§ MR. BR1DGEMANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state how many grazing farms in Ireland were under 74 police protection on 1st May, 1907; how many extra police were drafted into Athenry, Elphin, and Roscrea on 30th April and 1st May last; and what is the estimated cost of these precautionary measures.
§ MR. CHERRY (for Mr. BIRRELL)I am informed by the police authorities that on 1st instant 245 grazing farms in Ireland were under police protection. On 30th April twenty additional policemen were brought into the Athenry district. On the same date thirty-seven additional men were brought into Elphin, and on 1st May twenty-three men. On 30th April eight men were brought into Roscrea. In none of these cases were extra police employed in the legal sense of the term, seeing that the men belonged to the established force of the county and not to other counties. The total cost of bringing in the men referred to was £32 15s. As regards the Athenry district, I may add that an extra force of twenty-five men belonging to the Reserve have been stationed in the district since 12th October, 1906, and an extra force of ten men belonging to another county have been there since 30th March last. The total cost of these extra forces has not yet been ascertained.