§ MR. L. P. HAYDEN (Roscommon, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he has yet forwarded to the promoters of the Castlerea and Ballaghaderreen Railway any reply to the answer forwarded by them to the Treasury Memorandum?
§ *SIR JOHN HIBBERTI have today forwarded the desired reply to my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland, who will no doubt communicate it to the parties interested.
§ MR. HAYDENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a copy of the resolution passed at the large meeting held in Loughglynn on Sunday last, in favour of the Castlerea and Ballaghaderreen Railway, both as a relief work and one opening up a large district of country; whether he is aware that the engineer of the line has stated that the amount to be spent on labour in a thickly-populated district would be £60,000; and whether, with the view of providing employment during the summer, he will recommend the Treasury to grant the comparatively trifling guarantee asked for?
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR SCOTLAND (for Mr. J. MORLEY)A copy of the resolution referred to in favour of the proposed railway has been received. It contains a statement that £60,000 of the £80,000, the estimated cost, would be spent on labour. Without expressing an opinion on the merits of the case, I may say that the Chief Secretary has been in communication with the Treasury, who inform him that they have no funds available for fresh guarantees under the Act of 1883, and that even if they had the proposed purpose is not one to which they could legally contribute under that Act.
§ COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury (1) if a guarantee under the Tramways Act for a railroad from Ballaghaderreen to Castlerea has been refused by the Treasury; (2) if the sum asked for is only £600 a year; (3) whether he is aware that an enormous number of people in the locality are in favour of this line; and (4) if the Midland Great Western Railway Company has offered to work the line on favourable terms?
§ SIR JOHN HIBBERTThe answer to the first paragraph of the question is yes. The Treasury have no funds available for fresh guarantees under the Act of 1883, and, even if they had, the project in question is not one to which they could legally contribute under that Act. The contribution asked for by the Grand Jury of County Roscommon was 2 per cent. per annum on a guaranteed capital of £80,000. As regards local feeling, I have little or no information, but I may mention that the Treasury have received protests against the guaranteeing of the proposed line both from the Guardians of the Boyle Union and from the Waterford and Limerick Railway Company. I have no information as to the terms offered by the Midland Great Western Railway Company for working the line.