asked the Under-Secretary for the Colonies if he is aware that in 1901 an area of land was set aside for the purpose of afforestation in Trinidad, and that a forest officer was appointed at a salary of £600 per annum; and, if so, whether he can state the revenue from such land during 1908?

Steps were taken about the time mentioned to set aside reserves of forest in Trinidad, and an officer was appointed at the salary named. There axe, of course, other important objects to be obtained by the conservation of forest besides the production of revenue, but it would appear from the last Report on the working of the Forest Department in the Colony that the revenue from timber and other forest produce during the year under review, 1907–8, amounted to £1,472.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will state the number of elementary schools in England and Wales, separately, in which classes are held for the purpose of a course of instruction beyond the Seventh Standard; and also the number of higher elementary schools in each county, stating in both cases the numbers in London, in administrative counties, in county boroughs, and other administrative areas respectively?

I have no information as to the first part of my hon. Friend's question; so far as the Board's administration is concerned classification by standards has been discontinued except for the purposes of labour certificates, and in many schools the classes do not correspond with what used to be known as the several standards. A detailed list of higher elementary schools is given on page 597 of the Board's list of public elementary schools. There are eight such schools in London, six in administrative counties, 15 in county boroughs, and 13 in other administrative areas. These figures include only those schools which come within the technical definition of a higher elementary school, and are recognised by the Board as such. There are, of course, many schools in various parts of the country doing work on a higher plane than the ordinary elementary school which are not recognised as higher elementary schools.

asked the Solicitor-General for Ireland whether he is aware that in a recent case in Wicklow county, near Bray, two members of the constabulary in plain clothes demanded to see a licence from a man who was carrying a gun; whether, on his refusal to do so unless they showed him their legal authority, he was brought to barracks and subsequently fined, notwithstanding that he had produced his licence; whether this is the usual procedure; and whether he will arrange that when mem- bers of the constabulary ask for a licence to be shown they will disclose their authority to do so?

On the occasion in question an acting-sergeant and constable of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who had been specially sent out to detect breaches of the Gun Licence Act, met a stranger carrying a gun who refused either to produce his licence or to give his name and address, as required by the Act, though informed by the police of their rank. He was arrested and brought to the barracks, and was subsequently brought before a special Petty Sessions Court charged with the offence of refusing to give his name and address while carrying a gun for which he refused to produce a licence, and was fined £10, mitigated, as provided by the Act, to £2 10s., which he paid.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether it is intended, in connection with the appointment of veterinary inspectors in every urban and rural district in Ireland under the Public Health Acts and the Dairies and Cowsheds and Workshops (Ireland) Order of 1908, that half this salary and half the salaries of the other officers appointed under this Order will be recouped by the Government in the same way as existing salaries under the Public Health Acts?

Subject to the provisions of Section 6 of the Local Government Act, 1902, recoupment is allowed in the case of veterinary inspectors permanently appointed by sanitary authorities. The recoupment; is not extended to the cases of the other officers.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can give any information as to the date when the reform of the Irish Poor Law, based on the Report of the Viceregal Commission, may be expected to be introduced?

It is not possible for me to give the information sought by the hon. Member at present.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the recent protest of Glenties Board of Guardians against the deportation to their union of a pauper from the Barnhill poorhouse, Glasgow; whether he is aware that the man in question had lived for 16 years in America, and for many years subsequently in Scotland, and had not been in his native place since boyhood; and whether the Government in tend to take steps to remedy the grievance in regard to the deportation of such per sons from Great Britain to Ireland, of which Irish poor law guardians have long complained?

My attention has not been called to this particular case, but as regards the general question of the deportation of paupers I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a question asked by the hon. Member for West Belfast on 25th February last, to which I have nothing at present to add.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state generally what are the instructions to the police with regard to their action in the case of visitors staying at Dublin hotels entertaining friends during closing hours?

I understand that the instructions issued to the police in Dublin are to the effect that where bon â fide lodgers in hotels purchase liquor which is consumed by their bon â fide guests during closing hours a breach of the licensing laws is not committed. The police do not, therefore, take action in such cases.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the whole of the M'Cann estate, situate near Kilsallaghan, county Dublin, has been distributed?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the whole of this estate has been distributed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the average monthly prices of best ox hides (95 lbs. and over) in the London market for each of the four months, April to July, 1909?

