asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been directed to the advertisement of sale of the lands of Tyrrellstown, Castle Rheban, and Newtownbert, county Kildare; is he aware that in the townlands of Old Court and Newtownbert there are five uneconomic holdings and several in the adjoining division of Kilberry; and whether he can say what action the Estates Commissioners will take with a view to purchase these lands in order to relieve congestion and provide for evicted tenants?

My attention has been called to the advertisement in question. I understand that the lands of Tyrrellstown are held under lease; that the lessee has signed an agreement to purchase from the owners under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and that it is his interest as tenant under such lease which was advertised for sale. The Estates Commissioners have had the lands inspected, but, having regard to the price at which the tenant has agreed to purchase, they cannot see their way to make an offer for his interest. A part of the lands is let to sub-tenants, and the Commissioners, when dealing with the estate, will make inquiry as to the desirability of declaring them to be direct tenants for the purpose of the sale. The Commissioners cannot identify the other lands referred to in the question as pending for sale before them.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the amount of land now actually held by the Congested Districts Board in Ireland, giving the following particulars: date of purchase and area; whether stocked by the Board, and for what period; the reasons which have rendered it impossible to allocate this land to agricultural tenants; the area of other lands as to which purchase negotiations have been entered into by the Board; and the amount of money which will be required to finally distribute the land already acquired and to acquire and distribute the land in respect of which negotiations have been entered into?

The area of untenanted land now held by the Congested Districts Board is 42,159 acres. These lands were purchased at various times between March, 1903, and the present date. They have been stocked mainly with animals owned by the small farmers in the neighbourhood. In cases where the number of live stock sent by the small farmers to graze on the Board's lands was not sufficient, the Board purchased as many cattle and sheep as were necessary to fully stock the lands. Under this arrangement the entire lands in the Board's hands were during the past year grazed as follows:—(a) Animals belonging to local farmers: Cattle, 7,576; horses, 556; sheep, 1,256. (b) Board's own animals: Cattle, 673; horses, 5; sheep, 85. In no case have the Board found it impossible to dispose of the untenanted land upon which they had provided holdings with the necessary buildings for migrants; but owing to the shortness of funds during the past two years they were unable to proceed with the construction of buildings on as large a scale as was necessary. In two cases in county Galway and one in county Roscommon the Board suspended their operations in connection with the erection of fences and buildings on new holdings owing to what they considered to be the unreasonable opposition of local persons to the introduction of migrants to these lands from a distance. Excepting these cases, the Board had no special trouble in disposing of untenanted land. The Board are not in a position to furnish the further information asked for in the question.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state, as to the conditions attaching to the entrance examinations of candidates for Irish training colleges, what are the maximum marks awarded in each subject at the Easter examinations; upon what principle are the marks obtained on optional subjects considered in reckoning the eligibility of such candidates for training; are the marks so obtained added to those scored on the obligatory subjects, and the resulting percentage calculated on the basis of the joint total of the obligatory and optional subjects; if so, whether a candidate who would otherwise have been eligible for training, might as the result of taking low marks on an optional subject be disqualified; and what are the percentages required this year for a pass in each of the three divisions, first, second, and third, at the Easter examination?

The Commissioners of National Education do not consider that it would be in the interest of the public service to state what are the maximum marks in each subject. They decide the eligibility of the candidates for training on the answering in the compulsory subjects. They inform the heads of the training colleges of the marks obtained by candidates in the optional subjects, but they have no knowledge of the degree of importance which the heads of the colleges under local management attach to these marks in selecting candidates for admission. The percentages required this year for a pass at the Easter examinations are 65 per cent, first division, 55 per cent, second division, and 50 per cent, third division.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the Cheshire Royal Engineers (Railway Battalion), which a few years ago, under the old Volunteer system, consisted of six companies numbering 700 men, with railway reserves, numbers, now 213 officers and men only; why recruiting has been stopped; and whether, in view of the useful service rendered by that body in railway engineering in the South African war, he will allow the battalion to be recruited up to its former strength?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Recruiting has been stopped pending a decision being come to as to the most suitable method of raising and training troops intended for purely railway work. It is not, therefore, possible at the present time to permit this battalion to recruit up to its former strength. It may be added that the Army Council is well aware of and fully appreciates the useful service rendered by the section of the battalion which went to South Africa.

