MR. PATRICK O'BRIENI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the practice extensively prevails amongst the pawnbrokers of Ireland of taking pawns without obtaining the name and place of abode of the persons pledging them, and of the owners thereof, and also that the practice prevails of selling in their shops the articles pawned with them without serving the notices provided for by the Pawnbrokers Act, and in some cases of sending the articles out of the country for sale; and whether he will take steps to see that the provisions of the Act of Parliament are carried out?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI am informed that in some instances the practice prevails, though not extensively, amongst pawnbrokers in Ireland, of 671 taking pawns without taking the addresses of persons who pledge goods, and of the names and addresses of the owners of such goods. I have no information that pawned goods are sold without serving the notices provided by the Pawnbrokers Act, and, so far as the police are able to ascertain, there is no reason to believe that pledged goods are sent out of the country for sale. The attention of pawnbrokers in Dublin was recently directed by the Chief Commissioner of Police to the requirements of the Pawnbrokers Act, and I will make further inquiry whether similar instructions should not be issued to pawnbrokers in other parts of Ireland.