§ SIR WALTER FOSTER (Derby, Ilkeston)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the County Council for the County of Cornwall, after holding' the inquiries required by Sections 9 and 10 of the Local Government Act of 1894, made an Order authorising the Parish Council of Veryan to hire certain lands compulsorily for allotments; and that the Local Government Board have disallowed such Order: and whether he will state the reasons for reversing the decision arrived at after inquiry by the representatives of the ratepayers of the county?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. HENRY CHAPLIN, Lincolnshire, Sleaford)The 1139 facts are as stated in the Question. A local inquiry was held by one of the inspectors of the Board, at which the evidence of those interested was taken, It appeared that there was no sufficient proof that the Parish Council were unable to hire laud by agreement, or that there was any general demand for allotments in the parish. At the time of the inquiry there were only two applicants for allotments in the land proposed to be hired compulsorily, and it appeared that the Parish. Council had not been able to let for allotments a field which they had previously hired for that purpose. For these and other reasons, and among them the probability that a burden would have been imposed upon the parish, the Board arrived at the conclusion that the Order should not be confirmed.