asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he can state how many gallons of home-made spirits have been duty paid for consumption from 1st April to 30th October last, and the amount of duty received thereon; and a similar return for foreign-made spirits?

The number of gallons of home-made and imported spirits duty paid for home consumption during the period from 1st April to 31st October last, and the amount of duty received thereon were:—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the alterations made in Clause 35 of the Finance Bill on Report, it is still clear that the lands belonging to a municipal corporation, and held by them for a purpose for which they do not levy rates, are exempt from the payment of Land Value Duties?

The alterations made in Clause 35 of the Finance Bill on Report do not affect the exemption granted by the Clause in respect of all lands held by a rating authority, which terms include a municipal corporation raising rates.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will state, for each of the States of the German Empire, and for the German Imperial Government, how much State revenue is derived from State revenue-producing administrations and how much from taxation for the latest year for which the information is available?

I have no official information as regards the separate States. For the Imperial Government the figures for the year ending 31st March, 1909, are as follows:—

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if John O'Reilly, on whom an inquest was recently held in Belfast, was in receipt of an old age pension; if his brother at the inquest swore that the deceased was only 49 years of age; if this man obtained his pension through Mr. O'Hillary, the pension clerk for Smith-field, Belfast; and if the Government will inquire into the matter?

The person referred to in the question was not in receipt of an Old Age Pension.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state how many old age pensioners have been deprived of their pensions since 31st March last in county Cavan, and how many pensions are paid in Cavan under the Old Age Pensions Act?

The number of old age pensioners deprived of their pensions since 31st March last in County Cavan is 189. The number of pensions now paid in Cavan is 6,138.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether pension officers are instructed, in cases where claimants for old age pensions have given up possession of their farm to their child on the occasion of the marriage of the latter, to treat all such cases in the same manner as if the land still belonged to them; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take with regard to the treatment of such assignments in view of Section 4 (3) of the Old Age Pensions Act?

No such instructions as those referred to have been issued. The question whether such assignments fall to be dealt with under the provisions of Section 4 (3) of the Old Age Pensions Act is one to be decided by the local Pension Committee subject to appeal to the Local Government Board.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Local Government Board, when refusing the claim of penion applicant No. 1,147 on pension officer's register, in the district of Bandon and station of Clonakilty, had before them the indenture dated 19th day of July, 1909, by which the applicant, in consideration of an annuity of £5 a year and a free house, assigned her farm to her son on the occasion of the latter's marriage; and by what method of calculation it was determined that the claimant was not entitled to any pension?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The claimant had a farm of 50 acres, with 14 cows and other stock, including two horses, the whole of which she assigned to her son for £5 a year. The pension officer appealed on the ground that claimant had deprived herself of property which, if retained, would have rendered her ineligible for the receipt of an old age pension, and the Local Government allowed the appeal.

asked the Chief Secretary for Irealnd if he could grant the Return on the Notice Paper dealing with the Irish Teachers' Pension Fund?

I regret I am unable to grant the Return asked for.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that in the case of the sale of the estate of Mary B. Falkiner and others the purchase price was £12,800, and that Mary B. Falkiner's share was one-fiftieth, namely, £253; will lie explain how this share becomes £683, and to whom the money has been paid; if he is aware that Thomas Butler's one-fifth share amounted to £2,560; and will he state to whom has that money, and the bonus thereon, been paid?

I am informed by the Registrar to the Land Judge that, according to the records of the court, Mary B. Falkiner was entitled to one-tenth of the property in question. After deducting one-tenth of the outgoings which were common to the whole estate, her share amounted to £674, of which £50 was retained in court to meet claims for Succession or Estate Duty, the balance being paid out to the mortgagee of her share on foot of the mortgage and costs. The net amount of Thomas Butler's share, after deducting one-fifth of the common outgoings, was £1,318, which appears to have been disposed of as follows: Redemption price of annuity payable to Mrs. M. Lawry and arrears, £871; costs, £88; Miss Tench, mortgagee of Mr. Butler's share, and her solicitor's costs, £389.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the number of applications received from evicted tenants in Kerry for reinstatement in holdings, the number of applicants noted or approved of for reinstatement, and the actual number of evicted tenants put into possession of holdings in Kerry?

