To ask the hon. Member for the Crewe Division, as Ecclesiastical Commissioner, whether he is aware that about the year 1859 those locally interested purchased, by means of subscription, certain land to be added to the churchyard at Grindleton, near Clitheroe; whether he can say of what amount of acreage it consisted and what became of it, what proportion was appropriated for the living in June, 1860, and what proportion was added to the churchyard in May, 1864; whether it is now proposed to add another portion of this same plot of land to the churchyard; and whether it is proposed to effect this by means of a sale or gift. (Answered by Mr. Tomkinson.) As the hon. Member for the Skipton Division has been privately informed, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in the years 1858 and 1859 were aware that steps were being taken at Grindleton, near Clitheroe, for the purchase of certain land, part of which was intended to be added to the glebe belonging to the living, and the other part was to be added to the churchyard. The Commissioners, who were not concerned in the purchase of the property, were subsequently asked to accept a conveyance of the portion intended to be secured as an addition to the glebe; and this portion, stated to comprise 2a. 0r. 5p., or thereabouts, was conveyed to them by deed, dated 1st June, 1860, and is now vested in the incumbent for the time being. In the year 1863 the Commissioners were asked to accept a conveyance of the portion of land to be used for the enlargement of the churchyard, and this piece, stated to comprise 30 perches or thereabouts, was conveyed to them by deed dated 28th April, 1864. The Commissioners have no information as to any arrangements which have been or are intended to be made for adding to the churchyard a further portion of the land in question, but it would be competent to the incumbent of Grindleton either to sell or to give a portion of his glebe for that purpose.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, according to the Land Commission Returns, by the operation of the Land Acts in the sub-Commission and Land Commission Courts, £7,000,000 of rental in Ireland were reduced since the year 1881 to about £5,000,000; will he state how many holdings does this £5,000,000 represent; have agreements been lodged or sales carried out under the Land Purchase Acts for a rental of about £3,000,000 in Ireland, and, if not, how much; how many holdings do the completed purchases of the lodged agreements represent; what is about the rental of the agricultural part of Ireland still to be bought; has he any official information showing that two-thirds of the farms of Ireland are held by tenants who do not pay more than £12 a year rent; and at how much do the Government estimate the amount of the land still to be bought out in order to complete the purchase under the Land Purchase Acts of the agricultural portion of the country. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) According to the last Annual Report of the Land Commission there had been, up to 31st. March last, 369,483 cases in which fair rents had been fixed for a first statutory term. The total former rental dealt with was £7,334,438, and the judicial rental was £5,815,931. In 131,637 of these cases a fair rent was subsequently fixed for a second statutory term, a first-term rental of £2,635,354 being reduced to £1,902,501. Thus the former rental of £7,334,438 is now represented by £5,353,078. Lands of a rental of approximately £5,000,000 had been sold or were pending for sale under the Land Purchase Acts on 31st October last, on which date advances had been made in respect of 143,641 holdings, and applications for advances were pending in respect of 173,343 holdings. I am not in a position to say what may be the rental of the agricultural part of Ireland still to be sold under the Land Purchase Acts, nor can I say whether two-thirds of the farms in Ireland are held by tenants who do not pay more than £12 a year rent, but the general Census Report for 1901 shows that 08 per cent. of the total number of agricultural holdings in Ireland do not exceed £15 in rateable value, and that 56 per cent. do not exceed £10 in rateable value. As regards the concluding portion of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the Irish Land Purchase Acts Return recently laid upon the Table [Cd. 4412].

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that some time early this year the Land Commissioners forwarded to If is Majesty's Treasury certain recommendations on behalf of the temporary clerks employed in the offices of the Irish Land Commission, and that the Treasury refused to recognise the claims put forward on their behalf; if he is aware; that these; clerks were doing important work which was recognised by the heads of their Departments; that they had no prospect of reaching a higher salary than £2 per week, considering that such clerics had services ranging from eight to eighteen years, while in other Irish Government Departments, such as the Board of Agriculture and Local Government Board, the temporary clerks were provided for; and, considering the length of service of such clerks in the Land Commission, the nature; of their work and prospects, will he inquire into their grievances, with a view to improving their position. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) Any correspondence which has taken place must be regarded as confidential. It would not be in the interests of the public service that I should depart from the existing practice by disclosing its contents. I am not at present prepared to institute the inquiry suggested in the concluding portion of the Question.

To ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether, in connection with the trial of the Geevagh, County Sligo, traversers at the Connaught Winter Assizes in Limerick, he has been informed by the Crown Solicitor for Comity Sligo that persons had come from Sligo to Limerick for the purpose of influencing the jurors; will he inform the House as to the names of the persons against whom this charge is made; and will he lay upon the. Table of the House a copy of the charge preferred against those persons by the Crown Solicitor. (Answered by Mr. Cherry.) The communications made to me by the Crown Solicitor are strictly confidential. I cannot mention the names of any of the persons believed to be concerned in this matter, and I cannot undertake to lay upon the Table any documents in connection with it.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will take steps to have the unemployment chart, which is published in the Board of Trade Labour Gazette, based upon returns affecting all members of trade unions in future instead of upon returns affecting only 591,000 members; and can he give the percentage of the whole of the members of trade unions at present unemployed. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) It is not possible to comply with the suggestions of the noble Lord, as many trade unions are unable to state the numbers of their members out of work, and any figures they might supply would of necessity be merely estimates. The Board of Trade have convinced themselves, after the most careful examination of the question, that the only solid and trustworthy basis for statistics of this kind for the purpose of serving as a barometer of the labour market is the record kept by trade unions which pay unemployed benefit. Any gain by widening the basis so as to include unions which do not keep this record would be much more than counter-balanced by the greatly increased margin of error in the returns.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the total amount of deserters' wages paid to the Board of Trade under Section 44 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1906, from 1st July, 1907, to 30th June, 1908. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) The provisions dealing with deserters' wages is contained in Section 28 of the Act of 1906 and not in Section 44 as stated by my hon. friend. The sum received by the Board of Trade on account of such wages during the period mentioned was £6,820 5s. 9d.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many seamen are reported to have failed to join British foreign-going ships in the United Kingdom from 1st July to 30th September last, distinguishing the number for each port and their ratings; and how many continuous discharge books were suspended during that period. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) It will take some little time to obtain the information asked for in the Question, but it shall be obtained and communicated to my hon. friend with as little delay as possible.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he can place in the hands of Members before the Report stage of the Port of London Bill is resumed the figures of this year's income of the London docks, which led the Board of Trade to think there would be a much bigger surplus of revenue over the interest on the purchase money than had been put forward up to the present. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) In view of what took place last night and this morning, my right hon. friend will recognise that he is asking of me more than I am able to perform.

To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, in view of the fact that American gooseberry mildew forms spores on currant leaves, which fall in autumn and infect all bushes against which they may be blown, what grounds the Board have for stating that this disease does not spread in winter; and whether the Board will reconsider their decision not to schedule the counties of Sussex and Bedfordshire. (Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) The Board are advised that the autumn spores of American gooseberry mildew are not infectious, and that it is unnecessary, therefore, to adopt the suggestion made by the hon. Member. All possible steps will be taken to prevent the spread of the disease, when the time for further action arrives.

To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, what steps have been taken by the Board of Agriculture to prevent the spread of contagious mammitis. (Answered by Sir Edward Straehey.) The Board are informed that there is no evidence to show that the disease to which the hon. Member refers is epizootic in character, or that it is prevalent to any considerable extent. This being the case, the Board do not propose to schedule it for the purposes of the Diseases of Animals Acts.

To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether any case has yet occurred in which the Commissioners have made a Report to the Board with regard to the demand for small holdings as provided in Section 2 (3) of the Small Holdings Act. (Answered by Sir Edward Straehey.) The reply is in the negative.

