asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the total sum provided in the Navy Estimates for 1910-11 of Great Britain, Germany, the United States, and France for the material upkeep of their navies, including the sum provided for repairs as well as that for new construction and armaments, and prepared upon a similar basis to figures which have been given to this House for recent years?

United Kingdom,£17,558,096. So far as can be ascertained from the published Estimates of the various countries, the sums are:

France	…	£6,464,145
United States	…	10,082,265
Germany	…	13,149,888

But it must be understood that these figures are only given with the qualification that, owing to the form in which the foreign Estimates are presented, material inaccuracies may have arisen in the separation by us of the various items.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that inconvenience and expense are caused to a number of bluejackets and warrant officers of His Majesty's Navy by reason of the fact that liberty men from His Majesty's ships lying at Spithead are always landed at Portsmouth; and whether, in view of the fact that a number -of these men have their homes in the Isle of Wight, he will cause instructions to be issued whereby liberty men desiring to go to the Isle of Wight shall be landed at Ryde?

Such arrangements for the convenience of the liberty men as service requirements admit of are made by the local officers, and it is undesirable for the Admiralty to interfere with their discretion in the matter. It is improbable that special arrangements could be made to land men at Ryde as well as at Portsmouth.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will take steps to prevent the discharge of refuse from war vessels in St. Andrew's Bay and at other points round the East Coast of Scotland where such refuse is calculated to interfere with the operations of fishermen and to foul their gear?

No complaints have so far been received at the Admiralty with regard to St. Andrews Bay. Any representations with regard to particular localities will be made the subject of careful investigation.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the delay in issuing the papers set for examination to Woolwich and Sandhurst, which are usually issued in November, and of the inconvenience caused thereby; and if he will cause the papers to be issued forthwith?

No competitive examination for entrance to Woolwich or Sandhurst was held last November, and consequently there are no papers to be issued. Those for the previous examination held in June and July last were published in August.

asked what is the distance to be covered in each case by the proposed extension of the Aldershot electric lighting installation to the camps at Deepcut, Blackdown, and Ewshott; and whether, in view of the fact that the gas mains of the Aldershot Gas and Water Company are in close proximity to the camps named, he has considered the possibilities of utilising their system?The HON. MEMBER further asked (1) what is the estimated cost per unit for the supply of electricity to the camps at Deepcut, Blackdown, and Ewshott; whether he has obtained any tender from the Aldershot Gas and Water Company for the supply of gas to these camps in lieu of electricity; and, if so, will he state the price per cubic foot for which the company were willing to supply it; and (2) whether, in view of the cost of the proposed extension of the Aldershot electric lighting installation to the camps at Deepcut, Black- down, and Ewshott, a considerable saving might be effected both in first cost and current expenditure by utilising the system of the Aldershot Gas and Water Company, especially having regard to the fact that the use of gas for heating and cooking purposes would save the necessity of carting quantities of coal to these camps at great expense?

The distance to Deepcut is five and a half miles, and a further three-quarters of a mile to Blackdown; that to Ewshott is three and three-quarter miles. The question of using the gas supply from Aldershot has been considered, and it has been decided that it would be more economical to extend the War Department electric light installation, which will also provide a more satisfactory illuminant. The Aldershot Gas Company tendered, but their price is presumably confidential. The cost of the electric lighting is an estimate and cannot at present be disclosed.

asked the Undersecretary for India whether he could state the probable length of time which will elapse before the medal granted for the operations against the Zakka Khel and Mohmands in 1908 will be issued to the troops concerned?

The Secretary of State regrets the delay that has occurred. It is due to the difficulty experienced in obtaining a suitable design for the new Indian General Service Medal. A design has now been approved, and it is hoped that the punches and dies for striking the medal will be ready for shipment to India by 1st April. The manufacture of the medals will begin as soon as the punches and dies are received at the Calcutta Mint.

asked the Lord Advocate, with a view to assist the fishing industry at centres on the western mainland of Ross-shire, will the Congested Districts Board represent to the owners of the "Unicorn" the expediency of running the boat three times a week all the year round between Ullapool and Kyle of Lochalsh, making calls at Badachro, Gairloch, Aultbea, and Scorraig, in preference to the recent running between Badachro and Kyle of Lochalsh only?

