asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the amounts already expended annually by Government Departments upon stationery and printing, and the estimated increase under this heading during the year 1911– 12 of £54,054, the Government will take some steps by which the details of such expenditure will be brought under the purview or control of this House?

I do not think that it would be practicable to give more detail than now appears in the Estimate. But I am considering the question of an inquiry by a Select Committee of this House into the whole of the expenditure out of the Stationery Office Vote.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he was now able to give the names of the members of the Committee on Local Taxation which he had promised to appoint; and further, whether he could state the terms of reference to that Committee?

The composition of the Committee is as follows:—Chairman:—Sir John Kempe, K.C.B., Comptroller and Auditor-General.Members:—F. E. N. Rogers, Esq., Vice-Chairman, Wiltshire County Council.T. J. Hughes, Esq., Vice-Chairman, Glamorgan County Council.Lewis Beard, Esq., Town Clerk, County Council, Blackburn.A. W. Myles, Esq., Town Clerk, Glasgow.William Murison, Esq., Clerk, Aberdeen County Council.Bight Hon. Sir Henry Robinson, K.C.B., Vice-President, Local Government Board, Ireland.H. C. Monro, Esq., C.B., Secretary to Local Government Board.G. L. Barstow, Esq., Treasury.G. E. P. Murray, Esq., Education Department.An endeavour is being made to secure the services of someone familiar with the conditions of London. The terms of reference are: "To inquire into the changes which have taken place in the relations between Imperial and local taxation since the Report of the Royal Commission on Local Taxation in 1901 to examine the several proposals made in the Reports of that Commission, and to make recommendations on the subject for the consideration of His Majesty's Government with a view to the introduction of legislation at an early date."

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what is the amount of the annual allowance given to civil servants of the rank of second division clerks in the event of such clerks being sent for permanent service from the headquarters to which they were originally assigned to sub-offices situate in provincial towns, when this removal is in no sense voluntary and involves no promotion?

Such allowances are not given unless the circumstances are wholly exceptional.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what is the total acreage of the Crown lands let to agricultural tenants, and how much of this is let in holdings of fifty acres or less?

The acreage of Crown lands in Great Britain let to agricultural tenants as at 31st March, 1910, was as follows:—

Country.	Total Acreage.	Acreage let in holdings of 50 acres or less.
England	72,926	8,395
Wales and Monmouth	6,750	l,003
Scotland	31,536	265
Total	111,212	9,663

The figures for Wales and Monmouth are exclusive of encroachments from common and waste lands. A large part of the area in Scotland consists of moorland let for grazing and not suitable for small holdings.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state the total sum that has been received at the Customs House, Dublin, by way of Increment Value Duties under Section 1 of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910?

I will ask the hon. Member to await the Budget speech for the coming year of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that Engineer-fitter Williams, who died at Portsmouth, January, 1911, was entitled, under the Superannuation Acts, to a year's salary, amounting to £93; and will he explain why 50s. was deducted from this sum by the Inland Revenue before payment to his widow?

The gratuity of £93 was paid in full, but 50s. for Estate Duty, bond stamp and court fees was paid by the widow of the late Mr. Williams on taking out letters of administration of her husband's estate. The Estate Duty, which amounts to 30s., should not, on the facts subsequently brought to notice, have been paid, and will, of course, be refunded

asked when the annual licence values for 1909–10 upon licensed houses over £500 in annual value are to be issued?

They are already being issued.

asked (1) how much of the £12,415,000 required in the year ending 31st March, 1012, for the payment of old age pensions in the United Kingdom is attributable, respectively, to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland; and how much of the sum of £435,014, for which provision is made in various other Estimates for expenditure in connection with old age pensions in the year ending 31st March, 1912, is attributable, respectively, to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland? Also (2) What was the total sum paid in the United Kingdom in respect of old age pensions, and administrative expenses connected therewith, in the year ending 31st March, 1911; and, of this sum, how much was paid respectively to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland?

I may, perhaps, suggest that the hon. Member should await the issue of the Revenue and Expenditure Return for 1910–11, which will give the information desired for that year, and serve as a guide to the corresponding information for 1911–12. It is not possible at the present moment to state the total expenditure, or its distribution, in the year 1910–11, or to forecast with certainty the distribution of expenditure in the year 1911–12.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in regard to the case of Timothy Crotty, of Ross, Kilbaha, West Clare, the Local Government Board will have regard to the fact that Timothy Crotty, on the occasion of the marriage of his son, assigned his farm to his son, on 10th February, 1907, reserving to himself the right of a bed room, part use of the kitchen, and also a quarter of an acre of land, this agreement having been drawn up in due form by a solicitor; that an old age pension of 5s. weekly was granted to Timothy Crotty from the beginning of the operation of the Act till 20th August, 1909; and that the pension was withheld from that date on the ground of sufficient means; and whether, seeing that Timothy Crotty is now seventy-three years of age, feeble, and indigent, in the event of another application being made, it will be considered that Timothy Crotty is entitled to the pension?

I am unable to predict what decision would be given by the pension authorities in the event of Crotty making a fresh claim to an old age pension.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the grounds on which the Enniskillen Pension Sub-Committee have refused an old age pension to Mrs. Catherine M'Spirit, Legnagay, Bohi; whether Mrs. M'Spirit has appealed to the Local Government Board from the decision of the sub-committee; whether the Local Government Board have considered her appeal; and whether he can state the decision of the Local Government Board?

