asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, with reference to the forest concession granted by the Government of British East Africa to Captain E. S. Grogan, whether, at the time of granting the agreement to lease and for long afterwards, the Government had no staff to survey the land agreed to be leased; whether the late Sir Donald Stuart especially requested Captain Grogan to carry out the survey himself with his own staff; whether, in lieu of paying the scheduled fee, amounting to £140, and awaiting the completion of the survey by the Government in the usual course, Captain Grogan introduced an efficient staff and carried out surveying operations at an expenditure in excess of £4,000; whether, before the completion of the survey, the Government started military operations against a neighbouring tribe, closed the district, and prevented Captain Grogan's staff from completing their work; whether the district was thus closed for about three years and the lessee denied access thereto, though paying royalties in advance; and whether the Government are now proceeding against the lessee for recovery of the area for alleged non-fulfilment of conditions on land on to which he has been denied access and the position of which is still unknown and undefined?

The agreement referred to in my answer of 28th February conveyed to Captain E. S. Grogan "all that and those pieces and parcels of land situated and being near the Eldama Ravine, comprising together 64,000 acres, or thereabouts, which said pieces are more particularly delineated and described on the sketch plan annexed and in the schedule further described." The schedule carefully defined the boundaries which were, it is believed, well known to Captain Grogan. There is nothing in the despatches received from that the late Sir D. Stewart especially recessor to show that, at the time of granting the agreement to lease and for long afterwards, the Government had no staff to survey the land agreed to be leased, that the late Sir D. Stewart especially requested Captain Grogan to carry out the survey himself with his own staff, and that it was, in lieu of paying a scheduled fee amounting to £140 and awaiting the completion of the survey by the Government in the usual course, that Captain Grogan introduced a staff and carried out survey operations. It appears, however, from one of three despatches, that Captain Grogan particularly wished his own surveyor to do the work because he was also a timber expert—and, further, that, although the onus of surveying the area mentioned in the schedule referred to above lay with the Government, the work could have been clone at any time, and that there was no reason why the lessees should not have begun work within the well-defined limits stated in the agreement. With regard to the latter part of the hon. Gentleman's question, operations were started against the Nandi tribe in the latter part of 1905, but the local authorities have stated that the only period during which the forests near the Ravine could have been held to be unsafe was from October, 1905, to May or June, 1906. As a matter of fact Captain Grogan accompanied the Chief Conservator of Forests in the Protectorate over the Eldama forest towards the end of 1906. The Protectorate Government were proceeding against Captain Grogan with a view to cancelling the agreement, but, in consequence of telegraphic representations which were made by him and the hon. Member for Penryn and Falmouth to the Governor in January to the effect that their evidence was delayed owing to their Parliamentary duties, but would be forthcoming if a postponement of the case were agreed to, the Secretary of State has authorised the postponement of the case.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, when Berar was amalgamated with the Central Provinces in 1903, officers of the Central Provinces were made transferable to Berar, while officers of the Berar Commission were not reciprocally made transferable to the Central Provinces; whether, in consequence, the Berar officers have been deprived of their chance of a commissionership, the commissioner of the amalgamated province being always a Central Province officer; whether Central Province deputy-commissioners of the first and second class are respectively paid 417 Rs. and 134 Rs. more than the deputy-commissioner in Berar; whether there are now only eleven men in the Berar Commission, and as they retire and their places are filled by Indian civilians the pay of these deputy-commissioners will not automatically become the same as that of their brother officers in the Central Provinces; whether the Chief Commissioner has recommended an amalgamation of the orders and an assimilation of the pay of the two services, and what, if any, reply has been given to his representations; and whether the Secretary of State will take steps to remedy the conditions from which the officers of the Berar Commission are at present suffering?

The question of the relations between the Berar and Central Provinces Commissions is now under the consideration of the Secretary of State in Council, and no announcement can be made at present.

asked what the Estates Commissioners propose to do with the turbary on the Kirwan property, Aghagreagh, county Longford, which was left by both tenants and landlord to the decision of the Estates Commissioners; whether the Commissioners had received a petition signed by all the tenantry in regard to this matter; will the Commissioners be directed to have this bog properly vested for the sole use of the tenantry, as has been done on other properties; and will its prayer be granted?

The Estates Commissioners duly received the petition mentioned in the question. The manner in which the turbary on this estate is to be dealt with will be considered by the Commissioners when they are dealing with the report of their inspector thereon, which will shortly be before them for ruling.

asked whether it is proposed to issue rifle-buckets of the cavalry pattern suitable to the short rifle to the Yeomanry force; and, if not, whether any other type of bucket will be issued?

