To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what is the number of labourers' cottages erected in County Clare; and what is the number in course of erection, giving the names of the different unions. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) As promised in my Answer to the hon. member's oral Question to-day I give the the following table, which shows the number of labourers' cottages provided and authorised in each rural district of County Clare— are in Ireland; what is the method of paying assistant teachers in salary and capitation; whether an assistant in a school with an average attendance of sixty gets no capitation grant whatever; what is the initial and the maximum salary of an assistant teacher; and how many years must he work before he can reach that maximum. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The number of principal teachers is 8,101, and the number of assistants 4,604. Assistants are, as a rule, granted third-grade salary and increments of good service salary, together with residual capitation grant according to the scale shown in the rules. An assistant in a school which has an average attendance of sixty receives no residual grant. The initial salary of assistants is for men £56 and for women £44, and the ordinary maximum is £77 for men and £65 for women. Assistants are also entitled to residual capitation grant as well as to bonuses under the Irish Education Act. It takes nine years for an assistant to reach his or her maximum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state whether Mr. Algernon Sidgreaves is, or was recently, British Pro-Consul at Cadiz, and, if so, whether he has been constantly at his post during the last two months; if Mr. Algernon Sidgreaves is no longer British Pro-Consul at Cadiz; when he vacated that post, whether by resignation or otherwise; and whether the conduct and services of Mr. Algernon Sidgreaves have always been satisfactory. (Answered by Secretary Sir Edward Grey.) Mr. Sidgreaves was appointed British Pro-Consul at Cadiz on 27th November, 1907, and his services were dispensed with in April of this year on account of grave irregularities in his conduct.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for India what has been the average price obtained month by month during the first six months of 1908 for a chest of opium at the auction sales in Calcutta, and what price was estimated in the Budget for the current year. (Answered by Mr. Buchanan.) The Answer to the first Question, is Rs. 1,411; and to the second, Rs. 1,300.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has received the Report of the Commission appointed by the Government of India to inquire into the hours of labour and other conditions of factory life in India; and, if so, when will it be published and will it contain the Minority Report. (Answered by Mr. Buchanan.) The Secretary of State has received the Report. He proposes to present it as soon as ever the necessary supply of copies is received from India. The minutes of dissent will be included.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if on the 30th ultimo a superintendent and an inspector of police attended the suffragette meeting at Caxton Hall, and informed the leaders of the women that they had come to escort the deputation to the House of Commons, and made arrangements for this purpose and escorted them to the House; and, if so, can he state why it was that the deputation was not received after making all these arrangements. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) It was merely in order to facilitate the deputation's passage that the superintendent of the A. Division arranged to escort them to the House and to escort them back again, when they had received a verbal reply to their verbal message.