The Enniskillen Pension Sub-Committee allowed a question raised by the pension officer on the ground that Catherine M'Spirit was under the statutory age. No trace of her parents' family could be found in the Census Return of 1841; but in the return of 1851 her parents were recorded as having been married in 1842, and having two children, Catherine and Francis, aged seven and five years respectively. Mrs. M'Spirit has lodged an appeal with the Local Government Board against the decision of the sub-committee; but, in view of the case pending in the House of Lords to determine the jurisdiction of the pension authorities to deal with questions raised respecting the age of pensioners, the Board are not at present in a position to give a decision on the appeal.

asked what were the items upon which the pension officer based his calculations of the means derived from the holding of John Potter, of Rhinetulla, Adare, county Limerick, thereby reducing his pension from 5s. to 2s. a week, against the decision of the Rath-keale Sub-Committee?

Of the twenty one statute acres of land held by Potter the Pension Officer ascertained that 8¾ acres were held under tillage, the crops being as follows:—Three acres of oats, three roods potatoes, three roods wheat, three acres hay, one acre and one rood mangolds and turnips. Potter also had a horse and some fowl. His case is at present before the Local Government Board again on a question he has raised that he is entitled to the full pension of 5s. a week.

asked on what grounds Mrs. Brewer, Caherciveen, county Kerry, has not been granted an old age pension, although she has procured all the evidence possible to establish her claim?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a similar question asked by him on the 28th April last. Since that date Mrs. Brewer has made a fresh claim, which on appeal has been disallowed by the Local Government Board, on the ground that the evidence submitted was insufficient to prove that she had reached the statutory age.

asked when the first promotion from the minor staff officer class to a junior clerkship took place in the Customs Statistical Office; what was the age of the clerk so promoted; what period of time elapsed from the date of his promotion to minor staff officer, for capacity to maintain discipline, until his further promotion to junior clerkship for capacity to perform work of a different and higher type; and how many new class assistant clerks were at that time serving in the Statistical Office who possessed the requisite merit and ability for promotion to a higher grade?

The answer to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question is June, 1906; to the second paragraph, 42; to the third paragraph, four and a half months. The public interest would not be served by giving the confidential information asked for in the fourth paragraph.

next asked the Secretary to the Treasury when the last promotion from an assistant clerk to a minor staff officer took place in the Customs Statistical Office; how many assistant clerks who had been offered nominations for promotion to port clerkships were then serving in the Statistical Office; whether the claims of these assistant clerks were considered when the selection was made for the vacant minor staff officership; and, if so, will he state the reason why, when the several assistant clerks in the Customs Statistical Office who had been offered nominations for port clerkships were officially certified to possess capacity to perform work of a different and higher type, the vacancy was filled by an assistant clerk whose qualifications were apparently of a lower standard?

The answer to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question is November, 1910; to the second paragraph, four; to the third paragraph, yes; as regards the fourth paragraph, the reason is given in my reply to the hon. Member for the Tottenham Division of Middlesex on 1st November, 1909.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that, as a result of the Customs and Excise amalgamation, the Board of Customs and Excise had departed from their standing regulations by failing to hold yearly examinations for promotion from second to first-class examining officer of Customs, so that no examination was held from 1908 until July, 1910, although vacancies existed from May, 1909, and although the average service of those in turn for promotion had risen to 26½ years as against 23½ years for those promoted from March, 1900, to March, 1905; whether this is in accordance with the explicit assurance of the Prime Minister to the House of Commons that no officer should suffer loss as a result of the amalgamation; and whether, in view of the seriousness of the retardation of promotion thus caused, coupled with the refusal of the Board of Customs and Excise to consider favourably the case of those affected, he will give directions that the promotion of the candidates who qualified at the examination held in July, 1910, be ante-dated to the time when the vacancies actually occurred, or, failing that, that he will specially consider the case of these men so that they may reap the full benefit of their promotion before retirement?

The facts are as stated in the first part of the hon. Member's question, except the reference to a statement by the Prime Minister. The reasons which led to the temporary suspension of the examination were stated by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 26th May, 1909, in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Barrow-in-Furness. I may, however, point out that, owing to the adoption in the Customs in 1908 of a uniform age for retirement a number of vacancies were created which, in the ordinary course, would not have occurred for several years, and owing to this fact the Customs officers in question have been promoted earlier than would otherwise have been the case.

asked when it is proposed to put the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland in funds to make the customary grants in aid of the building of new elementary schools, the plans for many of which have already been approved by them, and all of which are urgently required in the interests both of education and of sanitation?

The same provision, namely £65,000, is taken in the Estimate for Public Works and Buildings, Ireland, for Building Grants to Irish National Schools in 1911–12 as in the year 1910–11. The Vote on Account is now available.

asked what amount of revenue would be lost to the Exchequer should the existing duty on sugar be repealed? Also (2) the approximate loss of revenue which would result if there was a reduction of 1d. per pound from the Tea Duty?

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer cannot anticipate the Estimates of the yield of the various existing heads of revenue for the coming year, which he will place before the House in his financial statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his attention has been directed to the proceedings of the Irish General Council of the county councils in the matter of the action of the Roads Board in the administration of the funds placed at its disposal; whether he is aware that general dissatisfaction exists in Ireland with the amount of money allocated to Ireland for the improvement of roads and with the scheme adopted by the Board; whether the Board came to its decision in defiance of the views of the local authorities; whether a copy of the speech delivered by the chairman of the Board at a recent conference in Dublin, which was held in the absence of the Press, was sent for publication in the Irish newspapers, while the many protests which it evoked were concealed from the public; and whether the Government propose to take any, and, if so, what, action in the matter?

