asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the clerks, thirty-two in number, to old age pension sub-committees in the county of Cork are still unpaid for services rendered during the quarters ended 30th June, 30th September, and 31st December, 1909, and 31st March, 1910; and, if so, what is the cause of the delay, who is responsible for it, and when payment will be made?

:The accounts for the quarters ended 30th June and 30th September, 1909, were not received until February, 1910. They were examined immediately, but owing to discrepancies between the number of claims and questions charged for, and those certified by the pension officers, a large number of queries had to be sent to the clerk of the committee, and these were despatched on 11th-February last. His replies have not yet been received, and, consequently the discrepancies have not yet been cleared up. The responsibility for the delay in settling these accounts therefore rests with the clerk to the committee. The accounts for the quarters ended 31st December, 1909, and 31st March, 1910, have not yet been received.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that Mrs. Jane Mahoney, of Windgap, in the county of Kilkenny, received a pension from 1st January, 1909, to 20th September, 1909; whether the sub-committee of the local pension committee, Kilkenny, disallowed the pension on the latter date on the report of the pension officer that the pensioner was not of the qualifying age according to the Census Returns; whether, on the application by private friends to the Public Record Office, it was discovered that the pensioner was in fact eligible from 1st January, 1909, according to the Census Returns, and the sub-committee restored the pensioner on 1st March, 1910, to the list of those qualified; and whether he will, under the circumstances, order that the pensioner should receive arrears of pension from 27th September, 1909, to 1st March, 1910?

:The facts are not quite correctly stated in the hon. Member's question. The pensioner's age is recorded as one and a half years in the Census Returns of 1841, which were taken in the month of June, and as nine years in the Census Returns of 1851. She was therefore disqualified by the local pension committee on 27th September, 1909, on a question raised by the pension officer. There are no arrears of pension due.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what, during the last five years, were the total receipts in respect of capital and of revenue from all sources in Scotland and in Ireland, respectively, of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues; what, during the same period, was the total expenditure in respect of capital and in respect of revenue in each country, respectively; and what was the nature of the investment of capital in each country?

:During the five years —1904–5 to 1908–9—the receipts and expenditure of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods, etc., in Scotland and Ireland were as follows:—

		£
Capital Receipts—
Scotland	…	41,486
Ireland	…	155,193
Revenue Receipts—
Scotland	…	161,117
Ireland	…	161,289
Capital Expenditure—
Scotland	…	32,290
Ireland	…	15,785
Revenue Expenditure—
Scotland	…	33,778
Ireland	…	14,797

The investments in Scotland consisted of the purchase of the Inverliever estate, Argyllshire, and the redemption of Land Tax and Fixed Charges on that estate. The investments in Ireland consisted of the purchase of the Inchicore estate and land called Long Meadows and premises known as Ash View, in the county of Dublin, and a house known as Lumville, Curragh of Kildare.

asked whether, having regard to the Government's agreement to lease 64,000 acres of forest to Captain Grogan, there is a proviso in the agreement whereby the area indicated in the schedule may be so modified on survey as to enclose, if possible, an area of 64,000 acres of workable forest; whether this proviso was inserted because the scheduled description of the area to be leased was intended solely as a rough indication of the position of the forest area, since there were no maps extant, and neither Captain Grogan nor anyone else had ever explored or surveyed the forest area indicated when the agreement was drafted; whether any agreement has been reached between the parties as to what constitutes workable forest; whether the scheduled description encloses 64,000 acres of workable forest, or indeed any area of land at all; whether a subsequent agreement by letter was made between the parties whereby a compact area of land, estimated to contain 64,000 acres of workable forest, was to be surveyed, and any comprised land in excess of 64,000 acres of workable forest was to be leased by the tenant at a fixed rent; and whether any survey of such an area, or of any area, has been completed and accepted by the parties as fulfilling the conditions of the agreement?

