§ Mr. KEATINGasked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the clerk of the Crown and peace for the county of Antrim is in the habit of insisting on solicitors who have business with his office enclosing stamped envelopes for replies to their communications and for the return of documents sent to him in the ordinary course of his official duties; if he is aware that when practitioners fail to send such 160W stamped envelopes the clerk sometimes returns documents, etc., sent to him in unstamped envelopes; and, if so, whether the clerk is authorised to insist on postages being prepaid in this manner, seeing that in the offices of other clerks of the peace in Ireland no such regulation is in force; if clerks of the peace are allowed their postages by the Treasury; and will he say | what is the practice in England in similar circumstances?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI understand that the I practice of requiring stamped envelopes I to be enclosed for replies or for there turn of documents is not confined to county Antrim, and that there is no reason for interfering with it. Clerks of the Crown and peace receive an allowance to cover the expenditure on clerical assistance, stationery, and official postage necessarily incurred by them in the discharge of their duties. I cannot say what the English practice may be, but I am informed that the usual course in Belfast and Dublin is for solicitors to attend in person or by their agents with the documents for signature.