reported from the Committee on Group K of Private Bills; That at the meeting of the Committee this day a letter was received from Mr. John Walter Hills, one of the members of the said Committee, stating that he was unable, on account of detention by private affairs, to attend the Committee this day.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty when the Coastguard Squadron was abolished; what proportion of the full complement was at that time allotted as crews of the ships; and what will be the proportion of the full complements now that the squadron is to be re-established under the name of the Home Fleet. (Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) The inference is incorrect that the former Coastguard Squadron is to be re-established under the name of the Home Fleet, as the constitution and arrangements are quite different, and any comparisons such as proposed would b fallacious and misleading.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the last financial year commenced in His Majesty's Dockyards on 1st April last; and, if so, are the men to be paid the extra two hours worked from 1st April to 2nd July, seeing that they worked 50 hours per week during that period instead of 48 hours which now constitutes a week. (Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) The present financial year began on 1st April, 1906. It is not proposed to make any payment to the dockyard workmen in respect of the time worked between 1st April and 2nd July in excess of 48 hours a week. The date for the introduction of the uniform 48 hours' week was determined by the fact that the average 48 hours' week had been instituted on the 2nd July, 1894, and by the consideration that the adoption of any other date must necessarily have resulted in a pecuniary loss either to the Crown or to the men themselves.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he will state the total number of hours overtime worked by the staff of the Central Telegraph Office during the months of June, July, and August, 1906; and whether, in view of official statements that the staff of the office receive liberal modifications of duty, he will state the number of the staff who received modifications of duty from May to September, inclusive, with the total number of hours allotted to the recipients. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The number of hours overtime worked by the staff of the Central Telegraph Office during the months of June, July, and August, 1906, were 38,407, 44,244, and 50,149 respectively, the male staff being 2,180. The number of cases in which modifications of duty were allowed between May and September, and the total number of hours allotted to the recipients, mainly on Saturday afternoons, were 8,042 and 4,872 respectively,

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can state the total sum spent during the last eighteen months on the battleships "Sanspariel," "Anson," "Camperdown," "Benbow," "Howe," and 'Rodney," officially classed as first-class battleships; and whether the Admiralty are of opinion that the sum expended maintains the vessels in a state of immediate readiness for war. (Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) The sum of £1,489 has been spent on the ships named during the last eighteen months. The expenditure was not for the purpose of maintaining the ships in a state of readiness for war, but with a view to their upkeep pending removal to the sale list next year.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that at Row, in Scotland. Petersfield, and other places, letters are delivered and collected by men who are neither employed by the Post Office direct, nor under allowance to postmasters, but are servants of mailcart contractors; and whether he will take steps to stop this practice. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) It is the fact that under certain exceptional circumstances letters are delivered and collected by mail cart drivers. This arrangement is made in the interest of the public service; and, as the same steps are taken for the security of correspondence as in the case of ordinary postmen, I see no reason for modifying it.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he can explain the reason for the delays on telegraph work, while at the same time the staff is being reduced at a number of offices and the work is decreasing; whether he is aware that no change in the holiday system of the staff has taken place for a number of years, while delays on messages have been increasing during the past two or three years; whether definite instructions are issued to officers in certain offices that certain averages are to be maintained in. each circuit before additional ones are opened; and whether the use of high-speed Wheatstone apparatus is forbidden until a delay of 30 minutes on ordinary commercial work has accrued. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I fear that I can add little to the reply I gave to the hon. Member a few days ago. There must at times be delay of telegrams unless offices are kept perpetually staffed on a scale to deal with every exceptional pressure. The hon. Member will see that such a course is altogether impracticable. It is clearly the duty of superintendents to see that a proper average of work is attained on circuits which are open before they open others, and this also I trust the hon. Member will recognise to be reasonable. The use of Wheatstone apparatus on emergencies is a matter rather too technical for explanation in reply to a Question.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Board of Inland Revenue have obtained a Return from surveyors of taxes showing the amount of income-tax paid to revenue in respect of income which escaped assessment or was insufficiently assessed and subsequently recovered in England and Wales for a period of ten years; will he state the total amount of additional duty paid to the revenue as shown by such Return, and the number of taxpayers concerned, and in respect of how many years the back duty was recovered; and will he state the amount remitted as conscience money during the same period. (Answered by Mr. Asquith.) No such Return has been obtained by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. As regards so-called "conscience money," a considerable proportion of the payments are not accompanied by any evidence whether they are in respect of income tax or other taxes or debts due to the Exchequer. Any Return which could be given in connection with an inquiry relating to income tax would therefore necessarily be misleading.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the statement in the memorandum recently published by the Admiralty, that no alteration will be made in the proportion of officers and men serving afloat, refers to officers and men in fully commissioned sea-going ships; or whether the expression serving afloat is to be taken to include officers and men in ships with nucleus crews anchored in the naval ports or afloat in the basins. (Answered by Mr. Edmund Robertson.) The statement referred to by the right hon. Gentleman is intended to convey that the service at sea of officers and men in the whole will not be less than at present, and may be more. Such is the expectation of the Admiralty, but as the formation of the Home Fleet is still in course of development and will not be complete for some time, it is not possible to give any more definite reply at present.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the Indian princes and other persons who subscribed money for the building and endowment of the Imperial Institute were consulted before it was decided to devote throe-fifths of the building to the purposes of the London University; and whether any offer was made to refund to them the whole or a proportional part of their subscriptions. (Answered by Mr. Kearley.) I am not aware what communications, if any, took place between the former Council of the Imperial Institute and the subscribers before making the arrangement with the Treasury under which, in consideration of certain financial advantages to the Imperial Institute, a portion of the building was devoted to the London University. This change was effected in 1899, before the Imperial Institute (Transfer) Act, 1902, placed the management of the Imperial Institute under the Board of Trade.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the action of the Midland Railway Company in placing untrained men in charge of goods trains without their having passed the usual examination; and whether, in view of the danger involved to the lives of the men employed, he will cause inquiry to be made into the matter. (Answered by Mr. Kearley.) My right hon. friend has communicated with the Midland Railway Company on this matter, and is informed that there is no foundation for any suggestion that they have placed in charge of goods trains untrained men who are not qualified to perform their duties.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that certain trade unions of skilled men in Great Britain pay out-of-work benefits to the extent of about £500,000 per annum; whether he will, through the Labour Department, cause inquiry to be made into the methods employed by Continent Governments of assisting such trade unions; and whether, in view of the importance of encouraging this special form of thrift, he will consider the possibility of making proportionate contributions towards the cost of trade union insurance against unemployment. (Answered by Mr. Kearley.) I am aware of the fact stated in the first part of the Question. My hon. friend will find a good deal of information on the subject in which he is interested in certain recent numbers of the Labour Gazette, of which I am sending him copies. If he will suggest in what particulars he desires that this information should be supplemented, the Department will be glad to consider how far they can meet his wishes. I have no reason to think that a contribution out of public funds towards the support of this particular form of thrift would be welcomed by trade unions in this country.

