§ MR. REDDY (King's County, Birr)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the new road, known as
† Untenanted and Non-residential Land (Ireland)—Return of Untenanted and Nonresidential Land, exclusive of demesnes, in Ireland by counties, giving in relation to such land in each county; (1) the rural district; (2) the townland; (3) the area in statute acres; (4) the Poor Law valuation; and (5) the name and address of the owner or person receiving the profits of the said land.458 the Bloomhill and Derrycarney Road, in the Birr rural district, is delayed in completion, by reason of the fact that the auditor has threatened to surcharge the county council should they proceed with the work; and whether he will give instructions to that official, who proposes holding his audit in Tullamore on the 11th instant, to allow those works to proceed, as they have been repeatedly approved by the district council of Birr and the King's County Council.
* MR. BRYCEI am informed by the Local Government Board that it is not the fact that their auditor threatened to surcharge the county council for the cost of the road in question. He suggested, however, to the council the desirability of considering whether the road should not be constructed as a whole rather than that, as proposed, a small section of it should be made which would not be of general public benefit. The county council approved of the auditor's suggestion, and referred the matter back to the district council in order that they might formulate a fresh proposal. It is the duty of the auditor to determine the legality of payments which come before him, and the Local Government Board have no power to interfere except on appeal from his decision.