asked what are the total sums expended by the Egyptian Sanitary Department during the years 1906, 1907, and 1908 upon medical dispensaries and first-aid establishments?

I have no information on the subject, but I will enquire whether the information is available.

asked whether a contract was entered into between a company and the Egyptian Government to reclaim land at the Western Oasis; whether the company undertook, in the event of their failing in their reclamation, that the land should revert to the Government; whether they have failed to reclaim any land, and yet have been allowed to retain all; and whether they merely built a railway which the Government has taken over at a cost of £125,000?

I have no information on this subject, but I will enquire whether any information is available.

asked what is the reason for the protracting of the period of building the new lunatic asylum at Khanka, in Egypt; whether the building can be completed in a much less period than two or three years, as promised in Sir Eldon Gorst's latest Report; and whether the extensions of the Abassieh asylum are yet nearly complete?

My only information is contained in the passages in Sir Eldon Gorst's Report, to which the hon. Member refers.

asked, in view of the fact that in December last an Act was passed by the Government of India for the more speedy trial of criminal offences before a special court of three judges without a jury and without any preliminary examination of the accused, and that a few days afterwards nine Indian gentlemen were deported and imprisoned without charge or trial, what reason there was for not bringing them to trial before the special court for any offences they might have committed?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question asked by him on 16th March last.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell me on what information these gentlemen were deported?

No, I cannot. That is precisely the information which has been asked for in several quarters of the House, and which the Secretary of State has always refused to give.

Was the evidence on which they were deported evidence which would not be accepted as legal evidence by a court of justice?

That I cannot say.

Was there any evidence?

The Secretary of State has always refused to give information on this point, and the hon. Gentleman is only now putting in another form the question which I have already answered.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us the names of the informants from whom the evidence came?

asked whether the nine British subjects in India who were deported in December last without charge or trial are debarred from taking any civil or criminal proceedings either to obtain their liberty or vindicate their characters; and, if so, what safeguard any British subject in India possesses under the existing administration against being imprisoned for an indefinite period by the Executive?

The Secretary of State is advised that the answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The answer to the second part is that no British subject in India runs any risk of the danger indicated unless his conduct be such as to satisfy the Governor-General in Council that it is necessary to place him under restraint in order to secure British Dominions from internal commotion?

Are there not among these nine deported gentlemen persons against whom no charge has been ever brought except that of being constitutional agitators?

No charge has ever been brought against these gentlemen.

asked whether any or all of the nine British subjects who were deported in December last by order of the Indian Executive without charge or trial have made protestations to the Government of their innocence of any offence, and asked to be informed of the grounds for their deportation and imprisonment; and, if so, whether any reply has been sent?

According to the information received by the Secretary of State three of the persons arrested have made representations in the sense indicated. They were informed in reply that they were arrested in order to preserve a portion of His Majesty's Dominions from internal commotion.

If these men had no chance of rebutting the charges against them, how was the Viceroy to know they were guilty?

I have already pointed out in answer to many questions in this House that these gentlemen, never having been brought before the Court, and the Regulation of 1818 expressly provides that they need not be brought before the Court, no charge has ever been preferred against them.

Does not the Regulation of 1818 in terms provide that they shall at all times freely be able to make representations on the supposed ground of their deportation? How are they to know the supposed ground if they are refused all information?

It is open to them to make representations to the Government of India and those representations have been made and they have been considered, as I pointed out in answer to a question about a week ago.

Have they been told the supposed grounds of their deportation?

It is for them to suppose the grounds.

asked whether, in the case of Krishna Kumar Dutt, Krishna Kumar Mitra, and the other Indian gentlemen who were deported and imprisoned without trial in December last, any warning was previously addressed to any of them by the Government of India indicating that they were suspected of practices dangerous to public order or of any indictable offence; and, if so, with what result?

So far as the Secretary of State is aware no communication of the kind described was made to any of the persons arrested.

Would these gentleman be free to communicate direct to the Secretary of State for India?

It is necessary that these communications should go through the Government of India who are primarily responsible for their arrest and deportation.

How is a man who is deported to know that he is a danger to the internal safety of India if he is not warned at all by the Government beforehand?

He finds out that he is considered dangerous by his deportation.

What safeguard is there for any British subject in India?

That is precisely the question which I answered at an earlier part of the afternoon.

Have these men been given any opportunity to explain the charges brought against them?

I have pointed out that no charges in that sense are ever brought against them.

Have they ever had explained to them the grounds on which it has been thought necessary for the Government of India to interfere with their freedom?

If the hon. Gentleman will give me notice of that question I will give an answer.

asked whether the Secretary of State is now prepared to reconsider the position of the nine Indian gentlemen who were deported, last December, by order of the Executive; and whether these gentlemen can be informed of the nature of the charges brought against them?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. In reply to the second part the Secretary of State has nothing to add to the answers which have already been given to similar questions in the House.

asked whether any new accommodation has lately been provided by the Egyptian Government for the treatment of juvenile vagrants; and whether juveniles of this description when taken into custody are now kept separate from those convicted of crime?