To ask the First Commissioner of Works whether he can now give the date by which it is likely that the studio erected for Mr. Brock, R.A., on Primrose Hill will be removed and the use of the site on which it stands be restored to the public. (Answered by Mr. L. Harcourt.) I cannot yet fix a date, but my hon. friend may rest assured that the studio will not remain One day longer than is absolutely I necessary.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state the names of the parties recommended to share in the distribution of the untenanted land on the estate of Captain Caldbeck, Ballacolla, should the Estates Commissioners purchase the property.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the names of the tenants in the village of Ballacolla, Queen's County, whom the Estates Commissioners propose to exclude from the sale on the Caldbeck estate, and their reasons for so doing.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that Captain Caldbeck has raised objection to the erection of five labourers' cottages upon his untenanted land; and, in view of the fact that the Estates Commissioners are in treaty for the purchase of the whole estate, will he say what steps it is proposed to take to secure the erection of these cottages. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Estates Commissioners are unable to make final arrangements for the purchase of the estate in question and for the allotment of the untenanted land until it has been decided what portion of the property is to be acquired for the purpose of the Labourers Acts. An inquiry into the scheme of the Abbeyleix Rural District Council for the provision of labourers' cottages has recently been held, but the inspector's order has not yet been made. The inspector is considering the objections which were made to the erection of cottages on the estate in question.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether in view of the practice that lords-lieutenant of counties are appointed on the understanding that they were politically in sympathy with the Government of the day, he can state how many of the lords-lieutenant of counties in Ireland have been appointed by the present Government, and how many of them are in political sympathy with the present Government. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Five appointments to lieutenancies of counties in Ireland have been made since His Majesty's present Government came into office, namely, the Bight Hon. T. Lough, M.P., County Cavan, Mr. J. Cooke, County Londonderry, Colonel M. T. Everard, County Meath, the O'Conor Don, County Roscommon, and Major Villiers-Stuart, Waterford County and City. I cannot say positively that all of these gentleman are in political sympathy with the present Government, but I sincerely hope that such is and will long continue to be the case.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state the rules governing the appointment of lords-lieutenant of counties in Ireland; whether there is any property qualification; with whom the appointment rests; when the appointments are made and for what term; what are the duties of the position; whether a Catholic may hold the appointment, and, if so, how many Catholics have held the position during the past five years, and how many hold it now; and what are the powers of those holding the position with regard to the appointment of justices of the peace. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Lieutenants of counties in Ireland are appointed under the provisions of the Militia Act, 1882, by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, subject to the approval of the Crown. No property qualification is prescribed. The appointment is made by Letters Patent, and is held during the pleasure of the Lord-Lieutenant. The Lieutenant is head of the magistracy of his county, and has the power of appointing deputy-lieutenants for the county with the approval of the Lord-Lieutenant. No religious disability attaches to the post and there is no record of the religious denominations to which lieutenants belong. The appointment of justices of the peace rests with the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, to whom the lieutenants submit names of persons for appointment.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the tenants of the town of Dunmore, County Galway, and its surroundings, are anxious to purchase their holdings, but have been unable to get in communication with the legal owner; and whether the Estates Commissioners can do anything to assist the tenants in this case. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I have referred this Question to the Estates Commissioners for their consideration.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Irish national teachers, in several congresses held since the introduction of the new system in 1900, have claimed that teachers placed in grades lower than their classes should be placed in grades corresponding to their qualifications, as ascertained by examination, without having to fulfil the conditions of those who have not passed such examinations; and whether in this connection, he will consider the claims of teachers classed first-of-first, having the requisite average attendance in the allocation of the new grant. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Resolutions on this subject have been received. The case of the particular teachers referred to is fully dealt with in my reply to the Question put by the hon. Member for North Donegal on 13th February last. As will be seen from that Answer, the Commissioners of National Education have already given special consideration to the case of these particular teachers, and therefore I cannot promise that any exceptional treatment will be given to them in the allocation of the supplementary grant.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland is he aware that there are ten teachers in charge of schools with an average of over sixty, who completed a two years course of training in the year 1900 and are paid a salary of £70 per annum, exclusive of capitation grant and fees for extras; whether this is the ordinary salary of third grade; whether these teachers are losing upwards of £40 each annually; whether five teachers trained during the same year, and now in charge of schools with an average under sixty, are being paid a special salary by the Commissioners of National Education; and, whether, seeing that the Government are reconsidering the distribution of the Supplementary Estimate, he will take steps to set aside a portion of this grant to meet the claims of these ten teachers. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I would refer the hon. Member to my Answers to his previous Questions on this subject. The Commissioners of National Education have repeatedly stated that the claims of the teachers referred to in the first part of the Question have been fully dealt with on the merits and that they are still prepared to consider any facts which may be brought to their notice in a particular case. In the circumstances, the reply to the last part of the question must be in the negative.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the officers' quarters of the Army Service Corps at the Curragh Camp are unsuitable and unhealthy; whether they have been so for some years; whether they have been medically pronounced to be dangerous to health through damp in the winter months and through lack of ventilation in the summer months; and whether it is now intended to press forward with the plans for new buildings at once so as to protect the officers concerned from the danger and discomfort of another winter spent in unsanitary quarters. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) These quarters are undoubtedly old and uncomfortable, but, as I have already explained to the hon. Member, are not unfit for habitation. Plans for new buildings are being pressed forward with all possible despatch.

To ask the Secretary of State for War what annual leave is granted

To ask the Secretary of State for War what is the area of ground which it is proposed to enclose for the purpose of the new buildings for the Royal Army Medical Corps at Woolwich; and what is the estimated outlay. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The area is about two acres and the estimated outlay £12,500.

To ask the First Lord of the Treasury in how many cases during the last ten years have inquiries been made into the numbers and organisation of public departments under the powers given by Clause 16 of the Order in Council of 15th August, 1890, and what are the names of the departments so inquired into; and, if no such inquiry has been made, is it to be understood that the clause in question is now inoperative. (Answered by Mr. Asquith.) Inquiries, both by means of Inter-departmental Committees and otherwise, are constantly being made into the pay and numbers of the various departments of the State; but, so far as I am aware, there have not been any during the last ten years which have been expressly, authorised under the clause referred to. to the civil clerks at the War Office who are in receipt of salaries above £350 a year. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The annual leave granted to War Office clerks in receipt of salaries exceeding £350 a year is as follows—

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the statement of Mr. Deakin that the Australian Government had got no reply of any sort from His Majesty's Government in reference to the proposals of Australia as to naval affairs, and that it had never been pointed out to Australia that her naval scheme was complex or required amplification; whether His Majesty's Government intended to offer Australia an alternative naval scheme; and whether, in view of the anxiety felt in the Commonwealth upon the subject, His Majesty's Government would, without loss of time, accept the proposals of Australia as to the establishment of an Australian Navy.

