In 1873, Prince Edward Island agreed to join Confederation, and one of the terms of union was that the federal government of Canada agreed to contribute $800,000 towards the purchase of absentee landholdings on the Island. To that end, the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island passed the "Land Purchase Act, 1875", which provided a procedure for the compulsory acquisition of all such estates that were larger than , other than untenanted estates less than . Awards in disputes relating to land values were made by the Commissioners of Public Lands, whose decisions could be appealed to the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island under s. 45 of the Act within 30 days of the award. The same section provided that the Court could remit the award back to the Commissioners; otherwise, such awards were declared to be "binding, final and conclusive on all parties."