To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners purchased for a Donegal evicted tenant, named N. Dunlop, a holding at Mullaghslin, Six-mile-cross, county Tyrone; that Dunlop, on signing the agreement, informed the Commissioners that he had not yet seen the farm, and asked that the money should not be paid till he satisfied himself the farm was as described; and that Dunlop, on getting possession, complained that the arable acreage was less than stated by the vendor, and asked the Commissioners to send an inspector to report on the matter; and will he say if the inspector's report bore out Dunlop's contention that the arable acreage, instead of being fifty-seven, was only twenty-seven, the other thirty acres incapable of cultivation; and, if Dunlop did not get the opportunity asked for, and if the farm is incapable of earning the annual instalments, will the Commissioners take the matter into consideration with the view of reducing the instalments to a reasonable figure. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) I stated the facts of this case, which was one of direct sale by the landlord to the tenant, in reply to the hon. Member's. Question of 15th May. † Mr. Dunlop did not inform the Commissioners, before the holding was vested in him, that he had not seen the lands before signing the purchase agreement, nor did he ask them, prior to the advance of the purchase money, that the advance should not be made until he had satisfied himself of the vendor's description to him of the lands. Before sanctioning; the advance, the Commissioners satisfied themselves as to the security. They have no power either to reduce the advance which has been made, or to vary the purchase annuity which Dunlop contracted to pay.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that since the opening of the engine room to boys the Navy engine-room artificers have been called upon to give instruction to such boys without

† See (4) Debates, cxlvi., 270.

receiving, as is the custom in other branches of the service, instructional pay for such teaching; and what steps, if any, he proposes to take to remedy this alleged grievance. (Answered by Mr. Pretyman.) The question of granting extra pay to men employed on instructional duty in the service generally is under consideration, and in the meanwhile it has been decided to suspend the grant of fresh instructional allowances.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether lieutenants on the supplementary list are to be pensioned in the near future; and, if so, when; whether officers on the supplementary list are eligible for coastguard employment; and, if not, whether the Admiralty intend to offer those who are now thirty-five years of age, or thereabouts, any employment, such as in dockyards, surveying branch, or harbour service vessels. (Answered by Mr. Pretyman.) No decision has been arrived at as regards the pensioning of these officers in the near future. Supplementary lieutenants are eligible for employment in the coastguard, for which they can be selected in the same manner as other lieutenants of the Royal Navy. Certain of these officers are employed in some of the posts mentioned.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the superintending engineer at Manchester Post Office is prohibiting his staff from wearing their union badge as a chain pendant, or displaying it on non-official clothing; and whether this action has been authorised or sanctioned. (Answered by Lord Stanley.) A rule prohibiting the wearing of private badges on uniform has for long been in force, and I am of opinion that it is desirable to apply the same rule in the case of officers who do not wear uniform, so far as regards the wearing of badges when they are on duty. I have, of course, no objection to any Post Office employee wearing his badge off duty provided he is not in uniform.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken to enforce the Article of the Mürzsteg programme providing for the discontinuance of the formation of bands of Bashi-bazouks. (Answered by Earl Percy.) A proclamation has been issued and communicated to the headmen of the Moslem villages stating that any Bashi-bazouks found with arms in their hands during disturbances will be tried by Court-martial, and, if found guilty, shot. In the Reports received from His Majesty's Consuls of recent encounters between the troops and the Bulgarian bands there is no mention of Bashi-bazouks, and in several cases attention is drawn to the fact that none were present.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what information has been received from the newly-established Consulate at Adrianople, with regard to the condition of the refugees returned to that province since 1903. (Answered by Earl Percy.) Captain Townshend's Reports give a fairly favourable account of the condition of the returned refugees. They will be included, with the other Papers which are being prepared for Parliament.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the police at Portarlington have been acting as caretakers and gamekeepers for the local gentry, and that Constable Guinlivan has stock grazing on the lands of a local magistrate and also engages in poaching practices; and whether he will say, as there are two police barracks and twelve constables in Portarlington, having a population of a little over 2,000, he proposes to reduce the force in that town. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) There is no foundation whatever for the statements in the first part of the Question. The police district of Portarlington comprises a large extent of country, and it is not intended at present to reduce the force there.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the farm at Carrigfaddeen, Castle Freke, on the Carbery Estate, formerly held by Patrick McCarthy, and at present in the occupation of Arthur Deane, J.P., has been excluded from the general sale of the estate with a view of restoring the evicted tenant, who is at present a burthen on the local rates as an inmate of the Clonakilty Workhouse; whether the landlord at the time of sale offered to Deane compensation which was in excess of the value of the land; and whether the Estates Commissioners will co-operate with the landlord in endeavouring to restore the evicted tenant. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The farm occupied by Mr. Deane is not included in the proceedings for sale. The Commissioners have no information whether the remaining facts are as stated, but they will inquire into the matter when the estate comes to be dealt with.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether any application has yet been made to the Estates Commissioners for the sale of the Mayberry Estate, county Kerry; and, if so, or in any case, have the Commissioners taken any steps to deal with the case of Mrs. John Sullivan, whose application as an evicted tenant has now been before them for some time. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) No, Sir. The evicted tenants' applications will be considered if the estate should come before the Commissioners or if they should acquire untenanted land in the neighbourhood.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the case of a man named Thomas Oates, of Toberory, Castlerea, who has applied for and been refused a portion of the French Estate recently acquired by the Congested Districts Board; whether, though Thomas Oates, as the son of a tenant on the estate referred to, is a person to whom an advance for the purchase of a parcel of land may be made, he has nevertheless been told by the Estates Commissioners that his application could not be entertained unless he already held land; and what is the explanation of the action of the Estates Commissioners in this case. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The French Estate was purchased with the object of relieving congestion in congested districts. Thomas Oates is neither a landholder nor a resident in a congested district, and the Board are therefore unable to entertain his application.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if, in order to facilitate the rapid sale of land in Ireland under the Land Act of 1903, he will authorise an arrangement by which the Estates Commissioners, on the completion of such sale, will convey to the landlord or his representatives a stamped certificate bearing a face value of the amount which the Government owes the owner, which could be used by him or his representatives as security to raise at a low rate of interest from banks or other financial establishments the cash required to pay off mortgages and other encumbrances. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) Arrangements can, I should hope, be made whereby a certificate stating the amount of the purchase money may be issued; but it must be remembered that under the 24th Section the claims upon the purchase money and the net residue coming to the vendor cannot be definitely and conclusively ascertained till after the purchase money is available for distribution and the land vested in the purchaser. In some cases it might be possible, during the process of investigating the title of the vendor, to ascertain many of those claims and to estimate the residue approximately, but under the most favourable circumstances it could only be an approximation. If certificates in this form can be of any use for the purpose suggested, I shall endeavour to arrange to have them issued. It must, however, be clearly understood that the Government can give no guarantee that the approximate estimate of the vendor's residue is accurate.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether it has been necessary to employ police for protection purposes while the military were engaged in mowing hay on the rifle range at Mullingar; and, if so, can he explain the reason for this proceeding. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) Yes, Sir; on the application of the military authorities police patrols were sent to preserve the peace, as there was reason to apprehend that some interference with the cutting of the meadows might take place.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state how many complaints have been made during the last six months of offences in connection with the division of the grazing farm of Gortumloe, near Mullingar, by the Estates Commissioners; and have any prosecutions been instituted, and with what result, and for what offences. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) In one case only, namely, that of firing into a house on the 20th April last. As I informed the hon. Member on Monday†

