I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what is the estimated damage to the Admiralty harbour works at Dover resulting from the accident during a recent storm; and if the cost can be recovered by insurance or otherwise.

No damage has been done to the Admiralty harbour works at Dover by any recent storm, but it is possible that the hon. Member is referring to the injury to the contractor's staging caused by a steamer which ran into it. This is purely a matter for the contractor, and no part of the loss falls upon Naval Votes.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that the eight hours day is in operation in all His Majesty's dockyards and arsenals at Home, it can also be put into operation at His Majesty's dockyard at Gibraltar.

The question of the hours of labour in Gibraltar dockyard cannot be considered by itself, as it involves the consideration of the hours worked in other Government establishments and dockyards situated abroad. The Question is therefore by no means a simple one, and before any decision is reached it will be necessary to I consult the War Office and Colonial Office.

Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake to consult the War Office?

That has been done.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the sentence on a stoker at Portsmouth of five years penal servitude for refusing to go down on his knees; and whether, in view of the severity of this sentence and the character of the alleged offence, any steps will be taken to reverse it.

I have nothing to add to my replies to previous Questions asked by the hon. Member for St. Pancras and the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy Burghs, except that the charge against the stoker referred to is not correctly stated in the hon. Member's Question.

Was it not the order which gave rise to the whole trouble?

That may be so. It is just one of those points on which I think it is not desirable that I should say anything until the judicial proceedings are concluded. The whole of the cases will be considered by the Admiralty, which has power to suspend, modify, or annul that sentence, or any other.

asked whether, in view of the fact that everybody thought the sentence was excessive, the right hon. Gentleman would take special steps to expedite the proceedings.

Yes, Sir, as soon as the judicial proceedings are finished. The right hon. Gentleman added that there were two charges against the stoker of inciting stokers to join in mutinous disturbances.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether any orders have already been issued with a view to reducing or abolishing the existing coastguard forces.

I must refer the hon. Member to my reply to a Question asked by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland on the 21st November.†

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what sum is estimated to be spent upon the refit of H.M.S. "Philomel" during the current year, and what further outlay will be necessary.

The estimated expenditure upon the present refit of H.M.S. "Philomel" during the current financial year is £4,700, and £2,650 will be required to complete in 1907–8.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War when it is expected that some of the sites and buildings connected with the defences of London will be sold; and to what purposes will the proceeds of such sales be devoted.

I am not yet in a position to say when the properties will be sold.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War when the Scots Greys are to leave Edinburgh.

† See (4) Debates clxv., 813–4.

No date has yet been fixed at which the Scots Greys are to leave Piershill.

asked if the hon. Gentleman would be able to give information at an early date in view of the great interest in Scotland; was it intended to make any arrangements after the withdrawal of the Scots Greys for the quartering of a cavalry regiment in Scotland?

replied that only last week the Secretary for War indicated that he had by no means implied that it was his intention to permanently remove the headquarters of the Scots Greys.

asked if it were correct that the recruiting of the Scots Greys had been entirely stopped except in Edinburgh.

Not that I am aware of.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he has considered the propriety of establishing in the South of Scotland barracks suitable for the accommodation of a force of all arms; and, if so, what is the estimated cost of such barracks.

There is no intention of erecting barracks in the South of Scotland on the scale and of the extent indicated by the hon. Member.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether any inquiry has been made as to the acquisition of ground adjacent to Piershill barracks, so as to provide suitable accommodation for a regiment of cavalry.

There is no ground that can be acquired immediately adjacent to Piershill that would enable the barracks to be extended or rebuilt so as to provide suitable accommodation for a regiment of cavalry.

asked upon whose Report the barracks had been declared to be insanitary; would the Report be made public?

said there had been no Report which had declared the barracks insanitary, but from time to time there had been cases of diphtheria and typhoid fever.

said that in the course of last spring complaints were received of serious illness in the barracks and a Report was called for on that account.

Will that Report be published?

I cannot say.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War how many horses and men are now quartered in Piershill Barracks.

According to the latest Returns the numbers were as follows:—359 horses and 459 men.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what was the amount of the valuation recently made of Piershill, how many square yards there are within the walls of the barracks, and what is the value per yard of ground in the immediate neighbourhood when sold for building purposes.

As regards the first Question, no valuation has recently been made of Piershill. The Answer to the second Question is 53,240 square yards. I have no information as regards the third Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether any of the money voted by Parliament for the maintenance of the Chinese regiment at Wei-hai-Wei during 1906-7 will not be expended owing to the disbanding of the regiment.

Yes, Sir, but it is not possible at present to estimate the amount so unexpended.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if either the employers or the labourers trades union at Ipswich gave notice to terminate the agreement made under the labourers' wages arbitration award of 1899, fixing the wages rate at 5d. per hour; and whether, if the award has not been denounced by either side, it still remains in force.

The hon. Member will understand that this is a Question which does not come within the province of the War Department. This is a Question as to the wages dispute at Ipswich, which does not directly concern the Department.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he has considered the advisability of suspending the whole of the workmen and officials in the Woolwich Arsenal for a day or a week, according to requirements, with a corresponding reduction of wages and salaries, as an alternative to discharges of workmen.

