§ Mr. FETHERSTONHAUGHasked the Secretary to the Treasury the cause of the delay in the steam-rolling of the road from Ballina to Crossmolina, county Mayo; has the Road Board any engineer in charge or superintendence, and is there any report from him as to why the road has been kept in an almost impassable state since October last, and only a small part of the steam-rolling yet done; will the Road Board consider whether, under the circumstances, it would be better to let the work to a contractor, as was done in the case of the Barna to Spiddal road, in county Galway; have funds been provided by the Board for the Ballina-Cross-molina work sufficient to complete it; and has any delay arisen from financial causes?
§ Mr. MONTAGU1. The Road Board are informed that the cause of the delay in the steam-rolling work on the road from Ballina to Crossmolina, county Mayo, is due to the non-delivery of plant caused by the Dublin strike, and latterly to trouble between workmen and the county council as to the rate of wages. 2. The work is under the direct control of the county 333W council. A Road Board engineering inspector visits the work from time to time, and reports with regard to the progress thereof. No report has been received from him to the effect that the road is impassable. 3. Whether the work should be carried out by direct labour or by contract was carefully considered by the county council, and the former method was adopted with the approval of the Road Board. 4. The whole of the money for the proposed improvement has been provided, partly by grant from the Road Board and partly by the county council. 5. So far as the Board are aware, no delay has arisen from financial causes.