The treatment of juvenile vagrants in Egypt is regulated by a law dated 9th May, 1908, which provides that such children shall be committed to a reformatory, or other similar establishment, till the age of 18, or till such previous time as the parents, parent, or legal guardian may demand the child's release. I have no further information on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Mr. H. C. Ross, late of the Egyptian Sanitary Service, left the Navy to join that service on an understanding given him by Sir Horace Pinching, then Director-General of the Egyptian Public Health Department, that so soon as a vacancy occurred in the permanent staff it would be filled by Mr. Ross; that Mr. Ross received from Sir Horace Pinching information that his services were entirely satisfactory; and that, on the appointment of a new Director-General, Mr. Ross was informed that he would not he appointed to the permanent staff because in future such appointments were to be given to natives; whether he is aware that the next vacancy was filled by an officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps, and that Mr. Ross was then ordered to relinquish charge of work which he had planned and carried on for the extinction of malarial fever in Cairo; and whether, seeing that, as the result of the action of the Egyptian Government, the attempts inaugurated in Cairo and Heluan to extirpate mosquitoes and rid the country of malaria were stopped, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

My information is to the effect that Sir Horace Pinching did not promise Mr. H. C. Ross a permanent post in the Egyptian Sanitary Service, but that he offered him a temporary post with the prospect of a permanent appointment if his work proved satisfactory. Mr. Ross's work was considered satisfactory by Sir Horace Pinching, but not by that gentleman's successor, who, in the exercise of his discretion, did not feel justified in giving Mr. Ross a permanent appointment. Mr. Ross states that Mr. Graham informed him that in future such appointments were to be given to natives, but there is no corroboration of this in Mr. Graham's account of the interview. I am aware that the vacancy in question has been filled by an officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps, and that Mr. Ross was ordered to Upper Egypt on plague duty. I have no information to the effect that the attempts to extirpate mosquitoes at Cairo and Heluan have been abandoned, but, in June last, I received a Report that the work at the latter place was being very efficiently supervised by a subordinate employé. The Director-General of Health at Cairo must be left full discretion to select for permanent posts in his department those persons whom he may consider most suitable, and His Majesty's Government have no ground for interference with his decisions.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether it is the intention of the Secretary of State to sanction any further deportations of British subjects without charge or trial in India; and, if so, whether he will recommend to the Indian Government that before a man is deported some warning should be given to him by the authorities that he is considered to be a danger to the public peace within the meaning of the Bengal Regulation of 1818?

The Secretary of State is unable to make any statement as to the course that he may adopt in circumstances which have not arisen and may not arise; but he is not in any case prepared to take the action suggested in the second part of the question.

May I ask whether the hon. Gentleman has not seen a statement that at the time the Government of India had not considered the question of the deportations at all?

That question does not arise out of the answer.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the fact that the Government of India regard proceedings under the Bengal Regulation of 1818 as preventive and not punitive, he can state whether the evidence upon which the nine British subjects in Bengal were, in December last, deported without charge or trial was evidence which showed that no crimes had been actually committed by any of those persons, but only that they were suspected of being likely to commit crime.

As I stated in reply to a question last Tuesday, the Secretary of State is not prepared to make any statement as to the nature of the information on which the Government of India acted in applying the Regulation of 1818.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the reliance which is now being placed by the Government of India upon the Bengal Regulation of 1818 for the deportation and imprisonment of British subjects without charge or trial, the Secretary of State will recommend the Amendment of that Regulation, by providing that, in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Protection of Person and Property Act of 1881, no person shall be arrested by a warrant of the Executive unless that warrant states the character of the crime of which the prisoner is suspected and a copy of the warrant be furnished to the prisoner, and a statement of the ground of the arrest laid before Parliament, and each case reconsidered every three months by the Executive Government?

The Secretary of State is not prepared to take the action suggested. The Regulation already provides for the reconsideration of each case every six months by the Governor-General in Council.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman whether it is not just that a man should be told the nature of the charge against him when he is deported?

No charge has necessarily to be formulated under the Regulation of 1818.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Secretary of State has received any official information that the nine gentlemen who were deported from Bengal without trial last December were so deported for their connection with a political agitation dangerous to public order; and, if so, can he say whether the agitation was that known as Swadeshi, for the encouragement of native industries, or was it some other and separate movement of a criminal nature?

The persons referred to were arrested because the Government of India were satisfied that their detention was necessary to secure a portion of His Majesty's dominions from internal commotion; the Secretary of State is not prepared to make any further statement as to the nature of the grounds upon which the Government of India took action.

It is quite a different point that has been raised. May I ask whether political agitation is the acknowledged reason for the commotion or whether it is on account of the Swadeshi movement or some other movement?

