asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a member of the British Embassy was allowed to be present at the trial of Dr. Kotoku and his wife in Tokio; whether such a person was actually present; and whether, in view of the importance of the maintenance of friendly relations and mutual respect between England and Japan, he will instruct His Majesty's representative to send home a full memorandum on this trial?

On a point of Order. May I ask you, Mr. Speaker, whether it is in order to put down questions referring to trials in a foreign State?

I do not see any objection. The point is whether a member of the British Embassy was present, and it seems to me a proper question.

It is the innuendo in the question which so far as I can see makes it objectionable.

The Minister answering is not obliged to reply if he does not wish to do so.

The proceedings were, in accordance with the provisions of the Japanese criminal law on the point, conducted partially in private, but through the courtesy of the Japanese Government representatives of foreign Governments were permitted to be present. Mr. Rumbold, the Councillor of His Majesty's Embassy, and Mr. Hobart-Hampden, the Japanese Secretary, availed themselves of this permission, and in describing the proceedings, have specially remarked upon the dignified manner in which they were conducted, and the absolute fairness displayed towards the accused, who were properly and ably defended by most competent counsel. Neither Mr. Kotoku nor his confederate, Miss Suga Kanno, who was not his wife, was a British subject, and in these circumstances there appears to be no ground for calling for an official report on the matter, which has, moreover, been publicly dealt with in the English Press in Japan.

May I ask the hon. Gentleman whether Mr. Rumbold was present at all the sittings of the Court, or only when the judgment was delivered?

I cannot say how many hours Mr. Rumbold was present.

Will you call for a report?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether he had received resolutions from public meetings and organisations protesting against the methods adopted at the trial of Dr. Kotoku and the twenty-six comrades, who were charged with being concerned in a plot for the assassination of the Emperor of Japan; whether he had communicated these to the Japanese Government; and whether he had received any response?

The answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. As I have to-day informed the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Mr. Kotoku was not a British subject, neither were his twenty-six comrades. There is therefore no occasion for communicating these resolutions to the Japanese Government.

May I ask whether any harm will accrue to the Government sending on those communications to the Japanese Government as indicating the state of public opinion in this country on the trial?

Yes, it would be an unprecedented and an unfortunate course.

asked the Under Secretary of State for India whether he had any official information showing that, since the conclusion of the agreement between the Indian and Chinese Governments to restrict the importation of opium into China, the revenue of the Indian Government from that opium traffic has shown an increase; if so, to what causes such an increase is due; and can he supply the necessary facts and figures on the subject?

The net opium revenue of the Indian Government before and after the agreement with China has been as follows: In 1906–7, the year before the agreement took effect, it was £3,747,236, In 1907–8, 1908–9, 1909–10, it was respectively £3,575,545, £4,648,700, £4,418,200. For the current year the Budget Estimate was for a revenue of £3,553,700, but this estimate will probably be greatly exceeded. The explanation of such increases in revenue as have been or may be realised is to be found in the inflation of prices and reduction of expenditure which normally accompany a restriction of supply.

asked the Sectary of State for War, whether he will consider the advisability of fixing an age limit for retirement of warrant officers in the Royal Garrison Artillery so as to ensure a continuous flow of promotion in the ranks of non-commissioned officers?

If the hon. Member will kindly refer to Articles 711 and 712 of the Royal Warrant for Pay, etc., he will find the age limit laid down for retirement of warrant officers of the Royal Garrison Artillery, which is included in that laid down for the retirement of warrant officers of all arms.

Might I ask if that is an earlier age of retirement than for the rest of the force?

No, the age is that laid down generally for the whole force.

asked whether temporary surveyors' clerks (first class) are now employed at Colchester, Woolwich, Dover, Chatham, Shoeburyness, and Sheerness; whether it was intended to replace them by clerks (second class); and whether the duties to be performed by the clerks (second class) would be precisely similar to those now performed by the clerks (first class)?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the last part, the answer is in the negative.

also asked the Secretary for War whether he was aware that the temporary surveyors' clerks (first class) originally entered the service upon the terms of Pay Warrant Article 402; whether notice terminating their employment had been given to nearly all, or to how many, clerks (first class), and what was the average length of their service in such position; whether such clerks had been offered the position of clerks (second class) with a reduced pay not to exceed 7s. 6d. a day in lieu of the 10s. or higher pay per day they are now receiving; and whether, having regard to their length of service and the condiditions of the pay warrant under which they entered the service, he would continue to employ the clerks (first class) now serving at the same rate of pay as they at present enjoy?

Notice was given in October last to terminate the service of twenty-two of these clerks at the end of March, in consequence of administrative changes which have reduced the importance of the work to be done to that of the second class. I trust that the hon. Member will not press me to retain these men indefinitely at rates of pay which their work will no longer justify.

May I press for an answer to the last part of my question, whether, having regard to their length of service and the conditions of the pay warrant under which they entered the service, he will continue to employ the clerks (first class) now serving at the same rate of pay as they at present enjoy?

No, these officers are not on the establishment, and have no contract rights. They might be employed by private firms on the same footing, and consequently we should not be justified in continuing their employment.

Are these clerks temporary clerks?

They are in the sense-that clerks who are employed by private firms are temporary clerks.

Have not some of them been employed for ten to fifteen years?

