asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of his recent reply to a deputation in which he expressed himself as being in favour of a longer time being allowed for the repayment of loans for educational purposes than was now customary, he will take steps to have section 3 of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907, taken advantage of to a greater extent than is now the case

It rests with the county council to determine in the first instance whether they will avail themselves of the longer period for the repayment of loans allowed by section 3 of the Act of 1907. The Local Government Board habitually allow 60 years for the repayment of a loan for the purchase of land for education purposes. As regards loans for school buildings, perhaps the hon. Member would refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Local Government Board to the hon. Member for Monmouth Boroughs on 6th April, in which he promised to consider the representations made to him by any local authority as to the circumstances of their particular case.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that workpeople travelling to Ludgate Hill Station by the early morning trains are not permitted to return from that station in the evening, but are compelled to make the return journey from Holborn Viaduct Station; if he can state the reason for such inconvenience, which apparently has existed for some years; and whether, when the reconstruction of Ludgate Hill Station is completed, the company intend to allow such passengers to return from it at night?

I understand that the arrangement referred to, which has been in operation since 1875, was due to complaints of the overcrowding of the narrow platforms at Ludgate Hill Station. The Joint Committee inform me that the question of allowing workmen to return from the station will again be fully considered before the platforms, which are now being reconstructed, are completed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will order a continuation to date of Return [Cd. 1756], 1904, [Cd. 8850]9.1898, and Report, ordered May, 1906, respecting legislation regarding options and futures in foodstuffs, containing Reports from the Canadian Government and His Majesty's representatives abroad?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend gave to his question on 20th May.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state at what hour of the night the steamer "Claremont" completed the signing on of a crew at South Shields on 19th May; if he can also state at what hour in the night the s.s. "Lockwood" completed the signing of a crew, and also the s.s. "Zeta "; and whether the certificates of clearance or AA forms were granted to the masters of these ships before the agreement with the crew had been duly executed; and, if so, under what circumstances?

Inquiry is being made into the circumstances of the engaqement of the crews of these vessels, and the result shall be communicated to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state in how many cases during the month of April, 1909, certificates of clearance or AA forms were granted to masters of ships before the agreement with the crew had been duly executed at the Mercantile Marine Office, Connaught Road, Albert Dock; and if he will inquire of the superintendent if it is the usual practice at the above office to grant a certificate of clearance before the engagemnt of the crew has been finally completed?

I am inquiring into the matter referred to in this question, and will communicate the result to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state in how many cases during the month of April, 1909, certificates of clearance or AA forms were granted to masters of ships before the agreement with the crew had been duly executed at the Mercantile Marine Office, Dock Street, London; and if he will inquire of the superintendent if it is the usual practice at the above office to grant a certificate of clearance before the engagement of the crew has been finally completed?

The form AA of certificate for clearance outwards was granted at the Mercantile Marine Office at Dock Street during April, 1909, in eight special cases before the full complement of the crew had been engaged. It is not the usual practice to grant the certificate for clearance at this office before the engagement of the crew has been finally completed.

asked the right hon. Gentleman in how many cases during the month of April, 1909, certificates of clearance or AA forms were granted to masters of ships before the agreement with the crew had been duly executed at the Mercantile Marine Office, Poplar; and if he will inquire of the superintendent if it is the usual practice at the above office to grant a certificate of clearance before the engagement of the crew has been finally completed?

In no case during April, 1909, was the form AA of certificate for clearance outwards granted at the Mercantile Marine Office, Poplar, to a master of a ship before the agreement with the crew had been duly executed, and it is not the usual practice at that-office to grant this certificate before the engagement of the crew has been finally completed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the speech-recently delivered by the Earl of Selborne on the natives of South Africa; and whether he will lay a Report of this utterance?

I understand that the question refers to the address given by Lord Selborne before the congregation of the University of the Cape of Good Hope in February last, and I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply to a question on the subject on 3rd March, in which I stated that it was not usual to lay as a Parliamentary Paper an unofficial expression of opinion such as is referred to, and that Lord Selborne's opinions as conveyed in an official form to the Secretary of State will no doubt be laid on the Table of the House at a later date.

asked the Under-Secretary for the Colonies whether, having regard to the construction of the Panama Canal, the attention of his Department has been drawn to the absence of any dry dock accommodation in Jamaica; whether there is any dry dock nearer than Havana, in Cuba, at which British inter-colonial steamers can be docked; and whether some, or any, of the Government works at Port Royal recently abandoned could be made useful for such' trade purposes?