† See (4) Debates, cl., 946.

last, the offenders in that case have not been discovered.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state at what hour was the first complaint made to the police as to the alleged shooting incident on the premises of Mr. Edward Cole Magenis, Drumdoe, Boyle; at what hour did the police first visit the place after the alleged occurrence; was it from the newspapers or from Mr. Magenis and his servants that the police first heard of the occurrence; did Mr. Magenis forward any written report to Sir Neville Chamberlain; and, if so, will he state its nature. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The case was reported to the police by one of Mr. Magenis's servants at four o'clock on the morning of July 12th. The police at once proceeded to the house, arriving there at 4.30. On July 20th Mr. Magenis forwarded a written report to the Inspector-General to the same effect as his subsequent letter to the Press.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether His Majesty's Government are aware of the dissatisfaction in Australia at the delay in the appointment of the Joint Commission for the settlement of land disputes in the New Hebrides; whether His Majesty's Government will represent the matter to the French Government with a view to an early agreement on the basis of the convention entered into between the two Governments in April, 1904; and whether, in view of the interests held by Australia in the New Hebrides, His Majesty's Government will give the Commonwealth Government a voice in the constitution of such Commission. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) His Majesty's Government are aware that the Commonwealth Government are anxious for the early appointment of a Commission for the settlement of land claims in the New Hebrides. They have for some time past been in communication with the French Government on the subject, and are doing their utmost to expedite the negotiations. The Commonwealth Government have already been informed that their wishes in regard to the constitution of the Commission will be borne in mind.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury what is the nature of the MSS. in the collection of the Irish Franciscans which does not appear to come within the scope of the operations of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, and by whom was it examined; how many Celtic documents are being printed in the Report now being printed; and whether, in view of the circumstance that the calendaring of these MSS. has not been completed, the calendaring will be proceeded with. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) Amongst the MSS. there exist Latin verses, legal decisions (printed), printed tracts, etc., winch do not come within the scope of the operations of the Historical Manuscripts Commission. There are also nineteen volumes of correspondence of the nineteenth century which will not be included in the volume now in the Press. The documents noticed in the present volume are in general either Latin, Italian, Spanish, or English. A few Irish documents are also included, but the exact number cannot be stated as yet.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the amount of the turnover of the account of the Paymaster-General in Dublin for the year ending March 31st, 1905; also the amounts invested on the same date by the Irish Land Commission, the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, and the Congested Districts Board, respectively, and the annual amount of interest resulting from the investments of these three Departments respectively; and the nature of the investments, whether in trustee securities or otherwise, made by these Departments; also the rate of deposit interest and the amount of it obtained for the previous twelve months up to March 31st, 1905, by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction on its current balances; and whether these investments are subject to audit; and, if so, by whom; and what statement of those accounts is made, and by whom. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) The payments out of the accounts of the Paymaster-General in Dublin in the year ended March 31st, 1905, amounted to £5,243,004 3s. 8d. The investments held by the three Departments named on March 31st, 1905, were: Irish Land Commission (Church Temporalities Fund)—£1,284 4s. 9d. Guaranteed Land Stock; £35,000 Deposit Receipt in Bank of Ireland; total, £36,284 4s. 9d. The annual interest on these investments would amount to about £560; but the sum placed on deposit is constantly varying. The foregoing figures do not include the purchase moneys of estates awaiting distribution under the Land Purchase Acts, which are invested in trustee securities pending distribution. Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction:—£20,000 Consols; £70,837 15s. 11d. Guaranteed Land Stock; £250,000 Local Loans Stock; £70,000 Exchequer Bonds; total, £410,837 15s. 11d. These investments bear interest at the rate of £12,048 0s. 8d. a year. Congested Districts Board:—£14,225 Guaranteed Land Stock. This amount includes £5,000 permanently invested and yielding £137 10s. a year interest. The balance was temporarily invested. The dividends received on such temporary investments in 1904–5 amounted to £205 19s. 3d., besides which the Board received £40 as interest on moneys temporarily placed on deposit in the Bank of Ireland. All the investments mentioned above are in trustee securities. The Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, obtains interest on the amounts lodged on deposit in the Bank of Ireland at the bank deposit rate for the time being. The amount so received by the Department in the year ended March 31st, 1905, was £2,040 10s. 4d. The accounts and investments are all subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General. Statements are furnished in the annual Reports of the respective Departments, and also in the accounts annually presented to Parliament with the Comptroller and Auditor - General's Reports thereon.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury what economies, if any, are expected by removing the law printing now executed in the provinces to London; whether the Treasury has obtained the opinion of local law authorities and public bodies before taking action in the matter, or otherwise consulted local convenience. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) I would refer my hon. friend to my reply on the 3rd instant † to a Question upon this subject by the hon. Member for Mansfield.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, having regard to the fact that during the last three sessions no opportunity has arisen for discussing the Customs Vote, he would consent to the appointment of a Committee, Departmental or otherwise, to consider the complaints which are put forward by a number of Customs officers, complaints which would have been submitted to the House had opportunity offered. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) The Treasury has been engaged in investigating the representations of various classes of Customs officers, and in these circumstances I see no reason for adopting the suggestion of my hon. friend.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that there are assistant clerks (new class) with an average of nine years established service, and in some cases fourteen years service, who have less than £85 per annum, while there are tradesmen after seven years in

† See page 63.

the service of the Government and outside of it with salaries ranging from £91 to £100 per annum; and whether he is prepared to remove this cause of grievance. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) The subject of the pay and position of assistant clerks has lately been most carefully considered, and I am unable to reopen the question.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the heads of Departments have been instructed to make no further recommendations for promotion of assistant clerks (new class) to the second division, although empowered to do so by the Treasury circular; and, if so, whether this accounts for the small number of such recommendations recently made for promotion. (Answered by Mr. Victor Cavendish.) The Answer to the hon. Member's Question is in the negative.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether the allowances mentioned in his Report will be made to postmen performing night station and mail apparatus duties at Darlington. (Answered by Lord Stanley.) Inquiry is being made whether the duties to which the hon. Member refers are such as to warrant the payment of special allowances.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the scheduled time for the arrival of mails from Bundoran Junction to Bundoran is 8.45 a.m.; that it is impossible for the replies to catch the outgoing morning mail, entailing a delay of two days in replies to England and Scotland; that letters arrive at Bundoran from Sligo at 9.45 a.m. and Grange, Manorhamilton, at 10.45 a.m., but are not sent out for delivery till after the arrival of the 2.45 p.m. train, while letters from Ballyshannon, Donegal, and Balinton, which arrive at Bundoran at 4 p.m., are not delivered till the following morning; and that a letter posted at Ballyshannon, the market and banking town of, and three miles distant from, Bundoran, is not delivered till twenty-four hours after it has been posted; and whether, having regard to the inconvenience and dislocation of business transactions, and to the negotiations which have been on several occasions entered into between the postal authorities and the Great Northern Railway for an effective rail-posted service between Bundoran and Bundoran Junction and Omagh in lieu of the present horse-cars, steps will be taken to secure the amelioration of the deficiency in the postal service in those localities. (Answered by Lord Stanley.) As I informed the hon. Member on Monday last†, a recent inquiry into the postal services in this district showed that it was not practicable to effect an improvement in them. I am, however, making further inquiry, and will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as I am in a position to do so.

