asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many of the cruisers and other craft which were scrapped in 1004–5, on the ground that they had no serious military value, are still in service or figure in the effective list?

supplied the following information:—Cruisers, second class: "Mercury," depot ship for submarines; "Apollo" and "Andromache," for employment as mine layers; "Spartan," employed as tender to "Defiance."Cruisers, third class: "Pomone," to be repaired for employment as instructional ship; "Medea," commissioned for special service in the Mediterranean; "Philomel," commissioned for service in the Mediterranean or East Indies; "Calliope," lent to Tyneside Division, R.N.V. Reserve; "Wallaroo," attached to "Indus" for training of mechanicians; "Cleopatra," attached to "Defiance" as overflow ship.Armoured Vessels: "Ganges II."(late "Boscawen II.," late "Minotaur"), depot for youths at Harwich; "Fisgard IV."(late "Sultan"), forms part of depot for training of boy artificers; "Emerald "(late "Black Prince"), receiving ship at Queenstown.Sloops: "Algerine," "Cadmus," and "Clio," commissioned for particular service; "Fantome," "Mutine," and "Merlin," employed on surveying service; "Racer," attached to Osborne College; "Itinaldo," employed as tender to "Vivid"; "Vestal," employed as tender to "Excellent"; "Odin," drill ship for Cape Naval Volunteers; "Melita," fitted for boom defence.Gunboats: "Bramble," "Britomart," and "Thistle," in commission on China Station for river service; "Onyx," is a base for submarines; "Thrush," employed as a coastguard vessel; "Ringdove," employed on fishery protection duties; "Pike," fitted for boom defence.In addition to the above, it has been decided that the following ships shall either be fitted in the near future or shall be retained for subsidiary naval service, viz.:—Cruisers, second class: "Naiad" and "Intrepid," about to be fitted as mine layers; "Tribune," "Pique," "Melampus," "Rainbow," and "Retribution," decided to retain for possible service as mine layers.Sloops: "Alert" and "Espiegle," to be fitted for relief of vessels subsidised by Government of India.Gunboats: "Antelope," "Magpie," "Partridge," and "Stork," decided to retain for service as harbour service tenders or other subsidiary service.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the value of the exports of tinplates of British manufacture for each of the last five years to the United States and to countries other than the United States; and the value of the exports of tinplates of United States manufacture for each of the last five years to Great Britain, and to countries other than Great Britain?

The following statement gives the information desired so far as available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a case of illegally supplying a crew for the steamer "Hawnby" on the 23rd March, 1909, at Blyth; whether he is aware that the crew for this vessel was supplied by a pawnbroker named Levi, of hast Holborn, South Shields, assisted by a runner named Webster, who is in Levi's employ; whether this crew signed the agreement in the cabin of the vessel instead of in the proper place—viz., the mercantile marine office; whether he is aware that the Board of Trade official who witnessed the engagement allowed Webster to remain in the cabin and to personally receive the advance notes, which were endorsed and given to Webster in his presence; whether Webster endeavoured to persuade the master to give more than half a month's advance, against which the seamen protested, alleging that they were receiving no value from Levi and Webster for the notes apart from being allowed to engage on the steamer; whether steps will be taken to institute proceedings against Levi and Webster; whether the Board of Trade will deal with the deputy-superintendent for permitting crimping to take place in his presence; and whether, having regard to the crimping which prevailed at ports on the North-East Coast, the Board of Trade will prohibit further engagements taking place on board ships at these ports?

