asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any investigation has been held into the affairs of the United National Friendly Assurance Collecting Society, of 108, Douglas Street, Glasgow, and with what result; has this society made any, and what, deposit under the Insurance Companies Act, 1909, or otherwise, and is it entitled to continue business and collect premiums; is he aware that this society does a considerable business among poor persons in county Fermanagh and the North of Ireland generally through agents who represent it as solvent and possessed of accumulated funds, and having complied with the Act by giving security to Government; and will any steps be taken to prevent deception of the insurers?

No investigation has been applied for by the members of the United National Friendly Assurance Collecting Society, and therefore none has been made. The society is registered under the Friendly Societies Act, 1896, and therefore is not required to make a deposit under the Assurance Companies Act, 1909, or otherwise, and is entitled to continue business and collect premiums without making such deposit. I have no knowledge of the matters referred to in the remainder of the question.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that some teachers who have been promoted from the 1st of April, 1910, by the Commissioners of National Education, Ireland, have not yet received the stated increase of salary in such cases; whether the time of waiting for the augmentation does not count in the qualifying period before being awarded a subsequent increment; and, if so, whether he will include this matter in the terms of reference to the proposed Commission of inquiry into certain alleged irregularities in the Irish primary education system?

I would refer the hon. Member to my replies to the similar questions of the hon. Member for Mid-Armagh on 19th December, 1912, and 2nd instant, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in the case of a teacher's residence attached to a national school in Ireland, the loan for erecting which has been jointly repaid by the Commissioners of National Education and the occupying teacher, the manager is bound to allow the use of such residence to the teacher for the time being free of rent; and can the manager impose a rent on the teacher or divert the residence to other purposes?

The Commissioners of National Education are not in a position to make a statement in regard to this hypothetical question, but if the hon. Member will furnish the details of any particular case he may have in view inquiry will be made.

asked the Prime Minister how often the veto of the Crown or of the Imperial Parliament has been exercised within the last twenty years in respect of any legislative enactment dealing with the internal affairs of any autonomous Colony within the Empire?

Full information as to the cases in which the Royal Assent has not been accorded to Bills passed by the Parliaments of self-governing Dominions, Colonies, and States will be found in four Returns already laid before Parliament—House of Lords Return 196 of 1894, and House of Commons Returns 362 of 1901, 184 of 1906, and 160 of 1912.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, on a comparable basis, the time occupied in building those British, German, Italian, and Austrian "Dreadnoughts" already completed; and if he will give, in addition, the date of laying down and the expected date of commissioning of such vessels as are not yet completed; and if he will state, where possible, how much they are late and the reasons for such lateness?

The following tables give the time occupied in building the ships of the "Dreadnought" type that have already been completed for Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary; also, where possible, the dates on which those building were laid down. As regards the expected dates of com-

(a) GREAT BRITAIN.
"Dreadnought" Type Ships—completed.
Ship.		Programme Year.	Date of Ordering.	Date of Commencement (Laying of Keel).	Date of Completion.	Difference between (1)and (3).		Difference between (2) and (3).
			(1)	(2)	(3)
						Yrs.	mths.	Yrs.	mths.
"Dreadnought"	…	1905–6	July, 1905	Oct., 1905	Dec, 1906	1	5	1	2
"Invincible"	…		Nov., 1905	Apl., 1906	Mar., 1909	3	4	2	11
"Indomitable"	…		Nov., 1905	Mar., 1906	June, 1908	2	7	2	4
"Inflexible"	…		Nov., 1905	Feb., 1906	Oct., 1908	2	11	2	8
"Bellerophon"	…	1906–7	Oct., 1906	Dec, 1906	Feb., 1909	2	4	2	8
"Temeraire"	…		Oct., 1906	Jan., 1907	May, 1909	2	7	2	5
"Superb"	…		Dec, 1906	Feb., 1907	May., 1909	2	5	2	4
"St. Vincent"	…	1907–8	Oct., 1907	Dec, 1907	May., 1910	2	7	2	5
"Collingwood"	…		Oct., 1907	Feb., 1908	Apl., 1910	2	6	2	3
"Vanguard"	…		Feb., 1908	Apl., 1908	Feb., 1910	2	1	1	11
"Neptune"	…	1908–9	Dec,1908	Jan., 1909	Jan., 1911	2	1	2	0
"Indefatigable"	…		Nov., 1908	Feb., 1909	Apl., 1911	2	5	2	1
"Hercules"	…	1909–10	June, 1909	July, 1909	July, 1911	2	1	1	11
"Colossus"	…		June, 1909	July, 1909	Aug., 1911	2	2	2	1
"Orion"	…		Oct., 1909	Nov., 1909	Dec, 1911	2	2	2	1
"Lion"	…		Oct., 1909	Nov., 1909	June, 1912	2	8	2	7
"Monarch"	…	1909–10 (Contingent ships)	Jan., 1910	Apl., 1910	Apl., 1912	2	3	2	0
"Conqueror"	…		Jan., 1910	Apl., 1910	Nov., 1912	2	10	2	7
"Thunderer"	…		Jan., 1910	Apl., 1910	June, 1912	2	5	2	2
"Princess Royal"	…		Jan., 1910	May, 1910	Nov., 1912	2	10	2	6
"King George V."	…	1910–11	Nov., 1910	Jan., 1911	Nov., 1912	2	0	1	10
"New Zealand"*	…		Apl., 1910	June, 1910	Nov., 1912	2	7	2	5
* Built at the charge of the New Zealand Government.

