asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give an assurance that, on and after 1st January, 1911, all persons seventy years of age, not otherwise disqualified, will be entitled to receive the old age pension, although they may have been in receipt of Poor Law relief up to the last day of 1910?

This disqualification, as the hon. Member is no doubt aware, lapses automatically as from 1st January next unless Parliament otherwise determines; and I may assure the hon. Member that in any legislation which the Government may introduce on the subject they hope to make arrangements with the local authorities which will effect its discontinuance.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, with reference to the system of appointment and promotion in the Irish Valuation Department, whether, in view of the fact that the upper section valuers of the General Valuation Department, Dublin, who are naturally the officers to whom the more responsible valuing work is entrusted, do not possess the professional qualifications which are alleged to be necessary for their junior colleagues, he will inquire further into the necessity for an examination conducted on the existing lines, considering that this method of appointing valuers has resulted in recent years in the importation of nine Englishmen, who possessed no previous knowledge of Ireland, and that three such candidates were appointed as a result of the last examination?

The upper section valuers, none of whom have had less than twenty-four years' training and experience in this or the Ordnance Survey Office, would doubtless have been competent to deal with important valuing work at a much earlier date than they were had they had professional training prior to being appointed on this staff. Many of the junior professional valuers are now doing just as important work as they are. The present system need not result in fewer Irishmen being appointed than did the old one when the men were taken from the ranks of second division clerks.

asked on what grounds the old age pension payable to Patrick Farrell, Pound Street, Arva, has been discontinued; is he aware that between 1846 and 1855 this man was resident in Scotland; and will he further have directions given that in all cases when appeals are taken that the ground or grounds of refusing a pension be notified to the ex-pensioner?

In this case the Local Government Board decided, on appeal by the pension officer, that Patrick Farrell had not attained the statutory age for pension. I have no information as to his place of residence from 1846 to 1855, but it is found that while his parents were living at Rossduff, county Longford, in 1841 no trace of his name is to be found in the Census Returns of that year. The form of notification giving the result of appeals follows that prescribed by the Statutory Regulations (Form 13, First Schedule).

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in computing the value of a small holding in the case of applicants for old age pensions in Ireland, where the pension officers furnish the pension committees with detailed statements of the value of stock, etc., on such holdings and a general estimate of the value of the crops thereon, it is permitted in such statements and estimates to make allowances in favour of the applicants for the maintenance of children necessarily employed on the holdings and to whose labours the profits, if any, arising from the holding are largely or entirely due?

I cannot answer for the pension officers who are not under my control. In appeal cases the Local Government Board, in assigning the values of stocks and crops on the farms of claimants for pensions, make allowance for the labour necessary for the cultivaton of the farms and for the care of the stock, but the Board have not found it possible to lay down any fixed rule which would be generally applicable as to allowances for the labour and maintenance of children. Each case is dealt with, having regard to the facts disclosed.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Local Government Board has confirmed the old age pension granted by the Dunmore, county Galway, pension committee to Michael Devane, Cloonrane; and whether they will accept as proof of his claim the sworn evidence of several old age pensioners that Devane is about the same age as themselves and has been at school with and grown up together with them?

The Local Government Board have received an appeal from the pension officer respecting a claimant named Michael Devane, but they cannot say definitely whether he is the person referred to in the question, as the documents relating to the case have not yet been received. Due consideration will be given to any evidence that may be furnished in support of the claim.

asked whether the Commissioner of Valuation in Ireland has valued any, and how many, tenements in Dublin on the requisition of the Corporation of Dublin since the com- mencement of the general revaluation of the city; in how many such cases was the valuation increased; and are the rates levied on these increased modern valuations of individual tenements, while all the rest of the city remains at the old low valuation until the indefinitely deferred general valuation is completed?