No, Sir, such a proposal has not hitherto been under consideration. There are certain departments in which work cannot be suspended.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if the type of new 18-pounder gun at present under construction in the field-gun section of Woolwich Arsenal is being produced on a basis of less than £100 per gun for material and work, and that the price of the gun in question to be passed out to the service is £383.

The price of the 18-pounder guns made in the Arsenal this year cannot be stated until after the close of the year. Last year the price was £392, of which £200, not £100, was for material and direct labour.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will state whether the withdrawal of the Royal Engineers from Gravesend and the dismantling of the forts there are part of a new policy regarding the defences of the Thames.

The withdrawal of the Royal Engineers is due, as the hon. Member was informed on the 26th instant, to the abolition of submarine mines. † The scheme for the defence of the Thames approved by the Army Council does not entail the maintenance of the forts.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the number of chests of Bengal opium sold for export during the year 1895–6 was 37,695; whether the average number during the ten years ending 1904–5 was 43,417; whether the number for 1905–6 was 49,200; and whether the Budget Estimate for the current year 1906–7 provides the export of 52,000 chests; and whether, having regard to the Resolution of the House on the subject, and to the present attitude of China in respect to the traffic and use of opium, he will take measures which shall lead to the immediate reduction of this progressive increase in the export of Bengal opium, principally to China.

Owing to recent good seasons the supply of Bengal opium has been exceptionally large, and with a view to reducing the reserve, the sales have temporarily exceeded the standard of 48,000 chests fixed in 1901. I have given instructions that the area licensed for poppy cultivation should be diminished, and that the sales should be reduced at least to the standard of 1901. In 1895-6 and in preceding and suceeding years the sale standard was 54,000 chests, though the number of chests sold in any year depended on the yield of the crop. As regards the import of foreign opium into China, His Majesty's Government have stated that they will consider sympathetically any proposals which the Chinese Government may wish to make.

† See (4) Debates, clxv., 1231.

Will the right hon. Gentleman use his influence with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to reduce the opium trade in China?

I do not think I need take very much trouble about that. I am sure he is anxious to find ah effective means of dealing with this evil.

asked whether, having regard to the Resolution of the House on the subject, means would be taken to bring the cultivation of the poppy in India to an end in a certain number of years.

I stated in debate what the views of the Government are. We cannnot—it is impossible—at once issue wholesale an order to cancel the regulations for a complicated industry.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that a large number of men of the 10th Royal Hussars stationed at Rawal-Pindi are suffering from malarial fever; and whether, in view of the fact that many cases of malaria occurred in the regiment which preceded the 10th Hussars in their present barracks, and that nothing hitherto has been done to put these barracks into a proper sanitary state, he will cause inquiry to be made with a view of immediate action being taken.

I will make inquiry from the Government of India. But I understand that fever is not confined to cantonments, but is prevalent in the country around Rawal-Pindi.

As men's lives are at stake, will the right hon. Gentleman cable his inquiry?

I have no objection, but I do not see how it will save time.

Is there any evidence that the malaria is due to the state of the barracks?

I should like notice of that Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the fact that the Indian National Congress is about to assemble in Calcutta and discuss, amongst other things, the partition of Bengal, he will consent to receive deputations from the nobility and landowners of Bengal, from Indian members, past and present, of the Bengal Legislative Council, from the Calcutta bar, and from the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, in order to place before him their grievances caused by an ill-considered partition of their province, and in order to suggest to him other forms of partition of equal or greater administrative efficiency.

Before the right hon. Gentleman answers this Question, may I ask him whether, should he make or order any such inquiry as is suggested, he will take into account the wishes of the masses, as well as the complaints of the privileged classes, on whose behalf he has been interrogated?

If the bodies referred to in the Question desire to make representations in the sense described, it is entirely open to them, as it has been for a great many months past, to take the ordinary course of addressing the Governor-General, at least in the first instance. I am afraid I cannot undertake to receive what would be rather a demonstration than a deputation in the ordinary sense. Apart from such a course being a departure from invariable and wise precedent, it could lead to no useful object that I can see. As I have often stated, I am perfectly willing to consider new facts, but I may say I believe that both I and the Viceroy are entirely well informed as to the argumentative matters suggested by the hon. Member.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Secretary of State is responsible to this House for his action in exercising a general control and supervision over the conduct of the business of the Crown Agents; and, if so, by what means this House can exercise any control over the Secretary of State in this respect, seeing that he has declined to supplement the information which has so far been presented to Parliament by a detailed and explanatory statement of the accounts of the Crown Agents Office.