I am aware that the General Council of Irish County Councils and several persons in Ireland have expressed dissatisfaction with the amount which the Road Board propose to allocate from the Road Improvement Fund for the purpose of grants towards works of road improvement in Ireland up to 31st March, 1912. The scheme, which was indicated by the chairman of the Board at a conference with representatives of Irish County Councils in Dublin on the 7th March, 1911, was described by him as a suggestion for the consideration of county councils and the Board have no intention of adopting the scheme unless it is generally approved by county councils. No report of the proceedings at the conference was issued, but the chairman's speech was communicated to the Press as the official announcement of the scheme suggested by the Board for consideration. The Government do not propose to take any action in the matter.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, under the Mineral Rights Duties, claims for duty have been made upon arrears of mineral rent which, though actually paid since 1909, are chargeable upon minerals worked previous to the operative date in the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910; whether any instructions have been given to the mineral valuers to make such demands; and whether he will take immediate steps to secure that such demands shall be withdrawn?

I beg to refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for the Sleaford Division of Lincolnshire on the 27th February last. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor whether he has received a request for an interview upon the subject of State insurance against sickness and unemployment from the General Federation of Trades Unions, which has a financial membership of 710,000; and, if so, whether he has arranged to meet a deputation from that body before laying his proposals before Parliament?

The request referred to has been received, and my right hon. Friend is in correspondence with the federation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the expediency of taking such steps as may be necessary to enable a married woman residing with her husband to recover rebate of Income Tax on her separate property when the joint income does not exceed £160 per annum, instead of depending on her husband to recover the tax and hand it over to her?

I do not consider that any action on the lines indicated by my hon. Friend is necessary.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he had received representations from asylum staffs in Ireland setting forth that the period of service to entitle an official or attendant to a pension is, under present conditions, fixed at too great a number of years; that the contributions required under Section 9 of the Asylum Officers' Superannuation Act of 1909 are unfairly arranged so far as Ireland is concerned, and that a uniform contribution of 2 per cent. would fully compensate the local authorities; that Section 16 of the Act of 1909, which requires gratuities and superannuations to be calculated on a ten years' average, is without precedent, as it prevents those who have risen by their merit to higher posts in the service from reaping the fruits of their efforts, and suggesting the substitution of a three years' average such as is found in other pension Acts; whether the Government approve of the Bill now before Parliament for improving the conditions of service in Irish asylums; and will any facilities be given for its passage into law?

I have not received any representations of the nature indicated in the question. The Bill referred to by the hon. Member has not yet been circulated, and I cannot, therefore, express any opinion upon it.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state if Lisheen Castle and the demesne lands adjoining, on the Lloyd estate at Lisheen, Templemore, were included in the sale of the estate to the tenants; whether he can state the amount of the purchase money; whether the castle and adjoining lands have been resold to a representative of the late owner; and whether he can state the terms upon which they were sold by the Estates Commissioners?

This estate is the subject of direct sale proceedings under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the vendor has included 178 acres of demesne lands situated on the townlands of Lisheen and Ballyerk for sale to the Estates Commissioners, and repurchased by him under Section 3 of that Act. Lisheen Castle appears to be on these lands. The matter will be considered by the Commissioners when they are dealing with the estate in its order of priority.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the number of payers of annuities and of interest in lieu of rent, respectively, under the Land Purchase Acts at the end of March, 1911; the number of each of these classes against whom legal proceedings of any kind have had to be taken for recovery of arrears during the last twelve months; the number of these cases in which the arrears were not recovered and the loss falls upon the rates through the annual grants otherwise due; and the number of these cases in which the purchase money in excess of value and on inadequate security was advanced by a majority of the Commissioners against the protest of their colleague, the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane?

The number of payers of annuities under the Acts of 1891–6 in the half-year ending 1st November, 1910, was 46,908. The number of payers of annuities under the Acts 1903–9 in the half-year ending 1st December, 1910, was 92,476. The number of payers of interest in lieu of rent in the half-year ending 1st November, 1910, was 166,204. The dates named are the last gale days in the respective cases. It would be mpossible without exhaustive local inquiry to state the number of cases in which legal proceedings for the recovery of arrears were actually taken during the last twelve months. Cases which fall into arrear are at once referred to the local solicitors of the Land Commission for the recovery of the arrears, but in many of these cases payment is made without resort to actual legal proceedings. The records of the Land Commission do not distinguish between cases in which payment is made before or after legal proceedings are actually taken, but the arrears are ultimately recovered one way or another practically in every case. There was no such case as that referred to in the last paragraph of the question so far as the Commissioners are aware.

asked why the Estates Commissioners, when dealing with the Pollard-Urquhart estate, Westmeath, refused to hear the congested sub-tenants, ignored their petitions, and refused to communicate as requested with Messrs. Coates and Fanning, who are willing to sell their nonresidential grass farms on that estate for relief of the congestion; from whom did the Commissioner obtain the information that those congested sub-tenants are in occupation of the said grass farms; whether their inspector's report shows that information to be erroneous; how much land, and at what price, Mr. Telson, the occupant and proposed purchaser of those grass farms, has already bought, under the Land Act of 1903, at Trumro, on the adjoining estate of Lord Longford; whether the Pollard-Urquhart estate is one of those for which a majority of the Commissioners have, against the protest of the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane, agreed to advance a price in excess of its value as ascertained by their own inspectors; what is the amount of that excess; and whether the Member for North Westmeath will be allowed to examine the reports, agreements, and minutes relating to this estate?

