asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in the case of a man and wife now aged seventy and sixty-five having previously received an allowance of 5s. a week and food from the guardians, the recent attainment of the age of seventy by the man and his consequent eligibility for an old age pension of 5s. a week debars both himself and his wife from the food allowance which they have hitherto enjoyed in addition to the 5s. a week?

I am not aware that a man's eligibility for an old age pension debars either him or his wife from receiving a food allowance from the guardians. The man would, however, be disqualified for receipt of an old age pension during the continuance of such a food allowance to himself or his wife, unless it fell within the description of "medical and surgical assistance (including food and comforts) supplied by or on the recommendation of a medical officer."

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what is the salary of a new class assistant clerk in the Customs Statistical Office when he becomes eligible by service for promotion to a junior clerkship; what is the initial salary of a junior clerk; and, in view of the fact that no direct promotion from an assistant clerk to a junior clerk has taken place since 1904, can he state when any such promotion is likely to take place?

The salary of a new class assistant clerk when he becomes eligible by service for exceptional promotion to a junior clerkship in the Customs Statistical Office varies from £65 to £80, according to the initial salary that he received on entering the class and to the amount of his previous service, if any, as boy clerk. The initial salary of a junior clerk is £200 per annum. Promotions of assistant clerks to that rank are only made exceptionally on the ground of special merit, and it is not possible to say when the next such promotion is likely to be made.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many assistant clerks have been promoted direct to junior clerkships since the minor staff class was created in the Customs and Statistical Office; what is the minimum and maximum salary of a minor staff officer and a second division clerk; what promotion was promised to meritorious assistant clerks on entering the service; what is the reason that assistant clerks in the Statistical Office are promoted to minor staff officers, while their colleagues in other Departments are promoted to the second division; and what is the difference between the merit required for promotion to a minor staff officer and a port clerk?

No assistant clerk has been promoted direct to a junior clerkship in the Customs Statistical Office since the minor staff class was created. The minor staff clerk's minimum salary is £190 and his maximum £220; the second division clerk's minimum is £70 and his maximum £300. No promise of promotion was made to assistant clerks on entering the service. Exceptional promotions under Clause 45 of the Order in Council of 10th January, 1910, are made in the Customs to port clerkships and Statistical Office junior clerkships, positions analagous to second division clerkships in other Departments; promotions to minor staff posts are made in addition to, and not instead of such exceptional promotions as suggested in the hon. Member's question. The minor staff posts require efficiency in the ordinary work of the Statistical Office, together with capacity to preserve discipline, while port clerkships require capacity to perform work of a different and higher type in the general service.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, whether the grant made to local authorities for payment of the police is in England half of the cost of the police; whether the grant given in Scotland is a less percentage of the cost; if so, what percentage; and will legislation be introduced to equalise the grants?

My hon. Friend's question suggests that there is in the matter of Police Grants an inequality of treatment as between England and Scotland. This is not so, as has been frequently explained and is now generally acknowledged. While England and Scotland are treated with equality in the apportionment of the total sums assigned for local purposes to the two countries respectively, there are differences in the method of allocation of these sums. In the case of Scotland, the total amount to be distributed in aid of the cost of pay and clothing of police is fixed at £180,000 per annum, and the rate per pound of expenditure which this grant can pay must go down as the aggregate police expenditure rises; the balance available in general relief of rates is not affected. In the case of England, the statutes direct a grant of 10s. per pound to be paid towards police expenditure, but this necessarily involves that, as police expenditure goes up, there is a smaller residue available for other local services. The present percentage in Scotland of Police Grant to expenditure is 7s. 5d. in the pound. The question whether the grant can be increased will be a proper subject for consideration in connection with any readjustment of local and Imperial taxation.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what was the gross income as returned to the Income Tax Commissioners in Wales, including Monmouth, during the last financial year?

The figures for the financial year 1909–10 are not yet available, but the figures for England and Wales are not shown separately.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state, following the information he gave in an answer to a question on 20th April last, why, if the capital receipts of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods, etc., were for the five years to 1909 in Scotland, £41,486, and in Ireland, £155,193, and the capital expenditure in Scotland was £32,290, the corresponding expenditure in Ireland was only £15,785; if he considers Ireland offers less security for the investment of Irish money than Scotland offers for Scotch money; if additional money from the same source was expended in Scotland during the past year in the purchase of the estate of Scotscalder in Caithness, consisting of about 3,000 acres of arable land and 10,000 acres of moors for the purpose of dividing a part of it into small holdings; if so, how much was given for this property; and also, having regard to the fact that this is at least the second large purchase of land in Scotland in recent years by the Commissioners, he will direct that inquiry should be made by them in Ireland with a view to their utilising a substantial portion of their Irish revenues in acquiring land in Ireland for promoting the formation of small holdings, afforestation, and other purposes?

It is the practice of the Commissioners of Woods, when dealing with the capital money under their control, to select the investments which they consider most desirable at the moment without having special regard to the proportions in which that money was derived from particular parts of the Kingdom. It is on this principle that the investments in Ireland and Scotland, to which the hon. Member refers, have been made. The sum of £46,500 has been expended during the current financial year in the purchase of the estate of Scotscalder, which adjoins the Crown estate of Dorrery, in Caithness, and comprises the areas of arable and moorland mentioned in the question. It is proposed to divide part of it into small holdings. In view of all the circumstances, including the operations of the Department of Agriculture in Ireland and the Irish Land Commission, I see no need for directing such an inquiry as is suggested by the hon. Member, but if any suitable opportunity for investment in Ireland occurs full consideration will be given to it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will promise that at least one member of the Departmental Committee to be appointed to inquire into the readjustment of Imperial and local taxation shall be particularly conversant with the claims of the County of London and the importance of reform in the conditions for awarding grants to public education in its various branches?

It is not possible to give pledge that the interests of any particular locality shall be specially represented on the Committee.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Commissioners will consider if the number of members upon the advisory committee on fishery matters to the Development Commissioners should be increased so as to afford representation to district fishery committees in England and the English trawling industry, respectively?

I think that the hon. Member somewhat misapprehends the object for which this Advisory Committee was appointed. The Committee is not intended to be representative of all classes interested in the fishing industry, but is composed of persons competent to give advice in respect of such matters as may be referred to them by the Commissioners. The applications for grants for fishing development will be considered by the Development Commissioners themselves and their decisions will no doubt be influenced by the evidence of representative witnesses called in support of such schemes.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether it has been arranged to put an emblem of Wales upon the medals, etc., which are being struck for the Coronation?