Since the commencement of the Revaluation of Dublin 1,539 cases were reported by the Rate Collectors and revalued. In 420 of these the valuation was increased. In 578 the valuation was struck out altogether. The balance was composed of new houses valued for the first time. In addition there were 1,022 cases of applications for revision sent in by ratepayers. As this revision has been going on for the past fifty years the proportion of the City not revised is comparatively small. The rates are levied alike on all rateable hereditaments set out in the valuation lists.

asked what is the shortest time in which the revaluation of Dublin could be completed if the Commissioner's staff was increased; how long did the revaluation of Belfast take; and how many, more or less, tenements to be valued were there in Belfast than in Dublin?

I am informed by the Commissioner of Valuation that he does not consider that the revaluation lists can be issued in less than three years unless the staff is increased by the employment of English valuers, who would be unacquainted with the conditions of tenure and local circumstances in Dublin. The revaluation of Belfast began in 1899 and came into force in 1906. There were about 30,000 more tenements to be valued in Belfast, but, owing to its being a new, and Dublin an old, city, no comparison can be fairly made in regard to the rate at which the work can be carried out in each.

asked how many persons, on the average, were employed in the Valuation Office, Dublin, in the year preceding the commencement of the revaluation of Dublin in 1907; and what has been the average number employed in each year since?

The number of persons employed in the Valuation Office in the year before the revaluation of Dublin began was 104. The average number employed since is 107; but, as the revision staff was reduced by two clerks owing to a falling off in certificate work, the net increase is five.

asked the reasons why the application of Patrick Nolan, Twomileborris, Thurles, for a labourer's cottage and plot of land, was rejected at the local inquiry by the Local Government inspector; and whether Nolan's house has been condemned as insanitary by the medical officer?

Nolan's house was condemned by the medical officer, but the cottage and plot intended for him were inadvertently omitted by the inspector from the order which he made regarding the council's improvement scheme.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in connection with a Local Government inquiry touching a scheme promoted by the Whitehouse Urban District Council seeking four additional representatives on the Poor Law union of Belfast district, held in Belfast on Wednesday, 13th April, any public announcement, by advertisement or otherwise, was given; whether, in view of the fact that it was suggested by such scheme to add six additional representatives to the Belfast area, a matter affecting the rights of the citizens of Belfast and ratepayers, he will consider it advisable to order a new inquiry in order that due public intimation may be given to those affected by the proposed change; whether the Local Government Board has power or authority to alter or amend the existing scale of representation which has been specially fixed by the Belfast Municipal Act of 1896; and whether, seeing that the Report of the Poor Law Commission embodies recommendations favouring a decrease in the scale of representation on Poor Law unions, and also against the system of co-option, he will consider the advisability of directing the Local Government Board not to proceed further at present with regard to the subject matter of the inquiry referred to?

The inquiry referred to was held last Wednesday, and the inspector's Report was only received this morning by the Local Government Board, who have not yet had time to consider it. I am not, therefore, at present in a position to deal with the several matters referred to in the question.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the number of schools in each county teaching Irish bilingually; the number of pupils taught;

Return allowing the number of National schools in each county teaching Irish bilingually, the number of pupils taught, and the number of schools per county where Irish is taught as an extra subject, and the number of children learning it.
County.	Schools teaching Irish bilingually.		Schools in which Irish is only taught as an extra subject.		Schools (additional) in which Irish is taught as an extra subject, and also as an ordinary subject.
	Number on 31/12/1909.	Number of pupils under instruction on the rolls on 31/12/l909.	Number on 31/12/1909.	Number of pupils* under instruction on the rolls on 31/12/l909.	Number on 31/12/1909.	Number of pupils learning Irish as an extra subject on the rolls on 31/12/1909.
Antrim	…	…	28	1,458	5	210
Armagh	…	…	30	944	13	627
Cavan	…	…	23	764	6	180
Donegal	57	4,898	50	1,472	55	1,691
Down	…	…	27	1,419	9	348
Fermanagh	…	…	28	879	1	88
Londonderry.	…	…	16	784	1	256
Monaghan	…	…	33	1,215	14	680
Tyrone	…	…	38	1,191	15	578
Clare	3	216	150	6,002	29	1,270
Cork	12	1,065	310	12,695	55	4,189
Kerry	38	3,318	155	6,770	30	1,601
Limerick	…	…	115	5,253	18	1,279
Tipperary	…	…	100	3,582	24	1,198
Waterford	2	136	53	2,104	9	673
Carlow	…	…	17	745	2	199
Dublin	…	…	71	5,117	13	921
Kildare	…	…	9	420	5	336
Kilkenny	…	…	39	1,473	13	672
King's	…	…	21	836	13	749
Longford	…	…	14	573	7	362
Louth	…	…	41	1,579	9	675
Meath	…	…	24	807	5	364
Queen's	…	…	22	1,157	1	32
Westmeath	…	…	36	1,372	8	525
Wexford	…	…	24	1,076	10	428
Wicklow	…	…	11	507	3	79
Galway	47	3,267	174	7,230	79	3,534
Roscommon	…	…	71	2,501	23	1,346
Mayo	20	1,350	170	6,397	93	3,638
Leitrim	…	…	10	578	3	131
Sligo	…	…	64	2,672	33	1,374
*Third standard and above.

