asked the Minister of National Service whether he has considered the effect of the Royal Proclamation, dated 4th June, 1918, withdrawing certificates of exemption of persons born in the year 1900, as specified in the First Schedule, wherein exception is made in paragraph 4 as to cases where certificates have been granted on the ground of ill-health or of conscientious objection, and the limitation imposed by the Second Schedule, which, while permitting fresh applications to be made to an Appeal Tribunal by persons born in the year 1900 on the ground of a conscientious objection, exclude any such application on the ground of ill-health; why this differentiation is made, and why a person who has hitherto been entitled to exemption on the ground of infirmity or ill-health should no longer be able to apply for exemption while that right is preserved to conscientious objectors?

The Royal Proclamation withdrawing certificates of exemption from men born in the year 1900 contains similar grounds of appeal to those of the earlier Proclamation withdrawing certificates from men born in the years 1895 to 1899. The differentiation pointed out by my hon. and learned Friend is due to the fact that the Proclamation does not withdraw certificates of exemption in the cases of men who are in medical Grade 3, and it is not to be supposed that a man in Grade 1 or Grade 2 would hold a certificate granted partly on the ground of ill-health.

asked the Minister of National Service how many men between the ages of forty-three and forty-five who were medically examined in Conduit Street for the week ending 8th June were passed Grade 1; and how many wore classed in lower categories?

Of the men of the new military age examined at Conduit Street during the week ending 8th June approximately 33 per cent. were graded in Grade 1.

asked the Minister of National Service whether his attention has been called to the case of Isadore Falkoff, age thirty-two, married, who was recently placed in Grade 1 by the National Service Medical Board at Whitehall, and who, on appearing before the Middlesex Appeal Tribunal, was ordered to be examined by the county tuberculosis officer, who certified that the man's sputum contained tubercle bacilli; whether he is aware that at this time the man was under the care of the tuberculosis officer for Hackney, by whom he had been ordered away to the seaside pending arrangements being made for his admission to a sanatorium; whether, on the facts being brought to the notice of his Department, the man was re-examined at Whitehall on or about the 9th May and was thereupon rejected; whether he can give any explanation of the failure of the medical board on the first examination to detect that man's condition; and whether he will undertake to issue such instructions as will ensure that men suffering from tuberculosis are not placed in Grade 1?

asked the Minister of National Service if he will have an immediate inquiry made into the methods of the medical examining board at Blackburn, whose methods and conclusions are causing disaffection and dissatisfaction, as this Board is passing known consumptives as Grade 1 and men who for years have done no work on account of illness as Grade 2?

ascertain all the facts of these cases, but I am having inquiries made, the result of which I will communicate to the hon. Members.

asked the Minister of National Service whether any of the provincial medical boards have had their personnel reduced from five to three members; where are such boards operating; and under what authority has this change been effected?

I regret that the information asked for is not available. It could only be obtained by asking for daily returns, which would seriously increase the work of the already overworked medical boards. The normal National Service Medical Board consists of five doctors, but, as already stated, in times of pressure these may be reduced to three. This course is quite unavoidable, owing to the serious shortage of doctors, if the necessary men are to be obtained for the forces.

asked the Minister of National Service whether any and, if so, how many members of medical boards have resigned since the 1st November, 1917; in how many cases such resignations are due to alleged differences of opinion between the members of medical boards and the president of the board owing to his action in disregarding the opinions of members of the board and placing men in a higher grade than that in which the members of the board think the man should be placed; what proportion of men so examined are personally examined by the president; and what opportunities are afforded other members of the board of further examination or for discussion before the grade is determined by him?

Out of some 2,500 doctors serving as members on the National Service Medical Boards, sixteen have resigned from service since November, 1917. So far as I am aware, none resigned on the grounds suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of National Service which medical boards in the London region (designating them by such particulars as will identify them) have been reduced in number from five to three members; and under what authority was that reduction effected, in view of the assurance given to this House for the effective medical examination of those who became liable for military service under the last of the Military Service Acts as being between the ages of forty-one and fifty-one years?