The Estates Commissioners considered the circumstances of this estate and their inspector's report before sanctioning the advances applied for in the agreements signed by the tenants for the purchase of their holdings. Messrs. Coates and Fanning have not instituted proceedings before the Commissioners for the sale of their lands, of which they are owners in fee simple. The Commissioners have no knowledge of the Mr. Telson referred to in the question as the occupant and proposed purchaser of the lands, but a Mr. Robert Tilson has agreed to purchase for £4,133 his farm of 270 acres on the Earl of Longford's estate, which he holds as judicial tenant. The late Mr. Commissioner Finucane approved of the advances made in the Pollard Urquhart Estate, but, as the hon. Member has already been informed, the Commissioners have no knowledge of the particular cases to which the late Commissioner made a general allusion in his minute appended to their last annual report. That minute has nothing whatever to say to the question of the security of prices agreed on between landlord and tenant.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is yet in a position to state the rateable valuation of the farm now held by the Estates Commissioners, acquired by them from Messrs. Payne on the Pollock estate; and the rateable valuation of the farm given in exchange on the Crofton estate in county Roscommon?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that they have not got particulars of the separate Poor Law valuation of the farm referred to, but will make inquiries. As I have already informed the hon. Member, the Poor Law valuation of the lands of Ballybeg allotted to the Messrs. Payne on the Crofton estate is £389.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the stage at which the negotiations over the Reeves estate, Killimer, West Clare, have arrived; and whether, in view of the protracted nature of these negotiations and the frequent delays and disappointments to the tenants, the Congested Districts Board will now forward this matter with all possible despatch?

The Congested Districts Board have made a proposal for the purchase of this estate through the Land Judge's Court. The owners are willing to accept the sum offered if the sale can be carried out through the Land Commission, so that the bonus may be secured. A draft agreement has been prepared, and will be submitted forthwith, under which the Board will go into possession of all rents now due and accruing.

asked what is the amount of money already advanced under the Irish Land Acts, 1903–9, to enable tenants to become their own owners; and what are the further amounts of money already agreed to be advanced under the same Acts to enable tenants to become owners?

Up to the 31st ultimo £42,650,000 has been advanced under the Irish Land Acts, 1903–9, and agreements have been entered into representing a purchase money of £41,800,000 which has not yet been advanced.

asked what is the condition of affairs with regard to negotiations for sale of the estate of Mr. Francis W. Hickman, Kilmore, Knock, West Clare; whether, if the landlord be willing to sell, an inspector will be sent down without delay; and whether, if he be unwilling to sell, steps will be taken under compulsory provisions to acquire the land and divide it amongst the tenants who are eligible?

The Estates Commissioners instituted proceedings for the acquisition under the compulsory Clauses of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, of fifty-six acres of the lands of Kilmore and forty-two acres of the lands of Carrowbane on this estate. The owner lodged objections under Section 2 (1) of the Evicted Tenants Act, and the Commissioners, after hearing them, withdrew from the proceedings with regard to Kilmore. The lands of Carrowbane have been acquired and distributed. The Congested Districts Board received memorials asking them to purchase the estate referred to, and they wrote to the agent with a view to opening negotiations for the sale of the estate through them, but so far the estate has not been offered to the Board. The question of compulsorily acquiring the estate has not been considered by the Board.

asked the Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that the magistrates presiding at petty sessions courts in Ireland decline to give audience to clerks and other authorised persons of district councils, who desire to sue on behalf of such district councils for the recovery of rent due and for possession of labourers' cottages; and whether, seeing that the Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906, incorporates the provisions of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, 1878, in respect to the administration of the said Labourers (Ireland) Act, and that the Public Health Act empowers sanitary authorities to appear before any court by their clerk, or officer, or member authorised generally to institute and carry on any proceedings which the sanitary authority is authorised to institute or carry on, the executive authority will give directions to the magistrates in Ireland to give audience to any clerk, or officer, or member authorised according to law to appear, and give the same liberty to institute and carry on any proceedings which the district council is authorised to institute and carry on under the said Labourers (Ireland) Acts?

The rule regarding the matter referred to in the first paragraph of the question is Rule No. 44 of the Labourers (Ireland) Order, 1886, and I refer the hon. Member thereto. I do not understand that the magistrates in Ireland, speaking generally, disregard that rule. On the contrary, I am informed that they follow it as they ought to do. There were cases, I am informed, towards the close of last year in the King's county, in which questions were raised, but I understand the difficulty arose from the circumstances that in the case of the person professing to act for and to represent the local authority, the provisions of Rule 44, to which I have referred, were not complied with. The matter has, I believe, been since set right.

asked what are the special reasons which make it desirable for the Lord Chancellor of Ireland to appoint a number of publicans to be justices of the peace in county Mayo, where there are almost 1,000 public-houses and where prosecutions for breaches of the Licensing Acts are very frequent; and whether these special reasons apply to any other, and which, counties in Ireland?

I have already stated in reply to previous questions asked by the hon. and learned Member the reasons which influenced the Lord Chancellor in appointing to the Commission of the Peace in County Mayo the persons referred to. In dealing with other counties the Lord Chancellor informs mo that he will continue to be guided by the special circumstances of each case, and the requirements of the particular district.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what provision is made in Ireland to provide a pure supply of lymph for the purposes of the Vaccination (Ireland) Acts?