Coronation Medals only bear the effigies of the King and Queen, the effigy of the King being on the obverse and that of the Queen on the reverse. No emblems of any description have ever been placed on them, and it is not proposed to alter the traditional form of these medals, which are now in course of preparation.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the East London College has received the grant conditionally promised by the Treasury Minute of 10th August, 1910; and, if not, upon what grounds the payment of the grant is withheld?

I hope to be able to announce the decision of the Treasury very shortly.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury for what reason the cost of certain departmental committees of the Board of Agriculture, such as the Epizootic Abortion Committee, is placed upon the Vote for Temporary Commissions, Class VII., Vote 1, while others, such as the Swine Fever Committee, are borne upon the Board of Agriculture Vote; and whether the Treasury will in future provide that all such committees be borne upon the Vote for Temporary Commissions?

At the time of its appointment the operations of the Swine Fever Committee were not expected to last long or to involve much expenditure, and the Treasury accordingly sanctioned the charge against the Vote of the Department, which contained an appropriate sub-head. At a later date, however, the scope of this inquiry became somewhat enlarged, and sanction was given to the charge of all the expenditure (except a small sum borne by the Office of Works) to the Cattle Pleuro-Pneumonia Account. The Epizootic Abortion Committee, on the other hand, was expected to involve lengthy and expensive inquiries which could not conveniently be borne by the Vote for the Department, and its expenses were at the request of the Department accepted as a charge against the Vote for Temporary Commissions. I see no reason to depart from the existing practice as to the incidence of charge in such cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether traders who are entitled to pay Income Tax in respect of their earnings at the rate of 9d. in the £ are compelled to pay at the rate of 1s. 2d. in the £ unless they fill up and return Form 38 before 30th September in the year; whether a considerable number of persons who are entitled to the reduced rate are deprived of the right to claim it by inadvertently neglecting to return Form 38 by the prescribed date; and whether, if so, he can see his way to give, in the form distributed for the purpose of the annual return, a clear intimation of the date before which the claim for reduction must be made, or so amend this Form 38 as to insure that such persons will be more thoroughly informed of the penalty incurred by not returning the form on or before 29th September in the year?

Claims to be charged at the lower rate of income tax in respect of earned income are required by law to be made by taxpayers prior to the 30th of September in the year of charge; and failure to prefer a claim thereto within the prescribed period involves a loss of the relief. A clear intimation of the provisions of the law is given on the Form of Return issued to the public; but I will consider whether any further steps in the direction indicated in the concluding sentence of the hon. Member's question can be taken.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, since the publication of the Napier Report respecting the condition of the crofters and cottars in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, the deer forest area in the Highland crofting counties has increased by 1,248,598 acres; and, in view of the fact that it has been shown by this and subsequent Reports that much of the land thus absorbed for sport might be utilised for the creation of new holdings and be thus available for occupation by crofters and cottars who are making urgent demands for land, has he yet considered the expediency of discouraging a further extension of the deer forest area by arranging for a special tax on deer forests?

My right hon. Friend will deal with any proposals for new taxation which he has considered when he makes the annual Financial Statement.

asked if stone sold to a highway authority has to pay Mineral Duty?

Yes, unless (as is usually the case) the exemption contained in Section 20 (5) of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, applies.

asked whether the surveyors of taxes in other counties beside Hertfordshire are asking for a return of the profits of farmers from the sale of milk, as distinct from other farm products; and for what reason the sale of milk is treated in this exceptional manner?

I beg to refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for the Wilton Division of Wiltshire on the 14th instant. I will cause inquiry to be made into the facts of the case as regards the county of Hertfordshire.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the feeling existing among dairy farmers in Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire in consequence of the request by the local surveyors of taxes that they should make a special return, for the purposes of Income Tax under Schedule D, of their in- come derived from milk as distinct from other farm produce, and the inability of the Inland Revenue authorities to state any reason for this unusual request, he will take steps to stop the further issue of the printed form now being circulated with the above object?

I will cause inquiry to be made into the particular matter referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that under the Finance Act of 1909–10 medical men using motor-cars in the discharge of their professional duties are remitted part of the Licence Duty on petrol, he will state if this remission is also being deemed applicable to professional dentists using motor-cars in pursuit of their duties; and if not, will he state the reason for such differentiation of treatment?

The relief allowed in respect of Motor-car Licence Duty and Motor Spirit Duty to duly qualified medical practitioners under the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, is not applicable to dentists using motor-cars. With regard to the latter part of the question, I may point out that the saving of human life and suffering frequently depends upon a medical man possessing an expeditious means of locomotion, and in this respect the case of a dentist is not parallel.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the case of a person who has paid Super-tax for 1909–10, based on his total income for 1908–9, and who has died on 10th April, 1910, the estate of such person is liable for Supertax for any, and what, proportion of the year 1910–11?

In practice no assessments to Super-tax have been made in the cases of persons who died before the date of the passing of the Act which originally imposed that tax, i.e., 29th April, 1910.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that an inquiry was held in Navan last December by a Local Government Board inspector into a scheme promoted under one of the Labourers Acts for the erection of cottages; whether he will state if an official report has yet been issued; and, if so, what is the cause of the delay in proceeding with the building of the much-needed houses?

An inquiry was held as stated, and the inspector has given instructions to the solicitors to draft his order in respect of the council's scheme. No advantage would have been gained by making the order earlier, even if the inspector had been in a position to do so, seeing that there is no public money available at present for the financing of such schemes.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the whole of the net deductions from Treasury grants to each county and other council in Ireland in respect of default and losses connected with land purchase, and not made good to those councils, from 1903 to the present time?

There are no statistics available which would enable me to state the net result of the losses and subsequent recovery of some of the losses over the period mentioned.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state what steps the Estates Commissioners propose to take in reference to the report of their inspector on the sale of the town portion of the Pennefeather Hare estate, at Ballingarry, county Tipperary; whether the town tenants have made an offer to purchase the town portion of the estate; and whether he can state when the agricultural portion will be dealt with and the purchase money paid over to the vendor?

This estate is not being sold to the Estates Commissioners but direct to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the purchase money has been advanced to the vendor in respect of the holdings of the agricultural tenants who signed purchase agreements. No purchase agreements have been lodged in respect of the town holdings in Ballingarry, a number of which are apparently sublet. The Commissioners are not aware whether the occupying tenants of these holdings have come to an agreement with the owner, but, if purchase agreements signed by the parties are lodged under the Land Purchase Acts, the Commissioners will be prepared to advance the amount they consider secured on the site of the premises, provided the tenants pay in cash the difference between such sums and the agreed prices.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the vendors of the estate of Ellen L. Cambie and another, county Tipperary, E.C., 8,913, have informed the Estates Commissioners of their willingness to accept the Estates Commissioners' proposal to purchase the estate; and whether he can state when the estate will be dealt with and the untenanted lands acquired by the Commissioners?

