asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Florence French, a boy of fifteen years three months, was, contrary to the provision of the Children Act, tried in an ordinary court of summary jurisdiction, before Mr. Cecil Chapman, on 8th February, 1910; that Florence French was, for the offence of loitering in the approach leading to London Bridge station, fined 10s., with 2s. costs, by Mr. Cecil Chapman on 8th February, and, being unable to pay the fine, was forthwith committed to hard labour at Wandsworth Prison for seven days; and will he say why, notwithstanding that the Children Act came into force on 1st April, 1909, no instructions relative to the incarceration of boys under sixteen years of age had, up to 7th March of this year, been issued to the Governor of Wandsworth Prison?

I have made inquiry about this case, and I find that the magistrate examined the question of this lad's age, and decided upon the evidence before him that he was in fact over sixteen. The Act expressly provides that the decision of the Court in this respect shall be final. French was not sentenced to hard labour. He had been charged with similar offences on three previous occasions during the last twelve months and had failed to profit by the lenient treatment he received on each occasion. His parents refused to pay the fine on the ground that he was beyond their control. A prison governor cannot refuse to receive a prisoner because the prisoner gives his age as under sixteen; he is bound by the decision of the Court; but I will issue instructions which, I hope, may guard against the possibility of the committal by oversight of any person under sixteen.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to the death of Miss Edith Derbyshire, who recently contracted anthrax at the works of Messrs. Campbell and Harrison, wool-combers, of Shipley, a branch of the wool-combers' syndicate; if he will examine the depositions of evidence given at the subsequent inquest; and whether he will say how many cases of anthrax have occurred among Messrs. Campbell and Harrison's employés during the last ten years, and the number of cases which have occurred at the whole of the combined firms of Woolcombers' Limited, during the same period, distinguishing between different years and fatal and non-fatal cases?

A report of this case has been received in the Department, and I have also obtained the depositions taken at the inquest from the Coroner. An exhaustive examination of the existing conditions at the works has been directed. The following table shows the number of cases of anthrax that have occurred at Messrs. Campbell and Harrison's factory and at all the factories of the combined firms of Messrs. Woolcombers, Limited (including that of Messrs. Campbell and Harrison) from 1st January, 1900, to the present time:—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is proposed to issue the deco- rations awarded to the police by the King for special services in various parts of the country?

As I stated in reply to a question last week, the design for the medal is still under consideration, and is now in the artist's hands. There will be no avoidable delay.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state how many new class assistant clerks are employed in the Estate Duty Office, Somerset House, the Statistical Office, the Tea Accounts Office of His Majesty's Customs, and the Savings Bank Department, General Post Office; and how many have been promoted in each case, and which promotion is in the direct line of assistant clerks in these Departments?

The figures asked for are as follows: (a) Inland Revenue Department, Estate Duty Office: Eighty new class assistant clerks are at present employed in the Estate Duty Office, Somerset House. Ten new class assistant clerks have been promoted. Of these promotions, two were in the direct line—that is, to posts which are normally filled by the promotion of assistant clerks, (b) Customs and Excise Department:—

asked the Under-Secretary for India if he will state the terms of reference and the personnel of the new Committee which has been appointed to carry into effect the recommendations of Lord Reay's Committee that a school of Oriental studies should be established in London and incorporated in the University of London?

The terms of reference are as follows:—"To formulate in detail an organised scheme for the institution in London of a School of Oriental Languages upon the lines recommended in the Report of Lord Reay's Committee of 1909." The Committee, as I stated in reply to the hon. Member for West Staffordshire on the 7th instant, will consist of the Earl of Cromer, Lord Curzon, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Charles Hardinge, Sir Charles Lyall, and Dr. Frank Heath.

asked the Postmaster-General whether an appointment has yet been made to the chargeship of the Upper Baker Street post office; if so, whether he will state the officer's name and previous official service or general qualifications; and whether the salary paid to this official will be equal to that of other departmental officers performing a similar class of work in the London area?

No one has yet been appointed to the chargeship of the Upper Baker Street post office, and the conditions of the appointment are still under consideration.

further asked what are the wages paid to each of the officers employed at the Upper Baker Street post office; what are the scales of wages paid at the Swiss Cottage and Hampstead branch post offices, respectively; and in what respect does the work performed by an officer at the first-named office differ from the work performed at the branch offices named?

At the Upper Baker Street sub post office the officer who is in charge pending definite arrangements being made for the control of the office is receiving 38s. a week, three officers under her are receiving 28s., and six others 24s. The two other offices mentioned by the hon. Member are branch offices at which the supervising officers are paid on scales of £115 to £130 and £140 to £170, and the subordinate staff on the scale recommended for counter clerks and telegraphists by the Parliamentary Committee— namely, 16s. to 40s. The work at Upper Baker Street is similar in kind to that performed at Swiss Cottage and Hampstead, and I propose to reconsider the status of the first-named office.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state, by denominations, the number of voluntary schools which in each year since 1903, inclusive, have been closed in consequence of inability or failure to comply with requirements of the Education Department or the local education authority, respectively?

The number of voluntary schools closed in the years referred to is stated in the following table:—

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what action, if any, has been taken by the Congested Districts Board in consequence of the memorial presented by tenants on the Drummond estate, Beaufort, county Kerry?

The Congested Districts Board have received a memorial from some tenants on the Drummond estate. As the sale of the holdings on the estate to the tenants is being carried out through the Estates Commissioners, the Board are of opinion that the remainder of the estate should be dealt with by the Estates Commissioners.

asked the Chief Secretary according to which column of the First Schedule to The Irish Land Act, 1909, do the Estates Commissioners propose to calculate the bonus payable to the vendor when rents of various sorts and terms are equalised by mutual agreement for the purpose of sale at a uniform price for the whole estate?

I have referred this question to the Land Commission, who inform me that they are not in a position to answer it in its present form. If the hon. Member requires information as to any particular case I shall be happy to make further inquiries.

asked the Chief Secretary (1) when will the usual reports be presented to Parliament showing the details of the working and conditions of the National University and colleges thereof in respect of finance, students, teaching, and other matters; and (2) when will reports be presented to Parliament showing particulars of the proceedings of the Dublin Commissioners under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, also the proceedings of the senate of the National University and the governing bodies of the constituent colleges?

I would refer the hon. Member to Section 7 (6) of the Irish Universities Act as to the time at which the annual accounts of the university and its constituent colleges are to be presented to Parliament. The presidents of the constituent colleges do not contemplate making any reports for presentation to Parliament beyond the statement of accounts mentioned in that Section. The Registrar of the National University informs me that the university authorities would not, in the ordinary course, issue any report before the close of the academic year. A report of the proceedings of the Dublin Commissioners up to 15th May last has already been presented to Parliament and the Statutes made from time to time by the Commissioners have also been presented, as required by law. I am not in a position to say when any further report of the proceedings of the Commissioners is likely to be presented.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the devastating nature of the floods along the banks of the lower Shannon below Athlone and the losses incidental thereto; and whether he contemplates taking any action for the relief of the people?

My attention has been called to the fact that there have been very high floods on the Shannon during the last few weeks, but I am not at present in a position to say whether they have caused such loss or distress as would justify special relief measures. No application has been made to the Local Government Board under Section 13 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, in connection with these floods.