asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if the potato ration issued to the German prisoners in this country has been increased from 2 oz. to 20 oz. per diem?

Yes, Sir; the change was made on the recommendation of the medical authorities. The extra potatoes are, of course, in substitution for other articles of food, which are less easily obtainable.

Does not my hon. Friend think that this increase in the ration is abnormally great and entirely out of proportion to the rations our people are getting in Germany?

As I have pointed out, there is no real increase in the general ration; it is merely substitution for other articles of food which are not so easily obtained.

How do these rations compare with what the Food Controller advises the ordinary person to take?

I have not gone into that question.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture the acreage of wheat grown in the United Kingdom for 1916–17, specifying the acreage of winter- and spring-sown wheat respectively; and the acreage of winter wheat sown in 1917 and the estimated amount to be sown in the spring of 1918?

Wheat was grown in the United Kingdom in 1916–17 on 2,106,000 acres. In Great Britain the total was 1,979,000 acres, of which 200,000 acres were returned as spring-sown. The returns for Ireland do not distinguish winter-sown from spring-sown. No trustworthy figures can yet be given of the acreage of wheat sown, or intended to be sown, this season, but there is reason to believe that satisfactory progress is being made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any decision has been arrived at to safeguard the production of sugar in the British Empire after the War; and whether British producers will receive an undertaking that Empire-grown sugar will be given a preference over sugar from Germany and Austria at the conclusion of hostilities?

I am not yet in a position to make a statement as to the policy of His Majesty's Government in regard to this matter.

Is not this a question which obviously requires a decision immediately, and is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the very great feeling that exists right through the British Empire on the subject, and that the Government have not yet stated whether or not British Empire sugar is going to have advantages over German or Austrian sugar after the War?

I am fully aware of the importance of the matter, but I cannot give an answer to-day.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it is a year ago since I first asked the question?

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether, in view of the exportation of live stock from Ireland, he will consider the advisability of having a census taken of cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses; and whether he can state the Regulations made and enforced to safeguard the average numbers of live stock for breeding purposes so as to keep up the supply?

The Department of Agriculture do not consider it necessary or advisable at present to put farmers and the police to the trouble of taking a special live stock census, as suggested. Sufficient statistics are being obtained by the Department under existing arrangements to enable the changes in the numbers of live stock in Ireland to be carefully observed.

By Orders under the Maintenance of Live Stock Act, 1915, the Department have prohibited, or restricted, the slaughter or exportation of the following classes of live stock, with a view to the future requirements of the country: Young calves of either sex, young heifers up to a certain stage of development, mulch cows, in-calf cows and heifers, and breeding sows. The Orders are still in force, and the whole question is receiving careful attention.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the price of sugar candy for bee-keeping; and whether he will consider the advisability of fixing the price of such sugar so as to encourage the production of honey and prevent the decrease of this food?

I have been asked to reply. The answer to this question was printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT of Thursday, 17th instant.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why the price is so very high—more than double the price of ordinary sugar—and what there is in this sugar candy which makes it so costly?

I can only say that the answer to the question shows that the candy is sold practically without profit.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the number of race meetings advertised to take place in the coming months; that such meetings are causing misgiving in the public mind that corn rations used for race-horses may be needed for human food; whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I cannot usefully add anything to the reply which was given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food to a similar question by my right hon. Friend on the 16th of January, and to the various answers which I gave to the supplementary questions following.

Is it not the intention of the Government to reconsider this matter?

The subject has not been brought before the Cabinet in any way. I shall bring what has been said by my right hon. Friend and others to the notice of the Cabinet.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether ships homeward bound from the West Indies in the last year have sailed light; and whether there is any scarcity of sugar for export in the West Indies?

The information asked for in the first part of the question should be obtained from the Ministry of Shipping. As the bulk of the new crop is not yet available for export the quantity of sugar awaiting shipment in the West Indies is at present small.

Are we to understand that the Ministry of Food cannot get information from the Ministry of Shipping?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the passengers on board a homeward-bound steamer from East and South Africa when arriving at Plymouth were compelled to throw all supplies of sugar in their possession overboard; whether any instructions exist to enforce this order; and what action he proposes to take?

The Customs Regulations, which are framed to carry out the wishes of the Sugar Commission, require that sugar imported by passengers without licence in quantities exceeding 1 lb. is to be seized and sold for the benefit of the community at large. I hesitate to believe, on the strength of the newspaper extract with which my hon. and gallant Friend has furnished me, that passengers on any ship have thrown considerable supplies of sugar overboard. There is certainly no ground for the suggestion that-they were compelled to do so.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make inquiries into the case if I send him the name and address?