I understand that the hon. Gentleman asks whether the commotion to which I referred in my answer was caused by the Swadeshi movement. I believe that is partly the cause.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the exercise of the power of arbitrary imprisonment led to a. successful revolution and a change of dynasty in this country, and whether subjects who have been guaranteed full rights as British subjects ought to be arbitrarily imprisoned in India?

They exercise those rights subject to the civil security of the country being in every way complete. If they endanger the civil security of the country they are liable under the Regulation of 1818.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether it is not the case that Viceroys, including Lord Curzon, have supported the agitation for the encouragement of native industries?

Yes; that may be so, within limits.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he can say how many times in the week the assistant surgeons at the General Hospital and the Eye Hospital, Madras, are allowed to perform major operations; and whether the operation work is restricted exclusively to members of the Indian medical service?

The Secretary of State has no information on the subject.

Will the Secretary of State inquire?

It does not seem to me to be a very important point.

Did the hon. Gentleman say that it was not an important point?

I did say that it did not seem an important point. I will ask the Secretary of State whether he will inquire.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the higher ranks in the medical and sanitary services in the Native States of India are usually filled by Indians; and whether it is proposed to follow the example in British India, or, on the contrary, to close the higher ranks of the medical profession in British India against qualified Indian gentlemen who are unable through poverty or other reasons, to come to London foe the examination for the Indian medical service?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question on 17th May, and to the papers since presented to Parliament (Cd. 4,666).

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether there are in Great Britain any religious institutions, imbecile, lunatic, or other asylums wherein the ordinary provisions of the law enforcing the registration of births or deaths do not apply?

The Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1874, requires that every live birth and every death occurring in England or Wales shall be registered. There are no institutions in which this requirement does not apply. As regards Scotland, the question is one for my right hon. Friend the Lord Advocate.

asked the President of the Local Government Board, if he can undertake to comply with the repeated requests of the Lancashire Education Committee that the Board shall withdraw their objection to the insertion of a clause in the agreements between the council and non-county boroughs respecting loans for higher education, in order to safeguard the financial interests of the county authority?

The difficulty in this matter was a legal one, but I am glad to say that it has now been removed, and that the Board have felt themselves able to waive their objection to the proposed clause in the agreement. They have so informed the Lancashire Education Committee.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that under the present system licences to drive motor vehicles are granted to persons without proof of fitness to drive, and that the United Kingdom is the only country where such a system obtains; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take, by legislation or otherwise, with a view to requiring, in the interests of the safety of the public, that before a licence is granted a certificate be forthcoming from a suitable authority that the fitness of the applicant to drive has been tested?

I am aware that in some foreign countries a test of capacity to drive a motor car is required before a driving licence is given, and that no such test is required in this country. This subject was carefully considered by the Royal Commission on Motor Cars, and I would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 92 to 95 of their Report. The conclusion at which they arrived was that it was not desirable or necessary for the safety of the public to establish a national system of examination of drivers before licences are given to them. They expressed the opinion that accidents with motor cars are rarely traceable to incompetence to drive, while they are not infrequently associated with undue confidence or occasional recklessness on the part of skilled drivers. I see no reason at present to dissent from the conclusion of the Commissioners.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he can state at what date the changes in the Code announced in Circular 709 will come into force; and whether he will arrange so that they shall take effect gradually?

It has always been my intention that the changes should be gradually introduced in the areas of the several local education authorities, and that those whose present standard is below that required by the Circular should have ample time to adapt their arrangements for the new provisions. The changes will be embodied in the Code for 1909, which will come into force on 1st August but I am contemplating an arrangement that, as regards individual schools, the new Regulations to be embodied in Articles 12 and 14 of the Code shall only operate in respect of school years commencing after 1st August, 1909, and I may add that the Board will ordinarily be satisfied if they are assured that the local education authority are taking steps which will secure full compliance in each school by the end of the school year commencing after that date. This means that the earliest date by which any individual school in a given area must have fully complied with the new Regulations will be 31st August, 1910, and the latest date 31st July, 1911. In almost all schools the dates of full compliance will fall between 30th September, 1910, and 30th June, 1911, giving each authority between one and two years to complete the new arrangements in their area. Of course, where the matter can be dealt with by mere adjustment, such as the reclassification of scholars, the Board will expect steps to be taken in this direction at the first convenient opportunity.

Does the right hon. Gentleman not mean to say that he is not putting a premium upon bad education by allowing those districts which are afraid of spending money upon education to neglect the education of many children because of the size of the classes? Why cannot this circular be put in operation almost immediately?

The hon. Gentleman's question is in the nature of an argumentative speech.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many estimates of local education authorities, with reference to Circular 709, he has now examined in detail; whether he has found them accurate; what are the minimum and maximum amounts of the increased expenditure disclosed by such estimates; and what is the amount of the increased rate involved in each case?