To ask the Lord-Advocate, in view of the fact that in the early part of the year the Admiralty gunboat "Harrier" and the cruiser "Barham" were detailed for fisheries duties in Scottish waters, will he state whether either of these vessels has succeeded in detecting cases of illegal trawling; and, if so, will he state the names of the trawlers and in what waters they were detected. (Answered by Mr. Scott Dickson.) H.M.S. "Harrier" replaced H.M.S. "Jackal" at the end of January last. No convictions have been obtained in consequence of the action of the "Harrier." It is not the fact that H.M.S. "Barham" has been detailed for Scottish fishery duty.

To ask the Lord-Advocate if he will state how many tenants have been settled by the Congested Districts

† See (4) Debates, cl., 907.

Board on the Syre Estate, Sutherlandshire; and what number have failed in their obligations to the Board, owing to the holdings not being sufficiently productive to admit of payment of the rentals exacted. (Answered by Mr. Scott Dickson.) The hon. Member seems to be under a misapprehension as to the Syre Estate. The settlers, who are twenty-three in number, are not tenants but purchasers of their holdings; the only payment exacted is interest at Treasury rate on money actually advanced. There have been three cases of default, of which one has led to a removal of the purchaser. The hon. Member's assumption in the last part of his Question cannot be admitted.

To ask the Lord-Advocate whether he is aware that much of the land acquired by the Congested Districts Board at Syre, Sutherlandshire, was purchased by the Board at a price far exceeding its productive value, with the result that some of the tenants to whom holdings on the estate have been allocated are unable to obtain a sufficient return from the land to enable them to pay the rentals exacted by the Board; and whether, in view of the sums spent by these tenants in stocking their holdings, he will consider the expediency of having the value of the holdings reviewed in order that more equitable rentals may be fixed. (Answered by Mr. Scott Dickson.) I am not aware of the facts as stated by the hon. Member, and I can only refer him to the Answer given to his previous Question.

To ask the Lord-Advocate it he will call the attention of the inspector of schools for the parish of Lochs to the inadequate sum of £1 10s. allowed for one year's fuel, light, and cleaning of Lemreway and other public schools in the parish of Lochs, Island of Lewis; and will he ascertain why the inspector failed to refer to this matter in his annual report. (Answered by Mr. Scott Dickson.) His Majesty's inspector in his annual reports has from time to time drawn attention to defects as regards cleaning, etc., in the various schools of the parish of Lochs, and it is inferred that when he has not done so, the provision made was, in his opinion, sufficiently satisfactory, having regard to the circumstances of the schools. The Department believe that their inspector is fully alive to his duty in the matter. No complaint has been addressed to the Department on the subject, and they do not consider it necessary to make further reference to the inspector till reasonable evidence is put before them, tending to show that in point of fact one or more of these schools are insufficiently heated, lighted, or cleaned.

To ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade how much the wholesale price of sugar has fallen in the last three months; and how to-day's prices for prompt and for future delivery compare with the average price paid previous to the Brussels Convention. (Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) The fall in the market price of 88 per cent. beet sugar, f.o.b. Hamburg, since the beginning of May has amounted to 2s. 5¼d. per cwt. The present quotation (3rd August) for prompt delivery is 10s. 1½d. per cwt., and the latest quotations for future delivery are 9s. 3d. per cwt. for delivery in October and 9s. 1¼d. for delivery in November—December. The average price for prompt delivery for the ten years, 1892–1901, before the signature of the Brussels Convention was about 10s. 9d. per cwt.

To ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether there has been any complaint from any quarter of the manner in which Mr. M. Vos has discharged his duties as agent for certain training ships in finding employment at sea for their pupils and, if not, why has his licence been revoked, and that without notice, whereby his living is prejudiced. (Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) Yes, Sir. Many complaints reached the Board of Trade with regard to the manner in which Mr. Vos conducted his business under Board of Trade licences to supply boys as seamen, and, after making inquiries, the Department came to the conclusion that it was not desirable that he should continue to act as licensee, and the licences were accordingly withdrawn.

To ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the withdrawal of the licence by the Board of Trade from Mr. Maurice Vos, shipping superintendent of the Father Berry's Homes and other Liverpool institutions; whether, seeing that Mr. Vos has been instrumental in placing hundreds of poor orphan boys in a way of earning an honest living as sailor apprentices on various merchant ships, he will state the reason which called for the withdrawal of the licence from that gentleman. (Answered by Mr. Bonar Law.) Yes, Sir. Many complaints reached the Board of Trade with regard to the manner in which Mr. Vos conducted his business under Board of Trade licences to supply boys as seamen, and, after making inquiries, the Department came to the conclusion that it was not desirable that he should continue to act as a licensee, and the licences were accordingly withdrawn.

To ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he can indicate any section of the Labourers Acts by which tenants of labourers' cottages in Granard urban district can secure the additional half-acre of land to which they would be entitled if the tenants were still living in a rural district. (Answered by Mr. Atkinson.) None of the sections of the Labourers Acts apply to urban districts or houses situate within them.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can yet state the terms of reference to the Royal Commission on Motor-Cars, and the names of the Commissioners. (Answered by Mr. Gerald Balfour.) The Royal Commission will be appointed to inquire and report as to—(1) The working of the Motor-Car Acts, 1896 and 1903, and of the regulations under them; (2) The law and practice in relation to motor-cars in the principal foreign countries; (3) What Amendments, if any, should be made in the Motor-Car Acts, and the regulations under them; (4) The injury to the roads alleged to be caused by motor-cars; and (5) Whether any and, if so, what additional charges should be imposed in respect of motor-cars, and how any money thus raised should be applied; with power to issue an ad interim Report on the first three heads, if that course should appear desirable. The King has been pleased to approve of the following as Commissioners:—Viscount Selby, Chairman; the Marquess of Winchester (Chairman of the County Council for Hants); Sir William Bower Forwood (late Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Chairman of the Lancashire Quarter Sessions); Mr. H. C. Monro, C.B. (one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Local Government Board); Mr. E. R. Henry, C.B. (Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police); and Mr. W. J. Mure, C.B. (formerly Legal Secretary to the Lord-Advocate). It is proposed to add to these a seventh Commissioner, whose name I hope shortly to be able to announce.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the Order which he has announced to be in preparation with regard to the nursing of the sick poor in workhouses may be expected to be issued before the end of the current year. (Answered by Mr. Gerald Balfour.) I hope that this may be done.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the attention of the Admiralty has been directed to the case of a man named Gilleran, of H.M.S. "Melampus," who was killed at Athlone Railway Station in January, 1903, in an effort to save the life, of a fellow sailor belonging to the same ship; whether the deceased had spent three years five months in the service of the Navy, and had always borne a good character; and, if so, whether his father will receive any compensation for his loss. (Answered by Mr. Pretyman.) The Question probably refers to the case of Private T. Gillarian, R.M.L.I., who was killed at Athlone Railway Station on the 13th January, 1904, while on his way to rejoin the "Melampus" from his Christmas leave. The facts of the case do not appear to have been accurately represented to the hon. Member. From the official report it appears that Gillarian and a stoker from the same ship, both under the influence of drink, caught hold of each other and fell off the platform together just as an incoming train was within a few yards of them. The engine passed over Gillarian's neck, but the other man escaped with a slight cut on the face. In the circumstances of the man's death I regret that no compensation can be granted by the Admiralty.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that many gunner warrant officers with over twenty years service as such are still awaiting their step in promotion to chief gunner, the Admiralty will consider the advisability of quickening the flow of promotion by at once filling the ten unappropriated positions of lieutenant remaining of the total of 100 established in 1903. (Answered by Mr. Pretyman.) There are only thirteen gunner warrant officers with twenty years service as such and satisfactory records who are awaiting promotion to the rank of chief gunner, the senior of them having only twenty and one-third years service. Owing to the increase in the gunners' list, a longer period of service will in future be necessary before promotion, and the time does not seem to be ripe for filling the ten posts in question, especially as there are no appointments which the additional lieutenants, if made, could fill.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the number of

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if he will state the number of war vessels which were recently condemned by the Admiralty as useless or obsolete; and how many of them have been disposed of, and the total amount which has been realised by their sale.