(b) "Dreadnought" Type Ships—Building.
Ship		Programme Year.	Date laid down.
"Centurion"	…	1910–11	January, 1911
"Ajax"	…		February, 1911
"Audacious"	…		March, 1911
"Queen Mary"	…		March, 1911
"Iron Duke"	…	1911–12	January, 1912
"Marlborough"	…		January, 1912
"Benbow"	…		May, 1912
"Delhi"	…		May, 1912
"Tiger"	…		June, 1912
"Queen Elizabeth"	…	1912–13	October, 1912
"Warspite"	…		October, 1912
"Valiant"	…		Not yet laid down
"Barham"	…

NOTE.—The"Australia,"building for the Australian Commonwealth, and due for completion in May, 1913, has not been included in above statement.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what were the payments made by the Indian Government on account of the naval expenditure of this country in the Indian Seas for each of the past twenty years?

Year.	Maintenance of H.M. Ships in Indian Waters.	Floating Defences of Indian Harbours.	Total.
	£	£	£
1892–93	52,018	50,000	102,018
1893–94	50,000	61,050	111,050
1894–95	50,000	59,600	109,600
1895–96	117,000	59,600	176,600
1896–97	97,443	59,600	157,043
1897–98	100,000	59,600	159,600
1898–99	100,000	45,000	145,000
1899–00	100,000	59,600	159,600
1900–01	100,000	74,200	174,200
1901–02	100,000	61,600	161,600
1902–03	100,000	61,600	161,600
1903–04	100,000	—	100,000
1904–05	100,000	—	100,000
1905–06	100,000	*3,889	96,111
1906–07	100,000	—	100,000
1907–08	100.000	—	100,000
1908–09	100,000	—	100,000
1909–10	100,000	—	100,000
1910–11	100,000	—	100,000
1911–12	†100,000	—	100,000
	108,500	—	108,500
*This was a repayment to India.
†Repayment on account of services rendered by His Majesty's ships engaged in the suppression of the arms traffic in the Persian Gulf.

asked the President of the Board of Education, in view of the fact that under Section 21 (6) of the Children Act, 1908, he can authorise the emigration of a child or young person who has been committed to the care of any person in pursuance of that Section, whether he will now consider the advisability of taking steps to amend the law so as to authorise the emigration of any child or young person ordered to be sent to a certified industrial school in pursuance of Section 58 (6) of that Act?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question, as it is the Secretary of State and not the President of the Board of Education who can authorise emigration under Section 21 (6) of the Children Act. There would appear to be some misapprehension as regards children committed under Section 58 (6), because the Secretary of State has power under Section 70 to consent to the disposal by emigration of any child or young person who has been committed to an industrial school, and consent is often given in the case of children sent under Section 58 (6).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the rule which obtains in Bengal to the effect that a confidential report by a superior officer against a subordinate is communicated to such subordinate, obtains in other pro vinces; if not, whether it is proposed to make this practice of universal application; whether the amalgamation of the Civil and Public Works Accounts Department has led to the loss of this privilege by the audit officers of the latter Department; and, if so, whether steps will be taken to restore this right to them?