asked the Chief Secretary when the agreements to purchase their holdings were signed by the tenants on the estate of Lord Clonmel, situated at Ballingarry, part in county Tipperary, part in county Kilkenny; whether he can state when the agreements were lodged with the Estates Commissioners, and when the sale will be completed and the and the number of schools per county where Irish is only taught as an extra, and the number of children learning it?

, in reply, presented the following:—purchase money advanced to the landlord; and whether he will recommend the Estates Commissioners to take steps to have the sale completed immediately?

The purchase agreements in the case of Lord Clonmel's estate in the counties of Kilkenny, Limerick, and Tipperary, were lodged on 5th January, 1906. The estate will be dealt with in order of priority.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what steps have been taken by the Estates Commissioners to acquire the untenanted land on the Bannantyne estate at Castleroberts, Fannings-town, and Rathbeenagh, in the rural district of Croom, county Limerick; and, if purchased, how soon may it be distributed among the deserving classes in the locality?

I have nothing to add to my reply to the question on the same subject asked by the hon. Member for West Limerick on 28th February last.

asked the Chief Secretary if he can say what steps the Estates Commissioners have taken to acquire the untenanted lands at Cappananty and Cappanahane, in the county of Limerick, with the view to relieving congestion in the district?

Proceedings were instituted by the Commissioners for the compulsory acquisition of 320 acres of untenanted land in the townlands of Cappanahane and Cappananty under the Evicted Tenants Act. The owner, however, filed objections under Section 2 of the Act, and the Commissioners, after hearing them, decided not to proceed further in the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the tenants on the Shawe property of Parkwood, in the parish of Kilmanaghan, purchased their holdings from their landlord through the Estates Commissioners on the promise that certain untenanted lands on the estate should be distributed among them; whether these untenanted lands are on the books of the Estates Commissioners for distribution among the Shawe estate tenantry; to what extent, if any, has the redistribution been carried out; and whether the redistribution will be pushed forward by the Estates Commissioners with the least possible delay?

Purchase agreements for the tenanted lands on the estate of James Hill Shawe, King's County, have been lodged with the Estates Commissioners. The estate includes forty-three acres of untenanted land, which the owner offers for sale to the Commissioners. The estate will be dealt with in order of priority.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have come to any agreement re the sale of untenanted land on the Cautwell property at Abbeyville, Croom, with the owners?

asked whether any steps have been taken by the Estates Commissioners to acquire the untenanted land on the Lyons estate at Anhid, Croom House and Croom Castle; and, if so, with what result?

The Estates Commissioners cannot identify these estates as pending for sale before them.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners are negotiating for the sale of 700 acres of untenanted land at Carrigeen and Banogue, near Croom, now in the possession of Mr. P. Moloney; and, in view of the fact that there are a number of uneconomic holders and labourers in the district, will steps be taken to acquire this land as soon as possible?

