asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the stretch of common land lying between Dorking and Guildford has, during the last few years, increasingly become the haunt of gipsies, who set at defiance all educational and sanitary laws and terrify the poorer inhabitants of the district; and whether he can introduce legislation to deal with such cases?

I have received representations from inhabitants of the locality to this effect. The chief constable of Surrey informs me that he has made special inquiry as to intimidation by gipsies, and could obtain no evidence of the existence of any such intimidation. I do not think that I can hold out any hope of legislation on the subject at present; but I may point out that it is open to rural district councils to make schemes under the Commons Act, 1899, which would empower them to make by-laws dealing with the nuisances alleged.