§ MR. LONSDALEI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the cattle-driving conspiracy has extended to East Galway, and that holders of grass lands on the estate of Sir Henry Burke have been forced to surrender to the pressure of the United Irish League; and whether he has any official information showing that this is due to inadequate police protection.
§ MR. BIRRELLThe police authorities inform me that several cases of driving cattle off grazing farms have occurred in East Galway, and that with one exception the holders of grass farms on Sir Henry Burke's estate have surrendered the farms. These persons have refused to make any statement to the police as to their reason for surrendering the farms, and the police have no evidence that such surrender was due to pressure from the United Irish League. The police authorities have afforded all possible protection to the holders of grazing farms, and have in many cases succeeded in preventing cattle drives. It must be understood that police effort is but an adjunct to the primary duty of an owner to provide for the safety of his property. The Inspector-General informs me that hitherto the owners of cattle have done practically nothing to protect the farms. The police will continue to afford all the protection within their power, but it is obviously impossible to place a large force of police on every one of the numerous grazing farms in the country.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIGasked the right hon. Gentleman if he would inform the House what the Inspector-General of Police expected each individual owner of farms of this kind to do to protect his property.
§ MR. BIRRELLNo, Sir, but I think the Inspector-General is perfectly justified in pointing out that it is the duty of the people in Ireland or elsewhere to take the ordinary steps to protect their own property.
§ MR. CHARLES CRAIGThis is a most important matter. May I ask the right hon. Gentleman to indicate what protective measures he would expect them to take. Does he expect them to build a wall ten or twelve feet high?
§ MR. BIRRELLTo take the ordinary steps which owners of property take everywhere else.
§ MR. JOHN ROCHE (Galway, E.)May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not a fact that a considerable portion of this property is scheduled as a congested area, and whether Sir Henry Burke has not demanded twenty-six-and-a-quarter years purchase from the tenants 1424 in that scheduled area? And is not that really the cause of the whole trouble?
§ MR. LONSDALEWill the right hon. Gentleman state what are the ordinary steps which landlords are to take to protect their property?
§ [No Answer was returned.]
MR PIKE PEASEIn view of the importance of this Question, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether, in the opinion of the Irish Office, this is a serious crime in itself?
§ [No Answer was returned.]
§ MR. KILBRIDEIs not the main reason for these people surrending their grass farms due to the statements made repeatedly in 1903 from the then Government Bench that one of the objects of the Land Act of that year was the redistribution of the grazing ranches?
§ MR. T. L. CORBETT (Down, N.)I desire to ask very seriously what the Chief Secretary for Ireland really means by using this phrase—and a very remarkable phrase I think it is—[Order, order.]
§ *MR. SPEAKERIf the hon. Member has any further Question, will he put it down? He is not entitled to interpolate these observations.