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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 46, 14 March 1884, Page 23

A new phase of the land question has developed itself in the North of Ireland. Under the Glebe Clauses of the Irish Church Disestablishment Act a very large number of tenants on glebe estates purchased their holdings or took long Saases, the purchasers including clergymen of various denominations and a large number of tenant-farmers. They now complain that the valuation at which they purchased was excessive, as the rents at the time were rackrents, that many of them were obliged to take leases of their holdings from the Government at exorbitants rents on pain of bein» turned out, in the hope of being ultimately able to purchase their holdings, and they demand that those leases shall be made subject to the Land Act. The landlords complain that they have since purchasing b^en obliged to reduce rents 20 to 30 per cent. Both sides join in demanding redress, and point to the Irish Church surplus as a source from which pecuniary relief should come. The first public meeting of the new movement was held at Omagh, Mr. Dickson, M.P., presiding when a Glebe Tenants' Association was formed, and a deputation appointed to seek the co-operation of the Lord Lieutenant in redressing their grievances. p The Timber Trades 1 Journal, speaking of the demand for Irish timber says : — As we confidently anticipated, the supplies of Irish beech are now coming forward more rapidly, but we are bound to say the samples we have seen so far this season compare unfavourably with last Winter's cutting, both in quality and size ; however, at present it is too early to offer a fair report thereon. In larch there is still a moderate amount ot business doing, some rather heavy consignments both for Lancashire and elsewhere having lately changed hands at prices varying from 16d to 18d per foot, delivered, but the lots in question were really fine clean timber, of large dimensions. The demand for large sycamore continues brisk, aad as supplies are arming somewhat slowly, prices in consequence show an upward teudency. A quantity of smaller wood was recently disposed of at 16d and 17d per foot, delivered. Some Irish lime-tree of moderate size found a ready market at 15d per foot, delivered, while some poles of the same kind of wood (English), about 12 feet aTerage, realised 14d per foot. A shocking accident occurred on Jan. 15, on the Bradford, Birdell, and Kinzu Railway Pennsylvania. A stream of waste oil, flowing from a tank across the railway track, caught fire as a passenger train ran intj it, and the train was in a moment enveloped in flames. The passenger car was filled with people who made a rush for the doors at each end of the carriage. The heat from the burning oil was, however, so very intense, that they weie driven back and had to jump through the windows, landing foitunately in the snow. The train in a mass of flame ran on for some distance down the mountain side before it could bo stopped, and by thar lime the fire had gained complete hold on the carriages. Both the passenger coach and the baggage car were eventually almost completely consumed. Though the majority of the passengers escaped, three women were burned to death andjbixteen people were injured, most of them from burns. Some are badly hurt. At the time of the accident the track was for a hundred yards covered with oil, and it is supposed ! that the gas emanating from it came into contact with the firebox, the result being an explosion, which ignited the oil.