asked the Secretary of Statė for Foreign Affairs whether the Government propose to be officially represented at the celebration of the centenary of Argentina's independence at Buenos Ayres in May?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that at some of the London district offices telegraph messengers are being placed on sorting work during the hours of evening despatch and on Saturday afternoons; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter?

Boy messengers over sixteen years of age, employed during the evening and on Saturday afternoons in London district sorting offices, perform certain simple duties, such as facing, stamping, and carrying letters. In view of the fact that these boys may seek later to become sorters, it has not been thought necessary to forbid their giving occasional assistance in elementary sorting work.

asked at how many of the revised rural sub-offices and town sub-offices respectively, since 1st January, 1908, was the sub-postmaster's salary fixed at an amount in excess of that warranted by calculation on the new unit scale of remuneration for commission sub-postmasters?

The numbers of sub-offices at which the scale payments have been fixed at amounts in excess of those warranted by the new scale are as follows: Rural sub-offices, 2,927; town sub-offices, 520.

asked the Prime Minister whether any, and, if so, what steps are in contemplation with regard to the resolution passed in October last by the Central (Unemployed) Body for London and by 40 distress committees in other towns, which was sent to His Majesty's Government, pointing out that they found themselves quite unable to carry out their duties under the Unemployed Workmen Act, and calling upon the Government to establish a national authority to deal with unemployment; and whether it would be possible, on a Vote of the House of Commons, without other legislation than the Appropriation Act, for such a national authority for unemployment to be established?

The Prime Minister has asked me to reply to this question. With regard to the first part of the question, the Government cannot at the moment contemplate action on the lines suggested by the resolution. No such change could be effected without legislation, and it does not appear to me that such legislation could be other than controversial.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received any reports from directors of Labour Exchanges showing that employers are offering places requiring a somewhat higher degree of industrial skill than is possessed by actual applicants; and, if so, whether he can give particulars as to numbers, localities, etc?

Such reports as have been received do not indicate that any general difficulty is found in filling vacancies for skilled workers notified to Labour Exchanges. The difficulty that has been experienced in filling such situations exists principally in the case of women workers engaged in seasonal trades.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any legislative authority, beyond a Vote in Supply and an item in the Appropriation Act, would be required to enable the Board of Trade to establish or take over farm colonies or industrial training estab- lishments at which the unemployed young men, for whom no situations can be found, might be suitably trained; and whether he will consider the expediency of promptly setting up such establishments as an adjunct of the Labour Exchanges?

I am advised that the subject-matter of my hon. Friend's question could not be properly dealt with except by legislation. I may also point out to my hon. Friend that the object of the Labour Exchanges is to put suitable workmen and employers into direct communication. I should, in present circumstances, therefore, deprecate a connection between these exchanges and farm colonies or industrial training establishments, etc., which are designed for a different purpose.

asked the Lord Advocate whether the keepers of the lighthouse on the May Island, in the Firth of Forth, have been requested to inform the Scottish Fishery Board and local fishery officers by telephone or telegraph of any cases of illegal trawling coming under their notice; and whether the evidence of the lighthouse keepers is made available in the prosecution of trawlers detected by them in the act of trawling within the prohibited area round the May?

An arrangement exists under which the keepers of the lighthouse in question report cases of apparent illegal trawling to the Scottish Fishery Board by telegraph, on the understanding, however, that the keepers are not obliged to leave their stations for the purpose of giving evidence or otherwise so as to interfere with the efficiency of the lighthouse service.