The Commissioners are not in negotiation for the purchase of these lands. If the owner institutes proceedings before them for the sale of the lands under the Land Purchase Acts they will be dealt with in order of priority.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners have acquired the untenanted lands on the estate of Lord Dunraven, at Carrigeen, Croom; and, if so, will local claimants get a preference?

The Commissioners' offer to purchase 163 acres of untenanted land at Carrigeen on the estate of the Earl of Dunraven has been accepted by the owner, and they have referred the case to one of their inspectors for the preparation of a scheme for the distribution of the land when acquired.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state who are the parties the lands of Stylepark, near Croom, county Limerick, have been allotted to; what were their former occupations; where have they come from; how many of them were evicted tenants; and whether the Estates Commissioners will supply the names of those provided with land?

Detailed particulars of the allotments on this and other estates will appear, according as the lands are vested in the purchasers, in the Monthly Returns of Advances presented to Parliament. When the persons who obtain allotments are evicted tenants, the particulars will also appear in the Quarterly Returns presented to Parliament, pursuant to Section 3 of the Evicted Tenants Act. I must refer the hon. Member to those Returns for the information which he requires.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that in 1905 the Aughtercloney national school, county Antrim, was not required and removed from the Board's list; that Protestants had largely provided and attended the school; that in 1905 a continuing trustee, a Roman Catholic layman, was alone officially connected with it and considered it unnecessary; whether he is aware that a secretary notified him that certain Roman Catholic clergymen had been appointed co-trustees; that he protested and claimed his legal right, and nominated two suitable lay trustees; that, after months and reminders, they were not approved; that he sought in vain the reason, and nominated two other laymen, and received no reply; whether he is aware that a deed was sent down stating that he assigned the ground and premises to three Roman Catholic clergymen; that the trustee refused to sign and described the statement as lies; that he had repeatedly informed the secretaries that he would not appoint these clergymen; whether he is aware that another deed was sent down, excluding him and stating that he had neglected to appoint trustees; and will he explain why this course was adopted?

asked the Chief Secretary—(1) Whether in 1905 an inspector of national schools claimed an appeal to the Board of National Education before inviting signatures to a second deed of Aughtereloney national school; that he was summoned by telegram to Dublin; that the chief inspector reprimanded him,

The Commissioners of National Education, to whom these questions have been referred, point out that they relate to minute details of official procedure in connection with the work of an inspector who retired nearly a year ago from the public service owing to nervous breakdown and other ailments. The Commissioners do not consider that it would he in the public interest to occupy the time of their staff in preparing reports on these questions which can serve no useful purpose.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the total number of persons employed under the Land Judge's Department of the Supreme Court of Judicature, and the total of the salaries of such persons; the number and salaries of persons appointed by competitive examination, and the mode of appointment of the rest?

I am informed that there are eleven officials in the Land Judge's Department, and that their salaries amount to £5,790 a year. Two of them, whose salaries amount to £620 a year, were appointed after competitive examination, while six entered the Service by nomination and qualifying examination before the competitive system was introduced. The remaining three, namely, the two examiners and the assistant examiner, obtained certificates of special qualification from the Civil Service Commissioners when appointed. I understand that nearly all the time of one of the examiners and a considerable portion of the time of the assistant examiner is devoted to Land Commission business in cases in which the Land Judge acts as a Judicial Commissioner, and that some of the other officials transact business of the same kind, in addition to their duties as officers of the Land Judge's Court, but without increased pay.

asked what steps are being taken by the Estates Commissioners to deal with the case of Mrs. Cathrine Kerin, evicted tenant, of Carrigeen, Brosna, county Kerry?

The Estates Commissioners have received an application from Mrs. Catherine Kerin for reinstatement in a holding in the townland of Carrigeen, containing two acres, from which her father was evicted in 1884, but they have decided not to take any action in the matter.

asked whether the tenants on the Margison estates, situate in the barones of Clanwilliam and Coonagh, in the counties of Tipperary and Limerick, signed purchase agreements in April, 1905; that the same were lodged in September, 1905, and the lands inspected in May, 1909; and what is the cause of the delay in completing the sale of this property?

