asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a caretaker of a club, who also acts partially as a barman, must take out a licence as a male servant; if so, under what definition of the Act this appears; and will he state how many caretakers acting partially as barmen pay this licence in London?

If, as I assume from the terms of the question is the case, the club in which the servant is employed is situate in London, I should explain that the responsibility for the duties on licences for male servants employed in London has since 1908 been transferred to the London County Council, and I am not therefore concerned. I may, however, say that under the Acts relating to licences for male servants the answer to the question depends upon the precise nature of the duties performed by the servant, and that the case of Solomon v. Cropper, decided in 1898, reported in 79 "Law Times" Reports at page 301, seems to have some bearing on the subject. The definition of a male servant for the employment of whom a licence is required is contained in the Act 32 and 33 Viet., C. 14, 8. 19 (3), as amended by 39 and 40 Viet., C. 16, S. 5. I am unable to give any information as to how many licences are taken out for persons employed in clubs in London who act partially as barmen.

asked whether the application for an old age pension of Mrs. Margaret O'Connor, of Clonwhite, Cree, West Clare (registered number 9339), has been twice granted by the local pension committee, and refused by' the Local Government Board solely on the grounds that her name does not appear in the Census of 1841; whether it is accepted that her parents were married in 1839, and that no child is included in the Census of 1841; that the marriage certificate of Mrs. O'Connor proves that she was married fifty-one years ago; that she gives as an explanation of her name not appearing in the Census of 1841 that she was living in the care of her aunt; and whether, under these circumstances, the Local Government Board will reconsider its decision?

The Local Government Board disallowed the pension granted to Mrs. O'Connor on the first occasion as, according to the Census Return of 1841, her parents had no children at that time, and as she was unable to furnish any evidence that she had attained the statutory age. The Board have not yet given a decision on the second claim, pending the result of inquiries which are being made in view of the claimant's statement as to her residence in 1841.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, on 23rd March, 1909, the Estates Commissioners made an offer to the Land Judge, under Section 7 of The Land Act, 1903, for the estate of Sir F. J. Hort, in the county of Kildare, of £24,000 on certain conditions being complied with; whether such conditions have been complied with; and whether the Estates Commissioners are now ready to complete the transaction?

The Estates Commissioners have made the offer mentioned in the question. They are prepared to advance the purchase money and take over the estate as soon as an undertaking has been signed by the tenant of the holding in respect of which no undertaking has yet been lodged.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the refusal of the Ballymena (county Antrim) Urban Council to grant the use of the Town Hall for political meetings, although the local rural council and a strong body of local opinion is in favour of it; whether he is aware that there is no other suitable public building for the holding of such meetings in the district; and whether the Local Government Board will take any action in the matter?

I understand that the urban district council passed a resolution to the effect that the town hall should not be let for political purposes. The rural district council have protested, but the Local Government Board are not aware whether there is any strong body of local opinion in favour of the views of the rural district council. The Board have no information regarding the accommodation for public meetings in the district and have no power to intervene in the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the action of the Lurgan Rural Council in procuring ejectment decrees against twenty-one tenants of labourers' cottages, although an offer was made in court by Mr. James Wood, the solicitor for the tenants, to pay the rent of the cottages pending the decision of the Local Government Board on the question of the illegal letting of the cottages by the rural council before letting regulations had been made and sanctioned by the Local Government Board; whether some of these tenants had paid their rents and most of them had put down crops in their little holdings; and whether, pending the decision of the Local Government Board, instructions will be issued to the rural council to suspend further proceedings against these tenants and to permit those evicted, if any, to return to their cottages until the decision is known?

