MR. O'BRIEN (for Mr. O'DONNELL)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If his attention has been called to the appeal of Mrs. Power Lalor, in the "Morning Post" of the 7th instant, on behalf of multitudes of starving children in Donegal, and especially to her statements that the distress, though limited to certain localities—
Is equally acute with the distress in 1879–80, and calls for immediate exertion if the children there are to be saved from a lingering death, or, worse still, life-long diseases. In many places they are existing upon seaweed, with a small quantity of Indian meal mixed through it. I propose to give one good plentiful meal daily at the schools to the really hungry destitute children, irrespective of creed. I bar Indian meal as an article of diet; as used alone it produces scrofula and ophthalmia in children. Three pounds sterling weekly will furnish a good meal daily to 100 children. There are several thousands to be fed;and, whether he will take any steps to relax the alleged necessity of the workhouse test in the case of so many thousands of starving children?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, I have seen the appeal referred to; but I am not aware upon what authority the charitable lady who made it founded the statement that the distress, though limited in area, is as acute as that of 1879–80. She is not, I believe, resident in Donegal, but writes from Dublin; though I have no doubt she was satisfied with the evidence which was in her possession justifying the truth of her statement. I do not think, however, that statements put forward in this manner, by private indi- 370 viduals, would justify the Government in altering a course of action adopted after careful consideration of the Reports of their responsible local officers.