§ 35. Mr. JOHNSTONasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the estate of Glen Kinglas, Blackmount, Argyllshire, has been cleared of sheep to make room for deer within the past two years; that the farm of Inverliever on the estate has been tenanted by the same family as a successful sheep farm for 100 years, and that on the Glen Kinglas estate some 5,400 sheep have been sold off; and whether he can give the names of the proprietors of land responsible for this recrudescence of the policy of sheep clearance for deer?
§ Mr. ELLIOTA question on the same subject was addressed to my predecessor on 17th December, 1935, by the hon. Member for Springburn (Mr. Hardie). I am 685 informed that on Whitsunday, 1933, two sheep farms, Acharn and Inverliever, situated in the isolated mountainous district of Blackmount and Loch Etive, fell vacant, the tenants leaving of their own accord. Repeated efforts to let the farms were unsuccessful and they remained in the hands of the landlord, the Earl of Breadalbane, for 2½ years until Martinmas, 1935, when he was able to sell them to the trustees of the late Edward Hermon. As the trustees did not wish to take over the sheep stocks, Lord Breadalbane was obliged to sell the sheep in open market, which entailed a loss to him of £2,900. The number of sheep sold was 3,400 exclusive of lambs. There is no question of the sheep having been disposed of by Lord Breadalbane to make room for deer, or of a policy of clearance of sheep. Lord Breadalbane would have been glad to have found tenants for the farms. I understand that the new proprietors do, in fact, propose to keep a stock of sheep at Inverliever.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONIs it not the case that at Acharn and Inverliever there are deer on the farms?
§ Mr. ELLIOTI think there is no question of anybody having turned off tenants or substituted deer for sheep. It was found impossible to let the farms.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONWould-the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to answer my question? Is it not the case that there are now deer on these two particular farms where previously there were sheep?
§ Mr. ELLIOTIt having been found impossible to get anybody to tend sheep, I think that is so.
§ Mr. G. HARDIEAs I raised the case before, may I ask the Secretary of State if he can tell us whether the Government, in their efforts to get land on which to put idle men, made any proposals to purchase this land when it was in the market?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is another question.