asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the workmen employed at the Royal Gardens, Kew, have asked him to meet a deputation from them to discuss their position under the National Insurance Act; and, if so, what answer if any, he has given to their request?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The workmen referred to should in the first instance submit to the Board of Agriculture any representations which they may wish to make with reference to their position under the National Insurance Act; and I shall be glad to consider any points which my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Agriculture may subsequently bring to my notice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will inquire into the reasons for delay in dealing with the claim of Mr. Willer, Orpingley Road, North, for unemployment benefit, at the Holloway Road bureau; and if he will take steps to prevent, as far as practicable, delays which cause inconvenience and hardship to persons entitled to benefit?

I have made inquiries and I find that, owing to an indistinctly written figure, the number on Mr. Willer's book did not correspond with the documents referring to his claim. Further inquiry was, therefore, necessitated, and the matter has now been settled. Payment of the amount of benefit due to him will be made in the ordinary course today. Every possible step is being taken and will be taken to avoid unnecessary delays in dealing with claims to benefit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number and annual value of all premises charged to Inhabited House Duty, differentiating between each grade of annual value, as given in the Annual Report of the Inland Revenue Commissioners, for each district of England, Wales, and Scotland, or alternatively, for a radius of 50 miles round Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, London, and Birmingham?

The desired information for 1910–11 could be given for each county in the course of a few days. The corresponding figures for 1911–12 will be available in a few months' time. If my hon. Friend would move for a Return the information will be furnished.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether tenants of labourers' cottages are eligible for outdoor relief; and, if not, seeing that hardship must occasionally be inflicted in individual cases, will he state what relief can be afforded under the Poor Law to the temporarily distressed or destitute occupants of a labourer's dwelling under the Labourers Acts?

Under Section 2 of the Act (25 and 26 Vic, cap. 83) destitute poor persons who are in occupation of more than a quarter of an acre of land can only lie relieved in the workhouse. It has been held, however, that this prohibition of outdoor relief only applies to the occupier himself, and that if his wife or any member of his family is permanently or temporarily disabled from labour, the guardians can relieve such persons, if destitute, either in or out of the workhouse. In all cases of sudden and urgent necessity, the relieving officer can afford immediate temporary relief until the next meeting of the guardians, whether the persons are in occupation of land or not.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that Messrs. Curtis and Harvey, proprietors of the powder mills, Ballin-collig, are selling their interest in their property, comprising, in addition to the mills, several workmen's dwellings and about 200 acres of land; whether it is in the power of the Cork Rural District Council to acquire, by voluntary arrangement or purchase in the open market, these workmen's dwellings for the purposes of the Labourers Acts and to obtain allotments out of these 200 acres to add thereto; if so, will the Local Government Board make representations on the matter to the district council or will they favourably consider a special improvement scheme dealing with these dwellings if and when formulated by the district council; and whether it is within the power of the Estates Commissioners to acquire any portion of these 200 acres for the reinstatement of evicted tenants?

The Local Government Board have no official information as to the proposed sale of the property in question. The rural district council who have carried out so many improvement schemes under the Labourers Acts are fully aware of their powers in regard to the acquisition of existing cottages and allotments for the purposes of the Acts. It is not the duty of the Board to make representations in the matter to the rural district council, and the Board could not properly give an assurance beforehand that they will favourably consider a special improvement scheme dealing with these houses if such should be formulated by the rural district council.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture in what counties of England and Wales some system of colonisation has been adopted in connection with small holdings; and what is the nature of the system adopted in each of such counties?

The following statement shows the number of estates exceeding 600 acres which have been acquired by county councils for the purpose of small holdings:—

County.	Parish.		Acreage.	No. of Holdings.
Berks	Charney Bassett	…	1,363	22 and 447 acres let to Small Holdings Association.
	East Hanney	…
	Stanford in the Yale	…
	Hatford	…
Cambridge	Soham	…	660	24
Cheshire	Ledsham	…	854	82
	Haslington	…	735	19
	Ridley	…	1,159	Not yet divided.
Dorset	Winterborne Zelston	…	783	23
Northumberland	East Heddon	…	886	21
	Broomley	…	813	Not vet divided.
Leicester	Misterton and Lutterworth	…	776	18
West Suffolk	Mildenhall	…	721	109
York, East Biding	Skidby and Coltingham	…	607	27
York, West Riding	Minskip	…	608	15
Carnarvon	Llaniestyn (Madryn Estate)	…	2,239	Not yet divided.
Merioneth	Llanfachreth	…	825 (Including Sheep Walk)	9
	Gwyddelwern and Carrog	…	965	Not yet divided.
Montgomery	Llanwnog (Gregynog Estate)	…	1,983	51 small holders on 978 acres; remainder not yet divided.
Pembroke	St. Dogwells	…	1,318	32

Farms not included in the above statement have also been let to thirty-nine small holdings associations, and have been divided by them among their members.

asked the Postmaster-General whether telephone numbers may now be used for telegraphic addresses?

Telegrams intended for delivery by telephone can now be addressed to telephonic addresses. The arrangement, as well as the mode, of address, is described at page 111 of the current issue of the Post Office Guide. A telephonic address consists of the names of the subscriber and his Exchange, the number of his line, and the name of the town, except where the name of the Exchange is also the name of the town or of some well-known locality which is a sufficient address for ordinary telegrams.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the values of the exports of electrical machinery from the United Kingdom and from the United States from 1903 to 1911, inclusive; and what were the values of the imports of electrical machinery of United Statesmanufacture into the United Kingdom during the same years?

The following statement gives the information desired by my hon. Friend:—

align="center">Year.		Exports of Electrical Machinery of all kinds to all Destinations.		Imports into the United Kingdom of Electrical Machinery of all kinds from the United States of America.
		From the United Kingdom.	From the United States of America.
		£	£	£
1903	…	437,000	1,064,000	306,000
1904	…	623,000	1,391,000	290,000
1905	…	644,000	1,544,000	203,000
1906	…	842,000	1,724,000	269,000
1907	…	996,000	2,028,000	186,000
1908	…	l,354,000	1,449,000	161,000
1909	…	1,432,000	1,242,000	162,000
1910	…	1,603,000	1,491,000	153,000
1911	…	1,791,000	1,739,000	195,000

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the scale of pensions to chief officers of His Majesty's Coastguard has yet been amended; if so, whether it is to be retrospective and from what date?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; the second part does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War the names of any of the officers of the Army who are still living and who were included in Return No. 133 of 17th March, 1857, as having remained in the Crimea from the first landing there till the end of the war?

I am afraid that it would not be practicable for the War Office to produce a complete list, as the information available is limited to those officers who are shown in the Army List. All officers who served in the Crimea and whose names are shown in the Army List have the letter C placed against them. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will let me know if this limited information will be sufficient for his purpose.