:In the schedule to the agreement it is provided that the boundaries specified in the schedule may be so modified on survey as to enclose if possible an area of 64,000 acres of workable forest. I am not prepared to reply to the remaining inquiries in the question, in view of the fact that proceedings have been instituted by the Government of the East Africa Protectorate for the cancellation of the agreement, and the points referred to are closely connected with the grounds relied upon both by the Government and by Captain Grogan.

asked whether, in respect of any agreements to lease land the boundaries of which have been on application defined without proviso or modification, the East African Protectorate Government has in any cases taken action for the annulment of such agreements on the ground of alleged non-fulfilment of working conditions on the land referred previous to the completion of the survey of such land; and, if so, what are the particulars and names of the several parties in such cases?

:As this question evidently has a bearing on the case in dispute between the local Government and Captain Grogan which is now the subject of legal proceedings I cannot properly give a reply to this question.

asked whether, at the time when Captain. Grogan had an effective staff working in the Eldama forest, his men were forbidden by the local official to move logs from the forest for fear of damage to the bridges on the Government track to the railway; whether at this time, or for some years later, any sug- gestion was made by the Government that they held the clause relating to the felling of timber to be operative pending the final definition and survey of the forest agreed to be leased; whether any suggestion of the kind was made till after Mr. Hutchins had reported on the value of the forest on behalf of the Government, and till Captain Grogan had refused to accept a proposed new agreement whereby the forestal clauses were to be made more onerous, the royalties payable were to be increased by a sum amounting, on the basis of Mr. Hutchins' estimates of timber contents, to no less than £750,000, and no quid pro quo to be conferred upon the lessee?

:For the reason stated in my answer to another question put by the hon. Gentleman to-day I regret that I do not feel in a position to reply to these inquiries.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that a much larger percentage of Protestants has been appointed to positions carrying more ease and emoluments in connection with the Agricultural and Technical Department in Ireland during the administration of the present Vice-President than during the period of his predecessor in that office; and whether, taking into account the fact that religious partiality has been shown by this gentleman in the appointments he has made for years past, the Government will at once take steps to have all positions in connection with that Department filled by competitive examination carried on under the rules of the Civil Service Commissioners, as applied to appointments in connection with nearly all other State institutions?

:The Vice-President of the Department informs me that there is no foundation for the statement contained in the first paragraph of the question. It is not proposed to make any change in the method of appointment of officers of the Department.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will state what is the practice adopted for the appointment of horticultural inspectors under the Agricultural and Technical Department in Ireland; whether they are drawn from amongst the county instructors or chosen from outside by some other agency; whether, if they are drawn from the ranks of instructors, they are subject to an examination; if so, what is the nature of the examination; by whom is it conducted; are all Department instructors informed of the fact that such an examination is to be held, if not, why not; and whether a system will be established by which all officials in the service of the Agricultural Department will in future be notified to present themselves for examination by the Civil Service Commissioners for the filling of all vacancies in offices of ease and emolument or as what might be regarded as a superior position under the Department?

:The Department have at present no horticultural inspectors. When they propose to appoint such officers they will adopt the same course as in the case of their other inspectors.

asked in how many cases have the Estates Commissioners refused purchase agreements under the 1903 Act which were duly executed before 15th September, 1909, but not filed or lodged on that date; will he say if any regard has been had to the different facts involved in the various cases of refusal; and whether, where the agreements were actually tendered in the Estates Commissioners' offices before 15th September, 1909, the 13th Section of the Land Act of 1909 has been enforced in every case?

:Excluding the cases in which substituted agreements have been lodged under Section 12 of the Act of 1909, 2,129 purchase agreements under the Irish Land Act, 1903, were lodged subsequent to 15th September, 1909, and have been returned to be amended in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 1909. The inquiry in the concluding portion of the question is not understood.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether, in regard to the Reeves estate, near Killimer, West Clare, care will be taken that the untenanted land will be divided for the benefit of the tenants of the estate according to the intentions of the Land Act of 1909?