I have obtained a report as to the supply and engagement of part of the crew of the s.s. "Hawnby" at Blyth in March last. I understand that five seamen and four firemen were supplied by the Shipping Federation, not by Levi or Webster, and brought by an officer of the Federation to the vessel, where they signed the agreement in the cabin on the 24th ultimo. The only persons in the cabin at the time, beside the master and the seamen, were a broker's clerk and two officers of the Board of Trade. It appears that when the first seaman asked for an advance of £2 someone standing in the doorway told him to insist on receiving an advance of £2 5s. By order of the Board of Trade officer this man withdrew, and did not again interfere in any way. Advance notes for £2 were in every case given to the men themselves, who did not endorse them or make any protest in the presence of the Board's officers. While I shall be ready to institute proceedings in regard to any case of illegal supply of which there is adequate evidence, I am not prepared to make any alteration in the existing practice of engagement on board ship.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the suicide at sea, on 11th October, 1908, of an Asiatic fireman named Md Cassum Sk Ahmed on the steamer "Asama," of Liverpool; whether the seaman was medically examined before joining the vessel; whether he had any previous sea service; whether the Board of Trade surveyors have satisfactorily reported upon the ventilation of the stokehold; if he can state the amount of coals the stokehold hands were required to work each 24 hours; and whether any previous cases of suicide, supposed suicide, or disappearance have occurred on this ship?

Yes, Sir. The man referred to jumped overboard on a voyage from Sabang to Kong-Kong. He had been occasionally relieved from duty on account of illness and had received medical attendance at Sabang, but I am not aware whether he had been medically examined before joining the ship or had had previous sea service. He was physically fit to do his work when well. The Board of Trade Surveyors reported favourably on the ventilation, and arrangements were made for registration of temperatures in future. The number of firemen and trimmers was 16 and the coal consumption was 23 tons Welsh or 25 tons Natal coal. No previous case of suicide, supposed suicide or disappearance has occurred amongst the engine-room staff of this vessel during the last three years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can furnish a Return showing how many seamen deserted from British ships during the years 1900, 1905, and 1908 respectively, distinguishing British and foreign seamen and the ports of desertion?

A Return relating to desertions and failures to join, compiled from articles of agreement terminated in the years 1898, 1899, and 1900 was presented to Parliament in 1901 (Parliamentary Paper 371), of which I am sending a copy to my hon. Friend. A similar Return for 1908 is in course of preparation, and will be issued very shortly. The preparation of a Return for 1905 would take some time, but I will consider the question of furnishing it if my hon. Friend presses for it. I may add that a Return showing the number of desertions at certain foreign and Colonial ports during the years ended 1st June, 1905, 1906, 1907, and 1908 will also be issued shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Board have approved of railway companies using specially constructed P-wagons to carry cattle and sheep by passenger trains; and whether the Board legalise a specific charge per mile for carriage of single animals, a charge per mile for part wagon, and a charge per mile for a whole wagon?

The use of the wagons in question has not received, and does not require the approval of the Board of Trade, and the charges made are not subject to any statutory maximum, the carriage of cattle by passenger train being a voluntary service on the part of the companies.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the amount of advances made up to 31st March, 1909, under sec- tion 16 of the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1696; how many cottages and allotments have been sanctioned since the passing of the Labourers Act of 1906, and what is the estimated cost of providing such cottages and allotments; and how many cottages and allotments are included in schemes under the Labourers Acts, pending and not sanctioned, and what is the estimated cost of providing the same?

The Local Government Board inform me that the total amount of loans which, up to the 31st March, 1909, rural district councils had been authorised to borrow out of the £4,250,000 provided by section 16 of the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906, was £2,815,754 in respect of 15,433 cottages and 2,537 allotments. Of this sum the advances actually made amounted to £1,042,595. Between the 1st November, 1906, and the 20th inst., 19,267 cottages and 3,558 allotments have been sanctioned, the estimated cost of providing them being about £3,450,000. At the present date 2,200 cottages and 284 allotments are included in opposed orders, in orders where the time for appealing has not expired, and in schemes submitted to the Board, but for which orders have not yet been made. The cost of providing these cottages and allotments would be about £390,000, but it is unlikely that they will all be finally sanctioned.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners have declined to proceed to acquire lands compulsorily under the Evicted Tenants Act of 1907 in some cases in which the owner has alleged that evicted holdings have been incorporated with his demesne or have acquired the character of a home farm; with regard to how many evicted holdings have the owners made such an allegation; what circumstances and what lapse of time are required to convert evicted farms; nto demesne lands or home farms; in how many cases of this kind have the Estates Commissioners refused to admit the alleged alteration of the character of the evicted lands; in how many cases have the owners appealed from such refusal; and what have been the decisions on such appeals?

