asked the Secretary to the Treasury what number of shares are now held by the British Government in the Suez Canal Company; and what is the total value of such shares?

The present holding of His Majesty's Government in the Suez Canal Company is:— Capital Shares … 168,598 Actions de Jouissance … 8,004

The market value of these securities on 31st March last was £35,295,000.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many justices of the peace for the county of Kerry there are who have never taken the oaths prescribed by the Promissory Oaths Act, 1868; and, if there are any, whether he will give their names, addresses, and dates of appointment?

I am informed that two gentlemen who were appointed to the Commission of the Peace for county Kerry have not, so far as has been ascertained, either taken the magisterial oaths or acted in their capacity as magistrates. I do not see that any useful object would be served in giving the information asked for in the concluding portion of the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the excellent management and influence of the great friendly societies, he will consider the advisability, in connection with proposals for legislation with regard to State insurance, of retaining intact the voluntary basis on which the finances of such societies are now conducted?

I am most anxious, as I have explained on several occasions, that the scheme to be proposed by the Government should involve as little disturbance as possible of the existing methods of the great friendly societies, and I have kept, and shall continue to keep, this object steadily in view in framing my proposals.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that all Scottish education authorities have the power to superannuate their attendance officers; and, seeing that the English and Welsh education authorities have not this power. Whether he can see his way to remove [...]ifference?

I understand that the Scotch school boards have powers of the character referred to. I am afraid that I cannot undertake to introduce the legislation which would be necessary to confer similar powers on local education authorities in England and Wales.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in the West Cumberland district of the London and North-Western Railway locomotive men are not allowed sufficient stores for their engines and in-sufficient time to get their engines ready before starting with trains; and, having regard to the fact that this economy of both time and stores is calculated to destroy the confidence required by engine-drivers and firemen to enable them to perform their responsible duties to the satisfaction of the company and the safety of the travelling public, what action he proposes to take?

I invited the London and North-Western Railway Company's observations on my hon. Friend's question, and they inform me that they have no knowledge of any representations having been made to them with regard to these matters. They add:—Drivers in the West Cumberland district are treated exactly the same as those on other sections of the London and North-Western Railway. It is a very small district in which no express trains and no large modern types of engines are run. Sufficient supplies of oil and other stores are issued, otherwise this failure would be shown by an increased number of engines having to be treated for hot bearings; whereas the fact is that, in this particular district, the number is below normal. Ample time is allowed the drivers to get their engines ready, and practically no alteration has been made in this respect in the district for a number of years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many emigrants of Scottish nationality have sailed from Scottish ports for Canada, for other British dominions, and for Foreign countries, for the first six months of each of the last ten years, with the corresponding figures for the first six months of the present year; (2) what were the numbers of emigrants of British nationality sailing from British ports to Canada, to other British dominions, and to foreign countries for the first six months of the year 1908, of the year 1909, and of the present year, respectively?

The records available do not distinguish emigrants (that is, persons departing to establish a permanent residence in another country) from other passengers. The following statements contain such particulars as are available:—

Statement showing the number of passengers of British nationality (including cabin passengers) who departed from and arrived at ports in the United Kingdom for or from non-European countries, during the six months, January to June, in each of the years 1908, 1909, and 1910:—

Six Months January to June. Number Outward to Number Inward from British North America. Other British Dominions. Non-European Foreign Countries. British North America. Other British Dominions. Non-European Foreign Countries. 1908 … … 49,097 25,414 53,904 14,254 32,529 42,770 1909 … … 43,930 30,996 58,361 11,933 30,450 32,702 1910 … … 86,607 33,650 72,770 13,546 30,181 35,405