One thousand and forty-two applications have been received by the Estates Commissioners from persons seeking reinstatement as tenants, or the representatives of tenants, evicted from holdings in county Kerry. Two hundred and ninety-seven of the applicants have been reinstated or provided with new holdings, the names of 121 have been provisionally noted for consideration in the allotment of untenanted land, 479 applications have been refused after inquiry, and 145, received since the date prescribed by the Evicted Tenants Act, have not been inquired into.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state when the Ormathwaite estate, in North Kerry, will be inspected by the Estates Commissioners; whether he is aware that a large number of tenant holdings on the estate are being flooded; whether the tenants, when signing their agreements, did not claim to have the flooded lands inspected; and when will the Estates Commissioners accede to the request of the tenant?

This estate is being sold by the owner direct to the tenants, and the Estates Commissioners inform me that the purchase agreements were not lodged until September, 1908. The property cannot, therefore, be inspected for some time, having regard to the prior claims of other estates. When it is being inspected due inquiry will be made as to what arrangements may be necessary for the maintenance of the embankment. Meanwhile the matter is one for the owner, whose solicitors have informed the Commissioners that the usual estate management with regard to the upkeep of the embankment is being continued.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can say if, on the occasion of the third trial of Police Inspector Montgomery for the murder of a bank manager at Newtownstewart, county Tyrone, in the seventies of the last century, it was brought to the knowledge of the authorities that the funds of the prisoners were exhausted and he was unable to employ the special counsel who had twice previously defended him, and, on ascertaining these facts, did the Treasury pay a special fee to the late Mr. M'Donough, K.C., in order that the prisoner might be adequately defended by the same counsel who had previously defended him; and whether, as similar circumstances exist in the case of the King r. John L. Tease, in which the Crown propose to try the prisoner for the fourth time at the coming Winter Assizes, and as the prisoner's means of employing the counsel and solicitor who defended him at his three previous trials are exhausted, the Executive will insure that on the fourth trial of the prisoner funds will be provided by the Treasury to secure the services of the counsel and solicitor who have already defended prisoner on his former three trials?

I cannot ascertain that any special fee was paid by the Crown to the counsel for Montgomery in the case referred to in the question, beyond the usual amount allowed for a prisoner's counsel, assigned by the Court for the defence of a person charged with murder. It would be quite contrary to precedent to allow the costs of defending any prisoner charged with any offence less than murder, as Tease is, but the expenses of witnesses attending at the Winter Assizes in Belfast, on his behalf, will according to the usual rule be allowed.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the net total of marks which counted for exhibitions and prizes of the recent intermediate examinations secured by the students who were last on the exhibition lists, and who were last on the £3 and £2 prize list, respectively, in the modern literary course, division 2; and whether he will make the necessary distinction between boys and girls?

I am informed by the Assistant Commissioners of Intermediate Education that the lowest marks which gained exhibitions and prizes in 1909 in the Modern Literary Course, Division II., are as follows:—

asked the Chief Secretary whether the negotiations as to the heating and cleaning of schools have now reached a stage at which some definite agreement could be arrived at in the matter; and if he can state how he proposes to deal with the subject?

I am not in a position at present to add anything to my previous statements on the subject.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the application of James Leary, Rincoola, Granard, to be restored to the farm of land at Ballymorris, county Longford, from which he was evicted, has yet been considered; and whether this family will be provided with an alternative holding if it is found impossible to restore them to the farm from which they were evicted?

The Estates Commissioners have inquired into and considered the application of James Leary for reinstatement to a holding on the estate of R. Greville, county Longford, and cannot see their way to take any action in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will explain why Anne Qninn, of 83, Rudyard-road, Sheffield, whose first husband, Sergeant J. Thomas, died on 17th August, 1858, of wounds received during the Indian War, has recently been deprived of her Army pension of £4 8s. a quarter, which she had received for 50 years, and has been compelled by the authorities to accept an old age pension in substitution at a serious loss to her; will he say by whose authority her former pension was withdrawn, and whether it can be restored to her?