To ask Mr. Attorney-General how many persons were admitted to litigate in forma pauperis in Scotland and England during 1905, or the last complete statistical year, and whether in any such cases when unsuccessful the barristers and solicitors received any fees; whether he is aware that in Germany, France, Denmark, Switzerland, and Italy fees and expenses are often paid or advanced by the Treasury of the State, and seeing that the institution called the Poor Man's Lawyer is established in connection with university settlements all over the country, and that in very few instances are the cases actually taken into court to obtain justice, he would see his way to institute an inquiry into this matter with a view to arranging that not only at the settlements but also at every county court there should be one or more solicitors appointed and paid to advise the poor, and to conduct actions when necessary on behalf of those whose cause of action is certified by a properly qualified authority as a prima facie one. (Answered by Sir John Walton.) The subject of this Question will receive consideration, but, as at present advised, I cannot hold out any prospect that the Government will create appointments of the kind suggested.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the recently concluded treaty with China regarding Tibet, provides for the continuation of the monopoly the former has in the latter country in respect of the tea trade to the exclusion of the Indian grown leaf. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) There is no special reference to tea in the Convention with China of 27th April, 1906, or the Convention with Tibet of 7th September, 1904. Both these Conventions have been published in [Cd. 3088].

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Government of India have withheld transmission of a memorial addressed to His Majesty's Secretary of State for India by Thakur Bhairon Singh and two others, nobles of the State of Bikanir, in Rajputana, in the matter of their imprisonment and of the confiscation of their jagirs under orders of the Maharajah of Bikanir; whether the memorial in question has been in consequence forwarded directly to him; is he aware that one of the grounds of complaint is the action of the Government of India in dismissing the memorialists appeal to them without assigning any reason or supplying them with the grounds of their refusal; and seeing that one of the memorialists has died in confinement, and that a second has been recently released by order of the Maharajah, he will take into consideration the case of the third memorialist, whoso alleged offence is identical, and who has been kept strictly imprisoned within the fort at Bikanir since the 2nd January, 1905. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) I have been furnished with a copy of the memorial in question, but I have not received it from the Government of India; if they have withheld it, I shall be informed by them in duo course. I gather from the copy of the memorial furnished to me that the order of the Government of India appealed against is a refusal to interfere in a matter of internal policy with the action of the Ruler of a Native State of which the memorialists are subjects. I observe from the last paragraph of the Question that the Ruler of the Native State concerned has released one of the memorialists.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that Mr. E. Candler, a newspaper correspondent, was announced in the Calcutta Gazette of the 11th of September last as appointed temporarily to be a member of the Indian Educational Service; whether the object of this form of notification is to secure that Mr. Candler shall draw full pay while officiating as Principal of the Hooghly College instead of acting allowance, and that a vested interest may be created which shall pave the way to his permanent appointment; and whether, in view of the pledge given to the House that the appointment made was purely a temporary one during the absence on leave of the permanent incumbent, he will say what steps he proposes to take in the matter. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) I stated on the 27th of June that Mr. Candler's appointment was a temporary one. † It is still a temporary one, and it cannot be made permanent without my sanction. I see no reason for taking any action in the matter at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether he will explain why Mr. J. A. Chapman, recently a clerk in an exchange bank, has been confirmed in the appointment of principal of the Calcutta Madrassah, in view of the pledges given to the House that his appointment was a temporary one, which would presumably terminate when Dr. Ross, the permanent incumbent, returned to Calcutta on the conclusion of a two months' deputation on special duty at Simla. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley) It is not the ease that Mr. Chapman has been confirmed as principal of the Calcutta Madrassah. He has, as I previously stated, been acting temporarily during the absence of Dr. Denison Ross, and his officiating tenure has now, I believe, come to an end.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the appointment of a junior professor of the Presidency College at. Calcutta to be principal of that college, in supersession of the claims of two senior professors, one of whom has already previously officiated as principal and also acted as Director of Public Instruction in Assam; and whether, in view of the fact that nothing unfavour able is on record against either of the officers so superseded, he will inquire into the circumstances of the case before the office of principal becomes permanently vacant in January next. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) The selection of an officer for this officiating appointment was made by the Local Government in the exercise of their discretion, and I see at present no reason to interfere with their decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for War how many men have been discharged from Woolwich Arsenal during each period of three months since October, 1905; from what departments there have been the largest number of men discharged; and whether the present rate of discharges will continue. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The number of discharges from the various Army departments at Woolwich Arsenal for the period referred to are as follows:—

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the trade union rates of wages and working conditions are not observed in the case of the navvies and labourers employed by the contractors Messrs. Bennett and Messrs. Parkington, upon the alterations in course of execution at the Royal Artillery barracks, Ipswich; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane) I have made careful inquiry into this matter. The information I have obtained; shows that the rate of wages current

† See (4) Debates, clxiii., 686.

locally is being paid to the labourers employed on War Department contracts by the firms mentioned.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether any, and, if so, what steps are being taken to reduce the Royal Artillery; and whether the pledge given by the Under-Secretary of State to the effect that there will be no reduction in the Artillery till trained militiamen liable to serve abroad can take their place, and that there will be no stoppage of recruiting for the Artillery till militiamen who are liable to serve abroad take their place will be strictly adhered to. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) I presume that the right hon. Gentleman refers to the Horse and Field Artillery only. The corps is being recruited up to its present establishment and no reduction has taken place. There is no reason to suppose that the pledge given by my noble friend in another place will not be strictly adhered to.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to a court martial held at Cape Town in May last on Sergeant (now-Private) Pitt, of the Army Service Corps, for applying to his own use the sum of £33 13s. during the period he was caterer of the garrison sergeants' mess, and for negligently conducting the sales of the said mess; whether he is aware that Pitt was acquitted on the first charge, but found guilty on the second, and sentenced to reduction to the rank of private and stoppage of pay to the amount of £33 13s.; whether he is aware that the appointment of Pitt as caterer when in performance of other duties which necessitated his absence from the mess and canteen for the greater part of the day was a breach of regulations; and whether, having regard to this fact, and to the fact that Pitt has a wife and two children to support to whom the stoppage from his pay of £33 is a serious matter, he will reconsider the case. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The facts as regards the trial of Sergeant (now Private) Pitt are as stated. In a garrison sergeants' mess, all the members are employed on some special duty, so it is not always possible to relieve the caterer from other duties. Sergeant Pitt was clerk in the office of the staff captain, naval base, and his duties occupied only about four hours a day, so that he had ample time for his duties us caterer. The proceedings of the court martial have been carefully reviewed by the Judge Advocate General, and I see no reason for relieving Private Pitt from the consequences of his acts.

To ask the Secretary of State for War why in the official Army List the names of the ladies of the nursing staff are entered alphabetically and not by seniority; whether this is not the only department of the Army which is so treated; and, if so, will he explain the reason for this different treatment of women and men in His Majesty's service.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether ladies of the nursing service are promoted by seniority coupled with selection; whether he is aware that, as their names are placed on the Army List alphabetically and not according to seniority, they have no means of knowing how they stand for promotion and foreign service; and whether he will look into the matter with a view to inaugurating a fairer and more business-like system. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) I will answer this and the subsequent Question by saying that the arrangement of the names of the members of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service in the Army List in alphabetical order was made at the request of the Nursing Board (in December, 1902). It was decided at that time that promotion in this service should be by selection and not by seniority. The reason for this is that promotion is made by selection and not by seniority, and the Nursing Board therefore preferred an alphabetical list. Regarding foreign service, the regulations lay down that those who have been longest at home will, as a general rule, be the first to proceed abroad. Arrangements of names cannot, therefore, affect this matter in any way. It is a fact that the nursing service is the only department in which names are shown alphabetically in the Army List, with the exception of the acting chaplains.

