To ask the Postmaster-General if it has been brought within his knowledge that considerable discontent exists at the Glasgow post office as a consequence of the methods by which promotions are made at that office; if he has received several protests from the aggrieved officers; and if he will investigate the alleged favouritism in the recent promotion of two junior assistant inspectors of postmen over the heads of senior officers, several of whom the local postmaster admitted were thoroughly qualified. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I have inquired into and have answered the representations to which the hon. Member refers.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the hardship of the case of Pilot William M'Kinlay, who was convicted of an alleged offence of reckless navigation by the Glasgow Sheriffs Court on 15th May last, he proposes to take any steps to bring about an amendment of the law so as to assimilate the law of Scotland as far as possible with that of the other parts of the United Kingdom, and so prevent the recurrence of similar cases. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) So far as I am aware, the law in Scotland in cases such as those referred to by the hon. Member is practically the same as in other parts of the United Kingdom. I have, however, under consideration the question of instituting an inquiry into various matters affecting pilotage throughout the United Kingdom. Should such an inquiry take place, the pilots will doubtless be afforded an opportunity of submitting evidence as to any points in which they think the law requires amendment.

To ask the Postmaster General whether, in the engagement of casual assistance during the forthcoming pressure of work in various departments of the Post Office, he will consider the propriety of revoking the rule that no one beyond the age of forty years shall be eligible for such employment. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) I amended the rule referred to two years ago, when I raised the limit of age to forty-five.

To ask the Postmaster-General whether there is any rule or custom, and, if so, to what extent, to exclude the general public from employment in any of the postal departments; whether ex-soldiers or ex-sailors have any preference of employment; and, if so, in what departments and to what extent. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) The general public have access, either directly or after service in lower grades, to all situations in the Post Office, except to one-half of the vacancies for postmen and porters and a few other posts, such as lift attendant, which, under an arrangement of many years' standing, are allotted to ex-soldiers and ex-sailors.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board, what action has been taken to communicate to the central bodies and distress committees established under the Unemployed Act the decision of the Government that the Poor Law and two years' disqualification are removed; how many of the schemes submitted by the Central (Unemployed) Body for London to the Local Government Board have been approved since the recent debate on the unemployed; how many schemes so submitted by the Central Body have not yet been approved; and is there any reason why, after the declaration of the Premier that the rules would be relaxed as far as possible, these schemes should not at once be passed. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) An order to amend the regulations under the Unemployed Workmen Act is necessary to give effect to the decision to which the right hon. Gentleman refers. The order is in preparation and will be issued at the earliest date practicable. Before the recent debate took place I had made

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland what was the number of applications for compensation for malicious injuries to cattle heard at the recent Ennis Quarter Sessions; what was the number of cattle (including sheep) driven on the occasion of each drive for which compensation was awarded; and what was the amount of compensation granted in each case. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The particulars are as follows:—

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether it is intended to concentrate the troops in South Africa at some point in Cape Colony, like Port Elizabeth or elsewhere, to form a kind of Aldershot; and, if so, what is intended to be done with the cantonments at Middleburg, in the Transvaal, at Bloemfontein, and elsewhere. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) No, Sir. There is no such intention.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether any representations have been made on behalf of the Governments of the self-governing Colonies for commuting the pensions of ex-soldiers under the age of fifty desiring to settle in British Colonies; the nature of these representations; and his Answers thereto. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) Representations have been made on behalf of the Government of Australia suggesting that Army pensioners should be allowed to commute the whole of their pensions at the age of 50, or that partial commutation should be so arranged that the pension should revive at sixty. The Array Council were unable to entertain either proposal; but they are considering the desirability of allowing Army pensioners in receipt of more than 1s. a day to commute the excess over 1s. at an earlier age than fifty. As explained to the hon. Member for Hastings on 26th October, I am not yet in a position to make any statement on this point.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the Government proposes so to amend the law as to allow Boards of Guardians to contribute to the expenses of Poor Law children out of the United Kingdom, provided the cost of such maintenance is considerably lower than that which would have been incurred in respect of the same children in the United Kingdom. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) I do not think I can give any promise to introduce a Bill for this purpose.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Vagrancy anent the setting up of farm colonies will be considered by the Government when framing any fresh legislation upon the Poor Law. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) The vagrant question forms part of the general problem of the relief of the poor, and must, I think, necessarily be considered in connection with any proposed Poor Law legislation.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he will consider the advisability of altering form O.A.P., No. 5A, notice to claimant of disallowance of claim for an old-age pension, by giving a longer period than seven days for sending notice of appeal against the Committee's decision, and by enclosing forms of appeal and notification with the notice. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) My hon. friend's suggestion would involve an alteration in the Old-Age Pension Regulations, and not merely in the form to which he refers. I doubt the expediency of sending forms of appeal to claimants where a claim is disallowed, as this might be interpreted as an intimation that an appeal ought to be made. But I will cause my hon. friend's suggestion to be noted for consideration should any Amendment be made in the regulations.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board whether residence of three months or more out of the United Kingdom prevents an applicant from benefiting under the Pensions Act; and does a three months' or more residence in the Isle of Man exclude an applicant from benefiting under the Act. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) An applicant for an old-age pension must, under Section 2 of the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908, satisfy the pension authorities that for at least twenty years up to the date of the receipt of any sum on account of a pension he has had his residence, as defined by regulations under the Act, in the United Kingdom. The regulations provide for temporary absences during the period of twenty years being disregarded if the applicant's home has throughout the absences been in the United Kingdom, and the aggregate of the absences since the beginning of the earliest of them does not exceed three years. Residence in the Isle of Man is not for the purposes of the Act residence within the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that crofters, cottars, and others resident at Aultbea, Ross-shire, have applied to the proprietor of Drum-chork sheep farm for an allocation of the land for enlargement of holdings and the creation of new holdings, and, seeing that the people have written to the Crofters Commission on the subject, and have asked the Congested Districts Board whether they would be prepared to take over the stock, will he ascertain why no notice has been taken of the application by either department; and, having regard to the fact that this farm was formerly in the occupation of the people, and was scheduled by the Deer Forests Commissioners as suitable for new holdings and the extension of existing holdings, will the Congested Districts Board endeavour to induce the proprietor to accede to the application made to him. (Answered by Mr. Sinclair.) A communication in the sense suggested has been sent to the Crofters Commission, but no formal application has been made. In 1888 a similar application was found to be incompetent on the ground that the value of the subject in question was under £100 per annum. Since that date, by direct arrangement with the landlord, part of the farm has been assigned to crofters for enlargement of holdings, and I am informed the remainder has been let to a tenant at a rent of £52.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that in cases involving criminal charges the accused have a power of appeal to a higher tribunal from the decision of a magistrate, while in cases in which persons are ordered to enter into recognisances to be of good behaviour or in default to be imprisoned for a certain period by a magistrate there is no power of appeal, and the decision of the magistrate is final and absolute, since the order to enter into recognisances to be of good behaviour, with an alternative penalty of imprisonment, is not necessarily made as the result of the conviction, and is not regarded as punishment in law, but as an exorcise of the preventive jurisdiction of the magistrate; and whether, having regard to the fact that the magistrate was apprised in each case arising out of the suffragist agitation that the order to enter into recognisances to be of good behaviour would not be complied with, and that the pronouncing of that order was only tantamount to passing a sentence of imprisonment, in some instances of long duration, from which there is no appeal, instructions will be given that in future in the institution of proceedings in relation to offences connected with the suffragist agitation recourse be not had by the police authorities to the issue of summonses calling upon the accused to show cause why they should not enter into their recognisances to be of good behaviour, but that steps be taken to prosecute the accused in order to secure a conviction against them in due course of law, instead of the infliction of terms of imprisonment without conviction or trial on the order of a magistrate sitting alone.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been directed to the fact that in some of the proceedings instituted by the London police authorities in reference to matters in connection with the woman suffrage agitation summonses were issued to show cause why orders should not be made that the persons so summoned should enter into recognisances to be of good behaviour, whereas in other cases the defendants have been summoned to the police Courts for certain specified offences, such as breaches of the peace and obstruction of the public thoroughfare; and whether, regard being had to the fact that an order that a person enter into recognisances to be of good behaviour with the alternative in the event of refusal of imprisonment admits of no appeal, whereas the decision of a magistrate on a specific charge is the subject of appeal, directions will be given to the police authorities that in future, if it should be thought necessary to take proceedings against persons for offences in relation to this agitation, such proceedings will be based on definite charges triable in the ordinary way, and giving the accused persons the ordinary rights of appeal from the decision and sentence of the magistrate. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) The Answer to both Questions is in the negative. The procedure to be adopted is a matter for the discretion of the police authorities, who are guided by the circumstances of each case, and I see no reason for any interference on my part.