As I have already informed the hon. Member, in reply to the question asked by him on the 5th instant, all cases of the kind referred to in the question are inquired into and decided by the Estates Commissioners, in accordance with the provisions of the Evicted Tenants Act. The Commissioners are not in a position to give the particulars asked for by the hon. Member.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he would consider the desirability of providing in the Irish Land Bill facilities for obtaining loans from the Board of Works in Ireland for planting trees, in order to have effect given to clause 19 of the Bill; whether he is aware that the Board of Works is precluded from making a loan which exceeds seven times the poor law valuation of the property to be rendered liable for repayment; whether, as the planting of a statute acre costs from £6 to £8, and the average poor law valuation of the land which is planted is about 3s. per acre, it is intended to change the law in this respect so that the total amount required for planting can be advanced; whether, if this alteration is proposed, it will also be made applicable to owners of land desiring to plant so as to encourage the rapid planting of trees; and whether the planted areas would afford in themselves sufficient security for the advances?

It does not appear to be necessary at present to provide additional facilities for obtaining loans for the planting of trees. The Board of Works have power to make such loans both to owners and occupiers of land, but the amount of the loan is restricted to seven times the valuation of the land given as security in the case of owners, five times in the case of tenant purchasers,' and three times in the case of occupiers. In other words, the amount that may be advanced is determined not by the valuation of the land actually planted, but of the land or interest in land offered as security. The Board are not aware that these limitations have up to the present prevented planting.

asked in how many cases in county Waterford have the owners of evicted farms informed the Estates Commissioners or their inspectors that such evicted farms have been planted with trees; in how many of such cases have the Estates Commissioners refused to reinstate. the evicted tenants; what were the reasons of such refusals; were the evicted tenants concerned in every such case offered alter- native holdings; were some of the evicted farms referred to only partially planted with trees, and that within a few years past; and whether the owner of an evicted farm is permitted to prevent the reinstatement of the evicted tenant by planting the holding with trees?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the statistics asked for are not available, and could only be obtained by an examination of each individual file. The Commissioners have no powers as regards the user of lands proposed to be acquired compulsorily under the Evicted Tenants Act until the requirements of the Statute have been complied with and the lands have been actually acquired.

asked how many agricultural tenancies have been determined under section 7 of The Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1887, since 14th August, 1903; how many caretakers so constituted have been removed from their former holdings; and can an estimate be given of the number of persons now in possession of agricultural holdings in Ireland as caretakers so constituted under the section mentioned?

The Quarterly Returns presented to Parliament show that 10,307 notices under section 7 of The Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1887, were filed between 1st October, 1903, and 31st December, 1908. During the same period 525 tenants who had been converted into caretakers by service of such notices were turned out of their holdings. There are no means of estimating the number of persons now in occupation of holdings as caretakers.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state how it is that William Browne, who bought his holding on the Major W. P. Joyce estate, county Galway, in March, 1905, has not yet been allotted his share of the turbary, which, early in 1906, the Estates Commissioners stated would be done without delay; and whether he can say when the matter will be settled?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have refused to declare the lands in question fit to be regarded as an estate for the purposes of the Irish Land Act, 1903.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application from Mrs. Johanna Hennessy for reinstatement in her former holding at Knockagarry, on the estate of Mr. George Montgomery, Killee, county Cork; if the holding in question is in the hands of the landlord; and whether the Commissioners will endeavour to bring about the reinstatement of this evicted tenant, who has been out of possession for 18 years?

The Estates Commissioners have received an application for reinstatement from Mrs. Johanna Hennessy in respect of a holding on the Montgomery estate, at one time occupied by her husband. The Commissioners are informed that the owner is prepared to sell the holding to Mrs. Hennessy when the sale to the tenants on the estate is being carried through, and, meanwhile, he permits her and her son to live in the house on the lands and allows them the grass of a cow and a small portion of the lands in potatoes, all rent free.

asked the Secretary of State for War what was the cause of the collapse of the Danish-made beam at the headquarters gymnasium, Aldershot; and whether either of the British beams, installed some time before the foreign-made, have ever manifested such structural weakness under precisely the same conditions?

