laid upon the Table Report from one of the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, That, in the case of the following Bills, originating in the Lords, and referred on the First Reading thereof, the Standing Orders not previously inquired into, and which are applicable thereto, have been complied with, viz.:—Royal Insurance Company Bill [Lords]; West Riding Tramways Bill [Lords]; Folkestone, Sandgate, and Hythe Tramways Bill [Lords]; West Yorkshire Tramways Bill [Lords]; Newquay and District Water Bill [Lords]; Medway Lower Navigation Bill [Lords].

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Yorkshire Miners' Association have ever been charged income-tax on the interest paid to them by their bankers on deposits previous to the present year; why income-tax is demanded on their interest this year; and whether trade unions, registered under the Trade Union Acts, and whose funds are available for bene- volent benefits such as death claims, are properly liable for income-tax.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether advertisements have been issued by his authority in the public press asking for applications by competent telegraphists for the position of season assistants; whether women answering the advertisement have been informed that the wages are £1 per week, and that only six months work can be promised; and whether he will seek to avoid an increase of casual female labour, especially in view of the fact that a number of qualified telegraph learners are waiting appointment throughout the country.

:To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state the number of publicans in the city of Belfast and the amount of licence duty paid by them for the years ended 10th October, 1905, and 10th October, 1906.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the report of the clerk to the Kingstown Urban District Council stating that, owing to the action of Lords Longford and De Vesci and the Earl of Carysfort, over 120 houses have been or will be closed and a number of workers and their families evicted; whether those evictions are the result of the refusal of the said Lords to comply with sanitary requirements; whether he is aware that those houses have been taken over by Lords Longford and De Vesci and the Earl of Carysfort at the termination of a lease term from the builders or owners; and whether he will take into consideration the advisability of immediately adopting measures calculated to prevent the further depopulation and pauperisation of the Kingstown urban district.

To ask the Prime Minister when the Second Reading of the Butter and Margarine Bill will be taken.

To ask the Prime Minister what are the arrangements made with regard to the Equivalent Grant to England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland; whether it has been the rule that the grant need not be spent on the same object; and whether the Equivalent Grant has been made on the principle of the amount of taxes paid by each part of the United Kingdom.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, although Section 5 of the Appropriation Act, 1905, only empowered the Treasury to authorise the Board of Admiralty to defray expenditure not provided for out of surpluses effected by the saving of expenditure and not otherwise, and only empowered them to deal with appropriations in aid to the extent of sums not exceeding in all £1,688,687, the Treasury have, nevertheless, contrary to the Act, taken upon themselves to authorise the application to expenditure of £120,938 19s. 7d., which is not a saving of expenditure but an excess of receipts beyond the total sums appropriated in aid of naval expenditure by the Appropriation Act, 1905; whether a precisely similar course under precisely similar circumstances was taken by the Treasury in regard to a sum of £172,392 13s. 4d. on the Army Votes; why the Treasury thus took upon itself to exercise powers beyond those conferred upon it by law, and reported by the officer appointed to examine the public accounts on behalf of this House to be without statutory sanction; whether he will direct these two sums, amounting together to £293,331 12s. 11d., to be surrendered to the Exchequer; and whether he will undertake that in future the Treasury shall set an example to the other departments of strict obedience to the law.

:To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in Edenderry, as in many other Irish towns, it was the custom for the local Royal Irish constables to serve all summonses given to them by the town clerk for that purpose under the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act of 1854 and the Acts incorporated therewith; whether, in spite of a decision in the King's Bench to the effect that the service of such summonses by members of the Royal Irish Constabulary was illegal, the Dublin Castle authorities subsequently authorised the continuance of such service on representations made to them by the Chairman of the Commissioners, Mr M. P. O'Brien; that this authorisation by the Inspector General of Constabulary was confirmed in March, 1906, by an Order made by the magistrate of the Edenderry Petty Sessions Court and Town Court, and will he say why it was withdrawn last January; and whether steps will be taken to prevent the resources of the township being taxed for the employment of a special summons server when the Town and Sessions Courts are held at the same time, and the local police are quite willing to continue the duty they performed for so long a period.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the case of Robert Cooke, son of the late David Cooke, who was evicted from his farm on the estate of Sir Samuel Hayes, near Convoy, county Donegal, over twenty years ago, and to the fact that his son, Robert Cooke, has been reinstated by the Commissioners two years ago, but without means to start farming with; and whether he will direct the Estates Commissioners to grant him a sum of money to crop and stock his farm now lying waste.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if the Mountshannon estate, in county Limerick, has been as yet apportioned to any persons; and can he say whether the names of Hanora Lonergan, of Toomaline Doon, James Conway, of Guravalla Doon, Ellen Rafferty, of Knockroe Kilteely, and Simon Ryan, of Cross Pallasgrean, whose evicted farms have been grabbed, and who applied as far back as two years since for portions of this estate, have been favourably considered.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that Sir Charles Barrington, baronet, of Glenstal, county Limerick, a few years since sold some of his property to his tenants, and is now again in negotiation with the tenants on another portion of his estates; and will he instruct the Estates Commissioners to approach him on the sale to them of the lands of Culnahilla, so as to plant thereon his evicted tenants, Messrs. Ryan, Kelt, M'Knight, and others holding uneconomic farms on the estate.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the tenants on the Dicken property of Basket Hill and Croughhiveera, Ballybrood, county Limerick, have arranged with their landlord for the purchase of their farms; and will the Estates Commissioners be instructed to approach the agent, Mr. Whyte, of Limerick, with the view of obtaining the evicted land of his father for Patrick O'Brien, Cloughadareen, Pallasgrean, county Limerick, which, from the time of his eviction, has always been worked as an untenanted farm.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, seeing that Irish national teachers are permitted to carry on business as postmasters, shopkeepers, farmers, insurance agents, etc., if he will state why an exception has been made in the case of the teacher of school 5735, and why he has been prevented from acting as income tax collector in his district, which would not interfere with his duties as teacher; and whether, seeing that this teacher was deprived of £30 a year salary owing to the operation of the Rules of 1900, he will recommend the Board to withdraw their objection to his supplementing his income by evening work which will not interfere with his ordinary daily duties as teacher.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say whether labourers residing in urban districts in Ireland are debarred from the privileges of the Labourers Acts although working in the adjoining rural districts where there is no housing accommodation available.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in the county of Wexford the inspectors of the Land Commission are only now inspecting estates where agreements were lodged in 1905, with the result that a number of the tenants have to pay from 3½ to 4 per cent per annum on the amount of the purchase money instead of 3¼; and whether he will take steps to have sales in the county Wexford completed as soon as possible.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will explain why the Board of Works is only paying the labourers engaged on Donaghadee Harbour works 2s. 4d. per diem, while the standard wage for labourers is considerably higher.

:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can now say whether he will approach the French Government with a view to obtaining their assent to the removal to this country from the Abbey of Fontevrault of the bones and effigies of the Plantagenet Sovereigns, viz., Henry II. and his consort, Eleanor of Guienne, Isabel of Angoulème, consort of King John, and Richard Cœur de Lion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the officials at British Embassies in Continental countries are directed to give practical assistance to English traders whose trade marks or trade names have been counterfeited; and whether, in the event of English traders having to take either criminal or civil proceedings against counterfeiters in Continental countries, they can rely on receiving all possible assistance from the Embassies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can announce, in full, the conditions finally attached to the increase of the Turkish customs duties.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state the number of paupers, of all kinds, receiving relief at the end of the financial year 1835.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet been able to procure information, of a recent date, showing at what age the right to vote in legislative elections begins in the different countries of the world possessing parliamentary government.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the figures lately submitted to him by the Cork Harbour Commissioners in a statement dated 27th January, 1907, as to the arrivals of American mails in English towns on 9th January, 1907, were based on the supposition that the s. s. "Oceanic" had proceeded direct to Holyhead and landed the mails there; and whether he will take into consideration the advantages which would accrue to the country generally if Holyhead were submitted for Queenstown or Plymouth as the port of call for all homeward mails.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether, as the telephone trunk line has been constructed to Fermoy, he will consider the desirability of extending it from there through Lismore, Cappoquin, and Dungarvan to Waterford, in view of the commercial interests to be served, particularly of Dungarvan.

To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether, seeing that a circular has been addressed by that Department to county councils in Great Britain, calling attention to the Report of the Departmental Committee on small holdings, and inviting the attention of such county councils to the suggestions and recommendations made by the Committee to which effect might be given under the law as it stands, and that the Department has also invited replies to that circular letter, he will at the earliest possible moment publish such replies for the benefit of Members of this House.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the Commissioners of Northern Lights have included in their estimates for the current year the cost of erecting a lighted buoy or beacon on Clanchland Point, in the Island of Arran.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the number of recent cases of loss and stranding of the following steam trawlers sailing out of the port of Aberdeen, without any inquiry having been held by the Board of Trade, viz., the "Star of Hope," stranded at Newburgh and two lives lost; the "Badger," stranded and lost on the West Coast of the Orkneys in May 1906, and one life lost; the "Undaunted," stranded in January; the "Star of the Isles," also in January 1907, wrecked on the Scaurs of Cruden; on Friday last the "Irish Prince," wrecked and sunk at the Isle of Copinshay (Orkneys); and if he can state whether, in the latter case, an inquiry will be held, and why, in the other cases, no inquiry of any kind has been held in Aberdeen.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether it is proposed to rebuild the whole of the Quadrant, as leases fall in, upon the same design as that of the building now being erected; and, if so, whether he can undertake that further consideration shall be given to the views of lessees and others before further building becomes necessary.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the attention of the Treasury has been drawn to the announcement that the reading room of the British Museum will be closed from the middle of April till the end of October; whether he is aware that this step will inflict loss and inconvenience upon a very large number of poor students; and whether the authorities of the museum can make temporary provision for them in the King's Library or elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if arrangements have been made for the appointment of a Departmental Committee to inquire into the alleged grievances of the clerks to surveyors of taxes; and, if so, can he give any information as to the composition and personnel of that Committee.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that owners of small cottage properties, who are assessed to income-tax upon the nominal rental of their cottages, or some figure approximating to such rental, are compelled to pay income-tax at that rate, notwithstanding the fact that their actual receipts, though their cottages are occupied, may after payment of local rates and repairs fall very far short of the amount upon which assessment is made; and whether in view of the need for encouraging small holders, he will consider whether the tax cannot be levied in proportion to the rent actually received in any given year.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will say whether he has received a memorial from the Incor- porated Law Society of Ireland asking that the annual licence fee charged for Irish solicitors be discontinued; and will he give the matter his consideration and remove this tax peculiar to this profession.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the two battalions of Moplah Rifles have each been reduced to 200 non-commissioned officers and men by stopping recruitment, though a recruiting officer is maintained in Malabar, and by offering discharges to men who had not served their proper time; whether the Governments of Madras and India did not decide against the proposed disbandment of these battalions and, seeing that if the answer is in the affirmative, the action of the military authorities practically amounts to overriding the decision of the Government, whether he will make inquiry into the matter on account of the political objections to introducing discontent among the Moplahs, as well as on account of the merits of the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the boycott organised by the anti-partitionists in Bengal has resulted in a falling off of 70,000,000 of yards of cotton piece goods in the exports from Manchester, while in other Indian Provinces there has been an excess of 31,000,000 of yards in the figures for last year; and whether, since Bengal takes more than half of all the Manchester piece goods imported into India, he will publish such figures as may be available for the information of those interested in the trade.