Communications have passed between the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the Governor-General of the Australian Commonwealth, on the subject of the scheme put forward by the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth Government, and Mr. Deakin has been given to understand that the scheme presents considerable difficulties from the point of view of naval administration. With regard to the second part of the hon. Member's Question, the Admiralty would be content to allow the existing Agreement to run its course. They are ready, however, to advise and assist the Commonwealth Government in regard to any proposals made by them, but, as already stated, these cannot be dealt with without careful deliberation.

Can the First Lord lay on the Table Papers dealing with this subject?

I should like to look further into the matter; but if it is possible I shall do so.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty have granted to their contractors on the North-East coast an extension of time for the completion of contracts.

Certain shipbuilding contractors on the North-East coast have been granted an extension of time for the completion of their contracts on account of difficulties in connection with novelties of design. There are also certain contractors on the North-East coast who have given notice to the Admiralty of probable delays in their shipbuilding contracts owing to labour troubles, and an extension of time corresponding to the delay caused by such labour troubles may, if required by the circumstances of the case, be granted to them as provided in the contracts.

May I ask if the provision in the contracts as to extensions of time relates to lock-outs as well as strikes? In considering this matter will he remember that this is a lock-out and not a strike?

Yes, Sir. The hon. Member will observe that all I have said is that extensions may be granted "if required by the circumstances of the case." I have not stated there is an intention to allow it.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Government contracts are now being completed by an extra supply of apprentices who are doing the work which qualified journeymen did prior to the dispute? Is that in accordance with the terms of the contract?

I am afraid I must have specific cases brought to my notice before I can answer the Question.

I will give the names of the firms.

Perhaps the hon. Member will put the Question down.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the firm of Messrs. Clark, Chapman and Company, Gates-head, are not paying the engine-fitters now engaged on H.M.S. "Defence" at Pembroke Dock in accordance with the fair wage clause; will he state what are the actual wages and lodging allowance paid to these men on this work sent from the Tyne district; and what action does he propose to take in the matter.

The Admiralty is not aware of what wages or allowances are being paid to engine-fitters in the employment of Messrs. Clark, Chapman and Company, on board H.M.S. "Defence"; but the question will be referred to the firm for their observations.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the desirability of placing the hydraulic crane-drivers employed in the Deptford Victualling Yard in the same position as regards their rate of pay as the same class of men employed under the Naval Stores Department in the Royal Victoria Yard, Deptford.

The classes of men referred to are not analogous, as the men employed in the Victualling Yard are established and therefore entitled to pension, whereas those employed in the Naval Store Department are hired men only. It may be stated that the whole of the rates of pay in the Admiralty establishments in the London district are under the consideration of His Majesty's Government.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the question of permitting the skilled labourers employed at the Deptford Victualling Yard and the West India Dock Naval Stores to participate in the increase of wages granted in April, 1907, to skilled labourers in all the Royal dockyards has yet been considered; and, if so, will he state the result of such consideration.

This question is under the consideration of His Majesty's Government in connection with other matters affecting rates of pay in the London district.

I have asked this Question on three previous occasions, and have each time received the same Answer.

I regret we have not yet arrived at a decision.

As the se men believed they were intended to have the increase, will the right hon. Gentleman expedite consideration of the matter?

I will certainly do my best.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if the works at Rosyth are yet sufficiently advanced to be of any use to the large Fleet now assembled in the Firth of Forth.

Only preliminary works have yet been begun.

Are these works of no use in helping the Fleet to coal and water?

The hon. Member I fails to appreciate the fact that the contract has not even been let and no dockyard exists at Rosyth at the present moment.

asked whether the right hon. Gentleman could not expedite the works.

The hon. Member seems to forget I have already informed the House that all expedition is being made.

asked if the right hon. Gentleman considered seven years for the preliminary works expeditious.

It is the same period the late Government thought desirable.

Is there any truth in the statement in the papers that the works will not be continued this year?

I have not seen that statement.

Is not the Fleet getting on exceedingly well without this dockyard?

asked the reason of the delay in letting the contracts.

said the Question did not arise out of the Answer.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will state what was the numerical strength of the Yeomanry, Volunteer artillery, and Volunteer infantry, respectively, in Worcestershire on 1st January, 1908; what is the number of recruits who have joined since 1st January, 1908; and what is the number of Volunteers who have transferred, to the Territorial Force.

The figures for non-commissioned officers and

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if steps are now being taken to revise the prices of garments made in the Army Clothing Factory at Pimlico; whether such revision will mean a substantial reduction in wages to the women; and, if so, whether he will receive a deputation of the women before such changes are actually effected.

Prices paid to workers at the factory are liable to revision from time to time as alterations in pattern or process take place. There have been certain alterations in prices consequent on changes in process; these changes have not been great, and I am satisfied that they will not cause any substantial reduction in wages. Under these circumstances the matter would not appear to justify a deputation.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the circumstances attending the degradation for alleged disobedience of Private James Rennie, of the A Squadron of the Fife and Forfar Imperial Yeomanry at their annual training camp at Annsmuir, Ladybank, on 27th June; whether Rennie was taken under escort to the centre of the square and informed that he had been sentenced to be drummed out of the regiment, and was thereupon deprived of his cap and had the buttons and decorations cut from his tunic, and was thereafter marched out-

The Report called for has not yet reached the War Office.

