§ THE LORD MAYOR OF DUBLIN (Mr. SEXTON) (Belfast, W.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether a Memorial has been lodged with the Local Government Board, protesting against the appointment of James Adams as rate collector for the Electoral Division of Tullyhogue, in the Poor Law Union of Cookstown; whether James Adams has acted as official objector at the Revision Courts in East Tyrone, on behalf of the Unionist Party, for several years past; 960 if it is the fact that ex officio Guardians, who had not attended the meetings of the Board for three years previously, were present at this election of rate collector and voted for Mr. Adams, and that the elected Guardians, with the exception of three, voted for William Parks, the other candidate, who is a Presbyterian and a ratepayer, residing in the Division; whether James Adams resides in the Division, or is a ratepayer; and, whether, under the circumstances, the Local Government Board will refuse to sanction his appointment?
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. MADDEN)(who replied) (Dublin University)said, The reply to the inquiry in the first paragraph is in the affirmative. Mr. Adams has not acted in the capacity mentioned in the second paragraph for the last three or four years; but he did act in the capacity formerly. It is not the fact that the ex officio Guardians, who had not attended for the three years previously, attended on this occasion and voted for Mr. Adams; nor does the statement in the Question correctly represent the Guardians as voting for the other candidate. Mr. Adams resides about three miles outside the district, and he is not a ratepayer; but there is no Regulation requiring the person appointed to be a ratepayer; and the Local Government Board see no reason to refuse to sanction the appointment made by the Board of Guardians.