is pending. The police will afford all necessary protection to Burke. He has not lately taken any farm, but last year he purchased a farm under the Land Act. I do not quite know what implication is intended to be made in the last part of the Question, but in any event, the Estates Commissioners do not compulsorily acquire farms which are subject to a land purchase annuity. Irish Milk Supplies. MR. J. DEVLIN (Belfast, W.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the LordLieutenant of Ireland whether he can state if any, and how many, of the Irish urban authorities have availed themselves of the right to take special precautions with regard to the regulation of the milk supply; and whether any reports on the subiect are forthcoming. MR. BIRRELL: Forty-five out of the ninety-five urban authorities in Ireland have adopted local regulations for the control of the milk supply under the existing Orders. These Orders will be superseded from 1st May next by the recent Dairies and Milkshops (Ireland) Order, 1908, which embodies the previous model regulations on the subject and will apply uniformly to all districts in Ireland. The milk supply, together with the other matters affecting the public health, is dealt with in the periodical reports of the Local Government Board's medical inspectors. The substance of these reports is communicated to the sanitary authorities concerned, and such reports as possess more than local interest are published with the Annual Report of the Local Government Board. MR. MOORE: As this question of milk supply is intimately bound up with the question of the condemnation of tuberculous cattle, will the right hon. Gentleman remove the difficulty with regard to the working of that branch of inquiry by providing that half the compensation for slaughtered animals shall be provided from Government sources? Grenville Grazing Lands. MR. WILLIAM ABRAHAM (Cork County, N.E.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state whether the Estates Commissioners have concluded the negotiations for purchase of the grazing lands on the estate of Sir Edward Kinihan, Glenville, County Cork; and, if so, when do the Commissioners anticipate being able to divide the lands. into allotments and proceed to allocate the same. MR. BIRRELL: The Estates Commissioners have not yet concluded their negotiations for the purchase of the lands in question, and therefore cannot say when they will be in a position to distribute the lands. Dartrey Estate Evicted Tenant. MR. LARDNER (Monaghan, N.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have taken any steps to effect the reinstatement of John McKenna, who was evicted from his farm on the Dartrey estate, in the townland of Cloghnart, County Monaghan, or what steps they propose to adopt with a view to providing a suitable farm for him. MR. BIRRELL: The Estates Commissioners have referred this case to one of their inspectors with a view to providing the applicant with a suitable farm, if possible. Sternes Charities, Monaghan. MR. LARDNER: I beg to ask the of Ireland if he will state when the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant Estates Commissioners were offered the estate of the Trustees of Sternes Charities, situate in the Counties of Monaghan and Armagh, for sale by them to the tenants; when it will be inspected by the Commissioners; and if there is any likelihood of the sale being completed at an early date. MR. BIRRELL: Formal proceedings for the sale of this estate to the Estates Commissioners were instituted on 19th MR. BIRRELL I am prepared to December, 1906. The Commissioners consider that proposal. have referred the case to their inspector, but have not yet received his Report on the estate. It is not at present possible to say when the sale will be completed. MR. LARDNER: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the effect of this delay has been an addition of two years to the purchase money? MR. BIRRELL: I regret the delay which very often occurs, but we are doing our best to accelerate matters. Sir John Keane's Cappoquin Estate. MR. O'SHEE (Waterford, W.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the LordLieutenant of Ireland whether an inspector of the Estates Commissioners has inspected the holdings proposed to be sold on the estate of Sir John Keane, near Cappoquin, County Waterford, and when; whether he at the same time inspected the larger number of holdings on the estate in respect of which the offer of the landlord was refused by the tenants as unreasonable and exorbitant; and, if not, how soon he or some other inspector will be sent to do so. MR. BIRRELL: The holdings for which purchase agreements have been lodged have not yet been inspected, but when the inspection takes place, the inspector will also visit and report upon the holdings in respect of which purchase agreements have not been lodged. The case will be dealt with in order of priority, but the Estates Commissioners cannot at present name a date for the inspection. The Aghatubrid Estate. MR. BOLAND: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is now in a position. to say if the Estates Commissioners have received an answer from the solicitor of the Aghatubrid estate of the late Mr. J. W. Leahy to the letter written by the Commissioners last week; and whether the present owner of this estate are now willing to carry out the agreement for purchase made in January, 1907; and can he state what justification is alleged on the part of the owners MR. BIRRELL: They do not agree The Theft of the Dublin Crown Jewels. MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, The Glenahiery Outrage. MR. BIRRELL : The proceedings MR. BIRRELL : That is a very before the Commission of Inquiry showed proper question. I can only say that incontestably that whoever stole the legal advice has been taken on the Jewels did so between 11th June and matter, and action, or rather inaction, 6th July of last year. As I am on this has been adopted in accordance with that subject, I may refer to a most cowardly advice. falsehood connecting the name of Lord Haddo with the theft of the Jewels, which has obtained wide circulation both in Dublin and in London, and has found its way into certain newspapers. Ridiculous as such a statement may appear, it is not always easy to maintain total indifference to such charges. I am able to say, of my own knowledge, that Lord Haddo left Dublin on 7th March. 