I will repeat the Question on Thursday.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will state whether he can in any way improve the position of brigade-majors in the Army, seeing that they are to get the same pay as formerly for arranging a week in camp, and no regimental pay, but are to receive allowances of their rank in camp and an additional £50 for rent, clerical assistance, stationery, and postage, by which they are out of pocket unless their office is in their own house.

The hon. and gallant Member, who is presumably alluding to the Territorial Force, appears to have lost sight of the fact that whereas previously brigade-majors received £100 a year, with £25 for stationery, office expenses, etc., and travelling expenses, they now receive in addition to the above £25 more for stationary, office expenses, etc., acting staff pay and allowance at camp, and their horse is provided and foraged at camp and conveyed where necessary at the public expense. It is intended that their office shall be in their own house as it has been in very many cases in the past. It is not, therefore, proposed to grant them any further additional emoluments.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the solemnisation of matrimony cannot be performed in unconsecrated military chapels without a special licence; whether there are instances in which licences to marry have been granted to unconsecrated civil chapels; and, if so, whether there is any ecclesiastical, legal, or military obstacle to granting licences to marry to all military chapels which are unconsecrated; and, if so, what are those obstacles.

The reply to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. The rest of the Question raises problems which fortuately do not fall within the sphere of the Secretary of State for War. The military authorities do not regard with unfavourable eyes the celebration of marriage. For the difficulties to which the noble Lord refers he must reproach, first, the ecclesiastical and, secondly, the legal authorities.

If the ecclesiastical authorities give their consent, will the right hon. Gentleman concur?

I should raise no difficulty of any sort or kind if there were no trouble with the Estimates.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if the practice of giving a cash bonus to the workmen discharged after long years of service from the Arsenal at Woolwich has been found to work satisfactorily; and, if not, whether he will organise a contributory pension fund among the workmen at the Arsenal to provide a subsistence for the workmen discharged during the interval which must occur between the time of their discharge and the time when they will be entitled to old-age pensions.

It appears that on the whole the cash bonus system has worked fairly satisfactory, but there is no doubt that there is a strong feeling among the workmen in favour of a contributory pension fund. The schemes that have hitherto been put forward on their behalf do not provide sufficiently large contributions to prevent the fund from becoming insolvent after a few years, but I shall always be willing to consider any scheme put forward which is actuarially sound.

asked could not the War Office formulate a scheme?

said he would be quite ready to assist if the men wore prepared to contribute.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the sedition case recently tried at Tinnevelly, in the South of India, in which Subramania Siva has been sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment and Chidambaram Pillay to transportation for life; whether he can state what the specific charges were in this case and by what Court the offenders were tried, and whether any appeal will lie to a higher Court.

The Government of India reported that the proceedings in question were instituted under Sections 124(a) and 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code, and that the result of the trial was as stated, except that the punishment was transportation in both cases. The charges are understood to have had reference to speeches in February and March last which preceded the serious rioting at Tuticorin and Tinnevelly. The case was tried before the Sessions Judge at Tinnevelly; an appeal lies to the High Court at Madras.

Is it not the fact that in one case the charge was sedition, and in the other merely abetment?

I have given all the information we have received from the Government of India, and the hon. Member will probably be able to ascertain for himself whether it corresponds with the facts.

asked if the Judge who tried the case was not assisted by two assessors, one European and one native, and whether, while the European found the accused guilty, the Indian assessor found them not guilty.

I believe the two assessors did differ.

Is it not the fact that the riots had their origin in an attempt to boycott the Swadeshi Steamship Company and had nothing whatever to do with sedition or with the Government of India?

I do not think that quite arises out of the Question on the Paper.

asked whether the comprehensive rights of appeal provided by the law of India were ever denied to any class or nationality, whatever the offence committed.

Certainly these two persons have full right of appeal.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the solemnisation of matrimony cannot be performed in unconsecrated military chapels without a special licence; whether there are instances in which licences to marry have been granted to unconsecrated civil chapels; and, if so, whether there is any ecclesiastical, legal, or military obstacle to granting licences to marry to all military chapels in India which are unconsecrated; and, if so, what are these obstacles.

The Secretary of State is advised that by the law in India an Anglican clergyman may solemnise a marriage in an unconsecrated building, provided it is a place where worship is generally held according to the forms of the Church of England. There appears, therefore, to be no necessity for a special licence in such cases.

Can a Presbyterian at this moment celebrate matrimony in an Anglican Church?

I do not think so.

I will repeat that Question.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if a petition has been received from residents in the Gilbert Islands, Western Pacific, praying for an investigation into the exploitations of the natives by European companies; and, if so, what action, if any, it is proposed to take.

