§ COLONEL M'CALMONT (Antrim, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord 292 Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that the County Council of Leitrim has levied a rate for the purposes of the Agriculture and Technical Instruction Act; and whether, considering that the larger part of the county is declared to be a congested district, he will state what steps, if any, he proposes to take in the matter; what has been the amount of money so levied; what sum has been received from the Department; and how have these moneys been expended.
§ (Answered by Mr. Atkinson.) The valuation of the congested areas in County Leitrim is £48,000, and of the non-congested areas £90,000. A penny rate over the entire county produces £575. Up to the 31st March, 1902, the schemes in operation in the county dealt mainly with live stock, to the cost of which the Department and the Congested Districts Board contributed pro rata. The amount certified by the Secretary of the County Committee to have been expended to that date was £159 8s. for live stock schemes and £20 for agricultural schemes. Of the former amount the Department and the Congested Districts Board contributed £88 11s. 2d., and of the latter the Department contributed one-half—viz., £10. The County Council is aware of the decision come to by the Congested Districts Board last year that it would not continue to make any further contributions towards county schemes after the 31st March, 1903. The unexpended balances of any contributions promised by the Board in respect of the rates raised prior to that date are, however, available for the promotion of approved schemes in congested districts. It was not until the 22nd ultimo that the secretary of the County Committee furnished a statement of his Committee's expenditure for the nine months ended 31st December, 1902. When the accounts have been submitted to investigation the Department will pay the balance of its contribution. In regard to Technical Instruction schemes no accounts were furnished by the secretary of the Committee until last month.