To ask the Postmaster-General it he has received petitions from the postal staff at Belfast regarding the proposed transfer of an overseer from the telegraph to the postal side, and certain other changes; and whether, in view of the effect of these changes upon the memorialists, the proposals have been abandoned. (Answered by Mr. Sydney Buxton.) Petitions have been received, and the memorialists were informed that careful consideration will be given to their representations. The revision of the indoor force has not yet been settled.

To ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that, in connection with a recent licensing case heard at Newtonards sessions, county Down, on 24th October last, there were upwards of forty magistrates adjudicating who were acting in contravention of the provisions of Section 60 of The Licensing (Ireland) Act (1872); whether these magistrates, disregarding a letter of the present Under-Secretary for Ireland, a copy of which was sent to them prior to the hearing pointing out the penalty entailed by said section, persisted notwithstanding in voting in the licensing application in question; whether he will take steps to enforce the penalty of £100 against each of the said magistrates as provided by the said section; and what steps he intends taking so as to ensure in future that this section is not wilfully violated, and a decision on the part of an impartial licensing tribunal thereby rendered impossible. (Answered by Mr. Cherry.) I have no information on the subject, and cannot say whether any of the magistrates who adjudicated on the occasion referred to by the hon. Member were disqualified from so adjudicating under Section 60 of the Licensing Act of 1872. The Under-Secretary informs me that he did not communicate prior to the hearing of the case with any of the magistrates who appear to have adjudicated. If information is placed before me clearly establishing that any magistrate has violated the section of the Act referred to I shall carefully consider what action should be taken. It would be impossible to make any general statement on the subject, as the circumstances of each case and the evidence available must be considered before any action could be taken.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can give any estimate of the cost of a gradual substitution of a nickel coinage for bronze in the United Kingdom, and of the disturbance to trade that would result therefrom, considering that the machines at the Mint can be easily adjusted so as to make coins of any size and metal, and that the nickel and bronze coins could be used simultaneously for most purposes until one superseded the other. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) It has been estimated that the gradual substitution of a nickel for the bronze coinage now in circulation would cost at least £170,000. I have no means of estimating the precise degree of disturbance which would be caused to trade, but I am advised that it might be considerable.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the cottage proposed to be built by the Abbeyleix District Council under the tenth scheme for a labourer named Thomas Byrne on the lands of Mr. George Alley, Donaghmore, Queen's County, has been disallowed by County Court Judge Fitzgerald, upon I appeal at the late Maryborough Quarter Sessions; whether he is aware that the house occupied by Byrne, his wife, and family of four children, has no sanitary accommodation and no outhouse attached, and that the fowls occupy part of the dwelling-house; that Mr. Alley, for whom Byrne has been working for the past nine years, has 400 acres of land at Donaghmore, with only one union cottage thereon; and can he say what steps the Local Government Board propose taking; to provide this labourer and his family; with a sanitary house and plot of land to which he is entitled under the Labourers Acts. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Local Government Board have no information as to the proceedings in the County Court. The decision of the County Court Judge is final, and if the application has, as stated, been disallowed, the labourer can only apply once more to the district council with a view to their providing him with a cottage plot under a new scheme.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application for reinstatement from Richard Talbot, representative of Mrs. Meredith, who was evicted from a farm at Killart, Clonaslee, estate of the Misses Dunne, Brittas, Clonaslee, Queen's County; and, seeing that the evicted farm is in the possession of Mr. C. H. P. Dunne, uncle of the owners, and that there is other untenanted land on the estate known as Capparogan, which Mr. Talbot has offered to take in lieu of the evicted farm, can he say what is the cause of the delay in the settlement of this case. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Estates Commissioners have received an application for reinstatement from Richard Talbot, and it will be considered in the allotment of such untenanted land as they may be able to acquire.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he will state on what grounds the Estates Commissioners have declined to enforce the provisions of The Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Act, 1907, for the purpose of restoring Mr. John F. M'Quade to the holding from which be was formerly evicted in the townland of Drumhirk, on the Irvine estate, county Fermanagh; what is the cause of delay on the part of the Commissioners in acquiring this holding, compulsorily or otherwise, with a view to the reinstatement of M'Quade; and whether the Commissioners insist in restoring, where possible, each eligible evicted tenant to his former holding. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I am unable to add anything to my reply to the Question asked by the hon. Member on the 28th October. It would be contrary to the established practice to state the reasons which actuate the Estates Commissioners in the exercise of their discretion.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that the inhabitants of Armoy, county Antrim, have no water supply except a well situated beside a graveyard; if he is aware that the medical officer of health has condemned this water supply for years past; if several memorials have been forwarded to the Local Government Board from the ratepayers demanding a public inquiry into the whole matter; and whether, seeing that the Ballycastle rural council refuse to take action, he will grant the inquiry asked for. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Local Government Board inform me that there are eleven private pumps and one new public pump in Armoy. The medical officer of health has from time to time reported adversely on the water supply, and memorials on the subject have been forwarded to the Local Government Board by ratepayers. The Board have communicated with the rural district council, who have erected the new pump, which affords a good supply of apparently good water, and have invited tenders for another. In these circumstances, a public inquiry would not serve any useful purpose.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland how many local sanitary authorities in Ireland have adopted The Infectious Diseases Prevention Act, 1890; and what proportion of the population such sanitary authorities represent. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) 174 local sanitary authorities in Ireland, representing 62·6 of the population, have adopted the Infectious Diseases Prevention Act, 1890.