I have ascertained from the Patriotic Fund Commissioners that Mrs. Quinn was in receipt of an allowance of £17 12s. per annum from the Indian Mutiny Fund. On Old Age Pensions being introduced she was told to apply, and was granted a pension of 5s. a week. The Patriotic Fund allowance was thereupon reduced to £8 per annum, and Mrs. Quinn is now in receipt of £3 8s. per annum more than she had before the Old Age Pensions Act came into force.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that No. 15301, Sapper Denis Fallen, 19th company, Royal Engineers, was discharged from the corps of Royal Engineers on the 10th December, 1908, and placed on the Reserve with a very good character, and as a skilled surveyor is now re-employed on the Ordnance Survey as a temporary assistant, but is promised employment only for two or three years; and will he see that this man's service as a temporary civil assistant will be further continued or his permanent employment be ordered?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. Mr. Fallen, on receiving his discharge from the Royal Engineers in December last, asked to be re-employed on the Ordnance Survey as a temporary civil assistant. It was explained to him that it was not possible to employ him for more than two or three years, and on this understanding he accepted the offer. Owing to the fact that some of the survey work is approaching completion, no undertaking can be given that his employment will be continued for a longer period.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how much of the naval expenditure of the present financial year is attributable to expenditure in connection with ships of the "Dreadnought" class?

It would not be possible to give a reliable estimate of the expenditure on the class generally, inasmuch as the charges referred to, including wages, victualling, etc., are spread over practically all the Votes of the Estimates and are not earmarked as relating to any particular class of ships.

asked the Under-Secretary for India what is the percentage of Indians amongst the officers of the Indian Medical Service; what is the total cost for the upkeep of this service; what is the charge on the Indian Treasury for recruiting the higher grades of the medical service of India in this country, and sending the successful candidates to India; what is the number of officers who are on leave every year and the cost of the extra number taken into the service during their absence owing to Indian assistant surgeons not being allowed to take their places; and when he proposes to open the higher grades to qualified and capable Indians?

The percentage of Indians (i.e., pure Asiatics) among the officers of the Indian Medical Service is rather more than five. The total cost of the officers of this service on the active list, including both those in military and in civil employ, is approximately £570,500 a year. The charge for recruiting those officers, both European and Asiatic (both being recruited in England) is about £12,260 a year, which includes the pay of the officers while under training in England. The average number on leave may be taken as 123. The vacancies so arising are filled from the establishment, and not by extra appointments. The higher grades are already open to qualified and capable Indians.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will cause to be added to the annual Railway Returns an account of the combinations and pooling arrangements, so far as they have been revealed, between the various railway companies, showing how many units of actual control now exist?

The Railway Returns already indicate where the railway of one company is leased to or worked by another, and, therefore, permit of the number of units of actual control being ascertained. The information available as to agreements between railway companies for the pooling of competitive traffic is so incomplete that any reference to such agreements in the Annual Returns would be misleading.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state if the permanent way inspectors on the Midland Great Western Railway (Ireland) are cautioning the employés so as to prevent them signing the petitions in connection with the conciliation boards recently formed; and what measures he proposes taking regarding the same?

The company inform me that they have no knowledge of their permanent way inspectors interfering in any way with the company's employés so as to prevent them signing the petitions in connection with the conciliation boards.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that Dr. Monckton-Copeman, medical inspector to the Local Government Board, at the meeting of the Public Vaccinators' Association held in Liverpool on 29th October, 1909, declared that the reason why vaccination was a really effective protection against small-pox was because it was really derived from that disease itself; and whether he will take steps to prevent the use of variolous lymph, having regard to Section 32 of The Vaccination Act, 1867, which prohibits the production in any person of the disease of small-pox by inoculation with variolous matter or by the wilful exposure of that person not only to variolous matter but to any matter, article, or thing impregnated with variolous matter?