The estate of Ellen L. Cambie and another, county Tipperary, comprises one evicted holding of some eighty-three acres. The owner has accepted the offer of the Estates Commissioners for these lands, and it is proposed to reinstate the evicted tenant.

asked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay in vesting the holdings in Dursey Island, on the Leigh White estate, in the tenants, seeing that the purchase agreements were lodged with the Estates Commissioners in 1905 and that the tenants are paying 4 per cent. on the purchase money; and will he again direct the attention of the Estates Commissioners to this island?

I have nothing to add to my reply to a similar question asked by the hon. Member on the 24th February.

asked the Chief Secretary, (1) whether, on the 1st January, 1907, an inspector of schools wrote to the Resident Commissioner of National Education asking for an interview with regard to certain official matters, and was refused; and, if so, will he state on what grounds the interview was refused; (2) whether he is aware that, on the 21st December, 1906, an inspector of schools wrote to the senior secretary of the National Board asking for an interview with regard to certain official matters, and was refused; if so, will he state what were the grounds of refusal; whether the refusal was on the senior secretary's initiative or by the direction of the Resident Commissioner; and, if the latter, whether the authority of the Board had been obtained; and (3) is he aware that in May, 1908, and a few times subsequently, an inspector of national schools, who had previously been refused an interview by the Resident Commissioner and the secretaries, wrote to the National Education Office asking to have an appeal or communication of his with regard to what he considered unjust stoppage of his annual increments, etc., brought specially before the Board itself, and that these requests were refused, and not even an acknowledgment of their receipt sent in the case of many of them; and whether, if the Resident Commissioner and his immediate subordinates can thus arrogate all the functions of the Board, there is any way, and, if so, what, by which an inspector may obtain redress, especially as inspectors are forbidden from communicating personally or directly with individual Commissioners about such matters?

These three questions relate to matters which are entirely personal to an ex-inspector whose complaints with regard to the action of his official superiors have been fully dealt with by me in reply to previous questions. I do not consider it desirable to make any further statement with regard to his charges, which are calculated to effect detrimentally official discipline, and to embarrass the Commissioners in the administration of the system of national education.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners have received an application from Mrs. Loughnane, Toher, Templetoughy, county Tipperary, requesting them to have her reinstated in a farm from which her father was evicted about nineteen years ago on the estate of Mr. Stubber, Queen's County; whether the lands comprising the estate from which Mr. Loughnane was evicted have been acquired for redistribution by the Estates Commissioners; and whether the Estates Commissioners propose to reinstate Mrs. Loughnane or provide a suitable holding for her upon the estate?

The reply to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative. The Estates Commissioners have acquired a portion of this estate, but it was not found practicable to provide Mrs. Loughnane with a holding. Proceedings are at present pending before the Commissioners for the acquisition of a further portion of the estate, comprising 541 acres, under the provisions of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, and, if acquired, Mrs. Loughnane's application will be considered in connection therewith.

asked what was the original amount of the bequest to the town of Newmarket by the Aldworth family; how much of it has been paid out; by whose authority and for what purpose; if any of this money is invested in the Newmarket Loan Fund Society; what is the capital; and who are the directors of this society?

I understand the original amount of the bequest was £1,000. Of this £750 was paid out by order of the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests, dated 23rd November, 1841; £350 towards the erection of a market house, and £400 for the establishment of a loan fund. On 31st December, 1910, the working capital of the Loan Fund was £434 18s. The trustees of the Fund are Major John Aldworth, Lady Mary Aldworth and Rev. F. H. Allen. The managing committee are the Hon. Horace Lysaght, Messrs. D. P. Humphreys and W. R. Verling, and the three trustees above-named.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that, owing to the manner of administration of the Sunday Closing Act by the district inspector having charge of the Newcastle police district, county Limerick, persons who have travelled in some cases fifteen miles to funerals have been refused necessary refreshments by licence holders by order of the police in the village of Broadford, county Limerick, the last date of this refusal being the 12th instant; and will he issue orders to this inspector that such conduct is contrary to the provisions of the Act and request him to inform the men under his charge of that clause?

The hon. Member appears to have been misinformed. The Inspector-General informs me that the district inspector at Newcastle does not interfere with publicans supplying bonâ fide travellers on Sundays, and no instructions have been given by him in the matter. On Sunday, the 12th instant, a large number of people came to Broadford to a funeral. Some had travelled over three miles, and others had not, and a publican refused to serve them, and the police in no way interfered. No special instructions to the police are necessary.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board for Ireland have recognised the necessity for a fishery pier at Glenties, Bantry, and promised a grant towards its erection; and, if so, will he direct the attention of the Board to this matter with a view to the fulfilment of their promise?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on 14th February.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the actual expenditure on repairs of ships exclusive of indirect charges for the year 1906–7, and subsequent years, so as to include the estimated expenditure for 1910–11 and 1911–12, stating the extra charges under Subhead F, brought in for the first time in 1909–10?

I assume that the "extra charges" referred to by the hon. Member relate to expenditure for other naval services, such as Boyal naval barracks, colleges, boom defence, etc., provision for which was transferred to Subhead D in 1909–10. The figures asked for in the question are as follows:—

1906–07	£1,935,605
(Actual expenditure.)
1907–08	£2,312,786
(Actual expenditure.)
1908–09	£2,582,818
(Actual expenditure.)
1909–10	£2,421,554
(Actual expenditure.)
1910–11	£2,546,888
(Estimated expenditure.)
1911–12	£2,797,328
(Estimated expenditure.)

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many British contractors, employing independent capitals, are prepared to supply each of the following items of Navy material: guns of 11 inches and over; guns of smaller calibre down to six inches; armour plates; gun mountings for heavy guns; and if he will state what precautions are taken to pro- tect the taxpayer from price agreements between the firms concerned?

There are four firms capable of supplying guns of 11-inch and above; four capable of supplying guns down to 6-inch; five firms capable of supplying armour plates; and three capable of supplying gun-mountings for heavy guns. The prices paid to these firms are checked where possible by the cost of manufacturing similar articles in Government establishments. As regards armour plates, every endeavour is made by negotiations to keep the price within fair limits. The number of firms capable of manufacturing gun-mountings for heavy guns has recently been increased, and there is good reason for supposing that there is no price agreements between the firms.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will consider the propriety of at once raising the wages of unskilled labourers in His Majesty's dockyards; and if he is aware that with heavy rents and increased cost of living it is impossible for men to fittingly maintain their families on their present wage?