It appears from the council's minutes of the 11th instant that, as the result of proceedings instituted by them against twenty-one tenants of labourers' cottages who refused to pay the increased rents recently fixed by the council, decrees for possession were granted on the 7th instant by the magistrates at petty sessions. It also appears from a newspaper report of the proceedings that an offer of the nature referred to was made by the solicitor acting on behalf of the tenants, but the council's solicitor contended that the magistrates had no option but to hear the cases, and this by a majority they decided to do. It was stated by the tenants' solicitor that all the holdings were under crops, but the increased rent does not appear to have been paid in any of the twenty-one cases. At the request of the Local Government Board a draft of the letting regulations proposed to be adopted by the council was sent to that Department on the 15th instant. The regulations show the rents proposed to be charged for the cottages and plots, and the reasonableness of these rents will be considered by the Board before confirming the regulations under Section 29 of the Labourers Act of 1906. Pending such consideration the Board have suggested to the council the suspension of further proceedings against the tenants.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the clerk of the Crown and peace for the county of Antrim is in the habit of insisting on solicitors who have business with his office enclosing stamped envelopes for replies to their communications and for the return of documents sent to him in the ordinary course of his official duties; if he is aware that when practitioners fail to send such stamped envelopes the clerk sometimes returns documents, etc., sent to him in unstamped envelopes; and, if so, whether the clerk is authorised to insist on postages being prepaid in this manner, seeing that in the offices of other clerks of the peace in Ireland no such regulation is in force; if clerks of the peace are allowed their postages by the Treasury; and will he say | what is the practice in England in similar circumstances?

I understand that the I practice of requiring stamped envelopes I to be enclosed for replies or for there turn of documents is not confined to county Antrim, and that there is no reason for interfering with it. Clerks of the Crown and peace receive an allowance to cover the expenditure on clerical assistance, stationery, and official postage necessarily incurred by them in the discharge of their duties. I cannot say what the English practice may be, but I am informed that the usual course in Belfast and Dublin is for solicitors to attend in person or by their agents with the documents for signature.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what facilities (apart from bathing in the Solent), and similar to those provided at the majority of our public schools, exist at Osborne House for the instruction of naval cadets in the art of swimming?

There is no swimming bath at Osborne, and the cadets learn how to swim at their bathing place in the Solent.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if Artificer Engineer Ernest Marchant has received promotion or any form of reward for the services he rendered on the occasion of the stranding of His Majesty's ship "Montagu"?

The reply to my hon. Friend's question is in the negative. Artificer Engineer Ernest Marchant has been commended for his behaviour at the stranding of the "Montagu," and his services on that occasion will be taken into consideration when be comes within the zone of promotion to the rank of Chief Artificer Engineer.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the determination to appoint an Inspector-General of the overseas forces has been arrived at without consultation with all the respective Governments of the overseas dominions; whether there exists any authority under which an Inspector-General appointed on his advice is entitled to inspect Australian troops in Australia otherwise than at the express invitation of the Australian Government; and whether he has received any communication from the Australian Government extending a general invitation of that character, or expressing a desire that such an inspection as recently undertaken by Lord Kitchener in Australia should be established as part of a regular system?

It is proposed that the inspectional functions of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief in the Mediterranean shall cover those portions of the Empire, outside the United Kingdom, where troops under the control of the Home Government are stationed, and also the defences and forces of the Crown Colonies. As regards the self-governing Dominions and Colonies, it will be remembered that at the invitation of the Governments concerned Lord Kitchener has recently inspected the forces of Australia and New Zealand, and Sir John French is now inspecting those of Canada; and it is proposed that permanent arrangements for such inspections of their forces shall be discussed and, if possible, completed at the Colonial Conference in 1911. Such inspections can, of course, only take place if invitations are given by the Dominions concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Government have accepted from Waltham Abbey or any private firm cordite for issue to the military Service which has failed to pass the heat test laid down as necessary; how long a time has the heat test been recognised as a necessary test; has the heat test been found superfluous; what test is now applied in order to ensure the safety of His Majesty's military magazines; and is a second heat test after a lapse of forty days carried out?

Cordite which has failed to pass the heat test is not accepted. The heat test has been recognised as necessary since the introduction of cordite as a Service explosive. The heat test has not been found superfluous, and is employed in every case. In the case of old cordite, sometimes the silvered vessel test-is used as well. A second test is not carried out after a lapse of forty days in land service, but tests are taken periodically of all cordite in store.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the Territorial Forces are being largely equipped with enamelled water bottles of German manufacture, seeing that our regular Army is entirely equipped with bottles of British make?

