available for the relief of congestion and the order of priority which, in my view, should be observed by the Land Commission in dealing with that pool. I think it was Deputy Johnston who suggested that a certain amount of land should be made available on estates to deal with local congestion before migrants are brought in. Of course, that is the actual practice followed by the Land Commission. Where estates are acquired in the eastern part of the country for the relief of congestion by way of migration, if there are local congests within the mile limit laid down by the Land Commission, they are dealt with before the migrants are brought in.
In some cases, too, it is possible, depending on the circumstances, that a suitable cottier may get a portion of land. The division of every estate depends upon the surrounding circumstances and the local conditions. It is also possible, where there are pockets of congestion in these counties, to migrate from one portion of the county to another to relieve that pocket of congestion in cases where local circumstances justify such a course of action.
However, I want to make it clear, as I did on the Estimate last year, that the land available for the relief of congestion must be dealt with in a particular way and the order of priority observed, with the congests on an uneconomic holding at the head of the queue. I stated at column 1088 of the Official Report of 10th June, 1960:
... every new holding bought or created by the Land Commission and diverted to a person not already on the land, means the perpetuation of one or more of the existing smallholders on dwarf holdings not sufficient to give even a modest living. Let me put it still another way: the 40 odd acres needed to establish just one landless person would be sufficient to advance three or perhaps four existing smallholders to economic level.
It will be clear to Deputies that the congestion problem must be approached by dealing first with those who are already on uneconomic holdings. It is both unfair and dishonest to suggest that landless men—and when you talk of the sons of farmers who have not got land, you must classify them as landless men—have any reasonable hope of getting farms while this congestion problem we have continues to exist to the same extent.
Deputy O.J. Flanagan, I think, mentioned some form of leasing to farmers. I think he had some form of farm apprenticeship scheme in mind. In fact, a farm apprenticeship scheme is being worked out by the bodies concerned and I assume that in due course such a scheme will be provided, because it is under active discussion at present. In any case, the N.F.A. and other bodies concerned saw how unwise it would be to bring the Land Commission into any such scheme when they discussed the matter with me and understood it. It would be unrealistic to try to get the Land Commission to provide farms for the farm apprenticeship scheme where you have such an amount of congestion and where invariably you have agitation for these lands by local congests where lands are acquired by the Land Commission. The bodies concerned realised that the Department could not play a useful part in the proposed farm apprenticeship scheme. Deputies should not confuse two different matters. The relief of congestion is one matter—dealing with people already on the land in an uneconomic way and they, I suggest, are the first charge on moneys provided by the House to increase the extent of their holdings and bring them up to an economic level.
I had better deal with what has been said by Deputy Blowick regarding foreigners buying land in this country. He said much less here on the subject than he said down the country at recent meetings in the West of Ireland. Deputy Blowick and every rural Deputy know how sensitive people are on the subject of land acquisition and due to ill-informed publicity in connection with this issue, some people were misled into thinking that the whole of Ireland is being bought out by Germans. Deputy Blowick and his colleague, Deputy Donnellan, for their own purposes, are endeavouring to exploit this issue in the West of Ireland and by their representations, as reported, are endeavouring to convey that this foreign invasion is going on. Deputy Blowick has alleged that one in ten Deputies are unaware of it.
Nothing is further from the facts. According to a report in the Western People of June 24th, Deputy Blowick alleged that it was never more necessary than it is today for the people of rural Ireland to consider their position because if the trend of land purchasing by foreigners continued, the native Irish would be reduced to a very minor status. Statements like that give rise to fears, in the minds of people who are not aware of the facts, that there is actually some tremendous invasion of foreigners at the present time and that the land of Ireland is being swallowed up by them.
It is true that a number of transactions take place each year in which land changes hands mainly between foreigners themselves. I find that in nine out of ten cases that have been brought to my notice they were what we would term outsiders who had these estates and that, as some Deputy said last night, they had come in and spent quite a lot of money on them and then had to get out. I think Deputy Giles said that had been happening. The great majority of these estates that have been investigated by my officials were what we would call white elephants and unsuitable for Land Commission purposes.