To ask the Secretary of State for India whether the quinquennial valuation of the Indian Civil Service Family Pension Fund is, as in the case of the Military Fund, long overdue; when will it be completed; whether, at the last valuation, after allowing interest at the rate of 4½ per cent. per annum on the funds, it was found necessary to enhance the rate of contribution of the subscribers by 27½ per cent., in order to maintain the solvency of the fund; whether this was due to the cost of management, which showed a charge of £3 by the Government for every £7 paid to widows and orphans; whether Mr. Day, the actuary who was consulted, suggested that the Government should manage the fund free of expense; and, if so, will he say why his suggestion was not adopted.

To ask the Secretary of State for India if his attention has been drawn to the case of Miss Alice Eleanor; Mill, who after the death of her father Major Mill, of the Bengal Artillery, in the Indian Mutiny at Fyzabad in 1857, was compelled to wander in the jungle with her mother and two young brothers, one of whom died from the exposure, without shelter for a long time; whether he is aware that the compassionate allowance granted to Mrs. Mill, in addition to a pension, was not continued to Miss Mill after the death of her mother in 1903, and that Miss Mill, whose mother and brother are now dead, receives a pension of only £40 a year; and whether he will make inquiries as to the advisability of continuing the compassionate allowance previously granted to her mother to Miss Mill, in view of the services of her father and the hardships and dangers incurred by Miss Mill after the death of her father.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will ascertain, in connection with the sale of the O'Dwyer estate in the Land Judge's Court, the annual and capital value respectively of that estate, with the name of the valuer, the price which the Land Judge has sanctioned, the normal fee and the expenses ordered to be paid to Mr. Bell, I receiver for negotiating the sale, and the extra amount ordered to be paid to Mr. Bell for his action which resulted in increasing the price; whether the total is higher or lower than the average negotiating fee paid by the Estates Commissioners; and whether the Estates Commissioners will, before these payments are completed, have an opportunity of getting the estate valued and of controlling the payments.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if, having regard to the statement of the hon. Member for East Mayo, in the House on the 21st February 1900, that the total number of evicted tenants in Ireland at the outside numbered then between 2,000 and 3.000 persons, the number has risen seven years later to 7,155; and if he has any official information showing that a number of those claiming are disentitled to relief.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, when on the sale of an entire estate the owner and the tenant of a non-residential farm on it concur in the desire to sell their respective interests in that farm for the purpose of allowing it to be distributed among descendants of tenants evicted from it previous to 1878, if the Estates Commissioners have power to give effect to that purpose by buying up the entire estate, including the two interests in that farm, will he ask them to do it in the case of the Kavanagh Estate, Streete, Westmeath; and, if they lack power, will he endeavour to have it conferred upon them this session.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland when, in a district in which land is much needed for the relief of uneconomic holdings and the prevention of emigration, a purchaser under previous purchase Acts offers untenanted land subject only to a balance of annuities payable to the Irish Land Commission, and when the only requirement is an accountant's adjustment of a single transaction between the two purchase departments of the Land Commission, will he, in the public interest, ask those departments to make the necessary adjustment and allow the transaction to go through; and will he have this done in the case of the Gregg Estate at Culvin, Streete, Westmeath.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, does the practice set forth by the Estates Commissioners on page 9 of their last annual Report apply; if not, what is their practice when, in a district in which descendants of evicted tenants are in need of land and willing to buy it at its true value, the owner of the evicted and untenanted land attempts to get paid twice for it and to defeat the in- tention of Parliament by first selling a new tenant's interest to the highest bidder subject to the condition of signing a judicial agreement in order that the fee simple may then be sold to him within the zones, and that thus inspection and the jurisdiction of the Commissioners may be ousted; and, if the Commissioners have discretionary power to prevent such an abuse, will they note that Miss M'Cormack now advertises her intention to practice it with reference to her lands on the borders of Westmeath and Longford.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether Sir Henry Burke has offered to sell to the Estates Commissioners untenanted lands in his possession at Drum, near Athlone, county Roscommon, for the purpose of enlarging the small holdings upon his estate; and, if so, whether negotiations are in progress on the matter.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state how many grass farms in the rural district of Athlone, county Roscommon, have been offered for sale to the Estates Commissioners; who are the owners of these farms; whether the farms have been inspected; if so, the offers made to the owners; have they been accepted; and what is the price offered per statute acre.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Department of Agriculture has drawn his attention to the increased quantity of timber exported from Ireland during the last four years as compared with previous years, and the practice of landlords to strip of trees estates they are about to sell; has the Government any powers to stop or check the destruction of trees or to require fresh plantation; and, if not, will he ask Parliament for such powers this session.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the dates upon which the Estates Commissioners have written asking Mr. Richard Gradwell, of Dowth Hall, Drogheda, to sell to them his evicted and untenanted lands in Westmeath; the date of Mr. Gradwell's reply, if any; and have the Commissioners any prospect of acquiring those lands or any portion of them.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether there are any grants available for the enlargement or structural improvement of non-vested schools in Ireland; and, if so, on what conditions are such grants given.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in the matter of Rowe's Estate, where negotiations for a sale have been proceeding for the last three years between the tenants and the Land Judge's Court, and where inspection by the Land Commission was made over twelve months ago, nothing has since been done by either the Land Commission or the Land Judge's Court to complete the sale to the tenants; and whether he will bring this case before the attention of the Land Commission.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say whether he has received a copy of a resolution adopted at a meeting of the Town Tenants' Association of Abbeyfeale protesting against the destruction of the trade and general interests of the town by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company through the insufficiency of loading and unloading accommodation at the railway premises there, and the want of a proper staff of men; and if he can say what action he intends to take in the matter.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to a case before the Portsmouth brewster sessions, of a pensioned warrant officer having beer delivered at his house by the canteen of the Royal Marine Artillery sergeants' mess; whether such sale was not contrary to the regulations; and whether he will take steps to protect traders in garrison towns against this form of competition.

