§ MR. P. J. POWER (Waterford, E.)asked the President of the Board of 1522 Trade, Whether the Grand Juries of the County and City of Waterford have the right of appointing Directors on the Waterford, Dungarvan, and Lismore Railway; has that right lapsed; have the County and City Grand Juries the right of filling up any vacancies that may occur on the Board of Directors of the Waterford, Dungarvan, and Lismore Railway Company; is it not a fact that the county and city ratepayers contribute to the Company £14,000 a-year out of the rates; have the County and City Grand Juries, which are not Elected Bodies, the power of appointing arbitrators for the purpose of ascertaining the proportions in which the baronies and city shall pay interest and dividends on the capital of the Company; have the County and City Grand Juries appointed any arbitrators, and, if not, has the Board of Trade appointed arbitrators as provided by the Act of 1873; has the Railway Company submitted its account, half-yearly, to any arbitrator, appointed either by the Grand Juries or by the Board of Trade; have the accounts of the Railway Company been presented by the arbitrators to the County and City Grand Juries; and, will the Board of Trade order an investigation into the accounts and the working of the line?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)With regard to the first five Questions of the hon. Member, I have no greater means of obtaining information than are at the hon. Gentleman's own disposal. I can only refer him to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th sections of the Act of 1873, which he mentions. With regard to the sixth Question, I am not aware that arbitrators have been appointed by the Grand Jury under the 11th section; and no application has been made to the Board of Trade, as provided by that section, to appoint arbitrators, in consequence of their having failed to do so. But where such an appointment is made, the Board of Trade can only appoint one arbitrator, which has now been done. I have no information with regard to the seventh and eighth Questions. With reference to the last, no application has been made to us, as required under the provisions of the Regulation of Railways Act, 1868, for an inquiry; nor, as I am at present advised, am I aware of any necessity for ordering such an inquiry.