asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that a main road in Ireland differs from a main road in England, in so far as half its cost is paid by the district and half by the county; whether the Irish main roads come under Clause 17 (3) of the Development and Road Improvement Act of 1909; and, if not, will he introduce an amending Bill which will bring Ireland within the scope of the Act?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As it is the county council who contract and pay for the maintenance of a high road, I think that the words in Section 17 (3) of the Development and Road Improvement Funds Act, 1909, cover a main road; but I may also point out that in any case the Sub-section does not restrict the class of road in respect of which giants, etc., may be made under the Act. The Road Board have power to make giants or loans in respect of the construction of a new road or the improvement of an existing road in Ireland, irrespective of the circumstance that expenses of maintaining the road are provided partly by a district and partly by a county. The Subsection relates only to the interpretation to be placed in Ireland on the term "a road vested in the highway authority" in Section 9 (1) (b) of the Act, which is used only in connection with the powers of a highway authority with respect to the repair of roads constructed by the Road Board.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in consideration of the long experience in Germany with regard to national systems of insurance, he will take steps to obtain for the information of hon. Members a translation of the Consolidated Bill introduced into the Bundesrath on 2nd April last embodying the laws now in operation in that country on this subject, with the addition of extensions and amendments?

I understand that the Bill in question is a very lengthy document of 1,750 clauses, the translation of which would involve much time and labour; and I think it would probably be desirable to wait until it has become law before considering the question of having a translation made.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whether the case of Felix Cassidy, of Conagher, Derrygonnelly, county Fermanagh, was specially investigated by the local pension officer and pension committee and his age ascertained as seventy, in January, 1910; why his application for a pension book has not been granted, as he was held to be fully qualified, and his claim was sent by the Derrygonnelly Post Office to Pension Officer Toal, of Ballyshannon; and will he also inquire into the very similar case of Rose M'Manus, of Braacle, Derrygonnelly, whose claim was allowed by the Local Government Board, but who has failed to get her pension book from the same pension officer?

As regards Felix Cassidy, a pension was provisionally allowed by the Committee on 18th December, 1908, to commence on 1st January, 1909; but, in the meantime, the officer had ascertained that, according to the Census record (one year and a half old in 1841), Cassidy had not yet attained the age of seventy. He raised a question accordingly on 31st December, 1908, and the grant of a pension was revoked by the Committee on 20th January, 1909. A book of pension orders was not delivered, as any pension drawn under the original grant would have been repayable under Section 9 (2) of the Old Age Pension Act. So far as can be ascertained, Cassidy has not again claimed a pension. As regards Rose McManus, the pension originally granted was revoked as the result of a question raised by the officer after she had drawn a sum of £11 5s., which constituted a debt due to the Crown under Section 9 (2), and accordingly, when a pension was again granted by the Local Government Board to commence on 1st April, 1910, a book of orders was withheld with a view to recovering the debt. In accordance with Treasury instructions given in accordance with my statement in the House of Commons on 28th April last, a book of orders has now been delivered, the first order being made payable for 29th April. 1910.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state what evidence the senior inspector in charge of Currie (No. 2) Girls' School, Belfast, had for stating that his predecessor had reported the violation of the Commissioners' rule, as was stated in the reply to the hon. Member for East Kerry on 27th May, 1909; who was the predecessor referred to; what was the date of his Report of the breach of the rule; why was no action taken in the Education Office on receipt of this Report; who was the official who neglected his duty in this case; and whether he can further state why the senior inspector did not do his duty in this case, even if his predecessor's Report had not been acted on?

Mr. Dewar, the Senior Inspector in question, when asked why he did not report the breach of the rules, to which the hon. Member refers, stated that he found on inquiry from the manager that it had been reported by one of his predecessors, Mr. Pedlow. This being so, he did not think it necessary to report it again. The records of the Education Office do not show why action was not taken on Mr. Pedlow's report, or who was responsible for the failure to take action. The matter was settled in 1907 by the resignation of the manager who was a relative of the teacher.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in the matter of the estate of James Jocelyn Boyde, situate at Rosslare, in the county of Wexford (No. E. C. 3,863), the originating application for the sale to the tenants under the Land Purchase Acts was lodged in May, 1906, and the agreements signed by the tenants and the owners were also lodged so far back as May, 1906; whether all the proceedings necessary to be taken for the sale, including the official survey and mapping of the estates by the Estates Commissioners, have all been gone through; and, if so, will the final inspection of the estate take place at once, having regard to the fact that the agreements were lodged over four years ago, and that everything connected with the sale of the estate to the tenants has otherwise been done in proper form?