I understand inquiries have been made.

Is there any result of the inquiries?

The result is contained in the answer I have read out.

Is it the case that members of the mercantile marine who have brought in small quantities of sugar have had it taken away, and what is the object of it?

I suppose the object is to carry out the decision of the Food Controller that no one shall have more than a certain quantity of sugar.

Do we not need sugar in this country?

The answer I have given states that the sugar so seized shall be distributed over the general community.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether contracts for the supply of provisions to German prisoners of war and British conscientious objectors, and the like persons under restraint, are en-forcible, though they entail the supply of food to such prisoners and objectors at prices below ruling market or officially fixed rates to the prejudice of loyal British subjects, or whether any steps can be taken under the Defence of the Realm Act to render void any stipulation as to price contained in such contracts?

Contracts for supplies for the purposes mentioned in the question are in the same category as other contracts. In Orders relating to prices the Food Controller does not interfere with contracts where the price is less than the maximum price.

In that case would it not be possible for persons of this category to lie receiving stores—food and beef—at far lower prices than the public who are paying?

In so far as the public pay for these supplies it is clearly to their advantage that prices should be as low as possible.

On the other hand, is it not distinctly in favour of these people?

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will take immediate steps to make generally known throughout the United Kingdom the fact that the Board of Trade's calculation that the cost of living has increased 105 per cent, since the War began is subject to such drastic qualifications that the figure might with equal accuracy be given as 59 per cent.; and whether the Ministry of Food intends to await the result of an examination of the figures by a Special Committee not yet appointed before correcting or explaining the true signification of figures upon which action of high financial and economic significance has in no small measure been based?

The article in the "Labour Gazette" which contains the estimate as to a rise in retail prices stated at 105 per cent. contains also the qualifying paragraph which was quoted in my answer of 16th January. Moreover, I would point out that the article in question is not headed "Cost of Living," but "Course of Retail Prices of Food," and that the paragraph in which considerations affecting changes in the cost of food expenditure are introduced is that in which the rise of 59 per cent. is referred to. It is to be regretted that so little attention has been given to this important paragraph, but I do not see what further publicity can be given.

asked upon what ascertained facts the Ministry decided to prohibit the export of butter from Ireland to Great Britain; and, particularly, if it is considered there is a shortage of butter in Ireland, what is the extent of the estimated shortage and by what means has it been estimated?

It has been necessary, in order to effect economies in transport, to arrange that Ireland should not receive supplies of foreign and colonial butter, but should satisfy her requirements from her own production. At the same time, the output of Irish home made butter, as has been ascertained by means of returns received from creameries, falls short by 30 per cent. of the normal supplies in winter months. An Order prohibiting for the present the export of butter from Ireland has, therefore, been issued by the Food Controller on the advice of the Food Control Committee for Ireland, after consultation with,the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland.

Is the hon. Gentleman mot aware that a considerable amount of butter is being sent from Ireland by parcel post, and are any steps being taken to deal with that?

The answer I have given shown that the Food Controller has prohibited the export of butter from Ireland, and I presume that the point raised by the hon. Member will be dealt with.

Will this matter be reconsidered, in view of the fact that the shortage in England is so much greater than in Ireland?

Is the hon. Member aware of the serious effect which this Order will have upon the most important butter industry in Ireland? Is he aware that many firms have had to give up their trade, and will not get it back, and is he satisfied that the Irish people can afford to pay the price of this butter?

I presume that the Ministry of Food is acting in consultation with the Irish Food Controller, and is endeavouring to see that the Irish population shall not go short of a necessary article of food simply because the English population are richer than the Irish population.

Would it not be possible to release butter from private dairies in Ireland the owners of whom and their families are in England doing war work, and have been in the habit of getting it over, neither butter nor milk being sold in Ireland from those dairies?

My answer must stand; but I will convey what the hon. Member says to the Ministry of Food.

The answer is quite right.

asked the amount of meat per head consumed in the United Kingdom for the six months ending 31st December; whether it was in excess of the recommended ration and, if so, by how much and what is the estimated amount of meat per head available from Home sources for the first six months of 1918?

The estimated consumption of meat of all kinds by the civilian population of the United Kingdom for the six months ended 31st December was 2 lbs. per head per week. This was about 8 per cent. in excess of the maximum quantity based on the voluntary ration of 2 lbs. per week for adults, with smaller quantities for children. In reply to the last part of the question it may be stated that any estimate of the meat supplies available for the first half of the Present year must be very tentative, but the information available indicates a considerable reduction On the rate of consumption in the second half of last year.

Can the Food Controller give us some idea of the amount of meat in this country—home-produced meat—for consumption during the next six months?

