asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether he will lay upon the Table the correspondence between the hon. Member for West Fife and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in relation to alleged damage to the fishing industry by big-gun practice in the Firth of Forth, as well as a copy of the instructions therein referred to which have been issued to His Majesty's vessels using the Firth of Forth for gunnery practice; and (2) whether, in issuing instructions that gunnery practice of His Majesty's vessels to the southward and eastward of the Isle of May, due regard has been given to the interests of fishermen using the more eastward ports of St. Monan's, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Cellardyke, Crail, and St. Andrew's, as well as the fishing harbours on the southeast shore of the Forth?

My hon. Friend the Member for West Fife would doubtless let the hon. and gallant Gentleman see the correspondence referred to. I do not think it is of sufficient general interest to be laid on the Table. It would not be in accordance with practice to publish an Order intended for the Fleet only, but it refers to complaints received and calls the attention of ships using the Firth of Forth for their gunnery practice to the desirability of keeping clear of fishing grounds as far as possible. It also directs that heavy gun practice should usually be carried out to the southward or eastward of May Island. The hon. and gallant Member may rest assured that there is no intention of discriminating in favour of the West Fife fishermen, and that the effect of the Order is to enjoin consideration for the interests of all fishermen in the Firth.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the effect of the existing detention order and the consequent refusal of the railway companies to grant through rates has been to increase the cost of transit of cattle from Cork to York viâ Birkenhead, to the extent of 11s. per head, made up as follows: former through rate, 9s. 9d.; local rate from Cork to Birkenhead, 9s. 9d.; local rate from Birkenhead to York, 7s.; lairage charge, 4s.; total, £1 0s. 9d.; in addition to which there is a deterioration of value to the extent of about 10s. per head, owing to the detention; and whether any steps will be taken to put an end to this injury to the Irish cattle trade?

I am much obliged to the hon. Gentleman for having at my request postponed this question from Monday till to-day and for the assistance which he has given me in investigating the matters referred to. I am informed that the through rate from Cork to Leeds, whence cattle were forwarded without re-booking to York, has been discontinued. So far as the Board are aware, however, there is nothing to prevent a through rate being arranged for the new route, and in conjunction with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade I will endeavour to facilitate the making of this arrangement. On the general question of increases in railway rates I would also refer to the answer which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Queen's County. I have received no evidence in corroboration of the statement that cattle deteriorate during the period of detention; on the contrary, the reports which I have received from many quarters go to show that the rest and food which the animals get in the lairages improve their condition.

What is the new route to which the right hon. Gentleman refers?

I mean the one passing through Birkenhead instead of that passing through Liverpool. May I also add that negotiations are now proceeding for the old route to be maintained through Liverpool.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the through transit rate from other parts of Ireland as well as Cork has been interrupted; and will the right hon. Gentleman use his good offices in this and other cases, as well as in the case of the rate from Cork to York?

I am aware that in she case of some railways that has been done, but not in the case of all. Where it has been done we are now carrying on communications with the railway companies, which we hope will be successful.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the railway companies are obliged by Act of Parliament to provide a through rate from one station to another in the three Kingdoms, and why is that not carried out?

That is a question which only the Board of Trade can answer. I cannot answer it myself.

asked on what dates it is intended to hold the proposed inquiry regarding the charges levied on Irish cattle at Merklands, Glasgow; will it be open to the public; and will those interested have the right to appear by counsel?

The inquiry will be held on 22nd May. The answer to the second and third parts of the question is in the affirmative.

Who will conduct the inquiry?

It will be conducted by Sir Sydney Olivier, Sir Henry Clark, and the legal adviser of the Board of Agriculture.

asked what was the revenue derived by the corporation of Glasgow from the importation of cattle at Merklands during 1911; what are the circumstances which appear to justify a heavier charge for lairage there than at Birkenhead; have the regulations of the Department involved capital outlay at Merklands or at Birkenhead; and, if so, how much, respectively?

I am informed that the revenue for the twelve months ended 31st May, 1912, derived from Merklands Wharf, was £1,678. The reasonableness of the rates charged is shortly to be the subject of a public inquiry, and in the meantime I am not in a position to answer the second part of the question. I am informed that an expenditure of £12,000 at Merklands has been authorised for an extension of the wharf, and that the capital outlay involved at Birkenhead is estimated at about £6,000 or £6,500.

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether under the new tariff at Merklands, Glasgow, Irish calves are charged 2s. 3d. each and foreign calves 6d. each; whether for Irish sheep and lambs the charge is 4d., while foreign are admitted for 3d.; why this continued discrimination is taking place against Irish shipments; and has he addressed any protest to those responsible for it?