The hon. Member is aware that either in connection with the Colonial Office Vote or on such other occasion as the rules of the House may allow he can criticise any and every action of the Secretary of State. As regards the latter part of his Question, and with reference to my Answer to a previous Question of his on the 31st of July,† I can assure him that there is no wish to keep back any information which would serve any useful purpose, but the Secretary of State was, and still is, of opinion that it was at present unnecessary to supplement the information which was given in 1904.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, seeing that Sir Augustus Hemming, formerly a principal clerk in the Colonial Office, has recently stated, with reference to specific causes of complaint against the Crown Agents, that such cases exist in profusion in the archives of the Colonial Office, whether he will give a Return of the nature of such complaints during the last five years, and of the action that has been taken upon them by the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State does not consider that any adequate reason has been given for, or that any useful purpose would be served by, giving such a Return as the hon. Member suggests, especially in view of the exhaustive inquiry instituted by Mr. Chamberlain in 1901, which was based on an examination of any cases in the three preceding years in which the Colonial Governments considered that their interests had not been sufficiently protected by the Crown Agents.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies

† See (4) Debates, clxii., 700.

whether the consulting engineers to the Crown Agents, or their representatives, have any financial interest in railway construction that is carried out upon their recommendation; and, if so, what has been the amount of their remuneration from this source during the last ten years; how it is assessed; and from what fund it has been paid.

The firms of consulting engineers employed under the Crown Agents to advise the Crown Colony Governments on railway construction or on other public works have no financial interest in such railways or works beyond the remuneration actually paid for their services.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies how many men have been hanged, how many men have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment and floggings, and what was the number of the lashes inflicted in each case of a sentence of flogging, and how many men have been sentenced to imprisonment without flogging during the martial-law régime in Natal, in consequence of the loss of two lives, that of a sub-inspector who shot a native dead and that of a trooper in a riot resulting from the arrest of two natives at Byrnetown, Natal, last February, by a body of armed Colonial police for the resistance of a poll-tax of £1 per head imposed by the Legislature on adult unmarried natives.

I am not in a position to give the total number of those sentenced to imprisonment during the operation of martial-law in Natal. With regard to those sentenced for participation in the murder of the two policemen at Byrnetown I understand that in addition to the twelve men shot, three men were hanged, and five men sentenced to imprisonment with twenty-five lashes.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in addition to the number of natives shot, flogged, and imprisoned, and imprisoned without flogging, on being found guilty by court-martial of being concerned in the deaths of Inspector Hunt and Trooper Arm- strong in February last, three more natives have recently been tried and hanged on a charge of being implicated in that riot; whether one of these natives, who had been badly wounded and was unable to stand without the aid of crutches, was brought, by the order of the Governor, to the scaffold in a dying condition, that his crutches were kicked away, and that he was supported by warders on the scaffold while waiting for the lever to be pulled; and whether, having regard to the sensation produced in Natal by these executions and the circumstances attending them, and the indignation thereby aroused, the Colonial Secretary has any, and, if so, what statement to make in explanation or defence of this transaction, or with reference to the conduct of the Governor in sanctioning it

It is a fact that three more natives were recently tried, found guilty and hanged for the murder of Inspector Hunt and Trooper Armstrong. The Secretary of State has no information as to the circumstances of the execution. The prisoners were tried by the Supreme Court, not by court-martial, and the Indemnity Act has therefore no bearing on the matter.

asked if it was not the fact that the murder occurred last February and that these men accused of complicity had been kept in prison the whole time.

replied in the affirmative, and added that the men were kept awaiting trial until they had recovered from the injuries they had received in the affray.

Was not this a case in which the prerogative of mercy might well have been exercised? Did the Governor communicate with the Colonial Office on the subject?

I do not think I can make any statement on this subject. Necessarily such representations would be of an entirely confidential nature. The Government knew that the sentences were to be executed, and consequently shared equally with the Governor any responsibility there was.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds has Lord Elgin declined to make representations to the Cape Government similar to the representations made by the right hon. Member for West Birmingham, when Colonial Secretary, to the Government of the South African Republic, after the Jameson Raid of 1895, urging that clemency should be extended to Ferriera, after participating in the raid on the Cape Colony of which he was a leader; and why has Lord Elgin refused to instruct Lord Selborne, having regard to the fact that Lord Selborne was Undersecretary for the Colonies at the time of the Jameson Raid and is well acquainted with the precedent thereby set, to use his best offices with Dr. Jameson, C. B., the Prime Minister of Cape Colony, to secure an amnesty to these offenders.

I can think of no Answer to the hon. Gentleman's Question except that circumstances alter cases.

We may assume then that the Colonial Office were not in this raid.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will lay upon the Table a copy of the British-Indian Immigrants Ordinance (Transvaal).

Yes, Sir.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state approximately the number of Chinese coolies repatriated from South Africa owing to misconduct since the 1st January last.

The number of undesirables repatriated up to the end of October is 629 exclusive of the quarter April to June for which separate figures have not been received.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies when he will present the Supplementary Estimate for —21,000 which has been devoted by the Government to repatriation of Chinese coolies.

I understand that if a Supplementary Estimate be required, it will be presented in the ordinary course at the commencement of next session.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if the negotiations proceeding with Portugal as to recruiting natives in Portuguese East Africa are confined to providing facilities for the Robinson group of mines; and whether the correspondence with Lord Selborne asking for such facilities to be extended to other groups of mines, if granted at all, will be laid at once.

The hon. Member will have seen from the full statement made by my noble friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies in another place on Monday last† that the negotiations are for the present and pending an inquiry confined to providing facilities for the Robinson group and that he stated that he could not lay Papers at present.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Mohamed Abd-el-Nebi, the husband of the woman Mohamed, who was shot by the gun of one of the British officers on the day of the Denshawi affray, is now undergoing a sentence of imprisonment for life; and, if so, whether the British Resident will be directed to make representations in favour of the remission of this sentence and his immediate release.