The Board have received estimates from 30 local education authorities, but of these only 14 have been supported by statements sufficiently detailed to afford a basis for critical examination. Of these estimates eight are now in the hands of His Majesty's inspectors for the purpose of investigation and discussion with the local education authorities concerned. In a considerable number of eases there is reason to suppose that the estimates are capable of reduction, especially in urban areas. I think it is desirable that I should defer giving detailed figures until the investigation is further advanced.

Will the right hon. Gentleman let me have a copy of the Estimates?

I do not know which Estimates the hon. Gentleman refers to.

Those which the hon. Gentleman referred to as having been received.

No, I do not think it would be advisable to give out information of that kind piecemeal. The Estimates are being examined on expert advice by the permanent officials and the local authorities, and in due course I will be glad to give to the House full information as to the result.

Is it the opinion of the right hon. Gentleman that there has been a great deal of unnecessary exaggeration in these estimates?

There has been exaggeration, but whether it is unnecessary or not I cannot say.

Did it arise from the incapability of understanding the circular properly, or is it an exaggeration which could have been avoided?

That is a matter of opinion. I have said here and must repeat that some of the figures which have been handed in are certainly exaggerations, whether intentional or not I cannot say. I hardly think it likely that the officials of the local authorities would intentionally exaggerate.

Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake that if, as a great many local authorities think, there will be a great increase in the rates by this circular, he will do his best to get an increased grant from the Treasury?

As only 30 authorities sent in replies, would the President say whether they have all been requested to do so, or have these 30 volunteered?

There have been no individual requests because already there is a very large number of authorities in the country whose standard is above the circular, and it is only those which feel that they are severely touched by the circular have communicated upon it.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will consider the advisability of modifying Circular 709 so that no increase in the local rates may be involved thereby?

There are many areas where the circular will cause no increase in local rates, but I certainly cannot so modify it that it shall involve no increase in the rates of any area, as this would be equivalent to the withdrawal of the circular, which I have no intention of doing.

Will the right hon. Gentleman hold out any hope to the local authorities that they will be afforded any financial relief from the burdens imposed on them?

That is a question which would be more properly addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been called to the action of the newly elected Dalziel School Board at their first meeting in excluding by special resolution two members of the board from the convenerships of any of the public schools in the parish; and whether, in view of the duties imposed upon this authority by the Education (Scotland) Act of 1908 and previous Acts, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I regret that I am not yet in a position to answer the question of the hon. Member.

asked the Lord Advocate whether, in view of the fact that the Edinburgh School Board has refused to grant free books to the children in Catholic schools of parents in necessitous circumstances, he will ascertain under what provision of The Education (Scotland) Act, 1908, this action was taken?

I am informed that the opinion of the Edinburgh School Board on the matter referred to is to be taken at a meeting to be held to-day, and I hope to be in a position to reply to the question of the hon. Member on Thursday next.

Perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will be able to give me an answer to-morrow if I give him private notice?

Yes. I shall endeavour to do that, certainly.

asked how many completed torpedo-boat destroyers in the British and German navies respectively have a fuel capacity of 100 tons or over?

German, 72; British, 40.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he does not consider that the offensive capacity of all these vessels away from our shores mainly consists in their fuel endurance, and is he satisfied that we have succeeded in providing fuel endurance adequate for the occasion?

Yes. The hon. Gentleman has selected as his standard, curiously, 100 tons. If he had selected 105 tons he would have had a very different answer. There is a large number of German destroyers that are just 102 tons. Had the hon. Gentleman selected 95 tons also he would have had a very different answer. It is only by the arbitrary selection of 100 tons that he has got the answer which I have given.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of his statement that the Navy List shows the standard of strength in destroyers which the Admiralty deem necessary for this country to maintain, the Board have satisfied themselves that for Great Britain to provide for 49 destroyers in the period 1905-9, compared with Germany's 54, and to have completed of that number five to Germany's 30, is an adequate means of maintaining that standard?

Yes, Sir, taking into account our great preponderance in earlier types. The hon. Member omits to mention the 36 ex-coastal destroyers built during this period.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the annual allowance of ammunition to His Majesty's ships for the preparation for and carrying out of gun-layers' tests, the preparation for and carrying out of battle practice, and all other purposes respectively; and whether he can give the House the corresponding figures for the German fleet?

The total allowance of service ammunition is 16 rounds per gun for 10-inch and above, 32 rounds for 9.2 inch to 12-pounder, and 40 rounds for 6 and 3-pounders. Sub-calibre, 160 rounds per turret gun and 20 for other guns. Aiming rifle, 400 rounds per gun. No definite number of rounds is allowed for the gun-layers' tests, each nature of gun firing for a specified time. It is considered undesirable in the public interest to publish the number of rounds fired at battle practice. We have no official information as to the allowances of ammunition in the German Navy.

asked how many battleships were maintained in full commission in the Mediterranean and in the Far East respectively in 1903, and how many are at present stationed in those waters?

At the beginning of 1903 there were 14 battleships in the Mediterranean; at the end of 1903 there were 12 battleships. Throughout 1903 there were four battleships in the Far East. In 1909 there are six battleships in the Mediterranean and none in the Far East.