No petition has been received from residents in the Gilbert Islands.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement with regard to the fate of Mr. Clark Kennedy, a British subject, in the hands of Moorish brigands.

Mr. Clark Kennedy has informed the British Vice-Consul at Tetuan that he has made terms with his captors and hopes to be free shortly.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether children from nine to fifteen years of age are at times employed in the ginning mills in Egypt as long as fifteen hours a day; whether overseers in such mills use whips to maintain discipline; whether the wages for such children are at the rate of 6d. a day; and, if so, what steps can be taken to remedy this state of affairs.

This question has formed the subject of inquiry lately. I am informed that the factories are open for a comparatively short period in the year. During this period there are some instances where the working day of children does extend to fifteen and a half hours, though there are intervals during this day. Wages are about 10d. to 1s. a day. There is no evidence to show that whips or sticks are ever used in the factories for striking the children; but the whole question of the work of children in factories is receiving the serious consideration of the Egyptian Government with the view of deciding what regulations are in themselves desirable, and how such regulations can be made applicable to European owners of factories.

Ought not the right hon. Gentleman to communicate that it is a savage thing that children should work fifteen hours a day when Egypt is under our protection?

The last part of my Answer shows it is not a question of whether any remedies are to be applied, but a question of how they can be made applicable to the owners of European factories not under our control.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the continuous decline in the yield of the cotton crop in Egypt, as admitted in Sir Eldon Gorst's recent Report, and considering that agriculture is the staple industry of Egypt and that a Department of Agriculture already exists in the Soudan, as in most civilised countries, he will advise the Egyptian Government to establish such a Department in Egypt.

There is no doubt as to the great importance of agriculture to Egypt; but the question whether the establishment of a special Department in Egypt is advisable is clearly one for the decision of the Egyptian Government, who alone can judge whether such a step would at present be justified from a financial point of view. The hon. Member will have noticed that, in Sir Eldon Gorst's Report which he cites, it is stated that the Khedivial Agricultural Society have appointed a committee of experts to examine the causes of the diminished yield of cotton.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that the minimum rate of postage on letters from Egypt to England is still 1¼d., while the minimum rate from England to Egypt is 1d.; and whether, seeing that a stamp of the value of 1d. is already is use in Egypt for international postcards, and in view of the great and progressive increase in the postal revenue of Egypt, he will advise the Egyptian Government to establish reciprocity of postal rates between Egypt and England.

The principal reason against the establishment of reciprocity of postal rates between England and Egypt is a financial one. I shall have pleasure in furnishing the hon. Member with a copy of a Report drawn up in the Egyptian General Post Office in which the question is exhaustively treated.

But is it not the fact that the Egyptian postal revenue is progressively increasing?

The amount at the disposal of the Government is dealt with in the Report, but it is not so large as the hon. Member seems to think.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to fresh massacres and outrages committed by Turkish troops in the neighbourhood of Van, at the village of Khatchen, under the pretext of searching for arms from the Armenian inhabitants, and to the fact that these outrages continued for ten days; that two women and seven men died as a result of bastinadoing, and that more than fifty women are now suffering from tortures inflicted by the troops; and that the Armenian population is seeking to emigrate en masse to escape further expected atrocities; and, if so, whether steps can be taken by His Majesty's Government to lodge a protest with the Porte to prevent any further outrages.

At the same time may I ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the tortures and cruelty and extortion recently inflicted by Turkish troops upon the Armenian inhabitants of the village of Khatchen, near Van, and the outrages upon the women of the village; whether this recrudescence of outrage coming after the massacres at Van in April last will induce the Government to prevent a general massacre of Armenians, such as occurred in 1895, by causing an immediate inquiry to be made by British consuls of the district into the action of the Turkish troops, or by taking such other steps as may influence the Porte to put a stop to the present atrocities?

His Majesty's Minister at Constantinople reports that he has heard of no atrocities at Khatchen, but that he is making inquiries of His Majesty's Vice-Consul at Van on the subject. There have been rumours that in the search for arms in the Garchicam district excessive severity has been used, and the attention of the Sublime Porte has been drawn to the matter, with the result that an inquiry is being made with a view to the punishment of the guilty parties should the rumours prove to be well founded.

asked if Papers connected with this part of Asia could not be laid, in view of the fact that it was long since the House had any.

was understood to ask for notice.

inquired if it were not the fact that the perpetrators of these outrages were known and would energetic steps be taken to bring them to justice?

I have said that inquiries are being made with a view to their discovery.

What powers are there compelling the Porte to take action?

There are certain Treaty obligations.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the military operations which resulted in the sacking of the Persian Parliament house and the suppression of the Parliament were directed by Colonel Liakhoff; whether the orders received by this officer were sanctioned by a responsible Minister as provided by Article 45 of the Persian Constitution, to which the Shah of Persia has sworn to remain faithful; and, if not, whether the action of Colonel Liakhoff has the approval of the two Powers signatory of the Anglo-Russian Convention.

