§ MR. PATRICK O'BRIEN (Monaghan, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether it has come to the knowledge of the Local Government Board that in the last election of Guardians for the Shillelagh Union, eight votes tendered for a candidate named Terence Byrne were rejected by the Returning Officer; that some of the votes were rejected on the ground that they were the votes of illiterate voters, although they were duly marked with the authority of the voter, and in his presence, and bore the signatures of witnesses; and whether, an view of the fact that Mr. Byrne's opponent in the election, Mr. Casey, was declared elected by a majority of two votes, and that Mr. Byrne claims that, if the votes which were disallowed by the Returning Officer were given him, he would have had a majority of legal votes, the Local Government Board will cause an independent inquiry to 946 test the decision of the Returning Officer, and the claim of Mr. Byrne to have been duly elected?
§ *THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. JACKSON,) Leeds, N.The unsuccessful candidate for one of the divisions of the Union mentioned did forward a statement through his solicitor containing particulars of the votes claimed by him and objected to. The Local Government Board, after careful consideration of the explanations furnished by the Returning Officer, saw no reason to question the correctness of the return made by him for the division, and they therefore did not consider it necessary to put the division to the expense of a sworn inquiry in regard to the election.