§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, having regard to the great damage done to farmers and breeders by the forestalling of the great horse fairs of Ireland, such as Banagher Great Fair, the Cahirmee Fair, and many others, he will take steps to enforce the Act which forbids sales on the streets so as to prevent the legal day of the fair being anticipated, and foreign and other buyers forestalled.
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. WYNDHAM,) DoverIn the case of the Banagher Horse Fair held on the 16th September, 1901, the police were instructed to caution persons causing obstructions in the streets of Birr, Frankford, and Ferbane on the days preceding the fair, and, in the event of their persisting, to take their names, etc., with a view to prosecution. Any powers possessed by the police are derived from 14 and 15 Viet. cap. 92, Section 10, Sub-section 10, and Section 13, Sub-section 3. The provisions of the first mentioned section are rendered inoperative by the fact that the custom of exposing animals for sale on the streets is an ancient one—in most towns without date, but almost invariably existent for from fifty to one hundred years. To enforce Section 13, an actual obstruction must occur before a constable can give a direction to "move on," as, if there be no obstruction, and if his direction be disobeyed, he has no remedy, either by arrest or asking name for 1378 summons. I am making further inquiry, through the Home Office, as to the practice in England in similar circumstances.