The pattern of rifle-bucket at present in possession of the Yeomanry is suitable for the short rifle. It is not intended to issue any other type of bucket to this force.

asked the Secretary of State for War if any, and what, progress is being made in arranging for the interchange of military offices between the Colonies and the Mother Country; whether any increase in the number of Colonial officers employed in the British Army is likely to take place in the near future; and if he will state how many Canadian officers who have taken the course in the Military College at Kingston, Ontario, are at present employed in the British Army?

Considerable progress has been made in working out the administrative details necessary, and it is hoped that a scheme will shortly be ready for transmission to the various Colonial Governments for their consideration. It is hoped that as soon as these matters have been settled a considerable increase in the number of interchanges will be effected. There are 134 officers on the active list who obtained their commissions in the Regular Army through the Royal Military College, Kingston, eleven in the Reserve of Officers, and thirty on the Retired List.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will in future Army contracts substitute for the words Home-killed beef the words Home-fed beef, which formerly existed in the forms for tender?

The words to which the hon. Member alludes are "Home-bred" and not "Home-fed" The present form of tender was drawn up in order to secure the best fresh meat at the lowest price for the soldier, and there is no intention of making the suggested amendment.

asked what was the strength and establishment of officers and also of non-commissioned officers and men of the Territorial Force on 1st January last, exclusive of the permanent staff?

Would my hon. Friend kindly refer to the detailed figures which I gave in reply to a question put yesterday by the hon. Member for Rutland.

asked if any foreign armies are supplied with the pointed bullet; and, if so, since what date?

The following countries adopted a pointed bullet at the dates shown:—France, 1904; Germany, 1905; United States, 1906; Denmark, 1908; Holland, 1908; Turkey, 1908; Japan, 1909; Switzerland, 1909.

asked whether it has been decided to discontinue the payment of pay and allowances to officers of the Territorial Force attending courses of instruction; and, if so, on what grounds?

The question presumably refers to the Army Order of last September laying down that officers attending voluntary courses of instruction will not receive pay and allowances if their ordinary civil vocation is not interfered with. Previous to the issue of the Army Order the matter lay in the discretion of the local military authorities. The Order was issued to secure uniformity.

asked the Secretary of State for War what, if any, increased pay, allowances, or concessions have been given to the clerks' section of the Royal Artillery, warrant officers of the Royal Engineers, non-commissioned officers of the Military Police, warrant officers and staff-sergeants in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and all ranks of the clerks' section of the same corps, warrant officers and non-commissioned officers in the Army Ordnance Corps and the Army Pay Corps, to take the place of, or to compensate for the loss of, the service pay of 6d. to 7d. a day receivable by these ranks on engagement prior to 1st October, 1906; and whether he can continue service pay to those who formerly received it but lost it on re-engagement after 1st October, 1906, in every case where no increased pay, allowance, or concession has been substituted?

In certain cases, of which I shall be prepared to furnish details to the hon. Member if he desires them, but which are rather of too complicated a character to deal with in the answer to this question, the warrant and non-commissioned officers concerned now stand somewhat better than they did before the institution of Service pay; but the answer to his general question is in the negative.

asked if any Continental nations have provided their armies with mobile field kitchens; and how many of these mobile field kitchens have been supplied for the British Army?

The armies of Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Switzerland are provided with field kitchens. As regards the British Army various patterns have been tried, but they were not fit for adoption and further trials are in hand.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he can now state how the pension scheme for school teachers in Scotland is to be financed?

The preparation of a pension scheme involves preliminary actuarial investigations of a complex character based upon a careful survey of the records of past and present teachers in Scottish schools. The work of obtaining and tabulating these records is itself very considerable. It is not, therefore, possible at present to make such a statement as my hon. Friend desires.

asked the President of the Board of Trade who have been appointed to replace the coastguards for the purpose of working life-saving apparatus at those stations which have been closed during the last four years; and what technical training has the new staff received for the duties now imposed upon them?

Where a coastguard station has been abolished, and the life-saving apparatus had hitherto been in charge of the Coastguard, other men have been enrolled in the life-saving apparatus company in place of the Coastguard men no longer available. These volunteer companies are thoroughly acquainted with the working of the apparatus. When a

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he could state the approximate adult male population of the United Kingdom on 1st January of the present year, the number of persons upon the Parliamentary registers of the United Kingdom at that date, and the number who recorded their votes at the General Election?

The figures will be found in the following table:—