Glycerinated calf lymph is procured by the Local Government Board under contract from the National Calf Vaccine Institute, Sandymount, Dublin, for gratuitous distribution to the workhouse and dispensary medical officers in Ireland. The lymph is distributed from the Board's Vaccine Department, and, before its issue for use in public vaccinations, it is most carefully tested as to its efficiency at the Board's Vaccine Department in Dublin, and only the purest lymph is issued by that Department. Previous to its being used in the Vaccine Department it is subjected to bacteriological examination by the bacteriologist to the Board, Professor McWeeney, who superintends the methods employed in its preparation. The lymph is very favourably reported upon by the medical officers who use it.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware of the objection to the operation of the compulsory clauses of the Vaccination (Ireland) Acts in North county Wexford; and if he proposes to bring in legislation this Session to assimilate the law in Ireland to that in England in this matter?

The answer to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second paragraph, the Government do not propose to introduce legislation on the subject.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the case of ex-Constable Cronin, of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, who was so seriously injured in the discharge of his duty on 4th May last that he has since been compulsorily retired from the service; whether he is aware that this man, whose injuries necessitate the amputation of his right leg, has been offered a pension of 6s. weekly, subsequently raised to 8s. weekly after protest by the injured man; whether he is aware that the police authorities have issued, and continue to issue, a circular promising to intending recruits a full pension in the case of serious injury; and whether, in all the circumstances of the case, he will have the matter fully inquired into?

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of Constable Cronin, Dublin Metropolitan Police, who, while on duty at Clontarf in charge of waggons of the Great Northern Railway Company, was knocked down by a train and received injuries, in consequence of which his right leg was amputated; whether he is aware that one of the conditions agreed on between candidates for the Dublin Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Dublin Castle is that, in case of injury sustained in the execution of his duty, he may be awarded full pay; and, in view of the fact that Constable Cronin was only awarded £21 pension, will he look into his case and see that further consideration is given to it?

My attention has been called to the case of Constable Cronin. The statement in the circular referred to must be taken subject to the requirements of the law, which only allows full pay to be awarded in a case other than a case of accidental injury. I think this ought to be made plainer in the circular. The pension granted to Cronin is the highest which the law allows in the particular circumstances of his case. I have already inquired fully into the matter, and, while sympathising with this man in his misfortune, I do not see how anything more can be done for him.

asked the Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that a magistrate named M'Court who was found guilty of bribery and cor- rupt practices by the judges in the North Louth Election Petition, and thus disqualified from acting as a magistrate, did nevertheless, after the judges had delivered judgment and reported him to this House, inflict three separate fines of 10s. each for drunkenness upon a newsvendor who sold the "Cork Free Press" in the streets of Dundalk; whether he instructed his counsel, Mr. Linehan, to appear for him in the King's Bench Division to contend that the disqualification of the magistrate reported as guilty of bribery and corrupt practices did not arise until the receipt of a communication from the Lord Chancellor informing him of the disqualification; whether he is aware that Mr. Justice Kenny, in dismissing his application, asked Mr. Linehan if he had been instructed to put forward that argument, and, on being told he had been, remarked that it was a somewhat peculiar course he had been instructed to take, that the Attorney-General, through his counsel, had taken up a very small position, and that there was no substance in his contention; and under what heading the costs of his appearance in this case will be submitted for discussion in Parliament?

I understand the fact is as stated in the first part of the hon. Member's question. Personally, I did not advise on the matter, but Mr. Line-han was instructed to appear in support of the order challenged, and to put forward the contention substantially as presented in the question. The view taken was that, having regard to the necessity under Section 38, Sub-section 6, of the Corrupt Practices Act, 1883, of making a report with a statement of the evidence to the Lord Chancellor, and the power given to the Lord Chancellor by that Subsection to remove the justice reported for corrupt practice from the commission of the peace, the office of justice could not be held to be vacated by the mere fact of the report of the Election Court. Notwithstanding the observation ascribed to Mr. Justice Kenny, I think the contention was one which it was quite proper in the circumstances to bring before the Court for consideration and decision. Mr. Line-han's fee will be paid out of the Law Charges Vote.

asked the Chief Secretary (1) whether a Member of Parliament, on behalf of his constituents, will be allowed to search the minutes of the Estates Commissioners for estates in his constituency for which public money has been advanced by a majority decision on inadequate security, against the protest of the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane, and to examine the reports of the Commissioners' inspectors on those estates; (2) whether county councils liable for default in payment of land purchase annuities will be furnished with the names of the estates in their respective counties for which public money has been advanced on inadequate security by a decision that was not unanimous, against the protest of the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane, and with the reports of the Commissioners' inspectors on those estates; (3) on whose information he informed the House that the Estates Commissioners did not know the estates for which they had advanced public money on inadequate security, against the protest of the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane; on what ground the Commissioners withhold from the House the names of the estates now admitted to be known to them in which their decisions to advance the money were not unanimous; and by how much in each case did the sum advanced exceed the ascertained value of the property; (4) whether the issue of the Estates Commissioners' Annual Report, ready last July, was delayed until December, awaiting the result of pressure upon the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane to concur in declarations and advances of public money on inadequate security; (5) whether the next meeting of the General Council of Irish County Councils will be furnished with a full list of the estates for the purchase of which a majority of the Estates Commissioners have, against the protest of the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane, advanced prices in excess of what their inspectors found the respective properties to be worth, and with the amount of the excess and the report of the inspector in each case; and (6) whether on any of the estates for the purchase of which a majority of the Estates Commissioners advanced public money on inadequate security, against the protest of their colleague, the late Mr. Commissioner Finucane, there were any tenants who refused to sign purchase agreements on the landlord's terms or signed only under duress; whether these were informed of the disagreement of the Commissioners as to the legality of the excessive advance; and whether he will state, in respect of each such case, the value of the holding as ascertained by the official inspector, the amount advanced for it, and the excess of this over the value?