Best ox hides (95 lbs. and over) have not been quoted in the London market since the beginning of April, 1909. Up to that date hides sold included the skull and horns; since that date they excluded the skull and horns. The quotations for best ox hides are now for 90 lbs. and over, and the monthly figures were supplied to my hon. Friend in the Votes and Proceedings for Tuesday last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in regard too the appointments to be made shortly as to the labour exchanges to be set up, if he can state whether it is the intention of the Government to subject candidates to an examination test; and, if so, whether he can indicate the nature of such examination, especially in view of the fact that labour exchanges as proposed to be set up are new to this country?

The conditions of employment of the staff required are not yet definitely decided, and I am, therefore unable at the present time to reply to the hon. Member's question. I doubt, however, if the ordinary type of Civil Service Examination would be altogether well adapted to test the qualifications of candidates for some of these appointments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether his attention has been called to the United States' tariff on imported lace goods; and whether any attempt has been made by the Government to obtain an abatement for lace manufactured in Ireland?

No increase has been made in the duty on laces under the new United States' tariff, except as regards laces made on the Lever or Goth-rough machine. I do not understand that Irish made laces are included in this class. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is in possession of any information showing that any armoured ships have been laid down or ordered in Germany for other navies than the German?

The reply to the hon. Member's question is in the negative.

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether in view of the fact that our naval harbours are no longer defended by submarine mines or Brennan torpedoes, and that boom defence has recently been shown to be inadequate and unreliable, he can state what steps are being taken to place the passive defence of these harbours on a satisfactory footing?

The question of improving the passive defences of our naval harbours is under consideration, but while such defences undoubtedly add to the security of a port they form one factor only in the general scheme by which the safety of our naval harbours is secured.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the rental value of a house (less certain deductions) which is being purchased under the rent-purchase system is added to the purchaser's income as a source of income for the purposes of Income Tax; if so, on what principle is this rental value regarded as a source of income rather than an item of expenditure; and whether he will take into consideration the advisability of doing away with this penalisation of thrift?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, the purchase of a house is an investment of capital, and can scarcely be considered as an expense incurred in earning the income charged. I am unable to accept the suggestion contained in the third part of the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Death Duties have hitherto been collected on the amount of annual allowances made during the twelve months preceding the death of a testator; and, if so, will he state approximately the amount of revenue thus collected for each of the last five financial years?

It is not the practice to claim duty on the amount of annual allowances made during the 12 months preceding the death of the donor, if those allowances were reasonable in amount, having regard to the means of the donor, and represent a part of his regular expenditure.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is intended that Increment Value Duty should be charged on the occasion of a sale of land, under the Land Purchase (Ireland) Acts, from landlord to tenant; and, if so, is the site value of the land at the date of assessing the duty to be taken under the provision of Clause 2 (2) of the Finance Bill as the sum advanced by the State under the Land Purchase (Ireland) Acts to enable the transfer from landlord to tenant to be completed?

Increment Value Duty will be charged on the occasion of the sale of a holding by a landlord to a tenant, but only in the somewhat unlikely contingency of the land sold having a higher value for other purposes than its value for agricultural purposes only. Where Increment Value Duty is chargeable on such a sale, the amount of the purchase money, after making the deductions which may be allowed under Clause 2 of the Finance Bill, would be the site value of the land to be compared on the occasion of the sale with the original site value.

asked the Postmaster-General how many telegraph offices there are in England, Ireland, and Scotland respectively?

On 31st March last the numbers were as shown below:—England, 10,280; Scotland, 1,871; Ireland, 1,339.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether tuberculosis is included in the diseases scheduled in the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act; whether he can state under what section of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act or amendments thereof the Board has power to call upon local authorities to provide compensation for slaughtered tuberculous cows; and whether it is still proposed to issue the Tuberculosis Order of 1909, having regard to the fact that the Milk and Dairies Bill has been abandoned?

Tuberculosis is not one of the diseases specifically mentioned in the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894, but the Board have power under Section 22 (xxxv.) of that Act to extend the definition of disease, and under Section 19 they may direct that animals may be slaughtered and compensation paid for them by local authorities out of the local rates. The reply to the last part of the question is in the negative, but the question of the postponement of its operation is under consideration.