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state, in regard to the Reeves estate, near Killimer, West Clare, the date on which the sale was ordered; and whether the sale will be carried out without unnecessary delay?

:I understand that this estate is the subject of proceedings in the Land Judge's court, and that the documents in connection with its sale were lodged on 3rd December last. It will be dealt with in order of priority, but its turn has not yet come. The requirements of the tenants will be duly considered in the allotment of the untenanted land.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the amounts paid for printing and advertising in each of the two last completed financial years by the Westmeath County Council and by the Mullingar, Delvin, and Coole district councils?

:I am not in a position to reply to this question. The Local Government Board have not got the information, and the searches necessary to obtain it would occupy a good deal of the time of the officers of the four councils mentioned in the question, at the very busiest time of the year.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will say in what rural districts in Ireland land, other than statutory plots, has been provided since 1905 for feeding labourers' cows; the number of acres in each case; the number of trustees by whom the land is held in each case; by whom appointed; and in what rural districts, if any, land offered for this use of labourers has not been availed of, and the reason?

:The Estates Commissioners do not keep their statistics by rural districts. The hon. Member will find in their Annual Reports, which have been presented to Parliament, particulars of lands vested in trustees for the purposes of pasturage.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the amount of law costs paid in each of the two last completed financial years by the Mullingar, Delvin, and Coole District Councils, speci- fying in each case the amount connected with the working of the Labourers Acts; if there is a contract in force for doing all the council's legal work for a bulk sum each year, how much has been paid under the contract, and how much as extra; and, if it is not the payee himself who alleges the extra work and fixes the amount to be paid for it, by whom is this done?

:The law costs paid by the Mullingar and Coole Rural District Councils were as follows:—

	Year ended 31st Mar.,
	1909.	1910.
Mullingar Rural District Council—
Costs under Labourers	£	£
Acts	1,232	819
General Costs	67	296
Coole Rural District Council—
Costs under Labourers
Acts	243	—
General Costs	31	—

There was no contract in either of these cases for carrying out the legal work of the council for a bulk sum. The law costs paid by the Delvin Rural District Council amount to £60 a year, none of which is chargeable to the Labourers Acts, the terms of the solicitor's appointment being that he is to receive a standing salary of £60 a year irrespective of the volume of legal work to be done under the Labourers Acts or other Acts.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state, by counties, the number of estates purchased by the Congested Districts Board this year, and the estimated acreage, and the number proposed to be purchased, with the estimated acreage?

:No tenanted estates were purchased by the Board during the year ended 31st March, 1910, but during that period they agreed to purchase the fee simple of sixteen grass farms for the purpose of enlarging small holdings as follows:—

	County.		No. of Farms.		Area.
Mayo	…	2	…	…	88 acres.
Roscommon	…	6	…	…	764 acres.
Galway	…	8	…	…	66 acres.

The Board have not made any estimate of the estates they may be able to purchase during the year ending 31st March, 1911.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware of the harm and injury that occurs yearly in several of low-lying districts of Craughwell, Clarshe, Cahill, and other places in the Parliamentary Division of South Galway, owing to the rivers overflowing and submerging the country; and will he see that under the Development Act power is taken to provide money so as to try and prevent a recurrence of these floods?

:I am informed by the Board of Works that there is an existing drainage district which covers part of the area, referred to, and that no recent complaints of damage by flooding in that district have reached the Board. I have no power to decide what works are to be carried out by means of advances under the Development Act. That will be a matter for the Development Commissioners.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the respective amounts of public funds allocated by the National Board of Education in Ireland for the last twenty years towards national schools under Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic management, respectively, in the county of Donegal and in the district of Innishowen, county Donegal?

:The Commissioners of National Education, to whom the question has been referred, inform me that there are no statistics available which would enable them to answer it.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state how many tenants in the county of Galway have become tenant purchasers under the Land Act, 1903; what quantity or acreage of un-tenanted land was purchased by the Estates Commissioners and the Congested Districts Board for distribution amongst the tenants; and can he state the average price paid for each holding?