To ask the Secretary of State for War if the present system of paying Army pensions can be altered so that the pensions can be drawn weekly instead of quarterly. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) As I have stated on Monday last, in reply to the hon. Member for North Fermanagh† a Committee is about to assemble to report upon this question.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, if he can State approximately for what period he anticipates it will be necessary to keep the officers and non-commissioned officers

† See Col. 94–95.

of the battalions about to be disbanded upon the supernumerary establishment before they can be absorbed into their own or other regiments; and whether, in view of the fact that the course it is proposed to adopt will entail injury to the prospects of these officers and noncommissioned officers, especially in regard to their chances of promotion, he will say what steps it is proposed to take in order to mitigate such injury. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) It is not possible to state how long the officers and non-commissioned officers of of these regiments will remain on the supernumerary list. As regards promotion, it must be remembered that the battalions now reduced were raised at a comparatively recent date, and consequently have enjoyed a more than ordinary flow of promotion. However, I recognise that there may be cases in which these reductions bear hardly on individuals, and these cases will be met by promotion into other regiments as occasion offers.

To ask the Secretary of State for War when he will be in a position to state the decision of the Government as to disposing of the site of the Duke of York's School. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) I am not in a position to say more than that this matter is still under the consideration of the Inter-departmental Committee, and that it may be some time yet before a decision is arrived at.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether Section 54 of The Land Purchase Act, 1903, applies merely to those cases where an agreement has been signed for the purchase of the holding but where no money has been advanced and the vesting order has not yet been made; and whether the Land Commission has power, and, if so, in what cases, to consent to a mortgage for a larger amount than that allowed by the Act. (Answered by Mr. Bryce.) Section 54 of the Act of 1903 applies only to cases in which the purchase money has been advanced. The Land Commission hold that, under Sub-section (3) of Section 54, they have a discretionary power to consent to a mortgage for a larger amount than that which, without such consent, the sub-section allows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any information has been received that the Russians have vacated the islands of Aland. (Answered by Secretary Sir Edward Grey). I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Blackpool on the 2Sth ultimo, †

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Mr. William Hurst, J.P., Drumderg, county Fermanagh, has been compelled to pay the post office, Enniskillen, the sum of £3 3s. for delivery of his letters in his own post bag at his gate for the year 1906, though for many years past the sum demanded for that service was £1 1s. only; what is the reason for so large an increase; and whether, as Mr. Hurst would be entitled to free delivery of his letters daily at his house if not put in his own post bag, he can see his way to reduce or abolish the charge for delivery of his letters in his own post bag. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton. ) Prior to the 1st of January last Mr. Hurst paid £2 6s. a year in respect of his private bag, namely £1 1s. for making it up, and £1 5s. for its conveyance by mail cart. The proper fee for conveyance was £2 2s., but apparently the mail contractor omitted to charge the full fee. The fees are now collected by the Department, and Mr. Hurst has, therefore, been charged the correct fee of £2 2s. a year for conveyance, thus making his total payment for the year £3 3s. I see no reason for waiving or reducing the charges in this case. By using a private bag Mr. Hurst secures a delivery at 6.30 a.m., whereas if his letters were delivered by postmen in the ordinary way the delivery would not be effected until 9 a.m.

† See (4) Debates, cxiii., 411.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has received applications from the Unemployed Committees of Dartford and Erith; and whether he has replied that they do not come within the limit of those who are entitled to contributions from the £200,000 set aside for the unemployed; if so, can he say what is the basis upon which the money allocated by Parliament is to be distributed. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) The basis upon which I am proposing to distribute the Grant is to limit payments from it to the places in which there appears to be exceptional need for assistance. I issued a Circular on the 12th October to certain distress committees in which I explained this, and stated that, on the information then before me, I did not propose to make any payment to them out of the Grant. The Circular was sent to the distress committees of Dartford and Erith, amongst others, and I have not since received any communication from them on the subject.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that the trains running between Limerick and Tralee have generally only two second class carriages, a smoking and non-smoking carriage; and whether he will take steps to see that the Great Southern and Western Railway Company provide sufficient accommodation for second-class passengers on this line, as was provided by the Waterford and Limerick Railway Company, in view of the fact that they are bound to give equal facilities to the public under the Act amalgamating the Waterford and Limerick Rail way Company with the Great Southern and Western. (Answered by Mr. Kearley.) My attention had not previously been called to this matter, but I have caused a copy of the hon. Member's Question to be forwarded to the Railway Company for their observations on the subject, and I will communicate with him upon receipt of the Company's reply.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury when it was decided that where a Member of His Majesty's Civil Service becomes a candidate for Parliament, he will, upon adoption, be retired upon half-pay, irrespective of the result of the election. (Answered by Mr. McKenna.) No such decision as that embodied in the hon. Member's Question has been arrived at. But under an Order in Council of the 29th November, 1884, any person in the permanent Civil Service of the State who seeks a seat in the House of Commons must resign his office as soon as he issues his address to the electors, or in any other manner announces himself as a candidate.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether in view of the recommendation of the Douglas Committee, that no naval instructors should be employed afloat under the new scheme of naval education, he can state what it is proposed to do with naval instructors at present on the active list; and whether, if any are compulsorily retired, they will give any, and, if so, what amount of compensation.

The necessity has not yet arisen for any action such as that suggested in the hon. Member's Question. Every consideration will be given, however, should it become necessary to retire any of these officers compulsorily.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what number of skilled white workmen, and what number of unskilled white workmen, what number of Chinese coolies, and what number of Kaffir or black labourers were employed on the mines of the Witwatersrand on 30th September, 1905, and what were the corresponding figures for June, 1906, and for September, 1906; and what are the respective numbers of skilled and unskilled white and coloured labourers employed in the Barberton district.

The total number of white workmen, Chinese and natives employed on the gold and other mines of the Witwatersrand district were as follows on the dates specified: —

	White.	Chinese.	Natives.
30th Sep., 1905	16,980	44,538	88,981
30thJune, 1906	17,260	52,352	82,733
31st Aug., 1906	16,957	52,111	84,187

The detailed Returns for 30th September, 1906, have not yet been received; and the Returns do not distinguish between skilled and unskilled white workmen. No separate Returns are received for Barberton, but in the Pretoria district, which includes Barberton, Lydenburg and Pietersburg, the figures for the same dates were: —

	White.	Chinese.	Natives.
30th Sept., 1905	1,312	0	11,106
30th June, 1906	1,309	0	13,062
31st Aug., 1906	1,287	0	11,824

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what is estimated to be the number of white working men at present employed in Johannesburg, and what were the numbers on the average employed during last June.

I regret that I have no figures at my disposal to enable j me to make the estimate which my hon. friend desires.

I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the garrison has now left the island of St. Helena, His Majesty's Government propose to take any steps to assist the inhabitants in mitigating the economic difficulties that are likely to ensue in consequence of the removal of the troops.

