§ MR. H. B. SHERIDANasked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether his attention has been 1052 drawn to the correspondence between the Dudley School Board and his department with reference to the remission of a surcharge of £147 2s. 8d., made by Mr. Knott, district auditor, in connection with the Board accounts ending March 1878; and, whether, seeing that the ratepayers of Dudley are very much dissatisfied with such remission, which will have the effect of compelling them to pay for litigation entered upon by the local School Board, against the wishes of a majority of the Board, he will state what are the reasons which induced the Local Government Board to remit such surcharge, or whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a Copy of the Correspondence which took place between the Reverend Dr. Cozens and the Local Government Board upon the subject?
§ MR. DODSONSir, my attention has been drawn by the hon. Member to this case, which was determined nearly a year ago by my Predecessor. The Board, I find, remitted the surcharge after a very careful consideration of the facts. The members of the School Board appeared to have acted in good faith in the proceedings taken by them, although the legal decision went against them; and the resolutions as to the instructions to the solicitor to take proceedings and to pay the costs were carried by a majority. There is no objection to lay a Copy of the Correspondence on the Table.