I do not know what part Colonel Liakhoff took in these events, nor have I seen the text of the Article of the Persian Constitution referred to; Colonel Liakhoff was in the employment of the Shah, and His Majesty's Government are not called upon to express any opinion upon the proceedings of the Persian Government which do not affect British interests.

Will the right hon. Gentleman ask our Chargé d'Affaires at Teheran for a Report?

In any case we cannot be held responsible for the working of the constitution.

But is it not necessary that an order issued by the Shah of Persia should be countersigned by one of the Ministers?

Article 45 does not deal with that part of the question. In any case the Persians must settle the matter on their own account.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state whether it is obligatory for the police serving in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales to talk the native language of those countries.

The conditions of service in each of the Welsh police forces are laid down by the local police authorities, with whose discretion in this matter I have no authority to interfere. I have no reason to doubt that the responsible authorities are fully alive to the necessity of ensuring that police officers should be able to speak the language current in the district where they are stationed. With regard to Scottish and Irish forces, the hon. Member should address his inquiry to the Secretary for Scotland and the Chief Secretary for Ireland.

Will the right hon. Gentleman get rid of policemen who cannot speak these languages?

I can add nothing to my Answer.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the case of the women now undergoing imprisonment for having taken part in the recent disturbances in Parliament Square, whether he can now see his way to consult with the magistrate who sentenced them with a view to the mitigation of their punishment.

The Answer is in the negative.

Will the right hon. Gentleman now answer the Question I put to him yesterday? Do not these punishments go far beyond anything that has the sanction of public opinion?

. I hardly think that is a Question which should be put to me.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this course of punishment is abhorrent to the feelings of this House, whose servant he is?

Why does the right hon. Gentleman refuse in these cases to make a representation to the magistrates when he made such a representation in almost similar cases before?

I have already answered that Question several times. It may be that originally I was rash in making the representation; but I made it under special circumstances, having regard to the fact that it was the first occasion on which the disturbances had, arisen, and that in my judgment the omission of the magistrate to state the condition was accidental. But it is no part of my duty to interfere with the discretion of the magistrates.

Are not these quasi-political offences, and is there any precedent for the punishment meted out?

Does my hon. friend suggest that political murder should not be punished?

I was alluding to precedents and I say I do not think there are any.

rose to put a further Question.

Order, order! Notice must be given of any further Question.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will state to what other trades and occupations the Government proposes to extend the operation of the principle of the Coal Mines (Eight Hours) Bill; and if it is proposed to introduce during the present session any legislation with this object, as foreshadowed in the recent speech of the President of the Board of Trade.

In reply to the second part of the hon. Gentleman's Question, I do not remember having foreshadowed in a recent speech any addition to the legislative programme of the present session, which indeed at this reason of the year is usually the subject of abridgment rather than of extension. In view of this fact, any reply to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's Question would be obviously premature.

Is it not a fact that just before the division took place on the Miners' Eight-Hours Bill the right hon. Gentleman held out promises of extending the eight hours movement to other trades and industries?

The hon. Gentleman interrogated me on a matter of fact which can be decided by reference to the pages of Hansard.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether he, is aware that at various post offices where the postmen's scales of pay are under consideration the pay given to outsiders who act as holiday and sick substitutes has been reduced by as much as 4s. a week, viz., from £1 to 16s.; and whether these substitutes, who are generally more than twenty-two years of age, ought to be paid at the rate laid down for entrants of that age by the Hobhouse Committee.

If the hon. Member will furnish the names of the offices to which he refers I will have inquiry made.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether, seeing that the administration of the Necessitous Children Act has not proved to have been the success that was anticipated, owing to some of the authorities not availing themselves of the opportunity of adopting the Act, he will consider the advisability of amending the said Act as it applies to London, and make it compulsory instead of optional.

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my predecessor on 3rd March, to the effect that the extent of the Government programme this session precludes the possibility of considering the suggestion.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether the Board decided on 18th May, 1907, that it was necessary that a new school should be provided by the local education authority at East Hardwick; whether that decision has been, or is about to be, rescinded; and, if so, upon what grounds.

The decision of 18th May was that the council school which the local education authority proposed to provide was, in the circumstances, a necessary school. That decision has not yet been rescinded.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he is yet able to make any statement with regard to the steadily diminishing supply of horses throughout the country.

The Board's proposals are that a limited number of selected stallions and mares shall be registered. Their stock will subsequently be separately registered. In addition to service fee paid by owner of mare, the owners of stallions are to receive an additional fee for every registered mare in foal to a registered stallion. It is intended that help shall be given in special cases to owners of mares by payment or part payment of ordinary covering fee. Remount Department will arrange to inspect foals of registered sires and mares at three years old, and to purchase their annual supplies from amongst them. They will report all suitable foals not purchased by them to the Board for registration. Those purchased will be left with owners till wanted and payments will be made towards their keep till taken over. A Consultative Committee will be appointed to assist the Departments in carrying out the scheme.

