§ MR. PATRICK ALOYSIUS M'HUGH (Leitrim, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Sligo Harbour Commissioners at their last meeting, on 16th May, adopted a resolution complaining that the Collooney and Claremorris line of railway had not yet been opened for traffic; that the Sligo Grand Jury gave a guarantee for this line at the Spring Assizes in 1891; that the Order in Council was granted on 3rd December 1890; and that the construction of the line was commenced in January 1891; who is responsible for the delay in opening this line; and can he state definitely when it will be opened?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir JOHN HIBBERT,) OldhamThe date fixed by the Order in Council for the completion of the line, namely, the 30th June 1895, has not yet arrived. It is hoped that there will not be any undue delay in opening the line to the public.
§ MR. L. P. HAYDEN (Roscommon, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, in reference to his statement that the only counter guarantee which the Treasury have got in respect to Irish Railways is one of £400 per annum from the Waterford and Limerick Company in the case of the Claremorris and Swinford Railway, whether there is also a counter guarantee from the same Company, amounting to £1,326 per annum from the Tuam and Claremorris Railway; and whether the Treasury have taken any account of these counter-guarantees when they state that the limit of their liability has been reached; and, if not, will the Treasury favourably consider the application for the guarantee of £600 per annum in the case of the Castlerea and Ballaghaderreen Railway, particularly if the promoters of that line are prepared to accept and act upon a similar Order in Council to those under which the Loughrea and Attymore and Ballinrobe and Claremorris lines were constructed and worked, until and unless power be obtained to work it as a heavy line, as was done in the case of those railways?
§ SIR JOHN HIBBERTThe Treasury have no guarantee in the case of the Tuam and Claremorris Railway. The promoters have a covenant from the 1716 Waterford and Limerick Railway Company that the latter's contribution to the funds of the former for the term of the agreement shall not be less than £51 a week, and the county guarantee was given on the faith of this arrangement. No such collateral guarantee can be taken into account in calculating the liabilities undertaken by the Treasury under the Tramways Act of 1883.
§ MR. J. MAINS (Donegal, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, having regard to the necessity which exists for the further extension of light railways in certain districts of Ireland, notably the proposed line between Buncrana and Carndonagh, he will consider the advisability of applying to Parliament for a further grant to carry out these most necessary projects?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. JOHN MORLEY,) Newcastle-upon-TyneIn a communication which I recently addressed to the hon. Gentleman, I stated that the funds provided by Government for Light Railways in Ireland were exhausted, and that in the event of additional funds being provided for the purpose the case of the proposed line would be considered with that of others. I am afraid I can now only add that the present would not be an opportune time for asking Parliament to make a further grant of money for the purpose indicated.