§ MR. T. E. ELLIS (Merionethshire)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to the fact that with the exception of the officers of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the two Chief Constables, and the Church of England clergymen, the great majority of the persons who appeared before the Tithe Commission gave their evidence in the Welsh language; and whether, in view of the great interest taken in the Report of the Commissioner by the Welsh people, he will direct Professor Rhys, Secretary to the Commissioner, to prepare a Welsh translation of the Report?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)I am not aware how many of the witnesses before the Tithe Commission gave their evidence in Welsh. I do not propose to have an official translation of the Report into Welsh made by Professor Rhys. I have no doubt that private effort will supply any demand there may be for a Welsh translation.
§ SIR EDWARD J. REED (Cardiff)appealed to the Home Secretary to reconsider the matter. There were a large number of persons who are awaiting the Report with extreme interest, and many of them would be unable to read it 1368 unless it were produced in Welsh. No voluntary translation would be read with the same confidence as would one that was known to be authorized.
§ MR. MATTHEWSsaid, he would willingly consider the matter further. It would be felt that it was not easy for the Government to undertake to translate an official document into Welsh or Gaelic; and he should have thought that private efforts would have abundantly satisfied any demand for a translation. He was sorry to hear that there were so many people in Wales who did not read English.