§ COLONEL NOLANasked the First Lord of the Treasury, If, in view of the distress which will probably prevail in the West of Ireland during the next three months, he will be prepared to facilitate the construction of railways and other useful public works by guaranteeing a minimum rate of interest on the capital invested in such railways or tramways as the Government may approve of?
MR. GLADSTONE,in reply, said, that his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Treasury were carefully considering what they could do in the way of reducing to a lower standard the rate of interest on behalf of valuable and useful public works in Ireland, with a view to relieve the distress which might prevail; but he was not able to say that they were prepared to entertain the proposition to guarantee a minimum rate of interest on railways or such works.