asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to give the results of his inquiries as to the tests for colour blindness used by foreign nations?

The Board of Trade are already in possession of a considerable amount of information with regard to the colour vision tests adopted by the principal maritime countries for their merchant services. With a view, however, to making the Return moved for and ordered on 14th July as complete as possible they have requested the Foreign Office to obtain further detailed information in the case of certain important countries. On receipt of that information the Return in question will be presented.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the suicide at sea on 4th July, 1909, of an Asiatic coal trimmer, named Chendoo Rahiman, whilst serving on the steamer "Visigoth," of Southampton; whether any inquiry has been held into the matter; whether the seaman was medically examined before joining; how long he had served on the vessel; whether he had any previous sea service; whether he was on duty at the time; what was the temperature of the engine room and stokehold; how many tons of coal the engine room hands were required to work each 24 hours; and whether any previous cases of suicide, supposed suicide, or disappearance have occurred on this vessel?

The Asiatic fireman referred to in the question jumped overboard from the "Visigoth" whilst on a voyage from Leghorn to Ymuiden. Inquiry was held by the Consul at Rotterdam and by a deputy superintendent of the Mercantile Marine Office at South Shields. The man was shipped at Bombay, and I am informed that all native seamen shipped at that port are medically examined. He had been at least six weeks on board the "Visigoth" and had had four years' previous sea service. He was on duty at the time. The temperature of the engine-room was 90 degrees, and of the stokehold 76 degrees. The coal consumption was about 21½ tons per day and the number of firemen and trimmers was 14. No other case of suicide, supposed suicide, or disappearance has occurred on board this vessel.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any portion of the cost of preparing and collecting material for the four contingent battleships to be laid down early in 1910–11 will be met out of the revenue of the year 1909–10?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether an applicant who was entitled to receive an old age pension in August, and whose application was not sanctioned until October, is entitled to receive arrears of pension for the intervening period?

Under Section 5 (2) of the Old Age Pensions Act the earliest date at which a pension can commence to accrue is the first Friday after the final decision allowing the claim, and the Treasury has no power to direct payment of a pension from an earlier date. Unless, therefore, a claimant has taken the precaution of making his claim (as he is allowed to do by Section 10 (2) of the Act and the Regulations made thereunder) in advance of his becoming actually entitled to the pension, and such claim has been provisionally allowed before that date, his title to receive a pension does not become operative until after the decision upon his claim has been arrived at.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the scheme now in force for the veterinary establishment of the Territorial Army is that proposed by Veterinary Major-General Thompson, or whether an amended scheme has been approved; whether departmental and attached officers as well as unattached have been appointed; if so, how many; whether it is proposed to appoint only officers who have been in the Regular Army service; and whether civilians with active military service are eligible?

No scheme for the veterinary establishment of the Territorial Force was proposed by Major-General Thomson. The formation of a Territorial Army Veterinary Corps is now under consideration, and pending such formation veterinary officers on joining are posted to the unattached list. The total number on this list is 89. There are no officers of the Regular Army employed with the veterinary service of the Territorial Force. Civilians with active military service are eligible for commissions as lieutenants if qualified veterinary surgeons.

asked the Lord Advocate if he will now say when he proposes to appoint the Committee to inquire into minor legal appointments in Scotland, and what is the cause of the delay?

I am not in a position to make a definite announcement as to the appointment of this Committee, but I hope to be able to do so before the end of the Session.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the protest made by the Loughbrickland Co-operative Dairy Society against the demands made under the Dairy and Cowsheds (Ireland) Order, 1908, on milk suppliers to the Loughbrickland Creamery by officials of the Newry (No. 1) Rural Council, in requiring them to make expensive alterations in their byres and cowsheds, notwithstanding that these farmers have already, at their own expense, provided an effectual safeguard to the public health in the pasteurisation of all milk supplied to that creamery, and that the inspectors of the Department of Agriculture have reported most favourably as to the cleanliness of the creamery and the milk delivered at it; and whether, as this Order exempts the sellers of home-made butter and buttermilk, which is not pasteurised, he will have the Order so varied or modified as to place milk suppliers to creameries where the milk is pasteurised outside the more expensive requirements of the Order, and thus save an important Irish industry from unnecessary penalisation and ultimate destruction?