Such facts as are in our possession are contained in the Parliamentary Papers, and show that the woman referred to was wounded by the gun which went off in the crowd after the officer had been attacked and his gun taken from him.

†t See (4) Debates, clxv., 1184 et seq.

His Majesty's Government see no reason for sending instructions to Lord Cromer on the subject.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Ahmed Hassan Zahzouk, the ombashi of police, who accompanied the British officers on the day of the affray at Denshawi, and who in his evidence at the trial contradicted the evidence of the officers in some important particulars, has since then been tried by a disciplinary court and sentenced to imprisonment and flogging; and, if so, what portion of his sentence he has undergone; and whether the Government will consider the desirability of remitting the remaining portion of his sentence.

I have no information on this subject, but will make inquiries.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether in view of the facts that the information promised on the 5th July last, has now been made available for Members, and that the condition of Egypt no longer gives cause for anxiety, he will give an early opportunity of discussing the Denshawi affray and the trial and consequences which followed it.

His Majesty's Government have nothing to add to the statements, which have already been made on this subject, and it is not possible for them to give special time for another discussion.

Does the right hon. Gentleman remember that he asked the House to abstain from discussing this matter until this information was obtained? Did not that lead the House to believe that an opportunity would be given for discussion?

I remember I made that appeal before any statement at all was made and before we had official information. The hon. Member did not respond to that appeal himself, but other hon. Members did. After Papers had been laid I did not deprecate discussion, and a discussion actually took place. There is nothing which has taken place subsequently which would justify the Government in allotting special time for discussion.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will direct the British Minister at Bucharest to take prompt steps to present for payment by the Roumanian Government the claims of the English workmen engaged upon the erection for that Government of certain portions of the buildings constituting the general exhibition held at Bucharest last summer, for wages and share of profits under their contract, as well as for compensation for breach of contract, and for compensation for wrongful arrest and imprisonment for various terms, without trial or conviction for any offence.

His Majesty's Minister at Bucharest is giving full attention to the matter, and is taking all the steps which he can in support of the claims of the British workmen.

I Leg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has received any communication from Sir Cunningham Greene, British Minister at the Roumanian Court at Bucharest, with reference to the ill-treatment and persecution of Messrs. Morgan and Singer, and the other Englishmen associated with them, and engaged upon the construction and working of certain portions of the Bucharest General Exhibition in July and September last, and also of their subsequent imprisonment for terms varying from thirty hours to six weeks without any formal trial or conviction for any offence; and whether he will lay upon the Table of the House any Papers he may have relating to the matter.

Full reports of the circumstances have been received from His Majesty's Minister at Bucharest, but it would not be desirable at the present stage to lay any Papers on the subject. The men have meanwhile been sent home.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether owing to the separation of Norway from Sweden, the provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1855 have ceased to apply to the former kingdom.

The Treaty has not been abrogated, but it was framed under conditions which have now entirely changed, and His Majesty's Government are considering, in connection with the two countries concerned and other Powers, what steps should be taken for substituting a new Treaty for that of 1855.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received a note from the Bulgarian Government in reference to the recent massacre of Bulgarian peasants in the village of Karadjovo; whether the Government have any Report on the particulars of this massacre from British agents in Macedonia; whether the massacre was carried out by Greeks and Turks; whether the British Government has addressed any remonstrances to the Greek and Turkish Governments; and when further Papers on Macedonia will be circulated.

The Answer to the first Question is in the negative; the Answer to the second is in the affirmative; the massacre was, it is believed, carried out by Greeks and a certain number of Mussulmans in their pay, the leader had come from Greece a few weeks before, having evaded the Greek authorities; His Majesty's Government have recently made strong representations to the Greek Government in regard to the conduct of the Greek bands in Macedonia; they have also made representations on the same subject to the Ottoman Government; further Papers on Macedonia will be laid when the negotiations now in progress have been completed.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government have received any information from the British Consuls as to the massacre of Bulgarian peasants at Karadjovo on the 7th November; and whether they will support the Bulgarian Govern- ment in the representations which it is in consequence making to the Powers.

His Majesty's Government have received a preliminary Report on the subject from his Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Constantinople; no communication has yet been received from the Bulgarian Government.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether within the last few months His Majesty's Government has received Reports upon the condition of affairs in the Congo State from the British consular staff on the Congo: and, if so, whether His Majesty's Government will lay these Reports upon the Table of the House.

Reports have been received from His Majesty's consular officers in the Congo within the last few months. But I do not propose to present a second set of Papers to Parliament this year, and there is nothing in the Reports referred to which is of such special interest as to require separate publication,

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Lord Cromer has recently presented a Report to the Foreign Office on proposed reforms in Egypt; whether this Report contains any recommendations as to reforming the criminal law as between natives and members of the army of occupation; and whether it is proposed to lay any Papers on the subject of reforms in the government of Egypt.

I have nothing to add to the reply returned to the hon. Member for Brentford on the 15th instant, † Any reforms in the government of Egypt will doubtless be dealt with by Lord Cromer in his Annual Report, which will be laid before Parliament next year; it is not proposed to lay Papers before the usual date.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for

†t See (4) Debates, clxv., 100.