The provision of a dry dock at Jamaica, if Government assistance is sought for such provision, is a matter which the Secretary of State must leave to the initiative of the Colonial Government. The Governor has so far made no proposals on the subject.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether any steps have been taken to acquire the vacant farm at Edenbridge, in Kent, recently inspected by a representative of the Board of Agriculture with a view to its being let for small holdings; and if he can now say how this matter stands?

The county council were unable to acquire this farm. It was recently let on a ten years' lease.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the long hours many clerks are employed at exbibi- tions; that at the Franco-British Exhibition last year the clerks on many occasions were kept employed for hours ranging up to 14 in a day; and whether he will favourably consider the introduction of legislation to deal with this evil at exhibitions?

I have no special information with regard to the hours of work of clerks at exhibitions; but I am aware, of course, that attendants and officials are often detained to a late hour, and I do not see how this can be avoided. I am considering the question of the conditions of employment at exhibitions in connection with the Shops Bill which the Government propose to introduce, but I fear that there would be great difficulty in extending such legislation to clerks.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received a resclution from the Taunton Labour Church asking for a revision of a sentence of six months' imprisonment with hard labour passed on William Sutton, railway porter, at Dulverton petty sessions for the theft of two articles valued at lls.; and whether, in view of the fact that it was the prisoner's first offence, he will favourably consider some mitigation of the punishment?

I have received several representations on behalf of this man, including one from the Taunton Branch of the Independent Labour party, but regret that I have not seen my way to advise any reduction of the sentence. It appears, from the Report before me, that the prisoner was convicted of two separate thefts, and that these were not his first or only offences, but were part of a series of petty larcenies.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that John Mannion has recently had a judicial rent of £6 7s. 6d. fixed upon his holding on the estate of the late Sir T. Burke, Kilcreaventy, county Galway, being a reduction on the old rent of £1 8s. 4d.; whether for 25 years the landlord has given a voluntary reduction of £1 19s. 6d. on the old rent; and whether he will bring this fact to the notice of the Land Commission, with a view to the reconsideration of Mr. Mannion's ease on appeal?

The Land Commission inform me that a judicial rent of £6 7s. 6d. was fixed for a second statutory term by order dated 11th January, 1909, upon a holding in the townland of Kilcreaventy, containing 15 acres 3 roods 11 perches (Statute), of which John Mannion is tenant and Sir Theobald Burke landlord, the judicial rent for the first statutory term having been £7 15s. 10d. The tenant has served notice requiring the case to be reheard, and it appears on the list of appeals for hearing at Galway on 1st June next. The matter is, therefore, sub judice. The parties can, on the rehearing; tender any evidence relevant to the issue before the Court, subject, of course, to the rules governing such matters.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that on the estate of the late Sir T. Burke, Lehid and Kilcreaventy, county Galway, a grazier named John Ryan, who has several hundred acres elsewhere, has recently had a judicial rent fixed upon 113 acres of grazing land; whether an appeal against this has been lodged; whether the Estates Commissioners are aware that there are 75 tenants with an average of less than five acres each on this property; and whether they will take steps to see that a judicial rent is not confirmed in the case of John Ryan, so that the 113 acres of land in question can be divided amongst the uneconomic holders?

