laid upon the Table Report from one of the Examiners for Petitions for Private Bills, That, in the case of the Petition for the following Bill, the Standing Orders have not been complied with, viz:—Burnley Corporation Bill.

reported from the Committee on Group A of Private Bills; That, for the convenience of parties, the Committee had adjourned until Monday next, at half-past Eleven of the clock.

To ask the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the number of foreign trawlers observed working in the Moray Firth since the decision in the High Court of Justiciary in respect of the Moray Firth foreign trawlers' case.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board if he proposes to introduce legislation dealing with municipal milk depots.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board, whether, in view of the fact that there is in existence in the Midlands a reafforesting association supported by voluntary subscriptions for reafforesting and beautifying the Black Country, which association has already done a considerable amount of work in this direction, he could see his way, if an application were made on behalf of any local distress committee, to make a grant for unemployed labour which could be utilised in this direction.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say what steps the Estates Commissioners have taken to reinstate Mrs. Margaret Windle, evicted tenant, on the O'Grady Delmege estate, at Glensharrold, in the county of Limerick, or to put her in possession of an equal portion of land on the estate, having regard to the fact that there are forty acres of untenanted land on it.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the tenants on the Mercers estate, in county Londonderry, agreed so far back as November, 1904, to purchase their holdings under the Land Act of 1903; that the Land Commission has had the estate inspected and surveyed a considerable time ago; whether he can state what is the cause of delay in having the sale carried out; and whether, if it is due to want of funds or insufficiency of staff, he will endeavour to have further funds provided and a sufficient staff employed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, when the Powers took over practical responsibility for the administration of Crete, they declared that they would guarantee the lives and property of the Moslems. Whether, in spite of this undertaking, the Moslems have been abandoned to the cruelties of the so-called Christian community in Crete, who have forced them to fly from their properties and then taken possession of them; and what steps the Government are taking to protect the Moslems and secure for them some indemnity for the outrages and losses to which they have been subjected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is intended that the Aliens Act shall be so far retrospective that under it a man may be ordered to be deported, as happened in a case tried in Manchester last December, who came to this country when fourteen years of age; who has been here continuously for seventeen years; who has married a British-born wife, and has three English-speaking children; and who cannot speak the language of the country to which he is condemned to be deported.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the amount of licence duty paid by Belfast licensed traders in the years ended 10th October, 1905, and 10th October, 1906.

