§ MR. TULLY (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether under Rule 17 of the County and Rural Districts Councils (Ireland) First Elections Order, 1899, providing that where there are more than four candidates one-fourth must agree to the appointment of a polling agent, it is possible, as 1105 happened in the urban elections, for a candidate to have four or more bogus candidates nominated in order to deprive a genuine opponent of the right to have a polling agent in the polling booth; and whether he would recommend that a discretionary power be given to the returning officer to take steps where necessary to prevent such tactics?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe provisions of Rule 17 will be modified in order to meet the objection to which attention is called in the question.