IRISH AGRARIAN TENURE. 87 



case of owners of the so-called town parks. 

 The ranks of those entitled to make use of the 

 Act were still further increased in i8gi, when 

 even tenants with perpetuity tenures were 

 enabled to have fair rents fixed, provided the 

 landlord refused his consent to a redemption of 

 the rent-charge. 



In the year i8g6 the first judicial term of 

 fifteen years came to an end. A resettlement 

 of the whole system was called for. It was 

 effected by means of the Act of 1896, which, 

 while leaving the principles of the foregoing 

 legislation unaltered, brought in numerous new 

 features and technical amendments. On the 

 basis of these measures — the Acts of 1881, 1887, 

 i8gi, and i8g6 — the greater part of the soil of 

 Ireland is held at the present day, that is to 

 say, by laws providing for fair rents, fifteen year 

 terms, and free sale of the tenants' improve- 

 ments and interests. 



Of the 540,000 tenants in Ireland there were, 

 from August 22nd, 1881, to March 31st, igo2, 

 338,843 who had had first term rents judicially 

 fixed. Of these, ig6,377 rents were settled by 

 process of law, 142,428 by judicial agreement, 

 38 by arbitration.^ 26,771 of these rents were 

 of long term leaseholds. There are 20,000,000 

 acres in Ireland ; judicial rents obtain over 

 10,140,000. The original yearly rental of all 

 these holdings amounted to ;f6,goo,ooo. It was 



' Land Commission Report, 1902, p. 69. 



