asked the Chief Secretary whether, having regard to the provisions of the Irish Universities Act, 190S, and in particular to Sub-section (5) and (6) of Section 16 of that Act, the position of the professors of the colleges of Cork and Galway is altered to their prejudice with respect to the security of their offices by reason of their being transferred from the control of the Imperial Parliament and Executive to that of the Irish Parliament and of the Executive responsible to that Parliament; and, if so, whether he will make provision in the Government of Ireland Bill safeguarding the interests of the professors of these colleges?

I do not think that the tenure of the professors of the colleges at Cork or Galway is prejudiced by the Bill.

asked the Chief Secretary upon what grounds the Local Government Board, on appeal, disallowed an old age pension granted by the Castlebar pension sub-committee to Mary M'Gough, widow, Aughadrinagh, Castlebar, county Mayo; whether the pension officer, in his estimate of her means, treated her as the sole beneficial occupier of land held by her late husband, subject to an annuity of £10 payable to the Land Commission; and whether he is aware that, her husband having died intestate and having several children, the widow is entitled only to a one-third interest in the land and, there being no other source of income, cannot be regarded as disqualified for pension on the grounds of means?

This woman's claim was disallowed on the ground that her means exceeded the statutory limit. The pension officer reported that her husband died intestate, but that there is only one son residing with the claimant, the other children having gone away long ago.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Rev. S. H. Marchall, Roman Catholic priest at Hebden Bridge, wrote on 20th November, 1912, in the name of the parents of the Roman Catholic children attending the council school at Luddendenfoot, requesting that those children should be permitted to learn their own catechism between 9 and 9.30 a.m. in one of the council school classrooms, and that in consequence of that request being refused those children do not now attend school until 9.30 a.m., and have informed the teachers that if they are penalised for coming late they are to walk out of the school in a body and march to the Catholic Church school to be entertained by a cinematograph show; whether he is aware that twenty-four Roman Catholic children in the mixed department of the Luddendenfoot council school now attend the Luddendenfoot Church of England school at 9 a.m., and are there taught in the Roman Catholic faith, by means of catechisms and other literature until 9.25 a.m.; and whether any distinctive denominational teaching is allowed to be given in any council school, and if any Roman Catholic teaching may be given in any Church of Eng- land school?

I have seen a newspaper report containing a print of the letter referred to in the first part of the question, together with a statement that the children affected were going to the council school at 9.30, and have informed the teachers that if they received any penalty they had to walk out of the school and go to the Catholic church school, where they would be shown a cinematograph show. I have no information with regard to the facts alleged in the second part of the question. With regard to the third part of the question, Section 14, Sub-section (2), of the Elementary Education Act, 1870, provides that no religious catechism or religious formulary which is distinctive of any particular denomination shall bo taught in a school provided by a local education authority, and Section 7, Sub-section (6), of the Education Act, 1902, provides that religious instruction given in a public elementary school not provided by a local education authority shall, as regards its character, be in accordance with the provisions (if any) of the trust deed relating thereto, and shall be under the control of the managers.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state the number of students, male, female, and total numbers, respectively, in the universities of Germany, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom?

(1) No official information is available as to the number of students attending universities in Russia. Official information as to the number of students attending universities in the other countries referred to is not in all respects complete. Moreover, the widely different conditions of admission and the different character of the courses of study prevent any effective comparison from being made between such figures as are available. (2) Students of engineering and certain other technological subjects in Germany attend the technische hochschulen and other higher fachschulen and not the university. Students of these subjects in France similarly attend ecoles spéciales and not the university. So far as possible, therefore, in the figures which follow, students taking university courses in engineering and other technological subjects in the United Kingdom have been excluded. (3) According to the "Statistisches Jahrbuch fur das deutsche Reich," issued by the Kaiserliches Statistisches Amt, there were in the winter term of 1911–12 about 57,300 students in attendance as matriculated students at German universities. Of these, the number of men matriculated students was about 54,500, and of women about 2,800. (4) The "Bulleton adminis-tratif du Ministère de l'lnstruction Publique," for 23rd March,]912, gives the number of students attending universities, including schools of medicine, in France as about 40,000. Of these, about 36,000 were men, and 4,000 were women. Out of the total number about 5,500 were foreigners. (5) The number of full-time day students at universities and constituent colleges of universities in the United Kingdom is about 27,000. Figures for men and women students cannot be given separately. (6) Particulars of the students attending those universities and constituent colleges of universities in England and Wales which are in receipt of grant from the Board are to be found in the annual volumes of reports from those institutions [Cd. 6245 (1912)]. Information in regard to the students attending the four Scotch universities is to be found in their annual statistical reports, which are also presented to Parliament. (7) There is, so far as I am aware, no published information with regard to the students in universities in Ireland, who are included in the figures given in paragraph (5).

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the grounds for suppressing the names of those concerned in a recent prosecution under the White Slave Traffic Act; and if he will take steps to prevent a repetition of this procedure, as being calculated to impair the effectiveness of the Act?

