The news of the week from Ireland is, on the
whole, favourable, the farmers thronging to the Land Courts with every sign of confidence. Rent, too, is being paid, openly or secretly, over numerous estates where it had been suspended. The efforts to compel the farmers not to pay rent have not, however, ceased; and the struggle will not be at its height until the end of this month, when the chief collections take place. The Government, it is understood, will insist that rent must be paid or the farms evacuated, whatever the consequences may be. The Sub-Commissioners' decisions on rack-rented estates are still in favour of a reduction of 25 per cent., and a cxy is rising in favour of compensation. The landlords are,. however, assenting to compromises, and an extraordinary story appears in Friday's Times of a proprietor voluntarily acceding to reductions of 50 and 60 per cent. One ten- ant, Aneas Gallagher, paying £17 10s. on a valuation of £6 15s., offered £8 10s., or less than half, and this was ac- cepted by the landlord, Miss F. Knox ; while from another,. £2 10s. was accepted in lieu of £6. Both these arrangements were made out of Court, but were sanctioned by the Court for fifteen years, the agent fighting hard to avoid any intervention of the Court at all. Such a reduction is inexplicable, unless the rack-renting was of the most extraordinary kind.
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