:The Estates Commissioners inform me that 3,574 holdings have been vested in tenants in county Galway under the Irish Land Act, 1903, the average price per holding being £333, and that proceedings are pending before them for the sale of 10,875 holdings in that county. The Commissioners have purchased for distribution 62,536 acres of un-tenanted land in county Galway, and the Congested Districts Board have purchased 12,853 acres.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will say what are the total sums spent annually on Irish education from rates, Parliamentary Grants, and all other sources for 1908 and 1909?

:If the hon. Member will move for a Return with headings showing precisely what he requires, I will consider, in communication with the Treasury and the various Departments concerned, whether it can be given.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state how many years' experience as teacher the lady has who has been recently appointed principal teacher of the Newmarket, county Cork, female national school, where she was teaching before her appointment; whether she has a certificate qualifying her to teach the Irish language; and what was the average attendance, by quarters, for the two years ending 31st March, 1910, at the Newmarket female national school?

:A vacancy in the post of principal teacher of this school occurred on 31st March last. The Commissioners have not yet been notified of the name of the teacher appointed to the vacancy. The average attendance at this school for the past two years was as follows: —

Quarter ended 30th June, 1908	112
Quarter ended 30th September, 1908	112
Quarter ended 31st December, 1908	112
Quarter ended 31st March, 1909	100
Quarter ended 30th June, 1909	114
Quarter ended 30th September, 1909	112
Quarter ended 31st December, 1909	104
Quarter ended 31st March, 1910	91

The low average attendance during the quarter ended 31st March, 1910, is stated to have been due to the severity of the weather.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will say in how many cases, since Mr. J. J. Murphy was ap- pointed to the Dublin district as senior inspector, he has lowered the school report left by the previous inspector; in how many cases have teachers been deprived of increments and promotion in consequence of Mr. Murphy's action; in how many cases has Mr. Murphy refused to recommend fees for the teaching of Irish; what is Mr. Murphy's proficiency in Irish; what are his qualifications to act as examiner in the Irish language; and where and when did he obtain those qualifications?

:The Commissioners of National Education do not consider that it would be in the public interest to give the particulars asked for. If any definite complaint is made to them as to the action of Mr. Murphy or any other inspector they will carefully investigate it. They inform me that Mr. Murphy has been testing classes in Irish for several years.

asked the Chief Secretary whether Sir Heffernan Considine, Deputy-Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary, will retire from the service during the current financial year; and, if so, whether his place will be filled by promotion or by the appointment of some person from outside the Royal Irish Constabulary?

:Sir Heffernan Considine has not intimated his intention of retiring during the current year, and consequently the question of filling up his place has not arisen.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have sent an inspector on the Tuthill estate, at Herbertstown, county Limerick; and, in view of the fact that Mr. Garrett Barry, one of the largest tenants on the estate, who refused to sign the purchase agreements four years ago because of the high price, has now been served with a writ for the hanging gale which is due on the property for fifty years and which was forgiven to all the other tenants, will the Commissioners send their inspector as soon as possible, if they have not already done so?

:This estate will be dealt with in order of priority, but its turn has not yet come. No purchase agreement has been lodged for the sale of the holding of Garrett Barry. When the estate is being inspected due inquiry will be made as to the circumstances in which no agreement has been signed for this holding, but the Commissioners have no power to interfere in any legal proceedings the owner may have instituted for the recovery of the rent due by the tenant.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland require from the managers of Irish national schools at the end of each quarter of a year certificates as to the characters of the teachers employed in the schools; and, if without these certificates salary would be withheld from teachers, will he say in what other branch of the public service does such a custom exist?