My attention has been called to this case, and steps have now been taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar practice in future.

:I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what is the aggregate tonnage of all the vessels struck off the list of effective ships of each of the Navies of Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States respectively since the beginning of the year 1904.

The aggregate tonnage of vessels struck off the list of effective ships since 1st January, 1904, is as follows:—Great Britain, 279,635; France, 76,553; Germany, 47,219; United States, 11,159.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether a fixed reserve of heavy guns in the proportion of one to every four mounted has hitherto been regarded as essential by the Admiralty; if so, whether any change has recently been made, or is in contemplation, by which the proportion of guns in reserve to guns in use has been or will be diminished; and whether, in view of the frequent assurances that have been given to the House to the effect that the reserve of warlike stores would be maintained at a fixed proportion, any intended departure from that undertaking will be announced to the House.

No reduction in the reserve of heavy guns or other warlike stores has been made, or is in contemplation.

Is there any reduction in the reserve of ammunition per gun?

No, I took the Question in that sense.

Is it not the fact that our reserve is much less in proportion than that of either Germany or France?

I must ask for notice of that Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty what has been the total expenditure on Dover Harbour since the works were proposed in 1895, how much further expenditure is proposed, and whether any adverse Reports have been received in reference to the harbour.

The expenditure up to the present is about £3,059,000 out of a total estimate of £3,500,000. It is expected that the balance of the total Estimate will all be expended. No adverse Reports have been received.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether mishaps occurred to both H.M.S. "Africa" and H.M.S. "Duke of Edinburgh" when testing moorings at Dover; whether the grounding of H.M.S. "Duke of Edinburgh" was due to the dangerous currents in the harbour; and what action the Board of Admiralty propose to take for the safety of ships using the harbour.

No mishap occurred to the "Africa." The "Duke of Edinburgh," when entering, was placed in difficulties by a vessel crossing her bows, and promptly let go an anchor to avoid mishap. Owing to the bad holding ground the anchor did not bite, and the "Duke of Edinburgh" drifted somewhat to the northward and smelt the ground. To avoid such occur- rences in future, a system of signals will be instituted to prevent vessels entering and leaving the harbour together.

On behalf of the hon. Member for the Horsham Division of Sussex, I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty does the addition of mercuric chloride to cordite, or other explosives, prevent a proper estimation by the recognised service tests of the purity and condition as regards safety of such cordite or other explosives; has any cordite supplied to the British Government by any firm of contractors been found to contain mercuric chloride, and is this substance authorised in cordite; whether in view of the loss of life and damage which would occur were the cordite on our ships of war to suffer spontaneous combustion in consequence of impure materials having been used, and in consequence of mercuric chloride in the cordite having misled inspectors as regards the tests, it is proposed to, or have orders been given to, specially examine all cordite supplied to His Majesty's service, with a view to such cordite being immediately destroyed if found to contain mercuric chloride; whether it is proposed to strike any firms, who may have supplied such defective ammunition, off the list of Government contractors, and to make them responsible for the loss caused to the public.

This question is under active investigation at present, and no statement on the subject can yet be made.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that the total estimated cost of the guns of the "Dreadnought" is set down in the Navy Estimates as £113,200 and her armament as ton 12-inch guns, besides a number of small guns and torpedoes; whether he is aware that a 12-inch Mark-X gun cannot be obtained for a less sum than £9,800, so that only eleven 12-inch guns can be provided by the sum mentioned, giving a reserve of only one in ten as compared with one in four, as formerly existed; and whether he can state what steps the Admiralty propose to take to provide an adequate reserve.

The sum of £113,200 includes the cost of the armament on board the ship only. The reserve has been separately provided for and is adequate.

Is it not usual to include the reserve armament in the cost?

reply was inaudible.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what is the present strength of the First Class Army Reserve of the Infantry of the Line, and of Section D, Reserve of the Infantry of the Line.

The figures on 1st March were as follows:—Sections A. and B., 62,163; Section D., 11,990; Total, 74,153.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in the event of the Yeomanry and the Militia being incorporated in the proposed Territorial Army, any issue of clothing will be made to the men; whether the present scales of clothing for the Militia and Yeomanry respectively will be maintained; and, if not, what scale will be substituted.

had given notice of the following Question: To ask the Secretary of State for War whether it is proposed to make any grant to the men of the Territorial Army towards the purchase of uniforms for review and walking-out purposes; if so, what is the estimated amount of such grant; and, if no such grant is to be made, will territorial units be required to provide such uniforms from private funds, or will the wearing of such uniforms be discontinued.

In reply to this Question and to one put on a similar subject by the right hon. and gallant Member for the Newport Division of Shropshire, the clothing of the territorial force in peace time will be dealt with by the county associations, which bodies will receive for this purpose a sum of money based on an average allowance per man on the strength, plus such additional sum as may be required to meet first outlay on increase of numbers. The grant, which will be based on the assumption that service dress is to be worn by the whole territorial force, will be rather higher in the case of mounted than of dismounted men. The question as to whether any extra grant is to be made towards the purchase of uniforms for review and walking-out purposes is still under consideration.

said he considered this to be a very important question. At the present time the Militia and the Yeomanry had a large amount of their clothing, other than service dress, paid for out of public funds. Would the Militia continue to have their underclothing paid for, and would the Yeomanry and the Volunteers still have their walking-out dress, apart from their service dress, paid for out of public funds?

It is clear that the public must provide these people with the dress and clothing necessary to enable them to perform their duties. The working out of the details of that principle is still under consideration.

asked whether the Militia would continue to receive the whole of their clothing, or whether they would receive merely the ordinary service dress.