I have not the figures before me, but if the hon. Member will put down a question I will endeavour to obtain the information.

Will the hon. Gentleman use his influence with the newspapers to stop their panic headlines, which do much to encourage the enemy?

I am afraid I cannot influence the newspapers in this country, but I am sure that Lord Rhondda is doing all he can to get the newspapers to support him in his arduous task.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether women who are engaged in work in France connected with the Army are subject to military law; whether, when charges are made by the military authorities against a woman that woman has any right to demand an investigation corresponding to the right and duty imposed upon officers under paragraph 446 of the King's Regulations; and whether he will consider the desirability of according this privilege to women working for the Army in France?

The conditions under which camp followers may be dealt with under military law will be found by reference to Sections 176 (10) and 184 (1) of the Army Act. No such right exists as is mentioned by my hon. Friend, and there is no intention of granting any such privilege to camp followers, who are merely permitted to accompany an army in the field at the will of the Commander-in-Chief.

I do not, of course, refer to enrolled members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps serving in the field, whose conditions are totally different, and to whom are accorded privileges and advantages which officers and men of the British Army now possess.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he observed a decision given by the Lambeth Tribunal on 28th December, in which it was agreed that a discharged man who had served overseas could not be compulsorily posted under the Military Service (Review of Exceptions) Act; and whether he now proposes to discharge all time-expired men recalled on the basis of service irrespective of wounds?

:I am not aware of the decision referred to. Perhaps my hon. Friend would consult the Minister of National Service, but I know of no recent alteration in the conditions of discharge.

asked whether it is proposed to give all fighting units who went through the 1914–15 winter at the front the opportunity of spending the present winter at home?

I am afraid that this is not possible, in view of the present state of the man-power question.

Is the hon. Gentleman prepared to give no consideration whatsoever to the men who have been serving?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) for what reason Mr. P. M'Dougall was exempted from military service; whether the reason was that his services were urgently required on his farm; if so, since he has subsequently been given a Government appointment as commissioner for live-stock in Scotland at £1,000 a year, and is therefore not required for his farm, his exemption will be cancelled; whether the War Office was a party at any stage to the grant of such exemption; (2) if he is aware that five out of the six sub-commissioners for live-stock in Scotland, who are paid £500 a year, are of military age; will he say why such as are of that age have been exempted; whether other persons not of military age and capable of performing their duties cannot be found in Scotland; whether such live-stock sub-commissioners as are of military Age will be forthwith drafted into the Army; and whether the War Office was A party at any stage to the exemptions granted?

The appointments apparently referred to by the hon. Member are proposed by the Ministry of Food in connection with the Live-stock Scheme, and, as they affect men of military age, they have been referred for the concurrence of the Ministry of National Service, which has not yet been given. I understand that the men selected already hold tribunal exemptions as farmers, and that these are still current. I have suggested to the Ministry of Food that, before the appointments are confirmed, further inquiries should be made and, in particular, that the local agricultural committees should be consulted, if this has not already been done, in order to ascertain whether suitable men over military age cannot be found to fill these appointments.

Am I to understand that the exemptions of these gentlemen are at present under suspense, and that the Ministry of Food, so far as it is concerned, will not ask that they shall be confirmed?

I do not think the hon. Member quite understands the position. These men have been exempted as individuals by the tribunals, and those exemptions are still current. It is now proposed to employ them by the Ministry of Food in an official capacity, and such applications must come to the Ministry of National Service, and they are being considered.

Were these men not exempted because they had some agricultural value, and as soon as that value ceases should not these exemptions be cancelled?

Does the hon. Member not see that a man who cannot leave his farm to go and fight, but can leave it to draw £1,000 a year is a man whose exemption should be at once cancelled?

If my hon. Friend will read my answer he will see that those facts are being fully borne in mind, and at the present moment the Minister of National Service has not given the necessary authority to employ these men as Government officials.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that a farmer with £15,000 capital has had all his labourers taken away, the sole man left having got up to colour-sergeant after serving seven years, while other men have been refused exemption after years of service?

Has not the gentleman mentioned in the question already been employed for very many months?

He is certainly not employed by the Ministry of National Service, and we have written asking if he cannot be replaced by a man who is not of military age.

Does the Ministry of Food not advise in these matters?

Has the Minister of National Service to ask for permission or does he order a man from another Department?

