I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in settling the final terms of peace with the Boers, His Majesty's Government propose to take into consideration the whole of the circumstances attending the Jameson raid; and, if so, will His Majesty's Government consent to grant a Select Committee of this House to reopen and complete the inquiry into that raid with a view more fully to ascertain the origin thereof, the whole of the circumstances attendant thereon, and the persons implicated therein.

Before the right hon. Gentleman answers I should like to ask whether he will take into consideration the action of the people who were responsible for the traitorous meeting lately held at the Queen's Hall.

^* : Order, order!

I rise to order, Sir. I think I heard the hon. Member speak of the meeting at the Queen's Hall as a traitorous meeting.

^* : Order, order! The hon. Member's question was irregular and I stopped it, but an hon. Member is not prevented from applying any terms which he pleases to meetings outside the House.

But if Members of this House were present at those meetings?

They ought not to be.

^* : I can take no notice of that.

In answer to the question on the Paper, I have to say that we do not propose to reopen this subject.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Colonial Secretary has been distinctly accused of complicity in the raid?

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state on what grounds he bases his refusal to lay upon the Table of the House the correspondence between Mr. Hawksley, the solicitor of the Chartered Company, and the Colonial Secretary, accompanying and following the Return of the Rhodes-Hawksley-Harris Correspondence dealing with the alleged complicity of the Colonial Office in the plot against the Transvaal, which was lent by Mr. Hawksley to the Colonial Secretary at his request.

I do not admit the correctness of the description given by the hon. Member of the correspondence in question, but I would refer him to my reply of 7th August last, † to which I have nothing to add.

I will now ask this further question. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it has been stated that this correspondence proves his complicity in the raid?

^* : Order, order! That does not arise out of the question or the answer, and it is not a proper question to ask.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether farms belonging to Boers who are prisoners of war in St. Helena and Ceylon, have been burnt by His Majesty's forces in South Africa, and whether any compensation will be given to men whose farms were burnt when they were prisoners of war.

I am only aware of one case mentioned in the Return of farms burnt. I can give no opinion on the question of compensation.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the telegrams which his own Press Censor passed it is positively stated that farms of prisoners of war have been burnt?

I am not responsible for any telegrams except those which come from Lord Kitchener.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether despatches have passed between Lord Kitchener and the Secretary of State for War as to the advisability of permitting Mrs. Kruger, the wife of Mr. Kruger, to remain in the Transvaal.

No, Sir.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can state what is the scale of pensions paid to the soldiers who fought in the Crimean War, and how that scale compares with the pensions which will be received by those engaged in the present war.

The rates of pension for soldiers who fought in the Crimea ranged—(1) for wounds or injuries from 8d. to 3s. a day, according to rank and degree of injury; (2) for disabilities wholly due to war service from 6d. if under fourteen years service, to 1s. 7d. if over fourteen years service; and (3) for service, after twenty-one years, from (8d. to 2s. 6d. a day, with an additional grant for good conduct badges up to 6d., according to rank and length of service. The present rates are—for wounds or injuries, including disabilities wholly due to war service, from 6d. to 3s. 6d. a day, according to rank and degree of injury, and for service (after twenty-one years) from 1s. 1d. to 3s. 6d. a day, with an additional grant for service beyond twenty-one years, according to rank and length of service.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Thomas Mackie, who had served as a soldier for twenty-one years in the 42nd and 79th Highland regiments, has been deprived of his pension of £33 9s. 8d. a year; and can he state what condition or regulation this man had violated to justify this penalty.

This man was struck off the pension list in 1896 by the Chelsea Commissioners on account of his gross misconduct in having made unfounded and scandalous accusations against an officer. As an act of grace, portion of his pension was restored in 1899.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can state how many militiamen have been sent to South Africa during the present war; how many of these men were under the age of twenty when sent; and how many regular recruits under the age of twenty, and therefore ineligible for foreign service with their regular units, were subsequently sent to South Africa attached to Militia battalions.

The total number of Militia sent out during the war is. 28,039. Roughly speaking, about 8,500 would be under twenty, and the number of regular recruits under twenty attached, to the Militia was about 4,100.

