§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether seeing that 1271W the Scottish Land Court inspected the estate of Waternish, Skye, and reported that a scheme for small holdings could be advantageously formed thereon and recommended that the estate should be purchased for land settlement, he will say if it is now proposed to carry out that recommendation?
§ Sir J. GILMOURThe suggestion by the Land Court was that the Board of Agriculture should purchase not only the land embraced in the proposed schemes of land settlement at Waternish but also the adjoining areas already occupied by small landholders. I am not prepared to expend so large a proportion of the funds at the disposal of the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for land settlement purposes in the purchase of areas already occupied by smallholders.
§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much saving will be effected after the usual claims for landlord's improvements, etc., have been met by not purchasing the estate of Waternish, Skye?
§ Sir J. GILMOURAs I do not know at what price it would have been possible to purchase the estate of Waternish, I should be unable to make the comparison desired by the hon. Member even after the compensation to the landlord has been fixed, which has not yet been done.