The agreements in this case were lodged in August, 1905. The Estates Commissioners inform me that there has been no delay in the case, and that the estate is being dealt with in order of priority. They hope to complete the sale during the current year.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state the working costs, profits, and dividends of the mines of Witwatersrand and the outside districts for 1908 and 1909, namely, the tons milled, the stamps at work, the duty per stamp per diem, the number of tube-mills, the yield in fine ounces, the yield in sterlings, the yield per ton, the working costs per ton, the profits per ton, and the dividends declared?

The figures, so far as they are available, are as follows:—

	1907–08.	1908–9.
Tons milled	17,329,825	20,529,084
Stamps at work in June	9,041	9,726
Duty per.stamp per diem in tons	5·761	6·456
Tube mills erected at 30th June	97	159
Yield of gold in line ounces	6,711,436	7,294,711
Yield in £ sterling	28,508,368	30,985,966
Ore value per ton in shillings	32·77	30·03
*Working cost per ton in shillings	19·7	17·4
*Profit per ton in shillings	13·1	12·8
*Witwatersrand only, Figures do not include all companies.

It appears from the reports of the Transvaal Chamber of Mines that the dividends declared in 1908 by the Transvaal Gold Mines amounted to £8,751,282, and those declared in 1909 to £9.504,621.

asked the Undersecretary of State for India whether he will consider the advisability of utilising the buildings and premises known as the Royal Indian Engineering College, Englefield Green, in connection with the public services of the country; and whether the Government have such object in contemplation?

The Secretary of State, in whom the estate is vested, would offer no opposition to its being utilised for the public services on terms advantageous to the revenues of India. No such proposal has come before him.

asked the Home Secretary if he could state what local authorities have adopted Section 85 of the Public Health Act, 1907?

Section 85 of the Public Health (Amendment) Act, 1907 (Registries for Servants), has been put in force in the following districts in England and Wales:—

CITIES AND BOKOUGHS.
Abingdon.	Ipswich.
Bexhill.	Leeds.
Blackburn.	Leicester.
Boston.	Liverpool.
Bournemouth.	Maidenhead.
Bradford.	Margate.
Bristol.	Middlesbrough.
Bromley.	Neath.
Burton-on-Trent.	Newbury.
Cambridge.	Newport (Mon.).
Canterbury.	Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Cardiff.	Oxford.
Carnarvon.	Peterborough.
Chatham.	Portsmouth.
Cheltenham.	Richmond.
Darlington.	St. Helens.
Dorchester.	South Shields.
Eastbourne.	Southampton.
Folkestone.	Torquay.
Gravesend.	Tynemouth.
Grimsby.	Wallsend.
Hartlepool.	Widnes.
Hastings.	Wimbledon.
Hereford.
URBAN DISTRICTS.
Ashbonrne.	Kingswood.
Ashton-in-Makerfield.	Leigh-on-Sea.
Barnes.	Leyton.
Barnet.	Llandudno.
Barry.	Lower Bebington.
Beckenham.	Maiden and Coombe.
Blyth.	Newton Abbot.
Caversham.	Penarth.
Chingford.	Penge.
Coalville.	Portland.
Crompton.	Prestwich.
Dartford.	Sheerness.
East Barnet Valley.	Skipton.
Elland.	Stretford.
Epsom.	Surbiton.
Erith.	Sutton (Surrey).
Exmouth.	Swanage.
Featherstone,	Swinton & Pendlebury
Felixstowe.	Teignmouth.
Gt. Crosby.	Whitney and Monk-
Herne Bay.	Woking. [seaton.
Hoylake &West Kirby.	Wombwell.
Ilford.	Woodford.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in connection with legislative proposals dealing with uncontentious Amendments of the Factory Act, he will consider the desirability of acting upon recommendations contained in Sir Ernest Hatch's Report as to check-weighing in women's trades paid by weight?