To ask the Prime Minister whether it is the rule that all Orders in Council conferring extra grants on officers of the Army and Navy, over and above the amounts laid down by regulations, should be published in the London Gazette; and whether in the case of the unprecedented increase of half-pay to the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty by Order in Council, 8th January, 1906, this rule was duly complied with.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the speech of Sir Andrew Fraser before the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in. which he stated that at the present moment the Anglo-Indian officials know considerably less of the people than the officials of old, and whether, in view of this statement, it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to bring forward legislation in the near future to give the peoples of India a greater share in the Government of India according to Indian ideas.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the shortage of wagons on the Indian railways; and whether the Indian Government is responsible in any way for this shortage, or has curtailed any capital expenditure proposed to be incurred in this year's Indian Budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the deputations of European merchants interested in Indian commerce and of English chairmen of Indian railways, who approached him last Tuesday to state certain trade grievances, did so through the regular official channels, that is, with the sanction of the Viceroy of India; and whether he will now reconsider his refusal to receive a deputation of Bengali noblemen and merchants, who desire to lay before him the injury to their properties and to the internal trade of the country, besides other grievances due to their being now placed, by the partition of Bengal, under two administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the embarrassed condition of the estate of the Nawab of Dacca is now receiving the attention of the Government of Eastern Bengal; whether there is a proposal to advance a Government loan to meet his debts; and, if such is the case, whether he will explain why as a representative of that province he was appointed recently a member of the Legislative Council.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in opposition to a rule of the National Board requiring teachers appointed in Irish-speaking districts to know Irish, assistant teachers having no knowledge of Irish were appointed to the following schools, Lackagh boys school, Selerna boys school, Selerna girls school, Claregalway girls school, Spiddal girls school, all in districts where Irish is practically the universal language.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland how much have the Intermediate Education Commissioners (Ireland) got yearly during the five years ended March, 1906, on account of Section 3 (ii.) of 53 and 54 Vic, c. 60; what are the other sources and annual amounts of income of the Board; whether any contribution is made from the Imperial Exchequer towards secondary education in Ireland.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the number of pupils on the rolls of the primary schools of the Christian Brothers in Ireland, and the amounts contributed from the Imperial Exchequer annually towards the maintenance of those schools.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that under the Education Act of 1902 a special aid grant of £2,485,000 is proposed to be given to England in the year 1907; and, seeing that, according to the amount proposed to be given to England this year, Ireland's equivalent share should be £325,000, will he state what action he proposes to take.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the cause of delay in the sale of the Carmichael-O'Ferrall estate at Carclara, county Longford; whether he is aware that the tenants are anxious to become tenant proprietors on fair terms; and will he direct that the inspector visits and reports on this case forthwith.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, with a view to helping poor struggling farmers in Ireland to build decent sanitary dwellings for their families, he would take into consideration a scheme which would enable county councils in Ireland to lend to small farmers, on the security of their holdings, sums not exceeding two-fifths of the assessed value of the interest on their holdings for the purpose of building such houses; whether he is aware that many farmers' houses, especially in congested areas, are quite as miserable and, from a sanitary point of view, uninhabitable as houses occupied by labourers and others; and whether he will consider the advisability of endeavouring to remedy a state of things which is at present a source of disease in many districts in Ireland by providing for the use of county councils money at the 3¼ per cent. rate, and arranging for repayment over a lengthened period.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners are aware that in the case of Charles Burnett, a tenant on Sir Walter Nugent's estate at Lisnageera, county Longford, who purchasd his holding, under the Land Act of 1901, in 1903, a statute acre of land was taken off this farm for a labourer's cottage for which landlord and tenant received compensation for severance, yet the Commissioners insist on charging Burnett for the full area of his original farm, and refuse to deduct from the same the acre which he has lost, and which is now the property of Granard No. 1 District Council; whether he is aware that this has been going on for four years, so that four years annuity in respect of this acre which he does not possess have now been charged and recovered against him; and will he therefore direct that this case be inquired into, and that the necessary rebate and reimbursement be made forthwith to Burnett.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether Patrick M'Carthy, an evicted tenant on the Carbery estate, has yet been reinstated in his holding, and, if not, what is the cause of the delay; and will steps be taken to place him in immediate possession of his farm.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in view of the want of harbour accommodation in Downings Bay, county Donegal, where on 5th December, 1906, thirteen fishing boats were driven from their anchorage and wrecked, His Majesty's Government contemplate constructing a shelter pier; and, if so, whether they propose to begin the work before next winter.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners are about to proceed with the reinstatement of Patrick McConnell in the matter of the estate of J. H. Ingham, county of Cavan; and, as this evicted tenant fulfilled all the conditions required by the owner in March, 1906, will he say what has been the cause of the delay and when reinstatement is likely to take place.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether an increased grant has been made this year by the Department for Agriculture and Technical Instruction to the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society; if so, what is the amount of this year's grant; when and by what body was it voted; for what purposes was it voted; and whether any portion of this sum is to be used for raising the salaries of the officials of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the remarks of Mr. Justice Ross, in the Land Judge's Court, Dublin, on Friday, the 8th instant, when he stated that Ireland suffered from a plague of cowardice to bring the persons who are doing wrong to justice; and whether he will bring these remarks under the notice of the Royal Irish Constabulary authorities with a view to urging greater efforts on their part to bring wrong doers to justice.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has received a report concerning the events which occurred at the house of Thomas Connolly, at Earl Park, on the 10th December last, when shots were fired into the house; whether this action was taken in consequence of Connolly having held a farm, which had been in his family for seventy years, contrary to the orders of the local branch of the United Irish League; and whether Connolly is now receiving protection from the police.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been drawn to the charge of Mr. Justice Kenny to the grand jury of the county Roscommon, to the effect that the county inspector informed him that there was a considerable amount of veiled intimidation in connection with the grazing system; and what action he proposes taking in this matter.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that at the conclusion of the trial for unlawful assembly at Tonlagee, county Roscommon, when the jury acquitted the prisoners, Mr. Justice Kenny directed the Crown Solicitor that no member of that particular jury be permitted to act in any other case which came before him; and what steps, if any, he proposes to take.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether he will lay upon the Table a draft copy of the Soldiers' Song Book issued to officers commanding units of regular troops; and whether it includes the National Anthem, and any of the territorial (old county) songs of the county Down.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether Government employees who are members of the Auxiliary Forces are given any special facilities for attending camp.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether Government employees, if called up for six months training on mobilisation under the new Army scheme, will have their appointments kept open for them and will be paid their salaries or wages during the time that their corps are under training or on active service.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether the War Office have entered into an arrangement with Harrods, Limited, to supply soldiers holding pensions as packers at 5s. per week wages; and whether he is aware that this firm a short time ago discharged over thirty packers earning 18s. per week and are now filling their places with soldiers at wages which make civilian labour impossible.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether the Territorial and Reserve Forces Bill will be applicable to Ireland; and, if not, whether there will be neither county associations, nor special reservists, nor territorial Army in Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether under his scheme of Army reform, it is contemplated that the territorial force shall carry out an annual course of musketry practice; whether, if so, that course is to be at times other than the eight or fifteen days of prescribed training; whether the men and officers are to receive pay when so employed; and whether the practice is to be under the command of the major-general commanding the district.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to a handbill circulated in Dublin which contains slanders and falsehoods as to the soldiers of the Irish regiments and of the British Army; and whether he will take the necessary steps not only to prohibit its further circulation, but also adequately to punish those responsible for its publication.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the Army in South Africa has undertaken to pay to the municipality of Standerton for water a sum of not less than £1,460 a year for twenty years; whether this obligation would remain, under the contract, in case the garrison were reduced or altogether withdrawn before 1924; whether the daily requirements of the troops at Standerton are already below the fixed contract minimum of 80,000 gallons; whether this contract was approved by the War Office before completion; and, if not, on whose authority was it signed.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the General Officer Commanding in South Africa has power to approve the refund of £14,988 6s. 1d. to Messrs. Wilson and Worthington shown on page 140 of the Army Appropriation Accounts for 1905–6; whether an approval of this refund by that officer would bind the War Office to allow it; and whether such approval has been given.

To ask the Secretary of State for War if, having regard to the importance of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Bill, he can postpone the Second Reading to the third week in April, instead of taking it directly after the recess.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Governments of the United States or of Germany provide, out of public funds, steam or sailing ships for the training on voyage of officers and seamen for the merchant service.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has received a Report from Mr. A. Macdonald on the agricultural possibilities of the East African Protectorate; and, if so, can he indicate its nature, or will he lay it before the House.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether seeing the Thirty-fifth Annual Report only carries us back to March 1906, and that some of the inspectors' Reports therein are one year old to date, he could say when the Thirty-sixth Annual Report of the Board will be issued.