The provision of water bottles rests entirely with the county associations and not with the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in various localities the Territorial Forces were unable to take any part in the recent Proclamation of His Majesty as King; and whether, in view of the disappointment caused by this disability, he will see that in the future full opportunity shall be given to the Territorial Forces to take part in all national public ceremonies?

I am aware of one or two cases in which the notification of the change in the orders enabling Territorial troops to take part in the ceremonial of the Proclamation arrived, unfortunately, too late. There is no objection to Territorial troops taking part in any local celebrations of national public ceremonies, provided that they volunteer and that no expense is incurred by public or association funds. It must be remembered that it would not be practicable to give all Territorial units facilities for taking part in ceremonies which take place in the capital.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the reason why the armourers' section of the Army Ordnance Corps start as staff-sergeants is due to the proficiency they have acquired at their own expense, qualifying them for this section, before entering the Service; whether he can recruit men thus qualified for the pay a private receives in other branches of the Service; whether there is any other branch of the Service in which a man has to wait eighteen years or upwards from his entering the Service before obtaining promotion; whether this delay in promotion is increasing; and whether he will consider the case, with a view to devising some scheme which will either accelerate promotion or improve the pay and position of the armourers' section?

As regards the first part of the question, armourers are for the most part enlisted and trained at the expense of the State. As regards the rest of the question, proposals are under consideration with a view to some acceleration of promotion in the armourers' section.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will state the number of children educated, the total cost of such education, the number of teachers, and the number of inspectors in public elementary schools in England and Wales for the years 1899 and 1909 respectively?

I assume that it is desired to draw a comparison between the statistics of the same two years on all the various points referred to in the question. I propose, therefore, in my reply to substitute for the year 190–9 the year 1907–8, which is the latest year for which complete returns are available under all the heads referred to. The total number of children on the registers of public and other elementary schools (including special schools, higher elementary schools, and certified efficient schools) was, in the year 189–9, 5,664,182, and in the year 190–8, 6,016,398. The total expenditure of the Board of Education on elementary education was, for the same two years respectively, £8,519,885 and £11,412,815. The total expenditure of school boards and local education authorities on elementary education, for the same two years respectively, from other sources than Parliamentary Grants, was £5,280,275 and £10,784,186. These figures exclude the expenditure of school boards and local education authorities on industrial schools. In any calculation of the total cost of the education of children in public elementary schools account must be taken of the expenditure of voluntary school managers on their schools, which the Board are unable to state. This point is of importance in a comparison of the total expenditure of the two years, inasmuch as in the year 189–9 the whole cost of the maintenance of voluntary schools, so far as it was not met by Parliamentary Grants, had to be provided by the managers. The number of teachers of all grades (including pupil teachers) in public and other elementary schools in the same two years respectively was 140,511 and 179,545. In the year 1898–9 the staff regularly employed in the inspection of the work of public elementary schools consisted of 103 inspectors, 241 sub-inspectors, and six women inspectors. The corresponding staff for the year 1907–8 consisted of ninety-nine inspectors, 186 sub-inspectors, twenty-eight junior inspectors, and seventeen women inspectors. In addition to the above, certain inspectors and women inspectors of special subjects, such as music, physical training, agriculture, etc., assist from time to time in the inspection of public elementary schools.

asked the President of the Board of Education if there is an age limit of thirty-five with regard to the appointment of a junior inspectorship; if not, why Mr. Thomas Johnson, of Seaman's Moss, received exceptional treatment in being granted an inspectorship under the Board?

The candidate referred to in the question had shown great originality, and had achieved considerable success in adapting the instruction at a public elementary school to the needs of a rural area, a subject which is engaging the very earnest attention of the Board at the present time. It is contrary to the practice of the Board to appoint as junior inspectors persons who have passed the age of thirty-five, but I had no hesitation in making an exception to this departmental rule in the present case, where it was desired to secure the services of a man specially qualified to advise the Board on the subject to which I have referred and the candidate who appeared to me to be best qualified for this purpose happened to have passed the usual age limit.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can state what steps, if any, are being taken to provide a receiving house for aliens detained in the Port of London under the Aliens Act?