In the check-weighing in Various Industries Bill, which was introduced by my predecessor last Session, it was proposed to empower the Secretary of State to provide for check-weighing in any industry in which workers are paid by weight. I am now considering the question of reintroducing this Bill.

asked the Home Secretary, in view of Sir Ernest Hatch's recommendation as to the generalisation of particulars, and his comments on the anomalous character of orders covering certain classes of work but omitting others of precisely the same kind carried on in an adjoining or even in the same room, what steps are being taken towards further extensions under Section 116, Sub-section 5, of the Factory and Workshop Act?

As my right hon. Friend is aware, a very large part of the ground has been covered by the Orders already made. Other industries which have been the subject of inquiry, but which cannot be dealt with satisfactorily without some provision for checkweighing, are waiting until the further powers proposed in the Checkweighing Bill have been obtained. Others, again, are under investigation, or will be taken up as the time of the staff permits. I may perhaps add that what Sir Ernest Hatch said was that similar, not the same, kinds of work were outside. This is a difficulty which cannot always be avoided in proceeding from one class of work to another by order in the manner prescribed by the Act.

asked the Home Secretary whether, when the punishment of whipping is directed by a court of summary jurisdiction to be inflicted upon a child, the strokes are inflicted upon the naked body, or whether any Regulations have been issued by the Home Office for the carrying out of such punishments; and, if so, whether he will lay the same upon the Table?

No Regulations have been issued from the Home Office, nor have I power to make any on this subject; but I believe that when a boy is birched it is usual to divest of clothing that part of his body on which the birching is administered.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Sir Robert Anderson is publishing accounts of private conversations and conferences between himself and previous Home Secretaries and other Cabinet Ministers; and whether he applied for or obtained permission from the Home Office before disclosing these confidential communications?

The answer to the first question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative.

asked the Home Secretary what number of stray dogs have been seized by the Metropolitan Police within the metropolitan area under Section 3 of The Dogs Act, 1906, in each of the years 1907, 1908, and 1909; how many of such dogs when seized wore collars with names and addresses of owners; how many wore collars but without names and addresses of owners, and how many wore no collars; whether any record is kept as to the number of instances under Sub-section (2) of Section 3 of The Dogs Act, 1906, in which the owners have been notified of the seizure of dogs; whether dogs wearing collars with addresses, if found a second time in the streets by the police, are seized and dealt with by the police without giving notice to the owners; and whether it is an offence under the Acts and regulations if a police constable receives any payment or consideration from any person, or home, or institution for bringing them dogs seized under the Act?

The number of stray dogs seized by the Metropolitan police under Section 3 of the Dogs Act, 1906, was in—

1907	…	…	44,434
1908	…	…	41,114
1909	…	…	40,285

In all cases in which a dog when found has a collar bearing a name and address, notification is at once sent there, but it is not possible to analyse the 125,833 cases to determine which of them wore or did not wear collars. Dogs are never conveyed by Metropolitan police officers to Homes, so no question of payment by institutions can arise, but under regulations made by the Secretary of State an official fee of 1s. is chargeable for any stray dog returned by the police to its owner. When this fee is levied a formal receipt is given, and the money, of course, goes to the Police Fund.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he can state approximately how many declarations were made under the Vaccination Act, 1907, during the year 1909?

The number of declarations received by vaccination officers during 1909 was approximately 190,690.

asked the President of the Local Government Board when the general provisions relating to town-planning schemes, etc., referred to in Sections 55 and 64 of the Housing and Town Planning, etc., Act of 1909, will be laid before Parliament; and whether he will state the number of local authorities (naming them) which have informed the Board of their desire to prepare town-planning schemes?

The question of prescribing general provisions under Section 55 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, is receiving my consideration, but I do not contemplate the immediate prescription of such provisions. When issued they will be laid before Parliament, as required by Section 64 of the Act. Six local authorities have been in communication with the Board with a view to the preparation of town-planning schemes. I do not think it is desirable at this stage to make the names of these local authorities public.

asked the President whether he will state the names and qualifications of the officials already appointed by the Board to whom appeals will be referred under Sections 15, 17, 18, and 19 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909 (relating to contracts by landlords, closing orders and demolition orders, and the redemption of annuities); and whether he will state the officials appointed for carrying out the duties referred to in Section 26 of the Act (which relates to in- quiries by Local Government Board inspectors as to unhealthy areas).