To ask the Postmaster-General, whether he is extending his inquiry respecting the wages and conditions of service for mail van drivers outside the metropolitan area.

To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he has any official information showing that the American gooseberry mildew is a new disease to Europe, imported from America about 1900, and since then introduced into England; and, if so, whether the Board will take immediate steps, by the issue of a new circular, or otherwise, to impress this fact on growers with the object of making them realise the necessity of treating the mildew as a new infectious disease of which they have hitherto had no experience.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether there is any department employing a large number of clerks whore the initial salaries of the lowest permanent class differs from the class next above to such an extent as is the case in the Customs Statistical Office, where the initial salaries are £55 and £190 respectively.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will explain the cause of the delay with regard to the answering of memorials forwarded to the Treasury by the new class of assistant clerks in the Customs Statistical Department; and whether he is aware that a petition forwarded to the Treasury from this class on the 8th January last was still in the Customs Department on the 1st March.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether any official inquiry has been held and report issued as to the efficacy of inventions for the distribution of oil from vessels on heavy seas, as a preventive of danger; if not, will he consider the advisability of instituting an inquiry on the subject.

To ask the Secretary to the Admiralty when it is expected the reply to the petitions of the dockyards' writers will be communicated; and, seeing that no definite reply has been made to their petitions for over three years while those of other dockyard employees have been answered annually, whether some information as regards the intentions of the Admiralty towards the writers can be given forthwith.

To ask the Secretary of State for India if he will state what steps have been taken to secure the education of the children of tea-garden coolies in the province of Assam.

To ask the Secretary of State for India, having regard to the fact that the Police Commission made recommendations some time since with a view to relieve the Bengal agriculturists of at least a portion of the chowkidari tax, which is levied for the remuneration of village watchmen, will he request the Government of Bengal to report as to the expediency of giving effect to the recommendation.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state when the grant promised in aid of the improvement of the national school at Doagh will be given; what the amount will be; and if he is aware that all preliminaries having been adjusted, there is a feeling in the district that no further delay should occur.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether applications lodged as far back as 1st July, 1905, for the sale of properties to tenants under The Land Purchase Act, 1903, are still undealt with and have not been declared; and whether he will take some steps to ensure a decision being announced at an early date by the Commissioners and thus prevent the loss of income which both landlords and tenants are now suffering.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if Sergeant Crummy and Constable O'Shea of the New Quay police station, county Clare, were reported to District Inspector Hildebrand, of Ballyvaughan, for drinking and distributing drink on licensed premises on the 5th of last August, that, being Sunday; is he aware that these charges were supported by several independent witnesses in writing, and signed in the presence of the said district inspector; and will an inquiry be held.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can give any information as to whether spraying with a fungicide has been found to be efficacious in stopping the spread of the American mildew in Ireland during the past six years.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to a recent resolution of the Castlebar, county Mayo, Urban District Council complaining of the hardships inflicted on the labourers of urban districts, owing to their being debarred from the benefits of the Labourers Act of 1906; and would he introduce legislation so to amend the Act of 1906 as to enable labourers of urban districts to participate in its benefits.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Arterial Drainage Commission (Ireland) have reported that arterial drainage in Ireland is a vital necessity, page 15, and emphasise the need of early legislation on the subject, page 16; and, if so, whether the Government intend to act on the recommendation.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of Army Order No. 275, dealing with the promotion of officers beyond the rank of lieutenant-colonel, it will in future be possible to inform officers at the time of their com-

†See (4) Debates, clxix., 1447.

pleting their term of employment as lieutenant-colonel whether they are on the list of officers selected for further employment, and thus permit them to retire immediately if there is no intention of employing them in the rank of colonel.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that from £60,000 to £80,000 was spent between the years 1900 and 1906 in fitting up the Ballincollig Barracks for cavalry, that in the district adjoining stables and officers' houses were built, and also houses for lodging soldiers' families, and that inconvenience is caused to the owners of those houses as well as to the farmers and trading community in the surrounding district by the removal of the men; and whether, seeing that when the cavalry were removed from Edinburgh the inhabitants remonstrated, with the result that not alone was the former complement replaced, but the numbers were increased, he will take steps to restore, if possible, a cavalry regiment to Ballincollig.

To ask the Prime Minister when he proposes to take the Butter Bill.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the crews of the armoured ships of the Channel Fleet and the Nore division of the Home Fleet will remain with their ships for the full two years commission; if not what distinction is to be made between the two fleets in respect of the length of service in these ships; and whether the boys drafted into the Home Fleet to complete their training, instead of being sent to sea for four months in a training cruiser, are regarded as excess complement.

The system of two years commissions for the Channel, Atlantic and Foreign Fleets will not be abandoned. The length of time served by nucleus crews in the Home Fleet is not a fixed period, but must depend on the proportion of ships in the Home and Foreign Fleets respectively. The arrangements in regard to the drafting of boys to the Home Fleet are still so far incomplete that it is impossible to make any statement.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether it is the intention to replace ships in the Channel, Atlantic, and Mediterranean Fleets when requiring extensive refits; and, if so, will the fully-manned ships of the Nore Fleet be taken for this purpose.

The reply to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. The present intention is that the fully manned ships of the Nore Division of the Home Fleet will not be taken for this purpose.

I bog to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, in addition to living in a house at Sheerness, will be frequently away from the Nore Division of the Home Fleet while inspecting the other ships under his command at Portsmouth and Plymouth.

It is not anticipated that the absence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet from his flagship, or the absence of the flagship from the main fleet, will be more frequent or more prolonged than in any other seagoing fleets.

Has the Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet an official residence on shore?

