asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that in the years 1901 and 1902 temporary inspectors, acting on behalf of the Intermediate Education Board in Ireland, visited all the principal intermediate schools and obtained particulars as to the salary and length of service of every lay assistant teacher then engaged in these schools; will he say what was the number of lay assistant teachers, male and female, respectively, as then ascertained in Irish intermediate schools; and whether, with a view to the calculation of the amount necessary for the pension fund for intermediate teachers, as suggested by Messrs. Dale and Stephens in their Report, he will state how many of these teachers had, in the years mentioned, 25, 30, and 35 years' service?

The following table gives the number of assistant lay teachers and also the number of those with 25, 30, and 35 years' service, engaged in intermediate schools in Ireland, according to the Reports supplied by the temporary inspectors of the Commissioners of Intermediate Education in 1901–2:— MALE. No. of Assistant Lay Teachers. 26 years' Service. 30 years' Service. 35 years' Service. 600 16 8 7 FEMALE. 438 9 — 1

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that shortly after the passing of the Land Act of 1903 Mrs. Margaret Donaldson lodged an application for reinstatement in the holding in the town-land of Corrinshigo, county Monaghan, formerly occupied by her husband, Thomas Donaldson, deceased, and from which he was evicted for non-payment of two and a-half years' rent, and that the Estates Commissioners have replied that they have decided not to take any action in the matter, notwithstanding the fact that a communication was sent to her from an official of the Estates Commissioners inquiring if she would accept another farm in lieu of that from which her late husband was evicted if the Commissioners were unable to reinstate her in the evicted farm; if he will cause inquiries to be made into this ease as to why the Commissioners have now decided not to take any action in the matter, although at one stage in the proceedings they proposed to provide her with another holding; and if he will state the reason why the Commissioners have decided not to take any action in the matter, due to the fact that they are unable to acquire a farm to give her instead of that from which her husband was evicted?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they did not at any time propose to provide Mrs. Margaret Donaldson with a holding in lieu of that formerly occupied by her husband. The inspector who inquired into the application asked in the course of his inquiry whether she would be prepared to take a farm elsewhere if allotted to her. The Commissioners do not consider Mrs. Donaldson a suitable person to be provided with a holding, and have decided to take no action in the matter of her application.

asked the Chief Secretary if he can state the cause of the delay by the Commissioners of National Education in the payment of extra subjects, especially when classes have been examined and the summaries forwarded to the Board?

Money orders in payment of fees for the teaching of extra subjects are being remitted by the Commissioners to the managers of National schools in all regular cases as rapidly as possible.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the advisability of relieving the estates of employers from duty in respect of voluntary pensions or allowances made by them to their employ és; and if he will consider the advisability of allowing rebates of Income Tax in respect of the same?

I regret that I cannot see my way to adopt these suggestions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the reason for the difference of practice in the collection of Income Tax upon unearned incomes from Foreign and Colonial Government securities and Foreign and Colonial companies, and from dividends paid out of the profits or gains of public companies in the United Kingdom; and whether he is aware that this difference of practice results in the investor in many cases paying the 1s. 2d. Income Tax on his income of a past year?