I cannot say without inquiring into the matter.

Are not higher rates paid by private firms?

I would point out that there are a large number of questions on the Paper.

asked the number and composition of the Small Arms Committee, the scope of its duties, and the number of meetings it had held during the year 1910?

The Small Arms Committee consists of a president, six members, one associate member, and a secretary. It is a purely consultative committee, appointed to assist the Master General of Ordnance by its opinions and' advice in dealing with questions of armament, of patterns, of inventions and designs in connection with small arms. Its deliberations are confined to such questions as are referred to it. The number of meetings held in 1910 was eleven.

Are there any specific occasions on which this committee meets?

They are called together whenever the President deems it necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for War, whether he would consider the matter of granting pensions to masters and first engineers of the War Department vessels; and whether he was aware of the duties required of these men, often involving great personal risk, that their length of service ranges from twenty to forty years, and that their duties render them liable to calls any and every day and night throughout the year?

This question has been fully considered, and it is regretted that it has not been found practicable to make these classes pensionable.

asked what is the present shortage of officers, respectively, in the Regular Army, the Special Reserve, and the Territorial Forces?

The shortages on the Establishment are as follows:—

Regular Army	154
Special Reserve	1,198
Territorial Force	1,519

In the Regular Army ninety-five vacancies are in the Infantry, for which candidates are now available.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider that a shortage of nearly 3,000 officers is a serious danger to the country?

No doubt every step is being taken to make it up. There always has been a shortage in the Establishment on these services and we are endeavouring to get rid of——

Is not the shortage growing larger?

I appeal to hon. Members to consider those who come later on the list and not so to take up the time of the House as to make it impossible for them to put their questions.

asked whether the book entitled "Compulsory Service," written by General Sir Ian Hamilton and prefaced by an introduction by the Secretary of State for War, is in any sense an official work, or whether it is to be considered as merely expressing the personal views of the writers; and whether the permission granted to General Sir Ian Hamilton to publicly express his opinions upon controversial questions of military organisation will be extended to other officers on the active list who may hold views divergent from his and who may also wish to lay them before the country?

The work in question is not an official publication. It was originally prepared by Sir Ian Hamilton as a memorandum containing his personal views for my private information, and subsequently I decided, with his concurrence, that it would be in the public interest to have the document published. As regards the last part of the question, this matter is governed by the King's Regulations, by which sanction may be given to an officer on the active list to make a communication to the Press if he previously submits the manuscript to the War Office for approval.

Is it in the public interest to take exceptional steps to publish ex parte statements on a highly controversial question while making it practically impossible for the other side of the case to be stated by officers of equal rank?

I am absolutely certain that the amount of fiction abroad and in various works on this subject makes it enormously desirable that the facts should be placed before the public.

Do the other officers on the Army Council hold the same view as the late Adjutant-General?

Even if I knew I should not answer the question unless with their consent, but I have abstained from endeavouring to interrogate the consciences of the people in their private capacity.

asked Mr. Attorney-General whether any decision has yet been arrived at in regard to the appointment of official shorthand writers in the High Courts of Justice?

The answer is in the negative.

asked Mr. Attorney-General, with regard to the case tried in the Leominster County Court on 18th July last, when a plaintiff named Dockett, who in his evidence described himself as the political agent for the last five and a half years of the Liberal candidate, sued certain electors of the Leominster Division for the repayment of loans made to them by himself, whether, in view of the judgment of the learned county court judge dismissing the case, in which he held that the object of these loans was partly, if not entirely, to influence the votes of the defendants at the General Election in January, 1910, and that the consideration for such loans was illegal and therefore irrecoverable, and that it was doubtful if these loans were ever intended to be enforced if the election had resulted otherwise, now that the judgment has been sustained on appeal, he has drawn the attention of the Public Prosecutor to the case with a view to further inquiry?

Having regard to the result of the appeal in this case, I have instructed the Director of Public Prosecution to make a further and full inquiry into the whole matter.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether (1) with reference to the evasion of death duties, any steps could be taken to secure a declaration from the survivor or survivors, on the transference of the stock to the survivor of any deceased trustee, that the deceased received no personal benefit under the trust, and that the trust was exclusively for the benefit of others; and (2) whether any steps could be taken by Somerset House to cause bankers in England to follow the Scottish practice, whereby the bankers of a deceased person only hand over his securities to the executors of the deceased on receipt of the inventory as passed by Somerset House, thereby obtaining a full declaration of the deceased's securities and an honest payment of death duties?

I fear it would not be possible to propose legislation on the lines indicated at the present time.

asked the number of pensions paid, and the amount thereof, to January 1911, to persons who, on 31st December, 1910, were in receipt of parish relief, indoor or outdoor, in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, respectively?

I regret that the information desired cannot be given. The number of persons, previously disqualified by the receipt of poor relief, who were awarded pensions payable as from the first Friday in the New Year (January 6th) was as follows:—

England and Wales	135,385
Scotland	10,474
Ireland	17,306
Total	163,165

But these figures include all persons who had received poor relief at any time since 1st January, 1908; and I have no means of distinguishing those who were actually in receipt of poor relief on 31st December, 1910. Even if the number of the latter class were known, it would be impossible to state how many of them actually drew pensions in January, or how much was paid to them.

asked what are the administrative difficulties in having deeds accepted for adjudication at all Government stamp offices in Ireland; and if in securing adjudication stamping in Great Britain abstracts or duplicate deeds have to be lodged?