The Land Commission inform me that a judicial rent was fixed by order dated 11th January, 1909, at the sum of £118 55. upon portion of the lands of Kilcreaventy, containing 113 acres 0 roods 16 perches, of which John Byan is tenant and Sir Theobald Burke landlord. Notices requiring the case to be reheard have been served by both landlord and tenant, and the case appears in the list of appeals for hearing at Galway on 1st June next; and is therefore at present sub judice.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that John Reynolds, whose application for a labourer's cottage on the farm of Michael Quin, in Lismore union, was rejected by the Local Government Board's inspector, was admitted by the inspector. to be entitled under the Labourers Acts as being a rural worker; that Mr. Quin, the farmer, gave evidence at the public inquiry in favour of John Reynolds; that Colonel Grove White, who lives 60 miles away, instructed his solicitor to oppose the cottage; what is the ground for the allegation that Colonel Grove White opposed the cottage with the consent of Mr. Quin; whether he is aware that the sites committee of the rural council fixed the site, with the assent of Mr. Quin, the occupier, about 100 yards from a public-house; that John Reynolds desired to have the site fixed at the other end of the field selected by the sites committee, which is more remote from the public-house; that the site suggested by the sites committee is in a different town-land and on a different estate from the public-house; that John Reynolds had got his representation for the erection of the cottage on Mr. Quin's farm signed by Mr. Quin prior to the establishment of the public-house; that the latter has only been about eight years licensed; whether an inspector of the Local Government Board may hold under the Labourers Acts that the existence of a public-house in any locality is sufficient reason for refusal to pass representations for cottages in that locality; whether the house in which John Reynolds now resides with his large family is unsanitary; and how is it that Colonel Grove White, who is neither the owner nor occupier affected, got notice of the inspector's visit of inspection though the district councillors for the division got no notice

No such admission as that mentioned in the first part of the question seems to have been made by the inspector at the local inquiry. The statements as to the action of Mr. Quin and Colonel White are correct. Mr. Quin, as stated in the reply to the question asked by the hon. Member on 1st April last, consented to the taking of a site on his holding. It was not alleged that he consented to Colonel White's opposition. I have no means of knowing what took place with regard to the selection of the site before the council formulated their improvement scheme, but I am informed that the site in eluded in the scheme is almost exactly opposite the public - house referred to. I cannot say when that public-house was licensed, but I understand that it is not likely that the representation for the cottage can have been signed more than eight years ago, as suggested. The inspector made no general ruling with respect to the proximity of sites to public-houses. In the case in question the site is opposite a public-house, which might reasonably have been considered undesirable. As already stated, the representation was not made on the ground of the unfitness of the existing house occupied by Reynolds. Colonel White was returned in the council's scheme as the owner of the site, and as such was served with notice under section 7 of the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1383, and lie was apprised of the inspector's visit by the council's engineer. Notice is not sent to the local district councillors in such cases.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application from Bridget M'Kelvy, of Bushmills, to reinstate her in her holding on the Delap estate from which she was evicted over 14 years ago; and whether he can state what steps, if any, they have taken to reinstate her in her former holding?

The Estates Commissioners received an application in November last from Mrs. M`Kelvy in respect of a holding which is in the occupation of Hugh M`Kelvy. The application was not received within the time specified in the Evicted Tenants Act and has not been inquired into.

asked what was the number of persons in receipt of indoor relief in Ireland during the year ending 31st March, 1909, exclusive of children and the sick; what was the number of childern in the workhouses during the same period; what was the number of sick in union hospitals in the same period; what was the number of person on outdoor relief during the same period, the number of able-bodied on indoor and outdoor relief respectively, and the cost for each class; and what was the total cost of poor law expenditure in Ireland during the same period?

It is not possible to state the number of separate individuals who received relief in Ireland during the year. The average daily number of persons in workhouses, exclusive of children in hospitals, was 22,644. The average daily number of children not in hospital in the same period was 5,630, and the average number of sick in hospitals was 14,781. The number in receipt of outdoor relief was 59,036. The average daily number of able-bodied persons on indoor relief was 4,848. Outdoor relief cannot be given to the able- bodied save to relieve exceptional distress, pursuant to the provisions of section 2 of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1847, and section 13 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898. The latter was in force in certain unions for a few months last year, but the Local Government Board have no information as to the number of able-bodied persons relieved by relief works. The cost of relieving each of the above classes and the total poor relief expenditure for the year cannot he stated, as the union accounts for the half-year ended 31st March last have not yet been completed.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will say whether he has received a resolution from Blacklion, county Cavan, asking that Enniskillen (No. 2) Rural District Council be scheduled as a congested district; is he aware that the evidence from this district taken by the recent Commission on Congestion bears out the prayer of the resolution; and will this matter have his consideration?

