§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will undertake to restrain action on the part of the Board of Works in Ireland in regard to the Waterford, Dungarvan and Lismore Railway until the Estimates for the Board of Works come before the House, in order that opportunity may be given for Debate, and that the views of the ratepayers, whose interests are much larger than those of the Treasury, may be ascertained?
§ MR. HANBURYMay I ask the hon. Gentleman to postpone this Question till Monday, as I have not yet received the information from Dublin? Nothing will be done in the meantime.
§ MR. JOHN REDMONDIf the right hon. Gentleman undertakes to restrain the action of the Board of Works in the meantime, I will postpone the Question to Monday. But I think the most convenient course will be to postpone the Question until after the Easter holidays, if the right hon. Gentleman will allow me to do so.
§ MR. HANBURYNo, I think Monday will be better.
MR. T. M. HEALYI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he could ex-plain why the only communication made to the Duke of Devonshire by the Board of Works as to the proposed foreclosure or sale of the Waterford and Lismore line, had reference to a proposed hiring by them of the rolling stock (which belongs to His Grace), and that there was no communication in reference to the effect on the public interest, or on that of the guaranteeing-ratepayers of county Waterford, as to the intended foreclosure; and whether any undertaking can be given that those interests, of which the Duke of Devonshire is the principal representative, will be consulted before either foreclosure or sale is sanctioned by the Treasury?
§ MR. HANBURYThe hon. Member is not correct in the assumption made in the first Question. Not one, but several communications were made to the Duke or his agent by the Board of Works on 757 the subject of a foreclosure or sale, and there have been in addition interviews and correspondence on all the points mentioned, between the Duke and the Treasury, which is the Department controlling the Board of Works. The interests mentioned will, of course, be consulted, and it was solely in the interest of the locality that the Treasury have recently refused an offer of £120,000 from another quarter for their loan of £93,000 and arrears of interest.
§ MR. CARSONMay I ask how the interests of those concerned were consulted?
§ MR. HANBURYNaturally the interest of those in the neighbourhood is one of the first things the Treasury would consider, and they have already considered it.
§ MR. DUNBAR BARTON (Armagh, Mid.)Does it rest with the Board of Works in Dublin or with the Treasury in London to decide whether a mortgage of this kind is to be purchased. [Nationalist cheers.]
§ MR. HANBURYThe matter rests with the Treasury.
MR. T. M. HEALYMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman, as the County of Waterford pays £14,000 a year for this line, if he can at least give us some assurance that the Gentleman, the next largest creditor to the Government, will be consulted?
§ MR. HANBURYHe has been consulted, and is being consulted at the present moment.
§ MR. JOHN REDMONDPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman will allow mo to revert to my earlier Question for a moment. I would press him very strongly to allow the matter to stand over until after the Easter holidays, so that the Irish Members of different Parties, who are interested, may not be forced to remain here at great inconvenience until Tuesday next.
§ MR. HANBURYI will see whether I cannot give an answer to that Question To-morrow. That, at any rate, will not detain the hon. Member.