According to my present information, the conditions of employment of the men in the Royal yards are not inferior to those of men in good employment outside.

asked which are the Educational authorities in the United Kingdom who have been granted the privilege of selecting candidates for entry as boy artificers in the Navy, under Rules 18 and 19 of the Regulations for the entry and Training of Boy Artificers in His Majesty's Navy; and on what principle the educational authorities are selected who have been given this privilege?

A selection has been made of those local educational authorities which were considered most likely to supply suitable candidates, and in this connection I would refer the Noble Lord to the reply I gave on 2nd March last to my hon. Friend the Member for Rox-burgshire. I am considering the question of the propriety of publishing the list, but I must observe that it is a very long one, and in any case could not be given in answer to a question.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that while a foreign order granted for an official visit to a foreign port is often permitted to be worn, in the matter of the orders bestowed by His Majesty the King of Italy upon officers in the Royal Navy who assisted at the rescue work at Messina after the earthquake His Majesty's order is not allowed to be worn; and whether he will consider the possibility of approaching the proper authorities with a view to having the regulation governing the position amended to meet the case cited, and similar cases as and when they arise?

The wearing of foreign orders by officers of His Majesty's service is governed by the King's Regulations, which are the same as those issued by the Foreign Office for all subjects of the Crown. Under these Regulations permission may be given to an officer who is chief of a Complimentary Mission to a foreign Power, and this is the explanation of the difference of treatment in the cases referred to by the hon. Member. The last part of the hon. Member's question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

asked, assuming that Great Britain, Germany, and the United States have each completed their 1911–12 programme by 1st April, 1914, how many "Dreadnoughts" and how many "Invincibles" will each nation have completed at that date?

The figures asked for by the hon. Member are as follows:—

Great Britain.
"Dreadnoughts"	…	…	22
"Invincibles"	…	…	9

The latter figure includes one "Invincible" building for Great Britain at the charge of the New Zealand Government, but is exclusive of one "Invincible" building for the Commonwealth of Australia.

Germany.
"Dreadnoughts"	…	…	16
"Invincibles"	…	…	5
United States
"Dreadnoughts"	…	…	12
"Invincibles"	…	…	0

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state how many pre-"Dreadnought" battleships less than fifteen years old will be possessed by Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, respectively, on 1st April, 1914, and how many less than twelve years old?

The figures asked for by the hon. Member are as follows:—

Under fifteen years old:
Great Britain	…	…	…	23
Germany	…	…	…	18
United States	…	…	…	16
Under twelve years old:
Great Britain	…	…	…	12
Germany	…	…	…	10
United States	…	…	…	13

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty under what conditions officers of foreign navies are permitted to live on board His Majesty's ships; whether he is aware that these officers have access, without supervision, to every part of such ships as they may be serving in, including such places as are not permitted to be shown by officers to anyone unconnected with the Service, and further, that they are permitted to witness manœuvres of such a confidential nature that guests are not allowed to be invited on board His Majesty's ships while such manœuvres are being held; further, whether he is aware that difficulties have arisen in connection with the messing and cabin accommodation of these officers; and finally, whether, in the interests of the country, the regulations permitting the entry of these officers may be altered, or, failing that, can he give the House any guarantee that no information of a confidential nature has become the property of any of the principal maritime Powers through the agency of any foreign officer who has served in one of His Majesty's ships?

Foreign officers of the lesser naval Powers are in exceptional cases received on board His Majesty's ships for training, and it is manifestly impossible to prevent an officer from witnessing manœuvres in which his ship is taking part. I am not aware that any discontent exists among naval officers at the presence in their midst of foreign officers, nor that any naval officer has had to give up his cabin to a foreign officer. Before a foreign officer is appointed for training the commander-in-chief is always asked to report the name of a ship in which he can be accommodated. I think the officers of the foreign navies who are received on board our ships may be trusted as a matter of honour not to communicate any confidential information they receive to other Powers. I may observe, in reference to the whole subject, that the practice of permitting foreign officers to serve in His Majesty's ships has often produced happy results in cementing international friendships.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that plastering work in the different naval establishments in Portsmouth is on occasions performed by men who are not plasterers, in certain instances being done by bricklayers; and whether he will take steps to secure the employment of plasterers for plastering work?

Plasterers' work is only done by bricklayers when the amount of it is small, such as jobbing and patching. When the extent of the work warrants it, plasterers would be engaged or the work let to contract.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the total sum taken for the first instalment for the four armoured ships of the German programme this year for ships and armament, and what is the corresponding figure for the five armoured ships of our own naval programme?

I presume by "this year" the hon. Member means the current financial year. The total sum proposed in the German Naval Estimates is £1,839,530; but the Estimates have not yet been finally approved. It is not our practice to provide for the payment of ships by means of Votes for annual instalments, and there is consequently no corresponding figure for the five armoured ships of our own Naval programme.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will say, for the years 1910 and 1911, and if possible for 1912, 1913, and 1914, the number of capital ships which have passed or will pass, out of commission in pursuance of the policy of substituting "Dreadnoughts" for vessels of older type?

The figures asked for by my hon. Friend are as follows:—

In 1910	…	…	Two battleships
In 1911	…	…	Seven battleships

It is not possible to give a forecast of the ships passing out of commission after the present year.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the officials of all ranks, who were employed in Portsmouth Naval Prison up to July last have been given other employment or have been pensioned?

Yes, Sir; with the exception of one warder whose case is still under consideration, and of one man who was only employed on a temporary basis.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the death on 5th January last of Mr. T. Bearon, who was employed as a painter in the Chatham Dockyard, was attributed by his doctor to Bright's disease and kidney trouble brought on by lead poisoning; and whether he will give consideration to the matter with a view to compensation being paid to the widow?

The case of the late John Thomas Beavon, hired skilled labourer, Chatham Dockyard, to which the question is presumed to relate, is under consideration, and is about to be forwarded to the Treasury, with which Department rests the decision on claims for compensation in such circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will state the annual cost per head to the nation of a Cavalry and Infantry soldier, respectively?