The figures quoted in the first and second parts of the question are correct, but the comparison between the charges made in the case of Irish animals and those made in the case of foreign animals, which must be slaughtered at the wharf, is misleading. As I have already stated, the question of the reasonableness of the charges for Irish stock at Merklands will shortly be investigated at a public inquiry.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the figures quoted in my question are copied from the new circular issued by his Department, in which it is distinctly stated that the charge for foreign animals is 6d., and for Irish animals 2s. 3d.?

I have stated in my answer that the figures given by the hon. Gentleman are correct, but I also said that a comparison between them would be misleading.

In what way would they be misleading?

They are misleading for the reason that Irish animals are mostly passing on to other markets and are slaughtered at inland places, and they have to spend some time alive at the wharves, whereas foreign animals are slaughtered at the wharves on their arrival.

Is not that a reason why the Irish charge should be smaller?

That is a matter for argument. I hope the hon. Gentleman is not suggesting that I should put both Irish animals and foreign animals on the same footing.

I suggest that the discrimination should not be against Irish animals.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that the erection of cattle lairages at Ayr Harbour has involved an expenditure of £1,500, and that since 21st January to 19th April the tolls charged for the use of these have produced a revenue of almost £4,000; and will he say how much longer he intends to sanction this tax on Irish cattle?

I am informed by the Ayr Steam Shipping Company, Limited, that the capital expenditure upon the lairages at Ayr largely exceeded £1,500. If the hon. Member will communicate to me the evidence upon which the statement in the question is based, I will make further inquiries.

Will the President have the figures submitted to him verified?

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that the Stockowners' Association and various public bodies and societies have passed strong resolutions protesting against the continuance of the detention Order and whether he will consider the expediency of abolishing or modifying the Order?

Yes, I have received copies of these resolutions. I have been giving the matter the very closest attention during the last week or two and I may inform the hon. Member that matters have been coming forward much more freely in the last few days. In response to some resolutions which I have received I have this morning informed many authorities in Ireland of the conditions under which lambs actually are landed on this side.

In consequence of the unsatisfactory reply I shall call attention to the matter on the Adjournment of the House to-night.

asked whether, in view of the publication of the Report of the Committee appointed to consider sea fishery conditions in Devon and Cornwall, all obstacles have been removed to the consideration forthwith by the Development Commissioners of the applications made to them by the Devon and Cornwall sea fisheries committees?

I have nothing to add at present to the answer which I gave to a similar question by the hon. Member for Truro Division on Monday last.

asked whether, when an unemployed clerk applied at the Brentford Labour Exchange on the 25th April last, he was informed of a vacancy in the London telephone service and was sent with a note or card for the manager of the New Bridge Street Labour Exchange; that when he arrived at the latter Exchange at 11.25 in the morning he was informed that he could not see the manager until after 2.30 in the afternoon; and whether such delay to a person seeking employment and who knows there is a vacancy waiting to be applied for is unavoidable?

I understand that two applicants were sent from the Brentford Labour Exchange to the Exchange in New Bridge Street on the date in question to apply for vacancies of the nature referred to. I am informed that after the men had left the Brentford Labour Exchange the employers made an alteration in the time at which they proposed to interview applicants. The applicants were informed not that they could not see the manager of the Exchange till 2.30 p.m., but that that was the hour at which the employers were prepared to interview them.

asked whether, in connection with a temporary vacancy for a clerk in the London telephone service, there were about 200 persons applied on Friday, 25th April last; whether a large number, if not the whole, of the applicants were sent by the various Labour Exchanges ilk the Metropolis; and whether such a lack of co-ordination between the Exchanges is the usual thing?

My hon. Friend is under a misapprehension. Two hundred vacancies for temporary clerkships in the London telephone service were notified to the City Labour Exchange, and a number of applicants were submitted through this Exchange in the usual manner.

asked the right hon. Gentleman the number of agricultural workers who have emigrated from the United Kingdom during each of the last three years; and, if no such statistics are available, whether he will, in view of the importance to the nation of retaining its agricultural population, institute a system under which a record shall be kept at the ports of agricultural as distinct from urban emigrants?