At present the broad principles regulating the rate of Income Tax to be deducted from rent, interest, dividends, and other annual payments may be said generally to be: (1) Where the payment is made out of income which has already been taxed, and where consequently the interest is not in itself subject to a separate charge, the person liable to the payment may recoup himself a proportionate part of the Income Tax he has paid by deducting tax from the payment at the rate, or a proportionate part of the several rates, of duty in force during the period through which the payment was accruing (Section 15, 27, and 28 Vic. c 18. See also Section 54, 5 and 6 Vic. c 35). This applies to dividends paid out of profits of public companies in the United Kingdom. (2) Where, however, the payment is not made out of taxed income, but constitutes in itself a separate subject matter of assessment, the statutory provisions under which the duty is made chargeable on the person who makes the payment generally ignore the period through which the payment was accruing, and charge the payment at the rate in force when it becomes payable to or obtainable by the person entitled to it. Thus, income chargeable under Schedule C of the Income Tax Acts from interest, annuities, etc., payable in the United Kingdom out of any public revenue, British, Colonial, or foreign, is assessable at the rate in force for the year in which it is payable, or in which it is entrusted to an agent in this country for payment here. The agent must pay the duty to the Exchequer on behalf of the persons entitled to the interest. The latter are required on receipt of the residue of the interest, over and above the duty assessed, to allow the amount of duty paid by the agent; and the agent is acquitted and discharged of the amount of the duty as if it had actually been paid to the person entitled to the interest (Sections 93 and 96, 5 and 6 Vic, c. 35; Section 2, 5 and 6 Vic, c. 80). These provisions were extended by Section 10, 16 and 17 Vic, c. 34, and Section 36, 24 and 25 Vic, c. 91, to dividends and interest payable out of or in respect of the stocks, funds, shares or securities of any foreign or colonial company, society, adventure or concern, entrusted for payment to an agent in this country; and by Section 26, 48 and 49 Vic, c 51, to foreign or colonial dividends which, although not entrusted to an agent for payment in this country, are, in fact, realised here through bankers or coupon dealers.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the rules proposed to be made by the Treasury under Clause 7 of the Superannuation Bill, in the same way as the draft regulations proposed to be made under Clause 3 have been laid, indicating the manner in which it is proposed to allow persons who have served partly in the Civil Service and partly in some other service entitling them to a pension to aggregate such services in computing the pension to which they shall be entitled?

Section 7 (2) of the Bill expressly provides that before any rules made under the Section come into force a draft thereof shall be laid before each House of Parliament.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if he will state the number of persons employed in agriculture in 1871 and in 1901, and the acreage of wheat in those years in the United Kingdom?

The number of persons returned as "engaged in agriculture" in the Census Report for 1901 was 2,262,454, and it is estimated that 2,685,778 persons were so engaged in 1871; but owing to differences of classification in the three countries and changes between the two periods the figures are probably not strictly comparable. The acreage returned as under wheat was, in 1871, 3,818,848 acres, and in 1901 1,743,899 acres.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset whether he can state if it is the intention of the Government to transfer the management of the Ordnance Survey in Ireland to the Department of Agriculture in. Ireland?

The reply is in the negative.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset whether he can furnish copies of Sections 19 and 22 (xxxv.) of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894?

As the Act to which my hon. Friend refers is available to Members for reference in the Library of the House, and as it can moreover be purchased for 3d. either directly or through any bookseller from the Government printers, I see no good reason for supplying copies of the particular sections mentioned, and cannot therefore accede to the request.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset if he can state the total number of persons engaged in agriculture, excluding gardening, during the year 1908?

The number of occupiers of land in Great Britain making returns to the Board in 1908 was 508,629, but no statistics of the number of persons engaged in agriculture are available since the Census of 1901.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state what the total number of men employed in all the dockyards in the British Islands was on 30th November, 1905?

The total number of men employed in the home dockyards on 30th November, 1905, was 27,949, made up as follows:—Portsmouth, 8,640; Devon-port, 7,187; Chatham, 7,017; Sheerness, 1,862; Pembroke, 2,335; Haulbowline, 579; West India Docks, 244; Portland, 85. These figures are exclusive of Works Department men.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the advisability of extending the benefits of the recent general increase in the rate of pensions which has been awarded to all chief petty officers on a scale equitable to their rank, to the senior chief petty officer writers entered under the late Mr. Childers' scheme, who have and are at present only receiving the pensions that are awarded to a much inferior rank?

The case of these naval writers has been already carefully considered, but it is not intended to extend the concession to them, as their employment was under conditions differing from those to whom the increased rate was granted in 1903.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the number of hands employed in His Majesty's dockyard at Devonport during each year of the past six years, and the total annual amount paid in wages?

