§ MR. JASPER TULLY () Leitrim, S.I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, at the sworn Inquiry held last year by the medical inspector of the Local Government Board into the irregularities in the contract for medicines in Mullingar Union, it was proven that the clerk of the Union issued one set of advertisements in the local papers and inserted advertisements with different conditions in the Dublin papers, which, had the effect of shutting out the competition of Dublin houses, and that the clerk of the Union stated publicly after the Inquiry at the Board of Guardians that he had received no censure from the Local Government Board; whether the same irregularities have taken place again this year; and, if he can state what action the Local Government Board intend to take towards the clerk of the Union?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELANDThe advertisements in the local papers set forth the conditions fully, whereas the advertisements in the Dublin papers, in order to save expense, only mentioned the fact that tenders would be considered on a particular day, and that forms could be had on application. These forms contained the conditions. This appears to have been the method adopted for many years previously. The clerk of the Union states that the advertisements for this year's contracts are in the same form both in the Dublin and local papers. No further action against the clerk of the Union is called for.