Written Answers
Drainage Boards (Ireland)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that many drainage boards in Ireland are not really elected, undergo no change except by occasional co-option, invite no tenders for any works they do, render no acounts to the payers of drainage rates, and are inaccessible and inoperative when the ratepayers require anything done; and whether he can, without legislation, by inaugurating a uniform system enforce efficiency in all these respects?
The matter to which the hon. Member refers is one which would require legislation, and I can hold out no hope of any amendment of the law at present. It is a matter which may very well be dealt with by the Irish Parliament.
Land Purchase (Ireland)
asked the Chief Secretary when the holdings on the estate of Richard Kells, townlands of Lahernahone and Mullaghduff, county Cavan, will be vested in the tenants; when these purchase agreements were filed; and what is the present amount of purchase money which has to be dealt with before this estate is reached?
The estate referred to is the subject of proceedings for sale under the Irish Land Act, 1903, by the owner direct to the tenants, and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon between the parties were not lodged with the Estates Commissioners till October, 1908. The estate is not inpriority for payment on the principal register of direct sales (all cash) during the present financial year, and, having regard to the claims of other estates, the estimated purchase money of which amounts to nearly sixteen millions, the Commissioners are unable at present to say when this estate may be reached. When it is reached it will be dealt with as rapidly as possible.
Diseases Of Animals (Ireland) Act
asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he will state each of the years under which a levy has been made under Sub-section (5) of Section 71 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894; the amount of the levy and its produce for each year; and whether he will state the amount of the contribution received, respectively, to these years from the Treasury for the purposes of the same fund?
If the hon. Member will move for a Return, I will endeavour to give the information desired.
Royal Navy
Armed Merchantmen
asked the First Lord of the Admiralty over how many merchant vessels there is a right of pre-emption or hire as armed cruisers or transports; and for what number of years the amount of £150,000 for this service in Navy Vote 8 will be repeated if existing contracts are carried out?
The Admiralty possess the right of hire or pre-emption by virtue of contracts with the following companies:—Cunard Steamship Company—over all the company's vessels.International Mercantile Marine—over all the British vessels in the association.In addition to the above, the Admiralty possess rights of hire or pre-emption over the vessels employed under Post Office mail contracts with the following companies:—Pacific Steam Navigation Company.—Service: Liverpool-Callao via Magellan, Panama-Valparaiso.Royal Mail Steam Packet Company.—Service: Southampton-West Indies; Southampton-Brazil and River Plate.Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.—Service: Brindisi-Bombay; Brindisi-Shanghai; Brindisi-Adelaide.Union Castle Mail Steamship Company.—Service: Anglo-South Africa.Alderney Steam Packet.—Service: Alderney-Guernsey; Alderney-Cherbourg.Messrs. MacBrayne, Orkney Steam Navigation Company. North of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland Steam Navigation Company. Glasgow and South Western Railway Company (purchase only).—Service: Scottish Steamer Mail Service.As to the second part of the question, I must refer my hon. Friend to clause 34, Part III., of the Cunard agreement which was presented to Parliament in 1903.
East And South African Protectorates (Fair-Wages Clause)
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the firm of Jennings and Company, of Pennywell Road, Bristol, who are supplying the East and South African Protectorates with joinery work are paying their joiners from 2s. to 10s. per week less than the rates of wage current in Bristol; whether he is aware of the amount of boy labour they employ and of the system of piecework that obtains in connection with the work done by the firm; and whether he will make inquiries with the object of compelling that firm to observe the provisions of the Fair-Wages Clause or strike it off the list of Government contractors?
So far as I can discover, the firm in question are not on the Crown Agents' list of contractors, and are not doing any work for any Protectorate in East or South Africa on behalf of the Government of such Protectorate.
Main Roads Expenditure
asked the President of the Local Government Board what was the amount of money expended by county councils in England and Wales in maintaining the main roads of the country in the years 1890, 1900, 1910, and 1912, respectively; and the amount of such expenditure raised from the rates?
The following statement shows the expenditure of county councils in England and Wales on main roads in certain years, and the amount of such expenditure estimated to have fallen upon rates:—
| Year ended March. | Total expenditure. | Amount of such expenditure estimated to have fallen upon the rates.† | |
| £ | £ | ||
| 1891* | … | 1,465,000 | 837,000 |
| 1900 | … | 2,030,000 | 1,024,000 |
| 1910 | … | 2,853,000 | 1,856,000 |
| 1912 | … | 3,356,000 | 2,154,000 |
| * This is the first complete year for which figures are available. | |||
| † The figures in column 3 are estimates only. They represent expenditure remaining after deducting the amounts estimated to have been met out of Exchequer Grants and receipts other than rates and Exchequer Grants. | |||
Out-Door Relief, West Ham
asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of his powers under the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, Section 48, to define and specify and direct the execution of duties of relieving officers, and his powers under the Act of 1834 and other Statutes to make an Order empowering the relieving officers of West Ham to administer all the out-relief which the guardians of West Ham could have administered and have declined to administer, he will say why the statement was contained in a recent letter from the Local Government Board to West Ham board that the responsibility for any difficulty which may arise, and for any hardship which may be entailed on the poor in consequence of the failure of the guardians to carry out this duty, will rest with them and them alone; and whether, having regard to the importance of healthy homes for children, he will repeal Article VIII. of the Relief Regulation Order, 1911, so as to enable boards of guardians if they think fit to pay rent direct to landlords and to give the guardians the opportunity of selecting a sanitary dwelling instead of merely giving money to the out-reliefest parent to pay the rent, seeing that, by this means, the guardians will more readily be able to rent a sanitary house than the recipient of out-relief would for the same money?
I am not prepared to accept the interpretation placed by the hon. Member on the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, and I adhere to the statement in the letter from the Local Government Board referred to in the question. In answer to the second part of the question, I do not think it would be expedient to rescind the provision in the Relief Regulation Order which prohibits guardians from paying rent direct to the landlord. The Order does not preclude the guardians from taking the amount of the rent into account when determining the relief which may properly be given.
Delayed Telegram
asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a telegram handed in to the Christchurch station at 12.45 p.m. on Saturday, 11th July, and addressed to Cyprus House, Hanstock, Winchester, was not received at Winchester Post Office till 2.14 p.m.; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent such delays in future?
I am not aware of the circumstances which gave rise to the delay of the telegram, but I am making inquiries, and I will inform the Noble Lord of the result.
Light Horse Breeding Abroad
asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state what amounts have been expended upon the improvement of light horse breeding by the Governments of France, Austria, Germany, and the United States during the last five years for which the Returns are available?
The official estimate of the amounts expended upon the improvement of light horse breeding by the Governments of France and Austria in the last five years is as follows:—
| Year. | France. | Austria. | ||
| £ | £ | |||
| 1909 | … | … | 817,300 | 174,200 |
| 1910 | … | … | 845,500 | 186,500 |
| 1911 | … | … | 888,500 | 222,500 |
| 1912 | … | … | 914,900 | 227,700 |
| 1913 | … | … | (not available) | 232,500 |