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, whether he is aware that though, in 1905, fresh tenders for the supply of hat ribbons were called for by the Admiralty, two-thirds of the total supply were thereafter obtained from the original contractor at prices higher than those quoted by another accepted tender; whether this course involved a loss, between 20th October, 1905, and 31st March, 1906, of over £500; and, if so, whether any steps have since been taken to prevent a continuance of such losses.

This question, which belongs to the previous administration, is now under review by the Public Accounts Committee, and it would therefore be contrary to the usual practice for me to make any statement.

Has anything been done to prevent a continuance of the practice?

I would suggest that the hon. Gentleman should await the Report of the Committee.

Will the House have this session an opportunity of discussing the Report of the Public Accounts Committee? We have already been asked to defer several questions until we get that Report.

I am afraid that has not come within the scope of my vision yet.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the cost of armaments to the taxpayers of the United Kingdom, it would be possible at the forthcoming Colonial Conference to obtain an expression of opinion as to the extent to which the Colonies themselves regard this expenditure as necessary for their protection.

I do not see any prospect of obtaining from the Conference such an opinion as the hon. Gentleman would desire to have.

On behalf of the hon. Member for the Ealing Division of Middlesex, I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, if His Majesty's Government sanctioned the contract under which labourers from Trinidad have been recruited to work on the Panama Canal, to which contract the Colonial Government assented at the end of October or beginning of November last.

The contract has not been submitted to His Majesty's Government. It was sanctioned by the Governor of Trinidad in the exercise of own discretion.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give a Return showing the votes cast at the recent Transvaal election for each candidate and the electorate in each division, and, if possible, the percentage that polled in each instance.

The Transvaal Government shall be asked to supply this information which shall be laid when received.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that correspondence between this country and Canada in reference to the Colonial Conference was published in Canada on 18th February, but was not ciculated to Members of this House till after the debate on the Colonial Office Vote on Account on 11th March, and that a despatch from Mr. Deak in to Lord Elgin of 4th December, relative to the New Hebrides Convention, was published in Australia on 8th March, and has not yet been published in England; and if there is any reason why such correspondence should not be published as soon in this country as in the Colonies; and if there was any sufficient reason for withholding the correspondence above referred to until after the debate on 11th March.

The publication in the Colonies of any correspondence with the Secretary of State not of a confidential character rests entirely with the Colonial Governments concerned. The Secretary of State was not aware until a few days ago when his attention was drawn to statements which appeared in the Press that the two despatches referred to by the hon. Member had been published in Canada and Australia respectively. The delay in publishing here the Canadian despatch arose from the necessity of consulting the Colonial Governments, as I explained in the Answer which I gave on the 20th February to a Question by the honss Member for Leicester,†before including in the Paper the final despatch of the Secretary of State. The Australian despatch can be published as soon as I receive a communication which is on its way from the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, and which should form part of any published correspondence.

It is always the desire of the Secretary of State to give the House the earliest possible information.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of

†See (4) Debates, clxix., 830.

State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the statements of Canadian Ministers pointing to an understanding with Germany, whereby the Canadian surtax would be removed; if he is aware what are the nature and scope of the direct negotiations between Canada and Germany implied in these statements; and what means are taken to keep the British Government advised of negotiations between self-governing Colonies and foreign countries.

I have seen Mr. Fielding's speech of 29th November last, to which I presume the hon. Member refers, but I do not gather that Mr. Fielding indicated in that speech that any understanding with Germany had been arrived at, or that any negotiations had taken place between Canada and Germany. If any such negotiations had taken place, the Governor-General would have informed the Secretary of State. I would remind the hon. Member that so far as the surtax is concerned, this would be removed automatically under the Canadian law which imposed it as soon as Germany admits Canadian goods to the benefit of most favoured nation treatment.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Government have any knowledge as to whether Canada is negotiating with Austria in regard to a modification of tariff for Austrian goods entering Canada.

The Secretary of State is not aware of any such negotiations.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies when the Papers referring to matters connected with the Jamaica earthquake and to Sir Alexander Swettenham's resignation will be issued.

The Secretary of State is in communication with my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the question of publication is receiving consideration. I cannot say more at the moment.

Has not the hon. Gentleman already promised that Papers shall be laid?

I am not aware of any such promise. The only statement that has been made was that we would consider whether any, and if any, what Papers should be laid. That process is still going on.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Fathy Bey Zaglool, who acted as Judge in the Denshawi trial, has been appointed under-secretary at the Ministry of Justice; whether the British Representative in Egypt was in any way consulted in reference to the appointment; and whether the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs have received any protests from Egypt against this appointment.

I have received one protest against the appointment purporting to be signed by thirty-one persons. For the rest, I can only refer to my previous Answer, to the effect that I had no information, and it was not a matter in which His Majesty's Government should interfere.

asked whether His Majesty's representative in Egypt was consulted in regard to all these appointments; and whether the right hon. Gentleman's attention had been directed to the extremely serious effect on public opinion in Egypt of the promotion of this Judge so soon after the trial.

This is a point on which I have perfect confidence in the discretion of His Majesty's representative.

said that perhaps the right hon. Gentleman would be good enough to answer the Question whether His Majesty's representative in Egypt was not, as a matter of fact, consulted with regard to all these appointments.

I cannot say whether he is consulted in regard to all these appointments. Very likely he is consulted in regard to most of them, and, if so, I have no intention whatever of questioning the conclusion to which he comes.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, having regard to the importance of the resolutions recently recorded by the Egyptian General Assembly, he will lay a copy of them upon the Table of the House.

I have not yet received a copy of the resolutions. Till then I cannot say whether they contain anything of importance beyond what has already appeared in the Press.

