§ COLONEL NOLANasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If, in the East Athenry Electoral Division of the Loughrea Union, voting papers were left for Mr. Evans by the collecting officer, Constable Maloney, on the 18th March; if these papers were not collected by the constable until the night of the 21st March, and if such a delay is legal; if the nomination of the candidate opposed to the gentleman for 1810 whom Mr. Evans voted, requested that the late papers on his side might be similarly collected; if the head constable refused to collect the late papers on that side saying that his power in such matters was discretionary; and, if the election was decided by the late paper so collected; and, if so, will the Local Government Board permit the election to stand?
§ MR. TREVELYAN,in reply, said, he was informed that the voting papers referred to were left to be served on the 18th, and that when the collector called he was told they had been sent by post to Mr. Evans, who lived in another county, and that they could not be received back before next day. The rule was that, voting papers should not be in the hands of the voter for more than one day; and in going for the papers a second time, the collector was of opinion that as the voter lived at a distance, the paper would not have been more than one clear day in his possession. There were no similar cases on the other side, but there was a case in which the collector was asked to visit the house of the voter the second time; but this he refused to do. The number of votes recorded for each candidate was equal, and the Local Government Board would order a new election.