The Chief Secretary has- received the resolution, which is to the effect stated in the question. No new district can be placed under the Congested Districts Board except by legislation, and the Royal Commission on Congestion, who heard the evidence referred to, did not recommend that any portion of the county of Cavan should be scheduled as congested.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the date on which estates for sale, now being dealt with by the Estates Commissioners, were lodged; what is the Estates Commissioners' number of the last estate; how many sales of estates have the Estates Commissioners computed for the year ending 30th April last; and what is the number of estates in which proceedings for sale have been instituted since June, 1903?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the purchase money is at present being advanced in the case of estates the purchase agreements for which were lodged in and prior to September, 1905. The record number is no index to the priority of an estate; it is given to an estate for the purpose of reference and identification. Full particulars of the proceedings of the Commissioners up to 31st March last will be given in their annual Report now in course of preparation. The number of separate estates in respect of which proceedings for sale have been instituted before the Commissioners since June, 1905, under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, is 6,314.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in framing his Finance Bill, he will provide that the increased cost of petrol used on London motor cabs shall fall not upon the drivers but upon the proprietors of the cabs, so that the conditions under which the men accepted service under the proprietors may not be varied without their consent and to their disadvantage?

I am afraid that this is not a matter which can be dealt with by means of a provision in the Finance Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether general military requirements and the compensation of Welshpool for the loss of the Militia battalion can be in any respect reconciled, t, the end that this ancient town and its neighbourhood shall not be material losers by the military and public spirit, which have honourably characterised them for many generations?

The headquarters of the Montgomery Yeomanry and of a company of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers are at Welshpool, and the County Association has secured the Militia Barracks for them. The establishments of these troops are almost complete, and I hope there will be no diminution of military and public spirit in Welshpool and its neighbourhood, owing to the loss of the Militia.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether any reason exists why documents are not received for adjudication at the Cork stamp office; whether, at the stamp offices in several English cities having populations no larger than Cork, documents are received for adjudication; and whether he will make arrangements to give similar facilities at the Cork stamp office

Instruments are not received for adjudication under section 12 of the Stamp Act, 1891, at any stamp offices other than those at London, Edinburgh, and Dublin.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that the county council of the Parts of Lindsay have estimated that if effect be given to Circular 709 their expenditure will be increased by, at least, £5,300 per annum; and whether he will state when this circular will come into force?

The estimate from the Lindsay County Council has been referred to the inspector for investigation. With regard to the last paragraph of the question, IS beg to refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend yesterday.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the writing duties in London district post offices are divided between overseers and sorters; if so, will he say why the sorters only are to be removed without consideration for existing rights traditionally arising from long-established and continuous service on one duty; and whether, in view of the hardships which will be inflicted on the men concerned by removal, he will make his new regulations applicable only to new entrants on the writing duties, leaving those who have performed these duties to the satisfaction of the Department for so many years the option of remaining on them?

I have given much consideration to this subject, and discussed it fully with the association which represents the sorters as a class. I am satisfied of the justice of the arrangements proposed, and I am not prepared to confine them to new entrants.

asked the Postmaster-General if he can give the names of the large ports at which there is day and night telegraphic communication throughout the year, and the hours of attendance at such ports?

The office at each of the under-mentioned ports is always open for telegraph business, either in consequence of the size and importance of the town or for special reasons:—

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has observed that whereas in Wiltshire the casual pauper is discharged in the morning with a ticket on which is stated the name of the union, also the destination of the casual, and an order to supply him with bread and cheese after noon, thus enabling him to try for work and with a result of practically no begging, and a cost to the ratepayer of only twopence a tramp per week, in the adjoining county of Hampshire the tramp gets no ticket, and therefore no food, except by begging, and has no chance of employment, with a result of 50 commitments a week to prison and a cost to the ratepayer of about les., and to the taxpayer of 5s. weekly; and whether he proposes to take steps to apply the Wiltshire plan to other counties?

I am aware that the system known as the "way-ticket system" is in operation in Wiltshire and some other counties. Some system of the kind appears to have been tried in Hampshire a good many years ago, but little use was made of it, and it was soon abandoned. The system is a purely voluntary one, and is worked by a committee, consisting of representatives of quarter sessions and of the various boards of guardians in the county. I have no authority to require' its adoption.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has received representations from the County Councils Association, which is representative of all county councils, asking him to concede the advantage-of section 3 of the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1007?

The County Councils Association communicated with me with regard to my receiving a deputation as to this matter, but I did not think it necessary to do this. As I have intimated in reply to previous questions, I am prepared to consider the representations made to me by any county council with regard to the circumstances of their particular case.