asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether minutes have been from the beginning and are now kept of the effective proceedings of all the Insurance Commissions under the National Insurance Act?

As I stated to the hon. Member for Colchester on the 6th January, minutes are kept of the more formal proceedings of the Commissions, and adequate records are kept of all other matters.

asked whether Mr. Patrick O'Dowd, Fallduff Lodge, Westport, has yet completed the lodgment of all the necessary maps and papers relating to his congested estate in county Mayo, with a view to a sale through the Board; and, if not, what has been the cause of the delay and when the Board intend to make a valuation of the property?

The further information asked for by the Congested Districts Board regarding this estate has not been received. They will now communicate again with the owner on the subject.

asked whether Mrs. Pike has yet lodged with the Congested Districts Board maps of her estate in Achill, county Mayo, with a view to a sale through the Board, or if she has promised to do so?

The maps and documents necessary for a preliminary inspection to be made of this estate have not so far been lodged with the Congested Districts Board. The Board have been informed that a conditional order for the sale of the estate has been made, but the order has not yet been made absolute, and the parties have under consideration what further steps they will take in the matter.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet received from the landlord maps and papers relating to the Dickens estate, Achill, county Mayo, with a view to sale through the Board, or whether the owner has promised to lodge them at an early date?

The Congested Districts Bernd have not yet received the maps and documents necessary for a preliminary inspection to be made of this property. They have been in communication with the agent, but they have not so far been informed whether it is proposed to offer this estate for sale through the Board.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the average monthly number of convicted prisoners confined in the Cork Male Prison for the years 1910, 1911, and 1912, and also the average number of prisoners which could be accommodated in the Cork Male Prison during the same periods?

presented the following Return, showing the average monthly number of convicted prisoners in custody in Cork Male Prison during the years 1910, 1911, and 1912:—

Month.		1910.	1911.	1912.
January	…	128.32	109.93	133.80
February	…	113.50	98.30	109.89
March	…	108.32	84.49	93.45
April	…	111.53	106.77	91.20
May	…	107.10	127.32	101.61
June	…	110.54	130.17	105.03
July	…	153.29	123.71	118.32
August	…	136.31	119.15	105.65
September	…	138.13	123.58	109.30
October	…	124.42	123.94	105.82
November	…	125.60	117.43	109.70
December	…	110.91	116.78	120.39

The total number of such prisoners that could have been accommodated in the prison during the same period was 259.

asked the Chief Secretary the average monthly number of convicted prisoners confined in the Cork Female Prison during the years 1910, 1911, and 1912; and will he state the total number of female prisoners which could be accommodated at any one time in the Cork Female Prison?

Return showing the average monthly number of convicted prisoners in custody in Cork Female Prison during the years 1910, 1911, and 1912:—

Month.		1910.	1911.	1912.
January	…	39.2	27.7	21.9
February	…	43.7	29.3	27.6
March	…	33.9	22.8	24.4
April	…	39.0	38.4	28.9
May	…	35.9	42.5	43.9
June	…	44.3	39.7	38.7
July	…	53.4	46.1	42.0
August	…	48.1	45.1	38.3
September	…	39.4	47.6	38.9
October	…	44.5	39.7	40.2
November	…	38.3	34.7	33.8
December	…	26.2	27.5	34.0

The total number of female prisoners that could have been accommodated in the prison during the same period was 153.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Fermoy pension committee on 10th February passed an old age pension of 5s. a week to an evicted tenant named John M'Auliffe, of Ballynoe, Tallow; whether, on appeal by pension officer Hayes, Middleton, it was rejected by the Local Government Board on the ground that M'Auliffe's means exceeded £31 10s. per annum, although he only enjoys board and lodging from his son, and, in the event of deprivation thereof, £20 a year; on what basis have the Local Government Board measured the subsistence value of M'Auliffe's keep at a higher scale than that at which it was estimated by the parties themselves in an independent proceeding outside the Old Age Pensions Act, and why is subsistence of poor people in Ireland calculated at a dearer rate than that at which the Treasury allow for in the cost of the upkeep of paupers and lunatics?

The facts are as stated. Having regard to the stock and crops on the farm assigned by claimant, and on which he is maintained, the Local Government Board considered his means were in excess of £31 10s. a year. The farm in question contained 140 acres of land, of which thirty-five were tilled and carried fourteen cows, four horses, fifteen sheep, in addition to pigs and fowl. With regard to the last paragraph of the question, I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on the 23rd January last.

asked the Chief Secretary if he has considered the question of a Grant in aid of technical school building in Ireland; and whether he will make a Grant on the basis of an equal contribution from the local rates?

Applications were made to the Treasury for funds to enable the Department to make Grants in aid of the building of technical schools in Ireland. The Department were, however, informed that the Treasury could not agree to Grants for the purpose being provided from Votes of Parliament. It is not practicable, therefore, to give assistance in the manner suggested in the question.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has received a complaint against the firm of Messrs. Alfred Robinson, of Idle, Bradford, who are carrying out a contract at the barracks at Sheffield, alleging that the firm is not paying the proper rate for overtime, and that labourers are doing the work of skilled artisans; and, if so, whether he has made any inquiries into the complaint, and will state the result of them?

The complaint is being investigated, and my hon. Friend shall be informed as soon as a decision can be arrived at.

asked the Secretary of State for War how much per horse per annum the War Office paid as a retainer to the London General Omnibus Company for their horses?

The amount paid was 10s. per horse per annum.

asked the Secretary for Scotland what was the excess of births over deaths in Scotland during the year 1912, and what was the excess of emigration from, over immigration to, Scottish ports during that year?

During the year 1912 the excess of births over deaths in Scotland was 50,382, the number of births registered having been 122,715 and the number of deaths 72,333. These do not include the two small districts of Papa Stour and St. Kilda, the figures for which are not yet available. It is not possible from the partial record available to state precisely the excess of emigration over immigration from and to Scottish ports during the year 1912, but the number of passengers recorded as of British nationality who embarked at Scottish ports for countries out of Europe during that year was 51,408, and the number who arrived at Scottish ports from countries out of Europe was 15,883. These figures are provisional and subject to revision. On that basis, the excess of emigration over immigration from and to Scottish ports during the year 1912 would be 35,525.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can now give the value of the produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom consigned to the United States, France, Germany, Holland, and Belgium, respectively, in 1912, and the percentage of wholly or mainly manufactured goods in each case, and the same information as regards goods exported to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, in the year 1912?

The value of the exports of United Kingdom produce and manufactures consigned from this country during 1912 to the countries specified, was as follows:—

		£
To United States	…	30,122,964
To France	…	25,607,526
To Germany	…	40,377,010
To Netherlands	…	14,305,145
To Belgium	…	12,245,826
To Canada	…	23,512,495
To Australia	…	34,864,890
To New Zealand	…	10,381,880
To South Africa	…	21,406,764

The above figures are preliminary only, and subject to rectification on final examination of the Returns. Information as to the value of the articles wholly or mainly manufactured which are included in the above totals will not be available for about a month.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in the interests of the public, and of saving post office officials trouble in looking up telephone numbers, he will reconsider the rules relating to the issue of local lists of subscribers to the telephone attached to the local railway time tables, or other local periodicals, with a view to modifying those by which the cost of supplying any information or corrections is debited to the publisher, and by whom it is provided that no charge may be made by the publisher for exceptional entries printed in special or heavy type, or otherwise, for the convenience or otherwise of a subscriber, on the ground that both these regulations militate against the free publication of such local telephone directories, and against the facilities enjoyed and the user of the telephone by subscribers?

I am making inquiry into this matter, and will communicate with the hon. Member.