:I understand that the practice of the Commissioners of National Education is correctly stated in the question. I cannot say whether a similar practice exists in other branches of the public service.

asked the Chief Secretary whether James and Margaret Morrissey, as the representatives of Mrs. Mary Morrissey, deceased, who was evicted from the estate of Sir John Nugent, county Waterford, are on the list of persons deemed suitable to be provided with holdings; what steps have been taken to provide for them; whether Sir John Nugent has lodged an originating application for the sale of his estate to certain tenants; whether one of the alleged tenants is his brother, Mr. Charles Nugent Humble, who is in possession of portion of the evicted holding of Mrs. Mary Morrissey; whether he is aware that Mr. Charles Nugent Humble is himself a large landowner and has in his possession a large area of un-tenanted lands, including several evicted farms; whether this Mr. Humble obtained an advance for the purchase of land as tenant of his brother under former Land Purchase Acts; and, if so, how much?

:The Estates Commissioners have received applications for reinstatement from Margaret and Thomas Morrissey. They have provisionally noted the name of the latter for consideration, and have referred his case to one of their inspectors for report. I under- stand that Sir John Nugent has lodged an originating application for the sale of his estate, and that one of the holdings included in the application is in the occupation of Mr. C. Nugent Humble. The Commissioners are aware that Mr. C. Nugent Humble obtained advances amounting to £2,823 under former Land Purchase Acts for the purchase of 224 acres of land formerly in the possession of Sir John Nugent Humble. In May, 1908, the Commissioners published a notice in the "Dublin Gazette" of their intention to acquire one of the holdings comprised in these lands compulsorily under the Evicted Tenants Act, but the High Court of Justice decided that they could not acquire it. The Commissioners have recently published a notice of their intention to acquire other lands on the estate, and the matter is pending.

asked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay in the acquisition by the Estates Commissioners of the untenanted lands on the Fuge and Little estates, county Waterford; whether the Estates Commissioners expect to complete the arrangements for the purchase of the same soon; and whether they will endeavour to expedite the matter, so as to be in a position to put the evicted tenants and others, including some of the local labourers, into possession of holdings on these lands within the next month?

:The Estates Commissioners inform tae that there has been no delay with regard to the estates of Mrs. M. J. Little and others and Richard P. Fuge, which are being dealt with in order of priority. The Commissioners cannot at present say when they will be in a position to acquire lands.

asked the Chief Secretary whether a man named O'Donnell who, in 1904, became the new tenant of a holding at Whitechurch and Churchquarter, county Waterford, on the estate of Lord Huntingdon, signed an agreement to purchase the holding under the Land Act of 1903; whether such an agreement was lodged with the Estates Commissioners; what was the amount of advance applied for therein; whether the whole or any portion of the advance applied for has been sanctioned by the Estates Commissioners, and how much; and whether the amount sanctioned, if any, has been paid over to the vendor?

:An agreement signed by Michael O'Donnell for the purchase of his holding on the estate of the Earl of Huntingdon for the sum of £2,154 was lodged on 15th April, 1905. The Estates Commissioners refused to make the advance applied for, as the limitations of advances imposed by Section 53 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, applied to the case.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the constabulary authorities in Ireland have yet decided what disciplinary measure will be taken as regards the action of Sergeant O'Sullivan, of Bally-duff, county Waterford, in making a charge, which was afterwards withdrawn, against Maurice Feeney; if not, whether, before doing so, they will also inquire into the circumstances of the recent arrest by him of a man named Patrick Stack on the charge of having broken the windows of the house of a man named Shanahan; whether he is aware that it is alleged that the windows were broken on Sunday night, and that Patrick Stack was arrested on the following Tuesday while at his work and was handcuffed and brought several miles to Lismore, when he was discharged and a summons directed to be issued against him; whether Shanahan failed to appear and the summons was dismissed, and 2s. 6d. expenses awarded to Patrick Stack; whether the constabulary authorities will inquire whether it was reasonable to arrest a respectable man on a trivial charge which there was no evidence to support at petty sessions; whether an information was sworn before the arrest of Patrick Stack; and, if not, what is the explanation of his arrest?