To ask the Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the difficulty of getting recruits for the Territorial Army medically examined by civilian doctors owing to the small fee of 1s. sanctioned by regulation; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of increasing the fee to 2s. 6d., at which figure it stood before the passing of the Territorial Forces Act, 1907, having in view the tax entailed on the time of the medical man who, to carry out the instructions for the physical examination of candidates, must expend nearly two hours in performing this duty. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) I think the noble Lord is under some misapprehension. 2s. 6d. was only paid in the Yeomanry; the Volunteers were generally examined by their regimental medical officers without payment of a fee. At present no fee is prescribed, but a grant of 1s. is made to an Association for each recruit passed. These grants form a fund from which fees for medical examination of recruits can be paid when necessary. It is, however, anticipated that in most cases the medical examination will be conducted by the Royal Army Medical Corps of the Territorial Force as part of their military duty.

To ask the Secretary of State for War, whether there is any, and what, shortage of subalterns in the various batteries of the Royal Field Artillery; and what steps, if any, will be taken to fill these vacancies. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The present shortage amounts to fifty-seven, of which number of places twenty will be filled by the 1st February. The transfer of Garrison Artillery Volunteers to Field Artillery Territorial Force units caused a demand for forty-two adjutants from the Royal Field Artillery, and a corresponding deficiency among the subalterns. Steps are being taken to good the deficiency.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the present serious depression in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industries, and the consequent large number of men unemployed, he will arrange that the necessary repairs to war vessels and their machinery during the coming winter will be divided between the Government dockyards and private shipbuilding and engineering establishments.

No, Sir.

asked why firms which were entrusted with shipbuilding and the provision of machinery were not entrusted with repairs.

said that the Admiralty policy had been to give repairs chiefly, if not entirely, to the dockyards in order to give the building out to private yards.

In the event of the Admiralty acceding to the request of the hon. Member opposite, will he give new work to the dockyards?

The Admiralty have not the faintest intention of acceding to the request of the hon. Gentleman.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in spite of the regulation laid down by the Admiralty that only two battleships of the active Channel Fleet should be absent at one time, in September last the Channel Fleet was at Scarborough with only six battleships, whilst the Home Fleet at the same time was hundreds of miles away, in the North of Scotland, with only ten battleships, and these of three or four different types; and whether, about the same time, the German High Sea Fleet of sixteen if not eighteen battleships was at or near Heligoland.

Six battleships of the Channel Fleet arrived at Scarborough on 25th September last. At that date the other eight battleships of the Channel Fleet were at the home ports—three at Chatham, three at Portsmouth, and two at Devonport; four of these were ready for sea and four were refitting. At the same date, of the Home Fleet, nine battleships were at Cromarty, two were in the neighbourhood of the Nore engaged in gunlayers' tests, and one was at Devonport available for service. I cannot undertake to give information with regard to the movements of foreign Fleets.

asked whether, in view of, our late experience, showing how very quickly war clouds might appear on the political horizon, and also judging by the fact that some of our neighbours were not quite so fond of us as we had believed they were, the right hon. Gentleman thought that the position was safe at that time and was the same state of things likely to happen again.

If I might use the phrase I would say "overwhelmingly safe."

For what purpose were the ships at Scarborough—for training or for the entertainment of the inhabitants?

asked for notice.

With regard to the right hon. Gentleman's inability to give the information asked for in the last part of the Question, will he say is it due to lack of information or does he consider it would not be wise to give it?

My reply is: "I cannot undertake to give the information."

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty how many coastguards were employed at the thirty-three stations which have been closed during the present year; how much will be the saving that will be effected; and, on the closing of the stations, were arrangements made with the Board of Trade for the efficient working of the life-saving appliances in every case where they had been previously worked by the coastguards.

The reply to the first part of the hon. Member's Question is: Full complement, 173; actual numbers serving when stations were closed 136. I am unable at present to give a statement of the saving that will be effected. With regard to the last part of the Question, the Board of Trade expressed their concurrence prior to the stations being closed; none of these thirty-three stations were supplied with the life-saving apparatus.

asked whether the 136 men were to join the ranks of the unemployed. This could not represent a saving to the Admiralty of more than £2,000 or £3,000. Could not something be done for them?

said that to answer that Question he would have to inquire into the status of each one of the men.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will state what arrangements have been made to bring back to this country the Reservists who are allowed to emigrate in case we are at war with a Naval Power.

It will be the duty of each individual Reservist to use the funds with which he will have been furnished, in effecting as expeditious and safe a journey home as he can.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can inform the House what percentage of horses used in the Army are bred in Ireland, or, failing this, what proportion of Army horses have been procured in Ireland during the last five years.

It is not possible to state what proportion of the horses used in the Army are bred in Ireland. During the five years ended March, 1908, 17,959 horses were purchased in the United Kingdom, and of these 11,590 were purchased in Ireland.

Does any machinery exist for purchasing Army horses direct from the breeder?

No, I think not, but the Remount Department has very large discretion.

Do not foreign Powers obtain the best horses for Army purposes?

I believe they compete keenly for Irish horses.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received advices of the Tax Bill recently passed by the Natal Legislature; and whether he has received any protests against it on the ground that it alters the tenure and terms of grants made by the Government to various Colonists for valuable consideration, paid by them, and in particular has reimposed special taxes upon land for non-occupation in respect of which money has been paid to the Government for the redemption of non-occupation tax and quit rents.

