§ MR. BLANE (Armagh, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether the abstract of accounts of the Town Commissioners of Portadown, as published in The Portadown and Lurgan News, is a true statement for the year ending 31st December, 1886; whether the receipts of the markets are correctly put down as £386 0s. Id., and the expenses of the markets at £421 11s. 6d; whether the sum of £209 for law costs, out of an income of rates of £908 7s. 8d., is a permissible expenditure of the public money; whether the lawyer's bill of costs was taxed; and, if not, why not; and, whether he can explain the certificates of the auditor in the abstract referred to, that the Commissioners received on foot of county contracts £1,046 16.s. 2d., and expended in county contracts £317 6s. Ad., in the year ending 31st December, 1886?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)I am informed by the auditor that the figures are correctly stated. It appears that the expenses of the markets included the payment of outstanding accounts of the previous year, and likewise that the account of law costs had been accumulating for some time. The bill of costs was taxed. As regards the items relating to county contracts, it appears that the practice is that any expenditure incurred by the Commissioners after July is not paid by the county until the March following. The accounts are open to the inspection of all persons interested for seven days before every audit.