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British Army

Volume 65: debated on Thursday 23 July 1914

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War Office Canteen Committee

61.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he would be disposed to consider the advisability of appointing to the War Office Canteen Committee some representative of the private traders, in view of the representation on the Committee of more than one member of the co-operative trade movement?

54.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider the advisability of adding to the Canteens Committee two private traders, representative of that class of smaller private traders who are largely interested in the supply of canteens?

56.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will take steps necessary to have the private retail traders represented on the War Office Committee on Army Canteens, seeing that only co-operative societies and large trading companies are at present represented, whose interests are opposed to the small private trader?

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into account the fact that this is felt as a very serious grievance by the small retail traders throughout the country?

Reservists

52.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether Army Reservists are being asked to forward birth certificates of any children they may have; and, if so, whether the Department is prepared to defray the cost of these certificates, which is about 1s. each?

Army Reservists are not required to forward birth certificates. If in any cases they have been asked for in error, steps have been taken to correct the mistake.

Kent Royal Garrison Artillery

57.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether an officer of the Kent Royal Garrison Artillery can never attain a higher rank and command than major commanding a single company of from 112 to 165 men; and whether under existing regulations an officer of the West Kent Regiment of Infantry may look forward to commanding eventually a battalion of 1,000 men, with the rank and pay of lieutenant-colonel?

Territorial Force

58.

asked the Secretary of State for War if it is the intention to reorganise all branches of the Territorial Forces, placing battalions of Infantry, regiments of Cavalry, and Engineers directly under regular commanding officers, as has been done in the case of the Kent Royal Garrison Artillery?

Army Council (Soldiers' Grievances)

59.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if the Army Council has decided to afford facilities for officers of any rank in the Regular Army or Special Reserve to bring before the Military Secretary matters affecting their personal interests; and if it is pro posed to afford corresponding facilities for the non-commissioned officers and men to raise grievances affecting their position?

A Special Army Order was published on the 11th inst. dealing with the point raised in the first part of the question. As regards the second part it is not proposed to alter present Regulations.

War Office Vessels

60.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the terms of service of the crews of the War Office vessels are such as to compel the men when they have finished their service duties to take out the vessels for a pleasure trip; and, if not, whether he will see that the crew of the "Sir Robert Hay" are paid for the 10¾ hours they were engaged when taking the warrant officers' club on a pleasure trip?

The crews of the War Department vessels are bound under their agreements to perform their duties at all times by day and night and to obey the lawful commands of their superior officers. The employment of the vessel on this occasion was sanctioned by the General Officer Commanding. The second part of the question was answered by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary on the 14th instant.

Central Railway Company Of Canada

62.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how often and upon what occasions it was attempted to float the Central Railway Company of Canada upon the British market; whether in a prospectus issued in April, 1914, Sir Thomas H. C. Troubridge, Baronet, Mr. Thomas Carmichael, and Mr. A. L. Cohen were stated to be the London committee, and that the London office was at 363, Winchester House, London, E.C.; whether the promoters of this company complied with the requirements of Section 274 of the Companies (Consolidation) Act, 1908, relating to companies which have a place of business in this country; whether the £2,600,000 capital was subscribed; if not, how much o£ it; and what is the present position of this company in relation to its British shareholders?

The only prospectuses offering securities of the Central Railway Company of Canada for subscription in this country of which the Board of Trade are aware were issued in July, 1913, and in April, 1914. The prospectus issued in April, 1914, contained the statements set out in the hon. Member's question. No documents relating to the company have been filed with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies under the provisions of Section 274 of the Companies (Consolidation) Act, 1908, but I am considering whether the company is one to which the provisions of the Section apply. The Board of Trade have no information as to the amount of the securities of the company which has been subscribed.

Mortality Of Seamen (Committee)

63.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Committee inquiring into the subject of the mortality of seamen is composed wholly of Government officials; and, if so, whether he will consider the desirability of enlarging the Committee and including representatives of port medical officers, of officers and men of merchant ships, of ships' surgeons, and others who by reason of personal experience are familiar with the present living conditions on board merchant ships?

