§ MR. MAYNEasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Did the Local Government Board Inspector, Mr. Bourke, at an investigation, under the Labourers (Ireland) Act, held at Nenagh, on the 20th February, allow a landlord, Mr. Twiss, of Birdhill, county 646 Tipperary, to examine a Poor Law Guardian, Mr. Caffery, of Birdhill, on oath, and refuse permission to Mr. Caffery to examine Mr. Twiss; did Mr. Bourke, when questioned as to his reasons for so doing, refuse to give any; did Mr. Bourke give full permission to landlords to examine and cross-examine witnesses, and give only a very limited permission to Poor Law Guardians and others to examine landlords; and, if so, does the Local Government Board approve of his action; and, will he state if there is any objection to allowing nonprofessional men to take such part in investigations under the Labourers (Ireland) Act as they were allowed to take under the Arrears Act?
§ MR. TREVELYANSir, Mr. Bourke states that he has no recollection of having refused permission to the Poor Law Guardians to examine Mr. Twiss, and he believes that he gave no facilities to landlords that he refused to other persons; but he adds that more explicit information as to the course which the inquiry took will be available when the shorthand writer who reported the proceedings sends in the transcript of his notes. Any person interested may attend at an inquiry under the Labourers' Act and object to a scheme proposed; but no person can examine witnesses without the consent of the Inspecter conducting the inquiry.