Mr Thomas Ramsay: 85. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to Section 47, Subsection (3), of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, whereby small landholders are deprived of the benefits of the De-rating Act if they apply for a revaluation of their holdings and the Land Court gives its decision on such application, thereby penalising the landholders should they...
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 55. asked the President of the Board of Education whether the Board of Education is satisfied that geographical and historical text-books now in use have been brought thoroughly up to date; and whether he is taking any steps to give effect to the suggestion recently emanating from Canada that there should be a conference of publishers of school books in this country and the Dominions?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 79. asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the recent tendency towards the creation of monopolies and rings in industry and trade; and whether he will consider the appointment of a Departmental Committee to inquire into the effect of such monopolies and rings upon the price of important commodities which are averse to the interests of the country?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 2. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the approximate population, the mileage of roads, and the amount of money expended on the said roads, on the mainland part of the county of Ross and Cromarty for the last year during which the late county council functioned; and the corresponding figures for the island of Lewis during the same period?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 5 and 6. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he has received a petition from the inhabitants of St. Kilda, praying to be removed from the island; and, if so, will he state when, how, and by whom the said petition was drafted and conveyed to the Scottish Office; (2) if he intends to remove the present inhabitants of St. Kilda to some other part of Scotland; if so, where, how, and...
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Does the hon. Gentleman say that there are 65 inhabitants? Then, in reference to the point which has been made by an hon. Member with regard to the sheep——
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 28. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the inhabitants of St. Kilda received no communications from the mainland from 18th October, 1929, till 16th February, 1930; and whether he made any representations to the Postmaster-General on the question of mails during that period, or did anything to ascertain the requirements of the islanders as regards their food supplies?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Was it possible for any representations to be made when no mails whatever could come from there?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: The hon. Member for Peebles (Mr. Westwood) has made disparaging remarks concerning me. May I ask if it is in order for him to make such remarks?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Mr. Speaker, I have a right to demand a withdrawal.
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 54. asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that no official representative was sent from the mainland to the island of St. Kilda to supervise sheep-dipping operations from 1923 till June, 1930, and, if so, can he give any reason for such a neglect?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: 2. asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is in a position to say when the construction of the Bays of Harris road will be put into operation and if he will see that work is begun at both ends of the road?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Does the right hon. Gentleman remember the letter written on the 5th July, 1919, in which a promise was made that this road should be constructed; does he not consider that it is now time that it was done; and will he not do his best to expedite it?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: May I ask the Minister to deal with this problem in the Highland countries of Scotland in the same sympathetic spirit that he has shown in regard to Wales?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: The question of Saint Kilda was introduced, and until then I had no intention of intervening, but, to my very great surprise, not only tilt Secretary of State for Scotland, but the late Secretary of State, gave a blessing to the action that is being taken in that connection. I happen to differ from both these right hon. Gentlemen in regard to the policy adopted, and unlike the previous...
Mr Thomas Ramsay: I was using the illustration as a reason why the island should not be evacuated, and I was coming to the reason which the Government give for the evacuation, namely, health. I should have liked to go into the other point, because it was the foundation of the petition which the islanders presented, and there is definite mention of it in the report. We know that a number of people have been...
Mr Thomas Ramsay: It is a well-known fact that there have been two cases of serious illness where medical officers belonging to the Department of Health have sent to have patients removed, and largely as a result of the costs incurred in visiting the island to get these people off, the policy of the Government is to evacuate it, and surely I am entitled to bring that forward. If it is a point which is full of...
Mr Thomas Ramsay: A similar subject was introduced from the benches opposite, and I thought that I had an equal right to speak about it. I suggest that the health of the children is affected if the families are forced to live apart.
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Whatever provision the hon. Gentleman makes, will he see that these people are kept as near the sea as possible, so that the old conditions under which they were reared will be available for them, and that in any case they shall be kept away from town life?
Mr Thomas Ramsay: Will the right hon. Gentleman carefully consider the demand put forward by the people of Lewis for as large a delegation as possible of health and highway services from the county council of Ross and Cromarty?