The originating application and sixty of the purchase agreements in this case were lodged in May, 1906. The estate will be dealt with in its order of priority on the principal register of direct sales as provided by the regulations of February last. Its turn will not come for a considerable time.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the difference of hour between the winter routine and the summer routine in the Royal Navy; when the alterations from each to the other take place; and what arrangements have been made or are proposed to be made in the hours of the clerical staff of the Admiralty with a view to the better use of daylight?

There is no difference in routine except as regards the hour of hoisting the ensign, which from 25th March to 20th September inclusive is 8 a.m.. and from 21st September to 24th March inclusive is 9 a.m. There is no change proposed. Arrangements have been authorised for a percentage of the clerical staff of the Admiralty Departments to come an hour earlier in the morning and to leave an hour earlier in the afternoon during the summer months, but that only partial advantage has been taken of this concession.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the Report upon the Medical Department of the Navy will be presented to the House?

There are financial considerations involved which the Admiralty cannot settle without further authority. When this has been obtained it is hoped at no distant date that the preparation of a Blue Book, containing such portions of the Report as can properly be published, will be proceeded with.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether leading carpenters' crews who have passed for shipwright cannot attain that rating for years, although these men are continually recommended by their captains for advancement; whether he is aware that leading carpenters' crews can only become petty officers through the shipwright rating; and whether he can see his way to remedying this state of affairs?

The replies to the first and second parts of the question are in the affirmative. With regard to the third part, in common with other artisan classes, leading carpenters' crews and carpenters' crews have suffered from a temporary block in promotion owing to the numbers in the higher grade being in excess of requirements. Their position in the matter of advancement is considered periodically, and such steps are taken to accelerate promotion as are practicable with due regard to service requirements. Orders have recently been given for the special advancement to higher grade of such of these ratings as have over eight years' service in their present grade and are qualified for such advancement, provided they can show an unbroken "very good" record both for character and ability.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that ships' stewards' assistants and writers other than chief writers, who are granted honorary good conduct badges and have to wear them, have to pay for the badges but receive no badge pay as is the case with men of other ratings who wear badges; whether he is aware that these honorary good conduct badges are worn in the case of writers for nine years, and in the case of ships' stewards' assistants for about six years; whether he is aware that naval schoolmasters, engine-room artificers, and electricians, though granted honorary good conduct badges, do not have to wear them, therefore are saved the expense of buying them; and whether he can see his way to alter this state of affairs?

The answers to the first, second, and third parts of the question are in the affirmative. As regards the fourth part, no reason is seen for altering the character of the badge in the case of ships' stewards' assistants and writers, and it is presumed that they would still prefer to wear the badges than be deprived of them altogether.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the shearing and punching machine in a reserve shop in Portsmouth Dockyard known as Boiler Shop West broke down in November last; whether at the present time the work of shearing and punching plates has to be done by hand, or plates taken to a machine which is fifteen minutes' walk from the Boiler Shop West; whether the men employed in this boiler shop have to carry out repairs to torpedo-boat destroyers, torpedo boats, and other small craft; and whether, looking to the waste of time caused through not being able to shear and punch plates in the Boiler Shop West, he can see his way to remedying this state of affairs?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The machine referred to has been repaired and is now running on light work; no heavy work is done in this shop, and work for torpedo-boat destroyers and other light craft which is beyond the resources of Boiler Shop West is sent direct to the main boiler shop. The men employed in this shop are engaged on repairs to torpedo boat destroyers and other small craft. It is not considered that any serious waste of time has occurred through the breakdown of this machine, having regard to the arrangements made to send certain work to the main boiler shop, but at times this has caused inconvenience.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the War-Office has acquired, or is about to acquire, the lands of Mount William, situate near Athlone, for military purposes; and whether, in view of the fact that this land is urgently needed for the enlargement of uneconomic holdings in its immediate vicinity, and that the people concerned have been agitating for its acquisition for a considerable time past, he will take such steps as are necessary to prevent the military authorities from taking away this land from a purpose so necessary and so useful to the locality?

