§ MR. TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the present system of rate receipt forms and of checking rate collectors' accounts is inefficient in preventing embezzlement by dishonest rate collectors in different Unions in Ireland; whether he is aware that in Baltinglass Union the clerk has introduced a plan of having the rate books laid on the Boardroom table for the information of the Guardians at their weekly meetings, with the amounts paid during the week duly set forth; and whether the Local Government Board are prepared to recommend the general adoption of this plan, or some better one, by Boards of Guardians so as to prevent serious loss to the ratepayers through defalcations by dishonest rate collectors?
MR. J. MORLEYThe Local Government Board do not think the present system of rate receipt forms and of checking collectors' accounts is inefficient in preventing embezzlement of the rates, but that it is rather the inefficient 784 working of the present system which has resulted in losses to the ratepayers in certain Unions. The Board have no objection to the adoption by other Unions of the system referred to in the second paragraph, but they do not think that its adoption would result in any real advantage such as would justify them in officially recommending it to Boards of Guardians. In order to be beneficial the system would require to be very fully carried out, and the Board are inclined to believe that in time the inspection by the Guardians might become purely formal. It will be found, as a rule, that defalcations on the part of collectors are rare in well-managed Unions where there is a competent and careful clerk.