Has the right hon. Gentleman received any resolutions from Alexandria and Cairo against these resolutions?

I cannot say.

Will the right hon. Gentleman apply for a copy of the resolutions?

From what I have seen of them in the Press they do not appear to be practical.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, it having been alleged in the Report of the director general of the Egyptian lunatic asylum for 1905 that many dangerous lunatics had to be discharged uncured owing to insufficiency of accommodation, he will state how far that condition of things has since been remedied; and how far the suggestions of the Report as to situation and space have been acted upon. I beg also to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a lunacy law, as promised in Lord Cromer's Annual Report for 1903, has been introduced in Egypt; if so, what was the date of its promulgation; is it applicable alike to Europeans and Natives; and, if no such law exists, by what legal authority are lunatics and other persons mentally afflicted, and found at large, arrested and retained under control.

I venture to refer the hon. Member to Lord Cromer's Report for 1906 which will deal with the question.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there is still only one lunatic asylum for the whole of Upper and Lower Egypt; what is the number of beds; what is the number of Europeans and Natives respectively mentally afflicted who have been annually placed under control during the last five years; and what proportion do those figures bear to the total number of persons of unsound mind throughout the country.

Lord Cromer's Report for 1906, which will shortly be published, contains full information on the first two points raised by the hon. Member. I am not in possession of any statistics enabling me to deal with the last two points raised.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is he yet able to give to the House the name of the delegate or delegates who will represent this country at the forthcoming Conference at The Hague.

I am not at present in a position to announce the names of the delegates who may be appointed.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the reason why, according to this year's Estimates, Diplomatic and Consular Services (Class 5, page 430), the Commercial Attachés previously stationed at Vienna, Berlin, and Madrid are in future to be stationed in London; for what reason a new item of £1,000 has been introduced into the same Estimates for allowance to secretaries for commercial work; and in what proportions and to which embassies is this sum to be allocated.

The new arrangements with regard to Commercial Attachés were drawn up in consultation with the Board of Trade. The practice of stationing Commercial Attachés abroad was found to be not altogether satisfactory and it is hoped that under the new scheme greater assistance will be rendered to British trade and commerce. Allowances will be granted to secretaries in the Diplomatic Service in order to secure systematic and continuous attention to current commercial work on the part of a particular member of the staff. These allowances will at present be assigned as follows:—Berlin, £100; Washington, £100; Rome, £100; St. Petersburgh, £100; Vienna, £100; Madrid, £100; Brussels, £100; Lisbon, £50; Rio, £50; Buenos Aires, £50; Cairo, £50; Tehran, £50; The Hague, £25; Athens, £25.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state the reason for the reduction in this year's Estimates, Diplomatic and Consular Services, (Class 5, page 431) of the allowance for the collection of commercial intelligence from £1,000 to £700.

The provision under the sub-head for special services represents the cost of the Commercial Agents who were appointed experimentally—£700 is still provided for a Commercial Agent in the United States. The other temporary Agencies have been abolished. The Agent in Russia has been made a Commercial Attaché; the Agent in Switzerland now receives salary as a Vice-Consul; and an additional sum of £1,000 is included under Sub-head A for commercial work at Diplomatic Missions abroad. There is no decrease of the expenditure on commercial work, but a net increase of about £2,000.

But the Estimates show a decrease.

More is allowed under other heads. There is a net increase.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that any arrangement between Germany and the United States shall not operate adversely to British trade.

Should any arrangement be come to between the United States and Germany affecting British trade, His Majesty's Government will, of course, enter into such communication with the United States Government as may be required.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the new Servian Treaty binds the Colonies to grant to the products of Servia the same tariff rates which they may grant to any other foreign country; and if so, whether the views of the self-governing Colonies have been obtained on this question.

The Treaty in no way binds British Colonies or Possessions in the sense indicated by the hon. Member. They are free to adhere to the Treaty or not. There has consequently been no occasion to consult the self-governing Colonies in the matter.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Article 13 of the new Servian Treaty means that Servia has agreed to grant the same terms to the products of any British Colony as are granted to the United Kingdom, irrespective of any inter-Imperial arrangement of tariffs which are now or may be hereafter in force.

Under Article 13 of the Treaty, Servia will grant most-favoured-nation treatment to the products of any British Colony or possession so long as that Colony or possession treats Servian goods as favourably as those of any foreign country. The Treaty therefore in no way interferes with an inter-Imperial arrangement of tariffs.

Does this Servian Treaty rest on the assumption that the preferential treatment of British goods by British Colonies is in accordance with the obligations of the most-favoured-nation clause?

The Treaty does not interfere with any inter-Imperial or inter-Colonial arrangements. It leaves all parts of the British Empire free to make what arrangements they please between themselves.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the provision of Article 13 of the new Servian Treaty, requiring Servia to extend most-favoured-nation treatment to the products of all parts of the British Empire, whether such part adheres to the Treaty or not, has been included in any other treaty with the United Kingdom.

A similar provision is included in the Commercial Convention between the United Kingdom and Roumania. signed 31st October, 1905, and in the Commercial Convention between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria, signed 9th December 1905. The latter Convention has not yet been ratified, but it is expected that the ratifications will be exchanged in the course of a few days.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when Mr. Neville Kearney was appointed Vice-Consul at Antwerp; what was his age when appointed; whether he had passed any examinations, and what qualifications he had for the post; and how many men are employed on the staff of the Consul-General in Antwerp, giving their names, ages, and length of service.