The Bengal rule requiring that all officers shall be informed of unfavourable comments in reports of superior officers is fully in force in some provinces, and in others in a restricted or qualified form. Independently of this rule special rules govern the cases of Public Works and Forest officers and of Indian Medical Service officers in civil employ. The amalgamation of the Public Works Accounts with the Civil Accounts has removed the former officers from the operation of the special rules, but a warning is conveyed to any officer who is the subject of an unsatisfactory report.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether members of the Indian Imperial Services recruited in England, except those of the police and education departments, enjoy the privilege of retiring voluntarily on full pension after twenty-five years' service; and, if so, whether, in view of the present unpopularity of these services, of the frequent resignations from that of education, and of the fact that the latter service is not represented on the Indian Public Services Commission, and that the Government of India withholds petitions to the Secretary of State from officers of this service, he will consider the desirability of placing the Indian educational service on the same footing in respect of pension and otherwise as other Imperial services?

It was explained to the hon. Member, in answer to his question of 8th October last, that the pension rules in the Indian Educational Service are (with an important exception in favour of that service) the ordinary rules for pension in Civil Departments other than the Covenanted Civil Service. The privilege of retiring voluntarily on full pension after twenty-five years' service is enjoyed only by the Public Works, Forest, and Geological Survey Departments. Petitions from educational officers have been duly transmitted by the Government of India, but decisions have been deferred in view of the appointment of the Public Service Commission, The Secretary of State does not agree that service in the police and education Departments is unpopular, or that resignations from the latter service are frequent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has received a copy of a resolution from the Trinidad Working Men's Association asking for an Ordinance on the lines of the British Workmen's Compensation Act; and whether he can make any statement regarding it?

The resolution to which my hon. Friend refers has not yet reached me.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the Wheel Tax Ordinance recently brought before the Legislative Council of Trinidad; whether it has been passed by the Council; whether it has come within his notice that the provisions of the Ordinance will not apply to the vehicles of the tramway company, who exercise their monopoly powers without any payment of any kind for the valuable monopoly held by them; and whether he is able to offer advice to the Trinidad Government, suggesting that the provisions of the Ordinance should apply to the tramway company?

My hon. Friend no doubt refers to the Port of Spain Carriage Licences Ordinance, 1912. That Ordinance has been passed by the Legislative Council, but has not yet been submitted to me for His Majesty's pleasure to be taken with regard to it.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he intends at an early date to introduce a Bill dealing with the reception and disposal of trade effluent as recommended by the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal?

I have a Bill in preparation dealing with this subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can supply figures showing, in fine ounces, the portion of the world's production of silver in the years 1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911, or any of these years, estimated to have been used in the arts and manufactures?

According to estimates prepared by the Director of the United States Mint the production of silver in the world, expressed in fine ounces, amounted, approximately, to 203,000,000 ounces in 1908, 210,000,000 ounces in 1909, and 223,000,000 ounces in 1910. He further estimates that the quantity of new silver used in the arts and manufactures, expressed in fine ounces, amounted to, approximately, 92,000,000 ounces in 1908, 105,000,000 ounces in 1909, and 143,000,000 ounces in 1910. Corresponding estimates for 1911 are not yet available.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if the disease called in Ireland dirty tongue, from which a number of cattle in county Armagh are stated by the local veterinary surgeons to have been suffering, is one known to the veterinary experts at the Board of Agriculture or recognisable by them from the description given of the. Symptoms?

I am advised that the disease popularly known in Ireland as dirty tongue, is probably the same as the stomatitis, which has been found by the Board's veterinary inspectors among Irish cattle when landed in this country.

asked if any of the heads of Irish cattle suspected of having been affected with foot-and-mouth disease and recently examined by the officials of the Board were found to be affected with actinomycosis?

In July last year the attention of the Board was called by the local authority at Liverpool to the head of a bullock imported from Ireland which was suspected of having been affected with foot-and-mouth disease. The chief veterinary officer of the Board travelled to Liverpool and diagnosed the case as actinomycosis, not foot-and-mouth disease. No more recent case of the kind has occurred.