With regard to the first part of the question, I beg to refer the hon. Member to the written answer on this point given to the hon. Member for North-East Cork yesterday. The reply to the second part of the question is in the affirmative, except in the case of transfers of stock, etc.

asked how many copies of the Parliament Bill had been sold by His Majesty's Stationery Office to the public to the present time?

Three thousand two hundred and ninety-six copies of the Parliament Bill have been sold to the public to the present time.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he would grant the Return as to Imperial Revenue and Expenditure standing in the name of the Member for Central Sheffield?

The information required by the hon. Member will be found, as regards England, Scotland, Ireland, in House of Commons papers 233 and 234 of 1910, the latter of which covers the years 1906–7, 1907–8, 1908–9, and 1909–10. Similar figures for 1905–6 will be found in House of Commons papers 223, of 1909. I regret that no separate figures for Wales are available.

Will it be possible before we have the separate figures for this House to take the necessary steps to create a Welsh Parliament?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the case of the widow of the late Mr. George Horn has been satisfactorily settled; whether he is aware that Mr. Horn died on the 12th December, 1909, and that the widow was seven months without any money; whether the costs amounting to £95 10s. have been paid; and, if not, whether the Admiralty intend to pay them?

The case has been settled and full compensation paid. The delay in establishing liability was primarily due to the conflict of medical opinion as to the cause of death, and later to the legal proceedings. As the Noble Lord was informed on the 13th June last, Mrs. Horn's solicitors were offered, as soon as the award was made, the full compensation, together with, as an act of grace, the reasonable cost of the proceedings taken by them, but the offer was refused. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative. I am informed that, as the Court of Appeal gave judgment for the Admiralty with costs in both that and the County Courts. Mrs. Horn is strictly liable for the costs of the Crown as well as her own, but that it has been decided to waive the claim of the Crown in the matter.

Was any interest paid on the money which was due for a whole year, and, if not, could not the small sum paid to the widow during the five months be set off against the interest which should have been paid?

I think it would be fairer to balance it against the costs incurred, which were extremely heavy.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether he will state to the House the number and calibres of anti-torpedo guns of ships of the Dreadnought class belonging to the French, German, Italian, American, and Japanese navies, the calibres and number of anti-torpedo guns in British ships of the Dreadnought class; and whether it is intended to increase the size of the anti-torpedo guns of British ships of the Dreadnought class now building.

All the information I am in a position to give to the Noble Lord is contained on pages 4 to 14 of the Return standing in the name of the late Sir Charles Dilke. With regard to the last part of the question, I regret to have to reply that it would not be in the public interest to state in advance what the armament of future ships will be.

asked whether the four German armoured ships of the 1910 programme have all been actually laid down; and, if so, on what dates and in what shipbuilding yards?

No official information has been received at the Admiralty with regard to the laying down of these vessels. I regret that I can do no more than to refer the hon. Member to such reports as have appeared in the German Press, according to which the "Ersatz Aegir" was laid down at Schichau, Dantzig, in July, 1910; the "Ersatz Hagen" at Howaldts Yard, Kiel, in November, 1910; and Cruiser "J" at Blohm and Voss, on 4th February, 1911. I have not yet observed any statement with regard to the "Ersatz Odin."

asked whether the silk scarves and ties used in the Navy, formerly made and woven in this country, are now purchased from abroad?

The question is understood to relate to the black silk handkerchiefs worn by men of the Fleet. These articles continue to be purchased from firms in this country, and no alteration has been made in the conditions of contract which have prevailed for some years past, requiring such articles to be of British manufacture throughout.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state what name it is intended to allot to the new battleship-cruiser of the 1910–11 programme recently ordered?

No name has yet been selected.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can say how many inspectors are engaged in testing the granite blocks supplied for the construction of the naval works at Rosyth; and what are the qualifications and previous experience of these persons to perform these responsible duties, in connection with which great public expenditure is involved?

The granite, as well as all other materials for the Rosyth works, is inspected by the Admiralty staff employed on the works. Special inspectors are not employed for granite only. The necessary qualifications of the staff have been acquired by practical experience on other similar works.

asked if the plans for the works at Rosyth have been amended; and if a further dock is to be commenced in addition to those comprised in the original scheme?

One graving dock was included in the original contract, but as stated in the House last July, provision would be made in the Estimates for the ensuing year for a second dock. No amendment in the Rosyth general design was necessary, as the inclusion of more than one dock was always held in contemplation.

May I ask whether the second dock will be completed at the identical time originally fixed for the first dock?

Yes; both docks will be completed in the time of the original contract.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will now consent to publish, as a Parliamentary Paper, for the information of hon. Members, the document entitled Notes containing the Admiralty View of the Risk of Invasion?

In reply to the hon. Member's request, I shall be happy to lay upon the Table a copy of the Notes supplied by the Admiralty for the use of the War Office in the Debate that was to have taken place in November, 1910, in the House of Lords, on a Motion by Lord Roberts.

asked whether the provisions of the Declaration of London have been submitted to, and considered by, the Board of Admiralty, with special reference to naval interests and the protection of British commerce; and whether the Board has signified its approval of the Declaration?