The Secretary of State has received copies of an Income and Land Tax Assessment Bill, though not in its final form. A protest of the nature referred to has been received from the Natal Land and Colonisation Company, but the matter does not appear to be one in which the Secretary of State can properly interfere.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies how much of the Transvaal Loan of £5,000,000 has been issued, in what form the issue has been made, and to what objects the money has been allocated.

£1,000,000 of Transvaal Treasury Bills due 1st February, 1909, have, with the approval of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, been issued. £750,000 has been paid to the Transvaal Land and Agricultural Bank, and small sums have been spent on agricultural settlement and on irrigation. Expenditure is, I understand, also contemplated on railways.

Can the hon. Gentleman say when the new issue will be made? Will it be within the next six months?

I cannot say off-hand.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, between January, 1906, the date of the last General Election, and January, 1907, when the maximum number of Chinese working in the South African mines was reached the number of whites employed had decreased; and whether, since the reduction of nearly 40,000 Chinese, the number of whites employed has increased.

In January, 1906, the number of whites working on the Rand was 17,696; in January, 1907, the number was 17,198. In August last it was 17,989. In September there was a further decrease of Chinese and increase of whites, but I cannot yet give the exact figures for that month.

asked whether between January, 1906, and the present time there had not been a large increase in coloured labour?

Yes, a very large increase indeed, and contrary to the expectations entertained by hon. Members opposite.

Have not a considerable number of new mines also been opened up?

Yes, I am glad to say that is the case.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether students who have gained scholarships in the University of London for £80 are charged with income-tax thereon as unearned income, seeing that such income has been gained by long and expensive labour and pains.

Scholarships at the Universities are chargeable to income-tax as "earned" income, but I may remind the hon. Member that probably in the great majority of cases the recipients of such scholarships arepersons whose total income from all sources does not exceed the statutory limit of exemption.

I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Inland Revenue Department has any list of chemicals and preservatives, other than hops, which are sometimes used in the brewing of beer or which may be added to the beer after the process of brewing is completed; have the officials of the Department ever issued a list of chemicals or chemical substances which brewers were forbidden to use; and, if so, what are the names of the forbidden articles.

A list of the articles in respect of which application had been made to the Board of Inland Revenue for permission for their use in the manufacture of beer was compiled in 1905 and given by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in reply to a Question in the House of Commons on 23rd May, 1905. No list has been issued by the Board of Inland Revenue of substances which brewers are forbidden to use, but from time to time decisions are given by the Board as regards substances submitted either by brewers or by the Board's officers. The articles for which sanction has been refused are: Malt, yeast-foods, glucose, invert sugar, hop substitutes, etc., when containing arsenic beyond the limit recommended by the Royal Commission on Arsenical Poisoning; heading powders and liquids, or other article, containing saponin whether derived from quillaia bark or not; flavouring essences; saccharin; sacramine, and other compounds containing saccharin.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any list is kept of chemicals which wine merchants are forbidden to use in doctoring their wines?

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether any chemicals are used in the manufacture, of mineral waters?

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he can state the number of ratepayers summoned for their rates in England and Wales and the number who suffered imprisonment for non-payment, differentiating between the provinces and London for the year ending 1907.

I beg to answer this Question on behalf of my right hon. friend. These figures are not available, and even if it were possible to get accurate returns, their collection would, the Secretary of State fears, give the local authorities more trouble than the result would justify.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of two ladies, Mrs. Penn Gaskell and Miss Smith, who, on 19th October last, at about 1.50 p.m., were summarily arrested by two police officers in Regent Street while distributing handbills announcing a public, meeting, and taken to the Vine Street Police Station, and thence to the Great Marlborough Street Police Court, where they were imprisoned in a small cell-like room, together with a woman charged with being a prostitute, for some two hours, although they were at all times ready and willing to give their names and addresses, and might have been proceeded against by summons; whether he is aware that these ladies complain of having been subjected to many other indignities while awaiting trial on the charge of having caused an obstruction to the highway, and that they were ultimately released upon an order to enter into recognisances with which they were not required actually to comply; and whether he will direct a full inquiry to be made into all the circumstances of the case, and take such steps as may be necessary to secure that women charged by the police under such circumstances shall not in future be subjected to such treatment, and that they shall not be forcibly arrested in the public streets in cases where procedure by summons is sufficient.

My right hon. friend's attention has been called to this case, but he finds, on inquiry, that these ladies were subjected to no indignities while in custody. They were, in fact, treated with special consideration. At the police court they were detained, not in a cell, but in a waiting-room, eighteen feet square, with a woman whom the police report they have no reason to believe was of the class specified by the hon. Member. The door of the room was not looked, and the matron was in attendance. Mrs. Gaskell and Miss Smith were apprehended only when they were causing actual obstruction to traffic, when they had shown a deter- mination not to obey the police warning to move away, and when their removal from the street had become necessary in order to put an end to the obstruction.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that independent evidence was forthcoming at the police court that there was no crowd and no obstruction of the traffic, and that other evidence has since transpired bearing that out? Will he make further inquiry into the facts if I send him a copy of the evidence, and seeing that by the magistrate's decision it was a perfectly trivial offence, will he say if he approves of women being arrested summarily in the streets under such circumstances?

That is asking for an expression of opinion.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will direct inquiries to be made as to the accommodation provided for female prisoners awaiting trial at Vine Street Police Station; and whether the door of the lavatory for women under arrest at that station is provided with a spy-hole, and is situated in a corridor to which police constables and other mile persons have access.

Present structural conditions at Vine Street preclude the provision of a separate set of cells for female prisoners, but whenever a woman is detained there, a matron is present in the cell passage throughout the period of detention. For obvious reasons, a small shuttered window is required in the lavatory door. The window is used only on occasions of emergency, and in the case of a female prisoner is used by the matron only. A scheme for the improvement of the administrative accommodation at this station is now in preparation.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the case of William Woodgate, an ex-soldier, who was charged at the North London Police Court, on Saturday, 24th October, with placing himself in Seven Sisters Road, Holloway, for the purpose of receiving alms, and was sentenced to two months hard labour, although he stated he had been out of work for the past ten weeks and owed five weeks rent and was trying to get a few pence to buy bread for his wife and child; and if he can see his way to have the sentence reduced.

