§ MR. PICKERSGILL (Bethnal Green, S. W.)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board how many appeals have been made to the Local Government Board against disallowances in the accounts of urban district councils of moneys paid from the rates for the employment of water diviners; what were the amounts involved, the dates of the disallowances, and the dates on which the appeals were decided; and whether the Board have allowed the appeals in some cases, and have held that water diviners can be legally employed at the cost of the rates; and, if so, whether the Law Officers of the Crown were consulted.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordThree appeals have been made to the Local Government Board against disallowances of the kind referred to in the question. The sums disallowed were 22 £13 8s. 7d., £7 13s. 6d., and £3 8s. The disallowances were made in May and August, 1897, and in August, 1898. One of the appeals is at present before the Board, but in the other two cases they have allowed the appeals. The decisions were given in October, 1898, and March, 1899. The Board did not deem it necessary to consult the Law Officers of the Crown on the case. They were advised by their own legal adviser that the reasons assigned by the auditor for making the disallowance did not support the action he took in point of law; but at the same time they stated that they could not but consider that the action of the District Council had been unwise in the matter.