Statement showing the number of Scottish passengers (including cabin passengers) who departed from and arrived at Ports in Scotland for or from non-European Countries, during the six months January to June of each of the years 1900–1910. Six Months January to June. Number Outward to Number Inward from British North America. Other British Dominions. Non-European Foreign Countries. British North America. Other British Dominions. Non-European Foreign Countries. 1900 … … 524 30 3,010 25 8 1,324 1901 … … 558 20 2,700 34 … 1,313 1902 … … 1,466 12 3,623 77 … 1,199 1903 … … 4,849 20 4,561 135 … 1,206 1904 … … 6,081 … 4,880 155 … 1,294 1905 … … 6,986 3 6,367 224 … 1,653 1906 … … 11,662 2 9,418 333 … 1,645 1907 … … 18,201 3 11,097 564 … 2,220 1908 … … 7,780 21 4,804 798 4 2,759 1909 … … 7,832 15 8,458 632 … 1,744 1910 … … 17,499 32 12,306 582 10 2,125

These Statements relate to the numbers departing directly for or arriving directly from the countries specified; it is impossible to state the numbers travelling by indirect routes.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been directed to the circumstances attending the election of parish councillors for the parish of Aspeden, in

the county of Herts, on 14th March of this year; whether the chairman put the names of the candidates to the meeting not in alphabetical order; whether the chairman declined to grant a poll, although the same was demanded by five parish electors, and declared the six candidates who received the highest number of votes at the said meeting duly elected as parish councillors; and, if so, whether the Local Government Board proposes to take steps to ensure that the orders of the Board governing such elections shall be duly carried out in the future?

I have communicated with the clerk to the parish council in the matter. I understand that in one case the name of the candidate was by accident not put to the meeting in its alphabetical order. As regards the demand for a poll, I am not prepared, on the information before me, to say whether the chairman was justified in refusing his assent. With respect to the last part of the question, I may point out that the validity of the proceedings in a case of this kind may be questioned by an election petition.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will direct an inquiry to be made at once into the application of the Redcar Urban District Council for permission to borrow £1,000 for a shelter scheme, in view of the need for the provision of shelter in the district?

I am at present awaiting the plans and other details which the Urban District Council were asked to supply in respect of this application on 27th January last. In the absence of these particulars I am afraid it is impossible to proceed with the consideration of the application.

asked the Lord Advocate if he can say what has been the

Secondary Education Committee. School. Number of Children. Grant under Section 17 (1) or (4) (a) Education (Scotland)Act,1908. £ s. d. Edinburgh Burgh (£40 17s. 8d.) Edinburgh Royal High School 2 20 0 2 Edinburgh Geo. Heriot's School 2 18 9 10 Edinburgh Geo. Watson's Boys' College 1 2 7 8 Glasgow Burgh (£2,660 3s.) Glasgow, High School 99 471 1 6 Glasgow, High School for Girls 111 201 13 0 Glasgow, John Street, Bridgeton, Higher Grade Public School 47 318 8 6 Glasgow, Kent Road H.G.P.S. 1 4 16 8 Glasgow, Provanside H.G.P.S. 169 104 7 6 Glasgow, Whitehill H.G.P.S. 140 526 15 0 Glasgow, Woodside H.G.P.S. 27 110 5 0 Glasgow, Hutcheson's Boys' Grammar School 51 517 13 0 Glasgow, Hutcheson's Girls' Grammar School 33 263 14 6 Glasgow, St. Aloysius College 24 20 0 0 Glasgow, Garnethill Convent Higher Grade Roman Catholic School 3 14 5 9 Glasgow, Our Lady and St. Francis H.G.R.C.S. 48 46 19 3 Glasgow, St. Mungo's Academy H.G.R.C.S. 40 60 3 4 Govan Parish (£321 6s. 8d.) Govan, Hillhead School 60 286 5 0 Govan, Bellahouston Academy H.G.P.S. 1 6 2 2 Govan, Pollockshields, Albert Road H.G.P.S. 1 8 13 3 Govan, Dowanhill Practising H.G.R.C.S. 15 20 6 3 Ayr County (£2 2s. 6d.) Kilmarnock Academy 1 2 2 6 Dumbarton County (£3 19s. 4d.) Lenzie Academy H.G.P.S. 1 3 19 4 Edinburgh County (£2 12s. 10d.) West Calder H.G.P.S. 1 2 12 10 Linlithgow County (£9 2s. 4d.) Bathgate Academy H.G.S. 4 9 2 4 Renfrew County (£51 9s. 4d.) Cathcart, Queen's Park H.G.P.S. 8 51 9 4 Total 736 3,091 13 8

natural increase of the population of Scotland by the excess of births over deaths during the first six months of the present year?