:I am informed by the constabulary authorities that the first of the two cases referred to is still under investigation. As regards the other case, a wanton attack was made on Shanahan's house by two men who, on being refused admittance, broke twenty-two panes of glass and damaged the window frames. Shanahan informed Sergeant O'Sullivan that he was prepared to swear that Stack was one of the men, and the sergeant, after inquiry as to Stack's movements on the night in question, arrested him and brought him 'before a magistrate at Lismore. As he is a powerful man he was handcuffed. The magistrate discharged him from custody and directed Shanahan to take out a summons. Shanahan did so but failed to appear at the hearing, and the magistrate marked the case "no appearance," and allowed Stack 2s. 6d. expenses. No information had been sworn at the time of the arrest. The charge cannot be said to have been a trivial one, but the Inspector-General considers that the sergeant acted somewhat hastily and will caution him accordingly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many British and German fully-commissioned armoured ships, respectively, are permanently based in the North Sea?

:The numbers for Germany are sevens—to be shortly increased to nine. British fully-commissioned armoured ships are not permanently based in the North Sea. They use the bases there in common with other bases in Home waters.

asked the total number of efficient warrant engineers in the Royal Naval Reserve, with the numbers holding extra-first class, first class, and second class engineer's certificate; and whether warrant engineers are eligible for promotion to commission rank?

:There are 113 warrant engineers, Royal Naval Reserve. Extra first class certificates held, nil; first class certificates held, 73; second class certificates held, 23. The reply to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for War at what rate per centum the depreciation is reckoned upon the value of the buildings of the ordnance factories at Woolwich; whether 45.6 per cent, of the buildings are of brick, 37.3 per cent, built of timber and corrugated iron, and 17.1 per cent, built with perishable sides and corrugated iron roofs; and whether depreciation is calculated at the same rate upon the whole of the value of the buildings, irrespective of their temporary or permanent character?

:The figures quoted by the hon. Member have been furnished, I understand, to the Committee of Public Accounts, of which he is a Member, and which has the subject under consideration. Under the circumstances I suggest that it is not convenient to discuss the matter by question and answer.

asked the Secretary for War whether, in view of the shortage of Army horses, in addition to the supply already to be obtained from the United Kingdom, he will consider the advisability of instituting a system of Government-owned horse ranches in parts of the Empire, such as Western Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where the stock-raising areas would be able to supply our increasing demands?

:There is at present no shortage in the supply of Army horses for peace requirements. The advisability of instituting a system such as that suggested has been under consideration, but the attendant expense and other difficulties have prevented any definite conclusion being arrived at.

asked why is an annuity of £300 a year paid to the Lord Mayor of Dublin as pay as a captain of foot; does the Lord Mayor of Dublin perform any military duty for this payment; if the Lord Mayor performs no military duty for this £300 a year, will the War Department take steps to have this £300 a year applied to some more useful purpose; out of what Vote is this £300 a year provided; and is it treated as part of the expenditure on the Army?

:This perpetual annuity was granted to the Lord Mayor and his successors by King Charles II. by Royal Charter for eminent services rendered by the Mayor in connection with the restoration. The provisions regarding the rank and exercise of command by the Mayor have become obsolete in course of time, and he is no longer gazetted to hold rank in the Army. He performs no military service. The grant is charged on the Consolidated Fund, and does not come within the purview of the War Office.

asked the Secretary for War whether his attention has been called to the case of pensioner C. Taylor, of Kingsclere, aged seventy-seven, who is deaf and nearly blind, and who has had his Army pension stopped for three quarters because he obtained an old age pension under a supposedly false statement, with the result that he is about to enter the workhouse, and will be unable to again have a pension in consequence; and if he can take immediate steps to obviate this?

