§ MR. CRILLY) (Mayo, N.I beg to ask the Attorney General for Ireland a question of which I have given him private notice, and which nearly concerns my own constituency. Has his attention been called to the following paragraph in to-day's Daily News: —
At the Killala Board of Guardians yesterday great apprehension was expressed at the probability of a famine along the West Coast through the failure of the potato crop. A Guardian stated that he had been through three divisions of the Union and the crop was fast decaying, and the people were in a dreadful state of anxiety as to the future. Eight or 10 days ago the crop looked fairly well, but it 1771 was wasted and burnt up with the blight. A resolution calling the attention of the Local Government Board to the matter, and through them the attention of the Government, was adopted.I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is in a position to say that there is any basis of truth for the paragraph, or can he give us any information in addition to the statement made the other day in the House by the Chief Secretary as to the truth or otherwise of the alleged failure of the potato crop in North Mayo and other parts of Ireland?
§ MR. MADDENThe importance of the subject to the hon. Member's constituents quite justifies him in putting the question to me. The subject is now receiving the anxious and constant attention of the Government in reference to various parts of Ireland. I only received the hon. Member's notice as I came down to the House, and I am unable to make any statement as to any special part of the country.
§ MR. SEXTONA promise was made, I think, more than a year ago that Reports which have already been made by the Inspectors of the Board should be laid on the Table, and I hope they will be so laid.
§ MR. MADDENI will make inquiries on the subject.