asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that pressure is being used in certain ships to get shipwrights to accept the new scheme; and will he say if this is done with his authority?

I am not aware of the exercise of any pressure. We wish the choice of the men to be quite unlettered.

Is the right hon. Gentleman now in a position to say whether the Admiralty have considered the question of the time limit?

I promised the Noble Lord in the last Session of Parliament that the question would be considered. I am doing that at the present time.

asked if the armoured ships "Valiant," "Barham," and "Malayan" have yet been laid down; if so, on what dates; when it is anticipated that they will, respectively, be launched; and what are the contract dates for completion?

"Valiant" was laid down on the 31st January, 1913; it is expected she will be launched about December next and completed by the end of January, 1915. "Barham" was laid down on 24th February, 1913; it is expected she will be launched about February, 1914, and completed by the end of January, 1915. As regards "Malayan," which has not yet been laid down, it is not yet possible to name estimated dates.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many hydro-aeroplanes have been ordered for the service of the aerial branch of the Royal Navy; and whether they are to be paid for out of the Estimates of the present financial year or whether they have been ordered in anticipation of the forthcoming Estimates?

I propose to defer any statement on this subject until I present the Estimates.

asked what are now the latest dates for delivery of the battleships "Ajax" and "Audacious" and the battle-cruiser "Queen Mary"; and whether there is likely to be any delay in the construction of the battleships "Delhi" and "Benbow" and the battle-cruiser "Tiger"?

These vessels are progressing as rapidly as possible, and I do not desire at the present time to be led into definite statements in regard to them. Similar information is not readily forthcoming about the ships of other countries.

asked what should be the establishment as estimated on 31st March of the personnel of the Royal Navy, distinguishing between the officers and the men; and what will be the extent of the shortage in each case?

I will deal fully with the manning question when I introduce the Navy Estimates.

asked whether the hospital ship sanctioned in the recent Estimates has yet been ordered; if so, of whom; and, if not, whether it is still intended to proceed with her construction?

A suitable ship for this service has been purchased from the mercantile marine and will be fitted out at one of His Majesty's dockyards.

asked whether the eight scouts withdrawn from service in the autumn of last year for rearming have yet been taken in hand; and, if not, will he state the reason of the delay and when it is hoped this rearming will be completed?

All the vessels are in hand, and most of them are being retubed at the same time as rearming is carried out. They are all due for completion by the end of June.

asked whether all the light-armoured cruisers have been laid down; if so, on what dates; and whether there is likely to be any delay in the delivery of any of them?

Six of the eight vessels have been laid down as follows: "Aurora," on 24th October, 1912; "Arethusa," on 28th October, 1912; "Undaunted," on 21st December, 1912; "Galatea," on 9th January, 1913; "Penelope," 1st February, 1913; "Phæton," 12th March, 1913. "Inconstant" and "Royalist" have not yet been laid down. It is too early to form an estimate of any possible delay in completion.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the authorities of the Admiralty refuse to give the same recognition to the Master of Surgery degree of the London University and to the corresponding degrees of the Oxford and Cambridge Universities as they give to the M.D. degree; and whether they decline, and, if so, why, to allow surgeons in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve to have the degree of M.S. inserted after their names in the Navy List, whereas they permit the degree of M.A., M.D., and M.B. to be so inserted?

Instructions will be given that in future issues of the Navy List the letters M.S. shall be inserted after the names of medical officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who hold the degree of Master of Surgery.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that orders have been issued requiring the men serving in the Second Destroyer Flotilla to take their Easter leave from South Queensferry, Scotland, instead of from the home port; and whether, seeing that to go home will necessitate a long and expensive railway journey, he can see his way to cancel the order and give the men leave at the home port, or, if this be inconvenient, would it be possible for the men's railway journey to the home port to be defrayed out of naval funds?

I regret that I can hold out no expectation either that all the destroyer flotillas can give leave from their home ports at the same time or that the railway fares of men going on leave from an outport can be defrayed from naval funds. A proposal is, however, being considered for the leave of the Second Flotilla to be delayed till it can be taken at a home port.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can now see his way to reconsider his decision not to grant medals for long service and good conduct for combined service in the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Reserve to men who have served fifteen years on the same terms as are granted at the present time to men in the Territorial Force?