Mr. Kearney, who has been a clerk in the Consulate-General at Antwerp since August, 1903, was given the rank of Vice-Consul on the 9th instant on the recommendation of the Consul-General, so as to enable him to sign ships' papers and other official documents. He and one other Vice-Consul, Mr. Robert Cox, are paid out of the allowance for Office Expenses. Mr. W. Lydcotte, who also has the rank of Vice-Consul at Antwerp, receives an allowance of £200. His appointment dates from 1st April, 1891, and that of Mr. Cox from 18th January of that year. These gentlemen are not called upon to pass an examination, as they are not members of the salaried consular ser- vice nominated by the Secretary of State, but form part of the staff selected by the Consul-General. None of these gentlemen will be qualified for pensions.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the acceptance by the Porte and the Powers of the conditions proposed by His Majesty's Government as to the Turkish Customs duties, and the consequent acceptance of the extra 3 per cent. duty on imports into Turkey, will forward the construction of the Baghdad Railway.

The proceeds of the additional Customs duties of 3 per cent. would be devoted to the requirements of the Macedonian Budget and would not, therefore, be available for any other purpose. To what purposes the financial requirements of the Turkish Empire will allow any of the rest of the Turkish revenue to be devoted must remain a matter of opinion or conjecture.

asked whether there was anything in the conditions imposed by His Majesty's Government which would prevent the allocation of the sum set free by the imposition of these duties to the purpose he had mentioned.

It is a question as to what sum would be set free. The deficit of the Macedonian Budget, so far, has not been met out of revenue.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is contemplated that the formulating of reforms in Macedonia shall continue to rest with the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Governments after the proceeds of the proposed new Customs duties, leviable mainly upon British goods, have been applied to the financing of such reforms.

His Majesty's Government understand that any projects for reforms which may be formulated by the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Governments will be submitted to all the Powers concerned, and considered by them all. The initiative is, therefore, not so important as that the reforms should be formulated upon a principle which is acceptable to all the Powers, and this I trust is secured.

asked whether the initiative was not a matter of great importance, considering that the whole judicial reform of Macedonia rested at present with the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Governments.

said he did not say the initiative was of no importance, but what was more important was that when that initiative was taken the reforms should be upon principles which were acceptable. The question of who took the initiative was then much more a matter of form than of substance.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if it is in accordance with International law and International etiquette for the admiral of a foreign ship to land an armed force in a British Colony without the permission of the Governor of that colony.

The Answer is in the negative. And I may add that in the incident to which the right hon. Gentleman has previously referred no such right was ever claimed.

asked whether the right, or supposed right, was not exercised.

I said the right was not claimed, and you cannot say that a right that has not been claimed has been exercised. What I am convinced of is this, that there was naturally in the presence of such a catastrophe a certain amount of misunderstanding. The action of the American admiral was inspired by a single-minded motive of humanity and a desire to relieve suffering, and any other construction placed upon his action was both unworthy and untrue.

May I ask whether the fact remains that, in opposi- tion to the Governor of a British Colony, these armed forces were landed, and that there was no disorder that would, warrant any such action?

No, Sir. According to my information, the Question of the right hon. Gentleman conveys a statement of facts which is not borne out by the true accounts of the occurrence.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, when he is considering the question of his ability to allow an Exchequer contribution towards granting pensions to the aged deserving poor, he will take into consideration the suggestion that such contribution shall, as a tentative measure, in the first instance be of a limited amount to be met by an equal or larger sum from local sources.

The suggestion will be duly considered.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of income tax due for the year ending 31st March, 1906,was unpaid at that date in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively; and what percentage of costs had been charged to the taxpayers in each of these countries for non-payment to the same date.

The information asked for is not available, and could only be obtained, and that with difficulty and great labour, by calling for returns from the many thousand collectors by whom the tax is gathered in. An approximate statement could be given of the payments to the Exchequer up to 31st March, 1906, in respect of tax for the year to 5th April, 1906, as collected in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively. But this would represent collection only up to about 20th March on an average, and would be very imperfect in certain respects, and misleading in others. The exact amount of tax due for a year to 5th April (not 21st March) is not ascertained until all appeals for the year have been determined; the interval between "collection" and "payment to the Exchequer" varies greatly from a few days to three weeks, according to circumstances; and the amount not "due" until after 31st March is very much greater in England than in Scotland or Ireland (e.g., the tax on the April dividends on consols).

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman procure such figures as will satisfy us that the taxpayers in England are treated equally with the Scottish? The impression is that the Scottish taxpayer is dealt with unfairly.

I am doing my very best to bring England up to the Scottish standard.

Why not adopt the Scottish system of collection in England by employing the officers of Inland Revenue?

That is one of the points under consideration.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, upon what Parliamentary authority the Treasury acted when, in their communication to the Admiralty of the 31st December last, they assumed to authorise that Department to defray the deficits on certain Naval Votes out of moneys partly derived from surplus receipts beyond the sums appropriated in aid.

Following the uniform practice of many years, the authority cited was that of the Appropriation Acts. The question whether the application of Navy (or Army) Appropriations in Aid can be varied like that of Supply Grants is one which is now before the Public Accounts Committee, who will no doubt express their opinion in due course. I may remind the hon. Member that any action which the Treasury can take under the Appropriation Acts is temporary only, requiring Parliamentary ratification; and that the Treasury has no power to authorise even temporarily any expenditure which might cause an excess upon the aggregate sums appropriated by Parliament for Navy (or Army) services.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Comptroller and Auditor-General has reported that in his opinion the Treasury had no Parliamentary sanction whatever for its action, and had been guilty of the usurpation of a power belonging alone to this House? Under these circumstances will the right hon. Gentleman see that this £120,000 is surrendered to the Exchequer?

