§ MR. JORDAN (Clare, W.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to a correspondence between the Secretary (A. Anderson) to the Association of National Teachers in the Union of Enniskillen, Ireland, and the Local Government Board, dated 26th and 30th May last, in reference to a rate of the Board of Guardians of the Enniskillen Union of the 25th March last, purporting to rescind a resolution of the 7th February, 1882, whereby the Union was made contributory under "The National Teachers Act, 1875;" whether the allegation of the teachers is true, that the motion rescinding the resolution of the 7th February, 1882, and making the Union non-contributory, was carried illegally; whether the motion was carried by the vote of a Mr. Bennison, an ex officio Guardian, who when voting was disqualified; whether his vote was immediately challenged; whether his name has since been removed, by authority of the Local Government Board and the Board of Guardians, from the list of ex officio Guardians of the Enniskillen Union; whether the rate of the Guardians was challenged on the moment on another issue, namely, the vote of the presiding chairman, and a 14 days' notice of motion handed in to sustain the resolution of the 7th February, 1882; whether, before either of those issues were disposed of, the Local Government Board made their official 832 notification to the Commissioners of National Education by omitting (see letter, 30th May) Enniskillen Union from the list of contributory Unions; whether, at the striking of the last rate in September, 1889, the Guardians estimated for the probable amount of result fees whether the Local Government Board, by their letter of 30th May last, refuse to further interfere to assist the teachers of the Union to their results; and whether, considering the present position of the teachers, and all the circumstances of the case, he will request the Local Government Board to re-consider the whole matter with a view to continuing the Enniskillen Union contributory under the Act of 1875?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe facts appear to be substantially as stated in the first paragraph. It was contended that the motion was illegal, inasmuch as the chairman had declined to vote when his name was called, but had subsequently voted when the numbers had been declared on each side, but before a decision had been announced from the Chair. The Local Government Board laid the matter before their legal adviser, who advised that the facts were not such as to make the vote illegal or void. The resolution of the Guardians had not been questioned on any other ground than that of the action of the chairman up to the 2nd April, when the Local Government Board furnished the Commissioners of National Education with the list of contributory unions under the National School Teachers' Act, under one of the provisions of which the resolution had come into operation from the previous day. Some days afterwards a question was raised as to the qualification of a Mr. J. J. Bennison, and it appears that that gentleman, not having furnished particulars of his property in the Union, called for by the clerk of the Union, with a view to ascertain whether he possessed the requisite qualification for the office of ex officio Guardian, the clerk has removed his name from the list. The Local Government Board have no power to interfere further in the matter; but it is, of course, open to the Guardians to again become contributory next year, should a majority of the Board be then in favour of doing so.