Will provision be made in the Estimates next year for carrying this excellent scheme into effect?

These are proposals and not a scheme. As regards provision being made in the Estimates, I must have notice of that Question.

Who is to decide whether these proposals are to be given effect to or not? Is it the Board of Agriculture?

These proposals will, of course, have to come before the Treasury for sanction.

Is it not the fact that these remedial measures will benefit foreign Powers quite as much as our own people, and [therefore for Army purposes the scheme is of no use?

I do not think so.

Will the exportation of these horses be prohibited?

I think that is problematical.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he can give any information as to the death of horses at Bennett's Bank, Wellington, Shropshire, when six horses died and others were taken ill during the week of 29th June; and whether the Board made inquiries as to the cause of death of the horses.

From inquiry made it would appear that the cause of death in the cases to which the hon. Member refers was accidental poisoning.

Are the Board making further inquiries, as I understand traces of arsenic have been found in one of the animals?

Yes, the matter is still being inquired into. The inquiries are not yet completed.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury why His Majesty's Government refuse to consider the cases of ex-sailors and ex-soldiers affected by the decision of the Government under the Superannuation Act, 1859.

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my predecessor to my hon. friend the Member for Mile End on 3rd February last.

Will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider the decision with a view to ascertaining if the number of men is large or small?

I have nothing to add to the Answer.

Then does the hon. Gentleman propose to do nothing?

I have given a reply to the Question.

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Government intend to make any grant to Scotland equivalent to the £6,000 to be granted to aid tobacco-growing in Ireland.

I have consulted my right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer who wishes me to say that when a case can be made out in Scotland, as in Ireland, for encouragement to experiments in tobacco-growing the Government will be prepared to give it the same favourable consideration.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that experiments have shown that tobacco can be successfully grown in Scotland?

I am afraid I can add nothing to the Answer.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can say, from Income-Tax Returns or otherwise, what payment, if any, is received by Judges of the Court of Session and by Sheriffs in Scotland for acting as extraordinary directors of the Scottish banks; and, if no payment is so received, will he say why His Majesty's Judges should occupy such positions in trading concern which often litigate under their jurisdiction.

I beg to refer my hon. friend to the Answer given by my right hon. friend the Prime Minister to a similar Question put down by him on the 6th instant. I have nothing to add to that reply, except that the Income-Tax Acts expressly prohibit information being divulged with regard to any particular assessment.

Did the Prime Minister say anything as to the pay received by Scottish Judges as directors of these companies?

I think he pointed out that they received no salary or payment of any kind.

Are Scottish Judges precluded from taking part in any case in references to banks of which they act as directors?

asked for notice of that Question.

Can the hon. Gentleman see his way to so increase the salary of Scottish Judges as to make it unnecessary for them to go into the paths of trade to earn a living wage.

Notice should be given of that Question.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will appoint paid solicitors, under the old-age pensions scheme, who will assist those in search of a pension to discover where they were born and how old they may be.

No, Sir.

Would a remonstrance behind the scenes, to use the words of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, have any effect.

No, Sir.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say in what way is the Carnane estate, near Fedamore, County Limerick; has the Judge of the Land Court anything to do now in the management of it; and why has it not been divided before now, or when is it likely to be divided, or who is at present the agent or receiver.

The Estates Commissioners have furnished the owner with a preliminary estimate of the price they are prepared to give for the estate of Bertha Dillon which includes the lands of Carnane. If the offer should be accepted, formal proceedings for the sale will be instituted. The estate is not now under the control of the Land Judge's Court, nor, so far as I can ascertain, of any of the High Courts. The receiver over the estate is Mr. Peter Fitzgerald.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give the reason that the average price of the cost of purchase of Consols for Sinking Fund purposes during the year from the end of March, 1907, to the end of March, 1908, was £85 10s. per cent., and that the average price of Consols for that period was £1 2s. 6d. less, i.e., £84 7s. 6d.

The bulk of the Sinking Fund money is issued to the Commissioners for the reduction of the National Debt in the last quarter of the financial year. A comparison of the price paid during the quarter to 31st March, last, when Consols were considerably higher than in the previous nine months, with the average market price for the whole year is therefore misleading.

asked if the Government could not so arrange matters as to buy when the market was cheap.

Notice should be given of that Question.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say whether John M'Grath and the representatives of Thomas Barry have as yet been reinstated in their evicted farms on the Cooper property, near Knocklong, County Limerick; has the agent, Mr. Sanders, declined the offer and terms of the Estates Commissioners; and will the Estates Commissioners use the compulsory powers in the Evicted Tenants Act to put M'Grath and Barry back into their evicted lands.

