§ MR. MCCARTANI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware of the protest against the election of Miss McGifford as teacher in the Down- 350 patrick Workhouse, forwarded by eleven of the Poor Law Guardians to the Local Government Board on Saturday, 30th April; whether he is aware that the Roman Catholic children in Downpatrick Workhouse are in a proportion of five to one of any other denomination, and that, there being no Catholic official in the Workhouse, the Catholic Guardians claimed the right to have a Catholic teacher appointed; that Lord de Ros, a Protestant, in voting for the Catholic applicant (Miss Dixon), said "he voted for her because he believed the claim of the Catholics was a strong one," and the Hon. Somerset Ward, a Protestant, said "he voted for her because she was best qualified for the position"; and whether, considering that the voting was equal and the Chairman gave his casting vote for the Protestant, he will cause inquiry to be made into the matter, with a view of having the present election annulled?
§ *MR. JACKSONThe Local Government Board for Ireland have received a representation of the nature mentioned in the first paragraph. It appears that of the 21 children at present in the Workhouse school, 15 are Roman Catholics and 6 are of other denominations. I have no official information in regard to the observations attributed to the two Guardians mentioned. The Chairman of a Board of Guardians has no casting vote; but the Chairman gave the vote to which he was entitled as a Guardian to Miss McGifford. As the proceedings at the election were legal and formal, and as the inquiries of the Local Government Board in regard to the elected teacher are satisfactory, there is no ground for interference on the part of that Board.