Is there any intention of increasing the strength of battleships in the Mediterranean?

No, Sir.

asked how many executive officers on the active list are qualified as interpreters in German?

Twelve, Sir.

Can the right hon. Gentleman see his way to give somewhat more encouragement to naval officers to qualify themselves for employment as interpreters?

Yes. We have, of course, in addition to these twelve, a very considerable number of Army officers who are qualified.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that an average sum of £40,815 is to be spent this year upon the construction of the German destroyers of the current programme, and that the whole of the German vessels of the 1907-8 programme are in commission, while the earliest of the English are not expected to be delivered till October, he will increase the expenditure on the British destroyers of this year's programme above the figure of £5,450 each at which it now stands.

The Admiralty are not in a position to make any statement on this subject at present.

May I take it that there is no intention of increasing the Estimate, and that the Admiralty are going to spend one-eighth of what the Germans are going to spend on destroyers?

No. I have stated that I am not in a position to make a statement on the subject.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state upon what basis the official estimate was made that 70 per cent. of the total cost of a "Dreadnought" is spent upon labour in the dockyard, in view of the fact that this estimate gives an average wage during two years of upwards of £450 per annum for each of the 1,500 men stated to be employed?

I think the hon. Member may have been misled by the answer given to his question on the 19th May. The number of men employed stated to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury to be between 1,000 and 1,500 was, as I stated in my reply of the 19th May, calculated for dockyard construction work only. Seventy per cent. of the total cost of the ship was not spent on labour in the dockyard; this percentage is the roughly estimated proportion of the total cost due to all the labour employed. Assuming 35s. per week as an average wage for workmen of all grades, including those employed in the dockyard and elsewhere, the sum of money spent on building the "Dreadnought" represents the continuous labour during a period of two years of some 7,000 men, of whom the 1,500 referred to in the former reply were dockyard employés. We have no exact information, but I am advised that the above figures may be taken as a reasonable approximation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the weight of metal thrown in one discharge of the guns of the Japanese battleship of the "Sutsu" class is 11,710 lbs., and from the guns of the British "St. Vin- cent" class 9,000 lbs.; and whether he is in a position to assure the House that the British ships of this year's programme will not be inferior in gunfire to these Japanese vessels?

The hon. Member may rest assured that the British battleships of the "St. Vincent" class and of this year's programme will not be inferior in gun-power to the Japanese vessels.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that the "St. Vincent" class is inferior in gun-power to the "Sutsu" class in the Japanese navy?

No. What I am denying is the standard of measurement adopted by the hon. Gentleman. The gun-power of the ship is to be measured not by the weight of metal it can throw on broadside, but by the probable hits.

Is there any reason to suppose that the Japanese are less likely to hit the target than we are?

Yes. There is much less reason to suppose that they would be able to hit with all these large guns and the small guns at the same time.

Why is every country except ours having 12-inch guns and we are only having 11-inch guns?

We are not having any 11-inch guns at all.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say when these new standards of measuring the accuracy of gunfire, as compared with the weight of metal, were adopted by the Admiralty?

Since the adoption of fire control and recent developments of measurement of gun-power, a very different measurement of the standard of battleships has arisen.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether it is the practice of the printers of Acts of Parliament to issue them to persons concerned in their administration incorrectly printed, whole parts of sections sometimes being omitted; and, if so, what steps are taken to correct the errors?

I presume that the Noble Lord refers to an error which occurred in the omission of part of a sub-section from the Children Act. No blame attaches to the printers for this error, which was due to an oversight for which they were not responsible. As soon as the error was discovered the printers were instructed to re-issue the sheet in which it occurred with the error corrected. No similar error has, it is believed, been made before.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the corrections do not appear in the official copy in the Library?

I think that is quite possible.

Is it not an extremely dangerous precedent that the printers should omit certain sections?

It is not the fault of the printers at all.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the remarks of the jury in a case against the Provincial Homes Investment Company, Limited, held at Manchester Assizes last month, where in their verdict ten of the jury expressed the opinion that the contract entered into between certificate holders and the company was too one-sided and far too favourable to the company; and whether, in view of the fact that the certificate holders are unable to obtain redress in the Courts, he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation to prevent the enforcement of such contracts?

My attention has not been called to the remarks of the jury in the case to which the hon. Member refers, but I am not prepared to introduce legislation to change the rights of the parties under the contracts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the fact that complaints have been made by the Coventry Grocers' Association against the delay in the delivery of goods by the London and North-Western Railway; whether the agreement arrived at between the London and North-Western Railway and the Midland Railway has been a contributory cause of this delay; and whether, in view of the resultant public inconvenience, he proposes to take any and, if so, what action?

