§ MR. CONWAY (Leitrim, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, What steps will be taken by the Dublin Post Office to ensure the safe transmission, and to record the safe delivery of voting papers in the election to the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland, to be declared on the 6th proximo, having regard to the belief among members of the University that, in a recent election, the whole of the voting papers filled up for the candidate declared to be defeated were not counted in the election; whether, in the said election in October last, in which Dr. Maguire, Trinity College, Dublin, was the candidate declared to have the majority of votes, the chief clerk at the office of the Royal University, Mr. J. E. Oram, part of whose duty it is to superintend the issue of voting papers, and the receipt of them from the voters, was himself a member of Dr. Maguire's Committee; and, who has the actual custody, and is responsible for the safe keeping, of the voting papers during the interval between their return by the electors and the counting of them at the public meeting of the University?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. JOHN MORLEY) (Newcastle-on-Tyne)I am informed that Mr. Oram, who is a graduate of the Royal University, and who was a member of Dr. Maguire's Committee, is only responsible for the issue of the voting papers on these occasions. From the time of their return until the opening of the papers to be counted, they are in the charge of the secretaries, and the secretaries alone are responsible for their safe keeping. On the particular occasion referred to, six papers arrived the day after the election; but the postmarks showed that there had been no delay in the Post Office, and that their late arrival was due to the fault of the senders. The secretaries state that they have never 260 heard any belief expressed as to any impropriety or irregularity having taken place in connection with the late election, nor do they think that in fact any such did occur.