The average annual cost, including charges for barracks, arms, ammunition, etc., of a trained private-soldier at home amounts to £61 19s. 7d. for Cavalry of the Line, and £57 12s. 3d. for Infantry of the Line.

asked the Secretary of State for War, whether he has yet had the report of the Government inspectors on the rifle range at Box Hill, Dorking; and whether it can be passed for the class firing of the local Territorial units?

The report on this range has been received, and it cannot be passed for full use under the present regulations far rapid firing. The question whether such modifications of these regulations can be made as will admit of use of this range is under consideration, and a decision will shortly be given.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers of the Territorial Force, or officers of the Regular Army or Territorial Force who have retired with the right to wear the uniform, are allowed to inspect in uniform corps of boy scouts or church lads' brigade; and whether it is always necessary for them to obtain the consent of the county association before doing so?

Officers of the Regular Forces who are in the Reserve of Officers and Officers of the Territorial Force are not permitted, if in uniform, to inspect bodies of boys that are not recognised as cadet units by a county association. As regards the other officers mentioned who have left the Army it is hoped that they will conform in this respect to the spirit of the regulations in force for officers belonging to the Army. Inspections of recognised cadet units will be carried out under the instructions of the General Officer Conmmanding-in-Chief concerned.

asked the Secretary for "War whether it is intended to fire the 9.2 guns of the Ravelin Battery, Sheerness, during April; and, if so, whether, in view of the damage done by the concussion when the guns were previously fired, he will be able to take any further steps to protect property in Sheerness when the guns are fired?

The question of practice to be carried out from the 9.2-inch guns of this battery and the precautions to be adopted to minimise damage are under consideration and pending a decision these guns will not be fired for practice.

asked, with reference to the Special Army Order of 27th February, 1911, paragraph 3, when the reduction by four of the present permanent establishment of Regular officers of the extra Reserve battalions has been carried out; if during recruits' drill the same number of officers of these battalions will be called up for duty with their own consent; and, with reference to the Special Army Order of 27th February, 1911, Appendix, why one colour-sergeant instructor of musketry has not been included in the peace establishment of the extra Reserve battalions?

As regards the first part of the question pending the absorption of the supernumerary Regular officers, no general instructions are considered necessary; but when they have been absorbed, any application for the services of Special Reserve officers during the non-training period will be dealt with under paragraph 89 (a) Special Reserve Regulations, as amended by Army Order 172 of 1910. As regards the second part of the question, the subject of giving an expert instructor of musketry for all Reserve battalions is under consideration.

asked as regards the new Orders regulating admission of cadets to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, whether the system of nomination by head masters of schools in lieu of competition is to be made applicable; and, if so, whether any standard of proficiency in mathematics or in languages will be set up as a test before admission to the Academy, and by what means uniformity of standard for different schools in these subjects will be attained?

It is not intended to make the system of nomination by headmasters of schools applicable to entry into the Royal Military Academy.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been drawn to two cases recently heard in the Clerken-well Police Court arising out of a trade dispute, in the first a trade-union workman, named Turley, being charged with a trivial assault upon a non-unionist workman, and sentenced to one month's hard labour, without the option of a fine, in the second a non-unionist workman charged with striking a picket and who was simply bound over to keep the peace; and whether under these circumstances he can see his way to advise the release from prison of the trade unionist?

The sentence in each case was within the discretion of the magistrate, who took into consideration the widely different circumstances of the two cases. Turley was one of a number of men who were surrounding the prosecutor, and he struck him twice with his fist on the face. In Smith's case the assault was of a trivial nature, and the evidence whether or not he had provocation was conflicting. If Turley was dissatisfied with his sentence he had a right to appeal to Quarter Sessions, and I found no ground for interference in his case when I considered it last month. He has now been released in ordinary course. I have no power, even if I desired to do so, to increase the sentence in the other case.

asked the Home Secretary how many of the persons who have been released on ticket-of-leave since December, 1910, have failed to report themselves; and how many of these persons remain undiscovered?

I am unable to give the total number of licence-holders who have failed to report to the police, but in the Metropolitan Police district alone thirty-four persons have been gazetted this year on this account, of whom up to now twenty-four have evaded arrest.

asked the Home Secretary, whether his attention has been called to an incident which occurred on 17th February last at Bark-ham, near Reading, when a carted deer, hunted by the Berks and Bucks Stag-hounds, got hung up on a fence, and being, while in this position, worried by the hounds, so plunged and struggled as to break two of its legs, some time after which its throat was cut; whether this is the same pack which recently was responsible for the deaths of six carted deer in six consecutive months; and whether, in view of the fact that such incidents are of frequent occurrence and are inevitable when the sport is pursued under such conditions as prevail in the Home Counties, he will consider the desirability of so amending the Acts for the prevention of cruelty to animals that such cases may be brought within their operation?

I have seen a report of the case which my hon. Friend has sent me. All readers of the newspapers must have noticed the recurrence from time to time of such painful and repulsive incidents; but, with every wish to put a stop to them, it is impossible for me to introduce legislation to this end in the near future.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to the suicide of a factory girl at Hyde, in which case the jury returned a verdict that she had taken her life owing to fear of being fined; and, in view of the increase of the practice of fining in cotton factories and of the strength of the opposition of the operatives to the system, will he take what steps are necessary to make such fining illegal?

I received yesterday a newspaper report of the proceedings at the inquest in this case, and I have made such inquiries as were possible in the short time at my disposal as to the extent to which fining was practised at the works in question. It appears that in the last twelve months the total amount of fines imposed was £18 on a wages bill of £25,527. In the sixteen months during which the girl had been employed she had been fined five times, the fines amounting in all to 2s. The question of fining in the cotton industry has recently been brought before me by a deputation of the workers' representatives, and is now under my consideration. I hope to take an early opportunity of hearing the employers' views on the subject, and discussing the matter with them. I should point out, however, that the whole subject was exhaustively investigated a year or two ago by a Departmental Committee, who did not recommend the abolition of fines; and that in any case nothing can be done without fresh legislation.

asked the Home Secretary if he will state for what reason Section 111 (5) of The Children Act, 1908, has not been put into operation in London; and whether it is his intention to establish separate juvenile courts and to appoint special children's magistrates in the Metropolis?

It is not the case that the sub-section referred to has not been put into operation in London. By an Order in Council of 2nd December, 1909, it was provided that juvenile courts should be established at six of the Metropolitan police courts, and that these juvenile courts should not be held in the court room in which the ordinary sittings of the police court are held, but in some other room suitable for the purpose. There is nothing in the Children Act requiring the appointment of special children's magistrates in the metropolis; and I do not think it is necessary to interfere with the existing arrangements, which appear to be working satisfactorily.

asked the Home Secretary why, in the case of a person wishing to disinter and remove a body buried in consecrated ground, whether of a cemetery or parish churchyard, he refuses to issue his licence and insists on such person going to the ecclesiastical authorities for a faculty; and whether he will, in the case of any representative of a deceased person, or at least in the case of a Nonconformist, wishing to remove the body from consecrated ground, in future cause his licence to issue?