As indicated in the reply to the hon. Member for Gravesend yesterday, the Secretary of State thinks it premature to discuss the question of a monetary grant at present, and hopes that the proposals for developing the natural resources of the island, as to which he is in communication with the representatives of the inhabitants, will have the effect of mitigating the economic difficulties.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that already large numbers of people are out of work, and that owing to the lack of funds the Colonial Government has been compelled to abandon the ordinary repairs of the roads in the island?

I am not in possession of those facts.

When do you expect to be in possession of them, and what steps do the Government propose to take?

I cannot make any general statement. I can only repeat that efforts are being made to mitigate the economic congestion caused by the withdrawal of troops, a step not inaugurated by the present Government.

Will the Government consider the granting of money for the repair of the roads?

I cannot answer any Question as to policy.

Is not the case of St. Helena on all fours with that of Woolwich Arsenal?

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Colonial Office has yet sent any reply to a letter addressed to the Secretary of State by the St. Helena Committee in September last.

A reply was sent to the Committee on the 2nd of this month.

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the provisional consent of the Newfoundland Govern- merit was obtained in 1890 to the modus vivendi with France respecting the Newfoundland lobster fishery, previous to the Act passed by the Colonial Legislature in May, 1891.

The Act of 1891 did not refer to the modus vivendi of 1890, but to that of 1891, and I have already indicated in reply to the hon. Member's Question of the 5th instant that effect was given by Her late Majesty's Government to the modus vivendi of the former year in the absence of any consent on the part of the Newfoundland Government.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the Political and Constabulary Departments in Northern Nigeria are singled out for exceptionally disadvantageous treatment in the matter of leave, inasmuch as these two Departments only get five months for eighteen months' service, whereas in comparison with other Departments the proportion should be six months; and is he aware that the Political Department for some time received £50 extra for doing an eighteen months tour of service, which has recently been withheld from them although the tour remains the same, and the officers, with few exceptions, have to live in mud huts, and seeing that the cost of living is on the increase, will he take the case of these officers into consideration.

NO disadvantageous treatment is admitted. The length of leave granted to officers of the Departments referred to is determined on medical grounds, and is not to be settled by strict comparison with the leave granted to officers employed in more sedentary work. The salaries of political officers were raised at the time the system was introduced, but it was recognised that an increase was desirable on general grounds, and was not to be regarded simply as compensation for the longer

† See Col. 115.

tour of service. No portion of this increase has been "withheld," but new appointments to the lowest grade are now made at £300 a year instead of at £350.

I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies what steps he proposes to take upon the Report of Mr. Bucknill as to the condition of morality amongst the Chinese indentured labourers in the Transvaal.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Government propose to lay upon the Table the whole or any portion of the Report made by Mr. Bucknill upon the alleged prevalence of unnatural vice in Chinese compounds and of the evidence upon which that Report is based; and what steps the Government are taking to deal with the matter.

Owing to the nature of the subject the inquiry conducted by Mr. Bucknill was from the first and throughout strictly confidential. Publication of his Report or of any of the statements upon which it was founded has never been contemplated. But the matters disclosed are engaging the most serious attention of the Government, who will adopt without delay such steps as seem to them to be necessary to deal with the case.

asked whether, as elections were about to take place in the Transvaal, some of the evidence ought not to be placed at the disposal of those who were opposed to Chinese labour, especially having regard to the fact that Lord Selborne had recently written a letter calling on the electors to attend pro-Chinese meetings.

I am concerned only with this one matter. This Report and the evidence were from the first absolutely confidential, and in the nature of the case must have been confidential, or the inquiry would not have been successful. There is no ground for breaking that confidence now; but the Government are determined to deal with the matter vigorously and promptly.

asked whether, having regard to the public importance of the matter, the Government would consider the desirability of putting a copy of the Report and the evidence in the library in order that Members might judge for themselves, especially as certain persons had seen both Report and evidence.

I do not think it would maintain their confidential character if we laid these Papers in the library.

I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether the Government of the Straits Settlements has resolved to reduce the Straits dollar from 416 grains 900 fine to 416 grains 800 fine; and whether this step has been approved by his Majesty's Government.

Yes, Sir.

Is that the Answer to both Questions?

Yes, Sir.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is able to ascertain and report to the House the number of accidents, distinguishing between fatal and non-fatal, that occurred during the year 1905 at docks, wharves, and quays through defective lifting tackle.

The number of accidents in 1905 at docks, wharves, and quays which were due to lifting tackle moved by mechanical power was 1,221, of which 39 were fatal. I regret that I am unable to say how many of these were caused by actual defects in the tackle, and the information would be difficult to obtain. The Chief Inspector informs me, however, that fuller note is being taken of dock accidents during the current year with a view to more detailed classification, and that he hopes to give in next year's report figures of accidents due to defects in tackle moved by power. Particulars are not available as to accidents due to tackle not moved by power.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the prosecution of Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, who, on or about 23rd October, was arrested and charged with perjury, on evidence of identification given by four policemen and a matron, and after two remands was discharged on Friday last, without a stain on her character, by the magistrate sitting at the Tower Bridge Police Court: whether on or about 23rd October the finger print impressions of Mrs. Perkins were taken; whether these impressions were compared with the finger print impressions of the woman convicted in June, 1905, who Mrs. Perkins was supposed to be; and, if so, what was the result of such comparison, and why, when the case was heard on remand on 31st October, the police persisted in going on with the prosecution, notwithstanding the information then in their possession.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, a widow, who was confined in Holloway Gaol on a charge of perjury, which was heard and dismissed at the Tower Bridge Police Court last week; whether he is aware that Mrs. Perkins was offered £4 5s. as compensation for the mistake of the police by Detective Inspector Nicol; and will he explain the methods of calculation pursued by the police in arriving at this sum.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been directed to the case of Elizabeth Perkins, of 19, Tissington Street, Rotherhithe, who was wrongfully indicted for perjury at the Tower Bridge Police Court on the evidence of identification of four police constables and a prison wardress, the charge being withdrawn and a public apology tendered; whether he is in a position to state whether £2 5s. was offered to Mrs. Perkins by the police as compensation; whether he will refer the case to the Police Commission, now sitting to report upon the present system of police identification; and whether he will consider the advisability of giving Mrs. Perkins adequate compensation.

I propose to answer with this the Questions of my hon. friends the Members for the Thornbury Division of Gloucestershire and the Bermondsey Division of Southwark. Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, owing to a mistake in identification with another woman of the same name, was charged with perjury, and after two remands and a full hearing the charge was withdrawn, and she was discharged by the magistrate, who stated that she left the Court without a stain on her character. As to the remand of the 31st October, the police were then in doubt about the case and were making farther investigation, with the result that two days later the charge was withdrawn. Meanwhile, Mrs. Perkins, who had been altogether in prison for two days, was out on bail. I deeply regret the mistake that was made. The finger prints of the woman convicted in 1905 were not taken, as the case was merely one under a county council bye-law. The statement which has been made that in this case there was a failure of the figure print system was without foundation. If the police had had the finger prints of the woman convicted in 1905, Mrs. Perkins's innocence would have been established at once and beyond doubt; but it is impossible at present to take the finger prints of all prisoners. In dismissing the charge the magistrate expressed the opinion that the accused should be reimbursed the expenses to which she had been put. This she estimated at 45s. The Commissioner offered her £4, which she has now, I understand, refused. The case does not appear to me to come within the reference to the Royal Commission which has to deal with solicitation, disorderly conduct, and drunkenness.