In the West, the few places that have been bought—with one exception that I know of—consist, in the main, of sand dunes and snipe grass that would be absolutely useless for Land Commission purposes. That land has been purchased for the express purpose of erecting houses or holiday camps or chalets there. Last week, I answered a question here about a purchase by a German in North Mayo and the particulars of that property are that it comprises 170 acres of steep and very exposed sandhills having a rateable valuation of £18 5s. or less than 2/2d. per acre, and it is not suitable for Land Commission purposes, because it is windswept and practically without vegetation. I know the people there welcome with open arms the gentleman who is taking over that stretch of barren countryside in the hope that he will provide employment in carrying out the purpose for which he intends to use it.
A similar purchase was made outside Louisburg, also of sandhills and heather, by another gentleman, again with the purpose, as expressed, of making it a tourist centre. It could not be described as being suitable for any other but a business purpose of this kind. There is only one case, that is, the Pim Estate outside Newport, portion of which has now been sold to a German, that could be regarded as being controversial. Approximately half the original Pim Estate consisted of islands, for the most part, and the remainder of it was claimed by the local people to be suitable for the relief of congestion, in that it contained mountainy agricultural land. It was sold a few years ago to a private individual who has now sold portion of it to a German whose declared purpose—according to the local Press—is to erect houses as summer residences for some of his people and to develop it as a holiday estate.
The Land Commission in their wisdom, be they right or wrong, refused to acquire the Pim Estate because they stated, according to the file which I have read, that it was not suitable for Land Commission purposes. Deputy Blowick at this meeting to which I referred shed some tears about the Pim Estate. Let me point out to the House that when he was occupying the position I occupy today, he had many questions put to him in this House about the Pim Estate. During the time he was Minister in his last period of office, a period of approximately three years, the matter was constantly before him and the file discloses that he received many deputations in regard to it. The Land Commission—acquisition is a reserved function of the Land Commission—decided not to acquire that estate. Let Deputy Blowick not try to suggest now that this is something that has happened since his time. There were questions on the Pim Estate put to him here in this House when he was Minister for Lands.
He has also suggested here that the Government had made treaties which would prevent them dealing effectively with non-nationals in this country. It is true that conventions were signed by the Government on this issue with other countries. It is also true that the Treaty for Economic Co-operation —the agreement between Ireland and the United States of America — was signed on 28th June, 1948. It provided that citizens of that country could enjoy rights of property here. It was signed in 1948 by a Government of which Deputy Blowick was a member.
Again, in the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed in January, 1950, there is provision in Article VII, paragraph 3:—
Except as provided in paragraph 1 of the present Article, the ownership of real property within the territories of each Party shall be subject to the applicable laws therein. Nationals and companies of either Party shall, however, be permitted to possess and occupy real property within the territories of the other Party, incidental to or necessary for the enjoyment of rights secured by the provisions of the present Treaty.
That Treaty, according national treatment to non-nationals, was negotiated and signed by a Government of which Deputy Blowick was a member. Speaking down the country, Deputy Blowick sought to suggest to the public at this meeting that it was this Government, and this Government alone, who were responsible for those Treaties.
From time to time, a ramp breaks out here—as I have said land is a sensitive question—about the alleged buying up of the land of this country by non-nationals. These ramps are invariably (1) founded on lack of information and (2) politically inspired, as the present one is. I should like now to quote what Deputy Blowick himself had to say on this subject. Speaking in the Seanad on 10th May, 1950, at column 1908 of volume 37 of the Official Report, he stated:
A close watch is being kept on the purchase of land by non-nationals. I want to assure the House that there is no need for alarm. Some have bought the land at fantastic prices and have burnt their fingers. The number of purchases is so small that no action is necessary at the moment in regard to it. I want to assure the House on that, for fear there might be alarms as a result of some of the speeches made here and in the Dáil. The question is not a serious one, by any means. Some Senators are afraid that there will be a new conquest of this country by money, that foreigners will buy out this country. The only thing I can say is that they will want to hurry up to make any impression at all, because at the rate of purchase for the last ten years, it will take 2,400 years to buy up the land of this country.
Those were Deputy Blowick's own words.