1907, and lived in Scotland and London from that time without intermission until 7th December. I hope this statement may put an end to the business of the scandalmongers-in this particular at all events. If I may be permitted to mention the name of the Lord-Lieutenant in the matter, I may add that Lord Aberdeen was, from the first, most anxious that there should be the fullest possible inquiry into all the circumstances attending the loss of the Crown Jewels, and would have been glad if it had been possible to call into existence a Statutory Commission for that purpose. MR. MOORE: Arising out of that, and fully accepting the disclaimer on the part of Lord Haddo, will the right hon. Gentleman take equal steps for the prevention of scandal-mongering and insinuations against Lord Ashtown, who has been equally unfairly abused? *MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. That does not arise out of this question. MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford): May I ask whether it is a fact that Dublin Herald and Athlone Herald were asked to resign their offices by the Government, and, if so, why was that done? MR. CHARLES CRAIG (Antrim, S.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Mr. Kelly, hardware merchant, of Waterford, stated, upon the recent hearing of the appeal in Lord Ashtown's case, that immediately after the outrage at Glenahiery he informed the police in Waterford that upon 23rd July, 1907, a stranger had purchased in his shop 60 pounds of blasting powder and 16 feet of fuse; and that CountyInspector Jennings, upon the occasion, stated upon oath that upon 16th August he was made aware of this purchase; will he state the reason why this fact was not communicated to District-Inspector Preston, the officer in charge of the case, until 16th September or to the Inspector-General until 3rd October; and can he explain why no reference of any kind to this vital and material fact is to be found in any of the reports of County Inspector Jennings. THE same ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. CHERRY, Liverpool, Exchange): The facts are as stated in the first two parts of the Question, save that County-Inspector Jennings became aware of the purchase on 17th not 16th of August. The Inspector-General informs me that upon the receipt of the information from Mr. Kelly every effort was made by the Waterford and other police to clear up the matter. While this inquiry was proceeding in certain directions, and particularly until some connection could be shown between the purchase of the powder from Mr. Kelly MR. BIRRELL I must ask for notice and the explosion at Glenahiery, the of that Question. Waterford police did not consider it necessary to inform District-Inspector think. Upon hearing of the matter Preston or the Inspector-General of the County-Inspector Jennings at once inAs the result of the police en- stituted most exhaustive inquiries. The quiries it was not found possible to police have been unable to trace the establish any connection between the person who purchased the powder or to purchase of the powder at Waterford ascertain what became of it, and, as I and the explosion at Glenahiery, and have already stated, no connection whatfor this reason no reference was made ever has been established between it and to the matter in the reports. the explosion at Glenahiery. It was considered unnecessary therefore to give information of the fact to Lord Ashtown, as the police officers referred to did not think that the fact of the purchase could form an element in the case in the total absence of evidence connecting it with the explosion. MR. MOORE asked why the information was communicated to DistrictInspector Preston on 16th September if there was no connection between the two. MR. CHERRY: I cannot inform the hon. Member. If he will put down a Question, I will make inquiries. MR. CHARLES CRAIG: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the fact that upon 23rd July, 1907, a stranger had purchased in the shop of Mr. Kelly, of Waterford, 60 pounds of blasting powder and 16 feet of fuse was a vital and material matter for any narrative of facts to be supplied to Lord Ashtown prior to the investigation of his claim on 21st September, 1907, before the County Court Judge of Waterford; whether the fact of this purchase was known to County-Inspector Jennings on 16th August and to District-Inspector Preston on 16th September; and, if so, can he explain why no information of the fact was at any time supplied to Lord Ashtown; will he explain why District-Inspector Preston, with this knowledge in his possession on 16th September, not only made no mention of it before the County Court Judge on 21st September, but upon the contrary swore that all efforts on the