No such complaint has been brought to my notice, but if particulars of delays in the delivery of goods are furnished I will communicate with the company concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the steps he has been taking to secure a settlement of the dispute between the Scottish railway companies and the traders have had any effect; and, if not, whether, in view of the suffering to miners and other workers caused thereby, he will state what further action he proposes to take?

A meeting between representatives of the railway companies and of the coal, iron and steel industries was held yesterday. No agreement was arrived at, but a further meeting has been fixed for the 4th proximo.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a working agreement has been arrived at between the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Company and the Great Western Railway Company; whether he has a. copy of such agreement; and, if not, will he endeavour to procure one; and will he lay a copy of such agreement upon the Table of this House?

I am aware of the existence of this agreement. The companies concerned are not under any obligation to deposit a copy of such an agreement at the Board of Trade, and the Board have no power to require them to do so.

Will the right hon. Gentleman ask them if they will do it?

I will bring under their notice the question of the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the position of the conciliation board on the London and North- Western Railway; whether he is aware that since the award of Sir Edward Fry the company refuse to recognise the conciliation boards; whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists among the men at the manner in which the award is interpreted and administered by the company; and whether, in view of the fact that in the event of disagreement the company refuse to recognise the right of the men to appeal to the conciliation boards, or agree to a joint appeal to Sir Edward Fry for his interpretation of certain disputed portions of the award, he will state what action he proposes to take?

I have communicated with the railway company in this matter, and have received a reply from which it would appear that the hon. Member is under a misconception in suggesting that the company refuse to recognise the conciliation boards. There must naturally be some difficulty in applying the award to 30,000 or 40,000 men, but as the employés' representatives have been informed that any alteration which may ultimately be made by agreement or otherwise in the first interpretation of the award will refer back to the date on which the award came into force any temporary difficulty should be obviated. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the company's letter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the fatal accident to a guard at Battersby Junction, North Eastern Railway, on 7th May last; whether he has any official information showing that the brake van was placed next the engine when working the train from the mines to the junction, and that the van was being fly-shunted at the time the accident occurred; and whether an inquiry is to be held into the circumstances connected with this accident?

The company's return of the accident has been received, and an inquiry has been ordered. The van was placed next the engine, but it is not stated in the return that it was being fly-shunted.

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the latter part of my question, whether an inquiry will be held?

An inquiry has been ordered.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Customs and Excise officers have any power to interfere in cases where traders affix labels to bottles or cases of spirits in bond bearing false descriptions as to age, etc., of the contents?

Officers are not allowed to interfere on their own responsibility with labels on bottles or cases except in certain instances, in regard to which I am forwarding a memorandum to my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that £6,000 a year is granted to Ireland in order to encourage tobacco growing in that country, he will give a similar or greater grant to Scotland for the same purpose.

If it can be shown that similar conditions subsist in Scotland as in Ireland in respect of tobacco growing I shall be glad to consider the question of giving a similar grant to Scotland.

Will the right hon. Gentleman do the same for England?

Certainly, if similar experiments are made. A good many experiments have been undertaken in Ireland at great expense. If I find a similar state of affairs in England I shall consider the question of a grant.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Scotland is constantly being overridden by the predominant partner?

Is it not the fact that this grant to the Irish tobacco industry was not given until after there had been six or seven years of costly experiments which have proved successful, and that is the reason we got it?

That is what I have indicated. If experiments are made in Scotland and in England, of course I shall consider the question of giving the same treatment to those two countries as to Ireland.

Is the Chance1lor of the Exchequer aware that Ireland had her tobacco trade deliberately destroyed by the English Government?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as the increased duty of 8d. per pound on unmanufactured tobacco has resulted in a number of men and women employed at cigar making being discharged or suspended from employment, and the trade paralysed, owing to the difficulty of dividing that amount over 100 cigars, if it is his intention to continue the increased duty on leaf tobacco taken out of bond for cigar-manufacturing purposes, seeing the amount of unemployment and poverty now existing and the permanent future injury it will inflict upon the work-people engaged in the trade?

My hon. Friend is aware that I have received deputations from both the Cigar Manufacturers' and the Cigar-Makers' Union on this subject, and that I have personally inquired most carefully into the matter. I cannot, in view of my investigations, agree with him that such derangement as has been caused to the cigar-making industry by the imposition of the additional duty on unmanufactured tobacco, is likely to prove more than a transitory disturbance while the trade is adjusting itself to the new conditions. I am afraid I cannot see my way to grant lower rates of duty in the case of tobacco destined for this particular purpose.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the numerous deportations recently sanctioned in India, he can state any precedent for refusing information to the House of Commons as to the grounds upon which the Executive have deported and imprisoned British subjects without charge or trial, in a time of peace, when the courts of justice are open, in a British Dependency for the Government of which the Imperial Parliament is responsible?

The House of Commons was, during the Debate on the Address, fully informed as to the grounds on which the persons referred to have been deported, and the Secretary of State is not aware of any precedent for going into further detail. As the hon. and learned Member is aware, the fact that the courts of justice are open is irrelevant since the Regulation purports to provide for cases in which the institution of judicial proceedings may be "unadvisable or improper."