Births registered in Scotland during the period referred to by my hon. Friend numbered 64,233, deaths registered numbered 39,194, and thus the excess of births registered over deaths registered was 25,039.

asked the Lord Advocate what were the amounts of the payments by Lanarkshire to the various outside education committees for secondary education, giving the payments to each different county in detail, and the number of children thus paid for?

The following table gives the particulars desired:—

asked the Lord Advocate why Aberdeen county should be allowed to spend 87 per cent. of its allocation of the district education funds under Section 16 (2) of the Act on secondary education and other subsidiary objects, while only spending 13 per cent. on the relief of rates on elementary education, whereas the burgh of Glasgow, with a Grant almost similar in amount on the actual average attendance in State-aided schools, spends only 6 per cent. of it on secondary education, and 94 per cent. on the relief of rates; under what section of the 1908 Act is such a disproportionate expenditure allowed, and what are the details of this in these two cases?

The allocation of the District Fund under Section 16 (2) of the Act is primarily a matter for the Secondary Education Committee of the district. The necessities of the various districts as regards the provision of secondary education, bursaries, etc., vary greatly, and if the Committee are of opinion that it is expedient to spend a greater proportion of their funds upon secondary education, etc., and less upon the relief of rates, that is a matter of local concern with which the school boards, who are strongly represented on the Secondary Education Committees, may be left to deal. As a matter of fact, notwithstanding the immensely greater proportion of the fund spent in relief of rates in Glasgow, there is reason to believe that the resulting school rate in Glasgow will be higher than the average rate in Aberdeenshire. Details of the expenditure of each district fund under the various heads are given in the recently-published Report of the Department for 1909–10 (Cd. 5252).

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Government of Brazil has agreed, or is about to agree, to give American manufacturers of cement a considerable preference over manufacturers in Great Britain; and whether he has any power under our present Free Trade system of compelling the Brazilian Government to treat our manufacturers fairly?

I must refer the hon. Member to the reply on this subject to a question put by the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Hamilton Benn) on the 21st instant. [OFFICIAL REPORT, 21st July, 1910, col. 1433–1435.]

asked the Postmaster-General whether, having regard to the fact that the Post Office is bound under the Universal Post Convention, in the case of foreign mails arriving in the United Kingdom, to forward them by the most rapid routes, this obligation extends to mails despatched from Great Britain; if so, why are the outward mails to New York delayed by calling at Queenstown on Thursdays and Sundays; whether his attention has been called to the fact that these calls at Queenstown cause delay in the arrival at New York and in the delivery of the mails to inland places in the United States; and, seeing that when the Cunard steamers "Mauretania" and "Lusitania" are the mail vessels the mails cannot arrive in New York on Thursdays in time to be sent forward the same night, thus causing a delay of twenty-four hours in the case of many cities and towns, so that instead of it being possible to post replies on Friday in time for the Saturday eastward mail letters cannot be despatched until the following Tuesday, whether he will take steps to prevent the delay thus caused?

Under the Convention of the Universal Postal Union each administration is bound to forward mails of foreign origin by the most rapid routes at its disposal for its own mails. This obligation has always been discharged by the Post Office of the United Kingdom. A considerable proportion of the mails of foreign origin sent to the United States of America in transit through this country is sent with the express object of securing embarkation on the packets at Queenstown; and in the present circumstances the omission of the call at that port on the outward voyage would involve a considerable curtailment of the facilities for late posting at present enjoyed by the public in many continental countries as well as in the United Kingdom. In other words, while omission of the Queenstown call would no doubt result in the earlier arrival of the packets in New York, a portion of the correspondence now conveyed would be excluded from the mails; and the balance of advantage rests with the existing arrangements.