TO ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether his attention has been called to the fact that, out of the 595 applicants who have already been provided for under the Small Holdings Act, 145 have been provided for by one county council, that two other councils have provided for 154 applicants, and 10 other councils for 234, that 15 councils have only succeeded in providing between them for 62 applicants, and 31 councils have not as yet provided for any at all; and whether, in view of the discrepancy shown by these figures and of the disappointment that has been caused in many rural districts by the present working of the Act, the Board will now put into operation their powers of inquiry and report as provided in Sections 2 and 3 of the Act, so that they may exercise a more effective supervision than they have yet been able to do. (Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) The Board are aware of the facts to which my hon. friend refers, but they are of opinion that the general exorcise of their powers, as suggested by my hon. friend, would in effect retard rather than advance the provision of small holdings for those who are entitled to them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the coroner's inquest touching the death of Peter M'Duffy, who died in the police cell after arrest at Pontlottyn on Saturday night 28th November; and whether, having regard to the statement of the police constable, he will grant a special inquiry into the cause of death. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) According to the newspaper report which my hon. friend has been good enough to send me, the medical evidence shows that death was due to natural causes; nor was there any other evidence of violence or unnecessary force having been used on the deceased. The facts appear to have been fully investigated at the inquest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the badly ventilated and insanitary condition of nearly the whole of the tin works situate at Pontardulais, South Wales; and whether he is aware that the conditions under which work is carried on at those works are conducive to sickness, severe illness, and, in some cases, consumption; and whether, if such conditions exist, he will cause instructions to be given to the owners thereof to make the work, and to carry out the improvements necessary for the preservation of the health of the workmen thereat. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) I have no information as to any specific cases of illness at the works in question, but I am aware that, not only at these works but in tinplate works generally, the conditions as regards ventilation need considerable improvement, and the question of the best means to secure the removal of fumes and dust has been receiving special attention from the Factory Department. During the last three months a large number of works have been visited by the inspector and special inquiries made, and various experiments are now being carried out at different works. When the results of these experiments are known, the possibility of further action will be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to an accident at the new waterworks at Greenfield, Lancashire, on Friday last, by which one man was fatally and another seriously injured by a workman striking his pick against an unexploded blasting charge; and whether it is proposed to hold an inquiry relating to the cause and circumstances of the same in accordance with The Notice of Accidents Act, 1904. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) I have called for a report from the contractors, and will inform the hon. Member in due cousre whether an inquiry will be held either by the Board of Trade or by the Home Office.

To ask the Secretary of State or the Home Department whether he has any official information as to the number of hours worked per day, also the aggregate hours per week, of the horse omnibus conductors and drivers, and the motor omnibus drivers and conductors employed in London, and the wages paid; and whether, with a view to securing the safety of the public, he proposes to take any action in the matter. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) I am not fully informed on this subject, and I have not had time to consider the matter since the appearance of the Question. It must be remembered, however, that the hours worked by drivers and conductors is a matter over which I have no direct authority.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury it he can state when the Report of the Departmental Committee inquiring into the administration of the Fair Wages Clause in Government contracts will be published. (Answered by Mr. Hobhouse.) I understand that the Report and evidence will be in the hands of Members in the course of the next few days.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in February, 1901, the Treasury, in a letter to the Board of Customs, stated that boatmen who had unestablished service should count this for pension on promotion to the established staff, so long as the work was of a similar character; and, as this is the case of many men, will he grant such concession to all Government servants. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I have been unable to trace the correspondence to which the hon. Member refers, and there is on record in the Treasury no general decision in the sense suggested, though certain Customs boatmen have in fact, where the circumstances of the particular case appeared to justify the concession, been allowed to count service prior to establishment in full for pension purposes.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that the Department of Public Trustee receives a proportion of the commission charged on dealings in investments belonging to its trusts and so, though a trustee, has a direct pecuniary interest in recommending such dealings, he will take steps to ensure that any recommendation of such dealings made by the Public Trustee in future shall be accompanied by a clear intimation to all the persons concerned that the department will derive a pecuniary benefit from the acceptance of its advice. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I see no reason for adopting such a course.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in computing the annual value of small holdings in Ireland for the purposes of old-age pensions, allowance may be made for the actual and necessary sums expended for labour; and whether, when a claimant incapable of manual labour finds it cheaper or more convenient to maintain a child of his at home for the purpose of labouring on the holding, allowance may be made for the child's maintenance in computing the value of the holding of the parent. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) The Answer to the first Question is in the affirmative. The Answer to the second Question would depend upon the precise facts of the case, and the decision would rest with the pension committee, subject to appeal to the Local Government Board.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether pension officers in Ireland have been instructed by the Board of Inland Revenue that in the opinion of the Board maintenance of a claimant in a union hospital since 1st January, 1908, is a disqualification for an old-age pension; and whether he will cause this decision to be rescinded, at least in those cases in which the claimant is willing to repay the cost of his maintenance.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is a ware that, by decisions in Ireland of revising barristers and Judges, it has been repeatedly held that relief in a workhouse hospital does not disqualify the recipients from admission to the register of voters; whether he is aware that by Section 5 of the Parliamentary Registration (Ireland) Act, 1855, this principle is laid down; and whether, in view of the provisions of Section 3 of the Old-Age Pensions Act, he will state if pension officers are acting under authority in objecting to claims on the grounds that the claimants have been treated in workhouse hospitals. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I may perhaps be allowed to take these two Questions together. The point which they raise was dealt with in my reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Kilkenny on the 9th instant, and I do not think I can usefully add anything to what I then said.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a pension officer in connection with the Old-Age Pensions Act is to be appointed for the borough of Croydon; and, if so, whether, in view of the present state of unemployment, he will give instructions that the person to be appointed must not be anyone who has retired from a position in respect of which he is receiving a pension. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) No superannuated officer has been, or will be, appointed as a pension officer.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he proposes, before the introduction of the next Budget, to hold an inquiry into the incidence of income-tax and the anomalies that exist in charging the tax upon returns from wasting securities and on the profits of companies which are not divided among the shareholders, but on which, if divided, they could get reductions. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) These questions were fully considered by Lord Ritchie's Committee in 1905, and they recommended that no change should be made into the existing law. I do not think that a further inquiry at the present time would serve any useful purpose.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that in some cases pensions officers are objecting to claimants on the ground that their husbands obtained out-door relief, although the claimants themselves were not applicants for, and sometimes not even recipients of, the relief; and whether, for the guidance of pension officers, he will make it clear that applicants for pensions should not be disqualified unless they were actual applicants for relief. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) I am advised that any person who receives benefit from the relief, whether the nominal recipient or not, is a person in receipt of poor relief within the meaning of Section 3 (1) (a) of the Old-Age Pensions Act, and is consequently subject to disqualification. Pension officers have been instructed accordingly.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the Lovat Scouts in Sutherlandshire have the same rights and privileges as the Territorial Forces to the use of shooting ranges and drill halls; and, if not, will he make arrangements whereby the grievance might be remedied by both forces having the use of shooting ranges and drill halls. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The Lovat's Scouts in Southerlandshire have the same rights and privileges as the rest of the Territorial Force. The provision of ranges is the business of the County Association whose proposals for accommodating this squadron have been approved. They occupy buildings exclusively, and share ranges with the 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders. Will my hon. friend kindly let me know what the particular grievance is to which he alludes?

