MR. O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to the Letter of Mrs. Alice M. Hart in the "Daily Chronicle" of 8th June, stating that hundreds of the tenantry of Captain Hill, near Gweedore, against whom ejectments for non-payment of rent are pending, are being kept from starvation by doles of a pennyworth of meal a day; and, whether he has any information as to the extent of distress in that district, and of the moans of meeting it?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, I have seen the letter to which the hon. Member refers; but I must remind him that the Government do not depend for their information upon letters from private correspondents. The district of which Gweedore forms a part is one with regard to which they have taken special care to keep themselves informed. According to our information, legal proceedings have been taken by Captain Hill against only 24 out of about 600 tenants, and of these 24, 10 have since settled. These tenants have not been principally dependent on charity for their support, and no proceedings have been taken against any who were considered to be in distress.
MR. O'BRIENasked whether, having regard to the conflicting information as to the real state of the district, the Government would not have an independent inquiry made?
§ MR. TREVELYANsaid, he had received a considerable number of letters on the subject. Mr. Macfarlane was the ordinary and permanent Inspector of the district; and, in addition, they had a special local agent, who was Inspector of the County Donegal, so that they were very well able to check the various accounts.