I have no reason to think that money has been advanced by the Estates Commissioners on inadequate security in any case, nor does Mr. Finucane's memorandum of dissent appended to the last Report of the Commissioners give any ground for such an assertion. The allegation that pressure was put upon him to agree to such advances is absolutely baseless. I am not prepared to grant access to the confidential records of the Department.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the amount up to date expended or sanctioned by the Congested Districts Board by way of grants and loans to fishermen in Ireland for fishing boats and nets as well as for instruction in fishery matters; the amount repaid; and the probable sum it is intended to spend this year?

The Congested Districts Board do not make any free grants to fishermen for fishing boats and nets. The loans made for these purposes from 1891 to the present time amount approximately to £172,822, or on an average £9,000 a year. Of this amount a sum of £121,974 has been repaid, a further sum of £21,336 has been written off owing to the wrecking of boats or the insolvency of borrowers, and the outstanding balance of £35,000 approximately is being, and will be, put into course of collection as repayment falls due; £58,772 has been spent upon "instruction in fishing." In some cases the Board required those receiving instruction to con tribute towards the cost of instruction, and a sum of £7,968 has been recovered under this head. A sum of £20,000 for loans for fishery purposes and a sum of £6,000 for instruction in fishing have been estimated for during the year 1911–12.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board, or any of the other Government Boards in Ireland, can now undertake and complete, or assist in completing, the works already recommended and approved of by the Government inspector for the extension and improvement of the pier and harbour at Enniscrone, county Sligo?

In 1909 the Department of Agriculture offered to contribute two-thirds of the cost of a scheme for a small improvement at Enniscrone harbour on condition that the county council contributed the remaining one-third. The council did not, however, offer to contribute. Since the passing of the Irish Land Act, 1909, Enniscrone is situated in a congested districts county, and the Department of Agriculture are not now in a position to renew their offer of assistance. The matter will be brought before the Congested Districts Board at their next meeting.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention had been called to the injury inflicted upon the shippers of pigs in Dundalk owing to the restrictions imposed upon them by the Swine Fever Order of 1906, which prohibits the export of swine unless they have been kept on the premises of the shippers for a period of at least twenty-eight days before shipment; if he is aware that the trade in swine has been injured by this restriction; and whether, having regard to the fact that no swine fever exists either in Dundalk or in the county of Louth, he will consider the necessity of having these restrictions removed?

The order referred to, which was issued by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries for Great Britain, governs the landing in that country of store swine from any part of Ireland. No special complaint as to injury caused by the order to exportation from Dundalk has come to notice recently. 7,016 store swine were shipped from that port under the order in 1910. This figure was only once exceeded in the past ten years. An outbreak of swine fever occurred in Dundalk in December last. There is no reason to suppose that the Board would be prepared as yet to modify the order.

asked what additional charge, if any, on the Treasury would be involved by the recent proposal of the Commissioners of National Education to the effect that a fall of ten units in the average attendance which warrants the appointment of assistant teachers should be allowed before withdrawal of salary; and whether the negotiations between the Treasury and the Commissioners in regard to this matter will soon be terminated, so as to safeguard the positions of a great number of assistant teachers?

I understand that the Commissioners of National Education estimate that the cost in the first year might be about £1,200; the ultimate cost cannot be easily ascertained. Negotiations are in progress, and I have reason to believe that some proposal will be made which may meet the difficulty.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Belfast distress committee refused a grant of £1,000 for the relief of local distress, on the grounds that no distress existed in that city and that there was plenty of employment for everybody seeking work; whether he could state the number of cases on the books of the distress committee at present; whether he is aware of the numbers of the unemployed of Belfast assembled outside the emigration offices of the Queensland Government seeking free passages to that Colony; whether he can state the number of paupers in the Belfast union workhouse at present and the number for the corresponding period of last year; and whether he has any official information as to the extent of distress from unemployment in Belfast at present?

The Belfast Distress Committee appear to have considered that the grant mentioned was not required, as there was, in their opinion, no distress of an exceptional character. They further stated that all the suitable men on the books of the Labour Exchange who applied for labourers' work to the Corporation had been supplied with work. The Local Government Board are informed that the Distress Committee have not found it necessary to open the register of unemployed in Belfast during the past winter. I have no information as to the workers looking for free passes to Queensland, but it is the fact that large crowds of persons assembled outside the emigration offices seeking those passes. The number of inmates in the Belfast Workhouse on 25th March was 3,559, the number on the corresponding date in 1910 being 3,815. The Board are informed that the number on the live register of the Belfast Labour Exchange is 724, for about 290 of whom labouring work such as that provided by a distress committee might be considered suitable.

asked how much public money has been expended since 1906 in the parishes of Moville Lower and Moville Upper, in the county Donegal, for the construction of labourers' cottages up to the present time; what class of persons have been placed in them, stating their occupation; what number of them, if any, are genuine agricultural labourers; and, if few or none, will he state what admitted want there was for purely agricultural work in the district necessitating the expenditure of so much of the public funds; and if he will state the amounts of grants for the building and equipment of national schools in the same two parishes since 1906 to the present time, distinguishing the amounts allowed to the managers of the various denominations, respectively?