I understand that the white fishing off the Gairloch coast, for which the running of the "Unicorn" was started by the owners of the vessel, is mainly a spring fishing, and I question if the proposal of my hon. Friend is commercially feasible. The Congested Districts Board will, however, be prepared to consider any evidence on this point which may be submitted to them.

asked the Lord Advocate in how many cases in Scotland since the commencement of the Act old age pensions, once granted, have been withdrawn by the Local Government Board on appeal?

The number of such cases is forty-four.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether any orders have been issued by the Board of Agriculture directing an abatement from the civil pay assigned to any post or class of post under the Board of Agriculture on the ground that the occupant was in receipt of an Army pension earned in a non-commissioned rank; if so, the date when such order or orders were issued.; and whether they were issued with the approval or under the direction of the Treasury or on the authority of the Board of Agriculture alone?

In the case of the ex-Royal Engineer civil assistants of the Ordnance Survey (who are, no doubt, the class which the hon. Member has in mind) the civil pay is fixed with reference to the fact that the recipient has a military pension. This arrangement is well known and of very long standing, but no formal order by the Board or the Treasury prescribing it can be traced.

asked whether the communication sent by the secretary of the-Royal Gardens, Kew, é' Union, dated 28th February, 1910, has yet received attention; and, if so, whether it has been, decided to increase the wages of the gardeners employed at the Royal Gardens,. Kew, and to shorten the hours of labour during the summer months?

The representations to which my hon. Friend refers have been received and are receiving our careful consideration. No decision, however, has been yet arrived at.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, owing to diplomatic pressure, the Chinese Foreign Office has been obliged to abandon all further negotiations in the matter of the Chen Chow Aigun Railway; and whether, in view of the importance of the undertaking both to British trade and the maintenance of the principle of the open door, he will state what instructions have been given to the British representative to deal with the situation?

His Majesty's Government have no information to the effect stated in the first paragraph of the question. His Majesty's representative at Peking is fully aware of their views on the situation, which are as stated in the answers given to the hon. Member for Hammersmith on 28th February and 4th March, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the case of a linesman in the telegraph department, John Canniffe, of Cork, thirty-five years old, who was injured at his work in March, 1907, and is now dying under circumstances of privation; and whether he will direct that a half-pay allowance shall be substituted for the present miserable stipend of 5s. a week?

Mr. Canniffe is receiving an annual allowance under the Superannuation Act of 1887 for an injury to his arm. I understand that he is now suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, but I have no reason to believe that the disease is the result of an accident in. the Post Office service. On this, point, however, I am having further inquiry made.

asked whether it is under contemplation to enlist the services of Royal Engineers as telegraphic operators in the Cork post office; and, if so, whether he is aware that his predecessor in office, in deference to the opposition of the public boards in the South of Ireland as well as of the telegraph staff at Cork, stated twelve months ago that no such step would be taken; and whether the existing vacancies at Cork can now be filled up by those qualified officers on the unappointed list?

I do not at present propose to attach military telegraphists serving with the Royal Engineers to the staff of the Cork post office. The question of training a few Royal Engineer boys in telegraphy at that office is under consideration. I am not aware that my predecessor made any such statement as that attributed to him. Steps are being taken to fill existing vacancies on the staff in the ordinary manner.

asked why an officer in receipt of a pension of£165 per annum from the Postal Administration of the Orange River Colony has recently been appointed to an established situation as sorting clerk and telegraphist at Liverpool?