I have appointed a Committee to inquire into this matter, and to make proposals for my assistance in exercising my powers in regard thereto. My intention to do this was announced in the newspapers a fortnight ago, and the Committee is now entering on its work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he can cause a Return to be made of ail cases of assault on children coming before assizes in quarter sessions for the past three years?

I am sorry that the materials in my possession do not enable me to give the Return for which my hon. Friend asks. The Calendars of the Courts from which the criminal statistics are compiled do not give the age of the person on whom an assault is committed, and I believe that in many cases it does not appear at all in the record of the proceedings. There are, of course, certain offences under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1885, when the age of the victim enters into the definition of the crime. Figures showing the numbers of persons tried for these offences will be found in Table I. of the Annual Criminal Statistics.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a memorial has been received from the primary school teachers of British Guiana; if so, whether any reply is to be communicated, and when; and whether he can state the total sum earned by the teachers under the system of payment by results, and the total amount paid to them during the last five financial years?

The Secretary of State has not received any memorial from the primary school teachers of British Guiana. The Governor will be asked whether the figures asked for can be furnished.

asked the President -of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the case of the "Indian Transport," owned by Messrs. Houlder Brothers and Company, which case was submitted to arbitration at the instance of the Board of Trade, and an award given by the arbitrator entirely in favour of the principle contended for by Messrs. Houlder; and, seeing that the men "have refused to accept the award of the umpire appointed by the Board of Trade, whether His Majesty's Government propose to defray the cost of the arbitration to which Messrs. Houlder were compelled "to submit, and to indemnify them for the "delay to their vessel and other damage sustained by them, over and above what may be recoverable from the Corporation of Newport, as the result of their compliance with the wishes of the Board of Trade?

further asked the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that the principle at issue in the Newport Dock dispute was, at the suggestion of the Board of Trade, referred to arbitration between Messrs. Houlder Brothers and Company, Limited, and the two trade unions representing the dock labourers of the port, under an umpire appointed by the Board of Trade, with the terms of reference, namely, to decide the general principle of the substitution of day wages for tonnage rates of payment at Newport, and, in the event of an alteration, the proper rates and conditions; whether the umpire awarded that in loading general cargo at the port of Newport, in the county of Monmouth, it shall be at the option of the employer to engage and pay men by tonnage rates of payment in accordance with the rates of the port or by day wages, as such employer may think fit; whether a representative of the Board of Trade was present at a meeting of the trade unions concerned at which the award was considered, and during his attendance at such meeting telegraphed to the Board of Trade inquiring whether the award was limited to work on the vessels of Messrs. Houlder Brothers and Company, Limited; whether the Board of Trade informed their representative at the trade union meeting that in their opinion the award was so limited; whether this opinion was expressed by the Board of Trade after consultation with the arbitrator; and, if not, upon what grounds the Board of Trade base their variations of what appears to be the obvious meaning and intention of the award, namely, that it should apply to the whole of the general cargo work of Newport and to all the members of the unions who were parties to the submission to arbitration?