The records of the Local Government Board relating to Labourers Acts are not kept by parishes, but it would appear that loans amounting to £6,290 for the provision of thirty-seven cottages and plots in the parishes mentioned have been sanctioned under the Act of 1906. The expenditure will no doubt approximate to the amount mentioned above, but the application of the Inishowen Rural District Council for a final instalment to close the loans has not yet been received by the Board. The Board's inspector passed cottages mainly for agricultural and general labourers, but there were also a shoemaker, a blacksmith, and a number of fishermen, and it is presumed that the council, in letting the completed cottages, have given preference to these persons as required by Section 29 of the Labourers Act of 1906. The inspector, before passing these cases, must have been satisfied that the applicants were agricultural labourers within the meaning of Section 4 of the Labourers Act of 1886, or Section 93 of the Land Act of 1903, and were, therefore, eligible for cottages. Two grants have been made since 1906 for the erection of schoolhouses in those parishes, £291 19s. for a schoolhouse under Protestant management, and £494 8s. 9d. for a schoolhouse under Roman Catholic management. Two other grants amounting to £506 6s. 8d. for the erection of two schools under Roman Catholic management in these parishes were made prior to 1906, but the houses were not completed and the final instalments of the grants issued until that year.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that publicity has been given to a comparative table of British and German battleship strength, in which the value of British pre-"Dreadnoughts" is based on a statement attributed to him to the effect that the fighting strength of a fleet of nine "King Edwards" is equal to that of a fleet of eight "Dreadnoughts"; and whether this estimate of the relative strength of "King Edwards" and "Dreadnoughts" represents the opinion of the Admiralty?

I am not aware that publicity has been given to a comparative table such as that referred to in the question. Nothing that I have said could possibly justify such a comparison. I stated that the first eight "Dreadnoughts" cost exactly the same amount to build as nine "King Edwards"; and I added that I should be surprised if any admiral would not prefer to command a fleet of eight "Dreadnoughts" rather than a fleet of nine "King Edwards."

asked how many completed destroyers there will be in the British and German navies in the spring of 1913, which have not been launched more than twelve years, according to the official programmes of both countries?

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

Great Britain	…	…	…	129
Germany	…	…	…	108

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many torpedo-boat-destroyers have been provided for the British and German Fleets in the financial years 1906–07 to 1911–12, inclusive?

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

Great Britain	…	…	…	90
Germany	…	…	…	72

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many protected cruisers have been provided for the British and German Fleets in the financial years 1906–07 to 1911–12, inclusive?

The numbers of protected cruisers provided for the British and German Fleets in the period named in the question are 17 and 12 respectively. The British total includes two "Dominion" vessels, but does not include the seven unarmoured cruisers of the "Boa dicea" type.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what are the first, second, and third instalments provided for the building of "Dreadnoughts' and "Invin- cibles," respectively, in the German Navy-Estimates for 1910–11 and 1911–12?

——	1910–11.			1911–12.
	1st instal.	2nd instal.	3rd instal.	1st instal.	2nd instal.	3rd instal.
"Dreadnoughts"—	…	…	…	…	…	…
"Ostfriesland"	…	…	578,767	…	…	…
"Helgoland"	…	…	578,767	…	…	…
"Thüringen"	…	…	578,767	…	…	…
"Oldenburg"	…	804,305	…	…	…	529,843
"Kaiser"	…	804,305	…	…	…	529,843
"Ersatz Heimdall"	…	804,305	…	…	…	529,843
"Ersatz Hagen"	479,452	…	…	…	804,305	…
"Ersatz Aegir"	479,452	…	…	…	804,305	…
"Ersatz Odin"	479,452	…	…	…	804,305	…
"Ersatz Kurfüst Friedrich Wilhelm"	…	…	…	479,452	…	…
"Ersatz Weissenburg"	…	…	…	479,452	…	…
"S."	…	…	…	479,452	…	…
"Invincibles"—	…	…	…	…	…	…
"Moltke"	…	…	622,797	…	…	…
"Goeben"	…	732,092	…	…	…	622,797
"J."	401,174	…	…	…	723,092	…
"K."	…	…	…	401,174	…	…

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will give the date when the establishment was re-opened in the Royal dockyards?

The orders were issued on 2nd June, 1910.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what numbers of pre-"Dreadnoughts" less than twelve years old and fifteen years old, respectively, the Triple Alliance will possess on the 1st April, 1914, as compared with the twelve and twenty-three which Great Britain will possess less than twelve and fifteen years old, respectively?

Triple Alliance—

Under twelve years old	…	21
Under fifteen years old	…	33

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, on Lieutenant-Colonel W. B. Brabazon, deputy naval ordnance officer, being pronounced by a fleet surgeon, on 16th August, 1908, to be unfit for service, the Admiralty requested the War Office to gazette this officer on half-pay; what reply was made by the War Office; and under what regulation this officer, not having been pronounced unfit

supplied the following particulars:—by a medical board, was placed on half-pay until 29th June, 1909?

The communication made to the War Office by the Admiralty in consequence of Colonel Brabazon being pronounced by a Fleet surgeon, in August, 1908, to be unfit for service, was not to the purport suggested in the hon. Member's question. This officer was placed on half-pay during the period of his unfitness for duty at the discretion of the Admiralty, the rate of pay being (hat which would have been paid under Army Regulations if he had been serving under War Office and been found unfit by the medical advisers of that Department.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been directed to the defenceless state of Barrow; and, in view of our partial dependence on the ordnance works there for the production of gun-mountings and other necessities of warfare, whether he will consider the desirability of adequately protecting the town against the danger of destruction by the enemy's ships?

The defences of Barrow have been arranged after consultation with the Admiralty and are now nearing completion.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, what was the value of our stock of naval stores and of naval ordnance stores for each year from 1903 to 1911; and whether the system of valuation in preparing these figures for the Navy Estimates was the same for each year?

furnished the following figures:—Actual value of stock (Vote 8) on the 31st March of each of the financial years 1902–3 to 1909–10. The corresponding information for the year 1910–11 will not be available for some time.

