WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1890.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 172, 23 July 1890, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1890.

Mr Parnell, we learn by has surprised his supporters by suggesting a compromise on Mr Balfour's Land Purchase Bill and intimating his willingness to support the scheme under certain conditions. The Irish party had taken up the position that the first step requisite in Agrarian reform was an amendment of the Land Act of 1881 so as tosecure the tenants against excessive rent. The opposition of the Liberal party, as a whole, not excepting the Irish contingent -was counted upon 1 against Mr Balfour's proposal to appropriate thirty-threemillions sterling for the acquisition of Irish estates by the tenantry, but it would appear from the briet r6sum6 of Mr Pa/nell's speech that he «' advised Mr Balfpor to apply the thirty-three millions of money under the Irish Land Purchase- Bill to secure the occupation and own.tn.hip of lands instead of reducing the rents, and intimated- his willingness vto adopt the scheme, provided an inquiry was made during the recess with a view of preventing the landlords monopolising moneys, and that all should be settled by arbitration."

The information contained in the message is too meagre to enable us to grasp the full scope of Mr Parnell's proposals, but, speaking broadly, we cannot suppose that the " surprise " which, according to the cable message, was occasioned among the party by Mr Parnell's speech can have been more than superficial. Since the almost universal rejection by the Radicals of Mr Gladstone's scheme for the application of fifty millions sterling to the purchase of Irish estates, the Liberal leader has openly disavowed that part of his policy, and it will not be revived. The English Radicals believe that the Irish Parliament should be left unhampered to deal with the internal affairs of that country, and that the rest of the United Kingdom ought not either to render itself or Ireland liable for an enormous public debt upon the eve of granting Home Rule. Mr Parnell, however, was a supporter of the land purchase scheme, and he has never disguised his willingness to accept of what he considers an advantage for Ireland at the hands of his political opponents. In an article which he contributed to the June issue of the "American Review," the Irish leader, while denouncing Mr Balfour's Land Purchase Bill as the "most dishonest Bill of a dishonest party and Government," yet declares that he would gladly welcome " any honest intention on the part of the Government to solve this land question," because "if the land question is unsettled on Mr Gladstone's return to office, the larger settlement of Home Rule will be materially hampered. The difficulties between the landlord and tenant, it they should arise, will be mo.t embarrassing for the Irish Parliament and the new executive depending upon that Parliament."

It is clear from this that Mr Parnell 1 would be glad to see the Irish Executive delivered from the worry of the land question, which is really the crux of the Irish difficulty. The article in the " Review " also shows that it was to. the details and the administration of the system of land purchase now being carried out by the Salisbury Government, and which Mr Balfour proposes to enlarge, rather than to the underlying principle, that Mr Parnell objected. He observes that the working of the system has given rise to great abuses. The resources are being scandalously misspent, while the qug6tion is left unsolved. Moreover, the grossest favouritism has been shown in the selection of estates for whose purchase advances of public money are to be made. Up to December 31, 1888, 530 owners had sold estates to tenants for Of these 530 owners, thirty-four walked off with £2,251,000. This, he observes, is not the manner in which the question should be settled. Another consideration, Mr Parnell says, which influenced him as largely as anything else iriopposing the measure is the existenci. of coercion in Ireland, which renders it impossible for tenants to contract freely with their landlords in arranging the terms of sales. A further objection is the fact that the method adopted by the Bill for dealing with the congested districts in Ireland secures a further waste of the resources available. for it is proposed to devote the public money indifferently to the purchase of lands and congested holdings. Mr Parnell also expresses the opinion that the measure would fail to settle the difficulty because it would not reach mora than one out of every four Irish tenants, and then there would be many in the favoured minority who have no right or claim to enjoy the benefits of land purchase at the expense of the State. It would take upward of one hundred and six million pounds sterling to enable Irish tenants entitled to do so to become owners of their holdings. The State-would never advance the vast sum necessary for the purpose, as every one concedes that thirty-three millions sterling is the utmost sum British taxpayers can be induced to guarantee.

All these are excellent reasons why the English Liberals should preserve their attitude of antagonism to. Mr Balfour's proposals, whatever change.of front Mr Parnell may make upon the question. A Tory Government is chiefly anxious to " pull the nuts out of the fire " for absentee landowners, and the vote of thirty - three millions under British guarantee, spent under their direction, would open the door for unparalleled favouritism and corruption. Apart from the land question, the Imperial Parliament would have experienced no difficulty in governing Ireland. We have, been assured by the representatives of the Irish people that a Parliament on College Green would soon find remedies for that and all the other ills that afflic the country. The only sound and safe policy, then, is to give the people Home Rule, and leave them untrammelled to work out their own salvation.