The new conditions will apply to the whole of the territorial force. Any peculiarity will have to be considered. Our obligation is to provide the new territorial force with all the clothing that is necessary to enable them to perform their duties. We shall consider the details as we come to them.

asked whether there would be absolute uniformity of dress in regard to all the regiments of the territorial force. He understood that one regiment would not be allowed to have walking-out dress if it was denied to another.

We are aiming at uniformity. The principle is to organise the second Line as regards clothing and everything else on a uniform principle, just as in the case of the first Line.

Will there also be uniformity of colour?

That point too is under consideration.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether Lord Esher occupies any official position at the War Office, or has any authority there; and, if so, what is his position and whence is his authority derived.

Lord Esher occupies no official position at the War Office nor does he exercise any authority there. The misapprehension into which the hon. Member has fallen is probably founded on the fact that Lord Esher is a member of the Defence Committee, but this is a body quite distinct from the War Office.

Is it suggested that Lord Esher, in his capacity as a member of the Defence Committee, has a right of access to confidential War Office and Admiralty documents?

As a member of the Defence Committee no doubt certain confidential War Office and Admiralty documents are submitted to Lord Esher, as they are submitted to other members of the Defence Committee.

asked whether Lord Esher had a voice in the appointments made by the War Office.

No, Sir.

None whatever?

None.

asked whether the important and unique national services which Lord Esher had rendered to the Army and the Admiralty would be adequately rewarded.

In my opinion Lord Esher has rendered to the Imperial services greater benefits than the public yet fully appreciate. I wish I could hold out any hope that they will be adequately rewarded.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is yet in a position to consider the drafting of improved by-laws for regulating the user of the Shoebury foreshore, with a view to safeguarding the interests both of the War Office and of the local fishermen; and whether, before any draft by-laws are put into force, he will afford an opportunity to representatives of the fishermen to submit suggestions on the draft.

The draft by-laws are now under consideration, and the interests of the local fishermen will be safeguarded as far as possible. The draft by-laws will be advertised in accordance with the provisions of the Military Lands Acts, and fishermen and others concerned will be afforded an opportunity to submit suggestions on the draft.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if any of the sites and buildings connected with the defences of London have yet been disposed of.

None of the sites have as yet been disposed of.

On behalf of the hon. Member for the Lichfield Division of Staffordshire, I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he has considered the point as to the powers conferred on provost marshal's assistants in time of war; and if he can state what those powers will be.

Yes, Sir, and it is intended to draw up a code of rules for the guidance of the provost marshal in the field and his assistants in charge of prisons in the field. Such code will admit of some elasticity to meet varied condition of climate, locality, etc.

asked if there would be regulations as to the kind of people to be appointed to this office.

That is one of the points we are dealing with. The office is an important one, and we are endeavouring to make sure the right people are appointed.

Will the rules be laid on the Table of the House, or, if not, will any document be laid before Parliament on the subject?

I think my best course will be to undertake to lay the rules before Parliament.

Will they receive the sanction of Parliament before coming into operation?

If necessity arises they can be discussed after they have been laid on the Table. They will, however, be framed with the utmost care, and I hope there will be no necessity for discussing them.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War what is the present effective strength of the Royal Horse and Field Artillery, the Royal Garrison Artillery, and the Infantry of the Line respectively, distinguishing in each case between those on the British and Indian establishments respectively.

The figures for warrant and non-commissioned officers and men on the 1st March were as follows:—

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India by whose authority and under what circumstances the official name of the Mandalay-Kunlōn Ferry line of the Burma Railways system was changed to that of the Lashio Branch; for what reasons the opening to traffic of the Mandalay-Kunlōn Ferry line beyond Lashio is delayed or is in abeyance; what steps have been taken to preserve the works and buildings already completed between Lashio and the Salwen River at or near the Kunlōn Ferry from deterioration by climatic or other causes, also to conserve the survey marks on the same section; and what was the net total cost of the alternative survey executed in 1900, from the proposed crossing of the Myitnge River near Lashio, via Hsinwi and Möng La, to the Salwen River on the route of the Mandalay-Kunlōn Ferry line.

It was decided in 1903 that the extension of the Burma Railway towards Kunlon should not be carried beyond Lashio, and the extension is consequently sometimes spoken of as the Lashio Branch. The decision to stop at Lashio was based on the view that, having regard to the unfavourable prospects of the line, any extension beyond Lashio would be an unwise and unjustifiable employment of Indian funds while so many more urgently required and more promising schemes were calling for attention. I am not aware that any work or buildings have been constructed between Lashio and the Salwen River, or what steps have been taken for conserving the survey marks. With regard to the alternative route from Lashio to the Salwen River via Hsinwi, a reconnaissance survey of this route was carried out in 1898–99, and the cost of the line was roughly estimated at Rs.1,35,00,000 (£900,000).

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the sum of £40,000 was granted to the Island of Jamaica in the year 1781; whether this was a free grant or a loan; and for what purpose the grant was made.

I find it stated in "Bridges' Annals of Jamaica" that in the year 1781 the British Parliament sent a donation of £40,000 in specie to relieve distress in Jamaica resulting from a hurricane. The Under-secretary of State asks me to say that he regrets that he failed previously to discover this record. It may interest the hon. Member also to know that it is stated in the same record that "some alleviation of the public distress was also obtained by the immediate permission of a free trade with Ireland."

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet been able to ascertain whether a free grant of £100,000 was made by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to the Colony of Jamaica in the year 1833; whether, at the same time, a loan was granted; if so, for how much; and whether the said loan has been repaid.

No free grant was made by Parliament to the Colony of Jamaica at the period referred to. Two loans were granted, to which the Under-Secretary referred in his Answer to a previous Question of the hon. Member, on account of loss of public and private property caused by insurrections. £244,100 was lent to private estates, and £200,000 to the Colonial Government. Only a part of each loan was repaid.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies at what date the sum of £1,000,000 was voted by the Colony of Jamaica as a contribution towards the expenses of the war between the British Empire and the French Republic; and at what date that sum was paid.