I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on the 16th May last.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty a question, of which I have given him private notice: Whether he can see his way to lay on the Table of the House the Admiralty Memorandum as to the cost of shipbuilding, as well as the correspondence with the Admiralty and the First Lord which was read by Mr. Borden in the House of Commons, Ottawa, in the course of the naval debate?

I propose to lay on the Table of the House, as soon as they can be printed, the documents which Mr. Borden communicated to the Dominion House of Commons.

asked how many schemes for town planning have been sanctioned under the Town Planning Act, and how many more are under consideration?

I have sanctioned the preparation of thirty schemes by twenty-four local authorities, and four of these schemes have been made by the local authorities and submitted to me for approval. I also have under consideration applications for authority to prepare thirteen other schemes by twelve local authorities. The area of the lands included in the above schemes exceeds 60,000 acres. In addition, about 100 other cases have been brought to my notice in which the local authorities were considering the question of preparing schemes; and there are no doubt many other authorities who are contemplating schemes, but who have not yet found it necessary to communicate with me on the subject.

asked how many houses have been condemned under the Town Planning Act as unfit for habitation; and how many insanitary houses have been made habitable under the same Act?

Information on the subject is contained in the White Paper on Housing recently issued by me. The latest figures in my possession show that up to the 31st March last 15,350 houses were made the subject of closing orders by local authorities under the Housing and Town Planning Act, 1909, but a large number of those houses were subsequently made fit for habitation. The number of insanitary houses or houses not reasonably fit for habitation which have been made fit for habitation as a result of procedure under Sections 15 and 17 of the Act of 1909 is approximately 67,000.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that in rural districts difficulty is frequently experienced by parents who wish to take advantage of the provision in the Vaccination Act, 1907, for making a declaration of conscientious objection to vaccination, by reason of the fact that a magistrate or commissioner for oaths is not available without the applicant journeying many miles from his place of residence; and whether he is prepared to simplify the procedure by including members of sanitary and Poor Law authorities as persons before whom such declarations may be made?

I have had one or two representations to the effect of the nrst part of the question, but I cannot undertake to propose the legislation suggested.

asked the President of the Board of Education what were the recommendations of the Departmental Committee appointed to advise him as to the extent to which the money at his disposal would enable him to provide for improving the allowances made to teachers who retired shortly before the introduction of his new superannuation scheme?

I have not yet received the report of the Committee referred to.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether members of the Board of Education's Advisory Committee have expressed to him their opinions on the subject of the treatment and tenure of professors at Bristol University in general, and of the treatment of Professor Cowl in particular; whether any of their number has discussed the matter with the Vice-Chancellor or any other authorities; whether it has been admitted that Professor Cowl's dismissal was a mistake, but that paucity of funds prevented the University from offering Mr. Cowl suitable redress; whether he has requested the chairman of the Advisory Committee to make any further inquiries; if so, with what result; and whether he will order an investigation of all the circumstances which led to Professor Cowl's dismissal?

asked the President of the Board of Education whether Professor Cowl was dismissed from the chair of English literature in the summer of 1910 by the Bristol University Council on the strength of a report by the Finance Committee of that non-academic body; whether the senate recommended by a large majority that the Finance Committee's proposal should not be put in force; whether he is aware that the allegations made against the conduct of his Department by Professor Cowl were never investigated, and that Professor Cowl was never given any opportunity of appearing before the council to rebut them; that the Vice-Chancellor throughout the proceedings persistently refused to express any opinion as to the truth or falsity of those allegations, saying that no complaints had been made to him; and, seeing that letters written by outside scholars and professors in Professor Cowl's defence were never publicly read at the council, will he say what action he proposes to take?

I have no official information on the subject referred to. I have communicated to my Advisory Committee on University Grants certain statements forwarded to me, and I think I may properly leave it to their discretion to make such inquiries as they may think fit. The tenure and status of professors is to be specially considered by the Committee before the next assessment of Grant in 1916. I may refer the hon. Members to the answers I gave on the subject to the hon. Member for Hoxton on the 10th February last. The action on the part of the university authorities, of which complaint is made, occurred more than two years ago.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has not seen a copy of a letter addressed to Professor Gerothwold threatening him, unless he apologises to the senate before the end of this week, for his action in drawing attention to these matters in the public Press, and whether he is aware that Professor Gerothwold before writing these letters had more than a month ago approached the council and had no answer from that body on the subject?