To ask the President of the Board of Agriculture what progress has been made with the inquiry into the practical value of growing sugar beet in this country as a commercial product for manufacture into sugar; what number of factories, and where situated, are producing sugar from English-grown beet, and with what success; and what price does sugar so turned out realise. (Answered by Mr. Ailwyn Fellowes.) So far as I am aware, no factories in Great Britain have as yet been established for the extraction of sugar from English-grown beet, but I am informed that the subject is under consideration in more than one quarter, from which the capital required for the purpose may possibly be forthcoming. I do not think that we can carry our own inquiries any further until the feasibility of the proposal has been tested on a commercial basis.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the proposed conference on Morocco will be held in the near future; and, if so, whether the question of prison reform will be brought under consideration. (Answered by Earl Percy.) The date of the conference is not yet fixed, and the programme of the subjects to be discussed is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the observations of several of His Majesty's inspectors of factories, including the chief inspector, upon the inadequate nature of the fines imposed by many benches of magistrates in respect of offences under the Factory Acts; and whether he can see his way to take any action in the matter. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Akers-Douglas.) I am aware of the observations of the inspectors on this subject which appear in the annual Report that has recently been submitted to me by the Chief Inspector of Factories and has been laid before Parliament. I agree that in some cases the penalties imposed appear to be inadequate, but the amount of the penalty, subject in certain instances to a statutory minimum, is left by the Factory Act to the discretion of the justices, and I do not think that there is any action I can usefully take in the matter. I may add that there has been a gradual rise in recent years in the average amount of the penalties imposed under the Factory Act; the average fine in the year 1903 having been 19s. 6d., as against 12s. 1d. in 1896.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is now prepared favourably to consider the appointment of two women inspectors of factories and workshops who shall be Irishwomen and reside permanently in Ireland. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Akers-Douglas.) I have recently appointed an additional lady inspector who is to reside in Ireland and to give most of her time to inspection there. It is not proposed to appoint more than one lady inspector for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether, in regard to the Committee recently appointed under the chairmanship of Mr. R. M. Dane, to consider the question of revising the allowances of the subordinate services of the Government of India, he will state the terms of reference; and whether Papers can be laid with reference to the subject-matter and scope of this inquiry. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Brodrick.) I have no information as to the terms of reference to the Committee mentioned in the hon. Member's Question, which appears to have been appointed to consider the allowances of the employees in the secretariats of the Government of India. It was within the competence of the Governor - General to enter upon such an inquiry, without reference to me, as an ordinary measure of administration, and I do not think it necessary to ask for the Papers for submission to Parliament.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he has yet come to any decision regarding the obtaining of interest on the credit balances of the Irish Development Grant and on the credit balances of any other public Departments in Ireland. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The residue of the Development Grant in any financial year, after payment of the statutory charges, forms part of the cash portion of the Guarantee Fund, and it is not practicable to ascertain until the end of the year whether any portion of the residue will be required to satisfy claims against the Guarantee Fund. During that period the residue is not available for deposit in an interest-bearing account. The Treasury Regulations, under Section 1 of the Development Grant Act, 1903, provide for the temporary investment in approved securities of such portion of the unexpended balances of the Grant from previous years as the Lord-Lieutenant, with the approval of the Treasury, may determine. I am communicating with the Treasury in the matter. With regard to the concluding inquiry, I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Gentleman's Question of Tuesday † last by my hon. friend the Secretary to the Treasury.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether any application has yet been received from either the tenant or the landlord of the farm of Toneymore, barony of Granard, county Longford, for sale under the Land Purchase Act of 1903, the landlord of which, Mr. Shirley Ball, is understood to be willing to sell to the Estates Commissioners for sub-division amongst the tenants. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The Answer is in the negative.

† See (4) Debates, cl., 1176.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can say how many tenants on the Netterville Estate, county Galway, who have purchased their holdings are in possession of uneconomic farms; in how many cases did the gross purchase money not exceed £150; and whether, seeing that these holdings practically surround the Woodbrook Farm, recently purchased by the Congested Districts Board, the Board, in striping these lands, will take into consideration the claims of the Netterville tenants to increased holdings. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The purchase money of the nine holdings on the Netterville Estate which have been sold to tenants by the Board averages £271 for each holding. In every case the purchase money exceeded £150. These holdings do not surround the Woodbrook Farm; and no proceedings for the sale of the remainder of the Netterville Estate have been instituted before the Estates Commissioners.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, since it has been represented that the Irish Agricultural Department is competent to deal with matters affecting its internal discipline, he will state what steps he proposes taking to prevent the chief clerk from repeating his attempt to induce one of the Catholic clerks engaged in the veterinary branch to withdraw his signature to the joint representations addressed to the Secretary in May, 1904, by certain clerks serving in that branch. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) This incident was fully dealt with in the reply to the hon. Member's Question of 1st March last.‡

‡ See (4) Debates, cxlii., 27.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he has received a number of resolutions within the last few days from county councils, harbour boards, and public meetings in Ireland, requesting the Government to pass the Bill now before the House to extend the Marine Works (Ireland) Act to districts outside the congested districts; and if, in view of the fact that nobody opposes this Bill, the Government will take it up and pass it before the House rises. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) I am afraid that the hon. Baronet is hardly correct in suggesting that this Bill, which proposes fresh demands on the Exchequer, is unopposed. But even if no such objection applied, the Government at the present period of the session could not undertake to give facilities for the passage of the Bill.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state when the fees for teaching Irish in national schools, examined in June, will be paid. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) The payments will be completed next week.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord - Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the cause of the delay of four months in forwarding to the managers of national schools the minute of the inspector's report on the annual inspection. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) It is only in very exceptional circumstances that any such delay would occur. If the hon. Member will furnish me with information which will identify the case to which he refers inquiry will be made.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord - Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state how many of the 1,500 intergrade teachers under the National Board remain to be promoted in each grade; when the next promotion will take place; and whether the promotion will date from 1st April, 1903. (Answered by Mr. Walter Long.) It is impossible to say how many teachers are eligible for promotion. Eligible teachers are promoted annually. The Answer to the last inquiry is in the negative.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state whether Chinese coolies in the Transvaal convicted of offences are employed on penal labour in the mines, as is the case with Kaffir convicts. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.): I have no information on this point.