As the hon. Member is aware, serious rioting occurred at Newport on 18th May last in connection with the proposed substitution of day rates for piece rates of wages in the loading of Messrs. Houlder Brothers and Company's ship "Indian Transport." On Saturday, 21st May, at a conference presided over by the Mayor of Newport, at which an officer of the Board of Trade was present, an agreement was signed by which work was to be resumed, and the matter in dispute referred to arbitration. Messrs. Houlder Brothers, however, subsequently stated that they had not authorised the signing of the agreement on their behalf. The loading of their boat was not therefore proceeded with. Anticipating that further rioting might occur, and after consulting the Home Secretary, I invited representatives of Messrs. Houlder Brothers and Company, Limited, representatives of the workpeople concerned, and also representatives of the Corporation of Newport, to meet me at the Board of Trade on 26th May, to discuss the situation. As a result an agreement was signed by the representatives of the firm and of the men, referring the question in dispute to a Court of Arbitration, the two arbitrators to be nominated by the firm and workpeople respectively, and the chairman to be nominated by the Board of Trade. Other agreements were also signed by the representatives of the firm and the Corporation, referring certain questions of compensation for alleged loss sustained by the firm to the chairman of the Court of Arbitration. With regard to the question of costs, the Board of Trade have power to pay the expenses of the hire of rooms, the fees and expenses (within certain limits) of the arbitrators they appoint, the taking of shorthand notes, etc., but they have no authority to pay any expenses incurred by the parties in connection with the case. The question whether and, if sc, how far the award is binding on other parties outside those represented by the signatories to the agreement is not one of interpretation of the award, and has not, therefore, been referred to the arbitrator. The Board of Trade, in reply to a query raised by one of their officers, stated that they had no authority to decide the matter as a point of law, but that, though the arbitration proceeded on the general principle, the specific case on which the actual arbitration had been held was that of Messrs. Houlder and Company, with whom ths difficulty had occurred which gave rise to the arbitration. Messrs. Houlder alone signed the agreement and the reference, which did not purport to bind anyone else, and they alone as a firm appointed an arbitrator and alone appeared before the court. The Board further expressed the opinion that any question with other shipowners should be capable, in the event of difference occurring, of being subsequently raised if desired under Clause 3 of the agreement of 21st May, which was not affected by the later agreements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the quantity of pig-iron imported into this country in May, 1909, and May, 1910, respectively; whether he is aware that during the last two months there has been great dislocation in the iron trade resulting in many men working short time; whether this state of unemployment has been in any way due to dumping by foreign producers; and what number of furnaces have been blown out during the past month?

The total quantity of pig-iron imported into the United Kingdom in May last was 18,382 tons; the quantity in May, 1909, having been only 2,523 tons. The information in the possession of the Board of Trade is to the effect that employment in the pig-iron industry has been better in both April and May than a year ago. I am not aware that the practice of short time prevails in this industry. The returns received, relating to the works of 108 ironmasters and covering the great bulk of the trade, show that none of their furnaces were blown out in May, though one furnace was damped down in Lancashire. On the other hand, two furnaces (one in Yorkshire and one in Staffordshire) were relit during the month.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the increased duties placed upon black plates and galvanised sheets by the Swedish Government; if he is prepared to negotiate with the Swedish Government with the view of getting the increased duties abolished and for the black plates and galvanised sheets to be imported free of duty in the same manner as tin plates are at present; and if he will state what are the increased duties placed upon black plates and galvanised sheets?

The following is the statement to which Mr. BUXTON referred in the oral answer which he gave to the question on Thursday, 16th June.—[ See OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th June, 1910, col. 1447.] The following statement shows the proposed new Swedish Customs duties on black plates (Tariffs Nos. 693–698) and galvanised sheets (Tariff No. 700) as adopted by the Swedish Chambers. The present rates of duty are added for the purpose of comparison:—

