§ Mr. GINNELLasked the Chief Secretary, in view of the value attributed to peat, and the care bestowed upon the preparation of it for fuel in Sweden, Germany, and other Continental countries, if he would state the reasons why the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction neglect it in Ireland, where that substance is so plentiful, especially now when the ownership of bogs is changing hands; and why the Department is op posed to obtaining and circulating in Ireland a report on the methods and cost of preparation practised on the Continent, and the value of the peat so prepared as compared with coal?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe Department of Agriculture in Ireland have carried out experiments, made inquiries, published information, advised intending promoters of peat industries, and afforded technical advice and instruction to persons engaged in these industries already established in Ireland. A report on the making of turf in Holland and Sweden was published in the Department's Journal for March, 1904, and one on the peat industry of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in June, 1902.