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Mr. Bernard Dunn, when employed in the inspection department at Woolwich, brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War that defective equipment was being passed into the service of the public; that Mr. Dunn was called as a witness before the Royal Commission on Warlike Stores and the inquiry by the Judge Advocate General at Woolwich; that the Judge reported that his statements were well founded and that the Government had been defrauded; and will he, say whether Mr. Dunn has been paid for his work as a viewer, and, if not, will he be paid. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) This man was employed as a saddler in the Inspection Department and was discharged in 1890. Prior to this date he was apparently employed as a viewer without additional pay. Thirteen years afterwards he claimed what, he stated to be the difference between his pay as a saddler and temporary viewer during the period he was employed as such. As he had signed a receipt for wages due to him on leaving the division in 1890 it was impossible to consider his claim. The fact that he gave some evidence to the Royal Commission mentioned does not appear to have any bearing on the matter in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for War what number of the 538 cavalry officer's shown in the Return recently issued to Parliament are actually employed with their regiments; how many are on the seconded list or employed on duty away from their regiments; and whether in calculating the shortage of cavalry officers in the Regular Army, no deduction has been made for officers seconded or emlployed away from their regiments. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The figures in question, which should read 536, did not include any officers seconded or extra regimentally employed.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether voluntary agreements have yet been made for the purchase of all the land required by the War Office of the extension of the artillery ranges on Salisbury Plain. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) Agreements have not yet been made for all the purchases. Negotiations are proceeding.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether a decision has yet been reached as to the supply of cheap ammunition to rifle clubs. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The question is still under consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether official experiments have been, or will be, carried out with Mr. F. Martin Hale's patent rifle-propelled shrapnel grenade; and whether the advisers or the War Office consider this or similar projectiles to possess military value. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The proposed grenade is not considered to possess military value such as to justify experiments being carried out with it.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the experiments which have been carried out with ammunition with pointed ogival bullets have yet resulted in the production of a satisfactory cartridge for use in the Lee-Enfield rifle. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The reply is in the negative.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether official experiments have been carried out with the Sjögren automatic rifle; if not, whether, in view of the fact that this rifle has been tested with satisfactory results by Continental governments, he will have this weapon included in the tests of automatic rifles; and what automatic rifles have up to the present been officially tested by the War Office. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) I do not think that it would be in the interests of the public service to publish any information in regard to experiments with automatic rifles.

To ask the Secetary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to an order I of Lieutenant-General Smith-Dorrien discontinuing the present system of patrolling the streets of Aldershot, and placing soldiers on their honour not to misbehave; and whether, in the event of this experiment proving successful, a similar order will be issued to every command in the Kingdom. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The regulation as regards the patrolling of the streets of garrison towns by piquets is permissive. The practice is not universal, and the question as to the necessity or otherwise of employing men on this duty should be left to the discretion of the General Officers Commanding-in-Chief.

To ask the Secretary of State for War if it is contemplated to transfer Lieutenant-Colonel Graham, the officer commanding 5th Royal Irish Lancers, to the command of the West African regiment; whether he is aware that this is the officer to whom his attention has been directed as having condoned a mutiny in the 5th Lancers in March, 1904, and against whose conduct complaints have been made; and, if so, will he consider the advisability of placing some other person in command of the black troops in West Africa. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) Colonel Graham has been appointed, on the recommendation of the Selection Board, to be Commandant of the West African regiment. He has seen service on the West Coast of Africa in two campaigns. As I have already informed the hon. Member on a previous occasion, no report of the alleged mutiny has ever reached the War Office. Nor have I any reason to believe that such mutiny took place.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that, in the opinion of the greatest military authority in Great Britain, after the arsenals, naval bases, and principal places in the United Kingdom had been garrisoned, only 40,000 partially trained troops would be left to defend the country against the acknowledged possibility of a raid or raids of 69,000 picked foreign troops he would consider the necessity of organising all the men over thirty years of age and under sixty years who had served for three years or more in any of His Majesty's regular or auxiliary forces. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) As I have already informed the House, it is proposed at the proper time to take up the question of forming a reserve to the Territorial Force under the ægis of the County Associations. I am not prepared to discuss in an Answer to a Question the propriety of locking up what might in certain circumstances be better utilised as a mobile force in the defence of particular places. No such estimate as is suggested in the Question is reliable unless constructed in the light of such information as the Army Council alone possesses.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application from Henry Thompson, who was evicted in 1880 from the lands of Lowry-Bane, near Castlecauldwell, for reinstatement in his holding on these lands, which the Commissioners have given notice to acquire for the purposes of the Evicted Tenants Act, is the farm from which Thompson was evicted untenanted and his former house on it still available; and will the Commissioners favourably consider his application. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The application in question was not received by the Estates Commissioners within the time specified in the Evicted Tenants Act, and cannot therefore be considered in connection with the allotment of the lands of Lowry-Bane, which the Commissioners propose to acquire under that Act, and which are, as they understand, untenanted.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will request the Estates Commissioners to have the grass lands upon the Blakeney estate, County Galway, stripped as soon as possible, and thereby relieve the tenants from the grazing rents which they agreed to pay pending fixing of price; and whether he is aware that the price has been fixed for a considerable time. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Estates Commissioners furnished the owner of this estate, at his request, with an estimate of the price which they were prepared to give for the untenanted land. He has since instituted proceedings for the sale to the Commissioners, and they are having the tenanted land inspected, with a view to making an offer for the entire property. When their offer has been accepted and the requirements of the Statute has been complied with, the Commissioners will proceed with the allotment of the untenanted land.

To ask the Chief Secretary for the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland how many teachers would be entitled to increments and promotion to second grade, first grade, and first-of-first grade but for the reduction in the averages of their schools due to Rule 127 (b); and whether he can take any steps to secure the promotion to which these teachers are entitled being granted. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the Return asked for by the hon. Member would serve no useful purpose commensurate with the labour involved in its preparation. The promotions and increments of teachers do not depend on average attendance alone. Training, position in school, ability, and general attainments, length and character of service, and seniority are other determining factors.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state the number of teachers trained between 1898 and 1900 who got special distinctions at their first examinations; the number of same placed provisionally in second class and afterwards depressed to third grade; the number of teachers trained in 1898–1900 whose salaries were originally fixed higher than the minimums of £56 and £44, the number of same placed on the minimum salary, who have since received special consideration; and the number placed in third grade who are paying premiums for second-grade pensions. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the compilation of the Return asked for would take a long time, and would involve the closest scrutiny of the records of the Board for many years, while no adequate advantage would accrue from it. In these circumstances I cannot ask the Commissioners to undertake the preparation of the Return.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can state the numbers of female teachers and male teachers, respectively, who got three consecutive good reports previous to 1906, 1907, and 1908, but who have been denied their increments because cookery was not introduced into their schools; and whether he can see his way to recommend that these teachers should be paid their increments when the proficiency in ordinary literary subjects is satisfactory. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that, so far as can be ascertained in the time available, no male or female teachers such as are referred to have been denied increments solely because cookery was not introduced into their schools.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Commissioners of National Education are compulsorily enforcing the teaching of cookery in national schools, though over 5,000 of these schools are one-roomed buildings quite unfitted for the purpose; whether increments have been withheld from teachers for not including cookery in the curriculum, though neither apartments or equipments have been provided whether pressure is being brought to bear on teachers to provide the equipment at their own expense, and managers notified to recoup such expenses out of the first fees earned by teachers; whether inspectors have been instructed not to give good reports unless cookery is taught and whether the Department of Technical Instruction provides equipment in all cases where they hold cookery classes. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education inform me that in Rule 120 of their Code it is provided that cookery and laundry work should be taught as part of the ordinary school programme to girls enrolled in the fifth and higher standards when suitable provision for instruction is available. Instruction in cookery need not necessarily take place in the schoolroom, but the fact that there is only one room in a school is not sufficient of itself to justify the ommission of this subject (which is regarded as of the first importance for Irish children) from the school curriculum. Increments have not been withheld in any case where the Commissioners were satisfied that good and sufficient reason existed for omitting cookery from the school programme. The Commissioners do not expect teachers to provide the equipment at their own expense. The managers are paid a grant of 5s. per head for each girl taught cookery in accordance with the official regulations, and from the grant the manager can meet the necessary incidental expenditure. The balance of the grant goes to the teacher. The allegation that inspectors have been instructed not to give good reports unless cookery is taught is incorrect. I am informed by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction that, in all courses of instruction conducted by county teachers of domestic economy, equipment is provided under the scheme, but there are a number of schools working under the Department in which equipment has been provided by the schools.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has been called to the character of letters sent by the senior secretary of the National Board to some of the inspectors of schools throughout Ireland; whether he is aware that this official refuses to grant any interviews to inspectors to whom such letters have been sent; and whether the Irish Government will represent to the Commissioners of National Education that this official is not a fit person to fill the responsible position of senior secretary any longer. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a Question on the same subject asked by the hon. Member for West Limerick on 11th March last. The Commissioners of National Education inform me that all letters written by their secretaries are issued by the authority of the Board or of the Resident Commissioner, and that there is no foundation for the statement that their senior secretary refuses to grant interviews to inspectors. This officer is, I understand, a most efficient public servant.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware of the action of the two chief inspectors of the National Board for years towards many of the twenty or so organisers who are subject to their authority; is he aware that some of these organisers have been obliged to leave the service by the treatment to which they have been subjected; that many others find it almost impossible to do their work satisfactorily owing to the character of the letters that are being constantly sent them; and whether he will call the attention of the Commissioners to the necessity of obliging their two chief inspectors to adopt a more considerate attitude towards their subordinates. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Commissioners of National Education are not aware that any of their organisers have been obliged to leave the service owing to the action of the chief inspectors or that there is any good ground for the other complaints referred to in the Question.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the position of sergeant of the Royal Irish Constabulary at the Blackrock Station, Cork, is now vacant; whether, with the exception of the late sergeant, who held office there for eight months, a Catholic has never filled this position; and whether care will be taken in filling the present vacancy that deserving Catholics will not be excluded because of their religion. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary informs rue that there is no vacancy at present for a sergeant at Blackrock Station. In the event of a vacancy care will be taken to select the most suitable man irrespective of religion. The present sergeant is a Catholic, but the three preceding sergeants whose service at the station covered a period of about thirty-five years, were Protestants.

To ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland if he can say whether the Estates Commissioners received applications from the representatives of Catherine Casey and Thady Flaherty, evicted tenants who held holdings of land on the Brabazon estate at Cahir, Aughamore, in the Swinford Union, County Mayo, for reinstatement in the holdings from which the late Catherine Casey and Thady Flaherty were evicted in October, 1898; and, if so, what action have they taken, or do they intend to take, in the matter. (Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The Estates Commissioners have decided not to take any action in reference to these applications. The holdings in question are now occupied by other tenants.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can state whether certain members of the finance committee of Trinidad protested as to the salary of the dock director, and threaten to resign; and if so, can he state what action he took to allay the trouble. (Answered by Colonel Seely.) A protest was received from the unofficial members of the Legislative Council with regard to the matter referred to. The protest was largely due to the absence of complete information as to the circumstances of the appointment, and the Secretary of State has dealt fully with the matter in two despatches, one of which has been published in the Colony. The other will also be published there shortly. As a result of these despatches the unofficial members have resumed their duties on the finance committee and the Council.

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is yet in a position to state the result of his inquiries as to the balance of opinion in Trinidad in regard to the importation of indentured coolie labour into that island; and, if so, can he state what action he intends to take in regard to indentured coolie labour, in the Colonies. (Answered by Colonel Seely.) I regret that I am not at present in a position to give any further information to my hon. friend, but I will do so, I can assure him, at the earliest possible moment.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will say what, if any, portions of the foreshores of the Clyde between Glasgow and Helensburgh, on the north side of the river, and Glasgow and Greenock, on the south side, are treated as belonging to the Crown. (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) The greater part of the foreshores referred to is prima facie the property of the Crown. Certain portions are, however, vested in private owners, and claims have been made to other portions, which latter have not been admitted by the Crown. I am not able to give the limits of these portions in reply to a Question, but some of the information asked for could be supplied personally to my hon. friend or his representative if application is made at the Board of Trade.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state what are the present terms for borrowing money by local authorities from the Public Works Loans Commissioners for purposes of the Housing of the Working Classes Acts, 1890 to 1903.

To ask the Secretary to the Treasury what are the terms under which the Public Works Loans Commissioners are at present lending money to local authorities for the purposes of the Housing of the Working Classes Acts, 1890 to 1903. (Answered, by Mr. Hobhouse.) Loans to local authorities under the Housing Acts are sanctioned by the Local Government Board and secured on the rates, and are repayable either by equal half-yearly instalments of principal with interest on the outstanding balance or by way of annuity. The rates of interest are: 3½ per cent. per annum if repayable in not exceeding thirty years; 3¾ per cent. per annum if repayable in not exceeding fifty years.

To ask the President of the Local Government Board with reference to the island of about five and three quarter acres at Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire, which was purchased by the Trinity House as a site for a lighthouse, in June, 1907, for £400, if he will say what was taken as its annual value for rating at the time of that purchase, or, if it formed part of a larger subject, by what amount the annual value for rating of that larger subject was reduced in consequence of the severance of that purchased part. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) I am informed that the island at Strumble Head was not separately rated, its value for rating purposes being included in the assessment of the farm of which it formed part, and that no reduction has been made in the assessment of the farm in consequence of its severance therefrom.

TO ask the President of the Local Government Board whether he has received an application from the town council of Hartlepool for sanction to create a distress committee; and whether he is prepared to grant the application. (Answered by Mr. John Burns.) An Order for the establishment of a distress committee for the borough of Hartlepool is being issued to-day.

To ask the President of the Board of Education whether he will consider the possibility of paying earlier in the school year both the payment on account and the final payment of the grants to secondary schools, in view of the financial difficulties often caused to the governing bodies of such schools by the fact that salaries and other expenses are increased in deference to the Board's requirements and have to be paid many months before the grants are received. (Answered by Mr. Runciman.) The final payment of grants to secondary schools cannot be made until the claims have been received by the Board after the end of the school year on 31st July, and the observance of the conditions upon which the grants are payable checked and the amounts of the grants calculated in the Board's office. If the conditions have been duly complied with, payment is made before the end of the financial year on 31st March, and in a very large number of cases at a much earlier date, but as all the claims come forward at the same time of the year the Board are unwilling to pledge themselves to payment in any case before the end of March. The instalments of grant are paid as soon as possible after the beginning of the financial year in April, when about two-thirds of the school year have been completed. They could not be paid at an earlier date without an additional charge upon the Exchequer during the year of change.

To ask the First Commissioner of Works whether any of the 204 rooms utilised in the Houses of Parliament by the Commons are also utilised by the Peers; and whether any of the 113 rooms utilised by the Peers are also taken advantage of by the Commons, and in this way are included twice in the total of 317. (Answered by Mr. Harcourt.) No room is used twice, but I regret that there was a clerical error in my former answer which should have stated the rooms utilised by the House of Lords as 133.

To ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether orders have been issued for H.M.S. "Inflexible" to leave England for Gibraltar on 20th December; and, if so, whether, consistently with the national interests and without interfering with the requirements of the service, such departure could be postponed for a few days, in order to enable the officers and men to spend Christmas at home. (Answered by Mr. McKenna.) H.M.S. "Inflexible" will not leave England until after the New Year.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if there are special provisions made under the Friendly Societies Act, in the Old-Age Pension; Act; and if pensions received from friendly societies count as income. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) The reply to the first Question (in so far as I understand it) is in the negative; that to the second Question is in the affirmative.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any provision has been made under the Old-Age Pensions Act, 1908, by the regulations issued thereunder or otherwise, to enable poor persons otherwise qualified, who are unable by reason of mental or bodily infirmity, to present a claim in due form. (Answered by Mr. Lloyd-George.) Arrangements have been made whereby pension officers will assist claimants who, through bodily infirmity, may be incapable of attending at the post office in preparing their claims. As regards cases of mental infirmity, it does not appear to be practicable to indicate any procedure generally applicable to cases of this type. Each case, and the appropriate procedure, must be considered and determined with especial reference to the actual circumstances of the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the annual allowance of practice ammunition for recruits and for trained soldiers of the Territorial Army is limited to forty-two rounds per man; whether he is aware that very frequently these forty-two rounds are fired off in one day; and whether he will consider the possibility of permitting a portion of these rounds to be exchanged for rounds of short-range ammunition of equivalent value to be fired at miniature ranges. To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the desirability of granting an allowance of short-range ammunition sufficient to enable Territorials to become efficient riflemen by practising at miniature ranges. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The allowance of ammunition for a man in the Territorial Force is ninety rounds per annum. The number of rounds to be fired off in one day is limited. This allowance may be commuted into miniature cartridge according to a recognised scale. It is considered that this will provide ample opportunity for miniature range practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether the quartermasters of Special Reserve, Royal Field Artillery have made application for some increase of pay on the ground of their doing adjutants' work in addition to their own; and whether he can now see his way to give them something for it. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) Some applications have been received It has been decided that, taking the work of these officers as a whole, no grant of extra remuneration could be justified.

