MR. C. MACVEIGH (Donegal, E.)On behalf of the Member for South Down I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he will state what amount the Department contribute to the Fermanagh annual agricultural show; to whom is the paying order issued; who are respectively the manager, the treasurer, and the secretary of the show; what remuneration do they receive; and, seeing that this show receives a grant from public funds, will the Vice-President insist that the accounts are annually audited and that a statement of the financial position is published for the information of the public.
§ THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR IRELAND (Mr. T. W. RUSSELL,) Tyrone, S.The Department do not make a direct grant in aid of the show held by the Fermanagh Farming Society, but the Fermanagh County Committee of Agriculture have this year out of the funds at their disposal contributed a sum of £106 towards the prize fund of the society in accordance with the conditions of the scheme of subsidies to agricultural shows. The proportion of this amount for which the Department will be liable to the county committee is £59. The 337 paying order for this amount of £106 will be issued by the committee presumably to the treasurer of the society. The show is managed by a committee. The honorary secretary of the society is Sir Douglas Brooke, and the acting secretary is Mr. Robert W. Wilson, who presumably is authorised to act as treasurer. In the financial transactions for 1906, as audited, a sum of £20 appears to have been paid as salary to the secretary. The accounts of the society are audited each year and a copy is submitted to the Department through the County Committee of Agriculture. It is a matter for consideration by the County Committee of Agriculture concerned whether they will publish the information which they obtain in regard to the financial position of each society receiving a grant from the joint fund available for subsidies to shows.