The National Service Medical Boards at Conduit Street, which have been specially dealing with men coming under the extended age limits, have, during this temporary high pressure, necessarily been composed of three members, and it has not been practicable as yet to increase that number. With regard to the other boards in the London region, I should require to have detailed inquiries made, as the composition of the boards has varied with the pressure of recruits attending for examination, and the number of doctors available for service on the panel?

asked the Minister of National Service whether he realises that under the system which is now in force, whereby there are different standards of grading for the older men, a man who under the former practice if placed in Grade 3 was not called up, whereas a man coming within the extended military age whose health would formerly have caused him to be placed in Grade 3 is now placed in Grade 2, and as such is now liable to be called up?

The principles underlying the medical grading of men have been in no way changed. A condition of ill-health which would lower grading in a younger man would have a similar or greater effect on an older man. I cannot, therefore, accept the suggestion conveyed in the latter part of the question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War when the Regulations subjecting soldiers to court-martial for the concealment of venereal disease were issued; and how many cases of this offence have come before courts- martial since the Regulations were issued and during the last three months?

This Regulation was first embodied in the King's Regulations in the 1889 edition. I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the question is not available.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Barnet Krimkoff, No. J/1673, 42nd Royal Fusiliers, offered to enlist voluntarily early in 1917, was rejected, was called up as a Russian in January, 1918, after serving 105 days was discharged for ill-health with good character, discharge dated 23rd April, 1918; that he was brought before a court-martial at Plymouth on 22nd April, 1918, charged with supplying a drug to a soldier who wished to permanently invalid himself, but who only pointed at Krimkoff out of a number of others as having given him the drug, was acquitted by the court-martial, having proved that on the day when the drug was given he could not have seen his accuser, but that in spite of holding a discharge with good character he was refused travelling expenses, has been visited by detectives at his home in London, has been asked by the Pension Office to refund his gratuity, and though permanently employed in an Army clothing factory is being threatened and victimised; and whether he will give instructions that Krimkoff shall be allowed to do his usual work in an Army clothing factory?

I am making inquiries, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the War Office is under a promise to allow the wives and families of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of His Majesty's Army to accompany them when sent to Colonial stations in the East, or to send such wives and families out to their husbands on other vessels; if so, why this promise has not for a considerable time past been fulfilled by the War Office; and whether, even during the present war conditions, the wives and families of French soldiers proceeding to the French Far East are still allowed to accompany their husbands?

Normally wives and families of warrant officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Army are entitled to conveyance abroad under certain conditions which are laid down in the Allowance Regulations. During the War, however, it has become necessary to impose restrictions on such travel and only in very exceptional cases can facilities be granted. I regret I have no official information as to the last part of the question.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War if he is aware that, although the intention has been declared of in future only employing qualified dental surgeons in the Army as dental surgeons, many are still being drafted into combatant units; and, if so, whether instructions will be given that in future they shall be employed in the Army for professional duties only?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, despite an explicit pledge to the contrary, dentists are still being taken for ordinary combatant service, and the nation and the Army thus deprived of a kind of medical assistance of which they stand in the greatest need?

I am not aware of any pledge of the nature suggested, but, on the contrary, I stated in reply to a question on the 4th March last, that the dental needs of the Army were not such that all qualified dentists serving in the Army can be used for their professional work. I am afraid it is not possible to give an undertaking that no qualified dentists will be posted to combatant units in the first instance, but should any of these be subsequently required, for dental service in the Army, they will be reposted.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he can state the number of dentists employed by the Canadian Expeditionary Force in their professional capacity?

I understand that there are 201 dentists employed with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War how many of the 640 dentists holding commissions in the Royal Army Medical Corps are serving with the British Expeditionary Force in France?

At the present time ninety-six dentists are so employed but the dental service in France is being reorganised and the number of dentists considerably increased.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether men discharged as being surplus to military requirements are eligible for the silver war badge if it is proved that they are suffering from a disability caused by, or aggravated by, military service?