This money was not voted. In the Under-Secretary's reply to the hon. Member's Question a fortnight ago he used the word "subscribed" and his statement rests on the authority of the Official Jamaica Handbook, which states that no less than £1,000,000 was voluntarily subscribed to help England. He apprehends that the expenditure may have been incurred for the prosecution of the War in the West Indies, the cost of which largely fell on the Colony, but he has no precise information upon this matter.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether Sir West Ridgway has handed over the profits he has made from the Ceylon Pearl Fisheries to the Treasury, in order that they may be used for the benefit of the people of Ceylon.

I have no information on this subject.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware it is estimated that there has been a capital loss to the Colony of nearly two millions sterling, and that the public of Ceylon and of other Colonies conversant with the case regard the transaction from start to finish as an unmitigated job?

Notice should be given of any Question dealing with figures.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to a statement by the High Commissioner for New Zealand to the effect that it would be possible to establish a scheme of Imperial preference throughout the Empire by means of amended shipping regulations; and whether the Government will take any steps in the direction suggested.

The question will no doubt be discussed at the Colonial Conference.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will lay upon the Table the despatch of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, of 20th April, regarding affairs in the Western Pacific, which is referred to in paragraph 9 of Mr. Deakin's despatch of 13th June, 1906, in Cd. 3288, page 38.

The despatch mentioned was a, secret despatch, which it is not considered desirable in the public interest to lay upon the Table of the House.

:I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the action brought by the Zulu chief Dinuzulu against his late secretary, at Nongomo, in Natal, on the 23rd ultimo, was adjourned sine die in consequence of instructions received from the Colonial Secretary; if so, will he say why such official interference with the ordinary course of justice took place; whether the plaintiff had incurred heavy expense; and what further action the Colonial Secretary proposes to take in the matter.

No official information to this effect has been received. Inquiry is being made of the Governor.

I beg to ask the Under-secretary of State for the Colonies what practical steps are being taken by the mine owners in the Transvaal to repatriate those Chinese labourers whose indentures will expire at the end of June.

No official information has been received on the subject since the new Government came into office.

:I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is no win a position to give any information as to the value of the new Gordon drill as a labour-saving machine in the Transvaal gold mines.

No, Sir, there is no information which can be added to the Answer given to the hon. Member on the 14th of February.†

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

†See (4) Debates, clxix., 305.

No, Sir.

As Clause 50 of the Constitution does not give latitude to the Transvaal Government to regulate its own affairs as it thinks best, may I call the right hon. Gentleman's attention to the speech of the Prime Minister of the Transvaal yesterday?

Order, order. The hon. Gentleman is giving information, not asking a Question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of that speech in which the Prime Minister of the Transvaal said, "We trust Britain, and we want Britain to trust us. Give us latitude to regulate our own affairs as we think best"?

Yes; I am aware of the speech, and I have no doubt that the Secretary for the Colonies is aware of it.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Transvaal Government decided not to announce its labour policy until the month of June?

No; that is a subject on which I have no personal information.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, with a view to increasing the supply of Native labour for the gold mines, the Government of the Transvaal has opened negotiations with the various Governments in South Africa; and, if so, whether he can say how far the Portuguese authorities are willing to go in order to meet the wishes of the Transvaal Government by giving full facilities for recruiting in Portuguese territory.

The Transvaal Government has not at present made any communications to the Secretary of State on the subject of their labour policy.

Arising out of that Answer, in order to prepare the abnormally sensitive and humane minds of the hon. Member for South Berks and others would it not be advisable for the Under-Secretary for the Colonies to give some information to the House concerning the evils that are attendant on free recruiting in South Africa?

I shall repeat my Question.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that 2,000 Indians are detained in Natal, though they are anxious to leave for Lobito Bay to work upon the Benguelea Railway, and whether, if the Answer be in the affirmative, the Government will dispose as speedily as may be of any administrative or technical obstacles which stand between these labourers and their work.

The Secretary of State has been in communication with the India Office, and learns that the Government of India have now stated that they do not raise any objection to the employment of these Indians. The Governor of Natal has been informed to-day accordingly.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any statement or report from His Majesty's Consuls in Russia and Poland as to systematic fraudulent bankruptcy among traders in that country.

No such reports have been received.

On behalf of the hon. Member for Wands- worth, I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is he aware that the recent wreck of the s s. "Imperatrix," with many lives, was owing to the absence of any light on the south-west coast of Crete; that there is no lighthouse or light in the Mediterranean between Cape Matapan (Greece) and Gavdo Island, a distance of 123 nautical miles; that the south-west coast of Crete is in the midway between those two points; and that even the light on Gavdo Island, being so high as 1,149 feet above sea level, is invisible in cloudy weather, and therefore often not available; and whether he will move the proper authorities to consider the erection of a light on Kavo Krio, a headland in Crete near the wreck, which is said by competent authorities to be suitable for the purpose.

His Majesty's Government have no information as to the causes which led to the wreck of the Austrian steamship "Imperatrix," nor have they received any applications during the last thirteen years from the British shipping interested for the establishment of a light on the south-west extremity of Crete.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there has been any exchange of views between His Majesty's Government and the Government of the United States on the question of proposing to the forthcoming Hague Conference an international agreement for the reduction or arrest of armaments; and, if not, will he consider the wisdom of approaching President Roosevelt on the subject.

My right hon. friend is unable, at present, to make any statement with regard to the communications that have passed or may pass between the Powers in regard to this subject.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, and, if so, in what respect, the interpretation of coastal trade by the United States differs from that accepted in this country; and whether, if such a difference of interpretation exists, it would be possible for this country to adopt a similar definition of coastal trade.