My right hon. friend is making inquiry, and will let the hon. Member know his decision.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can state the number of Roman Catholic monastic and conventual institutions, which existed in England Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively, in 1830, and at the last date when the last figures were published, respectively; and whether he can give the number of foreign Roman Catholic monks and nuns who have taken up their abode in the United Kingdom during the last five or ten years.

There are no official statistics on the subject.

Has the hon. Gentleman any objection to endeavouring to obtain the statistics asked for in the first part of the Question?

The Home Office has no power to do so; it would require legislation for the purpose.

Has the Home Office no source of information other than official information?

I am only required to give official information.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that the windows in the Holloway cells are not made to open and there is no direct entry of fresh air, and that the floors of the cells upon which the bedding is placed are composed of stone blocks likely to be damp at certain seasons of the year, these defects in construction will be remedied in the interests of the health of prisoners.

The windows are not made to open, but there is a direct entry of fresh air by a separate inlet for each cell, and the ventilation is satisfactory. Home of the cells at Hollo way are floored with wood blocks, some with concrete, and some with tiles. The floors are not damp, nor is the bedding placed upon the floor, but upon a shelf when not in use.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what industries are taught in His Majesty's prisons to women; whether he will consider the possibility of revising the system, with a view to enabling them to find remunerative work on their discharge; and whether he has considered the advisability of appointing a woman to the Board of Prison Commissioners to help in reorganising prison industries for women on more educative and reformative lines.

My right, hon. friend will furnish the hon. Member with a list of the industries. The shortness of sentences prevents in most cases any system of organised instruction of such a nature as would create a wage-earning capacity on discharge, even were it possible to find employment. Thirty-nine per cent. of women last year were in prison for a week or less; 65 per cent. two weeks or less; and 95 per cent. three months or less; but in individual cases, where length of sentence admits, every effort is made to impart useful instruction, and improvements are continually being made. The Commissioners have now ample opportunities of obtaining the opinion of women as to the most suitable industries. Lady visitors are invited to offer suggestions. Useful suggestions are also frequently received from matrons of prisons; and a lady inspector of prisons has lately been appointed, whose duty it is, among other things, to advise the Commissioners on this matter.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the large amount of unemployment now obtaining, he will increase the number of Reservists permitted to be enrolled in the Metropolitan Police force beyond the existing limit of 600 as vacancies occur; and, if so, what additional number he will permit to be so recruited.

Efforts are being made to keep the Metropolitan Police force up to its full strength, and my right hon. friend thinks it is obvious that the hon. Member's suggestion of substituting Reservists for other unemployed persons as police recruits would not assist in the solution of the question of unemployment. The number of Reservists to be employed has, after careful consideration, been fixed at the limit given, and my right hon. friend regrets he cannot undertake to alter it.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the application made at Bow Street Police Court on Monday to have certain women political prisoners transferred from the second to the first division; whether he is aware that the magistrate stated that the Home Secretary was the proper person to apply to; and whether he will now exercise the powers he possesses, known as the prerogative of mercy, to have the ladies referred to treated as first-class misdemeanants.

My right hon. friend has seen a newspaper report of the application which was made to the Court on behalf of these ladies. As he stated on a previous occasion, it would, in his opinion, be unconstitutional to use the power of the Crown to override, with regard to any class of prisoners, the discretion which has been expressly given to the Court by statute. In certain cases, where no order was made, he has drawn the attention of the committing magistrate to the matter, and has asked him to consider it; and as the result, the magistrate has directed the prisoners' removal to a higher division than that in which they had been placed. My right hon. friend was advised by the late Attorney-General that a magistrate had power to give such a direction subsequent to the prisoners' committal to prison. With regard to the ladies referred to in the Question, my right hon. friend has been advised that the remainder of Mrs. Drummond's sentence should be remitted upon medical grounds, and she has been discharged from prison. As to the other ladies who are being treated in the second division, he sees no reason which would justify him in communicating with the learned magistrate.

asked whether on the same day, in another Court, a similar application for transference from a lower to higher grade was granted by the magistrate, as he understood, on the recommendation of the Home Secretary; and why, if that could be done in one Court, it could be done in another.

That is precisely the question I have answered.

May I ask whether equality before the law is not a bedrock principle of democratic rule?

May I ask whether equality before the law meant first-class treatment for Dr. Jameson and second class for these ladies who are also political offenders?

My right hon. friend has explained more than once that the Jameson case was before the passing of the Prisons Act of 1898, which completely altered the situation by vesting discretion in this matter in the Court.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman whether he has not complete discretion to discharge all these suffragist prisoners at once?

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that Clause 12 of the Police Regulations for the granting of licences to motor omnibuses provides that every omnibus must be so geared that its normal highest speed does not exceed twelve miles an hour, he will say why the police have licensed omnibuses which habitaully travel at sixteen miles per hour; and whether this Regulation has ever been enforced in a single case.

The hon. Member appears to have misunderstood the words "normal highest speed" in the Regulation from which he quotes. They refer to the omnibus when running in its highest gear at a normal number of engine revolutions per minute. The majority of omnibuses are so designed that when running at a normal engine speed their rate of progression approximates closely to the legal maximum of twelve miles per hour. Motor omnibuses in London do not habitually travel at sixteen miles per hour.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that Clause 13 of the Police Regulations for granting of licences to motor omnibuses provides that every omnibus must be constructed so that no undue noise or vibration is caused, he will say why omnibuses are permitted on the streets shaking the houses by which they pass and causing a nuisance to the public.

Every care is exercised to ensure that only properly constructed omnibuses are licensed, and when the police find any that, through wear and tear, have become noisy, these are ordered off the streets. The hon. Member is no doubt aware that the Report of the Select Committee of 1906 drew attention to the fact that the noise and vibration of motor vehicles may be due to causes other than faulty construction. As the former part of my Answer has been met with some question, perhaps I may be allowed to say that in the year 1907, motor omnibuses were warned off the streets no less than 4,862 times, and as there are only 1,000 omnibuses, that gives an average of nearly five times each, which does not seem to show laxity on the part of the police.

May I ask whether it does not show that these motor omnibuses ought to have been warned off ten times?

Cannot we have a Return showing the condition of these omnibuses?

I do not think that would be a proper subject for a Parliamentary Return.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the profits made by motor-taxi companies, and that the fares he has sanctioned are nearly double those permitted by the Paris traffic authorities for exactly the same cabs, he will reduce the rates forthwith.

