§ MR. DOLAN (Leitrim, N.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what are the qualifications for the positions of inspector, under the Labourers Act, 1906, and inspector of evicted farms; what is the procedure of appointment to these positions; and what steps are being taken to secure that all qualified persons will have an opportunity of applying.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Inspectors tinder the Labourers Act, 1906, are appointed by the Local Government Board, and inspectors of evicted farms are appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant. In neither case have the qualifications for the appointment been formally prescribed. The fitness of the applicants is carefully considered when appointments are being made. It is open to any person to apply for an appointment, and a great many applications were received for both classes of appointment. I may mention that about 250 applications were received for the fourteen appointments of inspector of evicted farms recently made. As a preliminary step the three Estates Com-
| Province. | Rateable Valuation (corresponding to the net valuation in England). | Per head of Population. | ||
| £ | £ | s. | d. | |
| Ulster | 5,479,814 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| Munster | 3,480,437 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Leinster | 5,119,040 | 4 | 8 | 9 |
| Connaught | 1,457,476 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
§ I have no information as to the gross valuation asked for. With regard to the second portion of the Question, the amount of income-tax collected in each province could, no doubt, be ascertained, but as the tax is collected at the source, and not from the persons on whom it ultimately falls, I do not see what useful purpose the figures could serve. In any case they would certainly not represent
942§ missioners were requested to examine the applications and testimonials of the entire body of applicants, and to select those whom they considered most suitable. The Commissioners accordingly selected forty-two persons, and each of these was subsequently interviewed separately by a committee consisting of the Under-Secretary and the three Estates Commissioners, who went fully into the qualifications of each of the forty-two and formed their opinion as to his fitness for the post. As a result, fourteen names were unanimously selected by the committee and referred to me, and, after examination, I submitted the names of these persons to the Lord-Lieutenant as being the best fitted for the appointment.