The hon. Member cannot really have been listening to what I have said. I said that no man could be employed in the Government service of military age without the consent of the Ministry of National Service.

asked the Secretary for Scotland Whether he was consulted at any stage regarding the exemptions granted to Mr. P. M'Dougall, Commissioner of Live-stock for Scotland, and to his six sub-commissioners, of whom five are believed to be, like himself, of military age; and whether he was a party in any way to the appointment of these gentlemen of military age to the offices they now hold it salaries of £1,000 and £500 a year respectively?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative. For the facts as to Mr. M'Dougall's exemption I beg to refer my hon. Friend to the answers given him by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food on the 16th instant, and also. by the Minister of National Service of to-day.

Does it not fall within the right hon. Gentleman's duties as Secretary for Scotland to terminate what is practically a scandal and a rock of offence in and out of Scotland?

I have informed my hon. Friend that my Department has no responsibility in this matter.

Was it not stated in a previous answer given by the Ministry of Food that the Board of Agriculture in Scotland was consulted about these appointments before they were made; and, if so, is the right hon. Gentleman's answer to-day consistent with that fact?

I think my hon. and learned Friend is mistaken. I made special inquiry, and the Board of Agriculture, according to my information, were not consulted.

Is it correct, then, to say that they were not consulted in any way before the appointments were made?

The question put to me was whether I was consulted regarding -the exemptions, and the answer to that question is in the negative. The answer with regard to the Board of Agriculture on that point is also in the negative.

Would the right hon. Gentleman answer the second part of the -question relating to the appointments and not to the exemptions—that is the part to which I am referring?

According to my information, the Board of Agriculture was not consulted, and certainly I was not consulted.

asked the Home Secretary what information he has of the state of health of a conscientious objector named Eagle, now detained in Maidstone Prison; whether this man has been on work strike for a considerable period; whether he is in a dying condition owing to disciplinary and dietetic punishments; and whether he will be released before fatal consequences ensue?

This man is in good health, and there appears to be no ground whatever for the suggestion that his health has been injured by disciplinary and dietetic punishments. He has been punished on four occasions during the last two months for refusing to work, but the punishments awarded were of a very moderate kind.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that we often get the statement that men are in good health and subsequently we find that they have collapsed and even died?

asked the Home Secretary on whose authority the conscientious objectors at Princetown have been allowed to hire a cottage for use as a kind of club; whether this hostel, as the conscientious objectors call it, is a hotbed of revolutionary propaganda; and will he cause inquiries to be made with a view to the closing down of this establishment?

I understand that a building in Princetown called "The Friends? Hostel" is rented by a committee of the Society of Friends, and is open to conscientious objectors while out on leave. No meetings of any political organisation have been held on the premises, and no literature other than books or magazines of general interest is sold or distributed. A meeting for worship is held every Sunday evening. As at present advised, I see no ground for interference.

Is it not a rule of the Home Office that no propaganda whatever shall take place in Princetown, and that no rooms shall be used for the purpose; and, if so, why is this room used?

I have explained to the hon. Member in my answer that this room is not being used for propaganda purposes.

asked the Home Secretary why the programme used by the conscientious objectors at Prince town at the concert they gave on the Thursday after Christmas Day in the Wesleyan church bore no printer's name; and, having regard to the statutory provisions in such matter, what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

I am advised that the statutory provisions do not apply to a document of this kind.

Is it not a fact that there were several pamphlets printed and that they had no printer's name upon them; is it to be supposed that these things are printed in the prison; and will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the conscientious objectors have free access to the prison press?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will give notice of some of those questions.

I will.

asked the Home Secretary whether several hundred- weights of dried fruit were supplied to the conscientious objectors at Princetown for Christmas, while other people in the vicinity and elsewhere had to go short; that 150 tons of coal a month are provided for consumption in the private gas plant in the prison, and this when ordinary citizens have to ration themselves to meet the calls of patriotism; why these men who have refused to defend their country against the enemy, and have left that task to their neighbours, are allowed to receive this preferential treatment; and why numbers of turkeys and geese were permitted to be consumed by these men at Christmas, seeing that food was and is so scarce a commodity that many people had and still have to go without?

Dried fruit is part of the regular dietary at Princetown, but the amount consumed in the last three months of 1917 was less than 1 lb. per head. The consumption of coal for gas is 105 tons a month, which furnishes the supply not only of the prison building, with 1,200 inmates, but also of other Government buildings in Princetown. No turkeys or geese were supplied to or eaten by the men in the work centre, but possibly some of them dined at Christmas with their friends outside. The Committee is consulting the Ministry of Food on the question of the purchase of food by these men outside their rations.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that several hundredweight of dried fruit were taken into the prison during Christmas week?