A man who is discharged under paragraph 392 (XVI.A), King's Regulations, as being surplus to military requirements (having suffered impairment) is not eligible for the award of the silver war badge.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the Navy and Army Canteen Board have recently opened a depot in Canterbury from which the families of temporary officers as well as the officers themselves obtain general groceries; whether these depts are authorised to compete in this manner with local tradesmen; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

In certain instances, for the sake of convenience, and with a view to exercising a more efficient supervision over the issue of foodstuffs that are controlled or in restricted supply, separate establishments have been opened —as at Canterbury—to deal with a branch of the trade which has hitherto been conducted in the ordinary canteens and messing stores. This trade—namely, the supply of groceries to officers' and soldiers' families not in receipt of separation allowance, has always been part of the ordinary recognised work of the canteen. Permission to deal at canteens or at establishments of the kind in question is very carefully safeguarded, and the conditions under which the trade is carried on, while necessarily limiting the supply of rationed articles in accordance with the Food Controller's Regulations, also places a per capita limitation on other foodstuffs sold.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his statement that no change is contemplated as regards the arrangements of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in Belfast signifies that the Grand Central Hotel is to be continued in use as a hostel for the corps; and, if so, why a notice was given on the 21st May to the proprietor by the military authorities that it is intended to give up possession of the Grand Central' Hotel at a very early date?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, in view of a. general reduction of accommodation required for this service, it was thought that it might be necessary to relinquish the occupation of the Grand Central Hotel, and the proprietors were warned accordingly, but it was subsequently decided not to abandon the use of the hotel.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the notice given by the military authorities to the proprietors of the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast requisitioning the hotel, a building containing 200 bedrooms, for a hostel for the use of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps allowed insufficient time for the furniture to be properly catalogued and advertised for sale by auction; whether he is aware that the entire contents of the hotel were in fact cleared out and sold for a sum less by £5,682 than the value as certified by Dublin and Belfast valuers, and that the military authorities reserved a certain portion of the furniture, but instead of using it for the hostel eventually included it in the general sale; whether the claim of the hotel proprietor has yet been settled; and what was the total loss involved in the transaction by the Government?

I understand that the proprietors of the hotel were allowed to fix a date which they considered would give them sufficient time to transfer the furniture, and I am informed that it was catalogued and advertised a month before the auction took place. I am not aware of the loss, if any, on the sale of the furniture, but am informed that the prices obtained were considered very good. The military authorities did negotiate with the owners for the purchase of certain articles, but these were eventually included in the sale. A claim has been made by the proprietors to the Defence of the Realm Losses Commission, which is the body set up to deal with all claims for compensation in such cases.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will take steps to secure leave for Private E. Shields, No. 18109, C Company, 9th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, 65th Infantry Brigade, Salonika Forces, who has been on active service for three years, and has been wounded twice and had two attacks of malaria, and during this three years has had no leave of any description?

I am afraid that I can add nothing to the reply which I gave yesterday to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Dulwich, in answer to a question dealing generally with leave from Salonika and Egypt. Perhaps my hon. Friend will speak to me about this case.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether cadets can obtain commissions in the Royal GarrisonArtillery only on condition that they take commissions in the Special Reserve?

Temporary commissions in the Royal Garrison Artillery are now granted to cadets in the Cadet Schools. Cadets at the Royal Military Academy are granted permanent commissions.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has received any complaints with regard to the treatment of Russian soldiers in the Eighth Labour Battalion stationed in Kent; whether he is aware that these men are being supplied with food unfit for consumption, and that when over 200 of them were vaccinated and inoculated they were not allowed the customary forty-eight hours' rest, but were returned immediately to the camp to resume duty; and whether he will make inquiry into the matter?

I am obtaining a report in this ease, and will communicate with my hon. Friend later.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will state the amount of pay and ration allowance given at the discharge centre to a soldier who is discharged, under King's Regulation 292 xxv. or xxva., as having suffered no impairment in health while in the Army in order to enable him to maintain himself until he finds employment or until he receives further payment of any balance from the paymaster of any sum which may be due to him on his accounts; and how long such sum is calculated to maintain a man in view of the present cost of living?

As a general rule the minimum amount which a soldier who is not in debt would receive would be 25s. 1d., in addition to civilian clothes. This is irrespective of any allowance for dependants?

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if his attention has been called to the fact that about 120 men of the Army Pay Corps at Black-heath are being transferred to Labour Corps, with reduction of pay to that of their new unit and loss of rank in the case of non-commissioned officers, on the ground of incompetence; if he is aware that of the men being transferred on the ground of incompetence the great majority were clerks in civil life and a few were school teachers; if he is also aware that amongst the men involved there are two who have been promoted to the rank of corporal, presumably for the efficient performance of their duty as Army pay clerks; if he is further aware that in all cases the men who are being transferred are in low medical categories, such as B 2 and B 3, and unfitted, by reason of their age and previous employment in sedentary occupations in civil life, for hard manual labour; and if he will make inquiries with the object of satisfying himself that the charge of incompetence has, in fact, been substantiated against each individual man concerned and that the action taken is not due, as alleged, to a general policy of victimisation, and also that the non-commissioned officers who are being reduced to the ranks have been tried by court-martial if, as is understood to be the case, they are entitled to be so tried under Army Regulations?

