§ MR. JAMES O'CONNOR (Wicklow, W.)On behalf of the hon. Member for East Wicklow (Mr. E. P. O'KELLY), I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in 1262 view of the failure of the Arklow fishing industry, he will impress upon the Congested Districts Board the necessity of extending the time for repayment of money lent to Arklow fishermen for the building of boats and for fishing purposes; and whether the legal proceedings threatened by the Board against the sureties for loans to Arklow fishermen will be suspended while giving the borrowers a reasonable time to pay the instalments due to the Board?
MR. J. MORLEYSome of the Arklow boats have had fair success this season, and the Congested Districts Board would be most unwilling to proceed harshly in any case in which fishermen have been fishing zealously without success. In the cases of some borrowers, as many as eight half-yearly instalments are overdue, and in these cases the borrowers have not made any efforts, as far as the Congested Districts Board can judge, to discharge any part of their liabilities. The Board are unable to give any general undertaking to suspend proceedings except that they will, as heretofore, always give fishermen a reasonable time to pay their debts.
§ MR. JAMES O'CONNORI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Congested Districts Board have seized upon an Arklow fishing boat, named the True Light, for a balance due upon the original loan, although the borrowers had already paid £120 of the loan; and whether it is the intention of the Board to sell the boat by auction?
MR. J. MORLEYThe Congested Districts Board seized the boat True Light, upon which £209 12s. 8d. had been paid by the borrowers out of a loan of £500. The Board have sold the boat for a debt of £244 1s. 4d., the amount of the outstanding arrears due. The boat was seized owing to the very bad repair it was allowed to get into by the borrower, and because it was rapidly becoming useless. The Board regretted having to seize the boat, but they felt obliged to do so, both because of the failure of the borrower to meet his engagements (seven half-yearly instalments of £34 17s. 4d. each being overdue), and because of the unsatisfactory condition into which the boat had been allowed to get.