asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has taken into consideration the matter of setting up the Waterways Board recommended by the Royal Commission on Canals?

This question is being carefully considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any inquiry has been made by his Department into the circumstances under which sixty-nine persons, all chargeable to the Swansea Union, had been detained in different lunatic asylums without having been seen by any Justice of the Peace, as required by the Lunacy Act; whether these alleged lunatics were sent to the asylums by orders of Justices of the Peace, and, if so, what commission of the peace did these Justices belong to; and whether, since the procedure as regards these sixty-nine paupers in the Swansea Union was reported as irregular in the Sixty-sixth Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy, any general inquiry into the procedure in other unions or by other Commissioners of the Peace has been made, with a view to protect personal liberty, and with what results?

The matter was fully investigated by the Lunacy Commissioners at the time, and no further inquiry has been made. The orders in the cases referred to were made by Justices of Swansea. Special steps were taken at the time, as indicated in the report, to call the attention of Justices and Union officials to the requirements of the Act, and at every visit to an asylum or workhouse the Commissioners carefully investigate the regularity of all admission papers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in the case brought to his notice of an alleged lunatic who had not been personally seen by a magistrate and was incarcerated in a private institution for lunatics and was not informed by the manager thereof that he had a right of appeal under Section 8 of the Lunacy Act, any investigation was made to ascertain the circumstances and the truth of the patient's statement?

Inquiry was made by the Lunacy Commissioners, and they were satisfied that a notice, as required by section 8, Sub-section (2), was given to the patient by the manager within twenty-four hours of his receiving the reception order.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that, owing to the restrictions imposed as to animals landing from Ireland, live cattle are not coming to the Salford and other inland Lancashire markets; whether he is aware that the slaughter of cattle at the port of landing results in waste (owing to decomposition) and also in expense to the retail butcher, and consequent increase in the price of meat; and whether he will consider the possibility of withdrawing or relaxing the restrictions so as to allow Irish cattle to come into the Salford and other inland Lancashire markets?

The answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative. It is not necessary that animals should be slaughtered at the port of landing, and the Board have no reason to think that their restrictions have anything to do with any rise in price which may have taken place. The Board hope, however, shortly to be in a position to withdraw all the restrictions now affecting the Irish live stock trade.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether, in view of the clean bill of health from animal diseases in Ireland and the demand for supplies in Great Britain, and in the interest of both countries, he will consider the advisability of relaxing the restrictions now in force regulating the importation and transit of Irish live stock; and whether he is aware that, with the exception of a sporadic isolated case in Tipperary over five weeks since, Ireland has been free from foot-and-mouth distemper for several months?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have just given to the hon. Member for South Salford.

Can the hon. Gentleman say when the time will arrive when he can take off these restrictions?

Shortly.

What does "shortly" mean?

Perhaps the hon. Member will give me notice of that.

I beg to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture a question, of which I have given private notice, namely: Whether he is aware that Ireland is now free from foot-and-mouth disease in every form; and whether, in view of the great inconvenience and loss caused to Irish farmers, as also to the Irish cattle dealers, who have to accompany their cattle from Ireland to the British markets and remain with them for a period of fourteen days under the Detention Order, he can now make a statement removing the period of detention of fourteen days, as it is especially hard on the owners of store cattle which do not come to the markets of Great Britain for immediate slaughter?

I am afraid I have nothing to add to the answer I have already given.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, in consequence of the reduction of three superior appointments in the Cheltenham post office, the additional duties thus imposed on certain of the overseers cannot be completed within the scheduled time; that, from the same cause, there is now frequently no officer on duty of higher rank than a sorting clerk or a telegraphist, thereby preventing the public, upon occasions, from obtaining certain quantities of stamps from the reserve stock in charge of the assistant superintendent: and whether he will consider the advisability of increasing the higher appointments to meet the requirements and responsibilities in that office?

The question of the number of supervising appointments at Cheltenham was fully considered as recently as June of this year. I am satisfied that the existing posts are sufficient to meet the requirements of the work and that the supervising duties are not too heavy to admit of their being properly performed within the scheduled attendances. I am having inquiry made as regards the suggested difficulty in obtaining stamps from the reserve stock.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that Customs officials have no instructions to tamper with goods going to Ireland, he will say by whose orders and on what authority cases of sporting cartridges ordered from Birmingham by Messrs. Nooney and Son, merchants, Mullingar, in the ordinary course of their business, have been in the present month examined, disturbed, and delayed at Holyhead, and again at North Wall, and a charge made for each examination, amounting in all to 10s.; and whether he will have this money refunded and an apology tendered?

As I stated on Tuesday last, my hon. Friend the Secretary to the Treasury communicated with the hon. Member on this subject. I am now sending him a copy of the letter in case it did not reach him.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether he maintains that this money was not charged and paid? I hold the receipt for it in my hand.

I am afraid I can add nothing to the very full answer given by my hon. Friend on the subject.

That answer was a denial. Is it still denied that the money was charged and paid?