The appointment was made in accordance with the general policy of providing employment wherever possible for efficient officers retired from the service of the Orange River Colony under the scheme of retrenchment adopted in that Colony. In this instance the officer appointed had served, before going to South Africa, as a sorting clerk and telegraphist at Liverpool.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is the intention of the Board to establish a Labour Exchange at Chester, and, if so, when?

It is hoped that a Labour Exchange will be established at Chester within the next few months.

asked whether there is any age limit for officials in charge of Labour Exchanges?

All Labour Exchange officials are subject to the usual rule, by which Civil servants are required to retire on reaching the age of sixty-five.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state the number of cases in England and Wales in which pensions granted, and for some time paid, have been withdrawn by his Board since the commencement of the operation of the Old Age Pensions Act?

I regret that it is not practicable to give the figures desired.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the cause of the delay of the Estates Commissioners in giving their decision with reference to the compulsory acquisition of certain lands in the county of Waterford from Charles Nugent Humble, as to the acquisition of which they held a public sitting in July, 1909?

The Estates Commissioners have this matter under their consideration. It would not be in the public interest to assign reasons why their decision has not been given.

asked the number of applications made by evicted tenants for reinstatement in the county Cork; the number of applications reported on favourably; the number of evicted tenants reinstated; and what is the acreage of the lands acquired voluntarily and compulsorily by the Estates Commissioners in county Cork?

One thousand one hundred and four applications have been received by the Estates Commissioners from persons applying for reinstatement as evicted tenants or the representatives of evicted tenants in county Cork. Six hundred and forty-eight of these applications have been rejected after inquiry; 194 persons have been reinstated or provided with new holdings, and 121 have been noted for consideration in the allotment of untenanted land. Four thousand six hundred and forty-five acres of untenanted land have up to the present been acquired by the Commissioners in that county.

asked whether landlords in Ireland now selling their property have been notified to come to a decision by 1st April as to whether they will accept all stock in payment, half stock and half cash, or cash only; and whether any guarantee as to priority of payment can be given in respect of these proposals?

The notice issued by the Estates Commissioners in pursuance of the Regulations made by the Lord Lieutenant on 15th February has reference, not to landlords who are now selling their property, but to those whose estates are the subject of pending purchase agreements as defined by Section 13 of the Irish Land Act, 1909. The Commissioners by their notice invite vendors of such estates who may desire that advances in their cases may be made in whole or part in stock to make application to them before 1st April next. The Regulations themselves lay down the method of determining the priorities in such cases.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland how many male principals in the service of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland in charge of schools with an average attendance of 140 and upwards, and having six years' continuous very good or excellent reports, were specially promoted in grade from 1st April, 1909; of such promotions how many were made from the third grade to the second section of the first grade, and how many from the second grade to the first section of first grade; what was the length of service as principals of the teachers so promoted; and how many teachers with the necessary records were refused special promotion to the first and second sections of the first grade owing to the Treasury device known as standard numbers?

As regards the first part of the question, the Commissioners inform me that no teachers such as are mentioned in the question were specially promoted in grade from 1st April, 1909. In thirteen cases applications were received from managers for the special promotion to first grade of certain teachers not qualified under the rules, but these applications could not be considered by the Commissioners owing to the lack of vacancies in the higher grades in consequence of the limitation fixed by the standard numbers.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if his attention had been called to the fact that the attendance in the Irish national schools has fallen far below the normal in the current, quarter owing to the extreme inclemency of the weather; whether, in view of the fact that the position of assistant teachers depends on the average attendance, he will consider the reasonableness of substituting the averages of the corresponding quarter of last year, at the option of the teachers, as was the case in the year 1895; and, considering the insecurity of the teachers owing to the rigid rule of averages, whether he will take steps to have the rules so modelled as to permit a reasonable margin between the averages which warrant an appointment and those that compel a dismissal?