I have nothing to add to the information which I gave the Noble Lord on this subject on 15th March.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that one of the judges attached to the common jury list is away ill, and that under the new rules it is necessary for the trial of the actions attached to that judge, and which are all ready for trial, to be postponed; and whether he will say whether arrangements will be made for the appointment of another judge to take such cases?

I am informed that one of the judges of the King's Bench Division to whom, under the new rules, common jury actions have been allotted, is away ill. The learned judge is expected to resume his duties next week, and mean- while arrangements have been made for another judge to hear summonses relating to his list. Under the circumstances, the interruption being only of a temporary character, it has been deemed inadvisable to take away a judge from other work to fill the vacancy.

asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been directed to the recent corner and gamble in wheat options on the American produce markets, resulting in an unprecedented rise in prices; whether he is aware that many Continental Governments have passed laws prohibiting gambling in futures and options, more especially respecting food supplies; whether he will consider the advisability of opening negotiations with the American and other Governments with a view to arriving at an international agreement to prohibit, as far as may be practicable, unlimited option and future gambling in stock and produce exchanges?

I am afraid I cannot add anything to the reply given yesterday by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a similar question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can say what was the net amount of income tax collected for the financial year 1908–9 under schedule D.

further asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he can give the net total profits declared for income tax under schedule D for the financial year 1908–9, showing separately the actual total profits of each year upon which the triennial average is struck; (2) if he can say what was the gross capital of the estates passing at death in the United Kingdom, during the financial year 1908–9, of which the Commissioners of Inland Revenue had notice, including capital on which estate duty was commuted in that year before death, in the form given in Table LXXIV. of the Commissioners' Report, 1908?

The statistics for which the hon. Member asks are not yet completed. The Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for the current year will contain the desired estate duty figures for 1908–9, but the income tax statistics are always a year behind, and those in the new Report will accordingly relate to 1907–8.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the exact charge formulated against Mr. Dick upon which he was compulsorily transferred from Glasgow to Manchester in 1907, and in what manner the omission on the part of the Department to give Mr. Dick the benefit of the rules laid down by the Tweedmouth Committee has been repaired; whether such reparation is deemed to have consisted in an interview between Mr. Norway, on behalf of the Postmaster-General, and Mr. Dick on 5th November, 1907; and whether, in order to allay the feeling of injustice under which Mr. Dick is lying and the unrest which his treatment has caused in the service, he will appoint a small Committee of independent Members to investigate the case and see that justice is done?

I am aware of the case of Mr. Dick. As it appears that Mr. Dick is not satisfied that he has had full opportunity of meeting the charge of indiscreet conduct which led to his transfer, and as I am anxious not only that justice should be done, but that any feeling of the kind described, whether in Mr. Dick or in others, should be removed, I am reviewing the whole case afresh. I may add that, as apart from the facts of the individual case certain general questions have been involved, I have invited representatives of the association to which Mr. Dick belongs to meet me, in order that I may hear their views on these questions.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the managers of endowed schools, either of schools assisted out of the rates or schools entirely self-supporting, have the power to refuse admission to such schools solely on the ground of the unvaccinated condition of the applicants; whether such managers have the power to exclude a pupil, after previous admission, solely on the ground of his unvaccinated condition; and, in the event of the managers having such power, whether he will add a clause to the next Bill dealing with educational matters which will remove such a disability from unvaccinated children?

I am advised that governors of endowed schools regulated by schemes made under the Endowed Schools Acts and Charitable Trusts Acts are not as a rule prohibited by the scheme from excluding an unvaccinated child if they consider that so to do would promote the welfare of their trust. But in the case of schools, whether endowed or not, which receive grants from the Board under their secondary school regulations, the Board would not regard the absence of vaccination as a reasonable ground for the exclusion of a day pupil, though they would be unwilling to interfere with the discretion of the governors in the case of boarders.