The facts are as I have stated them in the answer.

asked the Minister of National Service whether he is aware that a married man with five children, J. Dloogatz, R.D.R., Maidstone, who has for years suffered from tuberculosis, been in two sanatoria, and was recently a patient at Victoria Park Chest Hospital, where he was warned against sleeping in the same room as other persons, has been taken into the Army, and has for two weeks been sleeping on a cement floor with a crowd of men at Maidstone; and whether, to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, this man will be immediately discharged?

I am having inquiries made into the matters referred to in the first part of the hon. Member's question. I think that the points raised in the remainder of the question should be addressed by my hon. Friend to the Under-Secretary of State for War.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that there are a great number of scandals and that there has been a great deal of newspaper comment on the conditions at that place?

I have no knowledge of the hon. Member's scandals.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War why members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps serving abroad are suspended from insurance and have to make good their arrears on resuming work in the United Kingdom?

It has been decided to make good these arrears in future.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has any information to the effect that hundreds of British and French officers, prisoners of war, have been sent to Stuttgart or other places in order to be subjected to air raids; and whether he will consider the desirability of sending German officers, prisoners of war, from Donington Hall and elsewhere to London or other places where they will be subject to the risk of German air raids on noncombatants and women and children, and of utilising Donington Hall as a hospital for our wounded soldiers?

Inquiries are being made as to the establishment of camps for prisoners of war in Germany in places particularly liable to air raids.

Do I understand my hon. Friend to say that inquiries are being made as to prisoners of war in this country?

No; I did not intend to convey that. I do not think my hon. Friend can take any other than the answer I?have given. We are trying to substantiate certain rumours which have reached us as to the placing of our prisoners of war in air-raided parts of Germany.

Can the hon. Gentleman state now that, if we discover this to be so, we shall act by way of reprisals?

I think the Air Minister has already made a definite statement upon that point.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, considering that the dispatches of General Smuts and General Hoskins regarding the operations in East Africa have been published, the time has now arrived when the dispatches of General Tighe regarding the operations during the preceding year can also be published?

There are three reports by General Tighe, which are presumably those alluded to. Each deals with a brief and minor phase of the earlier operations in East Africa, and, as such, were not regarded by the late Lord Kitchener, when Secretary of State for War, as suitable for publication. In view of the subsequent scope of the campaign—which has been described fully in the dispatches of General Smuts and General Hoskins—there seems no reason to revise this decision. All recommendations for honours and awards contained in General Tighe's reports, and in the many similar reports relating to these early phases of the War in Africa, have long since been considered and suitably treated. No officer or man, therefore, suffers by their non-publication. To select General Tighe's reports for publication would involve an invidious distinction between them and the numerous other reports mentioned. The good preparatory work done in East Africa by General Tighe has been cordially acknowledged in General Smuts? first published dispatch.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that officers and men who were engaged in all these operations during the first two years feel aggrieved that there has been no account of the operations published? Will he kindly issue a dispatch describing them?

I am afraid I cannot add anything to the answer I have given. The matter has been carefully considered.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Lady Angela Forbes at the beginning of the War established a canteen at Etaples; that she has since that date laboured unremittingly for the benefit of British soldiers in France; and that she has recently received orders to close her canteen; whether the military authorities make any charges against Lady Angela Forbes; and, if so, whether she will be given an opportunity of being heard in her own defence?

Lady Angela Forbes established a canteen at Etaples at the beginning of the War, and did useful work. Complaints were made from various sources, and the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief decided that it was inadvisable that she should continue her work there. This decision has been upheld by the Army Council.

Is my hon. Friend aware that on 11th October the Secretary of State for War gave a promise in writing to Lady Angela Forbes that she should be heard in her own defence? Is he aware that this opportunity has not been given to her; that she has been given no opportunity of hearing the evidence against her, of giving evidence herself, or of calling witnesses on her own behalf; and what is the explanation that the promise of the Secretary of Stat3 has not been carried out?

From the supplementary question of my hon. Friend the House might be led to assume that Lady Angela Forbes was promised a Court of Inquiry which has not been granted even to soldiers. The Secretary of State promised no such thing. He said that she would be heard in her own defence As a matter of fact, Lady Angela Forbes had an opportunity of being heard in her own defence in the sense in which the Secretary of State meant. She had an interview, on the Secretary of State's instructions, with the Adjutant-General in France, when certain complaints, not formulated into charges, were made against her. She had then the opportunity of stating her defence, if she wished to do so.

Arising out of that reply, is my lion. Friend aware that this interview—if it was considered to be an investigation—was an absolute farce, and a traversty of justice; that no evidence was produced against Lady Angela Forbes, that she was not asked what was her defence, and that she has had no opportunity up till now of stating her own case?