The Admiralty were represented at the International Naval Conference which led up to the Declaration of London. Its provisions were submitted to and considered by the Admiralty, and there was no occasion for the Board to signify their approval in a formal manner.

In view of the fact that the Board of Admiralty has not signified its approval of the Declaration will the Government undertake that it will not be ratified until the Board of Admiralty have declared themselves to be satisfied that the naval interests of the country will be safeguarded?

No; the hon. Member must not assume from my reply that because the Board of Admiralty has not signified their approval in a formal manner that they have not approved.

Have they approved?

Yes, Sir—— No; let me explain. The Admiralty, being represented at the Conference, there was no formal meeting of the Board of Admiralty, and consequently no formal approval has ever been expressed by the Board of Admiralty, but in the approval which has been given the assent of the Naval Members must be supposed.

Was the representative on the Conference a Member of the Board of Admiralty?

No. He was the Director of Naval Intelligence, and represented the Admiralty, and put forward the Admiralty views at the Conference. His action, was approved by the Board, and that approval must be accepted as approval of the Conference.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the adulteration of bread by means of the treatment of flour with acid phosphate of calcium, derived from the action of sulphuric acid on bones; and, if so, whether he will consider the desirableness of taking measures to stop the practice?

My attention has been called to this matter, and some time ago I directed an inquiry to be made in regard to it. The Report on this inquiry is now in preparation.

asked whether the Government is prepared to introduce legislation authorising local authorities to take such measures as may be necessary within their area for the destruction of rats in order to minimise the danger of an epidemic of plague?

In November of last year I issued an Order directing the local authority of any district in which rats were infected or threatened with plague, or in which there was an unusual mortality among rats, to take measures for the destruction of rats and for preventing their entrance into buildings. Further legislation for this purpose does not at present appear to be required.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in the light of the recent agitation for a standard in bread, he proposes any legislative standards for bread and other food stuffs?

The question of the comparative nutritive values of bread made from various classes of flour is now being investigated by the Foods Department of the Local Government Board, and at present I am not prepared to express an opinion on the question of standards.

asked whether the Government proposes to introduce the Dairies Bill this Session as a first-class measure?

I am not at present in a position to make any announcement on this subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he intends this Session to introduce a Bill rendering uniform throughout the country the regulations and by-laws governing the production and distribution of milk; if so, when does he propose to introduce such a measure; and whether effective provision will be made in it against dirt or disease being introduced into milk-churns and against cream being withdrawn from them by rough handling of the churns or otherwise in transit between the premises of the producer of the milk and its distributer, to the detriment or penalisation of the former?

I have been asked by my right hon. Friend to answer this question. I am not aware of any case in which a farmer has been subjected to a penalty owing to the spilling of cream from the surface of milk in course of transit by rail. I shall be glad, however, to inquire into any specific case which may have been brought to the notice of the hon. Member.

Is not the hon. Baronet aware that farmers are frequently convicted owing to the insufficiency of butter fat in milk, removed by the causes mentioned in the question.

I have already told the hon. Member that I am not aware of any cases where this has been alleged on the part of the farmer. I shall only be too glad to inquire. I myself have sent thousands of gallons of milk by rail.

May I ask for an answer to the first part of the question, whether a Bill will be introduced this Session or not?

I may refer the hon. Member to the reply I have just given to the hon. Member for Penryn and Falmouth (Mr. Goldman). I am not in a position to make any announcement on the subject.

asked under what provisions of any Statute or under what authority the Poor Law Outdoor Relief Regulations, 1911, are made limiting the powers of the Poor Law guardians in administering outdoor relief?

I presume the hon. Member refers to the Regulations suggested by the Departmental Committee on the Outdoor Relief Orders. Such Regulations would be made under the provisions of Sections 15 and 52 of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in order to render more intelligible to members of district councils and other local authorities the provisions of the Housing, Town-Planning, etc., Act, 1909, which are largely expressed by reference to previous Housing and Public Health Acts, the Government will introduce this Session a Housing Consolidation Bill, and thereby facilitate and accelerate such Act being put into effective operation, especially in rural districts?

I have not lost sight of this matter, but, as I stated in reply to the hon. Member on 30th June last, consolidation should, in my opinion, be accompanied by amendment. I think it will be wise to await some further experience of the working of the Act of 1909 before proceeding to amendment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he could state what qualification as to age, experience, etc., will be required of the additional second-class mining inspectors; and could he take any steps to prevent Members of Parliament from being bombarded with applications for these posts?

The matter is under my consideration, and I hope to be able to issue the particulars shortly. I am also considering what can be done to prevent hon. Members being troubled by applicants for these and other appointments in the Home Office, and I propose to include in the instructions to intending applicants a word of advice on the subject.

May I ask when he hopes to make the appointments, and whether he still intends to take thirty as the number who may foe appointed?

If he will mention about Members of Parliament it will be convenient.

I do not propose to mention Members of Parliament by name, but I propose to say that no recommendations would be of any value unless they were by Members who had personal knowledge.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that every one of our Constituents considers that we have personal knowledge?

asked what was the percentage of sick amongst the members of the Metropolitan police force in November, 1909 and 1910; whether in future recruits for the Metropolitan police force are to understand that they are recruited not only for duty in London but for duty, if called upon, in various parts of the country; and, if so, whether proper equipment will be provided in order that the hardships which members of the police force sent to Wales had to undergo will in future be prevented?

