§ MR. DUFFYI beg to ask the Chief-Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the address recently delivered by the County Court Judge of Galway, wherein His Honour commented on the comparatively crimeless state of the county, pointing out that the table of criminal statistics were below the average of many years back; and whether, in view of this declaration, he intends to have recourse to the Criminal Law and Procedure (Ireland) Act to try a number of peasants at the forthcoming assizes by special juries.
§ MR. WALTER LONGThere are seven divisions for criminal business in county Galway, of which the Galway division is one. I have seen a newspaper report of the County Court Judge's remarks when opening the Criminal Sessions for the Galway Division on June 26th. After commenting on the fact that the number of cases for trial—eleven—was greater than usual, he is stated to have said that all these cases were of the ordinary kind, and so far as he could see they showed that the state of society in the county was in its normal condition for such a large area. It is obvious that the Judge's remarks had reference to the Galway Division only, and not to those other divisions in which there has been most disturbance. As to the last inquiry, I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Galway, East, yesterday.†