Why were the finger prints of Mrs. Perkins taken on the 23rd October?

said the charge was the serious one of perjury, which brought it within the rule as to the taking of finger prints.

asked why the police failed to make the inquiries before the warrant was issued, which, when made after, proved Mrs. Perkins to be innocent.

I have no doubt that certain members of the police made a mistake, which I much regret, but inquiries were instituted, with the result that the charge against Mrs. Perkins was withdrawn.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of giving adequate compensation in this case?

I am not yet aware whether Mrs. Perkins intends to take any action against the police for wrongful arrest, and until I am in possession of information on that point I could not make any statement as to compensation.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Mrs. Perkins is an extremely poor woman, being, I believe, in receipt of parish relief, and therefore not in a position to take legal proceedings against the police?

Has Mrs. Perkins any remedy against the police?

The Papers only reached me this morning, and it has not been possible for me to make absolutely searching investigation into all the facts, but I am extremely desirous that full justice should be done, and the House may safely leave the matter to me, at any rate for a time.

May I ask if the right hon. Gentleman is considering the question of reviving the charge against the man who was the original cause of all the mischief?

I have no information about that part of the subject, and the Question has not been addressed to me before.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, considering that imprisoned passive resistors are not felons but persons voluntarily suffering for their conscientious convictions, he will give instructions that, for the future, such prisoners shall be treated as first-class misdemeanants.

The Secretary of State has no power to order persons committed to prison in default of payment of rates to be treated as first division offenders. All such persons must, according to the positive direction of the Prisons Act, 1898, Section 6 (3), be treated under the rules for debtor prisoners, and cannot be classed with criminal prisoners, whether of the first, second, or third division.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to statements made by some of the women suffragists now imprisoned in Holloway to the effect that the prison life of the first division for those who do not pay for extra accommodation is little, if at all, better than that of ordinary prisoners; that the cells are situated in an old part of the prison, very dark and damp, and worse, if anything, than the ordinary prison cells; and whether the time has now come when these ladies can be altogether released.

The prison life of the ladies now in Holloway differs from that of ordinary prisoners. They enjoy frequent visits from their friends, they are allowed books, newspapers, and writing materials freely; they can carry on their professional work as far as possible, and they are exempted from prison work if they so wish. The cells in which they are located are of the same age as those in which they were located when in the second division. These cells are neither dark nor damp, and the prisoners themselves do not complain of them.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the arrest of a person named Zingar, at Manchester, on a charge preferred by the Russian authorities, and whether, in view of the fact that he claimed to be a political refugee, the right hon. Gentleman will see that the protection afforded by our law to such was not violated.

said that he only received the notice as he came into the House, and he had no knowledge of the matter. He would, however, make inquiry.

As the case is before the Court, will the right hon. Gentleman take immediate action?

I hope you will send him back.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is now in a position to institute an inquiry, either by Royal Commission or Parliament, to investigate, amongst other things, the need for the protection and development of gathering grounds and other sources of water supply, the allocation of such gathering grounds and other sources on a comprehensive and equitable basis, and the general control and supervision of this subject of national importance by some central and properly qualified body; and, if so, whether, in the reference to the body holding such inquiry, he would include the subject of afforestation.

No, Sir. I do not think I can at present add anything to the reply which I gave to a previous Question by my hon. friend on this subject.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman whether he will shortly be in a position to institute inquiries.

I may say that the Report of the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal raises the question of an inquiry, and that the matter is under consideration in my office.

May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman has considered the fact that in the promotion of the scheme of the Derwent Valley Water Board there was a scramble between the different authorities, and that the cost of promoting this scheme was almost equal to that which the works would involve; and whether in view of the fact that there is unquestionably a general scramble for watersheds on behalf of thickly-populated districts he does not deem it time to have an inquiry into the whole subject.

The subject is precisely one of those which has been raised by the Royal Commission to which I have referred. It is one of many cognate matters now under consideration.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been drawn to the statement that the unemployed at the farm colony at Hollesley Bay, to the number of over 300, were sent up to London to vote at the recent municipal elections; if so, by whose authority was this done, and wore the expenses of the trip paid out of the rates: of any of the municipalities, out of funds subscribed by the charitable, or out of the £200,000 to be provided by the Government; and if by none of these, by whom were they paid.

I am informed that there were only 138 men at the farm colony on 1st November, and that of these fifty-two came up by special permission of the Working Colonies Committee for the purpose of voting at the borough council elections. I under-! stand that it is usual to give the men three clear days' leave once a month to enable them to look for work in London, and that the leave given on this occasion was in substitution for that to which the men would have been entitled not later than a fortnight from the date of the journey. The expenses will not be defrayed out of the rates, but out of the Voluntary Contributions Account, from which all railway fares in cases of leave are paid. No part of the Government j Grant will lie applicable for this purpose.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been directed to the case (No. 7) of Lily Hobson, aged four months, the daughter of a carman, who died in the East London Hospital, and whose death was the subject of a coroner's inquest, the verdict returned being starvation due to want of proper food; whether he is aware that the mother applied for the admission of the child to the workhouse, but was refused unless the child was accompanied by the family; whether any inquiry has been made by Local Government Board of the Stepney Board of Guardians why the admission of the family was insisted upon; and whether these guardians have taken any steps to prevent a similar demand being made by their officers when the parents of other children requiring medical treatment and relief apply.

I made inquiry respecting this case, and I was informed that when the mother applied for the admission of the child to the workhouse, an order was given for the husband, wife and child, as she stated that they were going to be turned out that day. I am not able to say whether any special measures have been taken by the Guardians since the case occurred, but I am in communication with them on the subject.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board in the case of Mr. Joseph Wheeler, formerly school attendance officer for the Knutsford district of the Bucklow board of guardians, who resigned early in 1904 and died on 25th November in that year, why the Local Government Board has not yet made the order for payment to his widow of the amount due to him under Section 19 of the Second Schedule of The Education Act, 1902; and when such order will be made.

The matter has been under consideration in connection with a general Order which the Local Government Board propose to issue under the enactment referred to. I hope that the Order will be issued very shortly.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to allegations made with regard to certain transactions between the gas committee of the Nottingham Corporation and certain trading companies; and whether, having regard to the unrest caused by these charges, and the reflections cast upon individuals, he will direct a public inquiry to be held without delay.

My attention has been called to this matter. I have, however, no authority to direct an inquiry with regard to it as desired by my hon. friend.

Seeing that the right hon. Gentleman cannot interfere, will he engage that steps be taken to allay the unrest and suspicion caused by these allegations?

It is within the competence of the town council to institute an inquiry by means of a special Committee, and if the case is very serious to invoke the aid of the police.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Messrs. J. and P. Coats, Limited, have made an arrangement with the English Sewing Cotton Company, Limited, whereby their joint products are handled by a single distributing agency, the Central Agency, Limited; that the businesses so amalgamated transact 95 per cent, of the entire home and export sewing cotton trade of the United Kingdom; that, as a consequence, the price of sewing cotton is higher than it would be if free competition existed; and whether he can see his way to take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to secure public control of this important trade.

