THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: Senators call farmers to be given more time for to make application under bill

Appeals for an extension of the period during which farmers can make applications under the Housing on Farms Bill had been made by several members the Ulster Senate the previous day when the Committee Stage of the Bill was completed, reported the News Letter on this day in 1950.

Mr Maguire urged that higher proportionate grants should be given to small farmers. He said that he had “an uneasy feeling that the Bill would not result in many more houses being built or renovated on farms than had been built under Act”

He said that he would like to see the superficial area of houses being increased.

Mr Maguire asked that the Bill should be extended by a year. “The period up to February 4, 1951, stipulated in the Bill, is only seven months and does not give the farmer long enough to put forward his plans and have them approved,” he told the committee.

Mr Wilton, Sir Wilson Hungerford and Mr Lennon also appealed for an extension.

They pointed out that the period from June 1950 until November 1950 was “one of the busiest in the farmer’s life and he would have no chance to submit plans during that time”.

Mr Lennon contended that the conditions attached to the grants were too stringent.

Replying to the debate, Sir Roland Nugent, Leader of the House, said that he would bring the question of an extended period to the attention of the minister concerned.

He pointed out that February 4, 1950, would not bring the operation of the Act to an end.

“It was merely to fix the date when applications which were already in could be cleared off,” he said. He added: “A new Order could then be made extending the period.”

Sir Roland reminded members that the grants in the Bill had been amended in the Commons in such a way as to bring them into line with proposals prepared by the Ulster Farmers’ Union and to help particularly the small farmer.