Foreign Affairs whether he will obtain and lay upon the Table of the House financial statements showing the revenue and expenditure under the different headings for the Macedonian provinces since March, 1905; and also the amount of deficit on the Budget during periods convenient for comparison, and the sources from which it has been supplied since March, 1905.

His Majesty's Government are not aware whether detailed statistics are available in regard to the points in question before the International Financial Commission entered upon its function in January, 1906. In regard to the second Question, I must refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave him on the 26th instant, † The information requested in the third Question will, as far as possible, be furnished.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Article XII. of the agreement between the Porte and the Imperial Ottoman Bank, providing that any deficit on the Macedonian Budget shall be made good by drafts on the existing yield of the Customs, is confirmed by the Reglement for Macedonia; and whether it is still in force.

The Answer to both Questions is in the affirmative.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government have recently received any account of the work accomplished by the civil agents in Macedonia; and, if not, whether they will invite the Austrian and Russian Governments to furnish information.

His Majesty's Government have not received recently any special report on the work of the civil agents. An account of their proceedings will doubtless be furnished in due course.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the importance of the question,

†See (4) Debates, clxv., 610.

he will consider the possibility of overcoming the difficulties in the way of obtaining even approximately accurate statistics as to the output of native opium in China.

I fear I can add nothing to my reply to the hon. Member's Question of the 27th instant on this subject. Of course, any further information that can be obtained will be obtained, but I cannot promise to get more than exists.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware of the decrees published in the Bulletin Officiel of the Congo Free State by which four new companies were created, the shareholders and promoters being foreigners; and whether, in view of the interests possessed by this and other countries in the Congo Free State, he proposes to take any and, if any, what action in connection with these concessions of territory.

The question whether concessions of the kind referred to are consistent with the free trade provisions of treaty obligations is no doubt an important one, but it is not proposed to make these particular concessions the subject of a special representation at this moment.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information with reference to the attack on Mr Harris's house by numerous armed natives, whether French and Spanish warships in the bay offered any assistance, and whether the Government propose, by the despatch of a warship, to extend to British subjects the protection now afforded to those of France and Spain.

According to a report received from His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Tangier, a fight occurred between the Moorish Guards at Mr. Harris's house and a number of men of the Anjera tribe. It is not clear whether the tribesmen were the first to attack the house, or whether they were fired on from the house by the guards as they were passing it, engaged on a cattle raid. Eventually the guards were reinforced and the tribesmen beaten off. It does not appear to have been necessary for any foreign troops to have been landed in connection with this incident. I understand that France and Spain are prepared to take, in an emergency, whatever provisional measures may be required till the regular police contemplated by the Algeciras Act are constituted. It is not necessary or desirable for us to do anything more, and it is not intended to send a British warship.

Would it not be more satisfactory that British subjects should be protected by British ships?

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of his declaration that the subject of old age pensions is one of the most extreme urgency, he will make such representations to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet as will ensure precedence being given to the subject in the legislative programme of the Government over the question of Irish Home Rule or Devolution.

I see no reason for making any such representation either to the Prime Minister or to the Cabinet.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Commissioners of Railways there are; what are their duties; how many days in the year these duties engage their attention; what is the salary attached to the office; and whether there is any pension when a Commissioner retires.

The Railway Commissioners are appointed under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, and they have duties under the Workmen's Cheap Trains Act, the Telegraphs Act, and the Water (Metropolis) Act. They sit on about thirty-two days in the year, apart from other duties, of which there is no record. The salary of each of the Com- missioners is —3,000 a year, without pension attached.

asked whether any of the five Commissioners were business men, or were they all lawyers.

I do not think the two terms are mutually exclusive.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any of the five Commissioners are engaged in trade or commerce?

I understand that the Commissioner recently appointed is a gentleman of very large commercial experience in a great many directions.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in accordance with the recommendation of the Departmental Committee on Prison Dietaries in 1898, a well-qualified and competent inspector of the food supplies of prisons has been appointed; and, if not, will he say why this recommendation has not been carried out.

As a result of the Report of the Dietaries Committee, stringent regulations were made for the inspection of the prisoners' food by the medical officer and the Visiting Committee of each prison, and in view of these regulations, and of the duty laid on the governor to ensure that the supplies received are of good quality, it was thought that the employment to secure the same object of a travelling inspector, who could visit each prison only at long intervals, would be not only unnecessary, but also harmful, as tending to lessen the responsibility of the officials on the spot. In this view I entirely concur.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state the number of the police in each of the counties through which the bands of German gipsies have passed, who have been occupied in protecting those counties against the dangers to which the German gipsies exposed those counties.

I have not the information necessary for the purpose of answering this Question, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by attempting to collect it.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State to the Home Department if his sanction was necessary to the recent appointment of a military officer, entirely without police experience, to be chief constable of Southport; and, if not, whether he will take any action to secure experienced supervision of the police administration of largo towns, and to reserve such appointments as that of chief constable for senior officers of police as the legitimate rewards of long and good service.