I understand that the question is before the Public Accounts Committee now.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury when the Committee inquiring into the National Physical Laboratory is likely to issue its Report.

I learn that the Committee is engaged in taking evidence, but I am not able at the present time to say when it will find itself in a position to issue its Report.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the statements made by the chairmen of numerous benches at the recent annual licensing meetings in Yorkshire on the subject of clubs; whether he is aware that the justices have referred in strong terms to the urgent need for further legislation in regard to clubs where intoxicants are supplied; whether the general purport of the opinions expressed by the justices is that any new enactment which might be made by Parliament on the licensing question would be futile in promoting temperance if it did not provide for the further regulation and supervision of clubs, in order to guard against abuses of the club system; and whether, having regard to these circumstances, he is now in a position to make a further statement as to the question of further legislation in regard to clubs.

I am aware that the first three paragraphs of the Question substantially represent the views generally held by Benches of licensing magistrates throughout the country. As regards the last paragraph, I am not in a position to make any statement at the present time.

Have not statements been made on behalf of the Government dealing with other important questions touching licensing, and cannot I have a more satisfactory answer from the right hon. Gentleman?

I have said the matter is still under consideration.

Do the Government intend to deal with it?

Yes, that is what I wished to convey.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the system adopted, in contravention of the Truck Acts, in Church Army homes and other institutions in West London, of paying wages in kind, by way of supplying food, and also by deductions for sleeping accommodation; whether such places are supervised by factory inspectors; and, if so, what steps, if any, have been taken to bring these factories into conformity with the law.

I am aware of the system to which the hon. Member calls attention. As I stated in reply to a similar Question last year, I am advised that it is by no means clear that the Truck Acts would apply to the case of persons seeking aid from charitable institutions, and the extension of the Act to cover such cases would involve considerable difficulties. I understand the point has been brought to the notice of the Committee on the Truck Acts which is now sitting, and it will no doubt receive their consideration.

On behalf of the hon. Member for St. Pancras, E., I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in view of the fact that he cannot see his way to giving the Metropolitan Police one day's rest in seven, in common with all other Government servants, on the ground that it would cost an extra £150,000 per annum, he will extend their annual holiday from ten days to fourteen days.

The cost even of this extension of holiday would be considerable, and I doubt if there are sufficient funds available to allow of my granting it, but I will consider the point in connection with the Estimates for the next financial year.

On behalf of the hon. Member for St. Pancras, E., I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in view of his Answer on the 19th March last,†he has yet considered whether it is desirable to extend the provisions of the Dangerous Performances Acts, 1879 and 1897, to dangerous performances by women of any age; and, if so, can he make any statement as to the introduction of legislation on the subject.

A Bill was introduced by the Government last year with this purpose, but did not succeed in passing. I see no prospect of legislation on the subject this session.

On behalf of the hon. Member for Glamorganshire, S., I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider the advisability of issuing rules showing whether compensation claims should be settled after July, 1907, the date the amended Workmen's Compensation Act comes into operation, upon the basis of the amended Compensation Act or the old Compensation Act, in cases in which the injuries or accident happened upon a date prior to the new law becoming operative.

I have no power to make rules on this subject, and the state of the law is quite clear. All cases where the accident happens after 1st July, 1907, will be under the new Act. All cases where the accident happened before

†See (4) Debates, cliv., 76.

1st July, 1907, will be under the old Acts, except with respect to references to medical referees, as to which the new provisions will apply.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of a young man of the name of Quarter man, of Chinnor, in Oxfordshire, who was recently sentenced to one month's imprisonment by the petty sessions at Watlington, without having had the advantage of any legal defence; whether he is aware that the police failed to comply with the regulations of the Home Office by not asking him if he wished to be defended, although they knew that a short time before, when tried for the same offence, he had been so defended; and whether full inquiry will be made into all the circumstances of this case.

I have already made inquiry into the case, and in view of all the circumstances I have felt justified in advising a remission of the sentence; but the grounds on which I have done so do not in any way reflect on the police officer concerned in the case. Defendant appears to have had full opportunity of obtaining legal advice for his defence if he had wished to do so. I know of no rule requiring the police to ask defendants whether they wish to be defended. The police have instructions to give prisoners who wish to be defended every facility for communicating with their legal advisers.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the prevalence of the sale of disinfectants which do not disinfect, he proposes to take any steps towards the standardisation of disinfectants.

I am not empowered to fix standards of disinfectants, and it does not at present appear to me that I could usefully take action in the matter.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Govern- ment Board whether his attention has been called to the Report of the German farm colony at Ware, Herts, in which it is stated that during 1901–6 out of 2,875 destitute but able-bodied German-speaking men who were admitted into the colony, 1,057 had earned sufficient during their stay to defray all expenses connected with their return home, 1,027 secured situations or received monetary assistance from abroad and were thus enabled to earn their own living, and only 709 left the colony to continue a life more or less dependent upon begging and vagrancy; and whether this farm colony is recognised financially or otherwise by his Department.

I have seen a statement issued by the council of this farm colony containing the particulars mentioned in the Question. The colony is established for the benefit of German-speaking persons who are out of employment and is supported by voluntary contributions. There does not appear to have been any occasion for the recognition of it by the Local Government Board.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, having regard to the near expiration of the time during which assistance may be given to distress committees from the grant of£200,000, and the amount of unemployment still existent, it is the intention of the Government to make a further grant for next year; and whether he can state when the Bill to amend the Unemployed Workmen Act, promised in the King's Speech of last year, will be introduced.