How many are under the age of sixteen? How many have been kidnapped?

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the 3rd Dorset Regiment, having now been embodied since 14th December, 1899, and having been in Ireland since 9th March, 1901, can now be disembodied.

The case of this, regiment and others is under consideration.

I beg to ask the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he can now state what decision has been arrived at by the War Office with reference to the disembodiment of the 3rd Gordon Highlanders, now serving at Aldershot.

The case of this regiment, with others, is now being, considered.

But it has been stated in the press that a decision, has been arrived at.

I must ask for notice of the question.

I will put it on Thursday.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will state what was the cause of the failure of the small-arm ammunition in the recent machine gun competition at Aldershot, and by whom the faulty ammunition was manufactured.

No report of any such failure has been received from Aldershot.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can give the names, rank, regiment, and length of sentence, in each case, of the soldiers recently convicted by court-martial of mutiny at Shorncliffe; whether he can explain the cause of the mutiny, and lay the full report of the proceedings of the court-martial upon the Table of the House.

Two soldiers were tried at Shorncliffe, one for creating a disturbance and for also firing ball cartridge, and one for offering violence to his superior officer. A sentence of twelve months imprisonment with hard labour was awarded for the latter offence, and two years and discharge for the former. As I told the hon. Member before, there was no mutiny, only a quarrel. It is not considered necessary to lay the proceedings on the Table of the House.

Will you give me the names and rank of the men?

No, Sir.

Is it not because they are Irish? But I will get them all the same.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can state the names of the ships in which the Admiralty fittings for carrying horses were substituted for the ordinary trade fittings, the time occupied by such change, and the cost in each case.

The ships in which the Admiralty horse fittings were substituted for the ordinary trade horse fittings were "British Princess," one hundred horse stalls; "St. Andrew," fifty horse stalls;. "Cymric," seventy horse stalls. No extra time was occupied in the change, and no expense was incurred by Government.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the present condition of the Mediterranean Fleet and the importance of Gibraltar as a naval base for that fleet, His Majesty's Government will agree to the appointment of a Select Secret Committee of this House to examine and consider all official Reports upon the defensibility of Gibraltar made to His Majesty's Government during the last seven years, and in the possession either of the Foreign Office, the War Office, the Colonial Office, or the Admiralty; if so, whether they will cause in especial to be laid before that Committee the Report of Captain S. Buckle, R. E., dated 17th January, 1894; of General Sir John C. Ardagh, C.B., Director of Military Intelligence, dated 1st May, 1900; of General Sir Robert Biddulph, G.C.B., Governor of Gibraltar, dated 28th December, 1900; of Major-General F. G. Slade, C.B., commanding the Artillery at Gibraltar, and Colonel J. F. Lewis, R.E., dated 4th February, 1901; and of General Sir George White, V.C., G.C.B. Governor of Gibraltar, dated 9th February, 1901; and, if not, will they state the general effect of the six Reports in question as regards the tenability of the western side of Gibraltar as a naval, base.

I do not think that such a Select Committee as my hon. friend suggests would be really for the public advantage.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether he has given orders that claims advanced by public servants in India for compensation allowance, under regulations he has sanctioned, are to be finally decided by the Government of India except in cases where new or doubtful points are raised which are not covered by the rules; whether this limitation on the right of appeal to the Secretary of State from decisions of the Government of India is intended to apply to cases in which that Government fails or declines to inform the claimant on what point or points under the rules they hold him not to be entitled to compensation; and whether, in any case, when the Government of India fails or refuses to state the grounds of its decision to any officer who appeals to it under these or any other regulations, he will allow such officer to submit his case directly to the Secretary of State for revision.

^* : The Government of India have been authorised to give a final decision upon all cases of exchange compensation allowance which are provided for in the regulations approved by the Secretary of State. But if any officer memorialises the Secretary of State against the refusal of the Government of India to give reasons for a decision in which he is concerned, then, whether that decision relates to a case of exchange compensation, or to any other matter his memorial will be dealt with under the general rules applicable to memorials, and may or may not be forwarded to the Secretary of State according to the merits of the case.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the fact that a cavalry officer of the Indian Staff Corps has by regulation to take on service four pers nal attendants, namely, one body servant and three syces, and that the cost of extra clothing for these servants for the China campaign has amounted to about Rs.286, or more than a month's pay for a subaltern; and whether the German officers in China had an extra allowance of £1 per day, and whether any decision has yet been arrived at by the War Office in regard to the question of a supplementary allowance to Indian Staff Officers serving in China on account of the extra expenses entailed upon them; and, if not, when a decision may be expected.