The Home Office does not in the cases referred to "insist" on a faculty being obtained, but the practice followed is necessarily governed by the law with regard to faculties for the disturbance of consecrated ground. For the removal of a body from one consecrated place of burial to another the Home Secretary's licence is, I am advised, not sufficient without a faculty being also obtained from the ecclesiastical authority. On the other hand, it is clear that the faculty is sufficient in such a case without the licence. In these circumstances it has been considered the safer course not, as a rule, to issue a licence in any case where removal by faculty was conveniently available; and there does not appear to be any reason for altering a practice which has worked satisfactorily for more than fifty years.

asked the Home Secretary what is the reference number of Codes of Rules in force in Mines and Quarries in the United Kingdom, 1908, referred to in a footnote of the Second Report of the Royal Commission on Mines, 1909; and will he have a copy placed in the Library?

The volume was not presented to Parliament and does not bear any reference number, but it is entitled "Codes of Rules in Force in Mines and Quarries in the United Kingdom." It is on sale at the price of 4s. 6d., and can be purchased from Wyman and Sons. I will see that a copy is in the Library available for the use of Members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the mining regulations of Northern Nigeria make it necessary for a prospector to get a right to prospect, costing £5; whether he is then asked to prove that he has capital to the sum of £100, and, before getting an exclusive prospecting right, is made to show that he has working capital of at least £2,000; and, if so, whether he will take steps to alter these regulations so that desirable individuals may not be excluded from the Colony for the benefit of wealthy syndicates?

The conditions of Northern Nigeria render it essential that only persons of satisfactory financial standing should be encouraged to embark on mining enterprises in that country. Exclusive licences to prospect are transferable, and have been, I understand, transferred for large sums, and both for the protection of the public and in the interests of the mining industry it is necessary that the bona fides of applicants for these licences should be fully established, and their capacity for carrying out the provisions of the law as to genuine prospecting during the whole of the currency of the licence ascertained beforehand. The guarantees required by the Government of Northern Nigeria appear to me reasonable, and I do not propose to intervene with a view to their abolition or reduction.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the British Consular Court in Egypt has decided that the Helouan (Egypt) Development Company is duly registered, whilst the mixed court of first instance has similarly decided that this company is not duly registered, but null and void; whether he is aware that a man owing money to an English company carrying on business in Egypt, and who is desirous of evading obligations, has only to apply to the mixed tribunal to have the company declared non-existent; and whether he proposes taking any steps to safeguard British investors in English companies carrying on business in Egypt?

I understand that the British Consular Court has decided that the Helouan (Egypt) Development Company is duly registered in England as a British Joint Stock Company, while the Mixed Court decided that the company was null and void and non-existent in Egypt, as it had not complied with the requirements of Egyptian Law as laid down in the Mixed Commercial Code. With regard to the latter part of the hon. Member's question, I have nothing to add to the answers which I have already given to him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to reintroduce the Railway Accounts Bill; and if it is his intention to press its adoption during the present Session?

I propose to reintroduce the Bill shortly, and I hope it may be passed during the present Session.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been drawn to the increase in the consumption of standard bread; whether he has any evidence that imitation standard bread is being sold, produced by the addition to the flour of undesirable elements; and whether, in these circumstances, he will accelerate the publication of the reports of the investigations now being made by his officers on the subject?

I have seen a large number of newspaper paragraphs in regard to so-called standard bread, and a certain number of letters have been addressed to the Local Government Board on the subject. As I have already stated, the question is being investigated by my Foods Department, and I hope to receive a report on the subject in due course.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will state the number of paupers relieved in the United Kingdom for the years 1890 and 1909 respectively; the sum expended on Poor Law relief in the same years; the number of persons emigrated out of funds raised under the provisions of the Unemployed Workman Act, 1905, and the gross amount of money expended on such emigration; the net amount after deducting moneys returned by the emigrants; the number of emigrants other than children, orphans and deserted, emigrated under the provisions of the Poor Law and the cost of such emigration in the years 1890 and 1909 respectively; the number of children, orphans and deserted, emigrated by boards of guardians, and the cost of such emigration in the years 1890 and 1909 respectively?

The mean number of persons classified as paupers in the United Kingdom was for the year ended Lady Day, 1890, 976,573, and for the year ended Lady Day, 1909, 1,136,084. The expenditure on poor relief for the year 1889–90 was £10,024,113, and for the year 1908–9 £17,334,840. According to the latest figures 16,317 emigrants and dependents have been emigrated out of funds raised under the provisions of the Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905, the gross cost being £130,048. No complete information with regard to moneys returned by the emigrants is available. In England and Wales 72 emigrants other than orphan or deserted children were emigrated under the Poor Law in 1890 at a cost of £271, and 213 at a cost of £1,433 in 1909. The number of orphan or deserted children emigrated under the Poor Law in England and Wales was 375, at a cost of £4,191, in 1890, and 422, at a cost of £6,531, in 1909. No statistics of persons emigrated under the Poor Law in Scotland are available. In Ireland, so far as my information goes, 533 persons were assisted to emigrate in 1890 under the Irish Poor Relief Acts, at a cost of £880; and 22 persons, at a cost of £69, in 1909. I am unable to distinguish the number of orphan or deserted children, if any.

asked the President of the Local Government Board, whether he is aware of the difficulty now attending the recovery of loans advanced to persons emigrated under the provisions of The Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905, in cases where the loans are not guaranteed by friends of the emigrants in this country; and whether he will, at the forthcoming Imperial Conference, approach the Prime Ministers of the Oversea Dominions with a view of obtaining such co-operation as will enable the wages earned by assisted emigrants to be ear-marked for repayment of loans granted to them out of public funds in this country?

I am aware of the difficulty referred to, but I am doubtful whether the remedy suggested by the hon. Member would be practicable. I will, however, consider the matter.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has received any reports regarding the mortality among infants at Thorpe, in the Chertsey Division of Surrey; if he can state the percentage of deaths and the nature of the causes; and whether anything is being done to provide better household accommodation at the recommendation of the Board?