For the purpose of inquiries in relation to appeals under the Sections of the Act referred to, as well as for other inquiries under the Housing Acts, the services of the staff of inspectors attached to the Department will be available. I have increased this staff by the appointment of three inspectors, selected by me from a long list of candidates as specially qualified for this purpose, namely, Messrs. Clifton, Collin, and Leonard. Each of these gentlemen had had ample experience in connection with building construction. For the purpose of inquiries under Section 16 of the Housing Act, 1890, it will be observed that. Section 26 of the Act of last Session expressly makes the services of the existing staff available. I have, however, made an addition to the staff of medical inspectors by the appointment of Dr. Carnwath, who was formerly assistant medical officer of health to the Manchester Corporation, and who has had special experience in the administration of the Housing Acts.

further asked when the Board will publish the regulations for regulating the procedure to be adopted with respect to applications to the Board for authority to prepare or adopt a town planning scheme as provided by Section 56 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909;whether, having regard to the fact that such regulations have not yet been issued, an application for such authority as aforesaid, made before the publication of such regulations, will be deemed by the Board to be in accordance with the provisions of the Act, and will operate as such; and whether, pending the publication of such regulations, a local authority, to whom plans have been submitted by an owner of land which is about to be developed for building purposes, may decline to approve or may delay their decision as to their approval of such plans, in a case where the plans are in accordance with existing by-laws in force in that district?

The regulations under Section 56 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, are in an advanced state of preparation, and I hope to issue them at an early date. The regulations will include provisions which must be complied with before an application is made to the Board for authority to prepare or adopt a town-planning scheme, and applications made to the Board before the issue of the regulations could not be entertained. The answer to the third part of the question is in the negative, but if the local authority contemplate the making of a town-planning scheme in regard to land for the development of which plans as to new streets and buildings are submitted to them for approval, they would probably think it desirable to draw attention to the provisions of Section 58 (2) of the Act, which enacts that "a person shall not be entitled to obtain compensation under this section on account of any building erected on, or contract made, or other thing done with respect to, land included in the scheme, after the time at which the application for authority to prepare the scheme was made, or after such other time as the Local Government Board may fix for the purpose."

asked whether the Board has, with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor, made rules fixing the scale of costs to be applicable to arbitrations under the First Schedule (Clause 9), to the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909; if such scale has not been made, when, if at all, will it be published; and whether under Clause (10) of the First Schedule, the remuneration of the arbitrator will be fixed by the Board in each particular case, or will be fixed by a scale applicable to all appointments of arbitrators, under that Schedule, made by the Board?

Rules fixing the scale of costs to be applicable to arbitrations under the First Schedule (Clause 9) to the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, have not been made. If such a scale is found by experience to be desirable it will be published as soon as it is made. The remuneration of the arbitrator under Clause 10 of the First Schedule will be fixed by the Board in each particular case.

asked whether all appeals relating to questions arising in London and the provinces under Sections 15, 17, 18, and 19 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, will be dealt with by officials in London, or whether officials will be allocated to and will reside in or near the various districts or counties for the purpose of dealing with matters arising within their respective districts; and whether, either before or after the passing of the Act, any, and, if so, what, estimate was prepared of the probable increased expenditure payable out of local rates which will be incurred by local authorities in consequence of the administration by them of the Act in the Administrative County of London, elsewhere in England and Wales, and in Scotland, respectively?