I am aware that a cavalry officer has to take four servants with him on active service, but I do not know what was the cost of their outfit on this occasion. I am informed that the German officers were granted for this China Expedition a special "equipment allowance" according to rank. For subalterns it was about 10s. a day. British officers with the expedition have been granted special concessions on account of quarters, fuel, and lighting; and in Hong Kong and Shanghai an extra sum on account of the high cost of living generally.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether there is any intention to substitute the English language in Mauritius for French as the official language; and whether, having regard to the inconvenience and the unpopularity with the inhabitants of the Mauritius of such a change, he will be able to give an assurance that there will be no alteration in the long-established official language of this island.

The information in the possession of the hon. Member appears to be somewhat antiquated, because English has been the official language for sixty years.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that Mr. Findlay, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, has been expelled the Assembly for having published a reprint of an article which appeared in the Irish World ; whether the Premier of the Colony communicated with the Colonial Office before taking this action; and whether the expulsion of Mr. Findlay was recommended as a punishment for his offence.

I have no information as to the expulsion referred to beyond what has appeared in the press. No communication was addressed to His Majesty's Government with reference to the proposed expulsion, and no recommendation has been tendered by the Colonial Office on this subject, as the matter was one for the responsible Government of the colony to deal with.

^* : I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a paid consul has lately been appointed to reside in the Faroe Islands, and, if so. at what salary; and can he explain why this post has been preferred over several recently abolished in Asia Minor arid elsewhere; and whether changes made from time to time in the list of paid vice consulates and consulates can be brought directly to the knowledge of Parliament.

^* : In April of last year the unpaid vice consul at Thorshaven, a gentleman of Danish nationality was replaced by a consul with a salary of £400 and an allowance of £100 for office expenses. It had been represented that in view of the troubles which had recently occurred in connection with fishery questions, and the importance of the interests involved, it was desirable that a salaried consulate should be established in the Faroe Islands, and the arguments in favour of this course convinced the Secretary of State that such an appointment was urgently required. Every change in the list of paid consulates and vice consulates is shown in the annual Estimates laid before Parliament.

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, seeing that the so-called Thibetan Embassy has reached St. Petersburg and is about to be received by His Majesty the Tsar, he can now give the House any information upon the subject; and will he state whether any communication concerning this so-called embassy has been addressed to the Russian Government.

^* : We have heard that a mission from Thibet has arrived in Russia, but we are without detailed information as to its character. His Majesty's Government have not addressed any communication to the Russian Government on the subject.

asked if the noble Lord was in a position to state whether he would be able at a future time to make a statement on the subject.

^* : Perhaps the hon. Member will put down a question, on the subject.

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state how many times the Crown Agents for the colonies have been obliged to fill up steamers chartered for the carriage of material for the Uganda Railway with Welsh coal, what the price was at which they purchased the said coal, and which Welsh port they loaded, at.

^* : No Uganda Railway steamers have been obliged to fill up with coal, coal having only been shipped to fulfil the requirements of the railway.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in respect of coal contracts entered into prior to the 19th April, and deposited with the Customs with a view to securing a remission of duty, he will state the quantity of coal sold under covered contracts for delivery between the 31st December and the end of the financial year and subsequently, and also the quantities in the case of uncovered contracts sold for delivery up to the end of December, the end of March, and subsequently.