The percentage of sickness amongst the Metropolitan police in November, 1909, was 2,62, and in November, 1910, 2,66. The recent call for service in South Wales was responded to in the same admirable spirit in which members of the Metropolitan police are always ready to give their services wherever they may be required, and no occasion has arisen for any alteration in the conditions on which recruits are at present enrolled in the force. Any hardships encountered by the men sent to South Wales were not due to lack of proper equipment, but to temporary difficulties in the way of accommodation, which were inevitable in the circumstances, and were remedied as soon as possible.

Were any equipments available at all for the police when they are called out suddenly?

They have not got cooking appliances, but in other ways they were quite sufficiently provided for. The military authorities assisted in the matter of rations and cooking.

May I ask whether in the case of these members going on the sick list he will depart from the usual custom of deducting Is. a week from them while they are ill and away?

I have settled the arrangements which are to be made; and, as they have given satisfaction to the men, I should not like to alter them in any way as the result of a supplementary question.

asked what progress has been made during the past year in carrying out the provisions of the Small Holdings Act in the county of Suffolk?

During the past year 207 acres of land in Suffolk have been purchased and 71 acres hired. The total area already acquired is 1,351 acres.

How many applicants have been satisfied?

Up to the present 139 have been satisfied and there still remain 63 unsatisfied.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the fact that after an application had been made by the parish council of South Manton, in Wilts, for an order to purchase ten acres of land compulsorily under the Small Holdings Act, and an inquiry had been held by the Board of Agriculture on the subject, with the result that the application was not granted, four of the men who had been prominent at this inquiry, including the chairman and vice-chairman of the parish council and two other applicants for land, received notice to quit the cottages in which they lived, and all of them except one, who was successful in getting another cottage in the village, were compelled to leave the village in which they had lived all their lives and seek homes elsewhere; whether the Board ever investigated the circumstances under which these men left the village; if so, whether there is any reason to suppose that all or any of the notices to quit were due to political reasons; and whether the Board proposes to take any further action in the matter?

A full investigation into this matter was made by the Board, from which it appeared that in one case it was admitted by the landlord, who is Clerk to the Parish Council, that notice to quit was given on account of his tenant's action in connection with the allotments inquiry and his political activity. In the other cases it was denied that the notices were given on political grounds. The landlords acted within their legal rights and the Board have no power to take any action in the matter, I regret to say.

Did there appear to be no reason in the other three cases other than the presence of the tenants at this inquiry for their losing their cottages?

I must ask the hon. Member to give me notice of that.

Will the hon. Baronet give us the name of the landlord?

Yes, Mr. Snook.

rose to put a further question.

I must ask the hon. Member to give himself the trouble to put down any further questions. If they are at all important they should be put on the paper. If they are not important they should not be asked.

rose again.

Will the hon. Gentleman please put his question down?

asked for what period Mr. Llewellyn, one of the Board's inspectors, was employed in Cardiganshire; and what were his total expenses for car and motor hire during the period?

Mr. Llewellyn was employed in Cardiganshire from 21st February, 1910, to 17th May, 1910. During that period he travelled 982 miles by motor-car at a cost of £43 16s. 7d.

Did the use of the motor-car save expense?

I cannot tell the hon. Gentleman that, but a great deal of time has been saved.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to introduce legislation carrying out the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Hop Industry?

No, Sir; I see no prospect of the Government being in a position to introduce legislation this Session.

What is the use of a Royal Commission if its recommendations are not carried out?

asked the Prime Minister whether he proposes to introduce legislation, as suggested in last year's Debate on the Judicature Bill, to enact an age limit to the services of judges of the High Court; and whether, if time will not permit of this during the present Session, provision can be made under the forthcoming Budget for increasing the retiring pension of such judges to a sum equal to, or in special cases to a sum in excess of, their annual salary so as to tempt aged judges to retire without loss of income when their fifteen years' pensionable service is completed?

It has not been necessary in the past to fix any statutory limit of age, because in the main a sense of public duty has led judges to retire when unable efficiently to discharge their very responsible duties. His Majesty's Government hopes that it may not become necessary to make any change in this respect. The present pension is £3,500 a year for all judges except Lords of Appeal, the Lord Chief Justice, and the Master of the Rolls; and the Government consider the pension is already ample.

Is the only way of getting rid of an unsuitable judge at present to make him a Member of the House of Lords?

asked if there is any intention on the part of the Government to allow the House to discuss the points which it is suggested should be laid before the forthcoming Imperial Conference?

I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by a general discussion of the kind suggested before the meeting of the Conference.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of appointing a committee to ascertain if there is any other method of bringing about Imperial unity by Imperial representation in Imperial affairs

The hon. Gentleman should give notice of that.

asked whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce two separate Bills dealing with national insurance against sickness and invalidity and against unemployment in certain trades; whether the Bills will be introduced simultaneously; and whether it is intended to submit them for consideration to a Select Committee or a Committee of the whole House?