Inquiries are being made, and I will let the hon. Member know the result.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War what are the maximum prices which the Army Remount Department are authorised to pay in purchasing light horses for Army requirements; what these prices were in 1914; and whether, having regard to the increased cost of production during the last three years, he will consider the advisability of revising these maximum prices in accordance with the increased cost of production and to prevent the light-horse breeding industry from extinction?

It is not desirable in the public interest to state the maximum prices which Army buyers are authorised to pay, but they are substantially in advance of the prices current in 1914. The considerations referred to in the latter part of the question have not been lost sight of.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, in fixing prices relating to agricultural products, the Ministry of Food is guided by the cost of production in the case of each individual animal; and whether the War Office are prepared to adopt the same principle for the purchase of light horses for the Army?

The principles upon which the Ministry of Food fixes the price of cattle and other animals as meat cannot be applied in the ease of horses, whose value depends upon many points such as conformation, action, quality, condition, and training. In buying light horses Army purchasers are guided by current market values, and, as at present advised, I am not prepared to depart from that principle.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War whether he can state how many horses are still toeing bought by the Government in America and the Argentine; whether all the available sources of supply have been exhausted in this country; and whether it is proposed to commandeer any more light horses until the maximum price for these horses has been readjusted in accordance with the increased cost of production?

Approximately 12,000 horses and mules have been purchased in the United States of America during 1918; none have been bought in Argentina. Available sources of supply in the United Kingdom have not yet been completely exhausted, as there are young horses constantly maturing. Approximately 7,000 animals have been bought in the United Kingdom this year, but this number is not sufficient for the Army's needs. The requisitioning of light horses is not at present contemplated, and it is hoped that such a course will not be necessary.

asked the President of the Hoard of Agriculture whether he can state the approximate cost of production, under present war conditions, of a light horse suitable for Army purposes; and whether the price paid for this type of horse by the Army authorities will be based upon the present cost of production?

I regret that I am unable to state a figure which would represent approximately the cost of production of a light horse for the Army under present conditions. The circumstances of production vary so greatly that an estimate of cost in one district would be quite misleading as to the cost in another, and an estimate of cost on a farm where light-horse breeding was the main industry would differ very considerably from the cost on a farm where it was only a side issue. As to the prices paid for light horses by the Army authorities, I must refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the Under-Secretary of State for War.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Workers' Welfare Order, dated 12th October, 1917, with regard to ambulance and first-aid appliances, is in abeyance; whether a number of complaints have been received by the factory inspectors about the non-observance of the Regulations under this Order; and what steps it is proposed to take to see that these Regulations are carried out?

This Order is not in abeyance, and I am informed that, while there has necessarily been some delay in carrying it out owing to the difficulties in obtaining materials and other emergency conditions; on the whole, satisfactory progress has been made, and very few complaints have been received. The factory inspectors have instructions to pay special attention to the enforcement of the Order at all visits to works to which it applies, and an inspector specially selected for the purpose has been making detailed inspections at; a number of the chief works and instructing the occupiers as to the best arrangements. The Home Office attaches great importance to the Order, and all practical steps will be taken to enforce its requirements.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, having regard to the damage done by motor omnibuses to roads in rural districts, the difficulty and expense of repairing them, and keeping them watered, he will consider the advisability, in wartime, of public conveyances for which petrol is released being restricted to the actual needs required for the conveyance of the public and not being used for pleasure purposes?

I have been asked by my right hon. Friend to answer this question. Motor-omnibus services are restricted by the Motor Spirit (Consolidation) and Gas Restriction Order, 1918, to routes upon which omnibuses were accustomed to ply during December, 1917, or to routes certified by the police to be necessary or desirable in the interests of the travelling public. Services which were running in the month of December are not likely to be pleasure services, and it would be difficult to differentiate between the passengers on these routes in order to eliminate unnecessary use. The possibility for the necessity of exercising further control has not, however, been lost sight of.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the aggregate tonnage and value of the goods seized by the Customs as prohibited on arrival at ports in the United Kingdom during the past twelve months; and what percentage of the goods so seized is now held in bond and occupying space in dock warehouses?