The carrying trade between the United Kingdom and the various British Colonies and Possessions, as well as the carrying trade between ports of the United Kingdom, and also inter-colonial trade, has long been free from any restriction as to the nationality of vessel. The United States treat the carrying trade between their Atlantic and Pacific seaboards as coasting trade, and reserve it to national vessels, and they also reserve the trade between their oversea possessions of Porto Rico and Hawaii. The question appears to be one of policy, and it is not proposed to change the policy which we have hitherto adopted.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, seeing that Canada imposes a surtax against those countries which treat Canadian products less favourably than those of any other country, she is entitled, under the most-favoured-nation clause in the treaties with Servia and Roumania, and the convention with Bulgaria, to most-favoured-nation treatment from those countries if she extends the general tariff to them; and whether, if by a special treaty Canada agrees to extend the intermediate tariff to any foreign country, she must also extend the intermediate tariff to the above countries.

The Answer to both Questions is in the affirmative. To prevent misunderstanding, my right hon. friend would point out that Canada is free to adhere to these treaties or not as she pleases.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the present state of progress on the French Colonial Railway from Hanoi to Lao-kai on the Yunnan frontier, the construction of which was begun about 1902.

The line has been completed, and was opened for traffic on 1st February, 1906.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the Resolution come to by the Egyptian authorities on the 21st instant to proceed forthwith with the increasing of the height of the Assuan Dam by seven metres; whether he is aware that last year doubts were raised by men of scientific eminence as to whether the strains and stresses at present borne by the Assuan Dam, even at its present height, had been properly calculated; whether he has satisfied himself as to the want of foundation for these fears by inquiry of the best engineering experts; and, if not, will he consider the advisability of suggesting to the authorities in Egypt the appointment by them of a small committee of scientific men to go thoroughly into the matter, and so obviate the possibility of an accident happening which might cause disastrous loss of life and property in Egypt.

A despatch has just been received from Lord Cromer fully explaining the reasons which have led the Egyptian Government to arrive at the decision to raise the Assuan Dam. It will be presented to Parliament in due course. In the meantime, it would not be desirable that my right hon. friend should answer questions on isolated points in connection with this matter.

Does the Egyptian Government propose to take any steps for the preservation of ancient monuments which have already suffered serious injury?

asked for notice of the Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, and, if so, when, His Majesty's Government will publish the Reports received from the British member of the Financial Commission in Macedonia.

Papers are now being prepared, and will be laid shortly.

I beg to ask the Prime Minister what are the arrangements made with regard to the Equivalent Grant to England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland; whether it has been the rule that the grant need not be spent on the same object; and whether the Equivalent Grant has been made on the principle of the amount of taxes paid by each part of the United Kingdom.

No fixed rules have been or could possibly be laid down in this matter. "Equivalent Grants" have in most cases been made applicable to purposes akin to those of the original grants, but there are notable exceptions. The basis on which such grants have been calculated has been the proportion of the assumed total contributions of each country to the revenue.

I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, although Section 5 of the Appropriation Act, 1905, only empowered the Treasury to authorise the Board of Admiralty to defray expenditure not provided for out of surpluses effected by the saving of expenditure and not otherwise, and only empowered them to deal with appropriation in aid to the extent of sums not exceeding in all £1,688,687, the Treasury have, nevertheless, contrary to the Act, taken upon themselves to authorise the application to expenditure of £120,938 19s. 7d., which is not a saving of expenditure but an excess of receipts beyond the total sums appropriated in aid of naval expenditure by the Appropriation Act, 1905; whether a precisely similar course under precisely similar circumstances was taken by the Treasury in regard to a sum of £172,392 13s. 4d. on the Army Votes; why the Treasury thus took upon itself to exercise powers beyond those conferred upon it by law, and reported by the officer appointed to examine the public accounts on behalf of this House to be without statutory sanction; whether he will direct these two sums, amounting together to £293,331 12s. 11d., to be surrendered to the Exchequer; and whether he will undertake that in future the Treasury shall set an example to the other departments of strict obedience to the law.

Before I read my Answer to the hon. Member, I beg to assure him that my sole object in asking him to postpone his Question until to-day was in order that I might obtain the fuller information which I have now got, and which, I am afraid, will trespass for some time on the attention of the House. I agree generally with the hon. Member in his interpretation of Section 5 of the Appropriation Act, 1905, and gave orders, as soon as the matter was brought to my personal notice, that an Amendment should be drafted so as to make it quite clear in future that the Treasury's temporary powers shall extend to making up any deficiency upon the receipts appropriated in aid of any Navy (or Army) Vote out of the surplus receipts on account of appropriations in aid on other Navy (or Army) Votes respectively. My decision has been communicated by the Treasury to the Public Accounts Committee, who are considering the Navy and Army Appropriation Accounts on which the Comptroller and Auditor-General raised the question; and their approval will be sought forthwith to the draft Amendment of the Treasury, which has already been agreed to both by the Comptroller and Auditor-General and by the authorities of the House. So far, I have dealt with the steps to be taken for regularising the position for the future. As regards the current year, I may add that in the Treasury Minutes of the 22nd inst., which were laid in dummy on the Table of the House on Friday, the temporary application of anticipated surpluses to meet anticipated deficits on Navy and Army Votes for 1906–7 has accordingly been dealt with exclusively on the basis of using surpluses effected by the saving of expenditure without applying any extra receipts. I now propose to deal with the second part of the Question, in which the hon. Member asks, with reference to the year 1905–6, that sums of £120,938 19s. 7d. in respect of the Navy and of £172,392 13s. 4d. in respect of the Army may be surrendered to the Exchequer. These sums represent the gross excess of actual over estimated receipts on certain Navy and Army Votes respectively, and I will now indicate how, if they had been surrendered eo nomine to the Exchequer, the Exchequer and the old Sinking Fund could not have received one penny more than the net surplus of £237,758 19s. 2d. on the Navy or of £1,334,136 17s. 10d. on the Army, as shown on the face of the Appropriation Accounts for the respective services. As the hon. Member will see, this result flows from the fact that there was an unexhausted balance of authorised grants from the Exchequer, out of which the deficiences of receipts appropriated in aid of certain Navy and Army Votes could have been made good without making any use of the surpluses of receipts which have arisen on certain other Votes. All that would have happened would have been two payments of extra receipts into the Exchequer and a precisely equal increase of the two payments out of the Exchequer under the head of Exchequer Grants.†This explanation will, I trust, satisfy the hon. Member that the action actually taken by the Treasury, in accordance with an unchallenged practice of many years standing, amounts in substance to precisely the same thing, so far as the Exchequer is concerned, as payment of the excess Navy and Army receipts into the Exchequer and the consequent issue of a correspondingly larger sum out of the Exchequer under the head of authorised Exchequer Grants.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that his action in authorising the application of these moneys in this way was unlawful?