The Commissioners of National Education have not yet received the Returns from national schools for the current quarter, and consequently are not in a position to report as to the effect on the attendance of pupils of the recent inclement weather. The substitution suggested in the question would not be permissible having regard to the terms of the existing rules, but the Commissioners have already ordered that, in cases in which it is shown that the insufficient attendance of pupils in the quarter ended 31st December last, or in the current quarter, was caused by the inclement weather, salary may be continued to assistant teachers for a period not exceeding two quarters subsequent to the close of the second quarter of insufficient average attendance. The Commissioners could not, without Treasury sanction, remodel the rules affecting teachers' salaries, and they do not consider that the present circumstances are such as to call for this action in connection with the matter referred to in the question.

asked the number of cases in Ireland in which pensions granted, and for some time paid, have been withdrawn by the Local Government Board on appeal since the commencement of the Old Age Pensions Act?

The number of cases in Ireland in which pensions that were granted, and for some time paid, were subsequently withdrawn by the Local Government Board on questions raised in respect of age was 4,588 up to 26th February last. The cases in which pensions were withdrawn on other grounds have not been separately tabulated. In order to obtain this information an examination of the many thousands of cases in which questions have been raised would be necessary, and time has not permitted of this being done.

asked the Attorney-General for Ireland if the O'Kelly estate, Clonbar, county Galway, is in Chancery; and, if so, who was appointed by the court as receiver, and when he was appointed; whether he is aware if any other person or persons received rent from this estate; and, if so, by what right or title; if he will state who are the owners of the estate; what is the amount of rent paid to them; and whether some of the tenants are paying interest in lieu of rent; and, if so, why are not all the tenants paying interest?

Proceedings, I am informed, are pending in the Court of Chancery for the sale of the estate referred to. Mr. John G. Smyly was appointed receiver on 25th June, 1888, and since his appointment the Receiver alone, as I am informed, was entitled to receive rent. I am informed that the owners of the estate are as to one-third Edward O'Kelly, as to one-third John S. Kirwan, Mary S. Kirwan, and Mary G. Kirwan, and as to the remaining one-third the Hon. Mary McE. Netterville. Regarding the rent, the net sum of£70 appears, from the last account available, to have been distributed. One-third thereof was paid to Miss Netterville, the shares of the other owners being paid apparently to claimants under them. In the case of all but four tenants the Receiver has, I am informed, been directed to collect interest in lieu of rent, and as regards the four tenants referred to I assume that no agreement for sale has been arrived at in their cases.

asked whether assistants of Excise of two years' standing may now deal with pension claims in Ireland; are any officers of experience in the valuation of land appointed to such duties; if not, will the Board of Excise be instructed to appoint some such to investigate all claims in respect to small holdings in Ireland and the claims of those who, believing that they have been unjustly treated, raise questions under the Old Age Pensions Act in order to have their pensions increased?

Assistants of Excise of not less than two years standing are permitted to officiate for absent pension officers. These as the pension officers, have the advice and assistance of a superior officer at their approval. It is not considered necessary to appoint officers experienced in the valuation of land to act as pension officers, as the decision on claims from small holders rests not with the pension officer, but with the pension committees, who by their local knowledge are well qualified to decide on these points, and any claimant who considers that he is unjustly treated has a legal remedy by way of an appeal to the Local Government Board.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the different methods of valuation in connection with old age pension claims used by pension officers; and whether, in view of the representations made on the subject by the Caherdaniel sub-Committee, he will procure the necessary information for them?

I am making inquiry into this case.

asked the rule and practice under which old age pensions granted by local pension committees in Ireland are successfully resisted by the pension officer and refused by the Local Government Board on the point of age when the name of the applicant cannot be traced in the Census Returns and when the Census Returns have not been searched?

