§ MR. DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, will he explain why Sub-Commissioners in Ireland have had to stand an examination in Dublin recently as to their fitness to fix fair rents between landlord and tenant before Doctor Voelcker, who is an English chemist; and, whether he can say what knowledge of land valuing in Ireland Dr. Voelcker has, or if he can state upon what rounds Dr. Voelcker was selected for this important position.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThe examination referred to is conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners for the Irish Land Commissioners. The subjects are agriculture, principles of surveying, English composition, including précis, and arithmetic. Land valuation is not a subject of examination, nor was the examination in surveying conducted by the examiner named in the question, who is an agricultural chemist of eminence, and was selected by the Civil Service Commissioners to examine in agriculture.