I am not at present in a position to make any statement as to a grant in the next financial year. For reasons I have previously explained, I do not contemplate proposing legislation to amend the Act.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he will cause registers to be kept by the medical officers of all workhouses and infirmaries of feeble-minded females who are delivered therein of illegitimate children; and whether he will lay upon the Table, or otherwise publish, an annual summary of such registers.

I will take note of the suggestion of my hon. friend, but I think it will be desirable to defer any action in the matter pending the Report of the Royal Commission on the Feebleminded. I understand that the Commissioners are now engaged on their Report.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board what steps have been taken by his Department to appoint a Committee to inquire into and settle the question of what is whisky, having in view the postponement of the appeal against Mr. Fordham's decision.

It appeared to me to be desirable that before I determined to take action of the kind referred to in the Question, the decision of the Court of quarter sessions on a re-hearing of the appeal should be given, and I expressed an opinion to this effect. Further representations have, however, recently been made to me on the subject, and these are now receiving my consideration. I may add that any Committee appointed by me could only inquire into the matter. They would have no power to settle it.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has yet received a Report from the medical officer of health for the borough of St. Pancras on the in sanitary conditions of Little Clarendon Street, Somers Town, which Report he stated, on the 12th March, 1906, that he had called for; also, what action, if any, has been taken by the borough council to deal with this insanitary property under the Housing of Working Classes Acts, 1890 to 1903; and, if no action has been taken, either by the borough council referred to or the Local Government Board, will he explain the cause of the delay.

I have received the Report referred to. It shows that the houses in question are in fair structural condition, and that no fault is to be found with the supply of light and air. Overcrowding, however, exists in the street, and a large number of notices for its abatement are served from time to time. The case appears to be one for action under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, rather than under the Housing of the Working Classes Acts, and I gather that the borough council are exercising their powers under the former Act.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board what portion of the grant of £200,000 for the unemployed has been given to Wales, and in what counties such portion has been expended.

The object of the grant was to supplement the voluntary contributions account of distress committees where there appeared to be exceptional need for assistance in the winter in meeting the cost of providing or contributing to the provision of necessary work. I am happy to say that no such need appeared to exist in the districts in Wales for which distress committees have been appointed, and that no application has been made by these committees for payments out of the grant. Consequently no such payments have been made.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the inquiry now being made as to wages paid in certain occupations will include particulars of employment in mines and quarries, and also on railways and tramway services; and when the information is likely to be presented to the House.

Yes. The inquiry will extend to the industries named by my hon. friend. The results will be published in sections from time to time, but it is impossible to say when the information will be complete.

Will it include railway and tram servants on systems in course of construction?

I will inquire.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, seeing railway clerks are being worked excessive hours, amounting in some cases to sixteen hours per day, especially in Ireland, he will consider the advisability of extending the Hours Act so as to include these men.

The power of regulating the hours of labour of certain classes of railway servants conferred by the Act of 1893 was mainly based on the interests of public safety. The Board of Trade are not at present prepared to propose the extension of the Act to classes of employees like clerks who cannot be distinguished from employees of private firms whose hours are unregulated by law.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he proposes to introduce the Patent Law Amendment Bill before Easter.

I beg also to ask the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to introduce a Bill to amend the patent laws and to protect British industry from the foreign competition which prevails under the existing system of patent law in this country.

My right hon. friend hopes to introduce this Bill at the earliest possible opportunity.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has had brought under his notice schemes for providing the training, considered necessary by the promoters, of officers and men for the merchant service; and whether, in view of the commercial and Imperial advantages to be gained by the increase in the number of adequately trained officers and seamen, he will consider the advisability of assisting, by means of public funds, such scheme or schemes as may be approved by the Board of Trade.

The whole subject is now under the consideration of a Board of Trade Committee of which I am chairman, and which has been appointed to report upon the most practicable scheme for the supply and training of boy seamen of British nationality for the mercantile marine.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that there is no heading in the published accounts of the London and North Western Railway under which the item appears of a subscription of £200 to the London Municipal Society; and whether he will use the powers and influence of his Department to enforce a full publication of all accounts so as to prevent the possibility of the concealment by the directors of such expenditure.

I notice that in the railway company's accounts their subscription is not entered separately; whether it should have been so shown would seem to be a matter for the auditors to whom the accounts were submitted. The question of alterations in the form of the accounts to be rendered by railway companies is at the present moment under the consideration of a Departmental Committee.

Will this money be paid out of dividends or capital account?

May I ask the Prime Minister whether he is aware that large sums of money were pooled by other companies and expended for the purpose of the recent County Council election in order to avoid the connection of agency as between those spending the money and the respective candidates, and whether, in consequence of such action, he does not contemplate legislation to tighten up the Corrupt Practices Act?

I am not aware of any such act as my hon. friend refers to, but I quite agree that the Corrupt Practices Act wants some renewal and revision.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the refusal of the Bristol Tramways Company to allow miners to ride inside workmen's cars; also if he is aware that the Bristol Trades Council has had the matter before them and have unanimously expressed their desire that miners should be permitted to travel in like comfort with their fellow workers; and whether he can take any action to meet this case.

Yes, Sir, the Board of Trade have communicated the views of the trades council to the tramways company, and requested the company to consider whether, in the circumstances, some amendment of their by-laws should not be made so far as workmen's cars are concerned.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that returns were obtained from all the railway companies for the hours worked by their men exceeding ten hours consecutive duty on any one day during the years 1891 and 1892; and whether he will order a Return to be made for all hours of duty above ten per day for January, 1907.

Returns of the nature described were obtained for the month of December, 1891. As regards the obtaining of further Returns on the same basis I would refer to the reply given to my hon. friend the Member for East Northamptonshire on the 22nd ultimo.†The whole question of the form and frequency of the Returns is now being carefully considered.