To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the desire expressed among many Army pensioners in Ireland during the present distress to have their pensions paid weekly instead of quarterly; and whether any arrangements have been made to carry out a scheme on such lines. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Haldane.) The War Office has received no recent applications to this effect from Ireland. As regards the last part of the Question, I have nothing at present to add to the information I gave to the House in reply to a Question put by the Member for the Isle of Wight division of Hampshire on 14th October.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the firm of Messrs. Morrison and Mason, contractors for the Board of Admiralty at Portsmouth, reduced the wages of the labourers on the 15th September from 27s. 9d. for a week of fifty-six hours to 23s. 1d. for a week of fifty-six hours; whether he is aware that at the present time these labourers are working fifty-two hours per week for 5d. per hour, or a penny per hour less than they received from the firm for the same class of work up to the 14th September, whether he is aware that the agreed winter hours in the building trade for the town of Portsmouth are forty-seven per week; whether he is aware that 6d. per hour is paid by many master builders in the town, and that his department has been so advised; whether he is aware that the Portsmouth town council, when advertising for tenders, insist upon trade union rates of wages and conditions, and that the corporation pays its own labourers 24s. per week of forty-eight hours; whether he is aware that when the reduced wages were offered by the firm most of the trade unionists in its employ demanded the recognised rate of 6d. per hour, and, failing to get it, loft the employment; whether he is aware that the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent demanded, on behalf of those labourers with whom he was concerned, the trade union rate, and the demanded was acceded to; and whether, in view of the fact that the officials of the corporation, the master builders, and the trade unionists of the town regard this reduction as injurious to the town, he can see his way at once to press the firm in question to come into line with other employers in the district.

The contractors deny having reduced the rates of pay of any labourers taken on since the commencement of the work. The Admiralty have very fully considered this question, and I can add nothing to my previous replies on the subject.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make further inquiry of the Corporation Surveyor, the President of the Building Trades Federation, and the Secretary of the Trades Council, all of whom consider the wages paid by the contractors to be below the rate of wages recognised in the district?

I have already made inquiries in these quarters. There is an issue of fact between my hon. friend and myself, but if he will give me the names of any labourers alleged to have had their wages reduced I shall be happy to inquire again.

Can the right hon. Gentleman answer the last part of the question? Did not the contractors pay less than the recognised rate to a certain body of men, and then when they protested pay the proper rate? Has it not been only since the decision of the Admiralty—

That is an argumentative question.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the number of British warships, exclusive of destroyers and torpedo boats, assembled together under one command for the purpose of combined manœuvres in European waters in the years 1906, 1907, and 1908, respectively.

The number for 1906 is forty-seven ships. In 1907, on three different occasions, the numbers were sixty, twenty-three, and fifty-eight ships. In 1908, combined manœuvres have been carried out between opposing fleets, but not under one command.

Can the tight hon. Gentleman give me the greatest number of vessels manœuvred at one time under Sir A. Wilson?

asked for notice of the Question.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty what steps are being taken to increase the capacity of naval ports for the storage of oil suitable for combustion in warships.

The question of the provision of oil fuel storage continues to receive the close attention of the Admiralty; but it is not desirable in the public interest to make any detailed statement in reply to the hon. Member's Question.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether a Hindu has been lately sentenced to five years transportation for preaching sedition to passengers in a railway carriage; if so, whether the accused in this case was tried by a jury; and whether there were any special reasons for the infliction of so severe a sentence.

Proceedings were recently instituted under Sections 124 (a) and 153 (a) Indian Penal Code against a Hindu for seditious and inflammatory speeches made on the Hyderabad railway. The Secretary of State has no official information as to the mode of trial or its result. As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, it would be open to the accused, on conviction, to appeal for a reduction of his sentence.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Srinivasa Tyengar, printer of the India newspaper, published in Madras, who has been sentenced by the High Court to five years hard labour for printing seditious articles; whether the Crown challenged all the Indian jurors summoned for this case except one; whether the jury who convicted the accused consisted of eight Englishmen and one Indian, who is an official under the Government; and whether, in all the circumstances, seeing that there is no appeal from this order, the Secretary of State will communicate with the Government of India with a view to mitigating the severity of this sentence.

The Secretary of State has seen a newspaper report of the case, but has no official information on the subject. Both sides appear to have made use of their right to challenge jurors. As my hon. friend is aware, the jury returns the verdict of guilty or not guilty, but they have nothing to do with the severity of the sentence. The accused can appeal for a reduction of his sentence to the Government of Madras and the Government of India, and finally to the Crown.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, having regard to the provisions of Article 351 of the Civil Service regulations under which the Indian Government possess the right of withholding or withdrawing a pension or any part of it if the pensioner be convicted of serious crime or grave misconduct, and of the fact that the decision of the Secretary of State on the exercise of this power is declared final and conclusive, the Secretary of State proposes to make any inquiry into the circumstances under which the pension of a retired tehsildar in the Central Provinces was lately withdrawn, on the ground of his participation in political agitation.

As I have informed the hon. Member in reply to previous Questions, it is open to the retired official concerned to submit an appeal in the usual manner, but, so far as the Secretary of State is aware, he has not yet done so. The Secretary of State does not propose to withdraw the case from the hands of the competent authorities in India.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information of communications having passed between the German Imperial Colonial Minister and the Prime Ministers of Cape Colony and the Transvaal, with reference to the proposed cession of Walfisch Bay to Germany; and whether he can make any statement on the subject.

Mr. Merriman recently stated in the Cape House of Assembly, that the Cape, of which Colony Walfisch Bay forms part, had not the slightest intention of parting with it, or with the control of it, and that they were acting with the other South African Governments in the matter.

May I ask if under the Constitution a Colony having responsible government could part with any portion of its territory without the assent of this Government?

The hon. Member should give notice of that Question.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that a blue-book has just been circulated, containing 130 pages, consisting of nothing but reports of a series of libel actions brought by a Natal native, mainly against various newspapers; and what was the cost to the State of printing and circulating this State Paper.

My hon. friend no doubt refers to Cd. 4403 which was published in the special circumstances explained on page 3. I understand that the cost of printing was £62. No special expense was incurred in circulating.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, if considerably more than half of the revenue of the Gold Coast Colony is derived from import duties on spirits: and whether a system of revenue can be devised that does not depend for its main support upon the sale of spirits among natives.

The revenue of the Gold Coast in 1907 was £708,718. The total amount of the import duties collected on spirits was £254,348, which is rather more than one-third of the total revenue.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can inform the House whether the Commission to inquire into West African liquor traffic has been constituted and a chairman appointed; and whether anyone else will be sent out from England to serve on it.

The constitution of the full Committee of Inquiry is now under consideration. The Secretary of State hopes to find a chairman who will command general confidence, and it is probable that another gentleman who has experience in Southern Nigeria, and who is at present in England, will be asked to serve with the members already in the Colony.

Will the chairman be sent out from this country?

Yes, if we can find a suitable man, as I hope we may.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will furnish particulars as to the salaries of Judges and Magistrates in British East Africa, and as to their age, their standing at the Bar, and their professional and judicial experience previous to their appointment.

A recital of the qualifications of the officers referred to by the hon. Member, would exceed the limits of an oral Answer, but I will send him a list giving the particulars which he desires, with the exception of the ages of the officers, which cannot be ascertained without special inquiry.

I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that malpractices in regard to native women were alleged to have been the cause of the disturbances which led to the punitive expedition against the Nandi tribe in British East Africa; and whether the late Under-Secretary of State for the Colomes, during his recent visit to the Protectorate, made any inquiry into these allegations.

The Secretary of State is not aware that such allegations have been made, and no such statement was made to my right hon. friend during his recent visit to the Protectorate.

Is the hon. gentleman aware that these statements are very freely made in British East Africa, both in the Press and elsewhere?

We have no reason to think, and have no communication to show, that they are well-founded.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give any further information with regard to the position of affairs in Hayti.