I have seen a newspaper report of a case recently heard at Lambeth Police Court, and I have communicated with the magistrate who heard the case. I understand that the course referred to in the question was adopted at the request of the principal witness for the prosecution, who is the wife of the accused. A Court will be justified in adopting such a course when satisfied that it will be in the interests of justice, and I have no authority to interfere with the Courts in the exercise of their discretion in the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary for India the total number of ounces of silver purchased during the year 1912, the aggregate sterling cost, and the average price per ounce?

The total number of ounces purchased was 50,793,817, the aggregate cost £6,005,363, and the average price per ounce (to the nearest sixteenth of a penny) 26⅜d. The figures given are exclusive of brokerage, freight, insurance, and other incidental charges.

asked the Prime Minister if his attention has been called to the published Report on St. Paul's Cathedral by the eminent civil engineer Sir Francis Fox, in which he states that, in his opinion, the cathedral is overloaded and already actually moving and cracking, and that the proposed tramway in a tunnel with a terminal station under the street within a few feet of the eastern end of the fabric may at no distant date bring about serious injury to it; and whether, in view of the national importance of the cathedral and of its preservation from serious injury, the Government propose to institute an inquiry into the matter?

There does not appear to be any necessity for such an inquiry, since those responsible for the safety of the cathedral are fully aware of the danger, and the sanction of Parliament will have to be obtained for the tramway referred to.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that the auditors of the Board, in auditing the accounts of the small holdings committee of the Herefordshire County Council, has credited the accounts with rents due to the council but not paid, and has not debited the rents due by the council but not paid, thereby giving an erroneous impression of the result of the year's working; whether this is the regular practice with the accounts of all counties; and, if so, if he will see that it is altered so as to show a true balance sheet?

I am in communication with the district auditor who audited the accounts of the county council for the last year. As to the latter part of the question I have no reason to suppose that the accounts of county councils generally are so kept as not to show the true result of the year's working of the small holdings.

asked the President of the Local Government Board the number of children affected by the recent outbreak of ophthalmia at the Park School, Hanwell, which is under the control of the West London school district; the number of children resident in the school, and their average age; to what the outbreak of ophthalmia is attributed; and do the children occupy buildings which were formerly used as an ophthalmic school for the Poor Law children of the Metropolis?

The number of children isolated or treated during the outbreak was 159; the number of children resident in the Park School on the 31st December last was 337; and their average age about five and a half years. The outbreak is attributed to the admission of children, the condition of whose eyes, though there was no active disease, was unhealthy, and such children are not in future to be admitted. The buildings were used as an ophthalmic school up to March, 1903, and were not made use of for other purposes until the experts consulted advised that this could safely be done.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there has been delay in installing the telephone service in the neighbourhood of Manchester and, in particular, in the transfer of a telephone applied for early in August from Spring Gardens to 171, Palatine Road, West Didsbury; and if he will take steps to expedite the matter?

I regret that so much delay should have occurred in connection with this removal. It has been due mainly to lack of accommodation at the Didsbury Exchange when it was transferred to the Post Office. The work of extending the equipment at this exchange is, however nearing completion, and I understand that the removal in question will be completed to-day.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the fact that houses in the village of Buckland, Surrey, are for telephone purposes connected with the Reigate Exchange and therefore in the London area, he can see his way to allow the public call office at Buckland to be also in the London area, thereby extending to those residents at Buckland who have not got telephone installations in their houses advantages corresponding to those of their richer neighbours?

I regret that I am unable to agree to the inclusion of the proposed call office at Buckland in the London Exchange area.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that since the embargo on Irish cattle has been extended to hay and straw the firm of James O'Neill and Sons, Limited, Kinsale, county Cork, extensively engaged in that trade, are completely blocked in that branch of their business; and, in view of the fact that these restrictions, apart from the loss to this firm, entail loss to the farmers and labourers of the district, will he cause them to be removed, seeing that the district is over 200 miles from the nearest affected area?

My attention has not been called except by the hon. Member's question to the case of James O'Neill and Sons, Limited. I am aware of, and much regret, the loss occasioned by the necessity of prohibiting the importation of Irish hay and straw into Great Britain. With regard to the modification of the restrictions I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to questions on this subject on Thursday last.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that foxes are from time to time imported into this country from abroad for the purpose of being hunted; whether any record is kept of the number of foxes so imported; whether such imported foxes are subject to the provisions of the Importation of Dogs Order; and, if not, whether he will take steps to make those provisions applicable to all foxes so imported?

The importation of foxes into Great Britain from foreign countries is regulated by the Importation of Canine Animals Order of 1909, a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend. It is provided by the Order that no fox shall be landed except by a licence of the Board. Thirty-eight foxes of various kinds were landed in 1910, ten in 1911, and eight in 1912; and of these, six in 1910, two in 1911, and six in 1912, were taken direct to zoological gardens or menageries; the remainder were detained on private premises, and I have no information as to the purpose for which they were imported.