My right hon. friend has no official information of the profits made by motor cab companies, and the conditions in Paris are so different that no inference can be drawn from the Paris fares as to those that ought to prevail here. He notices, however, that, in the evidence given before the Select Committee, it was stated that the fare for a taximeter cab in Paris was about one-third more than the fare for a horsed cab. At any rate, the profits now made by motor cabs in London must be regarded as due in part to the demand exceeding the supply, and present experience would not warrant a reduction in the rates.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that the majority of the taxi-cabs in London are identical with those used in Paris, being manufactured by the same foreign firm, he will say why he has sanctioned a scale of rates permitting motor companies to charge the public 2d. for two-and-a-half minutes by time when the rates in Paris for the same cars are 1d. for three minutes by time.

It has already been stated that no analogy can be drawn between the fares in force in Paris and London, respectively. But the rate suggested by the hon. Member, which works out at 1s. 6d. per hour, is manifestly unsuitable for London, being less than the rate for horsed cabs. The Select Committee in their Report stated that "obviously the fare by time must be much higher" in the case of motor cabs than for horsed cabs.

Does the hon. Gentleman consider 4s. an hour for waiting reasonable? Are not the Paris cabs of exactly the same construction, and if they pay at the lower rate cannot the English cab pay equally?

The conditions in Paris are different.

There can be no difference in waiting.

The difference is in the wages of the men, their standard of comfort, the cost of maintenance, and so forth.

But the wages in Paris are higher than those in London.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that at the recent Olympic Games the time of every race was correctly taken to one-tenth of a second, he will say if with a system of electric signals the speed of motor vehicles could be accurately taken; whether any application has been made by the Commissioner to him for money to install such electric appliances to prevent the law being daily broken by motorists; and whether he will see that any moneys necessary to enforce the law are granted to the Commissioner.

The chronographs used by the Metropolitan police, which time accurately to one-fifth of a second, were adopted after full consideration of various electrical and other timing appliances. In the opinion of the Commissioner timing by chronograph is the method best adapted to the needs of the Metropolitan police and the conditions under which timing is effected by them.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Commissioner of Police, in a letter to the hon. Member for the Mansfield Division, said he allowed four miles an hour over and above the legal limit owing to the difficulty of marking the exact time?

I am not aware.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that Clause 4 of the Regulations for obtaining a certificate of fitness for motor omnibuses provides that the Commissioner of Police reserves the right to withdraw the same when granted if an omnibus is apt to skid unduly, he will state the number of fatal accidents and personal injuries caused by side-slip in the Metropolis during the first six months of this year, the number of lamp-posts destroyed, and in how many cases the licences of omnibuses have been withdrawn for causing accidents due to side-slip.

The particulars of accidents due to side-slips could not be given without laborious search; the statistics now available include all accidents due to motor omnibuses. Skidding is, of course, common to all rubber-tyred vehicles, but every care is taken in licensing omnibuses to see that they are not specially liable to side-slip. No licences have been withdrawn during 1908 on this account.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, seeing that the cost of petrol is 50 per cent. higher in Paris than in London, and that the drivers of motor-cabs are paid higher wages in Paris than in London, he will say why he has fixed the fares for taxi-cabs at 8d. per mile and 2d. for each additional 440 yards when the rates in Paris are 7½d. for 1,300 yards and 1d. for each additional 430 yards.

This Question is partly covered by my replies to the previous ones. In fixing the rates, my right hon. friend adopted a scale lower in some respects than that recommended by the Select Committee, and it appears to have met with general approval.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that some months ago the Commissioner of Police addressed a communication to the Press, stating that, in view of the motor industry being a new one, he had not strictly enforced the regulation and laws enacted under the authority of Parliament; will he say whether the Commissioner was authorised by him not strictly to enforce the regulations of the Local Government Board, and if he will direct the Commissioner to carry out the orders of this House; and will he state the number of omnibuses, at present licensed in the Metropolis, of foreign manufacture.

The hon. Member will observe, on reference to the correspondence to which he alludes, that the regulations referred to as not strictly enforced, were certain regulations affecting public carriages, made by the Commissioner himself, which were at the time under the consideration of a Select Committee of the House. One thousand and ninety-five omnibuses are at present licensed by the Commissioner, and of these 595 are reported to be of foreign manufacture.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to to revelations recently made public in the Cardiff Municipal Council in regard to the state of seamen's boarding-houses in that city; and whether he will order an inquiry to be made as to the working of the regulations in force for the supervision and control of seamen's boarding-houses in the seaport towns of the United Kingdom.

I have been asked to reply to this Question. I am aware of the allegations which have been made as regards the state of seamen's boarding-houses at Cardiff, and understand that they are not without foundation. I have been in communication with the local authorities and am informed that urgent attention is being given to the matter with a view to securing a rigorous administration of the bye-laws regulating the boarding-houses. I am taking steps to obtain information as regards the state of seamen's boarding-houses at the other seaports, in respect of which the Board of Trade have approved bye-laws and the whole matter will receive careful consideration.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will obtain and lay upon the Table of the House particulars of the combinations or other mutual arrangements for working traffic, enforcing rates, withdrawing rebates, pooling receipts, abolishing inter-competition, and establishing community of interests in one way or another which have been entered into since 1905 by various railway companies in Great Britain; and whether the Board of Trade have taken the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown, and are now prepared to state whether all or any of these combinations or arrangements are such as require for their validity the approval of the Railway and Canal Commissioners, under Section 25 of the Railways Clauses Act, 1863, and amending enactments thereof.

asked whether the right hon. Gentleman possessed any authority to compel railways to work at a loss, or at rates of profit far below the average return upon capital employed in other contemporaneous enterprises.

replied that he should like an opportunity of studying the latter Question in order that it might have the answer it deserved. In regard to the Question on the Paper, the right hon. Gentleman said: I fear that is would be impracticable to attempt to collect particulars of all the various arrangements among railway companies which my hon. friend has in mind, which are probably very numerous. The Railway and Canal Commission only have power to review such agreements as are entered into under the authority of special Acts of Parliament incorporating Part III. of the Railways Clauses Act, 1863, or containing provisions similar to those of (Section 25 of that Act. It hardly appears necessary to consult the Law Officers of the Crown on this point which I am advised is not open to doubt. As, however, stated, in reply to my hon. friend the Member for Stockport on the 15th inst., the working of such arrangements will be most carefully watched, and should experience show that they operate detrimentally to the public interest, His Majesty's Government would not hestiate to take or to propose to Parliament the measures required by the situation.

asked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that many of these Bills were granted by the House for the purposes of competition as was distinctly stated by the promoters upstairs, and that since this pooling arrangement between the Great Northern and Great Central facilities granted to traders had been withdrawn.