Classification under Proposed Tariff. Rates of Duty. English Equivalents of Present. Proposed. Present Rates. Proposed Rates. Plates and sheets, cut or not: Kr. ore. Kr. ore. £ s. d. £ s. d. Not ground or polished, without coating of other metals or other surface-coating, not being cold-rolled, even if they are corrugated or have patterns rolled in on one side: 693. Of a thickness of 3 millimetres or more 100 kilogs. 3 00 100 kilogs. 3 50 Ton 1 13 10 Ton 1 19 6 694. Of a thickness less than 3 millimetres, but not less than 0.6 millimetres 100kilogs. 4 00 100kilogs. 4 50 Ton 2 5 2 Ton 2 10 10 695. Of a thickness less than 0.6 millimetres, but not less than 0.3 millimetres; also plates, all kinds, with varying degrees of hardness in their section (compound steel plates) 100 kilogs. 4 00 100 kilogs. 5 00 Ton 2 5 2 Ton 2 16 6 Of a thickness less than 0.3 millimetres 100 kilogs. 4 00 Free. Ton 2 5 2 Free. Ground, furnished with bright surface, free of oxide (cold rolled) or with dull surface free of oxide (pickled), or with reflecting film of oxide (so-called lustre plates) polished, painted, varnished, nickelled, lacquered, enamelled, bronzed, or with impressed patterns: 696. Of a thickness of 3 millimetres or more 100 kilogs 6 00* 100 kilogs. 6 00 Ton 3 7 10* Ton 3 7 10 697. Of a thickness of from 0.25 millimetres to 3 millimetres; also cold-rolled sheets less than 0.25 millimetres thick Free.† 100 kilogs. 7 00 Free.† Ton 3 19 0 698. Of a thickness less than 0.25 millimetres, other than cold-rolled Notes to Nos. 696–698:— Free. Free. 1. As cold-rolled plates and sheets shall be treated those which have received a surface coated with a thin film of oxide by annealing after cold-rolling. 2. A coating with oil, clearly intended only to protect sheets against rust, shall not be considered as painting or varnishing. 3. Sheets with impressed patterns present, in distinction to plates with patterns rolled in, projections or depressions on the back corresponding to the pattern. 699. Coated with pure tin or with tin containing lead 100 kilogs. 6 00‡ Free. Ton 3 7 10‡ Free. Free.§ Free.§ 700. Coated with non-precious metals other than those mentioned in Nos. 696–699 or alloys of them, even if corrugated 100 kilogs 6 00* 100 kilogs. 7 00 Ton 3 7 10* Ton 3 19 0 Free.† Free.† Note to Nos. 693–700:— The plates and sheets mentioned above when not cut rectangularly are subject to a surtax of 15 per cent, of the duty, if less than 7 millimetres thick. ║ * Of a thickness of ¼ millimetre and above. † Less than ½ millimetre in thickness. ‡ Coated with lead, ¼ millimetre thick or more. § Other. ║ No such surtax is at present levied.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the number and value of pianos, organs, harmoniums, and other musical instruments respectively imported into this country for each year from 1906 to 1909 inclusive; and also the number and value of such instruments imported in the same years from Germany alone?

The following statement gives the information desired. Statement showing the number and value of pianos, organs and harmoniums, and other musical instruments, and the value of musical instrument parts imported into the United Kingdom in each of the years from 1906 to 1909 inclusive, and also the number and value of such instruments and value of parts thereof consigned in the same years from Germany:— Imports from all Countries. Imports (consignments) from Germany Pianos— No. £ No. £ 1906 22,827 706,244 20,463 621,499 1907 22,101 677,405 20,319 615,414 1908 19,932 614,723 18,262 554,284 1909 18,687 569,250 16,961 505,083 *Organs and Harmonium;s— 1906 8,994 114,086 54 1,492 1907 7,618 100,843 66 1,542 1908 6,622 89,290 62 926 1909 4,979 65,731 41 909 Other Musical Instruments— 1906 371,979 97,075 330,701 57,714 1907 366,608 78,549 327,250 50,216 1908 390,120 72,200 355,625 48,270 1909 412,970 69,806 383,349 46,507 Musical Instruments parts — 1906 … 247,058 … 133,868 1907 … 277,006 … 129,615 1908 … 287,117 … 151,612 1909 … 247,623 … 119,778 * Organs cannot be distinguished from Harmoniums.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there are certain established officers certificated as postmen performing the duty of adult night messengers whose service is not recognised or reckoned towards good conduct stripes; is he aware that some of these officers have from ten to eighteen years' service; and, seeing that some adult night messengers do receive stripes, and that night duty is universally recognised as deserving of special consideration and treatment, he will grant to all adult night messengers certificated as postmen the privilege of having their service reckoned towards stripes, and thereby remove the friction which at present exists?