The latest telegrams from His Majesty's Consular-General in Hayti, dated December 8th, reports that order has been re-established in the island. General Simon has been proclaimed Chief of the Executive pending the election of a President, which will take place as soon as the requisite number of deputies can be assembled. His Majesty's ship "Scylla" is still at Port-au-Prince, and will for the present be retained there or within reach.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any steps are being taken to provide for the delimitation of the frontier between British and German New Guinea; and, if so, whether he is in a position to make any statement on the subject.

A Joint Commission has been appointed by His Majesty's Government and the German Government for the delimitation of the boundary between Papua and German New Guinea. The German Commissioner, Captain Forster, is expected to arrive in the boundary territory at the end of this month, while the British Commissioner, Mr. Sabine, Chief Government Surveyor of Papua, is believed to be already on the spot.

Will these Commissioners have plenary powers or only report to their respective Governments?

I cannot say off-hand what their powers will be.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the new Council of State, composed of members nominated by the Shah, is the Shah's substitute for a parliament elected by the people; and whether he can say what action His Majesty's Government propose taking.

I cannot add to the Answer which I gave on Tuesday as to the intentions of the Shah. As to any action which we have taken, and the principles by which I wish to be guided in the matter, I must refer to the Answer which I gave to a Supplementary Question asked by the hon. Member for South Donegal, on November 26th.

Is it not the fact that an arrangement was made on the 14th March, by the Russian Government with the Shah of Persia as to the summoning of a parliament freely elected by the people.

I have answered several Questions as to representations made to Persia, and I think it very undesirable that these Questions should be put without notice.

asked whether the Council of State was to be convoked or a parliament freely elected. The Question he had put to the right hon. Gentleman—

Order, order. Notice must be given. The hon. Member is now lecturing the right hon. Gentleman.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, despite official promises to exercise preventive control, gross cruelty to beasts of burden is daily witnessed in the streets of Cairo; and whether he will urge upon the Egyptian Government, through the British Agent in Cairo, the necessity for preventive measures at certain points, and for some systematic educational policy in the interests of humanity.

The latest information on this subject, which I have received from His Majesty's Agent and Consul-General in Cairo, was communicated to the hon. Member on the 5th of May last. Sir Eldon Gorst then reported that the experience of the last twelve months up to April last, had shown that the present arrangements were working in a satisfactory manner. I will, however, refer any information on the subject to Cairo for such action as the authorities may be able to take.

I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether in the event of a conflict between the Royalist and Constitutionalist forces in Persia, the Russian officers in the Persian service have received instructions from the Russian Government to maintain a neutral attitude; and whether, in the event of their participation in acts of civil warfare, reparation will be exacted from Persia by Russia for any harm which may befal them.

I cannot say anything about instructions given by other Governments, and in so far as these Questions are hypothetical I cannot give any Answer. As a matter of fact, according to my information the Russian officers referred to have not taken any part in the fighting which has been taking place in the province of Azerbaijan during the last few months.

Have they received the instructions suggested in the Question?

I have said I can say nothing about instructions given by other Governments.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he will inform the House how many public officials have been in attendance on the Chairman of the Housing and Town Planning Committee during the sittings of that body; what are the names of the said officials; and what offices they hold.

There are two clerks to the Standing Committee to which the Bill was referred and these officers may in a sense be said to have been in attendance on the chairman during the sittings of the Committee in connection with this Bill. But subject to this I am not aware that any public officials were in attendance on him. In accordance with the usual practice the draftsman and some officers of the Government Departments concerned were present.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the case of an applicant for an old-age pension at East Molesey to whom the pensions sub-committee felt themselves obliged to grant a pension, although he had £1,030 invested in Consols; and whether he is advised that the allowance of a pension in such a case was justified by the Pensions Act.

I have received a letter from the Molesey sub-committee respecting a case in which a man has £300 invested in Consols and his wife £730. Both are claimants for old-age pensions. I presume this is the case to which the Question refers. I gather that the committee have not at present come to a decision on these claims. I may say generally, that the Old-Age Pensions Act requires the yearly income, whether from investments or from other sources, to be taken into account. If the income from an investment, together with any other means possessed by the claimant, does not exceed £31 10s., and he is not otherwise ineligible, he is qualified for a pension. The amount of the pension will depend on the amount of the means.

Would not an applicant for a pension be required to invest that capital sum in an annuity which would largely exceed the amount that would exclude him from a pension?

I would defer answering that Question until after the pension committee have considered the matter further.

May I ask whether the furniture of these capitalists will be taken into account?

Do not instructions lay down generally that all these sums are to be taken at 4 per cent. unless they are invested?

I believe the general instructions do lay that down.

Is there anything in the Act which prevents persons from investing their money for the benefit not only of themselves but their descendants?

The Act is open to the hon. Member. He can see that for himself.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether a man of ninety-three years of age, whose only means of livelihood are 4s. 10d. a month from the Mariners' Club, to which he has subscribed nearly all his life, and 2s. 6d. a week of parish relief, is debarred from receiving any assistance under the Pensions Act.

The Answer appears to be in the affirmative. A person who has received ordinary poor relief since the 1st January last is disqualified for a pension by subsection (1) of Section 3 of the Act.

Does the payment of that moderate sum in poor relief place this poor old man in a position of inequality as compared with the capitalists referred to in my last Question?

As at present, I am sorry to say it is so.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board when the Milk Bill will be printed.

It would not be practicable for the Bill to make any progress this year, and it will, I think, be best to defer its introduction until next session.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board if he will state in what cases his Board has exercised its power under subsection (2) of Section 2 of The Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905, by creating a distress committee in any county or part of a county where no application has been made by the local authority.

Under the provision referred to it would be necessary that a central body and distress committee should be established with similar constitutions to those of the central body and distress committees in London. There is no case in which this course has been adopted.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his Board has issued instructions to the Lincoln Board of Guardians, or any other board of guardians, to cease paying outdoor relief to any person who resides with friends, and where the income of the house where he or she resides is £1 per week.

The reply to the Question is in the negative.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board what amount of the grant of money has been distributed since the Government's last proposals in connection with unemployment were approved by the House; and what information has he of the extent to which distress has been relieved by the operation of the proposals in comparison with the distress indicated by official unemployment figures.

Since the Prime Minister's statement on the 21st October, £57,570 has been paid in aid of schemes of work in England and Wales and £8,614, unexpended balances in the hands of the distress committees, has been appropriated to similar schemes. I am afraid I can give no reliable figures in reply to the latter part of the Question.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in such cases as the following, the persons would be disqualified for an old-age pension; one who received parish relief for a few weeks during which the superannuation pay from his trade society was suspended through depression in trade, one who, without requesting it, received three days hospital treatment at parish expense, and one who had parish relief afterwards repaid to the guardians by the children of the receiver.

In the first and third of the cases referred to, the claimant would appear to be disqualified. The second case would probably come within the proviso to Section 3 (1) of the Old-Age Pensions Act, and if so the claimant would not be disqualified.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his Board has received an application from the town council of Brighouse for sanction to create a distress committee; whether any reply has yet been given to the application; and, if so, what were the terms of the reply.

I received on the 30th October an application from the town council of Brighouse for an Order establishing a Distress Committee for the borough, to which I replied on the 4th November, asking for certain information to enable mo to deal with the matter. To this letter I have not at present received any reply.

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether, in cases where poor relief in cash has been granted since the 1st January last only during the actual illness of a claimant, and on the recommendation of a medical officer, and where the medical officer gives a certificate in writing such grant was given on account of such illness, the Local Government Board will treat such relief as a disqualification for the receipt of an old-age pension; and if a claimant has been an inmate of a district hospital since the 1st January last, and only remained there under doctors' orders, will such relief be treated as a disqualification.

As regards the first point, I may say generally that it would seem to me that in such a case as that put, the claimant would be disqualified. As regards the second, I think that it would be necessary to know more of the actual facts of the case before an opinion could be expressed. I should add, however, that if the cases which have given rise to the Question occur in Ireland, the matter is not one for me but for the Irish Local Government Board.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland if he can state in detail the salaries paid in connection with the Churches (Scotland) Commission, the total expenses of the Commission up to 1st December, 1908, and whether these expenses are to be met out of the funds allocated to the two churches; and, if so, in what proportion.