The War Department is arranging for a ten years' lease of the land in question, and, pending completion of the agreement, has taken possession. As regards the rest of the question, no representations on these matters have reached the War Office.

asked the Home Secretary if he will take steps to delete the description pauper patients from the notices of death sent out from county asylums, having regard to the feelings of the relatives, and to the fact that in a number of such cases the full amount demanded by the guardians for the maintenance of the patient is repaid by the relatives or friends or out of moneys belonging to the patient?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for the Reigate Division on Monday last.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received a resolution passed at a public meeting on the 6th June and forwarded to him by the Judicial Injustice Redress Society, asking for an inquiry into certain cases in which grave miscarriages of justice are alleged to have taken place; and what steps he intends to take in connection therewith?

I have received the resolution mentioned by my hon. Friend, which asks in general terms for an "inquiry into the working of our legal system," but do not find in it sufficient ground for any special action on my part.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the death on Friday last at Wellingborough, of Thomas Forman, from anthrax, by handling hides in the course of his employment; whether he is aware that this is the third death from this cause at Wellingborough in the past few years; whether he has directed a Home Office inspector to attend the inquest on Thomas Forman, and whether he will cause a thorough investigation to be made of all the circumstances with a view to still further precautions against infection being enforced under the Home Office regulations?

The case has been reported to the Department. Two fatal cases have occurred previously at these works, one in 1905 and one in 1906. A full investigation will be made into the circumstances.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that, up to 4th May last, sixty-one accidents, fatal and otherwise, had occurred at Messrs. Waring White's building job at the Automobile Club, Pall Mall, and at the alterations that are taking place at the British Museum twenty-nine accidents have occurred; and if he is prepared to appoint practical building inspectors with a view to minimising the number of accidents that take place at building jobs in different parts of the country?

The importable accidents known to the Department which have occurred on the building operations for the Automobile Club down to the middle of the month have been thirty, of which one was fatal, eight were severe, and the rest slight. The numbers employed have risen from 190 last October to 565 at the present time. The number of report-able accidents known to the Department on the British Museum extension have been six, of which five were severe. In almost all cases the accidents were due to causes not covered by any statutory provisions of the existing law. The question of building accidents has been considered by a Departmental Committee, and a Bill has been introduced during the last two Sessions which would enable the Department to carry out the recommendations of the Committee, and would also make provision for the inspection of building operations. I am afraid that until the Bill passes the Department cannot do more than is being done at present, but I have given instructions for special attention to be paid to the Automobile Club Buildings.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the foghorns on the estuary of the Clyde are so arranged that those furthest out to sea give the fewest blasts per minute, whereas those in the very narrow waters give the greatest number of blasts, that at the Cloch Lighthouse giving eight blasts per minute; whether the usual practice is that the wider the waters the more frequent should be the blasts; if so, will he say who was responsible for this system being adopted on the Clyde; and will he bring pressure to bear to have the system altered?

I have communicated with the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, who state that the answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and that so far as they are aware, it is not the usual practice for the blasts of fog signals to be more frequent in wide than in narrow waters. They state that the intervals of sounds should be as short as possible, but in the case of the powerful signals required in wide waters, it is impracticable to sound at very short intervals, owing to the great quantity of air required for each blast. In the Commissioners' opinion, the narrower the waters the more frequent should be the blasts. The fog signals at Cumbrae, Toward Point, and the Cloch were established by the Clyde Lighthouses Trustees, with the sanction of the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses. The fog signals at Holy Island, Pladda, Sanda, and Ailsa Craig were established by the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Declaration of London, 1909, has not yet ratified by any of the signatories; and, if so, by which?

The Declaration has not yet been ratified by any Power.

asked when the practice of reserving a proportion of the appointments as postmen and porters for ex-sailors and ex-soldiers was first introduced; and whether he would state if such reservation was made at the request of the Admiralty and the War Office?