Inquiries in regard to any matters arising under the Housing Acts will be held locally by such members of the staff of inspectors as may from time to time be found convenient, having regard to the general arrangements which are made for the purpose of local inquiries under the Public Health Acts and other Acts. As regards the latter part of the question, no estimate, so far as I am aware, has been or could be prepared of the additional expenditure, if any, which will be incurred by local authorities under the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act. This will obviously depend on the amount of activity displayed by the various local authorities under the Act. Many of the provisions of the Act, however, will, in my opinion, tend to obviate expenditure which would otherwise have been necessary.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if and when it is proposed to print and circulate the Report of the Committee appointed by the Board to inquire as to the maximum fees to be imposed in respect of the registration or licensing of craft by the Port of London Authority; and when it is intended to introduce the Provisional Order for the confirmation of such charges?

The inquiry was held not by a Committee, but by an officer of the Board of Trade. The Bill to confirm the Provisional Order relating to the registration of craft by the Port of London Authority will be introduced to-day.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether it is possible for county councils to grant leases other than annual leases to their tenants on their small holdings; whether any leases of small holdings to substantial men have been made for a term of years or for lives, and in what counties; and whether, in order to encourage fixity of tenure and that best development of the land which comes from fixity of tenure, he will issue a circular to county councils suggesting that leases for periods longer than one year might be granted in approved cases?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The county councils for Beds, Berks, Cornwall, Cumberland, Huntingdon, Kent, Leicester, Lincoln (Kesteven), Norfolk, Northampton, Somerset, Southampton, and Westmoreland have granted leases for terms of years, and probably other counties as well. I am not aware that any tenancies for life have been arranged. We will take an early opportunity of reminding county councils of their powers in this matter.

asked whether attention has been called to a clause in the leases made by certain county councils to their small holders, which says that the tenant may not underlet any part of the holding; whether such a clause is adopted by all county councils; why it has been inserted; and, if in accordance with the Small Holdings Act of 1908, under what clause in that Act?

A small holding is usually let by a county council subject to the condition that the tenant shall not underlet, assign or part with the possession of the holding or any part of it without the written consent of the council. Such a covenant is necessary in order, inter alia, to secure compliance with the requirements of Section 10 (1) (c) and Section 12 (1) (c) and (8) of the Act of 1908.

asked whether attention has been called to a clause in the leases granted by certain county councils to their small holders, which says that the tenant may not take in cattle or other stock to keep; whether such a clause is universally adopted by county councils; why it k adopted; and, if in accordance with the Small Holdings Act of 1908, under what clause in that Act?

One such case has recently been brought to the notice of the Board. Inquiry is being made respecting it, the result of which I will communicate to my hon. Friend.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that the parents of thirty-one children in the Bragar school district, island of Lewis, were recently prosecuted as defaulters, at the instance of the Barvas School Board, and twenty-six of them fined, in sums varying from 2s. 6d. to 5s., or imprisonment; seeing that these parents stated that they had withdrawn their children from school en account of the excessive punishment inflicted on the children, will the Secretary for Scotland order an inquiry with a view to a remission of the fines and the better management of the school; and is he aware that the people had endeavoured to meet the law by arranging for the education of their children in a private school?

The facts are as stated in the question, but after full trial the finding of the sheriff was that in every instance the charge of excessive punishment fell to the ground, and that the children in the private school were not receiving efficient education in terms of the Education Acts. In view of these facts, the case for further inquiry does not seem to be established.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of cotton manufactures exported to and imported from Germany in the year 1909; and also what was the value of the imports to and exports from Germany of cotton piece goods and cotton yarns respectively for the same year?

According to the official Trade Returns of the United Kingdom, the exports of cotton yarns and manufactures of British production from the United Kingdom to Germany in 1909 were valued at £5,790,000, and the imports of these goods into the United Kingdom from Germany at £5,766,000. The following Statement (compiled from the Official Trade Returns for the German Empire) gives the information desired as to the German imports and exports of cotton goods:—

Description of Article.	Special Imports (i.e., Imports for Home Consumption)from all Sources.	Special Exports (i.e., Exports of Domestic' Manufacture) to all Destinations.
	£	£
Cotton Years (including Cotton Thread for Sewing)	4,519,000	2,425,000
Cotton Piece Goods	1,840,000	6,241,000
Other Cotton Manufactures	500,000	9,444,000