The Committee was purposely made small in number, and limited to officers of the three Government Departments primarily concerned—the Board of Trade, the Local Government Board, and the General Register Office. I do not think it would serve the purpose in view to enlarge the Committee, so as to include; representatives of the large number of bodies which may be interested in, or have personal experience of, the matter before the Committee.

Is it a fact that only one of the seven members of the Committee have had any practical experience of conditions on board ship?

A number of the members have had experience quite adequate for the purposes of the Committee.

Metropolitan Police

64.

asked the Home Secretary if it is now possible for him to state the proposed new scale of pay for the Metropolitan Police; and will he say when it will come into operation?

I hope to be able to make a statement on Monday, if my hon. Friend will repeat his question then.

Removal Of Prisoner To Bucks County Asylum

66.

asked the Home Secretary whether Harry Humphries was sent to the Bucks County Lunatic Asylum because he hunger-struck in prison; and who were the doctors who certified him insane, and how long he intends to keep him in this asylum?

This man was transferred from prison to an asylum in pursuance of a certificate of insanity submitted by two magistrates and two registered medical practitioners under the Criminal Lunatics Act, 1884. He will remain under the provisions of that Act till the expiration of his sentence in February next, unless he should be remitted to prison or discharged before then. The reports before me do not justify the adoption of either of these courses at present, but the case will be further considered in due course.

I am unable to form any opinion on the subject, except as advised by responsible advisers.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that a man who goes on hunger strike and is not a suffragette has got to be condemned for life to a lunatic asylum instead?

No, Sir. It would depend entirely upon whether the medical practitioners advise that he is insane or not.

Senghenydd Colliery Disaster

67.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has seen the result of the proceedings against the Senghenydd colliery manager in connection with the recent disaster there; and whether, as a result of the evidence given and the findings of the court, it is proposed to withdraw the manager's certificate?

I have had the report of the proceedings before me with a view to considering whether there should be an appeal against the decision of the magistrates in dismissing some of the charges; but I have not yet had time to consider the question of whether the evidence shows such gross misconduct on the manager's part as to constitute a primâ facie case for the cancellation of his certificate. I have myself no power to withdraw the certificate. All I can do is to set up a special tribunal under Section 11 of the Act to inquire into the question, and I cannot do this unless I am satisfied that there is a strong primâ facie case This matter is now under consideration.

May I ask if the Home Secretary has taken into account the fact that eleven years ago an explosion occurred in this particular colliery, and whether the fact of two explosions having occurred with disastrous results is not sufficient to warrant the setting up of a special tribunal to inquire into the matter?

That would certainly be a matter that would have to be taken; into account.

Suffragist Prisoners (Forcible Feeding)

68.

asked the Home Secretary whether he consented to receive a deputation from the Forcible Feeding Protest Committee of Medical Men on the 15th July, at 4 p.m.; and whether that deputation withdrew, and for what reason?

I had consented to receive a deputation as described in the question. The deputation brought with them a reporter, and stated that they desired to publish the proceedings. I had understood that they wished to represent certain views to me personally, and I should have been glad to listen to them, but, inasmuch as the subject involved the discussion of the cases of individual prisoners then undergoing sentence in Holloway, I could not agree to be a party to a public discussion with them of such cases. The deputation then withdrew.

Intestate Estates (Mrs Blake)

73.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the total accumulated value at present of the property left by the late Mrs. Blake, née Ellen Sheridan, and the amount of the last annual increase?

The residue of the personal estate of the late Mrs. Blake was £96,778 4s. 11d., and the value of the real estate approximately £48,000. The real estate was transferred to the Commissioners of Woods, and the personal estate was paid into the Exchequer through the Crown's Share Account. The estate therefore has not accumulated.

74.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, having regard to the facts that the next-of-kin of the late Mrs. Blake, née Ellen Sheridan, whose property the Treasury holds, are poor Irish peasants who have never seen the news papers in which advertisements for next-of-kin have appeared, and that their difficulty in proving their kinship increases with lapse of time, whether he will have advertisements, giving all the helpful in formation available, inserted in some provincial newspapers of wide circulation in Ireland?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given him on the 27th June, 1912.

What is the reason for not publishing this advertisement in newspapers read by the next-of-kin?

All the reasons were set forth in the answer. I shall be happy to refresh the hon. Member's memory by-sending him a copy of it.