I have seen newspaper reports on the subject, in which the infant mortality at Thorpe is stated to have been 235 per 1,000 in 1908. A percentage figure is not a very reliable guide in such a case, as I find the number of infants' deaths in that year was but four. Of these one was that of an illegitimate child who died within three days of birth, another was ascribed to heart failure and occurred within fourteen days, the two remaining deaths were of twins who survived birth only three or four days. Three at least of these deaths are attributed by the medical officer of health to antenatal causes in no way connected with the environment. I understand that the average infant mortality of the parish for the years 1899 to 1909 was 68 per 1,000, not a very high figure. One of my inspectors has recently held an inquiry under the Housing Acts at Thorpe, and I am glad to say that the Chertsey Rural District Council have promised to lay definite proposals before the Board for the provision of further housing accommodation in that parish.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the error in drafting Section 19 of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1890, upon the subject of the ownership and responsibility for maintenance of sewers, so that under that section a private drain taking the drainage of more than one house belonging to the same owner is a sewer, repairable by the local authorities, whereas in cases of houses similarly drained but belonging to dif- ferent owners the local authorities are not responsible for them; whether the Local Government Board have received a memorial asking that a private Bill drafted to rectify this mistake shall be accepted as a Government measure; and whether the Government can see their way to adopt the Bill or to assist it as a non-contentious-measure?

I am aware of the difficulties that surround the present law with regard to sewers and drains. I have received the memorial alluded to in the question. Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the Private Bill to which reference is made, I may say that I shall be very glad if it is possible to arrive in a non-contentious manner at a settlement of the problem, and I believe that efforts are being made to that end.

asked the President of the Local Government Board in how many workhouses in England and Wales stone-breaking, stone-pounding, oakum picking, and corn grinding, respectively are the tasks prescribed for able-bodied men who, rendered destitute by lack of work, illness, or similar causes, are forced to enter the workhouses as a condition of relief to themselves and their families?

As the sanction of the Local Government Board is not required to particular tasks of work for the inmates of workhouses, I cannot give the number of workhouses in which the tasks referred to in the question are prescribed, but according to my information the more usual task at the present time is employment on the land. It need hardly be said that persons rendered destitute through their own illness would not be employed, if sick, in tasks of this nature. The Board have for many years discouraged oakum picking as a task for workhouse inmates.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what was the number and nationality of aliens who received Poor Law relief in England and Wales in 1900 and 1910, respectively; and how many of these received relief, for which disfranchisement is imposed, in each year?

The only figures available on this subject relate to London, and certain large boroughs and urban districts. In 1900, the number of aliens who received Poor Law Relief in London and six large towns was stated to be 2,744. Of those relieved in London, 1,100, or rather more than half, were stated to be Russians or Poles. In 1910, 5,732 adult aliens received poor relief in London and fourteen other districts. Of these, 2,599 are described as Russians, and 1,029 as Germans. No information is available as to the number in 1900 who received medical relief; but, of those relieved in 1910, 1,781 are stated to have received medical relief, and 376 to have been persons of unsound mind.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, considering the fact that local authorities continue to promote Bills asking for powers to control the milk supply to their respective areas, he can promise to introduce a Bill dealing with this subject during the present Session?

I am hoping it may be possible to deal with the subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is yet in a position to say what grant, if any, is to be made towards financing the distress committees under the Unemployed Workmen Act; and, if no grant is to be made, what other steps are to be taken?

I have nothing at present to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on Tuesday.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the draft order on out-relief has been withdrawn, or is its publication only delayed to enable boards of guardians and others interested to make representations?

As I have already stated, I do not propose to take any action on the recommendations made by the Departmental Committee on the out-relief orders until I have received the representations referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he intends to take any further steps with regard to the Public Health (Health Visitors) Bill, introduced by him into this. House last year?

The Bill was introduced yesterday.

asked the Postmaster-General if the national trunk telephone system will be extended from Mullingar and Cavan, so that the towns of Carrick-on-Shannon, Carrigallen, Ballinamore, and Mohill, which are fair and market towns in county Leitrim, may be connected and incorporated with the system?

As the conditions on which extensions of the trunk telephone system in Ireland can be carried out are at present under the consideration of the Treasury, I am unable at the moment to give a definite reply to the hon. Member's question. When those conditions have been settled, I will ascertain whether they will admit of an extension of the telephone system to the places, named by the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of the employés of the National Telephone Company are to be taken over by the Post Office at the end of the present year; and what arrangements he is making with regard to the residue of the staff?

As promised in this House in August, 1905, by the then Postmaster-General, all the officers and servants of the National Telephone Company in receipt of less than £700 per an-num who have been not less than two-years continuously in the service of the company on 31st December next, will be taken into the service of the Post Office, subject to the condition as to medical fitness laid down in Clause 4 of the Memorandum read by my predecessor. I have no information at the present time as to what proportion of the existing force of the company is covered by this promise. In all probability, moreover, the great majority of the officers and servants of the company who will have had less than two years' service on 31st December next, and who are in receipt of less than £700 a year, will also be taken over, provided their health is satisfactory.

asked the Postmaster-General, in view of the facts that the six largest provincial telegraph centres were excluded without cause shown from the rise in the maximum wages paid to telegraphists recommended by the Select Committee of 1906 in the case of London and other centres, that the conditions which were held to justify such a rise, namely, the altered conditions of work and the increased cost of living hold good also, mutatis mutandis, for these excluded centres, and that substantial increases have been granted to the superintending officials at these centres, while the wages of the subordinate clerks have remained stationary, whether he will reconsider his decision to retain the existing rates in the case of these centres?

I fear I must abide by the answer which I gave to a previous question on the same subject asked by the hon. Member on the 21st ultimo

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the inconvenience caused to the residents of Ealing in consequence of the decision to close the Ealing post office at 9 p.m.; whether this curtailment of postal and telegraphic facilities in a neighbourhood which has doubled its population during recent years is due to the fact that by closing at 9 p.m. the office can be worked entirely by female labour; and whether, before taking further definite steps in this matter, he will consult the local authorities on the subject and inform them of the reasons for the suggested alteration?

The decision to close the Ealing Branch Office at 9 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. was based upon the small amount of work transacted between those hours, as ascertained by special returns taken at different periods, and was not determined by questions of staff. Other offices of equal importance in the vicinity of London are closed at 9 p.m., and when the inhabitants of Ealing become accustomed to the change they will not, I think, experience any real inconvenience. I have received a representation on the subject from the Ealing Town Council, and I will inform them of the reasons for the alteration.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the railway and canal companies in Great Britain have been for many years in receipt of a sum amounting to many thousands of pounds as payment in compensation of wayleaves, etc., for telephones belonging to the National Telephone Company; that after the transfer of the National Telephone Company's undertaking to the Post Office at the end of the present year the only payment which will in the great majority of cases be made in respect, of such wayleaves will, in consequence of the operation of the Telegraph Act, 1868, and the awards thereunder, be a wayleave payment of 1s. per mile per wire; and will he state what provision he is prepared to make for compensating the railway and canal companies in respect of the loss which they will thereby suffer?

