§ MR. COX (Clare, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Board of Works engineer made an estimate as to the probable cost of repairing the damage done to the embankment of the River Fergus slob lands reclamation by the storm in October last year; was it acting on the advice of said engineer that the Treasury abandoned the works; and whether he will lay upon the; Table of the House the Report of the engineer, and the Correspondence between the Treasury and the Board of Works on the subject?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. GORST,) ChathamThe answer to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative; but with regard to the remainder of the question, I do not think it would be for the public interest to lay 1298 any Correspondence on the Table at the present time. The Treasury acted on their own responsibility in dealing with the matter.
§ MR. COXMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman is it not the fact that these slob lands are at the present time advertised for sale by the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice and are estimated to produce a yearly rental of £3,666 4s.? If this is so, is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to modify the reply he gave me on the last occasion when I put a question on this subject when he said the money expended had been thrown away, and the Government refused to expend any more money in building up the embankment washed down by the floods?
§ SIR J. GORSTI am aware that the land has been offered for sale by the Court of Chancery, and for that reason I think it undesirable to publish the Correspondence. The hon. Member puts into my mouth the statement that the expenditure had been thrown away, but I assented to his statement that undoubtedly there had been a large expenditure, and the Treasury are determined to spend no more.
§ MR. COXBut is the right hon. Gentleman aware that of 1,242 acres there will be only 29 acres available, the remaining 1,213 acres being again submerged?
§ SIR J. GORSTThe hon. Member must give me notice of that question.