To ask the Secretary of State for War if he can take steps with a view to ensuring that pensioned officers who were recalled to service during the South African War shall be placed on the same footing financially as those officers who had accepted a gratuity in lieu of pension. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Arnold-Forster.) This question was thoroughly considered two years ago, and I am not prepared to reopen it.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, having regard to the fact that Mr. J. Gibbs, of Cable Street, St. George's East, served upwards of twenty years in the 2nd Tower Hamlets Rifle Volunteers before he was transferred to the 1st City Imperial Yeomanry, would an application for the Volunteer long - service medal receive favourable consideration if supported by the commanding officer of Mr. Gibbs' regiment. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Arnold-Forster.) I cannot undertake to give a reply to the Question until the application has been forwarded to the War Office through the proper channels.

To ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the fact of the unequal episcopal patronage accruing to new dioceses formed under the Bishoprics Act, 1878; whether he is aware that the Liverpool Diocese with 410 clergy when created had assigned it only eight livings, while that of Chester with 407 clergy was left with sixty-four, in addition to fourteen belonging to the chapter of Chester Cathedral; whether the powers of the Act 6 and 7 Will. 4, c. 77, which arranged episcopal patronage according to the magnitude of the diocese, are long since exhausted; whether he will permit of a Return being issued showing the present state of episcopal and capitular patronage in each diocese; and whether, having regard to the desirability of giving fairly equal chances of promotion to the clergy generally, he will consider the propriety of legislation following on the lines of 6 and 7 Will. 4, c. 77. (Answered by Mr. A. J. Balfour.) My attention has been called to the fact referred to, and while I have very inadequate means of verifying the figures quoted by my hon. friend, I believe them to be substantially correct. It is also the case that the powers conferred by the Act 6 and 7 Will. 4, c. 77, are long since exhausted. There appears to be no objection to the issue of the Return suggested by my hon. friend, if he desires to move for it; but it may be observed that the information is already available in unofficial publications. Although the subject is worthy of consideration, I can hardly promise legislation.

To ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he will consider the advisability of proposing legislation which would make the publication or utterance of false statements at election times with regard to the actions or alleged intentions of any political Party, and with the object of deceiving the electors, a penal offence. (Answered by Mr. A. J. Balfour.) The Act of 1895 (The Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act, 1895) makes it an illegal practice to publish false statements of fact in relation to the personal character or conduct of a candidate. It is evidently not easy to go further, if only because of the difficulty of distinguishing between the mis-statements which are due to malice and those which are due to mere stupidity.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can explain to the House the reduction of the Vote for naval guns, projectiles, and ammunition, and the extent to which it is disconnected from the reduction of new shipbuilding; and whether, in spite of the reduction of the Vote, it is intended to increase practice with full charges.

Under Sub-head F (Guns), the Estimates for 1904–5 included an abnormal expenditure for payments for guns purchased with the "Swiftsure" and "Triumph." The sum available for normal services in that year was, therefore, approximately the same as the amount voted for 1905–6, there being a reduction on normal services of only £9,000, which is due to the amount required for rearmaments in 1905–6 being less than in 1904–5. The decrease under Sub-head C (Ammunition) is due to surrenders of ammunition by ships removed from the Effective List, which becomes available for practice of the Fleet, etc. The Answer to the concluding paragraph of the Question is in the affirmative, and the money taken provides for the increased practice with full charges (battle practice).

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will, by the institution of a Departmental Committee, or in some other way, take steps to present to Parliament and the country the actual facts relating to the imposition and infliction of corporal punishment in the Royal Navy.

No. The facts are well known, and have been repeatedly stated in this House.

asked how it was that if there was the slightest suspicion of illegal flogging of the Chinese, that the Colonial Secretary at once set to work to find out if there was any truth in it, whilst the Secretary to the Admiralty would do nothing to make sure that British boys under eighteen years of age did not suffer from ill-treatment.

Seeing that the number of birchings is given, why cannot we have the number of canings returned? Is it not the fact that they are computed at 10,000 a year?

I do not think so.

Will you, as a matter of fact, say if the number can be given?

They are included in the minor punishments.

Being of every-day occurrence.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if he can state the number of boys recruited for the Royal Navy from Ireland during the years 1903 and 1904.

The boys recruited for the Royal Navy in Ireland in the financial years 1903–4 and 1904–5 numbered 232 and 139, respectively.

How many did the "Calliope" get? Not half-a-dozen. [No Answer was returned.]

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he has any official reports showing that the use of corporal punishment in the Royal Navy has had a deterrent effect upon the enlisting of boys in the service.

No, Sir. The number of candidates is far in excess of requirements.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty on what ground is the provision in No. 759 of the King's Naval Regulations, entitled Birching and Caning of Boys, whereby drummers under the age of eighteen may be caned but not birched, founded; and why is this exemption from birching thus conferred on drummers not extended to all the boys rated as such in the Royal Navy.

The rule is one of long standing, and was confirmed by the Board as long ago as in 1878.

Why are drummer boys exempted and A.B.'s, and men in the Engineering Branch not?

The Marines, I believe, come under the Army Act, and the others are under the Naval Discipline Act.

Cannot the hon. Gentleman take steps to put a stop to the brutal practice of flogging in the Navy?

I absolutely deny, as I have done many times before, that there is any brutal practice. The hon. Member, in making that statement, is throwing an undeserved slur on the officers of the Navy. I ask him and his friends to produce any single case where there has been brutal treatment, and it will be investigated.

I have produced dozens.

Until the hon. Gentleman and his friends are able to produce such a case I think they have no right to make these statements.

I should like to ask the hon. Gentleman if he did not himself say that a boy who had corporal punishment inflicted upon him had to be put under surveillance for fear that in an outbreak of temper he might commit suicide?

No, Sir; that is a specimen of the way in which statements made in this House are perverted; and I dare say very often outside this House, where it cannot be contradicted. What I said was, that the boy was examined by the doctor both before and after punishment as a precautionary measure; and that it was thought better while he was smarting under the irritation of punishment that he should be kept to himself so that he should not commit himself.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether there has been any change or modification of No. 759 of the King's Naval Regulations which provides that the birching of boys in the Royal Navy is to be inflicted with birches supplied from the dockyards, is to be given over the bare breech, is limited to twenty-four cuts or blows, and is to be inflicted by the ship's police in the presence of all the boys; and whether, if this regulation is still unchanged, what are the steps which, if taken, would secure its change or modification.

No change has been made in the regulations. I should say, from my own observation, that the hon. Member is a better authority than I am as to the last part of the Question.

I am not going to do your duty.

You are not paid to.

Thank God I am not. But what steps can I take to procure a change. I am entitled to an Answer to that.

The hon. Gentleman has said no change is proposed.

But I want to know what steps I am to take to procure a change.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, seeing that boys who are drafted on board French ships of war between sixteen and eighteen are technically rated as men, and are not subject to flogging, he can explain why in the British Navy youths of sixteen to eighteen, who are rated as boys, are liable to flogging and caning.

The reason is that the regulations of the two services are different.

What do the French naval officers think of us?

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty how many obsolete warships have been sold to foreigners and been taken abroad to be broken up; and whether he will arrange to have such ships broken up at home in future, so as to help in providing work for those who are being dismissed from His Majesty's dockyards.

Out of fifty-six ships recently sold, twenty-two are being, or will be, broken up in the United Kingdom. Ten, which were sold to London merchants, are being, or probably will be, broken up abroad. To impose the condition suggested in the last part of the hon. Member's Question would greatly limit the competition, and, where so many ships have to be disposed of, would have a prejudicial effect on the prices realised. It was recently decided to grant special terms to secure certain ships being broken up in England.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General what statutory authority is vested in the Government to order Volunteers enlisted for home defence to be medically examined for service abroad.