I am not yet prepared to state the precise form of procedure which the Government propose to adopt.

asked if the Government have any means of knowing the nationality of passengers who travel first or second class or who arrive by first, second, or third class at any of the ports which are not included under the Aliens Act?

Returns are obtained of all alien passengers landed in the United Kingdom; but with regard to those arriving from places in Europe at the immigration ports it has not been found practicable, owing to the conditions of the traffic, especially at the cross-Channel ports, to get the individual nationalities of such passengers as are not actually liable to inspection. At the non-immigration ports (which, I presume, the hon. Member means by the phrase "ports which are not included under the Aliens Act") where the traffic is small, the individual nationalities of all alien passengers are obtained. The statistics are set out in great detail in the Annual Reports of H.M. Inspector under the Act.

Under the circumstances, must not the Returns necessarily be incomplete and below the mark?

asked the Home Secretary whether he has made any inquiries since the date of the Houndsditch murders as to the regulations and arrangements as to registration and otherwise imposed upon aliens when visiting France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, the United States of America, and the various Central and South American States, or upon aliens desirous of taking up their residence in those countries; and, if not, whether he will make such inquiries and lay the result before Parliament?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As to the second part, I am not convinced that any further official information is needed at the present time other than is already contained in the report of the Royal Commission.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has refused to sanction a by-law prohibiting roller-skating on the footpaths in Stoke Newington; if so, what are the grounds of his refusal; and will he reconsider the question, having regard to the circumstances attending the death of Mary Ann Bay, an elderly woman, who was knocked down by two boys who were roller-skating at Clapham Cross on 5th January, and whose death, according to the medical evidence at the coroner's inquest, was due to exhaustion following shock from the fall?

As I stated yesterday, in my reply to the Noble Lord the Member for Maidstone (Viscount Castlereagh), my attention has been drawn to the case of the old lady referred to. I made inquiries, and was informed that the correctness of her statement that she was knocked down by boys roller-skating on the pavement is open to great doubt. The police have failed to discover any corroborative evidence. The old lady, who was ninety-one years of age, and suffering from senile decay, is stated to have been in the habit of imagining things which never occurred. My reason for refusing to sanction the bylaw made by the borough council of Stoke Newington was that I have received no evidence that the dangers arising from roller-skating by boys and girls are so much greater than the ordinary dangers of traffic in the streets, particularly motor traffic, that the practice ought to be prohibited by by-law. Such a by-law would create a new offence punishable by the criminal law, and, if sanctioned in one metropolitan borough, punishable only when committed in one particular locality not divided from the rest of London by any noticeable boundary, it would lead to the imposition of fines, and possibly to the detention and imprisonment of children and young persons for indulging in a form of amusement which would be legal on one side of the road and illegal on the other. I am very reluctant to increase the number of occasions when the children of the poorer classes may be brought into the police-court and rendered liable to imprisonment. If evidence can be produced that the practice is a source of danger beyond the ordinary risks of the street, I should be prepared to reconsider the question of allowing a by-law forbidding roller-skating to the danger of passengers, but any provision that is made must apply to the whole of the Metropolis, and not to one or two small areas.

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman draw a distinction between the roadway and the pavement? Further, would it not be possible to make representations apportioning various public paths to be set apart for the indulgence of this part time?

If representations are made to me from the great body of the local associations in the whole Metropolis that roller-skating constitutes such a danger that it requires to be suppressed by the law, I will then consider what special arrangements should be made. But in the present circumstances I am not prepared to allow one single borough council to create this new offence.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that elderly people have been killed?

If we had proceeded on the principle that no person may be killed by such a pastime, the Noble Lord would ride more rarely than he does in motor cars.

asked whether His Majesty's Government have had under consideration the proposals of the Greek Premier to reconstitute the Grecian Constitution on a double instead of a single chamber basis; and whether, should such change take effect, they will safeguard the interests of any British subject at present holding appointment in the Greek consular or civil service?

I am not aware that the proposed Amendments to the Greek Constitution will in any way affect British interests, but any legitimate complaints from British subjects will, of course, be considered by His Majesty's Government.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he can state the amount of the Grant which was promised to be made to University College, Heading, for the purposes of horticulture by the President of the Board last summer?

The amount of the Grant to be made to University College, Reading, for the current year is now under consideration, but it is not possible as yet to say what it will be.

asked the hon. Member for Southampton, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether his attention has been called to the refusal of William Bowers and Company, contractors, of Hereford, to pay the wages and recognise the conditions of labour accepted as fair by other contractors in Cheltenham; whether this firm are contractors for the Office of Works; and what action, if any, the First Commissioner proposes to take to enforce the Fair Wage Resolution of the House of Commons?

Messrs. William Bowers and Company, of Hereford, are the Maintenance Contractors for the Office of Works in that city. They are under contract to pay the rates of wages current in the district in accordance with the Fair Wages Resolution, and no complaints have been received concerning them in their capacity of employers. Messrs. Bowers and Company have no contract for this Department in Cheltenham.

asked whether Lieut.-Col. Kilkelly, House Governor and Medical Superintendent at Osborne, frequently complained of the interference of the secretary and other officers of the Office of Works between him and his subordinates; and whether, in view of the difficulty of maintaining efficiency and discipline at Osborne while such interference was allowed to continue, Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly recently resigned his position?