The appointment mentioned did not require my sanction. The appointments to a borough police force are made by the Watch Committee, and I have no authority to interfere with their discretion.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consent to the erection of a wharf at Alderney for the slaughter of foreign cattle on the same conditions as cattle are allowed to be landed and slaughtered in this country, and provided the inhabitants of Alderney are practically unanimous on the question; and, if not, if he will appoint a small Committee to inquire into the feasibility and desirability, and report for his guidance.

As at present advised, I do not think that the erection of a wharf at Alderney for the landing and slaughter of foreign cattle would be desirable, and I do not propose to appoint a Committee to inquire into the matter.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the long hours worked by the gate signalmen at the St. George's Road and Hawthorne Avenue Level Crossings, Hull, on the North Eastern Railway; if he is aware that these men commence duty at 9.45 a.m. on Sundays, and remain on duty until 6 a.m. on Mondays, a period of twenty hours and fifteen minutes, and then do five turns of twelve-hour shifts and one of thirteen hours on night duty, making a total of ninety-three hours and fifteen minutes for the week on the main passenger line; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.

I have communicated with the railway company on the subject of the hon. Member's Question, and am informed that the authorised daily hours of work of the men in question, who are stated to be gatemen and not signalmen, are twelve, with a day off duty once a fortnight. The company state, however, that they found on inquiry that the men, for their own convenience and without the knowledge and consent of the responsible officials, had introduced the system of working to which attention is drawn, and instructions have now been given that the authorised arrangements-must be strictly observed in future.

said he understood the arrangement was made by the men without the knowledge of the company, who gave instructions it should not be adhered to directly it was brought to their notice.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the fact that the bulk of the motor omnibuses in use in London have been made in Germany, and that contracts have recently been placed in that country for the construction of about —350,000 worth of these vehicles to be used in London; and whether he can in any way assist in transferring this industry to this country in such a way as to find employment for the mechanics discharged from the Woolwich Arsenal.

I am aware that many of the chassis of motor omnibuses in use in London are of foreign production. I understand that foreign makers have had longer experience than British manufacturers in this branch of industry. This advantage, however, as in the case of motors generally, is now diminishing and there is reason to hope that in the future a larger share of the orders will fall to British manufacturers. I see no reason why suitable mechanics discharged from Woolwich Arsenal should not have an equal chance with others of sharing in any employment thus afforded.

Was not a contract recently granted?

The Board of Trade have no official information.

Are not these imported omnibuses paid for by British labour employed in some other industry?

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether four of the head teachers of Swansea Church schools are receiving —75 less than they would have received if the arrangements made by the managers upon the teachers' appointment had been adhered to; whether, in the case of two teachers engaged before the appointed day, under the Act of 1902, under signed agreements, entitling them to a rise in salary on the 1st March, 1905, the local education authority refused to allow the increases until the Board of Education directed them to do so; whether, in the case of another teacher in a Church school, a salary at the usual Scale was only secured after negotiations lasting from January, 1905, to May, 1906, by the intervention of the Board of Education; and whether, in view of these facts, seeing that the pending dispute about the salaries of teachers turns mainly on the wish of the local education authority to pay teachers in voluntary schools less than the teachers in the council schools, he will say if he proposes to take any action in the matter beyond consulting the Law Officers.

Figures supplied to the Board by the managers show that the salaries paid to the four head teachers referred to in the first paragraph of the Question were —75 less than those proposed by the managers. In the case of the two teachers referred to in the second paragraph, the Board forwarded to the local authority without comment a copy of a letter from the managers on the subject. I understand that the representations of the managers were acceded to by the local authority. The facts stated in the third paragraph are correct. I cannot say what further action (if any) will be taken by the Board until I have received the opinion of the Law Officers.

Did the local authority at first refuse to fulfil its duty?

I think that is so.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education upon what date the Swansea Local Education Authority undertook to carry out the directions of the Board of Education.

I am not aware that there are at the present time any directions of the Board of Education which the Swansea Local Education Authority have on any date undertaken to carry out or, on the other hand, are failing to carry out.

Were any directions given by the Board?

I do not quite understand the object or purport of the Question. I can find no particular letter in which any direction was given to the local authority which they either did or did not carry out.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that John Morgan Jones, an auxiliary postman at Waenfawr, in the county of Carnarvon, is employed for four hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon at a wage of only 11s. a week, while another auxiliary postman is paid at a higher rate at the same office for similar work, because the Department failed to obtain his services for less; and whether, in view of the fact that Jones cannot, on account of the arrangement of the hours of service, engage in another occupation, he can increase his pay and so make it a living wage.

I have called for a Report on this subject, and will communicate the result to the hon. Member in due course.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that on Saturday last a telegram dispatched from Stourbridge at 4.5. p.m. was timed as having reached Wolverhampton post office at 7.46 p.m.; and, as this is the second case of the kind within fourteen days, will he give Wolverhampton the same attention as other important business centres.

