§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether an increased grant has been made this year by the Department for Agriculture and Technical Instruction to the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society; if so, what is the amount of this year's grant; when and by what body was it voted; for what purposes was it voted; and whether any portion of this sum is to be used for raising the salaries of the officials of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society.
§ (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) No increased grant has been made this year. The Agricultural Board at its last meeting (27th February) decided that the grant from the Department for the scheme submitted for the current year should not exceed £3,700, the amount of last year's grant, without the matter being again considered by the Board. The grant was voted for promoting the adoption of co-operative methods by the agricultural classes, including the formation of co-operative societies for the manufacture and sale of butter, for the purchase of farm requisites, and for the scutching of flax, and the formation of agricultural credit societies. A portion of the amount was authorised to be applied to the increase of the salary of one official in consideration of his giving his whole time to the work of the society, and for slight increases to minor officers.