I believe that the statement in the first part of the Question is correct. I have no official information as to the home and export transactions of the businesses named, and there are no means of saying whether the price of sewing cotton to the consumer is or is not higher than it would have been if the arrangement referred to had not existed. As my hon. friend was previously informed, my right hon. friend the President of the Board of Trade is not prepared to introduce legislation in the sense of his suggestion.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has arranged to receive a deputation of the East Ham Workmen's Trains Committee with regard to the fares charged by the District Railway Company, in accordance with the request tendered to him by that committee some time ago.

My right hon. friend the President of the Board of Trade has replied to this request in a letter, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy, suggesting that the proposed interview with the committee might be postponed.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General on what system the charges for telephone calls are entered upon the books of the Post Office, London, telephone service; and what precautions, if any, are taken to safeguard subscribers from being debited with calls when no through connection is obtained. I beg also to ask the Postmaster-General why the Post Office London telephone service have refused to render to subscribers monthly statements of their deposit accounts; and whether, in view of the dissatisfaction at present felt by the public, he will order monthly statements to be rendered in future.

I may perhaps be allowed to answer the two Questions of the hon. Member at the same time. The telephone calls made by subscribers to the larger exchange in London are recorded by means of meters attached to the lines. At suburban exchanges a written record of calls is made by the operators. Calls are not recorded against subscribers until effective communication has been established, and no charges are made if the distant subscribers are engaged, or fail to answer, or if their lines are out of order. Strict supervision is exercised over the recording work of operators. Whenever there is an account to render, it is rendered monthly; but as the annual subscription paid by message rate subscribers in London includes a minimum payment for 360 calls, it is only when that number is exceeded that an account becomes necessary in the case of exchange calls. In the case of deposits for trunk calls and telegrams, accounts of any charges are always rendered monthly. I have no reason to think that the present system of rendering accounts gives rise to dissatisfaction.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General why, considering that there are steamboat services from either Liverpool or Southampton to Peru, it is necessary for samples going by parcels post to Peru to be despatched via France or via Germany; and if he will take steps to remedy this condition of things.

Postal parcels cannot be sent directly from one country to another in the absence of an agreement between the two national Post Offices and it has not hitherto been possible to arrange for a direct parcel post between the United Kingdom and Peru. I am, however, in communication with the Peruvian Authorities on the subject.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General if he will press for the resumption of the direct parcels post to the Western side of the Republic of Columbia.

A direct parcels post to the Western Departments of the Republic of Colombia by way of Colon and Panama has now been arranged. The first despatch by this route was made from London yesterday.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education if he can state how many public elementary schools situated in the basements of places of religious worship and other buildings, and actually below the level. of the contiguous streets, are now on the grant lists of the Board; and, if not, will he, through the inspectors of the Board, ascertain the number and names of such schools, with the names of the local education authorities in whose! areas such schools are situated.

Though I have no knowledge of the number of schools situated as described in the Question, that number undoubtedly has steadily diminished; local education authorities during the last few years have greatly assisted the Board of Education in exercising continuous pressure in this direction. I am having the point specially investigated with a view to bringing to an end as soon as possible the use of all unsuitable schools of this kind.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education if he can state the practice of the Board in the matter of the number of square feet of floor space to be allocated to each child in the planning of new schools, council and non-provided; whether it is the practice to permit existing council and non-provided schools to accommodate children on any other scale; if so, whether he will state that scale, and the extent to which it is now in operation; and if he will consider the desirableness, in the interests of the health and comfort of the children and of educational efficiency, to insist upon at least a ten square feet scale all round.

The aim of the Board of Education is to secure for each child in a public elementary school ten square feet of floor space. In the case of new schools or enlargements their practice now is always to insist on this; and as regards existing schools they endeavour to bring about the same state of things. But in exercising pressure to this end some regard has to be paid to the heavy burden that would be placed upon the rates by any sudden demand for so large an increase of school provision as would be entailed by a universal application of a ten feet scale, that burden being already in many places very severe. The scale recognised in former days, for Board schools and voluntary schools alike, was eight square feet for each child; and this no doubt obtains, so far as nominal accommodation is concerned, in a large number of schools, both council and voluntary. But, on the other hand, it must be remembered that very many schools, though calculated on the eight square feet basis, do in fact afford much more than eight square feet for each child, owing to the number of children attending them being much less than the nominal accommodation.

What is the effect of these overcrowded schools on the eyes and other organs of the children?

I cannot say.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether, seeing that the regulations of the Board prescribe 16 square feet of floor space for secondary schools, he will order that the schools of the working classes shall be treated on similar hygienic lines.

In addition to what I have said in reply to the Question by the hon. Member for Camberwell, N., on the same subject, I should like to say, in regard to the wording of the Question of the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, that I must not be considered as holding, as would seem to be implied in the Question, that the secondary schools are not schools for the working classes; every possible step is being taken, while making these schools efficient, to bring them as much as possible within the reach of the working classes by scholarship systems, reduction of fees, and in other ways. The fact that a larger amount of floor space is required under the Board's Regulations for secondary schools than can be insisted on in respect of Public Elementary Schools is in part due to the fact that the provision of secondary schools is not a statutory obligation upon every authority in the same direct sense as in the case in regard to Public Elementary Schools. As regards the latter, any such requirement as 16 square feet per child would be impossible, however desirable in itself, seeing that it is a question of absolute obligation to provide accommodation for some 5,000,000 children.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the establishment of a navvy settlement at Ladybower, Derbyshire, without any provision of school accommodation; whether he is aware that over thirty children, some of very tender years, are compelled to walk to Bamford, a distance of nearly three miles, to the nearest school; and what action, if any, he proposes to take in the matter.

The Board of Education have received no information in regard to the matter referred to in the Question. The hon. Member will, I am sure, realise that difficulties of this kind cannot always be met with absolute promptitude when a sudden access of population in remote rural parts has to be provided for. I will have inquiry made and will see that the requisite steps are taken for dealing with any substantial need that exists.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education why it is that in this year's Code the punishment book has been omitted from the list of books (Schedule IV., Code 1906) required to be kept in every public elementary school.

The omission referred to took place in the year 1905, consequent on the issue in that year, for the first time, of a new Blue-book, dealing with this and kindred matters, entitled Suggestions for Teachers and Others concerned in the work of Public Elementary Schools, "in which the question of corporal punishment was dealt with, as stated by me on the.31st October last,† more fully than is possible in the Code. I will, however, see that in next year's Code a punishment book is required for each public elementary school.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the

† See (4) Debates, clxiii., 1116–7.

Education (Provision of Meals) Bill, as drafted by the Select Committee, would apparently enable a local education authority to demand payment more than once for the same meal; and whether he will introduce Amendments to obviate this possibility.

