§ * Mr. WEIRsaid he had one or two 1050 matters to which he desired to call the attention of the House. First there was the question of dog licences and the rules, adopted in Scotland by Inland Revenue Officers. What he wished to impress upon those in charge of this question was that each officer should not be a law unto himself. The burden of these dog taxes was a very serious matter indeed to the poor cottars and crofters, to whom 7s. 6d. a year was a very serious item. Honourable Members in this House might think it a small matter, but it was no small matter to the poor crofters in the Highlands. A few days ago he got a Return from the Scottish Office showing that out of 800 boys attending the navigation classes in Scotland during a certain period, nearly 700 came from the Highland crofting counties. He did think that some efforts should be made to give Highland boys an opportunity of joining the Navy, and he trusted that the Admiralty would make some efforts to send up a training ship not for a few hours, but for a few weeks, in order to afford those boys who are so accustomed to sea life, and who would make splendid sailors, an opportunity of joining the Navy. With reference to the fishery cruisers, he found from a Return issued the other day that Her Majesty's ship "Jackal" had only been at sea 47 days out of 119. Surely there must be something radically wrong, these boats are wanted to look after the trawlers, and instead of doing this work the Admiralty cruiser lies idle in Stornoway Harbour. He thought the Fishery Board should have power to see that these police boats do their duty, and should not be allowed to skulk away half their time. They would hear less of this illicit trawling if more attention was paid to these police boats. Now he came to a question for the Lord Advocate pure and simple. What he wished to urge upon the Scottish Office was this: they offered to provide half an acre of waste land for the fishermen in some part of the Island of Lewis. He thought that with a couple of acres of that waste land the fishermen would be able to maintain themselves during the period of the year when they could not sell their fish. He did hope that the Scottish Office would pay some attention to this matter. He called the attention of the Lord Advocate to the way in which sand was silting up in some of the harbours in the Highlands of Scotland, and pointed 1051 out that although the matter had been brought to the notice of the Scottish Office nothing had been done.
§ MR. COLVILLE (Lanark, N.E.)rose to call attention to the neglect of the Scotch Office in the matter of providing adequate accommodation for the pupil teachers of Scotland. He desired to say there was a, strong feeling in Scotland that the people did not obtain the proportion of money for education to which they were entitled. The promises of the Scotch Office had not been fulfilled with regard to technical education. He hoped something would now lie done in the matter.