part of the police had failed to trace or place the purchase of the powder or fuse. MR. CHERRY: The police at Waterford were informed that on 23rd July an unknown man purchased in Mr. Kelly's shop 65 pounds of blasting powder and three coils of fuse. The fact of this purchase became known to CountyInspector Jennings on 17th August, and to District-Inspector Preston about 16th September. This answers the sup MR. MOORE: May I draw attention to the fact-[Cries of "No "-that the right hon. Gentleman has not answered the last part of the Question. *MR. SPEAKER: That is the Question which the right hon. Gentleman has asked shall be put down. MR. MOORE The right hon. Gentleman has just said he has answered it, and I wish to call attention to the fact he has not. *MR. SPEAKER: The hon. and learned Member had better put it down. MR. CHARLES CRAIG: Will the hon. Gentleman answer the last part of the Question-why the inspector, with this knowledge in his possession, not only made no mention of it before the County Court Judge on 21st September, but swore that all efforts on the part of the police had failed to trace the purchase of the fuse? MR. CHERRY: That is quite true. They tried to trace it, and they had a suspicion on the subject, but it was only a suspicion. MR. CHARLES CRAIG: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that County-Inspector Jennings at the Waterford Assizes in March last, stated upon oath that, from the date of the explosion at Glenahiery on 14th August, 1907, up to the moment he was giving even the slightest suspicion of Lord Ashtown in connection with the outrage, been called to the trial of the persons MR. CHERRY: My attention has and that District-Inspector Preston stated upon oath in Dungarvan on 21st September last, and again at Waterford Assizes on 4th March last, that he never intended to make any suggestion or charge against Lord Ashtown in connection with the outrage, and that never at any time was he in possession of any evidence that would justify any such suggestion or charge, and that the county council and the ratepayers at Waterford Assizes in March last expressly disclaimed and repudiated through their counsel any such suggestion or charge, and did the County Court Judge in September last, and the Judge of Assize in March last, declare that there was not the slightest foundation for any such suggestion or charge; and whether, in view of these facts, His Majesty's Government propose to make any charge against Lord Ashtown. MR. CHERRY: The proceedings in this case both before the County Court Judge and the Assize Court were fully reported in the newspapers to which the hon. Member can refer. I cannot say whether the evidence or the statements of the Judges and others are correctly summarised in the Question or not. The Government have not at present in their possession information which would justify them in making a charge against any person in connection with the occurrence. Galway Assault Trial. CAPTAIN CRAIG: I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland if his attention has been drawn to the trial at Galway of John Joyce, Peter Joyce, and John Walsh, for an assault on Police Constable Joseph Hazlett; whether he is aware that juries at Galway and also in Limerick had already twice previously disagreed in the case of these men; that Mr. Justice Dodd at the third trial said that the case was quite plain for the jury to deal with, and that the only evidence was against the traversers, but the jury insisted on acquitting them; and if he intends to call for a Report from the learned Judge, or what further step does he intend to take to vindicate the law in this case. as The referred to in the Question, inasmuch as they were prosecuted by me Attorney-General. At the third trial, acquitted the prisoners, and no further as stated in the Question, the jury steps can be taken against them. learned Judge in his charge said that the case was quite plain for the jury to deal with, and that he felt that they would do their duty, as jurors, according to the evidence. the case that a person tried for a criminal MR. SWIFT MACNEILL: Is it not offence and acquitted cannot be retried, as the acquittal is an absolute bar to further proceedings? MR. CHERRY: That is as I have said.. Irish Lace Frauds. MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.): I beg to Lieutenant of Ireland whether his atask the Chief Secretary to the Lordtention has been called to the successful prosecution on 27th March, by the Irish Industrial Development Association, of the French firm La Samaritaine, trading at 99, Regent Street, London, for exposing and selling as Irish lace a crochet blouse made in France; whether he is aware that a fine of £20 was imposed on the defendants; and whether, in view of the importance of the case to the lace classes carried on under the Congested Districts Board, he will state what steps he proposes to take in order to acquaint those classes with the unfair competition by which they are being menaced, and in order to safeguard the interests of the Irish lace industry. THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR IRELAND (Mr. T. W. RUSSELL, Tyrone, S.): My right hon. friend has asked me to answer this Question. The Department are aware of these frauds, and sent two witnesses to give evidence in the cases in question. One of these witnesses, namely, Miss Anderson, the Home Industries Inspectress, gives information concerning such matters to the classes which work in connection with the Department, but the remedy does not lie with the classes as a rule. The Board |