I regret that the information desired by the hon. and gallant Member is not. available, and could not be obtained even approximately without the scrutiny of thousands of documents. Goods held in bond to the Department of Import Restrictions are usually taken into the warehouses of the consignees or other persons giving bond.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, owing to the shortage of wire nails in Great Britain, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pack supplies for the Allied Fronts; and, if so, whether he will instruct the British authorities in New York to expedite by every means in their power the export of the large quantities of wire nails now lying at the docks there which have been duly licensed for importation into this country by the Department of Import Restrictions?

I am aware that a shortage of wire nails exists, and the Board of Trade have been in communication with the Ministry of Shipping on the subject, with the result that arrange- ments have been made for the shipment of a considerable quantity of wire nails both from the United States and from Canada.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether a large proportion of the Scotch pine seed collected in Great Britain during the past winter was sent to France; whether we are under an obligation to send a further supply to France next winter; and what steps are being taken to ensure the collection of a sufficient quantity for our own requirements in addition to the above?

Of the l,700 1bs. of Scots pine seed extracted on behalf of the State last winter 700 lbs. were sent to the Director of Forestry, British Expeditionary Force, in accordance with the Government's obligation to the French authorities. Next year it is proposed to send the Director 3,500 lbs. of similar seed, but no difficulties are anticipated in obtaining both this and as much more seed as may be required for home use.

asked the Secretary for Scotland why permission has been refused to the Partick Labour Representation Committee to hold a procession and demonstration to promote the interests of the Parliamentary Labour candidates for the local Parliamentary divisions; and will he take steps to have this prohibition withdrawn, in order to avoid a conflict between the police and the demonstrators, as the demonstration will be held in spite of the refusal of the authorities to give permission?

I understand permission to hold the procession in question has been refused by the Glasgow municipal authorities in the exercise of their discretion in view of the serious dislocation of traffic which recent experience has shown to be caused by such demonstrations. I must strongly deprecate the suggestion made in the concluding part of the question. I am not aware that I have any power to interfere in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Mrs. Pankhurst is now in America on a mission for the British Government; what is the nature of that mission; and whether she is authorised to spend money, and to what amount?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Austria and Germany have concluded a military alliance for twenty-five years, constituting a joint army under one unified control for purposes of offence and defence; whether he has any information regarding the attitude of Turkey and Bulgaria to the alliance; and what steps the Allied Governments propose to take to organise free democracies against this alliance of emperors?

There seems little doubt that a military arrangement has been, or will shortly be, concluded between Austria-Hungary and Germany. It is also said that Turkey and Bulgaria arc prepared to adhere to its general principles. Negotiations are believed still to be proceeding. As regards the last part of the question, I think that the hon. and gallant Member will agree that this is hardly a point which can usefully be discussed by the method of question and answer in this House.

representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, if he can state, approximately, how much further assistance per annum to the cause of national insurance is represented by the increased rate of interest credited upon the invested funds of approved societies?

The increase in the prescribed rate of interest as from January, 1918, will result in an additional sum of approximately £250,000 per annum being made available for immediate credit to approved societies. My hon. Friend will, of course, appreciate the fact that while the prescribed rate of interest may vary from time to time with changing circumstances, the whole of the income of the investment account must be applied to National Health Insurance purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Education when he proposes to introduce the Pensions Bill for teachers?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cambridge University on 31st May, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the President of the Board of Education when the Pensions Bill for teachers will be introduced?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cambridge University on 31st May, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Committee appointed last year to consider the financial position of the Imperial Institute in connection with the Act of 1916 has sent in its Report; and, if so, whether the executive council of the Imperial Institute has been informed of the conclusion arrived at?

The Report has been received, and is now under consideration, and I hope that it will shortly be communicated to the executive council of the Imperial Institute.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he proposes to take on the Report of the Committee on Electric Power Supply?

The Report is receiving careful consideration. As my hon. Friend is aware, it raises issues of great importance, but no time will be lost in dealing with the matter.