THE MARQUESS OF HUNTLY, in rising to ask the Lord President of the Council, If he will apply to the principal Railway Companies to furnish Returns of the number of allotments and gardens allowed to the servants in their employment on the railways; and, if they can supply such Returns, whether he will add them to those promised from the Agricultural Department? said, he had communicated with the Great Northern Company and the London and South-Western Company, and he was informed that there would be no difficulty in supplying the information. The men, he understood, were on duty 10 hours a-day, and yet found time to cultivate these allotments.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Earl SPENCER), in reply, said, that when the noble Marquess brought this matter forward the other day he was unable to grant the Return which was then asked for, and he was afraid that he must now adopt the same course. He did not believe that the Return was at all necessary, because the Return which he had promised would include all allotments under whatever landlords the tenancies were held, not excepting those made by the Railway Companies. There would, therefore, in his opinion, be no advantage in having two special Returns. While he was speaking on this matter, he should like to announce to the House that at a conference which he had had that day with the Chairman of the Inland Revenue he found that the Government would be able to present the Return promised a short time ago before the ordinary Agricultural Returns instead of after. He thought it would, perhaps, be more than convenient to have the very long Return which he had engaged to furnish before the Agricultural Return. The Government hoped before June probably, though he could not actually bind himself to the time, to be able, to furnish, 233 independently of the ordinary Agricultural Returns and without disturbing them, the important information which he promised the other day.
THE MARQUESS OF HUNTLYsaid, that as the railway allotments were not entered in the rate book, he did not see how they were to be included in the Government Return.
§ EARL SPENCERobserved, that the noble Lord seemed to know exactly how the Return was furnished. He believed it was furnished from other sources than the rate book. The Chairman of the Inland Revenue informed him that there was no difficulty in getting the information.
§ House adjourned at Six o'clock, to Thursday next, a quarter past Ten o'clock.