§ MR. HARRIS (Galway, E.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he is aware that in the Ballinasloe Poor Law Board the elected Guardians and the ex officio Guardians are nearly equal as regards numbers; that, owing to this fact, close and bitter contests have arisen from time to time at the election of Chairman and Deputy Chairman to the Board; why, having regard to this state of things, did the Local Government Board delay a fortnight before they replied to the objet- 991 tions sent to them against the election of Mr. John Gardiner as Chairman of the Ballinasloe Board of Guardians; whether they have pronounced the action of the gentleman who presided at the election of Mr. John Gardiner, on the 4th of April last, as illegal, and have issued an order for a new election; whether he is aware that the gentleman who acted in this illegal manner had the sanction of the Local Government Board to act as presiding officer, and that he was voted into that position by the ex officio Guardians, and against the will of the elected Guardians, and that this course was at variance with the usage of the Board, which up to that time always got the Clerk of the Union to act as presiding officer at the election of Chairman; whether the Local Government Board have received a formal communication signed by six of the elected Guardians claiming the Chairmanship for Mr. Thomas Byrne, who got 18 votes, Mr. Gardiner getting 19 at the election of the 4th of April, on the ground that some of the ex officio Guardians who voted for Mr. Gardiner had no legal right to vote; whether, at the election held on May 16, a formal protest was handed to the Chairman objecting to a new election on the ground that Mr. Byrne was the legally elected Chairman of the Board, and formal objections lodged against Major Thornhill, Mr. Orme Handy, and Mr. J. W. Potts, as having no right to vote at the election of Chairman; whether it is true that in the interval between the 14th of May, the day on which these objections were lodged with the Local Government Board, and the 23rd of May, the day on which the new Board first met, no answer to these objections had been received from the Local Government Board; that in consequence of such delay the Board had to adjourn, being powerless to go on with business while in a state of uncertainty as to their right to act as a legally-constituted body; and, is it on account of this failure on the part of the Ballinasloe Poor Law Board to fulfil duties which, owing to the inaction of the Local Government Board they were powerless to perform, that paid Guardians have been sent down to transact the business of the Union?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.), in reply, 992 said, that the Local Government Board had taken the course referred to in the case of the Ballinasloe Board of Guardians in consequence of the irregular and disorderly character of the meeting, and their neglect of the business of the Union. This step was not taken without previous warning to the Guardians.
§ MR. HARRISsaid, the right hon. Gentleman had not given any answer to the part of the Question in reference to the absence of any charge of dishonesty or corruption against the Board in question.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid, he did not know that any such charge was made; but, however that might be, the complaint constantly made by the Local Government Board was that they were incapable of doing their business, and were engaged in riotous proceedings, which on more than one occasion called for the intervention of the police.
§ MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)May I ask whether or not this Board was dissolved because they took proceedings to set aside the riotous, disorderly, and illegal election of a Conservative Chairman?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am not aware, Sir, that riotous and disorderly applies to but one section of the Guardians to whom the hon. Gentleman refers.
§ MR. CHANCEThat is not an answer to my Question. What I asked was, whether this Board was not superseded immediately after they had instituted proceedings to set aside the riotous, disorderly, and grossly illegal election of their Conservative Chairman?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIf the hon. Member is not satisfied with my answer, perhaps he will put a Notice on the Paper.