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that ten years ago two men were deported by the late Government in Bombay, and the fullest information was given by Lord George Hamilton to the House without the slightest demur? Is there any objection to following that precedent?

I think the statement of the hon. Member is not absolutely accurate.

In what respect?

In that the information in that case was, I understand, refused to the House of Commons.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I myself put the question, and that Lord George Hamilton gave me the fullest information about the two brothers?

Order, order.

asked the Prime Minister whether any evidence has been laid before him to show that the nine British subjects who were deported from their homes and imprisoned by the Government of India in December last, without charge or trial, have committed or been parties to any form of anarchical violence, such as was suggested by him in a reply recently addressed to the memorial of 146 Members of this House; and, if so, whether that evidence has been or will be at any time made known to the persons implicated, so that they may have an opportunity of clearing themselves?

I would refer the hon. Member to the speech of the Under-Secretary of State in the Debate on the Address on 24th February, to which the Secretary of State has nothing to add.

Has the evidence against the persons concerned been made known to them, so as to give them an opportunity of explaining or dealing with it?

No, Sir.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman whether it is the fact that when it was thought necessary to imprison people in Ireland without a charge being made against them or trial being given they deemed it necessary to pass a special Act of Parliament in this House, known as the Coercion Act of 1881?

I am not familiar with the details of Irish administration.

May I ask whether any evidence was laid before him to justify the deportation of these gentlemen?

The Secretary of State has constantly refused to give any information as to the reason why these gentlemen were deported.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say what is the objection to informing persons who have been deported as to the evidence and grounds upon which they have been deported?

They have been informed that their continued residence in the place where they were would be dangerous to the internal affairs of the State.

rose.

Any further questions must be put down.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is the intention of the Government to renew the Agricultural Rates Act, 1896, which expires on 31st March, 1910?

I can only refer my hon. Friend to an answer that I gave yesterday on the same subject in reply to a question of the Noble Lord, the Member for the Thirsk and Malton Division (Viscount Helmsley).

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that his answers on this question are causing great anxiety among a very wide circle? May we, at all events, know if the Act is to be allowed to lapse in 1910, whether the right hon. Gentleman has any idea of proposing anything in its place?

I can only give the answer on that subject which I gave yesterday, and I cannot think that the anxiety is yet very widespread. I said the whole matter was receiving the very carefulconsideration of His Majesty's Government.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the passing by the Imperial Legislature of a measure granting an extension of popular representative elements in Indian administration, as foreshadowed in his recent reply to 146 hon. Members of this House, His Majesty's Government will consider the expediency of a general act of amnesty for political offenders in India, and especially the restoration to their homes of those British subjects who have been deported and imprisoned without being charged with or tried for any offence?

The Secretary of State sees no good reason in existing circumstances for acting on the suggestion contained in the question.

asked the Prime Minister whether the pledge given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a correspondent that the Welsh Church Disestablishment Bill will be taken through all its stages in the House of Commons and sent to the House of Lords this Session represents the present policy of the Government?

I am not aware that any pledge of the kind has been given.

May I ask whether his attention has been called to a statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer:—

"You ask me whether, if this Parliament runs its normal course, it is the intention of the Government to pass a measure for the disestablishment and disendowment of the Church in Wales through all stages in the House of Commons. To this I can give an unqualified answer in the affirmative…. I have just seen the Prime Minister—"

"and he fully sanctions the above as an accurate interpretation of his views."

These questions should not be raised without giving notice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the offices of the goods clerical staff at Rugby, Tipton, Great Bridge, Albion, Spon Lane, and Wolverhampton, on the London and North-Western Railway, are occupied night and day; whether he is aware that in some cases the buildings are only one-storeyed wooden sheds, and in one case the office is built over the side of a canal; and whether, in view of the danger to the health of the clerical staff, he will consider the advisability of seeking powers for the inspection of railway offices?

The Secretary of State has no in-information with regard to the offices in question, which do not come within the jurisdiction of the Home Office. The matters complained of appear to be such as would properly fall within the scope of the law relating to public health.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to carry out the arrangements recently indicated by him to a deputation of motor-cab drivers to enable them to leave their cabs for the purpose of obtaining food without running the risk of being summoned?

The deputation which the Secretary of State received more than three months ago represented in general terms that motor cab drivers suffered some hardship in this respect. He then asked them to submit particulars, which they promised to send, in support of their case. Some particulars have been submitted, but the information is not sufficiently complete to enable inquiry to be made. If fuller information is given, it will receive the Secretary of State's consideration. Motor cab drivers have ample opportunities of taking their meals at coffee houses, and when they leave their cabs outside such places for this purpose, the police do not take proceedings unless exceptional circumstances render it necessary to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is aware that there are at present difficulties in the way of motor cabs ranking in Palace Yard; and whether he could see his way to removing these difficulties and so placing motor cabs on the same footing in this respect as horse-drawn cabs?