, who replied, said: So far as I am aware there is no such statutory provision. But as no such order has been issued the question does not arise.

Has the right hon. Gentleman not ordered that the Volunteers should be examined for service abroad?

No such order was issued.

Why, the order was issued only the other day.

No order, but a circular has been issued. The circular was to this effect:—"Medical officers are to report on the general physical standard of the men under their charge, with a view to ascertaining their fitness for active service abroad."

Is not that an order?

No, Sir. It is not an order, and there was no order to carry out this medical examination. There may possibly be units of the individuals who do not desire to submit to it. The circular still remains, and if the medical officers do not get these facilities they will report as completely as they can, upon the best information obtainable.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether commanding officers of Volunteer battalions have power to expel, reduce in rank, or otherwise punish any Volunteer who refuses to submit to the medical inspection as to fitness for foreign service prescribed by the War Office circular letter of the 11th July, 1905.

I beg also to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the commanding officer of a Volunteer battalion which is in brigade camp with Regular troops, and thus subject to military law, will, have power to arrest or imprison, or disgrace or punish any Volunteer who refuses to submit to the medical examination prescribed by the War Office circular letter of the 11th July, 1905.

I have already replied to the hon. Member's first Question in my Answer to the hon. Member for the South Molton Division. In reply to the second Question, I do not desire to put a limit to what might be the powers of an officer commanding troops under military law; but no such order as that suggested by the hon. Member has been given to Volunteers under military law, nor will it be given.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state as a fact that any Volunteers have been ordered to be examined under the order?

Many Volunteer corps have, under the orders of commanding officers, submitted to this examination, to the great advantage of the public service. As I have already stated, this is not an order issued by the War Office, but it has been found by commanding officers a most convenient method of obtaining this information.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state what Las been the result of the examinations referred to?

I have not as yet any official report, but the examination has been very satisfactory in the case of those corps which have carried it out.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what steps have been taken to form a reserve of officers to the Royal Army Medical Corps.

The question, of whether it may be possible to form a reserve has been under consideration, but no decision has yet been arrived at.

Have not the Advisory Board strongly recommended it?

Yes, Sir. There is general agreement as to the desirability of forming a reserve, but both at the Admiralty and the War Office difficulties have been found from a professional point of view in carrying out the suggestion.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what is, in the event of war, the present shortage o officers in the Regular Army, Militia, and Volunteers; whether candidates for commissions have decreased recently; and if so, what steps are being taken by the Government to remedy such shortage.

The number of officers which would be required in the event of a war must depend upon the magnitude of the war in which it is supposed that we are engaged; under these circumstances, only hypothetical figures could be given and these would be liable to misconstruction. The number of candidates for commissions in the Regular Army has not diminished, except as regards those desiring commissions in the Guards and the cavalry. A temporary arrangement has been made to fill the Guards vacancies, and the question of supplying officers for the cavalry is now receiving the attention of the Army Council. The Army Council is desirous of increasing; the number of candidates who enter the Army, but this has hitherto been found impossible, owing to the want of accommodation at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; when funds are available for adding to the capacity of the college it is hoped that this difficulty may be surmounted. I may add that we have made special arrangements for obtaining additional candidates from the University.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the convalescent home for soldiers at Skelton, near Saltburn-on-Sea, provided and kept up entirely by Mr. W. H. H. Wharton, is likely to be given up because the War Office authorities are unwilling to pay the railway fares of soldiers going to and from the home; and whether he proposes to take any, and, if any, what steps in the matter.

The hon. Member appears to have been misinformed. War Office authority was granted on the 29th June to the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, York, to issue railway warrants at the public expense to soldiers who are convalescent and require change, on proceeding to Colonel Wharton's home at Saltburn, provided that the total expenditure of £25 previously sanctioned for sending convalescent soldiers to Tynemouth and Scarborough is not exceeded. Nothing is known as regards the suggestion that the home is to be given up.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will explain why the Guards stationed at Windsor are not provided with the same protection to their tunics when on sentry as are the Line regiments, with the result that the tunics of the Guards get soiled and that they have to buy new ones out of their own money.

It is not clear to what my hon. friend refers in the word "protection." The shoulder pad was abolished throughout the service in 1903. I may add that the Guards receive a tunic annually and Line regiments every eighteen months.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will explain why double the number of non-commissioned officers in the Guards regiments stationed at Windsor have to attend afternoon parades as can have practice in drilling the men; and whether, seeing that such regulation deters good soldiers from desiring to become non-commissioned officers, and that trained private soldiers do not have to attend afternoon parades, he will consider the advisability of withdrawing this regulation.

These matters rest within the discretion of the officer commanding the battalion, with which I do not propose to interfere.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will explain why the Guards regiments are obliged to wear in summer heavy cloth tunics, with crossbelts and pouches, a knapsack across the back of the shoulders, with a rolled cape lower down, and a heavy bearskin cap; if he will consider the possibility of substituting a lighter material for the dress tunic and do away with the other appendages, and change the bearskin cap for a white Kitchener helmet; and if he has received any complaints of the inconvenience and discomfort caused by the use of this uniform in hot weather.

It is not considered necessary to make any alterations in the existing uniform of the Guards; which has been worn by them for many years during the summer months without complaint. No knapsack is carried by the Guards, and the valise was abolished in July, 1904. On guard duty the men composing the firs relief carry great-coat, cape, two pouches, One pouch only is worn after the first relief.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether there is a properly-trained medical establishment for the balance of any Army exceeding 55,000 men taking the field abroad.

The war establishments of the Army provide for a considerable portion of the medical staff being civilians. As the numbers of the latter available on mobilisation have not been determined on, it would not be practicable to give the hon. Member any precise figures on the subject. I may add that the Army Council is aware that the strength of the Royal Army Medical Corps is not yet adequate, and are making every endeavour to increase it.

Is it not the fact that j if an Army exceeding 55,000 men went abroad, there would be no properly-trained medical service for them?

That is not so. Experience in the last war showed that we could rely on a large number of very highly-trained medical officers.

Civilian officers?

Very highly - trained and highly - competent civilian officers.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he has received any recommendation from the late Commander-in-Chief in favour of conscription.

No, Sir.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's present advisers share the views of Earl Granville and the Earl of Rosebery, as expressed in their despatches of 1884 and 1893, respectively, that, so long as the British occupation of Egypt continues, His Majesty's Government is responsible for the maintenance of law, order, and good government in that country; and whether it is by reason of such responsibility, or upon any other ground, Egyptian affairs are being administered by Lord Cromer under the direction of His Majesty's Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The Answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. The administration of the country is conducted by the Khedive and his Ministers with the advice and under the supervision of Lord Cromer as the responsible representative of His Majesty's Government.

Arising out of that Answer, I beg to ask whether Egyptian Ministers are bound to accept; such advice on pain of dismissal from their offices. I specially allude to Lord Cromer's advice to remit the salt tax.