I understand that on the occasion referred to in the question Dr. Monckton Copeman made a statement to the effect mentioned. Most of the lymph used in cases of primary vaccination in this country is supplied from the Government Lymph Establishment. That lymph is not variolous, i.e., it is not obtained directly from human small-pox; it does not produce, nor is it used to produce, small-pox; and, as I have pointed out in reply to previous questions, persons using it do not come within Section 32 of the Vaccination Act, 1867. There is no reason to doubt that the same observations apply to other lymph in use in this country.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he can state the standard of inspection of meat adopted by the various municipalities throughout the country; the nature of the qualifications held by inspectors of meat; and the number of carcases confiscated for disease during the three years ending 31st December, 1908?

The inspectors appointed by sanitary authorities are empowered by the Public Health Acts to seize meat which is diseased, unsound, unwholesome, or unfit for human consumption. There is no general code of instructions in regard to meat inspection, but the Local Government Board have from time to time urged on local authorities the importance of uniform and efficient inspection. The inspectors referred to hold various qualifications. A considerable and increasing number of them possess the certificate granted by the Royal Sanitary Institute after examination in meat inspection, and this subject also forms part of the requirements of the Sanitary Inspectors Examination Board, which sanitary inspectors in London are required to satisfy. In some of the largest towns meat inspection is undertaken or superintended by officers with veterinary qualifications. I have no information as to the number of carcases seized by inspectors of the sanitary authorities in the period referred to in the last part of the question.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the annual leave of the upper division clerks in his office is 36 working days for those who have given not more than 30 years' service, and 48 days for the rest; and whether they have, in addition, a half-holiday on Saturdays?

The reply is in the affirmative. The maximum annual leave of all the upper division clerks in the Civil Service is the same, being fixed by the Order in Council of the 15th August, 1890.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the offices at Tadcaster and Wetherby are to be reduced in status to salaried sub-offices; and, if so, what are the proposals concerning the staff?

The question of converting the head offices at both Tadcaster and Wetherby to the rank of salaried sub-offices is being considered. The change, if made, will be for administrative purposes only. It will not affect the postal facilities of the localities nor the pay of the staff.

asked the Postmaster-General, with reference to the number of special increments granted to Second Division clerks employed in the Post Office, whether his attention has been called to the fact that while 10 of the total of 122 granted in 1905 were awarded to Second Division clerks serving in Dublin, only one of the total of 47 granted in 1909 was so awarded; whether only one officer was recommended this year from Dublin as having rendered exceptionally meritorious service; and, if not, whether he will endeavour to obtain the grant of further special increments now to any other officers recommended, in order that the staff may not be discouraged by the apparent breach of the promise, implied in Clause 4 of the Order in Council of 29th May, 1905, that exceptionally meritorious service, which cannot be rewarded by promotion in the ordinary course, will be recognised by the grant of special increments?

When the practice of granting special increments to exceptionally meritorious Second Division clerks was introduced in 1905 a considerable number of claims had, of course, to be dealt with; but those claims have been gradually reduced, and in the present year the circumstances were not considered to warrant the grant of a special increment to more than one of the comparatively small number of Second Division clerks in Dublin.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the Campbeltown and Glasgow Steam Packet Company is not maintaining the calls at Arran ports on the return journey from Campbeltown; and what steps he proposes to take to secure the continuance of the arrangement made?

As I informed my hon. Friend in answer to his question on the 22nd ultimo, the Steam Packet Company's are not bound under the mail contract to make a call at intermediate ports on the return journey from Campbeltown during November, when the service is performed by a single steamer. There has been no interruption in the service this year to two of the three intermediate ports, namely, Carradale and Lochranza, where there are piers; but at Pirnmill there is no pier, and the delay involved in calling there would have endangered the connection between the steamer and the train at Gourock. The regular service will be resumed on the 1st proximo.