I am not in a position to give the information for which the hon. Member asks. The evidence of cover has not yet been completely examined, and it is possible that more such evidence than that already given to the Customs may be adduced; so that I might only be misleading the House if 1 gave the figures he asks for at present.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state what steps will be taken by the Customs to ascertain the proportion of the cargo liable to duty in the case of shipments of through and through coal where the large is of a value exceeding 6s. per ton, and the small of a value below that value, and consequently entitled to a remission of the duty; whether he is aware that Cardiff steam coal when screened a second time at the port of shipment produces nearly 10 per cent. of what are known as dock screenings; and will exported coal screened only at the Colliery be allowed a partial or proportionate remission on the amount of small contained, when the value of dock screenings is below 6s. per ton; and, if so, how will the amount be ascertained.

The Customs will not take the initiative in such a case. It will be for the exporter of the coal who has paid the duty upon it to prove his claim to a rebate, in respect of some portion of the cargo, if he so desires. In a given consignment of coal at, say, 10s. a ton, there might be some proportion of dust which, if separated from the large coal of which it is the refuse, might sell for less than 6s. a ton. But unless it formed a separate consignment and sale, at a separate price, distinguishable from the rest of the cargo, it could not be recognised as a subject of rebate.

I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, as under the operation of Clause 3 of the Finance Bill, as amended in Committee, no duty will be charged on the pitch used in the manufacture of patent fuel when the coal ingredient can be bought at a price below 6s. per ton, but the full duty will be charged on pitch when the manufacturer is compelled to pay a higher price for the coal ingredient; and, seeing that pitch exported from this country free of duty is largely used by fuel manufacturers abroad who compete with those in this country, will he on the Report stage of the Finance Bill provide for a drawback on patent fuel equal in amount to that levied on the pitch ingredient used in its manufacture.

The amount of pitch used in the manufacture of patent fuel does not, I believe, exceed 10 per cent., so that, having regard to the value of the article, the question of competition with foreign manufacturers does not seem very important. But I shall be prepared to consider an Amendment of the kind suggested in the Question, if it should be placed on the Paper for Report.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been directed to the inconvenience which has arisen in consequence of a decision affecting the validity of the Continuation Clause in policies of marine insurance; and whether he will consider the possibility of introducing provisions into the Finance Bill which will meet this difficulty.

My attention has been directed to this matter by a communication from shipowners and underwriters, and I think that an amendment of the law with regard to it is required. I was prepared to accept the clause which my hon. friend put on the Paper, but I found it could not be moved without a previous resolution in Committee of the House, and with that object I have placed on the Paper for this evening a resolution in Committee of Ways and Means, which I propose to take before the Budget is further proceeded with.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that it is the practice of the magistrates at Great Malvern Police Court to deal at the sitting of the court with all applications to the bench (such as applications for extension of hours at public-houses) except applications for certificates of exemption from vaccination, but to make parents applying for such certificates wait until the business is over, with the result that these applicants sometimes have to wait in court for three and four hours, and whether he will suggest to the magistrates that they should treat these applicants as they do others.

^* : I am informed that applications for certificates of exemption from vaccination are postponed till after ordinary business at the court in question, but that in this respect they are treated in the same way as all other applications except licensing applications. The arrangement of business is entirely in the discretion of the court, and I have no power to interfere.

I am aware that the right hon. Gentleman has no power to interfere, but could he not make a suggestion, which would be of value coming from him?

^* : No; I am afraid I cannot do that. I do not care to make suggestions to which I can give no practical effect, and which the justices might not see their way to adopt. But perhaps the fact of the hon. Member having put the question may have the desired effect.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government propose to take steps to prevent the advertising in the newspapers of the United Kingdom of racing or other competitions carried on abroad of the description which were, in the recent case of Regina v. Stoddart, held to be illegal when carried on in this country.

^* : I am not satisfied with the present state of the law, but His Maejsty's Government do not propose to introduce any legislation on this subject this session.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to what has taken place at Stratford-on-Avon during the recent election, when, of the four Liberal meetings held there, all were disturbed and three were broken up, and is he aware, that, on Monday night last, the Liberal committee-room was broken open; and whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the reports to the Home Office as to the part taken by the police in endeavouring to maintain order.

^* : It is no part of the duty of the police to enter or interfere, within the building in the case of political meetings within doors unless summoned to suppress actual breach of the peace. So far as the preservation of order generally is concerned, I have no reason to suppose that they fell short of their duty in any way on these occasions. I am informed that there is no truth in the report of a Liberal committee-room having been broken open on the 24th June. The answer to the last paragraph is in the negative.