I think it is not a convenient practice to attempt to deal, by means of Question and Answer at Question time, with the details of a Bill before it is discussed in Committee of the Whole House, but I may say that I am not aware that the effect of the Education (Provision of Meals) Bill, as drafted by the Select Committee, is as stated in the Question.

said the local authority could make as many demands as it chose for the money until it was paid.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset-shire, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he is aware that thirty farmers of Montgomeryshire were recently prosecuted at Llanidloes for exposing sheep for sale without declaration of their having been dipped; that the defendants were unaware of the existence of the regulation they contravened, and were in many eases unacquainted with English; that the circulars were not printed and published in local newspapers or circulated in Welsh to those affected; that the Order is too long, intricate, and technical to be readily understood by others than lawyers; that the Llanidloes bench dismissed the charges on the ground that the law was broken without knowledge of its existence, and was not available in Welsh; that farmers in the Newtown district have been fined for breach of the aforesaid order; whether he will arrange that such regulations should be published in Welsh and English in all the news- papers of such an important sheep breeding area as Montgomery county and district; and whether he will take the necessary steps to remove the grievance now brought to notice.

The Board are aware of the prosecutions to which my hon. friend refers, and of the circumstances to which he directs attention. The proceedings were taken at the instance of the local authority, with whom rests the duty of publishing the Orders of the Board. We are, of course, anxious that the fullest possible publicity should be given to those Orders, and we propose to communicate with the local authority on the subject. I shall be happy to acquaint my hon. friend with the result.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General whether he is yet in a position to state if it is proposed to institute proceedings for perjury against certain witnesses for the prosecution in Rex v. Fowler.

was understood to reply that the counsel for the Crown had advised there were no grounds for instituting a prosecution.

I beg to ask! Mr. Attorney-General whether he is aware of the fact that within the last ten years 82,590 persons have suffered imprisonment for non-compliance with orders of the Court for monetary payments; and whether, in view of the consensus of opinion amongst experienced county court judges that the present system of debt collecting through the medium of the county courts has, specially of late years, conduced to the development of a pernicious system of credit and to the growth of firms whose main business is to tempt people of small means to borrow money at ruinous rates of interest or to purchase articles they cannot afford, he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation to abolish imprisonment for non-compliance with orders of the court for monetary payments, or, in the alternative, that no judgment summons should be issued or committal made for a less sum than 40s.

The Lord Chancellor has given the subject the most sympathetic consideration. He heartily approves of some Amendment of the law, and he is quite prepared, it occasion offers, to introduce legislation.

asked whether the number of imprisonments for debt was not increasing, whether prisoners for debt were not treated as common malefactors, and whether the threat of imprisonment was not frequently used to extort money, not from the debtor, but from some relative or friend.

I quite agree that the evil is growing, and that the need of some change is increasing.

inquired if the hon. and learned Gentleman's attention had been drawn to the remarks of Judge Rentoul on the subject of committals in his Court.

It is only one of many instances showing the great need for reform.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General what sums have been expended in connection with the appeal against the West Riding local education authority; and what further cost is anticipated in connection with the case.

said he had communicated with the Solicitor to the Treasury. The appeal was at present in the most elementary stage. Some fees had been incurred in connection with the presentation of the petition in the case, but at present it was impossible to forecast what might be the total cost of the appeal, or how much of that might, under the judgment of the House of Lords, fall on the country.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of the general consensus of opinion among fishermen as to the harm caused to their industry by the whaling stations in Scotland, he will take the necessary steps to abate the grievance.

I propose to consider the introduction next session | of a Bill dealing with this subject, based upon the report of the Departmental Committee on whaling and whale-curing, Command Paper 2138 of 1904.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of the damage done by trawlers destroying fishing grounds within the three-mile limit and the expense and difficulty of obtaining convictions, he will prohibit the sale of nets, that may have been forfeited as part of the punishment, at distant places where the offenders can buy their nets back practically without competition.

There are practical difficulties in the way of removal of nets, but I am in communication with the: Fishery Board on the subject of the hon. Member's Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the names of the officers employed by the Congested Districts Board to prepare the plans and specifications for new crofter settlements which have been formed by the Board? I beg also to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the names of the officers employed by the Congested Districts Board to value the land for new crofter settlements which have been formed by the Board?

The responsibility lies with the Board, and I am not prepared to give the names of officers who have been employed in carrying out their instructions.

Do they include any of the permanent officials of the Board?

I think not,

I can give the names. I am not going to be defeated by the right hon. Gentleman.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland, in view of the depredations made by illegal trawlers off the coast of the Island of Lewis, and the western mainland, will he, in the interest of the line fishing industry, take such steps as may be necessary to secure the closing of the Minch against trawlers?

There is no statutory authority to close the Minch against trawlers without the consent of other Powers, and I am not prepared to take steps in the direction desired by the hon. I Member.

Is the right hon. Gentleman acquainted with the Convention of 1881? If he examines it he will see it refers to the east coast and not the west coast.

I shall be glad to inquire into the point.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland, having regard to the fact that the quantity of line-caught fish landed in Scotland during the year 1905 was 50 per cent, less than ten years ago, and that this decline is attributable to the fishing beds being injured through illegal trawling, will he state when he expects to be able to provide the Fishery Board with another cruiser for sea police service.

The quantity of line-caught fish in Scotland has declined by the transfer of the white fishing to trawling, which is a more productive and effective method of fishing, and upon the whole there has been an increase and not a decrease of the white fishing in Scotland. The Fishery Board hope to be in a position to procure a new cruiser shortly from the accumulated savings of the grant for marine superintendence.

I bog-to ask the Secretary for Scotland why no proceedings were taken against the three trawlers which were engaged in trawling within the three-mile limit on Sunday, the 9th day of September, in Durness Bay, Sutherland.

No complaints of trawling in Durness Bay on 9th September have been received, but I shall be glad to receive any information on the subject from the hon. Member.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the chief medical officer of health for the island of Lewis, in commenting on the condition of the island, refers to the steady increase of consumption among the population as compared with its decrease in the country generally, and states that typhoid and typhus are endemic in the Lews, and that the island may well be the focus of many a distant outbreak of this latter fever; and will he state what action he proposes to take to meet these unsatisfactory conditions.

The exact words of my hon. friend's Question cannot be traced, but, as he knows, I am aware of the high death rate and the existence of the disease to which he refers in the Lews. These matters are under serious consideration.

I will take the opportunity to furnish the right hon. Gentleman with further information.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if his attention has been called to a case in Orkney where a cottar, on a verbal agreement that he would receive consideration for his improvements if his lease was not renewed, on the good faith of such agreement built a dwelling-house, drained and improved the land, is now warned out, forfeits his house, all his improvements, his life's work; and whether, in view of such treatment, he will consider the advisability of making the Small Landowners Bill have retrospective effect from the day of its First Reading.

The facts presented by my hon. friend certainly seem to constitute a hard case; but not, I think, such a case as would justify the consideration of the proposal he puts forward.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland, in view of the fact that the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill will meet the pressing grievances of 20,389 occupiers of agricultural holdings in the Highland crofting counties whose rentals do not exceed £30, and of 1,100 occupiers of agricultural holdings in those counties whose rentals are above £30 and do not exceed £50, will he state when he proposes to proceed with the Bill.

The Prime Minister authorises me to say that he hopes to give the House an opportunity of reading this Bill a second time on an early day.

May I ask if the right hon. Gentleman intends to proceed with the Bill this session?

We will deal with each stage as it comes.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if we shall have the promised information from the committees referred to yesterday before we have to discuss the Second Reading of this Bill?

I doubt it.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he will make arrangements to allow Members of this House who represent seaboard constituencies in the North of Scotland an opportunity of accompanying the fishery cruisers whilst engaged in protecting the line fishing industry from the depredations of trawlers.