The expenses of the Church Commission are not a charge on public funds. The chairman, however, has authorised the following particulars to be communicated to me. The largest item is the cost of the local inquiries under the terms of the Act. These, including the fees of Assistant Commissioners, have amounted to over £4,000. The total salaries paid in connection with the office of the Commission, for a secretary, two clerks, and a messenger, up to April, 1907, were at a rate of £1,178 per annum. At that date a third clerk was added and the total salaries are now at a rate of £1,328 per annum. The expenses under all heads, including printing and shorthand writing, up to 1st December, 1908, amounted to £10,194 17s. 9d. Treasury precedents and the rules prescribed for temporary Commissioners have been closely followed throughout. The entire expenses of the Commission are defrayed out of the property in question as defined by the Act.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of the fact that the island of North Uist is at present advertised for sale, and having regard to its suitability for the settlement of a crofter population, His Majesty's Government will take steps, by purchasing the island, to provide small holdings for the landless thereon.

The funds at the disposal of the Congested Districts Board after the large purchases effected by them in recent years are not sufficient to admit of the course suggested by the hon. Member, even if desirable on other grounds. He is no doubt aware that with the co-operation of the Congested Districts Board several new crofter settlements have lately been formed, and that a large portion of the island is already in crofter occupation.

How much would it take to purchase this island?

I do not know.

Would it not be a splendid opportunity to give effect to the intentions of the Government regarding small holdings at a reasonable cost?

I can add nothing to my Answer.

I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the refusal of the Scottish Local Government Board to receive a deputation from the Glasgow Distress Committee, with reference to the Board's attitude towards the Distress Works at Tollcross Park; and whether, having regard to the exceptional distress at present existing in Glasgow, and the probable immediate discharge of a number of the unemployed at present engaged upon these undertakings as a result of the Board's decision, he will, as Chairman of the Scottish Local Government Board, bring pressure to bear upon that body to receive a deputation as requested by the Glasgow Distress Committee.

The Board, who were acting with my concurrence as President, did not deem it consistent with consideration to the Glasgow Distress Committee, to receive a deputation in regard to a matter on which the views of the Committee and the Board had already been very fully expressed. Since, as I understand from my hon. friend, the Committee desire to urge new considerations I have no doubt the Board will be glad to receive a deputation from them on representations being made to that effect.

I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), whether compensation has now been paid, as promised, to farmers who were in error supplied by the Department with unsuitable seed last season; and, if not, will he state what has caused the delay in making these payments, and will he hasten them.

Considerations involving legal questions have caused delay. I hope payable orders may be issued to-day.

I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), what is the total amount of the claims for loss sustained through the supplying of unsuitable seed by the Department to Irish farmers; whether the full amount has been recovered from the foreign firm who supplied the faulty seed in breach of warranty; and whether, to protect seedsmen and farmers in making purchases this season, he will give the name of the firm in question.

Growers have asked £20 per bag. There were about fifty bags; no part of this has as yet been recovered from the foreign firm who supplied the seed. The firm in question is a respectable and reputable one, and I do not think any good purpose would be served by publishing the name.

Is it not the case that the purchase of see I by the Department from this firm led to farmers buying privately from it and thus incurring loss?

Notice should be given of that.

Was the purchase made from a Scottish firm?

It is not a Scottish firm. I am satisfied that the whole thing is the result of a mistake and the loss will be made good. We shall do our best to prevent a repetition.

I beg to ask Mr. Attorney - General for Ireland whether he is aware that in the three cases of the Geevagh, County Sligo, traversers, tried at the Connaught Winter Assizes in Limerick, the Crown Solicitor for Sligo ordered sixty-six jurors to stand by, including a gentleman who is a Justice of the Peace and who has held the offices of High Sheriff and Mayor of the city; did the Crown Solicitor in these cases act under the instructions and with the sanction of the Attorney-General in challenging sixty-six jurors without cause; and will he inform the House whether, since his appointment to office, he has issued to Crown Solicitors any instructions in reference to the selection of juries in Crown cases, and, if so, what were his instructions.

The Crown Solicitor for the county of Sligo informs me that in the three cases referred to be ordered the number of jurors mentioned in the Question to stand by. His reason for so doing, as stated by my right hon. friend the Chief Secretary in a reply given by him on my behalf to a Question asked by the hon. Member for East Galway on the 7th instant, was that he had trustworthy information that an active canvass of the jurors had been made on behalf of the prisoners, and that persons had actually come from Sligo to Limerick for the purpose of influencing the jurors. The Crown Solicitor was bound to exclude from the jury all persons whom he had reason to believe were influenced by this improper practice, and who would, in his opinion, have been hindered thereby from giving an impartial verdict. I have no knowledge of the individuals ordered to stand by. This is a matter entirely for the Crown Solicitor, who acts on the best information he can procure irrespective of the position in life of the jurors challenged. I have given no special instructions as to ordering jurors to stand by at the present Assizes, but about two years ago I instructed all Crown Solicitors not to order any juror to stand aside on account of his religious or political opinions, and I have no reason to believe that these instructions have been in any way disregarded in the cases referred to in the Question.

Will the right, hon. Gentleman explain in what respect these proceedings differ from the ancient practice of jury packing, which we understood had been abandoned by the present Government, and is he aware that on all previous occasions when complaint was made in this House of jury packing the Answer given was in the very words he has just used that nobody was ordered to stand aside on account of his political or religious opinion.

I always understood that the practice of jury packing as alleged in former times was that jurors were ordered to stand aside by reason of their religious or political views, and that jurors of one particular religious faith were empanelled. I never understood that hon. Members objected to jurors who had been canvassed being ordered to stand aside So long as I remain Attorney-General I shall not give instructions to abstain from challenging jurors in such cases.

What proof does the light hon. Gentleman allege he is prepared to give that these sixty-six jurors had been canvassed? Has he asked the Crown Solicitor for Sligo whether he acted upon proof in the matter?

As I have already stated, the matter was left entirely to the discretion of the Crown Solicitor, I cannot interfere in the details in each case.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state if the system prevails in this country of setting aside jurors in this wholesale manner?

I cannot the practice in this country.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, whether negotiations for sale of the Edge estate, Moyadd, Queen's County, are being carried on, or whether terms of purchase have been agreed on; whether he is aware that John McCormack was evicted from a farm of 100 acres at present occupied by a planter named Goucher; whether the son of the evicted tenant has applied to the Estates Commissioners for restoration; whether he is aware that a man named Andrew Pennycook, non-resident, is in occupation of a grazing ranch of 150 acres, from which tenants were evicted, and that Mr. Penny cook is owner and occupies a farm of 138 acres on the former Duke of Leinster's estate, purchased under the Act of 1903, advance made £3,542; whether he is aware that there are on the Moyadd estate five families, numbering 17 persons, who occupy a total of 5 acres, and that there are numerous uneconomic holdings in the district; and will he say whether the two grazing farms containing 253 acres occupied by only one family will be acquired by the Estates Commissioners for distribution amongst the evicted tenants and uneconomic holdings.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that certain purchase agreements have been lodged in respect of this estate, but they do not include agreements in respect of the 134 acres held by John Goucher as a yearly tenant, or in respect of the 162 acres held by A. K. Pennycook as a judicial tenant. The Commissioners have received an application for reinstatement from John McCormack. They have not yet inquired into the estate, as it has not yet been reached in its order of priority. They are therefore unable to express any opinion as to the matters referred to in the concluding portion of the Question. An advance of £3,542 was made to Andrew Pennycook in connection with the sale of the Duke of Leinster's estate.

Is it not the case that Mr. Pennycook is satisfied to sell the estates to the Commissioners for distribution among 17 persons who now hold less than 5 acres between them?

I have given the hon. Gentleman all the information in my possession.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what is the total acreage of land in the counties of Queen's County and Kildare in the occupation of Henry Hosie, Courcestown, Athy, for the purchase of which money has been advanced to him; and what is the total amount of money so advanced.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that advances amounting to £412 have been made to Henry Hosie for the purchase of two holdings comprising 36 acres in County Kildare. No advances have been made to him for the purchase of lands in the Queen's County.

asked if an agreement had not been signed for the purchase of two holdings, one of 385 acres and the other 183 acres. Would the Estates Commissioners advance the money for the purchase of those so that the evicted tenants might soon be reinstated?