My attention has not been drawn to the letter, but I will inquire about it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman look into the matter?

I will look into it, but matters which occurred two and a half years ago before this Advisory Committee was appointed for the distribution of Grants concerned the old university college, but not the university to which the Committee now distribute the Grants, and therefore I do not think that it is a subject into which I can inquire at any great length.

Is not this a matter of great importance, seeing that Professor Gerothwold may be called before the senate next Saturday and share the same fate as Professor Cowl?

I shall be glad to look into the matter and consult the Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the existing shortage of uncertificated teachers, and the possible shortage of certificated teachers, he will consider the advisability of postponing the operation of the proposed regulation to disqualify supplementary teachers in 1914?

The question is having my attention, but I am not yet in a position to make any statement.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has considered the representations made by the Incorporated Chamber of Commerce of Cork and the South of Ireland Cattle Trade Association, urging the cruelty from a humane point of view of the regulation making it necessary to keep Irish cattle standing on a hard, slippery surface for twelve hours at the port of debarkation, after having been on their feet from twenty to thirty hours on passage from the Southern Irish ports, and probably from ten to twelve hours prior to being shipped; and whether he will comply with their request to make the detention period pro rata according to the average length of voyage of steamers between the different ports of Ireland and Great Britain, or in proportion to mileage?

I have made careful inquiries with reference to the representations to which the hon. Member refers. I am informed that the statement that the animals are kept standing in the lairs for twelve hours is not well founded; that, on the contrary, they are frequently so exhausted on arrival that they lie down almost immediately after admission and rest during the whole period of detention, the effect of which is very beneficial to them. I am not prepared to adopt the suggestion made in the last part of the question.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has been made aware that the Killarney Rural District Council have passed a resolution against the ruin that is being inflicted on the cattle trade in Kerry and elsewhere by the restrictions put upon districts where no disease of any kind has appeared, and calling on the leaders of all Irish parties to compel the withdrawal of all such restrictions immediately; and whether, failing any united action by Irish parties, he will again consult the Irish Department of Agriculture as to whether there is any reason for the continuance of the twelve hours' detention after debarkation?

I do not appear to have received a copy of the resolution to which the hon. Member refers. But I have inquired into similar allegations made in other resolutions of which copies have been sent to me, and I do not find that they are justified by the facts. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

That is to say, they will not consult the Irish Department of Agriculture about the matter?

We have been in constant consultation, and it is unnecessary to carry it further at the present time. The system is working quite smoothly.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will take immediate steps to compel the London and North-Western Railway Company to supply at Holyhead suitable lairage accommodation for all classes of stock unshipped at that port, and which must be detained for twelve hours under the recent Order of his Department?

I am informed that, owing to the exceptionally large number of cattle imported from Ireland during the last two months, the railway company have not hitherto been able to provide accommodation for swine at Holyhead, and the Board have no power to compel them to do so. The landing place at Holyhead, however, is now being reconstructed, and I hope that when the work is finished it will be found possible to provide accommodation for all classes of animals.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if his ex- pert advisers recognise the existence as a separate disease of the apparently new sheep disease prevalent in the border counties and there known as scrapie, or whether it is a form of Johne's disease which in many respects it appears to resemble; whether it is contagious; and what steps, if any, are being taken by the Board to prevent its spreading?

I am advised that scrapie has been been ascertained to be different from Johne's disease. There is some evidence to show that it is contagious, but the scientific investigations which are being carried out on behalf of the Board by the Royal Veterinary College are not yet complete. The question what steps can be taken to prevent the spread of the disease is engaging the serious attention of the Board, but I am not at present in a position to make any definite statement.

Is it a disease which was unknown until lately?

I cannot say that it is an entirely new disease, but it is not the same virus as Johne's disease. Our inquiries go to prove that it has extended more during the last few months than we had expected.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any financial provision is to be made this Session to compensate agriculturists and traders for ascertained loss sustained by them owing to Departmental restrictions on the movement of cattle, sheep, and pigs in 1912, in cases in which there was neither disease nor danger of it, and the rstrictions were found to be a Departmental mistake?

I cannot usefully add anything to the replies made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries to the hon. Member on the 7th August last.

Does the Chancellor propose to introduce legislation this Session?

That is a question that ought to be addressed to my right hon. Friend. It is primarily a matter for his Department and not mine.