§ MR. FLAVIN (Kerry, N.)To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the Government advance loans to harbour or other public authorities for the building of piers or viaducts leading to piers for shipping accommodation in harbours; whether the Local Government Board have any official reports showing whether jarrah wood or pitch pine or ferro-concrete is the most serviceable and lasting in tidal or salt water, and the relative cost of jarrah wood, pitch pine, and ferro-concrete; and for what period would a loan be issued for work done in jarrah wood or pitch pine or in ferro-concrete.
(Answered by Mr. John Burns.) Money may be borrowed from the Public Works Loan Commissioners for these purposes, but it is only in very exceptional cases that such loans require the sanction of the Local Government Board. The term for which any loan would be sanctioned would depend on the nature and solidity of the work and all the circumstances of the case. The Board have no official 2364 reports with regard to the durability of jarrah wood, or pitch pine, or ferroconcrete in salt water. This would largely depend upon the conditions under which the materials were used. I am advised that the relative cost of the materials respectively varies as 2: 1: 1½.