§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he will state on what ground and by whose recommendation an Order is to be issued breaking up the ancient township of Sheffield into arbitrarily?divided wards for the election of the Guardians of the Poor, without public local inquiry and in defiance of the representations of seven out of eleven of the present Guardians elected by the township, and of an urgent Petition signed by nearly 600 ratepayers; and having in view the strong local feeling on the sub- 1434 ject, if he will withhold or suspend his approval until an official of the Local Government Board has fully investigated the whole of the facts upon oral evidence, and made report to himself?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. H. H. FOWLER, Wolverhampton, E.)The township of Sheffield has a population of more than 90,000, and it was in consequence of an application by the Guardians of the Sheffield Union of which the township forms a part, that it was proposed by the Local Government Board to divide the township into wards for the election of Guardians. The proposed wards, it was understood, were to be the same as those which have been constituted for municipal elections. The Board have since received representations adverse to the proposal, and I have directed that a local inquiry shall be held before a final decision is arrived at.