As I have pointed out, she had the opportunity of saying what she had to say in her own defence. The Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief asked the Adjutant-General to make all inquiries and a thorough investigation. It was after this investigation that the interview promised to Lady Angela Forbes took place. It was only after he was satisfied that that investigation had been held that the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief made up his mind—and the Army Council subsequently agreed with him—that Lady Angela Forbes should no longer continue in her work.

As to these complaints—

Order, order!

Sir C. Nicholson.

May we assume that there have been no complaints from soldiers themselves as to the conduct of this canteen?

Not necessarily. If my hon. Friend presses me, there are other complaints.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that soldiers home on leave reaching Exeter after seven o'clock on Saturday night cannot, owing to lack of train accommodation, reach their homes in North Devon until Monday morning unless conveyed by motor vehicles; whether he is aware that free petrol for this purpose has been refused by the military authorities and a request to have petrol supplied by payment has been ignored, consequently men home for a short respite from France will have to hang about Exeter for thirty-six to forty hours unless petrol is obtainable; and will petrol therefore be made available for the purpose of getting men to their homes at the earliest moment?

In view of the drastic restrictions on petrol I am afraid that it is not possible to grant this concession without raising similar claims all over the country. I would suggest to my right hon. Friend that a solution might be found in the fitting of some of the vehicles to consume gas.

Is the lion. Gentleman aware that these soldiers offered voluntarily to pay for the petrol, and surely the military authorities should be allowed to provide petrol under those circumstances?

Similar cases have occurred in that part of Scotland with which I am connected.

Does the hon. Gentleman not think that the awkward position these men find themselves in constitutes a very good reason why an extension of leave should be made in their case?

In all reasonable cases of delay the War Office is always anxious to give further leave if possible.

Is the hon. Member aware that soldiers on leave in Bangor cannot stay until Monday morning without their leave being extended by two days?

We usually try in all cases to make up for lost time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he can say if any and, if so, how many of those in command of battalions in the Welsh Division are Welshmen; and whether the officers recently appointed have during the last three years had actual experience of leading troops in battle?

This information can only be obtained from the military authorities in France, and I am reluctant to add to their labours by inquiring, unless my right hon. Friend presses the matter.

May I ask for an answer to the second part of my question?

I covered that point in my answer, but if the hon. Member insists upon adding to the already heavy labours of the people at the front in France I will inquire again.

Does he not think these questions are suggested by those who know what is going on at the front, and surely this is a matter of some consequence not only to the men themselves, but also to the country?

My hon. Friend is not now seeking information, but he is supplying it.

With regard to the percentage of Welshmen, will the hon. Gentlemen supply the figures?

asked whether it is proposed to take any further steps to stop the spread of infection by venereal poisons among British troops; whether there is any Army Order which forbids or discourages the necessary prophylactic medical measures; and whether it is proposed to issue an Army Order instructing Army medical officers of superior rank to take the necessary action as a part of their regular medical duties?

There is no Army Order authorising the use of such preventives or forbidding them. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

Does the hon. Gentleman not think that the time has arrived when the prejudices of purists in morality should no longer be allowed to diminish the effective man-power of the Army?

I think my hon. Friend would be the first to recognise that this is really a national question and not so much a military question.

asked whether a brigadier appointed to command a brigade in 1917 or 1918 becomes senior in the field to a brigadier whose appointment dates from 1914, 1915, or 1916, if the former was senior to the latter in the Army List prior to the War; and, if not, when the alteration was made in the Regulation affecting such seniority?

Brigadiers rank according to their substantive rank, and not according to the date of their appointment. This Regulation was in force several years before the outbreak of war.

Does the hon. Gentleman not think that the time has come to reconsider this question?

Is it not a fact that if brigadiers did not rank according to their substantive rank, those who come home wounded would lose their seniority on receiving fresh appointments?

That is so. With regard to my hon. and gallant Friend's question, this subject has been considered quite recently.

asked when the Army Ordnance workers in Dublin may expect an increase in wages?

I am waiting for further information from the Irish Command, and I hope to be able to announce a decision shortly.

asked whether any decision has yet been arrived at with reference to the issue of a medal or decoration to Imperial or Colonial troops in connection with the operations in Gallipoli?

This matter is receiving sympathetic consideration by the Imperial and Dominion Governments, but no conclusion has been reached.

Is it not a fact that a month ago I was informed that this matter was receiving sympathetic consideration, and could he say when a decision is likely to be arrived at?

That is perfectly true, but it is an extremely difficult question, involving a good deal of interviews and correspondence with the various Governments concerned. It also raises a very delicate point. I promise my hon. and gallant Friend that I will communicate with him when I get the information.