Does the same law apply to Ireland?

I had intended to move the adjournment of the House in order to call attention to the conduct of the police during the recent election at Stratford-on-Avon, but since I put a question on the Paper the hon. Member for Peckham has given notice of a motion to call attention to the disturbances at the same election. I wish to know whether the terms of that motion exclude a motion for adjournment.

^* : That is so. The notice of motion on the Paper is so wide as to cover any possible motion for adjournment on the matter.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the fact that the net profit on the working of the twenty principal railways in Great Britain shows a diminution in the first six months of 1901, compared to the corresponding period last year, of over £1,600,000, and that this involves a passing or reduction of dividends in home railways, whether he will consider the desirability of appointing a small Expert Committee to consider whether the working of the railways at a reasonable profit is hampered by legislative restrictions or the rules connected with them.

No, Sir; I do not think there is a prima facie case for such a Committee. I believe my hon. and gallant friend will find that the diminution, whatever it may be (his figure relates to a period which only expired yesterday), is sufficiently accounted for by the increase in the price of coal, cost of wages, and rise in rates and taxes.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has had any reply from the owners of the sailing ship "Kelburn" with regard to the accident which happened to a seaman named Ernest Franklin, now an inmate of the Hamydriad Hospital, Cardiff, and whether the owners intend to offer this man substantial compensation; and whether he intends to take any action against the captain for forcibly taking to sea Ernest Franklin while suffering from severe injuries requiring immediate medical attendance.

Yes, Sir. The owners of the "Kelburn" inform me that the seaman in question, being desirous of being shipped to Cape Town or Rangoon, they have expressed willingness to send him in one of their ships, and to give him a small money present for his outfit. As regards the action of the master of the "Kelburn" further inquiries shall be made upon the return of the vessel, which is now due at Valparaiso, to this country.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he can arrange for the official returns of prices received under the Markets and Fairs (Weighing of Cattle) Act, 1891, to be published, weekly instead of quarterly.

The question of accelerating the publication of the official prices is under the consideration of Lord Mansfield's Committee on Scottish Agricultural Prices. I hope to receive their Report, at an early date, but meanwhile any further statement on the subject would be premature.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture if there is any information in his Department to show whether swine fever can be produced spontaneously in an animal which has never been in any infected place.

There is no information whatever to show that the disease can be produced spontaneously—on the contrary, a strong Expert Committee appointed in 1895, which sat during nearly two years, reported unanimously that swine fever was due to the introduction from a diseased pig of a special bacillus into the system of the healthy Pig.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman of the opinion that a good deal of swine fever is produced by compensation?

Yes; I think I expressed that opinion pretty clearly in Committee. The effect of the present, law is ridiculous, as the Board of Agriculture have no power to award compensation for less than the value of the sound pig.

I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether the Congested Districts Board have yet arranged to provide a grant towards the construction of a pier at Badcaul, Little Lochbroom, Ross-shire.

^* : I am informed by the Congested Districts Board that the matter referred to by the hon. Member has been considered, but that they informed the county clerk of Ross-shire on the 21st ult. that they are not prepared to give the grant for a steamer pier at Badcaul on the ground that they have quite recently aided in the erection of a pier in the most necessitous part of Little Lochbroom, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the proposed pier.

I beg to ask the Lord Advocate, as representing the Secretary for Scotland, if he will state what arrangements have been arrived at in regard to the route for the new road between Gravir and Cromore, in the Park District of the Island of Lewis.

^* : I am informed by the Congested Districts Board that on 10th June they informed the county council and the Lewis District Committee that they are prepared to agree to this road being constructed according to the plan and specification and on the line of Mr. Fraser, C.E. The Congested Districts Board have voted a grant of £2,700 for the road on this line on the usual conditions.