:The case is under consideration. Meanwhile instructions have been issued that only quarter of the pension shall be stopped each quarter.

asked the Under-Secretary for India if an officer of the Indian Public Works Department is to be retained in his appointment as engineer-in-chief to the Railway Board and among the cadre number of chief engineers, first class, after attaining the age of fifty-five years; if so, whether this is contrary to Article 650 of the Civil Service Regulations; and whether he will take steps to see that the prospects of certain officers of the Public Works Department, both as regards pay and pension, are not affected thereby?

:Article 650 of the Civil Service Regulations requires the retirement at the age of fifty-five of all civil engineers in the Public Works Department. The Secretary of State has, however, temporarily authorised the Government of India in cases in which relaxation of the rules is required in the public interest to extend the services of specially selected chief and superintending engineers up to a maximum age of fifty-eight. The Secretary of State has no information as to the particular case alluded to.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the reassessment of the public elementary school accommodation in the area of the West Riding local education authority has yet been completed; and, if so, whether he can say when the result of the reassessment will be communicated by the Board to the local education authority?

:I regret to say that the Board have not yet received the figures for all the West Riding schools from His Majesty's inspectors, and I cannot say when the re-assessment will be ready for communication to the local education authority. Every endeavour will be made to expedite the work, but it places a heavy Strain on the Board's officers, and I must ask for some indulgence.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received information that the Egyptian vernacular paper "El Alam" was suppressed under the provisions of the Press Law, 1909; and whether he has received information that the proprietors of "El Akum," amongst whom were Ferid Bey, Sheikh Shawish, received permission within a fortnight of the suppression of "El Alam" to issue a new vernacular paper under the name of "El Shá áb" (The People).

:The "El Alam" was suspended under the Press Law in March last for a period of two months. I have received no information in the sense of the last paragraph of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received information regarding the proposed new water supply for the town of Cairo; whether it is now proposed, for reasons of economy, to establish a pumping station and filters down-stream of the town of Cairo itself; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of an independent Commission on hygiene being appointed to consider the matter?

:The question of the Cairo water supply is fully dealt with in the Annual Report of His Majesty's Agent and Consul-General on the Affairs of Egypt in 1909, which will be published shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received information that Egyptian nationalist pressure has been exerted to obtain a decision to the effect that Ibrahim el Wardani, the accused in the case of the murder of Boutros Ghali Pasha in Egypt, was insane when he committed the murder?

:The answer is in the negative.Suez Canal Concession.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received information that in consequence of the refusal of the General Assembly in Egypt to assent to the ratifi- cation of the proposed extension of the Suez Canal concession on terms financially favourable to the Egyptian Government, funds which would otherwise have been available for the advancement of works of public utility, such as railways, land reclamation, schools, etc., will not now be forthcoming, and that the only way in which these can now be raised is by sales of Government lands, by means of loans or increased taxation, or both, whereas the granting of this extended concession, whilst adding largely to the Egyptian revenues, would have cost the Egyptian taxpayer nothing; whether he has received information that the proceedings of the General Assembly, when this question was laid before them, constituted a burlesque of Parliamentary procedure; whether he has received information that Saad Zaghlool Pasha, representing the Ministry, and Morcos Semeika Bey, an independent Member of the Assembly were denied the rights of free discussion, and were prevented from making any statement in support of the proposed prolongation of the concession or in rebutting various allegations made by the opponents of the Bill; and whether he will state what are the intentions of the Government in regard to the future, namely, whether it is proposed that the Organic Law should be allowed to become a dead letter or whether the provisions laid down in the Organic Law are to be adhered to?

:I have not received any report from Sir Eldon Gorst confirming the statements mentioned by the hon. Member as to the first three points. It was especially stated by the Prime Minister of Egypt to the General Assembly that the decision of the Egyptian Government was without prejudice to the Organic Law.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the Peruvian Amazon Company now definitely decline to entertain the proposal to send out a commission to inquire into the alleged cruelties on the Putumayo, on the ground that this would cast an undue reflection on the Government of Peru; and whether, under these circumstances, he will take steps to ascertain from the Peruvian Government the result of the inquiry which they are understood to have instituted into these allegations, and what measures they propose to adopt in the matter?