Is there any precedent for the issue of a decoration or medal for a campaign of this kind, which cannot be said to have resulted in victory?

I am not sure about that.

asked whether soldiers serving with the Colours are allowed to belong to a political party or to attend political meetings; whether a soldier if adopted as a Parliamentary candidate would be allowed to take any steps to further his candidature; and, in view of the entirely changed character of the present Army, whether the War Office intend to take steps to modify or abolish the old restrictions?

The War Cabinet, as I stated in an answer to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Stirling Burghs on 8th August last, have decided that paragraph 451 of the King's Regulations is to be strictly and impartially enforced; but if an election is pending and a soldier is adopted as a candidate, special furlough would be granted to him to promote his candidature.

Does the hon. Gentleman not realise that his answer means that no officer or man at present serving in the Army can be adopted as a prospective candidate; cannot some exceptions be made?

That is not the case; because there is an officer at the present moment who has been adopted as a candidate for one of the divisions of Lancashire (Prestwich) represented by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Is it possible for the Secretary for War to stand as a candidate, while if a man wishes to stand as an independent candidate to oppose a Government nominee he cannot get permission?

I hope my hon. Friend will do me the honour of reading to-morrow the answer which I have given.

Will the hon. Gentleman tell us when an election is pending?

An election may be pending at any moment. There is one pending now in which an officer is a candidate.

Does the hon. Member mean adopted by a political party or by a constituency?

In the event of it being desired to adopt an officer or a soldier as a prospective candidate, will he be permitted, when on leave, to go before an association?

I think that point is covered by the answer which I have given: I am assuming that an officer or a man would not seek to take part in polities unless it were absolutely necessary, and I think the fairest of all ways of getting out of a very difficult situation is to say that an officer or a man, if an election is pending, shall be allowed to get the necessary leave and facilities for pursuing his candidature.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has obtained the report as to the circumstances in which Private Charles Francis Davey, Reserve Battalion, Grenadier Guards, was found with his throat cut at Chelsea Barracks on 28th December; whether he is aware that this soldier, on complaining to the medical officer of illness, was charged with malingering, given two days' C.B., including, in breach of the King's Regulations, two hours at a stretch punishment drill; whether he is aware that Dr. Spilsbury certified at the inquest that this soldier suffered from disease of the heart muscle, fatty degeneration, and atrophy; why, in view of this verdict, the man was punished for pleading illness; and what action it is intended to take in respect of the medical officer in charge of Chelsea Barracks who signed the order for the man's punishment?

I have just received a report from the commanding officer, which is now being considered.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War to what practical extent, in view of the limitations in its operation announced by the Government and assuming that the National Registration (Amendment) Bill now before the House passes into law, soldiers holding discharge papers ex facie final are liable to be medically re-examined and recalled to active service?

My hon. Friend has asked me to reply. The National Registration (Amendment) Bill does not in any way affect the liability of discharged soldiers to be medically re-examined or recalled to active service. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of National Service stated in his speech to this House on the 14th January:

"This is not designed to make them more available for Military Service, to make it easier to provide them with work of National Importance."

As regards men who have served in the Navy or Army and who have been discharged on the ground of disablement or ill-health, I would refer my hon. Friend to the important answer which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for East Edinburgh.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what progress has been made towards establishing the temporary examining and receiving depot in Dublin; and whether he has received a resolution from the St. Patrick's Division United Irish League executive asking that the depot shall be put into operation at once?

The premises of the Dunlop Rubber Company have been selected, and the necessary steps are being taken to adapt them as a receiving depot. I have not received the resolution to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether, in the event of the death of a soldier who has not received his increased pay, his representatives will be entitled to get it?

The answer is in the affirmative.

If a man who has not declared that he desires to reduce his allotment by the amount of the concession becomes a casualty, mill the separation allowance for twenty-six weeks after his death be increased by the amount of the concession?

That does not arise out of the question on the Paper

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether it is to be understood that no alterations will be made in any grants already allocated by the Civil Liabilities Committee to officers, non-commissioned officers, and men, and thus minimise the value of the recent concessions in pay and allowances?

I hope that an announcement on this subject will shortly be made.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether compensation to officers for chargers slaughtered for food and kit lost or destroyed during the siege of Kut-al-Amarah, in Mesopotamia, will be paid by the War Office or the Government of India?

This is a matter for the India Office.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether, in view of the recent increases of pay and allowances to the Army, he will now bring forward such amendments to Section 145 of the Army Act as will enable an adequate sum to be compulsorily deducted for the support of deserted wives and illegitimate children?

The answer is in the negative.