I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that the mussel beds in the estuary of the Clyde at Port Glasgow have since 1897 been leased to Dr. J. H. Fullerton at an annual rent of £1 per annum; that the yield of the beds to the fishermen who make their livelihood out of them amounted last year to £1,400; and that Dr. Fullerton, prior to his becoming the lessee under the Crown of these mussel beds, held the position of adviser to the Fishery Board, and had whilst acting in that capacity conducted an investigation into the value of these particular beds; and seeing that the fishermen do not acquiesce in the new arrangement, whether he will agree to state a mutual case to be submitted for the judgment of the Court of Session as to the legal right of the fishermen to work the mussel beds as they were accustomed to do prior to 1897.

^* : I am aware that the Clyde mussel beds were let by the Fishery Board after public advertisement to Dr. Fullerton. This step was taken in the interests of the cultivation of bait supply, which in these beds were being ruined by want of management. The question of right is at this moment sub judice , as an action is in dependence in the court of session, and there is no room for the presentation of a special case.

I beg to ask the Lord Advocate, as representing the Secretary for Scotland, whether he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation to provide that any person or persons, not in the pay of a State Department, through whose evidence a conviction is obtained against the master of a vessel engaged in illegal trawling, shall receive a proportion of any sum of money levied as a fine, or which may arise from the sale of any gear or other article confiscated under an order of the court.

^* : The Secretary for Scotland is of opinion, in which I concur, that it would not be desirable to alter the present procedure in the direction suggested by the hon. Member. Consultation with the Fishery Board has confirmed him in this view.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether the Postmaster General has received copies of resolutions passed at various public meetings in South Uist and Barra, asking that the mails for these places in future should be sent via Mallaig instead of via Oban; and, as the distance from Mallaig to South Uist is 56 miles, and from Oban 105 miles, will the Postmaster General be able to accede to the desires of the inhabitants of these islands.

The Postmaster General has received copies of resolutions from South Uist and Barra asking that the mails for those places should be sent by way of Mallaig, and he will endeavour to ascertain whether arrangements could be made to afford a better service to the islands by way of Mallaig instead of by way of Oban. No offer has at present been received to run a line of steamers by way of Mallaig. The Postmaster General does not think it likely that such a service can be established in the near future.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can state why proof reports of questions and speeches should take four days to reach Members of Parliament, while proof reports of proceedings before Private Bill Committees are received by them on the following day; and why the revised debates should not reach Members for twelve days after the date of the debate; whether he is aware that unrevised copies of the debates are supplied to the Members of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada on the day following that on which the speeches are delivered; that Members are also supplied at the same time with proofs of their own speeches; and that, in the South Australian Parliament, Members are usually supplied with the proofs of their speeches on the day following delivery; and whether, in future, the official reporting arrangements of the Imperial Parliament will be brought up to the standard of the Canadian Parliament.

I beg also to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can state what limit of time is stipulated in the contract with the official reporter within which proofs of speeches and the official report of the debates must respectively be supplied to Members who desire, to have a copy of the report.

Clause 5 of the conditions of contract prescribes that proofs are to be sent to Members on the third day, excluding Sundays, after the delivery of the speeches, and the report is to be published on the seventh day. These limits of time were fixed on the recommendation of the Joint Select Committee on Debates and Proceedings in Parliament which sat in 1888. The present contract expires next year, and before a new contract is made I will consider whether the time allowed should be further restricted. I have no information as to the practice of the Canadian and South Australian Parliaments in this matter.

At what time next year does the contract expire?

In December next year, unless the House is sitting, in which case the contract continues till the close of the session.

Is it not the fact that every effort is being made by the contractors to meet the reasonable wishes of Members, and that there is a considerable improvement in the reports?

That is a matter of opinion.

May I ask whether, in view of the long time which must elapse before the close of the contract and the delays which now occur, it would not be possible to make arrangements for a revision of the contract, in order that Members of this Parliament may have the same facilities of following the debates as the Members of colonial Parliaments.

I do not think it would be desirable that I should terminate the contract before it will naturally expire, but I propose to communicate with the contractors as to whether they can do anything to meet the views expressed in the hon. Gentleman's question. That is a matter for them and not for me as long as the contract runs.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, having regard to the fact that, under the acceleration of the train service from Dingwall to Kyle during July, August, September, and October, the mail will reach Ullapool at 5 p.m. instead of 5.40 p.m. as at present, will arrangements be made for the Dundonnell letters to be delivered during those months on the evening of their arrival at Ullapool.

