§ 82. Mr. O'LEARYasked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the mining engineer to the Ministry of Munitions, wishing to test the quality and quantity of copper ore available for Government purposes in the Allihies Mines county Cork, and requiring some timber to enable him to pump one of the old shafts, arranged with the receiver of wrecks and naval authorities at Queenstown that he could utilise for the purpose a quantity of wrecked timber salved by local fishermen as no other timber was available; that the engineer and a local merchant guaranteed the full market value of the timber to the receiver of wrecks, but on the very day when operations were to begin at the mines, an armed trawler under orders of the naval authorities at Queenstown, arrived and took away the timber, thus paralysing the efforts of the engineer; and whether he will arrange with the proper authorities that this timber is restored forthwith, or other timber provided, so that operations in the mines can be started without further delay?
§ Mr. DUKEI am informed that inquiry was made on behalf of the Ministry of Munitions as to whether certain wreck timber could be sold to the Ministry for use in the mines mentioned in the question, and that the naval authorities were apparently unable to spare it. Further inquiries are being made.