Does the right hon. Gentleman consider that 6d. a day is enough in these times for a wife to live on?

I am asked whether or not I will bring forward an amendment of Section 145 of the Army Act, and I say the answer is in the negative.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that this Section allows only 6d. a day to be deducted from a man's pay in order to support a wife, and is not the Government prepared to take any steps in the matter?

I am not prepared to bring forward amendments to that Section.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether payment has yet been made to all the school teachers under the school boards, and also in the voluntary schools in Scotland, of the increases in salary allocated under the recent Grant?

I have no precise information at present as to the number of cases in which the increases of salary have been paid to teachers. It may, however, be assumed that payment has been made or will be made forthwith wherever the scheme for the allocation of the Grant has received the approval of the Scotch Education Department. Such approval has been given to the proposals of nearly 700 bodies of managers and the outstanding schemes are being dealt with as expeditiously as possible.

Will the hon. Gentleman say whether the school board teachers and the voluntary school teachers are to be treated in precisely the same way so far as this increase is concerned?

Speaking from recollection, I think that is so.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Government ordnance workers in Ireland receive 29s. per week whilst men in Woolwich are paid 47s.; whether he will have this inequality remedied; and whether it is intended to have the Ordnance Survey of Ireland placed under the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction in Ireland?

The civil assistants and labourers of the Ordnance Survey are employed in the production of the national maps and are not concerned in the manufacture of ordnance. Their work is of a totally different nature from that of the workmen in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. There is only one man now working on the Ordnance Survey in Ireland whose nominal six-day pay is less than 30s. He is a night watchman, who receives 27s. a week for six days, plus 4s. 6d. for each Sunday, plus 14s. war bonus. His total weekly pay is thus 45s. 6d. The answer to the latter part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if the Joint Committee for Furtherance of British Trade Overseas will consider the advisability of adding to its number a representative or representatives of the commercial travellers of Great Britain and Ireland, also co-opting representative commercial travellers in His Majesty's Dominions and Dependencies Overseas, whose expert knowledge of the art of salesmanship would add greatly to the usefulness of the Committee in question; if so, when this will be done; and, if not, will he state the reason?

I presume that the question asked by my hon. Friend relates to the Advisory Committee to the new Joint Department of Overseas Trade (Development of Intelligence). It is intended that this Committee shall represent as fully as possible the various British industrial, commercial, and financial interests concerned with overseas trade. My hon. Friend will, I am sure, recognise that the number of members of the Committee must be limited, so as to secure efficient and practical working, and. in view of the numerous interests to be taken into account, it is impossible at the present time to give any definite undertaking as to the separate representation of any particular class.

Surely there should be some better reason for the exclusion of a class so closely related to trade than mere numbers. Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the question whether the Committee will consider the advisability of including some representation of commercial travellers?

Certainly we will consider the advisability, and, in any case, the hon. Gentleman may rest assured that we would be delighted to keep in touch with them, so as to get the best possible benefit from their experience and knowledge of conditions.

asked the Minister of National Service whether he will urge upon the War Office the need to employ coloured men in the fighting line and so release skilled workmen from the Army for employment in the shipbuilding yards, engine shops, and mercantile marine; whether, as there are many coloured men from Africa in the Labour Battalions in France, it has been proved that they can stand the climate; and whether many coloured men are anxious to fight for the British flag, but have not been permitted to do so?

My hon. Friend has pressed this question on more than one occasion, and I can assure him that the question of the employment of coloured men in the fighting line has received, and is now receiving, the most careful consideration. Every possible use is being made of their services in the various theatres of war.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that I have been pressing this question on the notice of the War Office since October, 1914, and that if my suggestion had been adopted, and the great reservoir of fighting men in South Africa had been drawn upon—

The hon. Member is making a statement with regard to his own action, and is not asking a question.

May I ask whether, if the great reservoir of fighting men in South Africa had been drawn upon, it would not have been of very great effect and have had a beneficial bearing on the question of man-power in this country?

That is purely hypothetical.

Is it the case that the recruiting of black men from South Africa has been stopped by the order of the hon. Gentleman's Department?

No; it is not true.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether week-end railway tickets at the pre-war fares are still being issued to commercial travellers in Ireland; and, if so, why these tickets are not granted to commercial travellers in Great Britain, seeing that the railways are under the same national control?

I am aware that week-end railway tickets are still issued at pre-war fares to commercial travellers in Ireland, but the difficulties which led to the withdrawal of this privilege in Great Britain do not exist in Ireland to the same extent.

Is there any reason why commercial travellers in Ireland should be granted more favourable consideration than commercial travellers in Great Britain?

Yes; I have explained that the railway conditions are different.