§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is prepared to extend the time for the repayment of sheep-stock loans to 20 years and fix the ingoing price at such price as the Board can obtain in the market should the loan he called up?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI am prepared to consider on its merits any application for a limited extension of time for repayment of loan made by a society which is experiencing genuine difficulty in fulfilling the terms of repayment, but I cannot give any undertaking of the general character asked for by the hon. Member. It would be impracticable to make loans on the terms suggested in the latter part of the question.
§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has received representations that the sheep stocks taken over by the small-landholders at Bracadale from the Scottish Board of Agriculture were transferred to them at a price higher than would have been obtained at a stock auction mart; and whether he will take steps to readjust those prices to a more equitable figure or to such a price as the stock would have obtained in the open market?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI am aware that representations have been made to the614W Board of Agriculture for Scotland by or on behalf of the holders on certain of the settlements on Bracadale Estate (in each case some time after the holders had taken entry), that the prices which the holders had agreed to pay for their sheep stocks were too high. These representations have been carefully considered, but no grounds were found on which a reduction in the prices of the stocks could be justified. In one instance, however, the Board, with my concurrence, agreed to postpone for two years repayment by the holders of instalments of capital due and interest on the loans granted to them.