§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland will he explain on what grounds Mr. Davidson, a member' of the County Antrim Sub-Commission, has been dismissed or transferred to another district; and whether he is aware that Mr. Davidson was reputed to be a practical farmer and a thorough judge of the value of an agricultural holding, and that this apprehended transfer has caused dissatisfaction among the farmers of the county of Antrim.
§ MR. G. W. BALFOURThe Land Commission has an absolute discretion under the Land Acts as to the districts in which it will from time to time delegate cases to Assistant Commissioners for hearing and decision, and in the exercise of that discretion it recently changed the districts of several Assistant Commissioners, amongst others that of Mr. Davidson. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statement as to Mr. Davidson's qualifications, and I have no information respecting the alleged dissatisfaction caused by his transfer to another district.