The hon. Member refers, no doubt, to a football telegram addressed to the Wolverhampton Express and Star, last Saturday, and a football telegram addressed to the same paper from Manchester on the 10th instant. The first of these two telegrams appears to have reached Wolverhampton in due course. One page of it was apparently delayed in delivery, but I cannot say how the delay occurred without local inquiry. The other telegram was delayed at Manchester, not at Wolverhampton. I regret that these cases of delay should have occurred, but there is no reason to suppose that Wolverhampton has less attention than other business or football centres.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the recent prosecution at Manchester of Messrs. Lonsdale and Thompson, Limited, provision dealers, for exposing for sale and marking several cases of eggs branded Pat Murphy, Castle Murphy, with a figure of a man dancing between two lines; whether he is aware that it was proved that there was no one in the egg business trading as Pat Murphy and no such place as Castle Murphy in Ireland, and that the eggs referred to were Russian produce; and whether, in view of the injury likely to result to the Irish trade by the selling of foreign produce under fictitious names, he intends to take any steps to prevent the recurrence of such action.

Perhaps I may be allowed to answer this Question on behalf of the Board of Agriculture. The attention of the Board has been called to this case, the facts of which are correctly stated in the Question. The Board will be ready to co-operate with the Irish Department in preventing breaches of the Merchandise Marks Acts, which might prove injurious to traders in Irish agricultural produce.

Has the firm of J. J. Lonsdale & Co., of which the hon. Member for Mid. Armagh is a distinguished member, anything to do with the convicted firm?

I know nothing of them.

The Board of Agriculture has no knowledge as to who are or are not directors of the firm, but if the hon. Member wishes information as to who are the directors of the firm, he can obtain the information at Somerset House.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if it is proposed to carry out the scheme outlined by the Board in the memorandum as to the proposed council of agricultural research issued early in the year.

Negotiations are proceeding with regard to the suggestions made in the memorandum to which the hon. Member refers, but it is not possible as yet to say whether they can be brought to a successful issue.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Inland Revenue officer in charge at Glenglassaugh Distillery on 28th October, 1905, when striking the final balance in the spent stock book, found an increase, and in accordance with Sub-section 9 of Section 43 of 43 and 44 Vic, c. 24, and the Board's Distillery Instructions founded thereon, charged duty on excess and received payment from the trader, which he forwarded to the supervisor at Portsoy; that the supervisor refunded the duty to the trader, censured the officer, and directed him to alter the accounts; that the officer claimed to have acted in accordance with the law and the Board's instructions, and refused to alter the books without written directions, which the supervisor refused to give; and whether, seeing that this officer was ordered to remove under displeasure to another station, and was refused a fair trial or inquiry and was suspended in March last, this officer will be restored or an inquiry be held.

I am informed that the facts are in substantial accordance with the hon. Member's statements except that the exaction of immediate payment from the trader was in accordance neither with the law nor with the Board's instructions. I have carefully considered the case, and I am satisfied that it is simply one of disobedience of orders which calls for no further inquiry.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Collector of Inland Revenue, Aberdeen, withheld proper and definite instructions or orders in the excess matter; and whether Mr. Haslam had asked him for advice and guidance in the case.

Mr. Haslam asked his collector for advice on 30th October and received it by telegram on 31st, and further by letter of the same date.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Collector of Inland Revenue, Aberdeen, did not, until the 2nd November 1905, give definite orders concerning the cancelling of the Excess Duty; whether the collector accompanied these orders with a document giving the substance of the supervisor's Report, dated 1st November 1905, against Mr. Haslam for alleged insubordination; whether the collector withheld the orders for cancelling the Excess Duty until after the accounts had been delayed on the 1st November and so made Mr. Haslam liable to a charge of alleged insubordination; whether the collector had the Board of Inland Revenue's authority for his ordering, in his letter of 2nd November, Mr. Haslam to cancel the Excess Duty; and, if he had this authority, why was it not quoted, as is usual, on his letter.

The collector's instructions were given as soon as he was in full possession of the facts. His order, to which reference is made in the last part of the Question, was given in pursuance of the Board of Inland Revenue's printed and standing Regulations and required no special authority from the Board. The Answer to the second Question is in the negative. I may add that in this and the succeeding Question the hon. Member refers to the cancelling of the Excess Duty. The charge of Excess Duty was not questioned but merely the date of its exaction.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Supervisor of Inland Revenue, Portsoy, neglected to give orders in writing to Mr. Haslam to cancel the duty on the excess or increase which was charged with duty at Grlenglassaugh Distillery on the 28th October 1905 in the spirit store stocktaking, seeing that Mr. Haslam had asked him for written orders, which request he acknowledged to have received.

Mr. Haslam received verbal instructions from his supervisor which were confirmed in writing by his collector.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the class of aged writers who are to be discharged in February can be differentiated by the facts that they would have been promoted to the pensionable class of abstractors had they not been debarred by age, and that they average seventy-four years of age and thirty-four of service; and whether, seeing that there are not any other old servants of the State in the same position, he will consider whether the gratuities of these writers can be increased.

The case of these copyists does not appear to be distinguishable from that of the other copyists who have already retired with gratuities on the approved scale. Nor is it really distinguishable from that of great numbers of persons in the employ of the State who are on a temporary footing and not entitled to pension but only to gratuity under the Superannuation Act of 1887. My hon. friend regrets that he is therefore unable to accede to their request for an increased gratuity.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that the owners of the Lax Weir fishery in Ireland, valued at —400, recorded 135 proxy votes at the recent election on the licences taken out by the company for the fishing on that particular fishery, the property of such owners as a company or otherwise; and whether, under Section 9 of 11 and 12 Victoria, cap. 92, or any other section of the Irish Fishery Laws, he proposes to take any action in the matter.

