§ MR. DOOGAN (Tyrone, E.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland can he state the number respectively of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Presbyterian policemen who were stationed in Cookstown when the present district inspector took charge in 1891, and how many of each denomination were there in January, 1896, and in January, 1901; can he explain the discrepancy in the relative proportions of Roman Catholics in the last period as compared with 1891 and 1896, and has he any official information showing that the reduction of Roman Catholic policemen resulted in the betterment of law and order in Cookstown.
§ MR. WYNDHAMThe present district inspector took charge in May, 1890, when the numbers were 10, 5, and 4 respectively. In January, 1896, the numbers were 11, 5, and 4; and in January last they stood at 10, 10, and 5. These variations are due to ordinary fluctuations, which are not peculiar to Cookstown. The existence of party feeling and the ebullitions which occasionally arise from it are not dependent upon the relative religious proportions of the local police force.