The facts are, broadly speaking, these:—The State purchased for large sums of money, at the time of the transfer of the telegraphs to the Post Office full, and in many cases, exclusive wayleave over the railways and canals. After the transfer of the undertaking of the National Telephone Company to the Post Office such of the telephone wires—legally telegraphs—as are acquired by the Postmaster-General will be maintained under the wayleave so purchased, and the Postmaster-General will make in respect of them all payments for which he is liable under the purchase agreements with the railway companies. No question of compensation arises in this connection. If the railway companies have received large sums of money from the National Telephone Company it is to a great extent because the Postmaster-General has consented to waive his exclusive right, and he has done so under arrangements with the railway companies which have made his position perfectly clear. The State cannot pay again for what it has already bought. The hon. Member is under some misapprehension in quoting a rate of 1s. a mile per wire. In some cases there is no payment because wayleave was purchased for a lump sum; in other cases the payment is as high as £1 a mile per wire.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Mr. R. H. McCarthy, of 21, Ravenscourt Park, W., who was given the telephone number 1,123 Chiswick seven months ago on the signature of his contract, has up to date been unable to have a telephone instrument installed, in consequence of which he has cancelled his contract; and whether he is aware that from the date he signed his contract till the present date there have been no spares in the Chiswick exchange; and, if so, whether the enlargement of the Chiswick switchboard presented insuperable difficulties?

The delay in installing this telephone is due to my inability to obtain the necessary wayleaves; but I am trying to find a practicable alternative. It is not the case that there have been no spares in the Chiswick Exchange.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the cause of the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Surrey has yet been traced; and what steps have been taken to guard against the introduction of this disease through the medium of hay, straw, cakes, or other feeding stuffs?

The answer to the first part is in the negative. With a view to prevent the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease into this country, the Board issued an Order in March, 1908, prohibiting the landing of hay and straw from all countries in which the disease is known to exist or has recently existed. Certain exceptions are made in the Order, a copy of which I shall be happy to supply to the hon. Member. No restrictions have been placed on the importation of cakes or other feeding stuffs by reason of the fact that the disturbance and loss which would arise would far outweigh any advantage to be gained as regards the prevention of infection.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether, in view of the exceptionally good trade in pedigree cattle with Argentina enjoyed by British cattle-breeders in the current year until the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at Chobham, in Surrey, and the prospects which till then existed of a large increase of such trade, the Board will make clear to the Argentine Government the isolated character of such outbreak and the drastic measures taken by the Board to prevent the spread of the disease, and at the same time urge them, in the interests of British agricultural industry, to impose restrictions upon importation for as short a period as possible?.

Yes, Sir, it is the intention of the Board to bring the facts officially to the notice of the Argentine Government, and to ask them to consider the propriety of relaxing their restrictions. But any such representations would at the moment be premature, for although we have good reason to hope that our efforts will succeed in preventing the spread of the disease it cannot as yet be safely assumed that the outbreak is an isolated one, and that all danger of further infection has passed away.

asked the Lord Advocate if he has any information at his disposal which will enable him to state the number of emigrants to the various Colonies from the Highland counties of Scotland during the last five years, respectively?

The information available regarding passengers leaving the United Kingdom does not include any indication of the localities where they have resided. The number of emigrants from the Highland counties of Scotland cannot, in consequence, be determined.

asked the Lord Advocate, whether the new Poor Law Order dealing with outdoor relief is to be extended to Scotland; and, if so, will he say when it is proposed to bring it into operation?

The answer to this question is in the negative, as I informed my hon. Friend on the 2nd March.

asked the Lord Advocate, in view of the recommendations of the secondary education committees in Scotland in conjunction with the scheme for the medical inspection of school children, will he state the nature of the appointments which have been made in each of the Highland crofting counties.

The following appointments have been made under the schemes for the medical inspection of school children:—Inverness.—The county medical officer of health, Dr. J. Macdonald, has been appointed supervising medical officer, and Messrs. Gordon Lang and Duncan Fletcher school medical officers for the mainland and insular divisions respectively. Arrangements have also been made for obtaining the services of two nurses where required.Ross and Cromarty.—The county medical officer of health, Dr. William Bruce, has been appointed supervising medical officer, and Drs. G. G. Middleton and Donald Murray school medical officers for the mainland and insular divisions respectively.Caithness and Sutherland.—The present medical officer of health for the two counties, Dr. Dick, is to be appointed joint medical officer of health and school medical officer for Caithness only. It is understood that a similar scheme is under consideration for Sutherland. No appointments have yet been made for Argyll, Orkney and Shetland, but a committee for the former county has been appointed to consider a scheme to come into force in the year 1911–12.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that the proposal to divide into small holdings the portion suitable for this purpose of the Crown estate of Scotscalder, Caithness, has resulted in 151 applications being received for what will probably not exceed sixteen or seventeen holdings; and whether, under these circumstances, he will consider the advisability of employing some of the funds of the Congested Districts Board in securing land in other parts of the county of Caithness to satisfy some of the disappointed applicants for the Scotscalder holdings?

I am aware of the facts to which my hon. Friend draws attention. It seems desirable to await the further development of the Scotscalder scheme, which is in the hands of the Office of Woods and Forests, before contemplating the consideration of any such steps as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the hon. Member for the Stroud Division, as representing the Charity Commissioners, whether, out of a total income of the Norwich Charities, amounting to about £4,000 per annum, the outgoings for clerk, steward, assistant clerks, inquiry agents, etc., amount to £800; and, if not, whether he can supply the correct figure, showing the total annual income and the total cost of administration?

The figures stated in the question do not appear to be correct. The total income of the charities is £3,192 a year. The only salary of an official yet fixed is one of £150 a year for an inquiry officer and office clerk. A clerk, surveyor and auditor have been appointed at a salary or remuneration to be hereinafter determined in accordance with the amount of work entailed. It is estimated that the cost of the outgoings for these officers will not exceed £400 a year. In addition to this, there will be other costs of administration, but so far as the Commissioners are at present advised the total cost of administration will not be more than about £500 a year.