The Select Committee on Post Office Servants made a specific recommendation against the grant of stripe allowances to adult night messengers, and I am not prepared to depart from this recommendation.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what was the original purchase price of the Suez Canal shares owned by the British Government; what sum has been received in dividends for each of the last five years; and what is the total sum which has been received in dividends since the time of the original purchase?

supplied the following figures:— £ s. d The purchase money of the Suez Canal shares was 3,976,582 2 6 The amount received for interest and dividends during the last five years, to 1st January, inclusive, was— 1905–6 1,053,323 2 3 1906–7 1,054,027 17 1 1907–8 1,127,821 7 4 1908–9 1,058,374 0 2 1909–10 1,056,207 5 5 The total amount received for interest and dividends from 1st January, 1895, to 1st January, 1910, both inclusive, was 13,698,082 6 3 Up to 1st July, 1894, interest on the purchase money was paid by the Khedive of Egypt. The total amount so paid from the date of purchase, was 3,635,188 9 1

asked the Postmaster-General if he can state when it is proposed to give the House an opportunity of discussing the Post Office Estimates?

The Post Office Estimates will be taken next Thursday instead of the Irish Estimates which it was previously announced would come before the House on that day.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the increased arrears in the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice and to the adjournments of the assizes in different parts of the country in consequence of the large amount of work; and whether he will give facilities for the immediate taking of the remaining stages of the Supreme Court of Judicature Bill?

We are seeing whether steps cannot be taken to facilitate the passage of the Bill in question.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the case of Mrs. Quaid, of East Molesey, Surrey, who, after passing through the siege of Luck-now, and spending fifty-two years of her life in India as the wife and widow of a soldier, returned to England sixteen years ago on a pension of £26, but has been refused an old age pension on the ground that she has not resided for twenty years in the United Kingdom; and whether the Government will propose an Amendment to the Old Age Pensions Act which will provide a remedy for this and similar anomalies in the Act?

My attention has been called to the case. I have no doubt my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will consider any suggestions for the amendment of the Old Age Pensions Act which may be laid before him.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that on two occasions recently it has been found necessary to confiscate carcases of meat which were in a diseased condition on arrival at Finsbury, although in each case the label of the Dutch Government was attached; whether this label is supposed to be a guarantee that the meat is free from disease and fit for human consumption; whether these particulars have been submitted to Dr. Van Ryn, Netherlands Agricultural Commissioner for Great Britain and Ireland; and what steps will be taken in the matter by the Government?

I am aware of the facts referred to, and have been already in communication with Dr. Van Ryn, who has promised to make strict inquiry into the matter, in Holland, and to furnish me with the results of his inquiry.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he will state the amount of land taken under the Small Holdings Act and the number of small holders, and also the number of applicants, in the Gainsborough or West Lindsey division of Lincolnshire?

The amount of land taken under the Small Holdings Act is 230 acres, which is let to eight tenants. The number of applicants was originally ninety-six, of whom twenty-eight have either withdrawn their applications, or not been approved, or obtained land by private arrangement.

asked how many cases of anthrax there were in the British Isles in horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs respectively in the years 1908 and 1909; and also the same figures during the first five months of this year?

The subjoined Table gives the information for which the hon. Member asks:— Year. Cattle. Sheep. Swine. Horses. Total. 1908 1,107 34 220 58 1,419 1909 1,244 70 310 74 1,698 1909 685 15 119 38 857 (1st 5 m'ths)

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the Board have reason to believe that a large number of cases now being returned as anthrax are not, in fact, anthrax; if so, what diseases are being mistaken for anthrax; Whether the bacillus of anthrax is one particularly easy of identification by any duly qualified veterinary surgeon; and why the Board's veterinary advisers now despair of ever stamping out anthrax in this country?

The Board have reason to believe that a considerable proportion of the cases now returned as anthrax are not so in fact; but as in all cases where the cause of death is diagnosed as anthrax the animal's carcase is immediately destroyed, it is seldom possible to inquire fully into the cause of death. The bacillus of anthrax is easy to identify when present in fresh blood, but it is extremely difficult to exclude its presence when the animal has been dead for several hours. The Board have never expressed the opinion that anthrax could be stamped out; it can only be controlled.

asked how many cases of black scab in potatoes were reported to the Board during the year 1909?

The disease was reported from 531 parishes, of which 183 are in Cheshire, 100 in Staffordshire, and 86 in Lancashire.