I have made inquiries, but have found it impossible to obtain definite information as to the number of proxy votes given at the recent election to which the Question refers. If there were any irregularity in the election, any person aggrieved would have, of course, the ordinary legal remedy, but I have no power under the section referred to, or any other section that I am aware of, to interfere in the matter.

Will the right hon. Gentleman recommend the Irish Government to make full and impartial inquiry into this matter?

That Question should be addressed to the Chief Secretary.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that when Cornelius O'Brien and two other fishermen, of Quilty, West Clare, were nearing the shore at Seafield, on the 17th October, their canoe struck upon the Wild Rock at the entrance to the pier at Seafield and capsized, O'Brien being drowned, the other two men being rescued; that another fisherman was drowned at the same place last year, and that Mrs. O'Dowd, of Quilty, in trying to get from the pier to Mutton Island a few months ago, was also lost in the same place; and whether, with a view to pre-venting other deaths from drowning at that place, he will send an inspector to Seafield to examine the inlet to the pier and the Wild Rock, with a view to the lowering of the inlet and removal of the rock at its entrance, thereby giving a free passage to canoes and sailing vessels to the pier. The hon. Member had also given notice of the following Question:— To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the 165 fishermen at Quilty, West Clare, with their fifty-five canoes, have not earned —25 this year on account of the rough weather, being unable to go to sea, as the passage is unsafe with the Wild Rock at the entrance of the passage when the tide is in, and not being able to go out from the pier at low water when the tide is out on account of no tide being in the passage; whether, seeing that in seasons when the fishermen can go fishing, they were able to catch up to —3,000 worth of fish, and in view of the fact that, on account of not being able to fish, they are in a state of starvation at present, he will send an inspector to examine the passage and rock with a view to give a grant to sink the passage to the pier about 3 feet and remove the rock, the passage being about 150 yards in length by about 25 yards wide; and whether he has received a memorial signed by the clergy, magistrates, medical officers, and ratepayers of this district in favour of this proposal, and what action he proposes to take accordingly.

I am informed that it is the fact that Cornelius O'Brien was drowned on 17th October, his canoe having been upset by a wave near the rock mentioned; and that other cases of drowning had previously occurred in the same locality. It is, I understand, the case that there are 165 fishermen and fifty-five canoes at Quilty. I have no information as to the earnings of the fishermen this year; but I believe they have been small, owing mainly to the absence of fish. Fishing is stated to have greatly improved since the middle of the present month. I have received the memorial referred to. I am advised that the expense of deepening the channel and removing part of the rock opposite the entrance would amount to about £3,000, and that this work would be of little use unless a breakwater were erected at a considerable further cost. The entrance to the harbour must always be dangerous in bad weather. The Department of Agriculture, however, will gladly consider whether anything can be done to lessen the danger of landing, if the county council are prepared to co-operate with them in the matter. Both the Department and the Board of Works have already examined the spot and reported to me upon it. I may add that in 1890 the sum of £5,184 was spent in the works then executed by the Board of Works, consisting of the pier at Seafield and the channel through the rocks leading to it. Of this sum £875 consisted of a loan recoverable from the county council.

Is it the fact that there is still £130,000 standing to the credit of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Ireland? Could not some portion of this money be expended on this necessary work of providing safe accommodation for fishermen who have to face the winter with no resources except those of their calling, which is rendered impossible by the state of the harbour?

I should like notice of that Question.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether inmates of the Ennis State Inebriates' Reformatory, on becoming insane, are committed to the Ennis District Lunatic Asylum; and, if so, whether it can be arranged to have them committed to the asylum of the district they came from, and so prevent an unfair burden being placed on the ratepayers of Clare by having the insane from other counties placed in the Ennis Asylum.

Under the provisions of the Criminal Lunatics (Ireland) Act, 1837, inmates of the Ennis State Inebriate Reformatory on becoming insane are committed to the Ennis District Lunatic Asylum. There is no power under the existing law to have them committed to the asylum of the district from which they came. Under the Lunacy (Ireland) Act, 1901, the entire cost of the maintenance of such persons is defrayed out of Imperial Funds up to the date of the expiration of their sentences, and hence they do not become a burden on the ratepayers of Clare until after the sentence has expired. I am informed that since the establishment of the Inebriate Reformatory in 1899, only two cases of transfer to the Ennis Asylum have occurred, and one of the persons has since died.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of bringing in a Bill to obviate this injustice to the ratepayers?

I will consider it. I can make no promise.

I will bring one in myself.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received a memorial from the tenants on the estate of Sir M. R. O'Connell, at Ballycarberry, near Cahirciveen; and whether they are prepared to negotiate with the landlord for the purchase of that property, with a view to reselling it to the tenants.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the memorial referred to has been received by them and they have communicated with the owner on the subject. The agents of the owner, however, have informed the Commissioners that no copy of the memorial has been received either by them or the owner, and a copy has therefore been sent to them. The matter is still the subject of correspondence.