Figures in which emigrants are distinguished from other passengers from this country have been available only since 1st April, 1912. The number of male emigrants of eighteen years of age and upwards during the nine months, April to December, 1912, who were British subjects and whose occupations as recorded in the passenger lists show them to belong to the agricultural class was 23,289, the corresponding number of immigrants being 2,631. For 1910 and 1911, I am only able to give figures inclusive of all male passengers of twelve years of age and upwards who left this country for countries out of Europe. The agricultural class among such adult male British outward passengers numbered 24,174 in 1910 and 33,232 in 1911; in the first three months of 1912 they numbered 7,485. I may add that the frequent use of the vague description "labourer" in the statements of occupations greatly diminishes the value of the statistics.

What proportion of these agricultural labourers went to Canada, and what proportion went elsewhere?

If my hon. Friend will be good enough to give me notice I shall be able to answer that question.

Do these figures include Scotch people, if so, what are their numbers, and what number went from the county of Roxburgh?

If my hon. Friend will be so good as to give me notice, I shall be able to answer him.

Is it not a fact that while the emigration from the agricultural districts has been great, the chief part of the emigration has been from urban and not rural districts?

Again I should prefer to have notice of that question.

asked what are the aggregate amounts placed by their respective Governments at the disposal of their several Departments of Agriculture in France, Germany, the United States, Holland, and Belgium, respectively?

The amounts provided for the Departments of Agriculture in France, the United States, and Belgium, respectively in 1912, were as follows:—

Is it not the fact that the amount granted to our Department is about half that of the lowest the right hon. Gentleman has mentioned?

Yes, but I must also point out that many of the functions performed by the central department in others are performed in this country by the local authorities.

asked what was the amount of Super-tax collected in the financial year 1912–13; how many Super-tax payers were assessed; and what part of the amount collected consisted of arrears?

The amount of the Super-tax collected in the financial year 1912–13 was approximately £3,600,000, of which approximately £2,060,000 con- sisted of sums relating to years prior to 1912–13. The number of Super-tax payers assessed in the course of the year is not available, many persons having been assessed for more than one year.

asked with reference to the assessments to Super-tax whether the Inland Revenue authorities content themselves with a statement as to aggregate income, or whether they demand a detailed account of the items forming the income?

The form of return called for by the Inland Revenue authorities, of which I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend, will indicate the details of income they require.

asked to how many persons application was made in 1912–13 to make a return of income for Super-tax purposes; whether, when such applications are made, it is accepted as a satisfactory reason for non-assessment if the person applied to states that his income does not exceed £5,000, or whether he is asked to declare his income in detail; and, in the latter event, how many individuals have thus declared their incomes?

For the year 1912–13 applications have so far been sent to 16,895 persons. A statement that the income does not exceed £5,000 is not accepted as satisfying the requirements of Section 72 (3) of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910. The number of the persons, who, having made a statement that their income does not exceed £5,000, have subsequently declared their income in detail, is not available.

Does the right hon. Gentleman consider it sufficient to send the application to such a small number of persons in view of the enormous amount of income assessable to the tax in general, and does not the small number account for the rather unsatisfactory returns of Super-tax?

I do not accept my hon. Friend's statement. On the contrary, it has exceeded the estimate which I formed of its yield.

Is not the yield, although relatively satisfactory, very much less than was expected by many of those who have given a great deal of attention to the subject?

I take it that by that description my hon. Friend means himself. But there are others, including Sir Henry Primrose, who has paid some attention during his lifetime to the subject, and it exceeded his anticipations.

Does the right hon. Gentleman state as a matter of theory or of practice that the answer that the income does not exceed £5,000 is accepted? Is that merely a theory or is it the practice observed by those who deal with these returns?

The rate of Income Tax is not accepted by the surveyor. Otherwise I am afraid the income would be less.

Since the method adopted is really a fishing inquiry, does my right hon. Friend not think it would be better to make the declaration of income universal in order to avoid the fishing, and in order to get a better return?

I do not know whether my hon. Friend suggests that you can send a Super-tax return to all the adult population of this country. Unless you do that, you must exercise some discrimination.

Is it not the fact that nine out of eleven Income Tax payers already declare their incomes for Income Tax purposes, and would it not be wise to get declarations from the other two in order to complete the inquiry?

That is a very proper subject to discuss on the Income Tax Resolution.

asked what is the number of persons in the kingdom of Prussia assessed to Income Tax for incomes of £5,000 a year and over, and what is the aggregate income possessed by those persons, for the latest year for which the figures are available in this country?

The number of individuals assessed in Prussia in respect of incomes over £5,000 in the year 1911 was 4,138. The aggregate amount of their income has been approximately calculated from the yield, as given in the Prussian Statistical Year Book, to be £51,000,000.