The hon. Member ought to give notice of that Question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the serious inconvenience caused to passenger traffic on some of the main lines by overcrowding, as the result of combination which has led to dispensing with a number of trains?

I shall be glad to receive any evidence of injury to public interest arising out of such of these combinations as may possibly not require Parliamentary legislation.

May I have another shot at the right hon. Gentleman? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Bills granted by Parliament deliberately for purposes, specifically stated, of competition have been contravened?

These are grave matters of a most intricate branch of law, and I should not be doing justice to the House if I attempted to give my opinion without the advice of the Law Officers.

How can the right hon. Gentleman form an opinion without having an opportunity of seeing these agreements?

said his answer applied only to such agreements as those with which they were familiar.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information from German official sources, or from the Reports of British Consuls in Germany, as to the scarcity of workers there; and, if so, whether he will lay such information upon the Table of the House.

I have seen statements in the Reports of His Majesty's Consuls in Germany as to the shortage of labour in various industries during the recent period of trade expansion, but not any similar statements relating to the present time. The Consular Reports have already been laid on the Table of the House.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the number of persons who annually enter Germany temporarily from surrounding countries for purposes of work.

No, Sir, I have no means of making such an estimate.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the strong recommendations of Vice-Consul Toulmin, in his last two Annual Reports on Bulgaria, as to the advantage of establishing a British bank and a British museum of commercial samples at Sofia, have been brought to the notice of Chambers of Commerce and associations of bankers.

The attention of the Commercial Community has been directed to Mr. Vice-Consul Toulmin's recommendations by notices in the Board of Trade Journal, copies of which are sent to all the principal Chambers of Commerce. I beg to refer my hon. friend to page 458 of the issue of the Journal for 5th December last, a copy of which I am sending to him.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to a circular letter issued by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company (Ireland) on 16th October last, informing the servants on the wages staff of the company that, owing to the provisions of old-age pensions to be made from the National Exchequer, the directors give notice to terminate their pensions scheme from 1st January, 1909; whether he can say if such pensions have been part earnings for service to the company and are, in fact, deferred pay; and what steps, if any, he proposes to take in the matter.

I have not received a copy of the circular to which the hon. Member refers, but I am inviting the Railway Company's observations on the statements contained in the Question, and will inform the hon. Member of the nature of their reply.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has made the arrangements for the Consultative Committee of Colonial Experts, which was promised at the time of the Colonial Conference.

I understand from the hon. Member that his Question relates to appointments by His Majesty's Government of Trade Commissioners in the self-governing Dominions, appointments which were in contemplation at the time of the Colonial Conference. Four such appointments have now been made—one for Canada, one for South Africa, one for Australia, and one for New Zealand. Three of the gentlemen appointed have already left this country to take up their posts.

Will these gentlemen's reports be published with the Consular Reports?

They will report to the Board of Trade, and we shall consider them with the view of giving the fullest information to the commercial classes of this country.

Will the Commissioners be under the Board of Trade or the Colonial Office?

They are pointed by the Board of Trade.

Have the appointments been made under the advice of the Commercial Committee of the Board of Trade?

They are made by the Board of Trade on its own responsibility, after availing itself of the information it thinks it desirable to receive.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the facts that more than half the holdings of railway stock in this country are under £500 in amount, and that the average return upon this is only slightly above half the amount of income which disqualifies the possessor for an old-age pension, he will consider the advisability of revising the system of rating, so as to provide that railway companies shall be assessed only in respect of total net annual value.

I can only repeat the statement I made on 19th October last, in reply to a Question of my hon. friend, viz., that whether there should be any alteration in the law with regard to the assessment of railways is a matter which will receive consideration in connection with the Valuation Bill.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the employment of dazzling headlights on motor cars has been the cause of accidents to the cycling and driving public; and whether, when framing future motor legislation, he will bear this in mind and compel the use of such appliances as will reduce to a minimum the excessive glare.

I am aware of the disadvantages attending the use of these dazzling lights. The subject has received the consideration both of the Local Government Board and of the Royal Commission on Motor Cars, but at present I have not seen my way to an appropriate method of dealing with the matter.

asked whether the point could be dealt with by regulation, or whether it needed legislation.

If it can be dealt with by regulation, I will see whether there may not be an early opportunity to deal with it.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the Report of Dr. Collingridge, Medical Officer of Health for the City of London, to the effect that a vermin poison, advertised as harmless to human beings but as disseminating bacteriological diseases to rodents, has caused serious illness to many persons; and whether, in view of the danger to the public of the unrestricted sale of such poisons, he will consider the desirability of placing restrictions upon their sale.

My attention has been called to this matter. The administration of the Acts relating to the sale of poisons rests with the Privy Council. I will communicate with the Lord President as to the suggestion made by my hon. friend.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board on what date the circular was sent out to the various distress committees informing them that the Poor Law relief and the two years' successive work disqualification under the Unemployed Workmen's Act have been removed.

An Order is necessary for the purpose of altering the Regulations in this respect. The Order is in preparation, and will very shortly be issued.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the verdict returned at an inquest at Preston, on William Walsh, aged forty-six, a weaver of Blackburn, who died in the mission shelter on Tuesday, 20th October; and, in consequence of the deceased telling his fellow inmates that he had walked from Clitheroe, where he had had nothing but dry bread and water in the casual ward for several days, and in consequence of the man's death being accelerated by starvation and exposure, will he cause inquiries to be made into the case.

I have written for the depositions taken at the inquest in this case. On receiving them I will look into the matter.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether experts support the view that home-grown is not more durable than Norwegian timber and cannot be creosoted to the same advantage; and whether it is sufficiently established beyond all doubt that home-grown timber cannot be used for telegraph poles without loss to the Department.

As regards the first Question the Answer is in the affirmative. As regards the general question, I have already written fully to my hon. friend on the subject.

was understood to ask if the Norwegians were not interested in maintaining the claim that their timber was more durable?

Perhaps they are, but that does not affect the question. I am very anxious indeed to get offers of suitable British timber for telegraph poles, and if I receive them they certainly will be sympathetically considered.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether any representations have been made by the Canadian Government for the reduction of cable rates between this country and Canada.

The Answer to the hon. Member's Question is in the negative.

I beg to ask the Postmaster-General whether, in the matter of applications for extra clerks daring the pressure of Christmas work at Bristol, those who are unemployed will be given preference; and whether, since the announcement as to the work to be provided by the Post Office, any clerks have been taken on at the Bristol office who have temporarily left their present employment, or will such applications be entertained.