The Commissioner of Police informs me that no. differentiation is made between horse and motor cabs as regards ranking in Palace Yard; they are on an equal footing in this respect.

asked the Postmaster-General, whether the female assistant supervisors in the provinces who objected to being designated overseers were informed that the acceptance of this title would involve an eight hours' attendance instead of seven, with a rise of £5 per annum; and, if so, whether he will now grant them the new increment without inflicting one extra hour per day for an additional payment of less than 4d. per day?

In accordance with their desire I have decided to allow the female assistant supervisors to retain that title instead of the title of overseers, whether they elect to take the new scales or no. The new scales, which mean an increase in the maximum, involve an eight hours' attendance; in accordance with the specific recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee in regard to the London class.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Hope Street branch post office, Edinburgh, has participated in the curtailment of duty after 8 p.m., such as has taken place at the other branch offices in Edinburgh, and, if not, whether there are special circumstances for exceptional treatment at this office?

There has been no curtailment of the hours of attendance at any of the branch offices at Edinburgh. Some of the town sub-offices, which are on a different footing, now close at 8 instead of 9 p.m., and I am inquiring whether public inconvenience would be caused by a similar charge at the branch offices.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the mail contracts now in force between Australia and Vancouver?

The mail service between Australia and Vancouver is carried on under a contract between the Govern- ment of Australia and the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, which provides for a four-weekly service between Sydney and Vancouver, with a call at Brisbane. The Governments of Canada and Fiji contribute to the subsidy.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, in view of recent experiences, and of the fact that tolerance of irregular accounts and of imperfect audits until there is somebody to be punished results in loss to the ratepayers, whether the Local Government Board for Ireland will endeavour to prevent irregularity and loss by requiring from their auditors henceforward more minute local investigation and fuller reports than hitherto, especially when in receipt of warning from any authentic source?

The Local Government Board see no reason for taking the action indicated in the question, as the suggestions and allegations contained in it are not warranted by any facts within their knowledge. There is no ground for the allegation that irregular accounts and imperfect audits are tolerated. The Board's auditors investigate accounts minutely, acting upon any warnings respecting irregularities which may be received from authentic sources and making full reports when they appear to be required.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will ascertain and state if the Town Commissioners of Mullingar borrow this year £5,000 for the purposes of the Housing of the Working Classes (Ireland) Act, 1908, in what time and by what annual sum for interest and sinking fund will repayment be required; will that sum continue fixed or be liable to fluctuation; and to what amount of help will that town, in the circumstances, be entitled under section 5 of the Act?

further asked if the Chief Secretary will ascertain and state the lowest annual rate of repayment for interest and sinking fund at which a loan of £5,000 would now be made to the Mullingar Town Commissioners for 80 years, for the purposes of the Housing of the Working Classes (Ireland) Act, 1908; and to what sum per annum would these Com- missioners be entitled out of the Irish Housing Fund in relief of that annual payment?

I will, with the permission of the Hon. Member, answer this question and No. 65 together. The Local Government Board will not be in a position to say what time would be allowed for repayment of a loan until plans of the contemplated works are submitted to them, as the number of years over which repayment of the principal of the loan may be spread will vary according to the class of buildings to be erected. If the loan which may be shown to be required is obtained from the Commissioners of Public Works, repayment must be made by equal half-yearly instalments of principal, that is to say, 12s. 6d. per £100 in every six months if the loan is for 80 years, and interest must, in addition, be paid on the balances outstanding from time to time at the minimum rate for the time being allowed for loans out of the Local Loan Funds, which is at present 3½ per cent. per annum. The proportion of the Housing Fund to which the Town Commissioners may become entitled from year to year, under section 5 of the Housing Act of 1908, will depend on the etxent to which all local authorities in Ireland avail themselves of the Housing Acts; and this proportion can only be ascertained at the close of each financial year.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how long do the Local Government Board for Ireland allow a dispensary medical officer to continue incapable from excessive indulgence in intoxicating drink before taking action; and what precautions, if any, do the Board take for the lives of the poor, who have no choice of medical practitioner, after the Board have learned that the officer is addicted to this vice?

The hon. Member is in error in assuming that action is not taken at once when a complaint is made officially to the Local Government Board that a medical officer of a dispensary district has become incapable of discharging his duties owing to excessive indulgence in intoxicating drink. The medical officer, however, can only be deprived of his post on sufficient grounds, which should be established at a public inquiry where he can be afforded a full opportunity of offering a defence. Allegations of intemperance contained in anonymous letters or made by individuals who refuse to permit their names to be disclosed, would not be a proper basis for an official investigation against a medical officer. The boards of guardians are charged with the supervision of the medical officers, and are assisted in that duty by the Local Government Board's medical inspectors. In addition, the poor may at all times complain against medical officers either to the guardians or the Local Government Board, and in that way secure redress and efficient medical attendance.