In reply to the hon. Member I have to state that on 15th November, 1910, Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly addressed a letter to the First Commissioner of Works, complaining of interference, as described in the question; this is the first complaint of the kind which the First Commissioner received from Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly; that, in reply to a letter from Lord Beauchamp, requesting further information as to the specific cases complained of, Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly addressed a further memorandum to the First Commissioner, dated 19th November, 1910; on 13th December, 1910, the First Commissioner had a prolonged interview with Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly; and following that interview Lord Beauchamp made careful inquiry into the cases quoted by Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly. On 15th December, 1910, the First Commissioner wrote to Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly to the effect that his statements appeared to him to be without foundation. On 28th December, 1910, Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly wrote to the First Commissioner resigning the post of House Governor and Medical Superintendent. On 6th January, 1911, the First Commissioner wrote accepting Lieut.-Colonel Kilkelly's resignation; and, in doing so, stated that he had given him full opportunity of substantiating his allegations, and had satisfied himself that they could not be upheld.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the character of certain recent railway accidents, he will consider the advisability of appointing a Select Committee to inquire into and report upon the conditions of labour of signalmen, engine drivers, and others directly charged with the safety of the travelling public?

I have not yet received the reports of the officers who held inquiries into three of the recent serious accidents that have occurred on railways, and I am not, therefore, in a position to make any statement on the subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been directed to the extremely low wages paid in a certain branch of the boot industry of Northamptonshire; and whether, having regard to the Trades Board Act, 1909, Clause 1, section 2, he will, in view of the exceptionally low rates paid in the home industry referred to, make a provisional order applying the Act to this trade?

As I have already informed my hon. Friend I do not think it would be advisable to propose to Parliament the extension of the scope of the Trades Board Act until we have had some further experience of its working in regard to the trades specially scheduled to the Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to issue the Report of the inquiry into the cost of living in the United States?

The completion of this Report is being pressed on, and the volume will be issued as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he would state the values of the exports of cutlery from the United Kingdom to the United States of America and Canada, respectively, for the three years ending 31st December, 1908, 1909, and 1910; and the values per head of the population, and the average import duties levied in each country on such goods?

The value of the cutlery of United Kingdom manufacture which was exported from this country to the United States in 1908 was £59,500; in 1909, £69,700; and in 1910, £04,200, equivalent to rather less than one-fifth of a penny per head of the population of that country in each year. The exports of cutlery from the United Kingdom to Canada amounted to £69,500 in 1908, £86,600 in 1909, and £113,300 in 1910, equivalent to about 2.½d., 2¾d., and 3½d. per head of the population of the Dominion in the respective years. Duty is leviable on cutlery imported into the United States at a large number of different rates, according to kind, and the average duty levied on imports from the United Kingdom cannot be stated. The average duty levied in 1908–9 on imports of cutlery from all sources was approximately 70 per cent. ad valorem. The duty on cutlery imported into Canada under the British Preferential Tariff is 20 per cent. ad valorem.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that on some of the articles of cutlery imported into the United States the duty is as much as 100 per cent.?

I have given the average duty.

asked the Attorney-General if his attention had been called to cases in which the funds of several charities have been pooled with a view to having them administered by one central authority; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation to prevent this being done?

The policy of the Charity Commissioners has always been in favour of pooling the charities of a parish or other area, and it has been their practice, whenever possible, in cases within their jurisdiction, to consolidate such charities under the administration of one authority. This policy has been carried further by Parliament in the case of the City of London Parochial Charities Act, 1883, and in various Acts confirming schemes of the Commissioners. In 1884 a Select Committee of the House of Commons advocated the concentration of charities—within a certain area—under one management. Pooling of charities has also been recommended by the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress. I do not consider that legislation in the direction suggested by the hon. Member would be advisable.

May I ask if a Commissioner was sent down to Derby with the view of pooling the charities there, one of which was £5,000 a year?

I must ask the hon. Member to give notice of that question.

asked the Postmaster-General whether any steps have yet been taken to provide a midday service of letters from Granard to Aghnacliffe, in North Longford; whether he is aware that a large and important business with English markets is kept up from this district; and will he direct an inquiry to be made to ascertain the number of districts which could be advantageously served by this delivery?

I have called for a report on this subject, and I will communicate the result of the inquiry to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, as the trunk telephone system is now being introduced to Mullingar, he will, on receipt of the necessary guarantee, consent to its being continued to Longford and Cavan respectively, looping up the towns of Edgeworthstown and Granard en route?

I am in correspondence with the Treasury as to the conditions on which extensions of the telephone trunk line system can be carried out in Ireland. As soon as these conditions are settled I will ascertain the cost of the extensions proposed by the Hon. Member and the amount of business they would be likely to produce, in order to determine whether they can be carried out either under guarantees or otherwise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received a resolution passed unanimously by the board of guardians of the Swinford (county Mayo) union refusing to make provision in their estimate of rates for the threatened contribution towards the cost of removing the pauper disqualification for old age pensions, and insisting that it is the duty of the Irish party to oppose and vote against every line of the measure containing what the board designates as this iniquitous proposal; and whether, having regard to the general irritation caused in Ireland on the subject, he still intends to ask the ratepayers to contribute the equivalent of the savings nominally made by the removal of the pauper disqualification; and, if so, how soon the proposal will be submitted to the House for discussion?