The practice of reserving half the appointments as postmen and porters for ex-soldiers and ex-sailors was first introduced in 1897 at the request of the War Office, acting on a recommendation of a Select Committee of the House of Commons.

asked the Postmaster General if he would state the number of telegraph messengers employed in the London service in the years 1897 to 1910, respectively; and the number of lads who left the service on reaching the age limit, for whom no other employment could be found in the Post Office, in each year?

The figures asked for are not available for the earlier years; for the years since 1906 they are as follows:— Year ended 31st March. Number of Boy-messengers employed in London. Number of those who left at 16 years of age for whom no other employment could be found in the Post Office. 1907 3.970 692 1908 3,861 743 1909 3,945 921 1910 3,841 1.000

The effects of the arrangements for filling half the vacancies for postmen and porters by ex-soldiers and ex-sailors and for discharging the Boy Messengers for whom no employment can be found in the Post Office at the age of sixteen were not fully felt in London prior to the year 1907. The number of Boy Messengers retained at the age of sixteen has been the same in each of the four years included in the table; the gradual increase in the number of boys discharged is attributable to a decrease in the average period of service which renders changes more frequent.

asked the hon. Member for the Stroud Division, as representing the Charity Commissioners, what steps are taken by the Charity Commissioners to ascertain whether the trustees of charities comply with the statutory obligation to render yearly accounts; how many cases of neglect to render accounts have been discovered during the five years ended 31st December last; and how many cases of doubtful payments were investigated during the same period?

A register is kept of all the charities the trustees of which are required by law to render accounts to the Commissioners, and circular letters are sent from time to time to trustees who are in arrear reminding them of their obligation. For the year ending 25th March, 1909, the number of accounts received was 35,532, and the number received which were in arrear was 21,275. The corresponding numbers for the four previous years were as follows:— 1908 32,678 24,178 1907 30,579 19,877 1906 31,049 19,422 1905 29,667 20,829

Cases of doubtful payments arise and are investigated in the course of the proceedings for the establishment of schemes, appointment of trustees, expenditure of funds, and other matters, but statistics are not available for supplying the number of these cases, no separate register being kept of such investigation.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he will make arrangements for the opening of a larger number of windows in the House and Lobbies to secure the possibility of fresh air occasionally entering the House?

In very hot weather I occasionally open windows in view of the moral effect produced on some Members.

— Apprehensions in Year 1908. Apprehensions in Year 1909. Decrease in Apprehensions in Year 1909. COUNTIES OF CITIES— M. F. M. F. M. F. Glasgow … … … 14,793 6,024 10,788 4,555 4,005 1,469 Edinburgh … … … 4,814 2,533 3,629 1,912 1,185 621 Dundee … … … 2,141 1,128 1,259 791 882 337 Aberdeen … … … 1,229 296 958 284 271 12 22,977 9,981 16,634 7,542 6,343 2,439 32,958 24,176 8,782 = 26½ % BURGHS other than Counties of Cities … … … 14,635 4,062 10,778 2,835 3,857 1,227 18,697 13,613 5,084 = 27 % Total of Counties of Cities and Burghs … … 37,612 14,043 27,412 10,377 10,200 3,666 51,655 37,789 13,866 = 26⅞% COUNTIES— Landward Part … … 2,862 582 2,333 457 529 125 3,444 2,790 654=19%

I regret to say, however, that this is very destructive of the efficient and healthy ventilation of the House, and I hope, therefore, I shall not be asked often for this indulgence.

asked the Lord Advocate if he will state the number of persons apprehended for drunkenness in Scotland in the year 1908, and the total decrease of the number apprehended in cities and burghs, and in counties, during the year 1909 as compared with 1908?

The figures are as follows: Table showing (a) The number of persons apprehended in Scotland for drunkenness in the years 1908 and 1909; and (6) The decrease of drunkenness in the year 1909, as compared with apprehensions for the year 1908. Note.—The figures represent the apprehensions for the following offences: (1) Habitual drunkenness; (2) Drunk and drunk and incapable; (3) Drunk and disorderly; (4) Drunk in charge of child, horse, carriage, etc., etc.; (5) Drunk or drinking in a shebeen; (6) Disorderly on licensed premises or refusing to quit.