I have said that on the technical point I agree with the hon. Gentleman. But the action taken by the Treasury is one that has been pursued for twelve years under I do not know how many successive Chancellors of the Exchequer. I see one sitting opposite. It was treated so much as a matter of routine that it was never even brought to my notice. But as regards the future, I agree that we must regularise the proceeding if it is to continue.

:The right hon. Gentleman says his delay in giving the Answer was to enable him to give fuller information. May I ask him whether he was cognisant of a notice of Motion put down by the hon. Member for Barnstaple for the sole

†See also Col. 1457.

I never heard of the Motion until it was put down. I may say, in regard to the suggestion of the noble Lord, that there is no desire to burke discussion. There will be ample opportunity for discussing the matter on the Motion for Adjournment on Wednesday.

Has the right hon. Gentleman made any appeal to his hon. friend to withdraw the Motion?

I shall be glad to do so.

gave notice that at the end of Questions he would ask leave to move the adjournment of the House in order to call attention to the matter.

As the right hon. Gentleman says, I am a fellow culprit. I am, therefore, less interested in the past of this matter than in the future. As to what the right hon. Gentleman proposes for the future, do I rightly understand him to say that the change in the law which he proposes will only authorise excess of receipts to be used to supply a deficiency in receipts, and not a deficiency in the Votes arising otherwise?

If the right hon. Gentleman will put down his Question on the Paper I will give him a direct Answer. What I intended to imply was that the practice should continue in the future as in the past, not that there should be any alteration.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the proper way of dealing with the admitted illegality would not be to introduce a Supplementary Estimate?

I think not. The matter is before the Public Accounts Committee, and any recommendation they may make will receive the careful consideration of the Government. I think it can be got rid of under the Appropriation Act.

Is not illegality much too strong a word to use? Is not the proposal merely to confer explicitly by the Appropriation Act powers which have hitherto been deemed to reside implicitly in the Treasury?

That is so.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any information as to the approximate amount or the proportion of the capital of public industrial companies in Canada which is held by persons resident in the United Kingdom.

:I have no information which would enable me to make even an approximate estimate.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can now state upon what date he proposes to make his Budget Statement.

I hope to be able to make the Budget Statement on Thursday, April 18th.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the amount received by the Judges on circuit to Newcastle and Bristol since 31st March, 1906, for table money and travelling expenses respectively.

The information asked for is as follows:—

Is the £7 10s. daily in addition to the salary?

Yes.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can state to what extent inspectors' assistants have been sent to inquests to represent his Department; and whether they have gone as principals or only as advisers to other inspectors.

In 1906 inquests were attended on six occasions by factory inspectors' assistants, on four of which they accompanied an inspector. As the hon. Member is aware, the fatal accidents in workshops are very few.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is aware that during the year 1905 there were in the East Riding of York seventy-eight habitual criminals at large, thirty persons under police protection, 1,718 indictable crimes known to the police, two cases of murder, five cases of arson, three cases of felonious wounding, one case of unnatural offence, two cases of indecency with males, two cases of indecent assault on females, five cases of defilement of girls under thirteen, three cases of defilement of girls under sixteen, and 161 cases of malicious damage; and what steps he intends to take to remedy this state of affairs.

The figures given by the hon. Member correspond closely to those in the Criminal Statistics for 1905, though there are one or two errors of detail. Most of the crime mentioned arises in the seaport of Hull—there is very little in the remainder of the Riding. I have every confidence that the police are well able to deal with the matter.

Were these crimes agrarian crimes?

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that recent investigation has established the fact that in many quarters of London and other large towns every day of the week, from morning till late at night, the public houses are crowded with women, who not only bring their little children into the heated atmosphere of public bars, but also dose their infants with alcohol; that eminent export authorities attribute the physical and moral deterioration of certain classes of the people to the fact above stated; and whether, in the coming Licensing Bill, he will consider the urgency of including a provision that no child shall, under any pretext whatever, be allowed to enter a public house.

I do not think the state of affairs is quite so bad as is represented by the hon. Member, but I agree that the question—though by no means a new or recently discovered one—is serious, and it is engaging my earnest attention.

Will there be a clause in the Licensing Bill to prohibit this sort of thing?

I can add nothing to my Answer.

And if prohibition is insisted on will it also be extended to clubs?

I will give full information when I introduce the Bill.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the language employed by the stipendiary magistrate of Salford when several Christian ministers and other prominent citizens, passive resistors, were before him; whether, when they said they must obey God, he told them to go to God's country, to go anywhere, if they could not obey the laws of England to go to Canada; whether he refused to include the cases under one warrant, though admitting his discretion to do so; whether, on the same day and under the same roof other magistrates, unpaid, adjourned similar cases for a month pending the issue of a Bill now before this House; and whether he proposes to take any action towards the stipendiary magistrate in question.