The Egyptian Government are under an obligation to follow the advice of Lord Cromer.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to an inquest, held at Shoreditch on the 25th of July, on the body of Annie Higgs, a middle-aged widow, and to the fact that her husband had died in November last, leaving her with three children (girls) to maintain; that at first out-relief was given her, but was stopped on her eldest child attaining the age of fourteen; that the coroner's officer stated that he found the room in which the woman and her children lived very clean, but there was neither food nor money there, and very little furniture; and that the medical officer deposed that death was due to heart failure, resulting from general bodily weakness from want of food and heart disease, and that she had had no food recently, the stomach and bowels being empty; and whether he will inquire who is responsible for this widow being thus left to starve to death.

. My attention has been drawn to the circumstances of the Case referred to, and I am making inquiry on the subject.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state the several places in which South African horse disease has been and is at present in Great Britain; the precautions taken to prevent the disease spreading, including the number of military and private establishments quarantined, and shows and race meetings stopped because of its prevalence.

Seventeen outbreaks of epizootic lymphangitis have been reported from the following places—namely, London (3), Hampshire (3), Hertfordshire (2), Essex (2), Kent, Nottingham, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Wilts, and Lanark (1) each. All animals returned as affected have been disposed of, either by slaughter or otherwise, and no case of the disease is now known to exist amongst civilian horses. The precautions to be taken to prevent the spread of the disease are set out in the Epizootic Lymphangitis Order of 1904, a copy of which I shall be glad to send to the hon. Member. It has not been necessary for us to interfere in any way with the holding of horse shows or race meetings. Any question as to the existence of this disease in military establishments should be addressed to my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for War.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the remarks made by the stipendiary at Salford, on the hearing of a prosecution instituted by the Flax Spinners' Association of Belfast for the sale of cotton collars as linen; and whether, having regard to the judgment of the Court in the case of Coppen v. Moore, he proposes to take any, and, if any, what steps to prevent the custom now prevalent of selling cotton goods as linen.

I have seen a newspaper report of the case referred to. The Board of Trade are prepared to consider, with a view to prosecution, any specific case of infringement of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1887, which is submitted under the regulations which govern prosecutions.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that for many years County Courts have been able to get their forms printed locally; and, having regard to the competition to which master printers and compositors throughout the provinces are now subjected from foreign countries, if he will cause the recent circular of the Stationery Office to registrars withdrawing the local custom in favour of a central issue in London to be reconsidered.

Under the new system local firms will have opportunities for tendering for the supply of stationery and printing for County Courts.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department has his attention been drawn to a circular addressed by the Treasury to the registrars of County Courts, informing them that all printed forms will henceforth be printed and supplied by the Controller of the Stationery Office; and will he state what grounds exist justifying, in his opinion, a change in the present system which deprives the printing trade in the different County Court districts of a substantial portion of work.

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to my reply on the 3rd instant † to the Question of the hon. Member for Mansfield upon this subject.

On behalf of the hon. Member for North Donegal, I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he has had his attention called to the case of Rex v. McMullen, in which the accused was charged with the murder of one Daniel Mallon, near Moy, county Tyrone, in November last, and in which the justices refused informations, although the resident magistrate dissented from their determination; and whether, seeing that it has been represented to him that there is further evidence in existence affecting the accused, and having regard to all the facts of the case, he will exercise his power to have the facts considered by a jury.

I have examined into this case most carefully. There is no evidence in the possession of the Crown other than that already given, nor have the police been able to obtain any clue which might lead to the discovery of further evidence. The case was one in which men might justly and reasonably come to the conclusion arrived at by the magistrates. I have no reason whatever to think there was any miscarriage of justice, or that there is anything justifying further action in the direction suggested.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the announcement of the Board of Trade that they have no objection to separate Returns of Irish commerce being issued, he can now see his way to annul the Treasury

† See page 63.

Minute of 1823 which provides that Irish commerce shall be treated as coasting trade, and require the Customs to furnish separate particulars of imports and exports to and from Ireland, as is done in the case of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and all other parts of the Empire.

My hon. friend the Secretary to the Board of Trade stated in reply to a Question of the hon. Member on July 20th † that the Irish Board of Agriculture had under consideration the question of compiling statistics of the trade between Great Britain and Ireland, but that referred only to information which would be obtainable under the existing system. I cannot agree to the proposal of the hon. Member, as in my opinion no sufficient advantage would be gained to counterbalance the increased expenditure and the interference with trade which such a change would involve.

Then the right hon. Gentleman refuses.

I decline respectfully to annul the Treasury Minute of 1823, but if a further Question is put down I will consider whether it is possible to afford any more statistical information without a further interference with trade or an additional expenditure of public money.

Do you not admit that Ireland would derive some advantage if the exact imports and exports were known?

I have had a good many discussions with the hon. Gentleman both in and out the House with regard to interference by the Government with trade. He always urged that we should interfere as little as possible, and he has not infrequently denounced us for interfering. Now he asks us to do a thing which would

† See (4) Debates, cxlix., 1401.

involve a considerable interference with trade.

I altogether deny that. I say it would assist trade.

On behalf of the hon. Member for South Meath, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord - Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the tenants on the estate of Richard T. Kellet, in the county of Meath, signed agreements to purchase their holdings in April, 1904; and that the landlord's brother, Vernon Kellet, also applied to purchase about 136 acres of untenanted land on the property; if so, will he say when was he made tenant; and whether, seeing that a number of tenants on the estate, having uneconomic holdings, have sent a memorial to the Estates Commissioners, praying that the land, nominally in Vernon Kellet's possession, be purchased by the Commissioners with a view to rendering their holdings economic, he will say what is the decision of the Commissioners regarding the prayer of the memorialists.

The tenancy in the holding for which Mr. J. Vernon Kellett has signed a purchase agreement was created in 1904. The memorial of the tenants will be considered before advances are made,

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will consider the advisability, in those cases of land purchase under the Act of 1903 in which the purchase money cannot be immediately paid, of paying interest on the same until the transaction can be completed, and so avoiding any necessity for delay in the operation of the Act.

Interest in lieu of rent is now payable by the tenant purchaser pending the completion of the purchase, and such interest has been collected in nearly all cases up to the last gale day, viz., May 1st, 1905, and paid over to the parties entitled. I have carefully considered the hon. Member's suggestion, but am afraid it is impracticable to give effect to it.

On behalf of the hon. Member for South Meath, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application for the sale of Captain E. R. Taylor's Bective Estate, county Meath; whether Mrs. O'Reily, an evicted tenant of the estate, has made an application to be reinstated; whether the lands from which she was evicted are untenanted and let on the eleven months system; and, if so, whether the sale can go forward without having regard to Mrs. O'Reily's case.

The reply to the first and second inquiries is in the affirmative. The evicted tenant's holdings, however, are not included in the estate which is being sold, but her application will be considered when the estate is being dealt with.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is in a position to make any announcement as to the improvement of the ferry facilities between Reenard and Valentia, under the Marine Works Act; and whether, in the event of further inquiries being made by him daring the recess, he will give an opportunity to those locally interested of placing their views before him.

I am not yet in a position to make any statement in this matter. Any representations that may be made to me by persons locally interested will, of course, be carefully considered.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can now state the decision of the Inspector-General regarding the recommendation of the Belfast Corporation that a Royal Irish Constabulary band should be established in Belfast.

A decision has not yet been arrived at in this matter.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this matter has been under consideration for eighteen months?

It has only lately been brought under my notice. I hops it will be decided almost immediately.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the fact that the committee of Waveney Street National School, Ballymena, contemplate closing their school, he will consider the advisability of granting temporary aid until such time as sufficient accommodation is provided for infants in other schools; and, if not, where is it proposed to put the infants attending the Waveney School, should it be closed.