A protest against the administration of the Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops (Ireland) Order of 1908 in Newry (No. 1) Rural District has been made by the Loughbrickland Co-operative Dairy Society on the ground of the excessive demands of the local veterinary inspector. The rural district council, who are the authority responsible for the execution of the Order in the district, were unanimously of opinion at their last meeting on the 25th ultimo that "the requirements of the veterinary inspector were reasonable and necessary improvements in the interests of the public milk supply." It further appears that, with one exception, every dairy owner in the district had complied with the council's requirements. The partial exemption in favour of milk suppliers to creameries, suggested at the close of the question, would be impracticable. Apart from other objections, there would be no guarantee that the pasteurising plant, if provided, were systematically or effectually worked.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that it is four years since the tenants on the Cremore estate, county Antrim, signed agreements for purchase; and whether he can state the reason for the delay in their getting possession of their farms?

The Estates Commissioners assume that the question refers to the estate of Robert A. C. Montague, Portstewart, county Londonderry. The purchase agreements in that case were lodged in February, 1906. The estate has not yet been dealt with, as it has not been reached in its order of priority.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) what is the amount of the subsidy paid by the Department in respect of the hatchery at Belleek, county Fermanagh; does the Department exercise any supervision over the hatchery; and have its operations resulted in any increase of trout or salmon in Lough Erne?

The subsidy paid to the proprietors of the Belleek Salmon Hatchery is at the rate of 1s. 6d. per 1,000 salmon fry turned out at places approved of by the Department. The hatchery is inspected by a representative of the Department at least once in each hatching season, and has always been conducted to their satisfaction. The operations of the hatchery are not known to have resulted in any increase of salmon in Lough Erne. The public fishery in the sea off the mouth of the Erne has improved. The Department are not aware that trout are dealt with at the hatchery.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he can state the total number of cases in which whipping has been inflicted as a gaol punishment in each province in India during the years 1906, 1907, and 1908?

The figures are as follows:—

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the proposals of the Government of India in regard to the question of the increased pay to be drawn by the Royal Engineer officers serving in the Public Works Department have yet been received; whether he is aware of the discontent prevailing owing to the delay in settling this question; and when the proposals may be expected?

The Secretary of State for India has not yet received the proposals of the Government of India regarding the pay of Royal Engineer officers serving in the Public Works Department. He will inquire when they may be expected.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the estimated receipts for all mail matter, viz., for letters, for papers, and for parcels, respectively, despatched from the United Kingdom to China, including the treaty ports, last year; and what are the estimated postage receipts for all, mail matter from China to the United Kingdom last year.

The gross postage receipts on mail matter despatched from the United Kingdom to China (including Hong Kong and the Treaty ports) in 1908 are estimated to amount to £23,000, made up thus: For letters and postcards, £8,000; printed matter, etc., £11,000; parcels, £4,000; total, £23,000. The receipts of the various postal administrations in China (including Hong Kong and the Treaty ports) in respect of mails despatched to the United Kingdom can only be approximately estimated, but probably they amount to a total of £10,000 or £11,000 for 1908.

asked the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if he will issue as a Parliamentary Paper the letter of the Secretary of State to the Department of Agriculture, Washington, dated 23rd December, 1908, dealing with the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United States last year, and against the introduction of which stringent precautions were taken in Canada and in this country, and Circular 147, issued by the Department of Agriculture of the United States, dealing with the origin of recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in that country?

I shall be happy to supply a copy of the letter and circular mentioned to any Member who may wish to receive them, but I scarcely think that their contents are of sufficient general interest to justify their issue as a Parliamentary Paper.