MR. MAC NEILL (Donegal, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, in the Gweedore and Claughanely districts of the county of Donegal, the & trees obtained by landlords for ejectment for non-payment of rent last Saturday, together with the decrees previously obtained, bring up the total number of families affected to 121, and that, since last autumn, the great majority of these families, including all the families on the townlands of Glashercoo and Curransport, on the Olpherts estate, have been subsisting on Indian meal; whether representations have reached him that the seed potatoes are not only deficient in quantity to crop the lands, but are unusually small; and whether the Government will employ the forces of the Crown to evict the people of these districts from their houses, or take means to save them from death by starvation?
§ *MR. A. J. BALFOURThe Constabulary authorities report that the 220 decrees obtained by landlords in the Gweedore and Claughanely districts for ejectments for non-payment of rent amount to a total of 96. It is not the case that the great majority of these families, including all the families on the townlands of Glashercoo and Curransport, have been subsisting on Indian meal since last autumn. Some of the poorer doubtless have. Their families usually use Indian meal from February and March till the potato crop is ready for use. They commenced to use the meal sooner this year, owing to the smaller supply of potatoes. The local markets are well stocked with seed potatoes varying from 4d. to 6d. a stone. The potatoes of last year were small. There is no prospect of starvation, so far as can be ascertained; nor are there likely to be any cases of individual distress which could not be at once dealt with under the ordinary Poor Law.
MR. MAC NEILLThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered the last paragraph of the question. Will the forces of the Crown be employed in carrying out these evictions?
§ *MR. A. J. BALFOURI shall in this, as in every other case, use the forces of the Crown in support of the officers of the law.
§ MR. SEXTONI have received a letter from my hon. Friend the Member for North Monaghan (Mr. P. O'Brien) in which he says—
Seven families have been evicted without resistance. There were no potatoes or any other food found in any of the houses. In one case the door was smashed in without a warrant. A woman with a baby in her arms was struck in the face by an emergency man. Wood also struck the woman in my presence. Inspector Law and a force of police brought up a battering ram from Letterkenny. The evictions are proceeding.May I ask if this battering ram was brought up by the police for the purpose of self-defence?
§ *MR. A. J. BALFOURIf the battering ram was brought up at all, it was brought up for the purpose of self-defence.
MR. MAC NEILLAs this battering ram is provided out of the public funds voted by Parliament, will the right hon. Gentleman lay a model of it on the Table for the information of the House?