HC Deb 26 July 1887 vol 318 cc38-9
MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether County Kilkenny has been proclaimed under the Criminal Law Amendment (Ireland) Act (all save the dangerous association sections being declared in force therein); and, whether one alleged threatening letter is the sole agrarian offence reported to have occurred in that county during I the quarter ending 30th June last? I wish to supplement the Question by asking, whether the one threatening letter referred to in the Question is the sole statistical evidence of a serious state of things in the relatively small area of which the right hon. Gentleman has spoken; and, whether, if he possesses any further evidence whatsoever, he will lay it before the House?

THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)

I think the Question of the hon. Gentleman will be sufficiently answered if I say that 278 persons suffer more or less from Boycotting, and that 15 persons are under police protection in the county?

MR. CHANCE

Will the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to answer the second paragraph of the Question, relating to the one alleged threatening letter?

MR. A. J, BALFOUR

I confess I have not referred very particularly to this point; but I have no reason to doubt the statement of the hon. Gentleman.

MR. CHANCE

And will the right hon. Gentleman state whether he will lay on the Table any further information or evidence, if any, bearing on the alleged necessity for proclaiming the county?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I thought that I had given the hon. Gentleman evidence which, in the opinion of the House, was sufficient.

MR. CHANCE

Will the Chief Secretary state on whose authority he makes the statement as to the number of persons Boycotted?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The ordinary sources of information from which all the statistics of crime are obtained.