The effect of an appeal under Section 7 (1) (c) of the Old Age Pensions Act by the pension officer or by any person aggrieved is under the provisions of that sub-section to render inoperative any decision which has been arrived at upon the claim by a local pension committee, and to require that the claim to be considered de novo by the Central Pension Authority and determined by that authority. In deciding whether the statutory condition as to age is fulfilled in the case of any claimant the Local Government Board as the Central Pension Authority must have regard to such evidence as may be before them, including the report of the pension officer upon his investigation of the claim. The rules laid down for the guidance of the pension officer in the matter are contained in the Second Schedule of the Old Age Pensions Regulation, 1908. The Census Returns are searched, provided that the necessary particulars for search are obtainable, in all cases where satisfactory documentary evidence of the age of a claimant for a pension is not forthcoming from other quarters.

asked the names of recipients of political pensions in the last completed financial year; the amount paid to each, and the total; the amount of Income Tax paid by each; whether the pension was included in the income on which the tax was paid; the position and the time occupied in respect of which the pension was paid; the total amount of salary, if any, paid to the person while in that position; whether all occupants of that position are given pensions; and the official record of any special service justifying the pension in the particular case?

I may perhaps refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Stirlingshire on 25th May, 1908 (Parliamentary Debates, Vol. 189, p. 731), and to the Political Offices (Pensions) Return (House of Commons 362 of 1904) which will give him most of the information he desires. As no changes took place in 1908-9 the list I gave on 25th May, 1908, remained correct as on 31st March, 1909. The pensions are assessed to Income Tax in ordinary course, but particulars of Income Tax payments by the recipients, either in respect of the pensions or of other income, cannot be given, in view of the provisions of the Income Tax Acts as to the disclosure of information obtained in the course of the administration of these Acts. If the hon. Member will refer to the Act 32 and 33 Vict., c. 60, under which these pensions are granted, he will see that the answer to his last question but one is in the negative, and that as regards his last question no special service is required to justify the grant beyond the occupancy of a qualifying office for a sufficient period.

asked the amount of the capital sum repaid to the Land Commission at the end of each decennial period, from the first to the last, by a tenant farmer who borrowed£1,000 to purchase his holding under the Land Act of 1903; and what capital sum would redeem the original advance at the end of ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, and sixty years respectively?

Each purchase annuity under the Irish Land Act, 1903, includes 10s. per cent, sinking fund, which is accumulated until it is sufficient to redeem the advance. The total amount accumulated at any date is the amount of the advance repaid to that date. On the assumption (which is approximately correct, but not absolutely) that such accumulation is made at a uniform rate of interest of 2¾ per cent., the amount repaid on, and the amount still outstanding in respect of an advance of£1,000 at the close of each decennial period would be:

		Amount Repaid.£	Amount Outstanding.£
At the end of 10 years	…	57	943
At the end of 20 years	…	132	868
At the end of 30 years	…	231	769
At the end of 40 years	…	360	640
At the end of 50 years	…	531	469
At the end of 60 years	…	750	250

In the case, however, of a redemption during the currency of annuity, the tenant purchaser has to find so much cash as, with the amount of the accumulated Sinking Fund, will suffice to redeem the stock issued to provide the advance.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the rule and practice under which the old age pensions granted by local pensions committees in Ireland are successfully resisted by the pension officer and refused by the Local Government Board on the point of age when the name of the applicant cannot be traced in the Census Returns, and when the Census Returns have not been searched?

The effect of an appeal under Section 7 (1) (c) of the Old Age Pensions Act by the pension officer or by any person aggrieved is, under the provisions of that Sub-section, to render inoperative any decision which has been arrived at upon the claim by a local pension committee, and to require the claim to be considered de novo by the central pension authority and determined by that authority. In deciding whether the statutory condition as to age is fulfilled in the case of any claimant the Local Government Board, as the central pension authority, must have regard to such evidence as may be before them, including the report of the pension officer upon his investigation of the claim. The rules laid down for the guidance of the pension officer in the matter are contained in the Second Schedule of the Old Age Pensions Regulations, 1908. The Census Returns are searched, provided that the necessary particulars for search are obtainable, in all cases where satisfactory documentary evidence of the age of a claimant for a pension is not forthcoming from other quarters.