The evicted farms in these cases are in the occupation of a tenant, and, in the opinion of the Estates Commissioners, the Evicted Tenants Act is not applicable. The Commissioners have noted the applications for consideration in connection with the allotment of any untenanted land which they may acquire in the district.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say or ascertain from the Estates Commissioners what progress their inspector, Mr. Howard, made when in Kilfinane some weeks ago, in endeavouring to effect a sale between Colonel Gascoigne and his town tenants, inasmuch as arrangements are practically made for the sale to the farmers of their various tenancies; is he aware that there is on the estate, convenient to the town, some untenanted land worked by the estate bailiff; and will he see that the Estates Commissioners will endeavour in the interests of the town tenants to acquire this untenanted land and parcel it out between the poorest of the tenants, so as to give stability to the sale, as in the case of the poor tenants in the town of Cahir-conlish.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that their inspector has completed his inquiries and furnished his report in this case. Practically all the agricultural tenants have signed agreements to purchase, but there is no likelihood that any arrangements can be made for the sale and purchase of the town tenants' holdings by means of advances under the Land Purchase Acts. The estate bailiff referred to is tenant of but fifteen acres of land, and even if this were divided among the town tenants, the security afforded by their holdings would be quite inadequate for the necessary advances under the Laud Acts.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what is the number, and what is the cost, of extra police in the County Clare at the present time.

The number of extra police at present serving in County Clare is seventy, and the charge upon the county is at the rate of a little over £200 a month.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state the total number to date of land purchase transactions in County Clare, showing the number of tenants involved and the total amount of money advanced or for which agreements have been signed.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that, as regards direct sales under the Act of 1903 in County Clare, purchase agreements have been lodged in respect of 3,601 holdings, comprised in 154 estates, the advances applied for amounting to £957,226. Of this amount, the sum of £170,562 has been advanced for the purchase of 667 holdings comprised in forty-three estates. Proceedings have also been instituted for the sale to the Commissioners of twenty-six estates, and they have so far entered into formal agreements for the purchase, for £79,471, of thirteen of these estates which are occupied by 195 tenants. In the case of eight of these estates the purchase money, amounting to £49,083 has been advanced, and the lands vested in the Commissioners.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state the total number of evicted tenants in the County Clare at present and the number who have been provided with holdings or are about to be provided with holdings.

Up to 31st May last, the Estates Commissioners had received 413 applications from evicted tenants or their representatives for reinstatement in County Clare. In eighty-nine of these cases the applicants have been reinstated; 173 applications have been rejected; and seventy-nine cases are in process of being dealt with or are under the Commissioners' consideration. The remaining seventy-two applications were received subsequent to 1st May, 1907, and consequently they cannot be dealt with under the Evicted Tenants Act of that year, but will be inquired into by the Commissioners if and when the estates upon which the evicted holdings are I situate come before them to be dealt with.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what is the number of labourers' cottages erected in County Clare; and what is the number in course of erection, giving the names of the different unions.

On 31st March last, 518 labourers' cottages had been provided in County Clare, and 189 had been authorised but not yet provided. Since that date 453 additional cottages have been authorised. The Local Government Board are not furnished with particulars as to the number of cottages in course of erection, but it will probably be sufficient for the hon. Member's purpose to know that in all 1,160 cottages have been ordered, of which, as stated, 518 had been provided on 31st March. I will circulate with to-night's Votes a tabular statement showing the details for each union.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the information. Has he received complaints as to delays in publishing the result of these inquiries under the Labourers Act?

None have reached me.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he can state what is the cause of the delay in the erection of the pier for the fishermen at Ballahaline, County Clare; whether the money has been long ago provided for this pier; and, if so, whether he will see that the work is at once gone on with in view of the necessity for providing proper accommodation for the fishermen to enable them to carry on their work.

This matter cannot be proceeded with until legislation has been passed extending the power of the county council to contribute to works of the nature in question. A Bill on the subject was introduced this session, but it was found impracticable to proceed with it, and the question of introducing an amended measure is now under consideration. It cannot be said that the money has been provided, so long as the county council have no legal power to make the necessary contribution.

May I ask whether it is a fact that in the 130 miles of the Clare coast there are twenty-two fishing hamlets with 226 canoes in which 675 men go to sea to make a living, and whether it is a fact that the Government have not up to this erected even one pier for the protection of those hardworking toilers of the sea?

I am afraid I cannot carry the precise Answer to that Question in my mind.

Can the right hem. Gentleman say what is the cause of the delay in the introduction of the second Bill, the first having been withdrawn? Is it not yet drafted?

Yes; and the cause of the delay is the same as in the, case of the first Bill.

And was not the cause of the withdrawal a quarrel between two Irish Departments; and is that quarrel to be allowed to defeat a second Bill?

The cause of the defeat of the last Bill was a difference of opinion between two Departments. The battle is still raging, and I hope it will soon be over.