		Naval Stores.	Transferable gun mountings, auxiliary machinery, steamboats, etc.	Fleet coaling store (Vote 8, See. IIK.)
		Subheads A to F.		Steam vessel coal, patent fuel, oil fuel, etc.	Lubricating oils, coal sacks and cloth for.
(1)		(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
		£	£	£	£
31st March, 1903	…	3,914,092	1,238,324	578,498	Included in column (2)
31st March, 1904	…	4,116,961	1,181,462	737,178	Included in column (2)
31st March, 1905	…	4,547,721	1,230,761	804,817	Included in column (2)
31st March, 1906	…	4,667,637	1,171,633	737,572	Included in column (2)
31st March, 1907	…	4,616,949	1,247,608	782,320	276,368
31st March, 1908	…	4,016,949	1,061,175	892,302	296,049
31st March, 1909	…	3,685,616	1,011,514	857,485	283,418
31st March, 1910	…	3,750,845	980,353	875,501	342,411

Prior to the year 1906–7, lubricating oils, coal sacks, etc., were regarded as ordinary naval stores, and their value is included in column (2), but at that date were transferred to the Fleet Coaling Service (Vote 8 to II.K), and the value is as shown in column (5). The system of valuation was the same for each year.Actual value of the stock of naval ordinance stores (Vote 9) for financial years 1902–3 to 1909–10. The information for the year 1910–11 is not yet available:—

		£
31st March,	1903	14,655,734
31st March,	1904	14,761,084
31st March,	1905	14,555,147
31st March,	1906	13,638,319
31st March,	1907	12,912,548
31st March,	1908	12,727,976
31st March,	1909	12,041,464
31st March,	1910	11,887,294

The system of valuation was the same for each year, except that since 1905–6 guns have been assessed on a depreciated valuation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will inform the House of the actual cost per ton of all armour supplied to the Admiralty during the last five years; the amount paid for guns, gun mountings, and ammunition; and what are the amounts in each case each year?

I regret that it is not considered desirable to give the information asked for in the first part of the Noble Lord's question, but I may say that there has been substantial reduction in the priceduring the last five years. With regard to the latter part of the question, the particulars asked for are as follows:—

—	Guns.	Ammunition.	Gun mountings.
	£	£	£
1906–07	886,200	974,164	1,999,940
1907–08	622,200	617,444	1,825,239
1908–09	495,600	729,579	1,608,458
1909–10	788,700	692,495	1,837,925
1910–11	958,400	800,000	1,588,117
	(estimated)	(estimated)	(estimated)

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention had been called to the case of Martin Costello's application for a pension; whether he was aware that Costello joined the first battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers in August, 1881, and served for seven years, and then for five years in the first-class Army Reserve, and afterwards from 1901 for one year in the Royal Reserve and two years in the Royal Garrison Regiment in Malta, during the late Boer War, and finally for six years in the Reserve Division of the Militia, a total of twenty-one years in all; whether he is aware that he was injured in the course of his service and is now permanently incapacitated and a patient of St. John's poor-house hospital, Sligo, and has repeatedly applied for a pension; and whether, in view of his service and injuries he has sustained, a pension will be provided for him?

Martin Costello's service is correctly stated in the question. He did not, however, give the requisite fourteen years' colour service to entitle him to a pension and there is no record of his receiving any serious injury in the service. There are no grounds, therefore, for his claim to a pension.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether additional expenses were incurred by the units of the Wessex Division of the Territorial Force on manœuvres last August; and, if so, whether those additional expenses have been refunded?

The matter is now under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that a review of Boy Scouts was held by General Baden-Powell in Glasgow on Saturday the 18th instant, and that on the same date the Territorial Association called out the various Cadet Corps to parade; will he say whether this action was taken by the local Territorial Association in order to discourage the boy scout movement; and, if so, will he say what are the War Office objections, if any, to the latter?

My hon. Friend appears to have been misinformed. No Cadet Corps was called out in Glasgow on the 18th instant. There is only one recognised Cadet Corps in Glasgow. Further the Boy Scouts were reviewed on a field belonging to the Territorial Association.

asked the Under - Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the offer of Sandhurst cadetships on the nomination of head masters of schools having contingents of the junior division of the Officers Training Corps, the existing differentiation of grants to efficient cadets in State-aided and non-State-aided schools will be abolished, so as to enable all schools to have contingents of the Officers Training Corps on equal terms?

The policy of restricting grants to cadets in State-aided schools who are sixteen years of age and over was deliberately adopted by Parliament, and Sub-section (f) of Clause II, Section 2, was accordingly inserted in the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act. There is no intention of asking Parliament to reverse this decision.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a number of men who did not sign to go to Greenock, but did sign for transfer to the danger buildings in Woolwich Arsenal, were accepted and informed that they would be transferred there in March; whether their transfer has since been cancelled; and, if so, for what reason?

Certain men who did not wish to go to Greenock on transfer of the torpedo factory there were informed that they would be transferred to other Departments in the Ordnance Factories, and this will be done when the work for the present financial year has been arranged.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War, whether he will cause inquiry to be made with a view to a pension, under paragraph 1,124 of the Royal Warrant for pay, to Thomas Smith, Wellington Place, Enniskillen, late 3rd Inniskilling Fusiliers, formerly No. 870 Royal Irish Fusiliers, who, having enlisted in February, 1875, served for over thirty years with an unblemished record and now, owing to failing eyesight, finds himself in poor circumstances?

The case of Thomas Smith has been fully considered, and I regret that he is not entitled to a pension. Of his thirty years' service only about eight years was colour service.