§ MR. MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland—(1) whether his attention has been directed to the judgment delivered by His Honour Judge Webb, the County Court Judge of Donegal, on the 23rd June, in a case of Lindsay and Orrs v. Gallagher and M'Grener, brought by the trustees and treasurers of the Bundoran Loan Fund against their: Secretary, who joined in making a promissory note to secure the repayment of a loan of £10 made by the society to one Thompson; and to the strictures passed by the learned Judge, in dismissing the case with costs, on the impropriety of bringing a case of this nature before a County Court, when special machinery was provided for its adjudication before a Court of Petty Sessions, which had previously made "no rule" on the subject; and (2) whether, having regard to the numerous charges brought against the Loan Fund Board of mismanagement and maladministration of public moneys, he will be now able to say what will be the form of the proposed investigation into the affairs of this Board, and when it will be likely to be instituted?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURMy attention has been drawn to the report of the observations of Judge Webb in this case, which was an action brought by the trustees and treasurers of the Bundoran Loan Fund, not against their secretary, but against the two sureties of a borrower from the fund. An appeal, I am informed, has been lodged against the decision of Judge Webb. With regard to the second paragraph, the whole subject is still engaging consideration, and I have not yet completed my inquiries.