§ MR. ANGUS SUTHERLAND (Sutherland)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Highland Railway Company have offered to construct, work, and maintain a line of railway from Culrain to Lochinver, on the west coast of Sutherland, at a cost of £250,000, on condition that the Treasury will guarantee a dividend of three per cent. for thirty years; whether the Duke of Sutherland has offered to give the necessary land as his share of the stock of the proposed railway; whether the Government intend to take advantage of this offer, and give the required guarantee; and whether, in the case of the Mallaig Railway, the Government had such, or any, facilities of a local character offered them?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I have done my best to make myself acquainted with the facts to enable me to answer the hon. Member, and, without going into details, I may say the answer to the first two paragraphs is in the affirmative, and similar facilities were given in the case of the Mallaig Railway. As to the question of policy, I shall be glad if the hon. Gentleman will allow me to defer my answer until Monday.