§ MR. MAGUIRE (Donegal, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether an application has been made to the Government for a telegraph office at Culdaff, County Donegal; whether the Electoral Divisions of Culdaff, Carthage, and Gleneely, in the Innishowen Union, are asked to give a guarantee to support the same; whether he is aware that the said application has been made without the knowledge or consent of the ratepayers of the said divisions, and that a memorial is being signed by the ratepayers against the giving of the said guarantee; and whether he will grant such application pending the ratepayers being afforded an opportunity of expressing their opinion upon the same at the next election for Poor Law Guardians?
§ MR. JACKSONSuch an application was received from the Innishowen Board of Guardians, who are the Rural Sanitary Authority empowered to give guarantees for the cost of telegraph offices, and they resolved to guarantee the sum required by the Post Office for a telegraph station at Culdaff, Donegal. A draft agreement was sent to the Board accordingly. The Department has no official cognisance of the contributory Unions, and I have no right to question the competency of the Statutory Authority to conclude such an agreement.