§ MR. BLANE (Armagh, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether Henry A. Mann (clerk of the Cookstown Union and George A. Gunning's rent clerk) enabled George A. Gunning (his employer) to give a number of illegal proxy votes to the Conservative candidate, Mr. Black, at the annual election (March, 1887) of a Poor Law Guardian to represent the Ballynasullos Division of the Cookstown Union during the year 1887; whether Mr. Bernard Loughran, the Nationalist candidate, protested against these votes being added to those legitimately given to Mr. Black at the counting of the votes, and wrote to the Local Government Board complaining of the partiality of Mr. Mann, demanding a scrutiny, and asking for an investigation; whether Mr. Mann thereupon disallowed the votes given by George A. Gunning to Mr. Black, and declared Mr. Loughran duly elected the following Saturday; whether Mr. Mann resides in Gunning's Estate Office; and whether it is in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Poor Law Board that the clerk of any union should engage or be employed by any individual or Company as clerk; whether the Petty Sessions Office in Cookstown is used also as a Loan Office; and whether any person wishing to see the Petty Sessions Clerk on legal matters must go into the Loan Office; whether, in the absence of Mr. Fleming, the clerks therein act as Petty Sessions Clerks; whether Mr. Fleming, the Petty Sessions Clerk, personally assists the persons whom he has employed to collect the tolls of the Cookstown Market; whether a Circular was issued by the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks, prohibiting Petty Sessions Clerks from engaging in any employ- 240 ment save that of Petty Sessions Clerk; and, whether this Circular has since been cancelled?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)The Clerk of the Union, who also acted as relieving officer, reports that Mr. G. A. Gunning neither attempted nor was allowed to give illegal proxy votes. Mr. Loughran, during the scrutiny, objected generally to all the proxy votes; but made no specific objections. He subsequently wrote to the Local Government Board complaining of the action of the relieving officer. He was asked by the Board to specify the particular votes to which he referred; but did not do so. The returning officer disallowed some votes handed in by Mr. Francis Gunning, not by Mr. George Gunning, on account of an omission in the form. Mr. Loughran was declared elected. Mr. Gunning rents from Mr. Mann two rooms, which are used as a rent office. There is no Rule of the Local Government Board such as that referred to; and, as the hon. Member has been already informed, they see no reason to interfere so long as the clerk of the Union properly discharges his duties as such. As regards the case of Mr. Fleming, the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks informs me that hitherto the discount business has been carried on in the same room where Petty Sessions business was conducted; but that Mr. Fleming has now removed the latter business into an entirely separate office. In the absence of Mr. Fleming from the office, which is very rare, summonses are filled up by one of his clerks. Mr. Fleming states that he takes no part personally in the collection of tolls. No Circular, such as that indicated in the Question, has ever been issued by the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks.