MR. O'BRIENasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.; Whether it is true that at the recent elections of Poor Law Guardians for the Dunfanaghy Union, five of the National candidates who were sufficiently qualified in respect of valuation, and entitled to vote in the Union, at the time of nomination were disqualified by the Returning Officer's refusal to place their names upon the voting papers; whether landlords were permitted to vote by proxy without having lodged the necessary claims; whether Captain Hill, who is not in occupation of apportion of the Mienacladdy Division, and who is only entitled to vote there by proxy, nominated a candidate for that Division; whether the nominations for Ards Division was made by a landlord whose initials were misprinted on the voting papers; whether a person named Edward Lafferty has been declared by the returning officer to he elected, although his name does not appear on the voting papers for that Division; whether the vote of James Mitchell was rejected on the ground that his name was Anglicised, the Irish spelling of the name being Meidhghall; and, whether an inquiry will be granted into the truth of these and other charges of irregularity preferred against the returning officer in connection with these elections?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, the persons referred to in the 1st paragraph were qualified to vote, and did vote, but were 1476 not qualified as Guardians, or else their nomination papers were invalid. Landlords were not permitted to vote by proxy without lodging the necessary claims. Captain Hill, who is described as not being in occupation of any land in the division referred to, is in occupation of 1,100 acres. The error as to the names of the persons was discovered and corrected by the Returning Officer before the voting papers were issued. A voting paper purporting to be signed by James Mitchell was rejected because there was no corresponding Irish name on the register. These circumstances do not afford any ground for inquiry.