IRISH AGRARIAN TENURE. 89 



2. The various classes of tenants who 

 have been evicted by process of law but 

 who were left on their holdings as ' care- 

 takers.' The number of these is by no 

 means inconsiderable. In 1888 there were 

 12,387 persons evicted, but only 1,199 

 entirely turned out ; in 1896 4,806 were 

 evicted and 665 turned out.^ 



3. The labourers. According to the last 

 Census (1901) the number of male agricul- 

 tural labourers came to 135,349, of the 

 female to 4,967, to whom must be added a 

 large number of those reckoned as " general 

 labourers." The labourer frequently re- 

 ceives a dwelling and piece of land as part 

 of his wages ; naturally, he has the use of 

 the cottage and potato garden only during 

 the continuance of his agreement. When 

 the labourer rents a cottage and land from 

 his employer who is himself a tenant en- 

 joying the advantages of a judicial rent, 

 it is open to the Land Commission to fix 

 a fair rent for the labourer. In all 4,144 

 such rents have been fixed. Frequently 

 however the labourer has no land from his 

 employer. In such cases the Poor Law 

 Union is authorised to let a cottage and 

 potato garden to the labourer under cost 

 price and at a weekly rent.^ In 1903, 



' Report of the Fry Commission, p. 24. 

 - Cf. various so-called ' Labourers Acts.' 