Notwithstanding the proposed earlier arrival of the mail at Ullapool during July, August, September and October, it is not practicable to arrange for the Dundonnell letters to be delivered during those months on the evening of their arrival at Ullapool. Under such an arrangement the Dundonnell postman could not reach his home until half an hour after midnight, and the Postmaster General would not be justified in authorising a duty of this kind.

I beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works whether he is aware that motor cars are being run across the entrances by which equestrians enter the public parks at a speed of forty miles an hour; and whether he will have regulations adopted by which the drivers of such cars shall be compelled to slow down to a speed not exceeding six miles an hour when passing such entrances.

I was not aware of the fact alluded to in the first paragraph of my hon. friend's question. The pace of motor cars is regulated by the general law, and not by the Parks Regulation Act; and the Metropolitan Police, who regulate the traffic, and who are responsible for law and order in Hyde Park, have the same powers of controlling the traffic in the Park as they have outside.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Board of Agriculture will take any steps to supply cheap potato sprayers to district councils or boards of guardians in Ireland during the present season.

The Department is not prepared to supply potato sprayers in the manner suggested. These machines stand in the same category as hand separators and other agricultural implements, and the reply given by me on the 10th instant

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state approximately the sum expended upon buildings and repairs of the Monaghan and Cavan Lunatic Asylum for the two years preceding the time that the new bodies came into power on the Asylum Board under the Local Government Act, and the corresponding expenditure for the two succeeding years; whether he is aware that works proceeding at present at the asylum have exceeded the original estimate by about £5,000; and whether he can state if the Board of Works inspector is the cause of this excess, or who is responsible for it.

The sums expended in the two periods referred to were £9,213 and £18,989, respectively. The expenditure on works now being carried out has exceeded the original estimate by about £5,000. The responsibility rests solely in the local committee of management of the asylum.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland can he state the number of applications to fix fair rents at present pending in the union

^* See Debates [Fourth Series], Vol. xciv., page 1489.

of Longford for first term and second term rents respectively, and when will the next court of Sub-Commission sit in Longford, and how many of these cases will be set down for hearing before it.

The numbers are ten and seventy-five respectively. A Sub-Commission will sit at Longford on the 10th instant for the hearing of cases already listed from this union. It is not at present possible to fix a date for the hearing of the cases not yet listed.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney General for Ireland whether he is aware that, at revision of jurors' sessions in Longford county, County Court Judge Curran has refused to place on the list of jurors purchasers under the Land Acts in Ireland who are entered on the rate books as owners in fee, thereby acquiring the status of freeholders; and whether he will propose legislation to enable such persons where the value of the purchased holding exceeds or amounts to £10 yearly to become qualified to act as jurors.

I have been informed that Judge Curran made some decision on this matter, the particulars of which I have been unable, as yet, to ascertain. I cannot think, however, that the learned judge could, as the hon. Member apparently supposes, have decided that a tenant who was qualified to be returned as a juror should lose that qualification on purchasing his holding. If any such decision was made I will consider whether it cannot be reviewed. I do not think any legislation is desirable as to the qualification of jurors.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the importance of the contents of the Annual Report of the Local Government Board, he will direct in future issues that an alphabetical index be printed at the end of it, as is done in the case of the Report of the English Local Government Board.

The suggestion of the hon. Member will be considered.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland will he state under what Act of Parliament, or what Provision of the Constabulary Code, the Adjutant of the Royal Irish Constabulary or other officers have issued the order that Protestant candidates for the Royal Irish Constabulary are to get the preference over Roman Catholics.

Before the right hon. Gentleman answers may I ask whether, since the outbreak of the South African War, Protestant young men who are eligible for the Royal Irish Constabulary have not joined the Yeomanry for active service?

I have no doubt it is the case. Separate rosters are kept of those candidates for the Constabulary who are of the Protestant and Roman Catholic religion. It is for the public advantage that the proportion between the two denominations in the force should approximate, as closely as possible, to the proportion among the people of the districts in which they serve. In the South of Ireland a proportion of about 75 per cent. of Roman Catholics is aimed at, and in the North about 65 per cent. This can only be effected by the calling forward of recruits in the manner I have referred to, but the matter is not regulated by Act of Parliament or the Constabulary Code.

