§ 30. Mr. VINCENT KENNEDYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received any report as to the tarring of the Lord Farnham statue in Cavan, beside the Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks; has any clue been obtained as to this crime; what, if any, special steps have been taken by the police; were there other acts of destruction of property previously done in this town; if no one has been brought to justice for these acts will he state the population of the town and the number of police stationed there; and is he aware that, the people of Cavan resent the inaction of the police and the recent acts of vandalism?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe police authorities inform me that on the 5th instant the statue of the late Lord Farnham in the public gardens at Cavan was besmeared with tar. On the same night some stones were also pulled off an old vault in a graveyard close by. The police believe that these acts were committed by drunken rowdies. They have not yet been able to trace the offenders, but the matter will not be allowed to drop. Some time ago a boiler in a field near the town was maliciously damaged, but the persons charged with the offence were acquitted at Assizes on a technical point. The population of Cavan is 2, 611, and the police force numbers 14.