The resolution referred to has been received. As to the channel through which the necessary funds for meeting the cost of the removal of the poor relief disqualification are to be obtained, I must ask the hon. Member to await the appearance of the Revenue Bill, which my right hon. Friend will introduce shortly.

asked what was the amount of the grants made by the Development Commission to Ireland and to Great Britain respectively?

Up to the present date the Treasury have agreed on the recommendation of the Development Commission to advance from the Development Fund the following sums:—

Great Britain, £53,550, of which £7,000 is a loan without interest.

Ireland, £35,000, of which £25,000 is a lean without interest.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state through what sources the Valuation Department in Ireland is endeavouring to gain the information, or any portion of the information, sought for in Form IV.; and what opportunities have farmers and other owners of property affected thereby of testing the accuracy of the official statements and returns or of the deductions based thereon for the purposes of taxation?

Any necessary information not in the Valuation, Land Commission, or Local Registration of Titles Offices will be ascertained through Form IV. when the Valuation of the Urban Districts and land immediately surrounding them is being made. In the rural districts if any additional information is required it will be obtained by personal inquiry. In every case a Provisional Valuation giving details, will be issued to the owner and he will have sixty days in which to object to such valuation before the Amended Valuation is issued.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will say how many copies of Form IV. were printed originally for distribution in Ireland; whether a second and amended edition of the form was prepared for circulation, and, if so, how many were printed and how many circulated; whether a confidential circular has been issued to the Inland Revenue officers in Ireland, who assess the duties on all documents effecting the transfer and sale of land, directing them to inquire into the same matters as those which were to be answered in either or both editions of Form IV.; and whether, until all the particulars demanded by these officials are forthcoming, the sales cannot be completed?

3,068 copies of the original form have been issued, but none of the amended form have yet been issued. The reply to the second part of the hon. Member's question is in the negative; and the third part does not therefore arise.

The hon. Member has not answered the first part of the question as to the number of forms originally printed for distribution.

There were 3,068 issued, and my information is that there was not a very much larger number printed.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether, for the purposes of ascertaining the duties on land values payable under The Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, he can state how many copies of Form IV. have been issued to owners and occupiers of land and house property in Great Britain and Ireland, respectively?

In Great Britain the number of copies of Form IV. which have been issued to owners and occupiers of land and house property to the 4th instant is 10,603,537. This figure includes some Forms III. issued to statutory companies. The number issued in Ireland is 3,068.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the purposes for which Budget surpluses can be used?

The surplus of revenue over expenditure for any financial year is under the provisions of Section 5 of the National Debt (Sinking Fund) Act, 1875, and Section 7 of the Treasury and Exchequer Bills Act, 1877, applicable to the redemption of any of the descriptions of public debt specified in those sections.

Can the surplus be used for any other purpose except for the purposes of the National Debt?

It can with the consent of Parliament. Only on three occasions during the time of the late Government was it so used.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Inland Revenue authorities at Mullingar have yet been supplied with copies of the forms on which persons who had paid taxes on petrol not used for motor purposes were entitled to a rebate of the whole of the tax when used for public or private lighting; and, if not, would he see that these forms for claiming exemption or abatement are at once supplied?

The Customs and Excise officers at Mullingar are provided with a stock of forms of application for rebate of the duty on motor spirit, and copies have been supplied to persons claiming rebate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, by the operation of Section 3, Sub-section 2, of the Old Age Pensions Act, James Quirke, a native of Wexford, certified to be seventy-three years of age, has been deprived of his pension for ten years because he was found begging on 20th October, 1909, and incarcerated in Water-ford Prison for fourteen days; whether it was intended that persons sent to prison for begging should be subjected to this disqualification; and, if not, will he introduce some short amending clause to enable these poor persons to get the pension to which they would otherwise be entitled?

This case has not been brought to my right hon. Friend's notice. The Old Age Pensions Act disqualifies for the receipt of a pension any one who has been imprisoned without the option of a fine until ten years from the date of his release. Hardship occasionally arises in Ireland through the justices not having the power to inflict fines as an alternative to imprisonment in the case of certain offences, and if it is found possible to introduce an Old Age Pensions Amending Bill, my right hon. Friend will consider the desirability of including such a clause.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the practice of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, in assessing compensation payable under the Licensing Act, 1904, to make valuations of licensed premises merely on information derived from written answers to questions set by the Commissioners themselves and without any personal inspection of such premises on behalf of the Commissioners or the employment of expert valuers; and, if so, whether he will give directions for this practice to be discontinued?

The answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the negative; the second part of the question does not therefore arise.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, on 20th October last, the Court of Appeal in the case of——

The hon. Member can hand in this question.

asked if the privilege now enjoyed by visitors bringing foreign motorcars to this country of using them upon our roads free of Inland Revenue tax and carriage duty for a period of four months will be extended to visitors desiring to purchase British made cars for their own temporary use during their stay and taking them away at the conclusion of their visit?

The provisions of Section 86 (7) of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, do not authorise the Treasury to make any concession in respect of the cases referred to.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the reason for denying to the British maker the advantages which are granted to the foreign maker?

No. I think at this stage of Parliamentary procedure I am only allowed to state facts.