§ MR. HAYDEN () Roscommon, N.To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the attention of the Department of Agriculture in Ireland has been called to the inconvenience caused at Roscommon Railway Station, at the cattle fair held there on the 5th of December, by the failure of the railway company to provide the supply of waggons necessary to carry away the cattle; whether the Department was represented at this fair by an inspector; and, if so, has he reported on the circumstances; and whether the Department has established a railway section; and, if so, will he state its duties.
(Answered by Mr. Wyndham.) The answer to the first two queries is in the negative. The inspectors have attended a large number of fairs throughout the country during the past year, but it is impossible for them to be present at every fair. The Department is aware that, owing to the exceptionally heavy trafficin animals which has occurred in Ireland this year, some railway companies have had difficulty in meeting the largely-increased demand for cattle trucks on different occasions and at different places. The Department has established a branch in connection with the transit of animals. Details of the work performed through the medium of this branch will be found in the first and second Annual Reports issued by the Department and presented to Parliament.