I must ask for notice.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that Robert Anderson, Castlemitchel, Athy, is at present, and has been for over 20 years, the rated occupier of the lands of Fossey and Ballintha, on the Close estate, Queen's County, purchased under the Act of 1903, in the name of Stephen Marcus Telford; that Mr. Telford is a nephew of Mr. Anderson; that an assignment of these lands was made by Anderson to Telford immediately preceding the sale of the Close estate; that these lands were re-assigned to Anderson by Telford in 1906, that Robert Anderson was registered as owner in fee of the said lands, on 29th November, 1906, and that the considerations in both assignments were natural love and affection; whether he is aware that there was advanced for the purchase of Robert Anderson's holding on the Leinster estate £4,173, and for the purchase of his holding on the Close estate £5,363, total £9,536; and whether if on inquiry he is satisfied that the advance of £9,536 for the purchase of land in the occupation of Robert Anderson, Castlemitchel, Athy, was obtained by misrepresentation, he will take steps to have the sale cancelled and to have that part of the land represented by the unauthorised amount of purchase money advanced, £2,536, acquired by the Estates Commissioners for evicted tenants and uneconomic holdings in the Timahoe district.

The Estates Commissioners inform me that Telford was returned by the landlord as the tenant of the lands in question. A purchase agreement signed by both parties having been lodged, the advance applied for by Telford was made and the lands were vested in him. The Commissioners are making inquiries as to the other statements in the Question, and if, on inquiry, they find that the advance was obtained by fraud or misrepresentation they propose to take such action as may be authorised by law.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that seventy-three evicted tenants on the Landsdowne Luggacunnan Estate, Queen's County, applied for reinstatement, and that the claims of twenty-one evicted tenants were rejected, and can he say on what grounds they have been rejected; whether he is aware that these twenty-one evicted tenants are in poverty, some in absolute want; whether he is aware that Mr. Byrne, who was evicted from Tully Castle farm of 203 acres has had to enter Athy union hospital, and that his sister, who was also evicted, has as the only means of support what she can earn by needlework, and will he state what amount of public money has been advanced to the planter, Tarleton for the purchase of Byrne's property; whether these twenty-one evicted tenants have been deprived of the benefits of the Act of 1903 by the action of the inspector, on whose reports the Estate Commissioners acted; and whether he will order these twenty-one cases to be re-considered with a view of reinstatement in their own or equivalent holdings.

The Estates Commissioners have decided, for one or other of the reasons mentioned in paragraph 20 of their Special Report as to evicted tenants, not to take any action in reference to twenty of the applications for re-instatement on this estate. Hugh Byrne's application for reinstatement in a holding purchased by Tarleton in 1892 by means of an advance of £2,700 under the Land Purchase Acts, is one of those in which the Commissioners have decided to take no action. I have no power to interfere with their exercise of the discretion vested in them.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners, acting on the report of their inspector, refused the claim of John Kelly, the grandson and only representative of Mr. Daniel Whelan, who was evicted from Barrow House farm of 182 acres on the Lansdowne estate, Queen's County, on the grounds that John Kelly's father held 200 acres and that the kinship was too remote; whether he is aware that John Kelly's father has a second family of six children; whether he is also aware that the planter, Henry Hosie, was, at the date when the Estates Commissioners sanctioned the advance to him for the purchase of Barrow House farm, already in occupation of 584 acres; and will he say under what section of the Act of 1903 or any Act the claim of the evicted tenant was repudiated because his father occupied 200 acres and the farm to which he claimed restoration given to a planter holding 584 acres.

The Estates Commissioners, in the exercise of their discretion, have decided to take no action on the application of John Kelly, The principles on which they act in dealing with such applications are set out in paragraph 25 of their special Report of 11th June, 1907 [Cd. 3570]. As regards Henry Hosie I would refer the Hon. member to the reply which I have just given him.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether the special instructions to the constabulary authorising them in certain cases of cattle-driving to arrest the offenders and bring them before a single resident magistrate out of petty sessions, with a view to their being bound over to good behaviour under the Act of Edward III., were of such a character as to require the approval of the Attorney-General before issue; and whether such instructions were approved in the present instance by the Attorney-General.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. friend, the Attorney-General for Ireland, to a similar Question asked by him on the 11th November.

Can the right hon. Gentleman explain the statement made in this House by the Attorney-General for Ireland, when he said that no special instructions were issued?

My right hon. friend said no special instructions were issued with regard to cattle-drivers, and I presume that statement was correct.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the fact that the condition of affairs prevailing over parts of Ireland, manifested by the increased number of occasions on which firearms have been used in the perpetration of agrarian crimes during the past three years, is reflected also in the statistics of similar crimes of a non-agrarian character; and will he state whether it is proposed to place continued reliance upon the provision of the ordinary law in the expectation that an improved condition of affairs will result in this respect.

The facts are as stated As regards the concluding paragraph of the Question I would refer the hon. member to my reply to a somewhat similar Question asked by him yesterday.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in reference to crimes of a non-agrarian character a learned Recorder drew attention to their serious increase and that was in the City of London and not in Ireland?

Is it intended by the right hon. Gentleman and his colleagues to make these outbreaks the subject of pictorial placards by the Liberal Publication Department?

Do the crimes of a non-agrarian character include the threatening letter written by the hon. Member for North Armagh to Mr. Bailey and read out in this House?

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that under the Acts which empower boards of guardians to send blind persons to institutions for the blind, it is laid down that such institutions must be approved of by the Local Government Board; and whether such institutions in Ireland are regularly inspected by Local Government Board inspectors; and, if so, are such Inspectors' reports available for the public.

Under the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1843, guardians may send any destitute blind child under the age of 18 to any institution for the maintenance of the blind approved by the Local Government Board. These institutions are not inspected periodically, but before the Board give their approval they cause an inspection to be made. No such approval is required in the case of blind paupers above 18 sent by guardians to any such institution under the Poor Afflicted Persons Relief (Ireland) Act, 1878.

How can the Local Government Board give sanction to these places if they make no periodical inspection to see they are fit and proper places.

I have said there is inspection before a blind child under 18 is sent to one of the institutions, but in the case of those over 18 no official approval is required.

Are the reports of inspectors obtainable by the public?

The report of the inspector sent to ascertain if an institution is suitable for a child is not, I should say, available to the public.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether his attention has been directed to the further correspondence which has taken place with reference to the condemnation of the Advanced National Reader by the Commissioners of National Education; whether he has had an opportunity of reading the book; whether he is aware that on the 3rd of November, the fifth or senior National Reader of this series was sanctioned by the Commissioners; and can he state upon what principle has a distinction been drawn between these two volumes.

I have seen the Resident Commissioner's letter of 10th September last, to which, I presume, the hon. Member refers, and I have also seen the Reader. The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the senior or 5th standard National Reader was specially considered at a meeting of the Board on the 20th October last, in connection with an application for sanction of its use in a National school. The Commissioners ordered that the use of the book should be allowed, but that the publishers should be called on to remove the statement on the title page that the book was "approved by the Commissioners." The Commissioners use their discretion as to what books they consider suitable or otherwise for use in schools receiving aid from their grants.

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the last part of the Question?

Well, the principle, I take it, is the discretion of the Commissioners.

Is the right hon. gentleman aware that in the volume which is sanctioned reference is made to the blasted effects of England's rule in Ireland? Why is that permitted when equally true statements appear in the other volume which is not allowed to be circulated?

That would be a proper question to put to me if I exercised any discretion in the matter, but I have, none.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether the application for a grant by the Ennis Distress Committee has been granted; and, if not, whether he will ask the Local Government Board to take the necessary steps in the matter, in view of the urgency of the question of unemployment, particularly during the winter months.

No grant from the Parliamentary Vote in aid of expenses under the Unemployed Workmen Act has yet been made to the Ennis Distress Committee, but their application for a grant is before the Treasury. I am doing my best to press the case forward.