By what authority is it done?

I have told the hon. Member it is not done under Act of Parliament, but it is an act of administration necessary to secure the object aimed at.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury can he now make any statement as to the claim by the manager of Ardagh National School for the refund of the amount expended by him in erecting and finishing the school at Ardagh in consequence of the insufficiency of the estimate under Plan 6a of the Board of Works.

No further payment can be made on account of the school itself, but a claim by the manager in connection with expenditure on the teacher's residence has been received and is now under consideration.

Can the hon. Gentleman say when a decision will be arrived at? It has been held over a very long time.

I hope in a very short time. I have seen a letter from the manager thanking the Chairman of the Board of Works for the consideration shown in the matter; it is, I think, an indication that the question is being pushed forward.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Great Southern and Western Railway Amalgamation Bill was passed through Parliament and £90,000 given by the Treasury on the condition that a line of railway should be constructed from Fermoy to Cork, and that a time was specified within which that line should be made; can he state the dates fixed for commencing and completing the making of the line; and, if not, whether the Treasury will take any and what action in the matter to see the decision of Parliament carried into effect.

No money has yet been paid by the Treasury to the company and no payment is due until half of the works upon each section of the proposed lines are completed. The Act did not fix a date for the commencement of the new works, but it stipulated that they were to be completed by August, 1904. As I stated yesterday, I believe that work has not been begun upon the Fermoy-Dunkettle section. I am in communication with the company and the Irish Government upon the subject, and am not yet in a position to make any statement as to what action the Treasury will take. But I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as a decision is reached.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Act was passed on the express condition that this line should be made?

Yes; and that condition is embodied in the Bill.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the public statements made by the Archbishop of Dublin, setting forth his reasons for resigning his seat on the Board of National Education in Ireland; and whether the Government are prepared to institute such a public inquiry into the state of facts disclosed by the Archbishop as his Grace demands.

Yes, Sir. I have read reports of two interviews accorded by Archbishop Walsh to representatives of the press, in which he is stated to have expressed the opinion that a Parliamentary inquiry was desirable. The hon. Member will, I think, allow that in any case the formulation of the specific charges either by or on behalf of Archbishop Walsh seems a necessary preliminary even to the consideration of the question whether a Parliamentary inquiry could be usefully instituted. Should such an inquiry be found desirable it should not, I submit, take place until the process of coping with arrears of work, which has already been attended by a large measure of success, is completed or approaches completion. A vast amount of clerical and actuarial labour has been thrown on the National Board of Education owing to the introduction of the new rules.

Is it not a fact that specific charges have been formulated by Archbishop Walsh in the interviews to which reference has been made?

I will not discuss whether they are specific or not; but I think the hon. Member will agree with me that the Government cannot take into consideration what is said to be a report of an interview which has not been confirmed by the person interviewed. It is clearly within the power of some one to prefer these charges in some more formal manner and bring them under the notice of the Government.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the decision of the Government not to proceed with the Education Bill, and the consequent diminished demands upon Parliamentary time, he will consider the desirability of providing, by legislation this session, reasonable security of tenure to public elementary school teachers.

I think the demands on Parliamentary time will be sufficient to satisfy the greediest member of this House before the session is ended. But I have already stated that the Government propose to introduce a Bill on this subject, which, if it proved to be uncontroversial, would be passed into law.

Will that be this session?

I have already made that promise.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, having regard to his statement last Thursday to the effect that the Education Bill to be introduced is designed to vindicate the essential principle of the Bill now withdrawn, he will reconsider his decision to take the First Reading of this highly controversial proposal under the ten minutes rule.

I think the hon. Member will see that, as the Bill now withdrawn has already been introduced and has passed its First Reading, not under the ten minutes rule, but under the more ancient practice of the House,, it is not really necessary to go through the same form with regard to a measure; which only embodies part of it.

Is it not the fact that the essential principle of that Bill was hotly contested in this House?

I do not think that the hon. Member is correct in his representation.