asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has consulted the officials of trades unions that pay unemployed benefit to their members upon the question of national insurance against unemployment; and, if not, is it his intention to consult them?

As I stated in the House on Wednesday last the Board of Trade hope during the autumn to confer with the various parties affected by the proposals with regard to unemployed insurance, including of course the representatives of trades unions that pay unemployed benefit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the details of the increased yield estimated to accrue from the new Licence Duties, under each head of the proposed new duties, as the White Paper gives only the total estimate of £2,600,000.

I regret that I am not in a position to give an exact estimate of the yield of the new Licence Duties under each head.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the feeling that the petrol used by medical men in carrying comfort and relief to the suffering should be taxed as lightly as possible, and also of the practical difficulties that present themselves in granting any abatement of the Petrol Tax in respect of any motors, commercial or otherwise, he will consider if it would be possible to exempt motors not exceeding 16. h.p. used exclusively by medical men from taxation?

I am afraid I can only refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on the 19th inst. to the hon. Member for West Cavan.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he is aware that 500 acres of untenanted land on the estate of the late Arthur J. Owen, Aghaboe, Queen's County, is being offered for sale by his representatives and likely to be purchased privately; and, in view of the number of small holdings in the locality requiring enlargement, as well as evicted tenants still unprovided for, will the Estates Commissioners take immediate steps to acquire this land?

I have nothing to add to my reply to the question on the same subject asked by the hon. Member on the 1st April last.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners propose to acquire portions of the untenanted lands of Ballybrack on the estate of Mr. Henry Lysaght, Fort William, Doneraile, county Cork; and, in the event of their doing so, will they take into consideration the claim of Mrs. Cummins, Pencil Hill, Mallow, evicted tenant, in view of their promise of last year to provide her with a holding when they should acquire land in this district?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that proceedings are pending for the acquisition of a portion of the lands of Ballybrack under the Evicted Tenants Act. If the lands are acquired by the Commissioners, Mrs. Cummins' application will be considered in their allotment.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether it was with his sanction that a sum of £90 has recently been deducted from the annual Government contribution in lieu of rates made to the corporation of Cork in respect of the Cork barracks; whether this sum was stopped merely because the corporation refused to render to the military authorities services which they are rendering to no ratepayers in the city, and which, therefore, they have no legal power to render to the military authorities; and whether, as contributions in lieu of rates in respect of Government buildings are made on the basis that the occupiers are entitled to the same services merely as ordinary ratepayers, he will take steps to secure that these contributions are not used to put pressure on corporations to treat military and other Government authorities on special terms, and to exact services which are not either required or authorised by law?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 29th March last to a similar question put by the hon. and gallant Member for East Cork.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the numerous split duties of the employés at Enniskillen Post Office, and consequent undue prolongation of duty in many instances; and will he consider if any steps can be taken to improve the office in this matter?

A revision of the indoor force at Enniskillen is now under consideration, and the points to which the hon. Member refers will be borne in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has issued instructions that telegraph messengers are to be instructed in telegraphy in order to render assistance during seasonal pressure; whether he is aware that a Departmental Committee, in its Report on dual training, stated that it took five years to make a competent telegraphist; and whether these messengers will receive any promise of permanent established service, or whether their future career will depend entirely upon their prospect of becoming unestablished assistants'?

I have authorised the trial of a scheme for the training of a limited number of boy messengers, who will, when qualified, be employed either temporarily as season assistants or permanently as full-time assistants at salaried sub-offices. Employment in the latter capacity carries with it, after five years' service, eligibility for nomination to an established appointment as sorting clerk and telegraphist. I am glad to say that, while it takes about three years to make an expert telegraphist, many learners qualify to take charge of a telegraph circuit after less than a year's training.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the fact that the maximum wage for postmen, new entrants, at Gosport, has recently been reduced from 26s., the figure at which it had stood for 15 years, to 25s., whilst the corresponding rate at Portsmouth has been raised from 26s. to 27s.; whether he is aware that the cost of living in Gosport is at least as great as in Portsmouth; and whether he can see his way to placing the postmen of Gosport upon an equality with their colleagues in Portsmouth in the matter of their maximum wage'?

Under the recommendation of the Select Committee, the classification of offices is based upon the volume of work, and modified by the cost of living where that is shown to be specialy high or low. In the case of Portsmouth the volume of work is represented by 1,273 units and the cost of living by the index number 105, the average being 100. Portsmouth, therefore, falls naturally into Class II., for which the range of units is from 800 to 1,700, and the postmen benefit by an increased maximum. In the case of Gosport, however, the volume of work is comparatively small, 105 units only, but as the hon. Member, is aware, I considerably modified for the benefit of the postmen the classification recommended by the Committee. If I had carried it out fully Gosport would have fallen into Class V., which would have meant a reduction of 5s. in the pay of future postmen. As it is, their case was specially considered and they were placed in Class III.

asked the Postmaster-'General whether the arrangements by which the one week's training of the special telegraph reservists is spread over an extended period was made to meet the convenience of his Department, as well as to enable the reservists to attend training at a minimum of expense; whether the actual cost of substituting these men is considerably less than the wages due in each case; and, if so, whether he can state why a full week's pay is being deducted this year?

The system under which the training of the Royal Engineer telegraph reservists is to be conducted in future is now under consideration by an Interdepartmental Committee. Special leave to attend the reservists' training this year is being granted under the regulations applicable to the members of the Territorial force. These regulations admit of the grant of special leave with civil pay only to men attending the training for a full fortnight. The training of the reservists was spread over an extended period because that was considered to be the arrangement best calculated to meet the convenience alike of the Post Office and of the reservists. The cost of substituting these men is not always less than the wages due.

asked the Postmaster-General how many post offices in Ireland have been reduced to the rank of sub-offices during the last two years; and what is the difference in the scales of pay to sorting clerks and telegraphists in comparison with the scales in operation prior to the reduction from head offices?

For administrative reasons 12 offices have been converted into sub-offices in Ireland during the last two years, but in no case has any reduction been made in the scales of pay of the sorting clerks and telegraphists.