HL Deb 08 April 1897 vol 48 cc722-4
* THE EARL OF ARRAN

asked Her Majesty's Government whether there would be any objection to lay on the Table of the House copies of the Reports in consequence of which it has been decided to establish a line of steamers between Belmullet and the Island of Achill? His Lordship said that in rising to ask the question he would like to say a few words in explanation of his reason for doing so. It was proposed by the Government, according to what fell from the Chief Secretary for Ireland in another place last Friday, to establish a line of steamers between Belmullet and the Island of Achill on the west coast of Ireland. For those of their Lordships who might not have studied the geography of this part of Her Majesty's dominions lately, he should like to say that Belmullet was the chief town of perhaps the wildest and most backward part of the County of Mayo. It had 600 inhabitants, and was distant 35 miles from Ballina, and 20 from Achill Sound, at both of which places there were stations on the Midland Great Western system. In another place Mr. T. M. Healy compared the establishment of this line of steamers to laying down a telephone between purgatory and another and warmer place. He himself had not had the advantage of a sojourn in cither place; but if purgatory was anything like Achill, he wished he were a Roman Catholic, because if so, he should have a stay there for some time, for he never saw a more beautiful place, or one more worthy of a visit from any of their Lordships who might be disposed to go there during their autumn tours. There had been considerable agitation in that part of the world for the establishment of a railway to connect Belmullet and the surrounding district of Erris with the Midland Great Western system, and to develop the cattle trade, which was considerable, if not the only trade of the district. Various schemes had been propounded, and he had hoped that some of the money voted by Parliament for the development of the backward parts of Ireland would have been spent in this part of the world. In that hope he had been much disappointed. Various schemes had been supported and various opinions held as to the best route that the railway could take from the peculiar conformation of the ground. There were three lines which could serve Belmullet. Any one of them, while also serving one part of the surrounding district, would leave the greater portion out in the cold. He had had interviews with persons holding each of the opinions, but he had never heard an alternative route advocated in the establishment of steamers. Being an old public servant himself, he had great belief in the intelligence and sagacity of those employed in the public service, and he felt it was likely that those who had reported in favour of the steamers might have discovered some industry which would warrant public money being spent on this line of steamers. They were all much surprised at it, and they could not conceive what particular industry that existed could be benefited. The only trade was the cattle trade, and it was not likely that men wishing to sell their cattle and send them to the other coast parts of Ireland would ship them by one of the roughest passages in the United Kingdom, which was for the most part exposed to the full blast of the Atlantic gales, which, in winter, were excessively tempestuous, and there could be, therefore, no benefit derived by shortening the route. For that reason he begged to ask whether the report upon which this line of steamers was to be established could be produced, in order that they might see what reason —as no one could discover any—existed to warrant it?

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (VISCOUNT CROSS)

I canot enter into the merits of the question, but in the absence of Lord Ranfurly, I have been requested to give the following answer on behalf of the Irish Government—That the establishment of a line of steamers between Belmullet and Achill was not based on reports, but was decided upon after full inquiry had been made on the spot into all the circumstances. There are, therefore, no payers which could be laid on the Table.

* THE EARL OF ARRAN

said he was afraid this was not a satisfactory answer, and would hardly exonerate the Government from spending money in a way that could do no possible good of any kind in the district.