§ MR. SAMUEL YOUNG (Cavan, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Mr. Patrick O'Reilly, after filling the position, without complaint, of teacher of mathematics and land surveying at the Albert Model Farm, was in October, 1901, discharged from the post; and seeing that in March last a mathematical teacher was appointed, and Mr. O'Reilly applied for the post, offering to compete for it by examination, and that a teacher named Stephenson was appointed without competition or advertisement whether he will explain why Mr. O'Reilly's claim to the position was passed over.
§ MR. THOMAS O'DONNELL (Kerry, W.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state who has been appointed teacher of mathematics and land surveying at the Albert Model Farm, Glasnevin; what are his qualifications, previous experience, and salary; whether, seeing that the young man who taught in the institution till December of last year applied and offered to submit himself to any test competitive or otherwise, he can say why his application was rejected and the position given to another person.
(Answer.) The teaching of agricultural chemistry was formerly supplied at the institution by means of lectures only, and there was no teaching of physics, both being subjects which the new Department considers most essential to have taught practically. Mr. Stephenson, who has hitherto been Lecturer in Agricultural Chemistry and Physics in the Agricultural Department of the Yorkshire College, Leeds, and is a highly trained agricultural scientist, is now teaching these subjects at the Albert Institution as well as mathematics. In the opinion of the Department Mr. O'Reilly was not qualified to give the new instruction required by the Department.—(Irish Office.)