For the reasons stated in reply to former Questions, the Commissioners cannot grant even temporary aid to this school. There is ample accommodation in existing schools for the infants attending this school.

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman appreciate the fact that if this school is closed for want of aid the children will have no other school to go to?

On the contrary, I am told there would be no difficulty in providing for them in existing schools. If the hon. Member has any information to the contrary I shall be glad to consider it.

Your own Answers state there is not sufficient accommodation in the other schools.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland on what date the Local Government Board inquiry into the general working of the Labourers Acts in the county Antrim was held; what was the result of that inquiry; and can copies of the Report, if any, of the person or persons who held the inquiry be obtained from the Local Government Board.

In 1902 inquiries were made as to the working of the Labourers Acts in counties Antrim and Down, and the result went to show that owing to disinclination on the part of the farmers and to the apathy of the labourers, the Acts were rarely applied up to 1899, but that since that date many schemes had been formed and others were being prepared. These inquiries were made for the general information of the Government, and the Reports made are not available for public use.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state when he proposes to give effect to the Report of the Trinity College Commission; whether he is aware that middlemen who hold under Trinity College for a period less than sixty years cannot sell to the tenants, although they are willing to do so; and what action the Government intend to take.

This Report, as I have already stated, raises a number of very difficult and complicated questions, including the case of middlemen who hold under leases for an unexpired period of less than sixty years. These are receiving the careful consideration of the Government. I am not yet in a position to state the indentions of the Government in the matter.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the middlemen are willing to sell and the tenants to buy? Cannot something be done to enable the agreement to be carried out? [No Answer was returned.]

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state whether the Irish Government or the Estates Commissioners have issued any instructions whereby cottiers or sub-tenants occupying agricultural holdings are debarred from negotiating or purchasing their holdings under the Land Purchase Act of 1903; and, if not, can he say whether a sub-tenant or a cottier have the right to purchase their holdings when an estate is being sold of which their holdings form a part.

The only tenants who can purchase under the Purchase Acts are tenants in occupation. Under the 15th Section of the Act the Estates Commissioners have power to declare that a sub-tenant, to whom the tenant has let portion of the holding, shall be deemed to be the tenant of that portion so as to enable the sub-tenant to purchase. Paragraphs 15 and 19, Part 1, of the instructions of the 9th February last deal with this matter.

Who is to act on behalf of the sub-tenant?

asked for notice

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will state the amount per head of the population voted by the State in the year 1905–6 in England, Ireland, and Scotland for the purposes of primary education; what would be Ireland's share according to the English or Scotch scale; and how much less does Ireland receive annually than she would be entitled to were grants for education made on this bash.

Owing to the different systems of elementary education in the three countries an accurate comparison on the basis suggested cannot be drawn. It would appear, however, that the amount per head of population, according to the latest Census Returns, is, approximately:

Why is it, when we have money to receive, the calculation on the basis of population is misleading, but when it is to be paid it is the reverse?

Seeing it is admitted that Ireland is not getting her fair share, will the Chancellor of the Exchequer consider the desirability of making a further grant?

I do not admit anything of the kind.

You have admitted that on the only satisfactory basis of population Ireland is not getting anything like she deserves.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state whether the actual sum allotted under the Marine Works Act for the construction of a pier at Clifden Harbour has yet been fixed; and, if so, what is the sum, and when is the work likely to commence.

No, Sir; the matter is still engaging consideration. I will give it my personal attention during the recess.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if, considering that the South African horse disease was introduced into Ireland by Army horses, and considering the loss that has already occurred by the stoppage of shows, sales, and race meetings, he is now able to state that the entire cost of animals slaughtered with the view of stamping out the disease will be paid, without calling upon the ratepayers of the county where the disease has broken out to pay half the estimated value of the animals so destroyed.

I am not yet in a position to make any statement on this subject, which will be fully considered on an early date at a joint conference between representatives of the English and Irish Departments of Agriculture.

On behalf of the hon. Member for East Mayo, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will explain why not a single question relating to Ireland appeared in the history papers set by the Board of National Education to the teachers who completed their course of training at the various training colleges, and who were examined in the first week of July this year for certificates of competency to teach Irish children.

The programme in history for this examination was "European history from 1815 to 1871." The Commissioners do not interfere with the discretion of the examiners in setting questions.

On behalf of the hon. Member for East Mayo, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will lay upon the Table of the House any correspondence which has passed between the Treasury and the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland on the proposed withdrawal of the grant for the Irish language as an extra subject; and whether he will also lay upon the Table the Minutes of any meetings of the Board at which the subject was considered.

I answered this Question on Wednesday † last.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he wall give the Minutes of the meeting or meetings of the National Board at which it was agreed to withdraw payment for Irish as an extra subject in Irish national schools; whether, in coming to this decision, the Board made any, and, if so, what arrangements for the teaching of Irish within ordinary school hours; to what purpose it is intended to devote the money which formerly was spent in paying for Irish; and whether any steps are being taken by the Board for training teachers for the teaching of this subject.

For the reason already stated by me I am unable to lay these Minutes on the Table of the House. The rules in the Code relating to the teaching of Irish as an ordinary subject within school hours are as follows:—No. 121. A bi-lingual programme (Irish and English) may be sanctioned in Irish-speaking districts or in localities where Irish and English are spoken. No. 123 (b). All the extra branches may be taught during the time constituting in "attendance," provided the adequacy of the course of instruction in the ordinary school subjects is not impaired or hampered thereby. The Board agreed, by resolution passed unanimously, to the withdrawal of fees for all extra subjects, provided the savings thereby effected should not be applied in reduction of the Vote, but should be devoted to the purposes of Irish national education. That decision does not in any way affect the

† See (4) Debates, cl., 1344.

existing facilities for the teaching of Irish or other extra subjects within ordinary school hours. The Government have at present under consideration, in correspondence with the Treasury, a proposal to provide an increased staff in small schools by means of the appointment of manual instructresses. The expenditure on fees for all extra subjects amounted in the year 1904 to £14,368, which included a sum of £12,069 paid for Irish. Irish is taught in all the training colleges, with the exception of the Church of Ireland Training College in Kildare Place. The Board examine for certificates in Irish, and the number of teachers holding Irish certificates is 1,045. In reply to further Questions, Mr. WALTER LONG denied that the teaching of Irish language had been excluded. It was merely no longer treated as an extra subject.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if any decision has yet been arrived at between Lord Enniskillen and the Commissioner of Works, Dublin Office, in reference to the ownership of the bed and soil of the lake surrounding the town of Enniskillen; and, if so, what is it.

Communications are still pending between the Commissioners of Woods and Lord Enniskillen. A decision will be come to as speedily as possible.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to state when the new plans for building schools in Ireland will be issued; and can he say whether, in the case of necessitous districts, such as Curraheen, Glenbeigh, county Kerry, a contribution of more than the usual two-thirds will be contributed by the Board when a new school is required.

I am disappointed that this matter has not yet been settled. A decision on the main points has been arrived at, but some questions of detail have unfortunately arisen which require settlement before I shall be in a position to announce the Government's proposals.

How soon may we expect them.

I cannot say. They will be announced as soon as possible.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can say if the statements made by Lord Roberts at the Mansion House on the condition of the Army were laid before the Army Council; and whether they represent the views of His Majesty's Government on the subject.