The average number of workmen employed in Devonport Dockyard (exclusive of Works Department men), and the total annual amount paid in wages during the past six financial years, were as follows:— Average No. employed (exclusive of Inspectors). Total Wages Paid. £ 1903–04 9,487 645,601 1904–05 9,292 647,244 1905–06 7,754 527,858 1906–07 7,488 526,328 1907–08 7,888 600,734 1908–09 8,690 656,178

It is regretted that, owing to a clerical error in a prior question asked by my hon. Friend on 23rd August, the wages paid during the financial year 1908–9 were furnished as £556,178 instead of £656,178, as now given.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that at the recent Board of Trade railway conference, the representatives of the railway companies offered to amend owners' risk conditions by making themselves responsible for goods sent by merchandise train not delivered within 28 days, for perishable goods sent by passenger train delayed more than 48 hours beyond the ordinary time of delivery, and for milk sent by passenger train delayed more than 24 hours beyond the ordinary time of delivery; will he say what action he proposes to take with a view to a reasonable revision of owners' risk conditions; and whether he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to have company's risk rates fixed at figures representing a reasonable insurance on the goods carried additional to owners' risk rates?

I am aware of the recommendations of the Railway Conference with regard to the conditions attaching to the carriage at owners' risk, and am in communication with the Railway Clearing House on the subject. I am not, however, in a position to say what action will ultimately be taken in the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the overdue steamer "Waratah," with over 300 souls on board; if he can state how many able seamen she was supposed to carry to be efficiently manned, if he can state how many sailors and firemen signed on at Is. per month, to be discharged in Colonial ports, on her signing articles in London on the 23rd April, 1909; how many of the seamen produced certificates of discharge to prove their qualification as A.B.'s; how many sailors and firemen were paid off during the voyage and how many changes in the crew, composed of sailors, firemen, trimmers, greasers, and quartermasters, have there been since the vessel sailed from Loudon on her last voyage; whether all the men shipped at Colonial ports produced certificates of discharge for three years' sea service; and what was the number and composition of the crew and their various ratings when the ship left her last homeward port?

My attention has been called to the case of the "Waratah" but as it seems possible that it may be necessary to institute an inquiry in the case, I do not think it advisable that I should at present make any statement upon the points to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been directed to complaints made of nuisance arising by noise and otherwise from the working of an electric sub-station of the London County Council in Arlington-road, St. Pancras; whether this station has been inspected on behalf of the Board of Trade; whether the working of the station is in accordance with the Board of Trade Regulations; and whether the Board have suggested, or will suggest, any action with a view to abate the nuisance complained of?

The sub-station in question has not been inspected on behalf of the Board of Trade, and is not liable to such inspection, nor is its working subject to Board of Trade Regulations. I have however, asked the London County Council for their observations on the nuisance stated to exist, and shall be happy to communicate their reply to my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state the average number of unemployed during the 10 years previous to 1909?

I have been asked by my right hon. Friend to reply to this question. There are no records of total numbers of unemployed workpeople, but the mean annual percentage of the members of trade unions, which make monthly returns to the Board of Trade, unemployed during the 10 years 1899 to 1908 was 4.3.

asked whether any special grant is to be made for the repair of roads at Amesbury and on Salisbury Plain, looking at the amount of traffic caused by the late man œuvres?

No request for a special grant in connection with the late man œuvres mentioned has so far been received at the War Office. If damage by extraordinary military traffic within the legal meaning of the term has occurred a claim, if made, will receive due consideration.

asked the Home Secretary if he can state the total number of persons engaged in mines and quarries during the year 1908?

The total number of persons employed in and about the mines of the United Kingdom during 1908 was 1,017,740; at quarries under the Quarries Act, 85,475. The figures are given in Part I. of the Annual General Report on Mines and Quarries, which has already been published.