No men have yet been taken on at Bristol for Christmas pressure; but there, as elsewhere, in accordance with announcements which I have already made in this House, applications from men who are in employment will not be enter- tained if suitable men for the duties to be performed can be found among the genuinely unemployed.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the Report of the Departmental Committee on the organisation and arrangement of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the evidence and Memoranda on which that Report is based.

I am arranging for the Report of the Committee to be presented to Parliament. As foreshadowed in the reply I gave to the hon. Baronet on 12th May, no formal evidence has been taken by them, but full information as to their proceedings will be found in the Report when issued. I may mention that much assistance was derived by the Committee, as shown in their Report, from the very full Report of the Select Committee on Museums and the Science and Art Department which sat in 1897–8.

Was not the Report largely based on Memoranda furnished from time to time by the inquiry, and could not those Memoranda be laid before the House?

replied that he had not seen the whole of the documents, but he would look into the matter.

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education if he will state when the managers of the Oxford Street School at Swansea first referred the question of the sufficiency of the teacher's salaries to the Board of Education under Section 7 of the Education Act, 1902; what action was taken thereupon by the present Chief Secretary for Ireland; whether the Board informed the local education authority as early as July, 1906, that their action was unjust to the teachers and children and gravely imperilling the efficiency of the school; whether the managers have since that time repeatedly pressed for a decision on the question; and how much longer will it be before such decision is given.

The Answer to the first paragraph is in November, 1905. With regard to the second paragraph, I think I should refer the noble Lord to the very full Answers given by my right hon. friend to him in December, 1906. The replies to the third and fourth Questions are in the affirmative. A public inquiry was held by my directions at Swansea, and the report is now under my consideration.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that from 1st August last year the managers of this school have been paying to their teachers out of their own pockets the difference between the salaries awarded by the local education committee and and that paid by the same committee to the teachers in their own school?

The reason why I ordered a public inquiry was that I might get an impartial account. I think the noble Lord will get from the Report which will be published shortly all the information he requires.

When does the right hon. Gentleman expect to arrive at a decision?

I hope before long.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether he will consider the advisability of appointing local inspectors in different parts of the country to assist the Commissioners in ascertaining the extent of the demand for land.

The work of ascertaining the existing demands for Small Holdings is practically completed. It is therefore not necessary to adopt the suggestion of my hon. friend.

asked if there had not been a great deal of delay in consequence of the duty being left to the County Councils instead of the Commissioners?

There has been no unnecessary delay.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, what particulars the Small Holdings Commissioners have in their possession of those applications made under the Act in which the applicants have not yet been satisfied.

Information on this point will be obtained for the purposes of our Annual Report, but the Board are not at present in a position to give the particulars asked for. Every specific complaint received by the Board is at once investigated.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, what is the number of applications made for allotments under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act.

The number of applications is small. Full particulars will be published in our Annual Report.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether, in view of the large demand that has arisen under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act, the Board has appointed or intends to appoint any additional Commissioners or inspectors beyond the six gentlemen originally appointed under the Act.

It is proposed to employ another inspector at once. If it is found necessary to obtain the services of others we shall most certainly do so.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether his attention has been drawn to a Resolution passed by the Parish Councils Conference on 11th July, with regard to the difficulties of parish councils in providing allotments, owing to the fact that allotments may only be granted to those engaged in manual labour; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of so amending the law as to permit parish councils to grant allotments up to five acres to all suitable applicants.

The reply to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. The difficulty to which my hon. friend refers does, no doubt, occur on some occasions, but where the applicant desires more than one acre he can be provided with land under the Small Holdings Acts whether he belongs to the labouring population or not. It is not proposed to initiate further legislation on the subject at the present time.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General if he can give any indication when the Report of the Royal Commission appointed in May, 1906, to consider the expediency of extending a system of registration of title to Scotland will be presented; and if the Report will be presented in time to be of use on the inquiry now proceeding before the Land Transfer Commission.

I am informed that the Report will be presented on an early day, and that it will be in time for full consideration by the Land Transfer Commission.

I beg to ask the hon. Member for the Barnstaple division, as representing the Charity Commissioners, whether by the terms of the late Mr. Weir's will income only is directed to be used for the establishment and maintenance of the charity; whether he will state from what persons or bodies the Charity Commissioners have received protests and objections to the published draft scheme; do the Commissioners, notwithstanding such protests, intend to persevere in the attempt to transfer £50,000 capital of the fund, and the income of the residue, to a hospital in Battersea, and not in Streatham as directed by the will; whether the donations of £5,000 and £900 were given in the form of legacies, and, if so, under whose wills and upon what conditions were such legacies given; whether the authorities of the King Edward's Hospital Fund who are alleged to have advised union with the Bolingbroke Hospital, expressed any opinion that the terms of the will could not be carried out as provided therein; whether he is aware that a feeling exists against multiplying beds in existing hospitals when so many beds are vacant for want of funds, and that the present draft scheme will double the accommodation at Bolingbroke Hospital; and what provision has been made for the maintenance of such extra accommodation.

Mr. Weir's will does not direct that income only is to be used for the establishment and maintenance of the charity. Protests and objections to the published draft scheme have been received from the persons claiming to be the committee of management of the charity from Mr. Richard Phillips, a member of the Wandsworth Borough Council, from the Streatham Ratepayers' Association and the Streatham Chamber of Commerce; from the Wandsworth Borough Council; from Mr. Henry George Hills, one of the trustees under Mr. Weir's will; and from a meeting of inhabitants of the parish of Streatham. The Commissioners propose to seal their scheme substantially in the form in which it was published, and if desired to authorise an appeal from it to the Chancery Division of the High Court. The donations of £5,000 and £900 were not legacies. The gift of £5,000 was from the Zunz trustees and that of £900 was from Lord Wandsworth, and these gifts were conditional upon a total amount of £22,000 being subscribed by the end of July, 1907. The authorities of King Edward's Hospital Fund did not express any opinion that the terms of the will could not be carried out as provided therein The Commissioners are aware that opinions have been expressed to the effect stated by the hon. Member. The proposed scheme will about double the accommodation at Bolingbroke Hospital. The maintenance of extra accommodation at the hospital so far as not provided for by the residuary income of the Weir Charity will be provided from the general funds of the hospital.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland what is the armament of the proposed fishery cruiser for Scotland.

The new cruiser will carry no armament.

Will this cruiser carry no arms of any kind?