No, Sir, I am unable to give any such undertaking.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state approximately the number of bona fide evicted tenants who are eligible for reinstatement, and the probable cost of their reinstatement.

† Select Committees on Rural Housing and Small Holdings.

The Estates Commissioners inform mo that, until they have inquired into the claims and circumstances of all the persons who have applied for reinstatement as evicted tenants, it would be impossible for them to say how many of the applicants are eligible for reinstatement, or to estimate the cost of reinstating those whose restoration can be effected.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make inquiry as to whether there are any funds available in the hands of the Nationalist Party for wounded soldiers in the land war?

Why don't you subscribe?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that most of those technically outside the statute are really bona fide evicted tenants?

The cases are governed by statute.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, when pleading for a further six months' trial of the policy which has failed during three years to get untenanted lands for distribution, he had considered the fact that the number in need of the land will in that time be decimated by death and emigration; and will he reconsider this matter with a view to asking Parliament now for compulsory powers to purchase.

I have nothing to add to the statements upon the subject of untenanted land and the need for acquiring it which I made in debate on Monday, 29th October†.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that on the 20th July last the Estates Commissioners undertook to inquire if the Hon. Mr. Pakenham would sell his Cooksborough and Macetown ranches, in Westmeath, for distribution; that Mr. Pakenham's

† See (4) Debates, clxiii., 805 et seq.

agent has since publicly announced the owner's willingness to sell those ranches; and will he state what it is in these circumstances prevents the purchase and distribution of those ranches before a letting is made of them for next year.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have inquired from Mr. Pakenham whether he is prepared to sell his untenanted land in ' County Westmeath, but up to the present he has not stated whether he is willing to do so. The Commissioners are about to address a further communication to him on the subject.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland have the present owners of the Magan Estate, in Westmeath, consented to sell their untenanted lands to the Estates Commissioners for distribution; if so, what causes the delay in acquiring those lands; and whether there is a prospect of early distribution seeing that those lands are now advertised to be let for eleven months more.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have agreed to a preliminary inspection of the lands of Ardillon and Catherinestown, which are understood to be the property referred to in the Question. The case was referred to an inspector on 16th October, ' and as soon as the report of his inspection has been received and considered by the Commissioners, the owners will be in- formed of the estimated price in order that, if they accept, the necessary documents may be prepared and lodged.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state why the official inspector of Colonel Malone's Baronstown estate did not afford the victims of congestion on and around that estate any opportunity of making representations to him on the ground; did he report the existence of acute congestion there; if so, why did the Estates Commissioners, instead of trying to relieve that congestion, propose to facilitate the sale of three large grass farms on that estate to graziers who have no statutory right to purchase under the Land Act of 1903, and who have other grass farms besides these; and will the Commissioners, in exercise of their statutory discretion, refuse the advance of public money in respect of this estate until these grass farms are included for distribution in the sale.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that their inspector reported fully on the estate mentioned in the Question. He did not report the existence of acute congestion in the neighbourhood, nor did he hold any special meeting for the purpose of receiving representations from persons on and around the estate. All the representations which have been made to the Commissioners have been fully considered by the Commissioners themselves. Two large grass farms held by one tenant have been excluded from the sale, and in the case of another large farm the Commissioners have refused to sanction more than the limited advance of £3,000. The Commissioners conceive that the hon. Member is under a misapprehension in supposing that graziers have no statutory right to purchase under the Act of 1903. The grass farms on Colonel Malone's estate are held under leases or by yearly tenants, and the Commissioners have no power to compel farms so hold to be sold to them as untenanted land. As a matter of fact, there is no untenanted land on, the estate.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the district inspector of Kenmare has received a letter from Mr. Thomas M'Carthy reporting the illegal conduct of a gamekeeper, named Hogan, in firing a shot from the public road; and whether | it is the intention of the district inspector to institute a prosecution immediately, in view of the fact that Mr. M'Carthy has expressed his willingness to verify on oath the statement contained in his letter.

The reply to both parts of the Question is in the affirmative.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state what is the delay in the sale of the Neptune Blood estate, county Clare.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that there has been no undue delay in this case. The documents were lodged in June last, and an inspection of the estate has since been directed. As soon as the inspector's report has been received and considered the Commissioners will be in a position to make an offer to the Land Judge for the purchase of the estate.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say what progress has been made in the restoration of Michael Power to his evicted farm on the Croker property in Moohane, Herbertstown, county Limerick; have the Estates Commissioners taken any steps to remove the planter Kirby: and, if so, with what results.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have had an inspection made of the untenanted land on the Courtenay Croker estate, but have not yet considered the inspector's report. If the Commissioners should purchase the property, they will endeavour either to restore Power to his former holding or to provide him with a new holding on the untenanted land.

He will not take a new holding; he wants the old one.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that an agreement to purchase has been signed by a planter named Fawcett on the Landes estate, Garrymore, near Mountmellick, Queen's County; whether Fawcett occupies the holding from which "William Malone and John Geoghegan were evicted in 1889; and can he say if the Estates Commissioners are prepared to make an advance to Fawcett pending the settlement of the claims of Malone's representative and Geoghegan.

The Estates Commissioners inform mo that Fawcett, the occupying tenant, has signed an agreement for the purchase of the holding referred to. The Commissioners understand that this holding was formerly occupied by William Malone, and they have received a claim for reinstatement from Peter Malone as his representative; but as the latter is reported to hold 70 acres of land, the Commissioners have decided that the case is not one which calls for their intervention. John Geoghegan, who was a herd employed by William Malone, was never a tenant of the farm. The Commissioners will consider Geoghegan's application for a holding, in the event of their acquiring untenanted land in the neighbourhood.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what is the cause of the delay in advancing the purchase money for the sale of the Pocklington estate in county Clare.

I am informed by the Land Commission that the advances in this case were made on the 11th of last month.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland how many Land Commission appeal cases are waiting decision in East Clare; and if something can be done to expedite matters in view of the loss and inconvenience caused by the delay in giving judgments.

The Land Commission inform me that in 104 cases of fair rent appeals heard at the last sitting in Clare judgment has not yet been given, owing to the fact that the assessors have not yet completed their reports. It is expected, however, that these reports will be received in a few days, and that the decision will be announced during the present sittings.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that it is proposed to build the Royal College of Science in Dublin of stone imported from England; and, if so, whether he will arrange to have the stone from Clare, Donegal, and other portions of Ireland, used in this now public building in order to help industry in Ireland.

I am informed that the brick and stone now being used in the construction of the lower storey of the new Royal College of Science, Dublin, are exclusively of Irish production. The designs and specification for the remainder of the building are not yet complete, but as I stated in reply to a Question of the hon. Member for Cork of the 2nd April last,† the architects of the building have made a special study of Irish building materials, and have come to the conclusion that, subject to prices being satisfactory, large quantities of them can be used in the building. The experience since gained in the construction of the lower storey justifies, I believe, the anticipation that, subject to satisfactory prices and delivery, large quantities of Irish brick and stone will be used in the superstructure.

Was it not in the case of this building that the Government selected an English architect on the ground that there was no Irish architect able to fill the post, and has he not put up schools which contain no provision whatever for technical education?