:The company have ignored the suggestion to send a commission, and the question of approaching the Peruvian Government on the subject is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is able to state the number of long service men and of short service men, respectively, who have applied to the Labour Bureau for employment?

:I regret that the information asked for by my hon. Friend is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether raw hides taken from cattle previously imported and slaughtered at the ports are, when exported, included in the Board of Trade Returns under the head of Exports or Re-exports; and whether he can state what was the quantity of such exports in each of the last two years?

:The hides in question, when exported are classified as Exports of the Produce and Manufactures of the United Kingdom; there are no separate figures available as to the quantity of such exports, which are included in the general heading of "Hides, Dry and Wet."

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Bolt Head shore station for radio messages has instructions to give priority to Marconi messages to the detriment of other systems, in view of complaints received that no message could be lodged at that station by another system between the night of Friday, 1st April, and 10.30 p.m. on Saturday, 2nd April, 1910?

:No such instructions have been issued, and there is no ground whatever for the suggestion that priority is given to traffic from ships equipped with any particular system of wireless telegraphy.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state whether, in the event of an auxiliary postman who is in the Territorial Force placing his name on the list for foreign service, he would have the privilege of at once being placed on the established staff of the Post Office?

:The answer is in the negative. If the hon. Member's suggestion is that auxiliary postmen in the circumstances he sets forth should be given whole time duties as postmen on the establishment I would point out that all the vacancies of this nature are required for ex-sailors and soldiers and for telegraph messengers.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state approximately what success has attended the Small Holdings and Allotments Acts, 1907; how many persons have been provided with land; how many acres have been acquired under voluntary arrangement, and how many acres under compulsory orders; how many persons were provided with land under the Allotments and Small Holdings Act, 1892; and how much land was acquired under the provisions of that Act during the fifteen years it was in operation?

:Sixty-two thousand acres were acquired or agreed to be acquired up to 31st December last, and of that area 2,349 acres were acquired by compulsion. The number of persons actually provided with land at that date was 2,795. Schemes for the acquisition of a further 13,000 acres have been submitted to the Board this year, and others will, no doubt, be received in due course. The area acquired under the Small Holdings Act of 1892 was 881 acres.

asked the Lord Advocate how much, if any, of the amount available under the Local Taxation Act is given to Scottish education; and will he say what are the total sums spent on Scotch education from rates, Parliamentary Grants, and all other sources, respectively, for the last available financial year?

:The amount received under the various Local Taxation Acts for Scottish Education in 1909–10 was £234,905 7s. 4d. The total amount of rates raised for education (including administration and maintenance) in 1908–9 was £1,428,312. The total amount spent from Parliamentary Grants in 1908–9 was £2,016,583. This includes cost of administration and grants for training of teachers, but excludes pensions to teachers and cost of Royal Scottish Museum. What was spent from other sources it is impossible to say with certainty. The following items are approximate only: Endowments, £52,450; voluntary contributions, £47,500; secondary education committees and county councils, £49,150; funds administered by town councils, £4,500—a total of £153,600; but this is not exhaustive.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Superior Council of the Congo in Brussels is the supreme court of appeal for civil and criminal cases arising in the Congo Free State; whether the council is a legal institution under Belgian law; by whom are its judges appointed; and what law do they administer?

:The Superior Council of the Congo in Brussels is composed of two chambers: (1) the High Court of Appeal, and (2) the Court of Cassation. In criminal cases the Superior Council only deals with infringements committed by the judges and officials of the public ministry, and there is no recourse to appeal in such cases. Civil and commercial cases may be brought before the Superior Council, in second appeal, when the question at issue involves more than £1,000. The first appeal is always brought before the tribunal of appeal at Boma. The council acts as a court of cassation for civil and commercial cases. The council is a legal institution under Belgian law, as far as its judicial powers are concerned. The judges are appointed by the King, and they administer the laws and decrees in force in the Congo.