asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will grant a Return showing the total amount of the loans advanced and agreed to be advanced to councils for carrying out the Small Holdings Act of 1908?

Total loans granted (i.e., agreed to be advanced), £1,685,598. Total amount actually advanced in respect of the above, £1,616,817.

asked (1) the amount of revenue collected in Ireland in each of the financial years ending 1908, 1909, and 1910, upon each article under the heading of Excise and of Customs, respectively; and (2) the amount of the total revenue collected in Ireland for Customs and Excise in each of the years 1908, 1909, and 1910; and what was the estimated revenue derived from the same duties upon articles consumed in Ireland?

The information asked for in these two questions, as regards the financial years 1907–8, 1908–9 and 1909–10, is to be found in the Annual Parliamentary Paper entitled, "Revenue and Expenditure (England, Scotland and Ireland)." The Sessional numbers of the last three issues are 233 of 1910, 208 of 1909 and 216 of 1908.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners received in due time an application from Jane O'Connor, widow of the late John O'Connor, for reinstatement in the farm of land, now untenanted, situate in Rossbeg, county Fermanagh, on the Bloomfield estate, from which her husband and family were evicted in the year 1892; and whether, seeing that she has three grown-up sons who are able and anxious to assist her in the cultivation and management of the holding, he will state what decision the Commissioners have arrived at as to the application?

Mrs. O'Connor's name has been noted for consideration in the allotment of untenanted land acquired by the Estates Commissioners.

asked what steps have been taken to extend to Ireland the prison reform recently introduced in England.

Many prison reforms have been introduced in recent years, and if the hon. Member will state the particular reforms he has in mind I will be happy to have further inquiries made.

asked whether purchase agreements have been lodged on behalf of the occupiers of a number of small holdings, 80 per cent. of which are uneconomic, on the Nicholson estate, situate at Balrath, county Meath; whether the Estates Commissioners are aware that, as an inducement to the tenants to sign the agreements, a written promise was given by the vendor that he would voluntarily sell to them as much untenanted land as they might consider necessary for the enlargement of the small holdings; and whether, having regard to this mutual agreement, the nature of the tenancies, and the need for relief, they will at once send an inspector to investigate and report upon the conditions of the estate and the terms of sale expressed and implied?

The agreements for the purchase of their holdings by the tenants on this estate were lodged in April, 1909, and the estate will not be reached in order of priority for some time. When so reached the Estates Commissioners will have inquiries made into the matter referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that when the tenants on the Fuller estate, in Clara, King's county, were making arrangements for purchase, an understanding was arrived at that the untenanted lands of Woodfield, Ballinamentron East, would be given to the labourers and uneconomic holders; and will he say if such an arrangement has been carried out, and, if not, will the sale of the tenanted portion be not finished until the original agreement is carried out?

The Estates Commissioners have acquired 742 acres of tenanted, and 505 acres of untenanted land situate in the townlands referred to on the estate of A. A. Fuller, King's county. The greater part of the untenanted land has been. distributed, and the purchasers put in possession.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board have arranged to purchase the estate of the Lewis Trustees, situated in the townlands of Beheymore, Behebeg, and Breaffy, near Ballina; whether he is aware that certain evictions on this estate are pending, and that, through this cause and owing to the congested and impoverished condition of the tenants, it is imperative that the Board should act promptly; and whether, in view of the impending purchase and transfer of the estate, the Board will make it a condition of purchase that the proprietors of this estate will not carry out the threatened evictions?

The Congested Districts Board understand that the estate is now owned by Mr. O'Sullivan, who recently obtained forms in order that he might furnish such information as would enable the Board to value his estate and make an offer for it. The Board has no information in regard to the evictions which are stated to be pending on the estate.

asked the Chief Secretary what view is taken by the Irish Fisheries Department on the question of prohibiting trawling within thirteen miles of the Irish coast?

The Department of Agriculture are of opinion that an absolute prohibition of the kind would be injurious to Irish interests.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will take into favourable consideration the claim to reinstatement of Daniel Neylon, Kilfenora, West Clare, who was a tenant on the Stratford estate, West Clare, and was evicted about nineteen years ago, and who received a promise over two years ago from one of the Estates Commissioners' inspectors that he would get a holding when there was a suitable place available?

The Estates Commissioners received an application from Daniel Neylon for reinstatement in a holding formerly occupied by him on the estate of the late Colonel Stratford, and his name has been noted for consideration in the allotment of such untenanted land as the Commissioners may be able to acquire in the neighbourhood.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state when Thomas Tracy, Dromard, and Patrick Everard, Graffin, will be reinstated in their former holdings on the estate of Surgeon-General Roe, Loran Park, Roscrea; and whether he can state the amount of grant to each in order to assist them to work their farms?

The Estates Commissioners are acquiring under the provisions of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, some fifteen acres of the lands of Skehanagh, and six acres of the lands of Graffin, on the estate of Surgeon-General Roe, formerly in the occupation of Thomas Tracy and Patrick Everard respectively, and hope to be shortly in a position to put Tracy and Everard in possession of their holdings. The Commissioners have sanctioned free grants of £7 for fencing and £70 for the purchase of stock to Tracy, and £3 for fencing and £20 for purchase of stock to Everard.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in view of the fact that fees are now paid for teaching technical subjects, such as cookery and laundry, in Irish national schools, the Treasury will allocate a fee to the teaching of school gardening in view of the importance of the subject to the bulk of rural boys, and of the fact that the Commissioners of National Education consider it one to which a fee should be attached?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a similar question asked on 24th November last by the hon. Member for North Antrim.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have yet purchased the untenanted lands at Craggs, Borrigone, in the county of Limerick, on the Cooper estate?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question on this subject on 2nd March, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the activity of the chief Crown solicitor during the last few years in the matter of publicans' licences was the result of any special order or regulation made by him; whether his attention had been called to the latest cases in the King's Bench, and could he say who, if anyone, was responsible; was there any account kept of the costs incurred, and if there was any independent taxation of such costs; what proportion of the general bill of costs shown in appropriation accounts was in respect of King's Bench motions of this sort; and how much of such proportion was for fees to the law officers and counsel retained by the chief Crown solicitor?

There has been no special Order or regulation in respect of the matter mentioned in the question. The chief Crown solicitor has acted throughout under the direction of the Attorney-General. The chief Crown solicitor keeps an account of the costs, which consist of law officers' and counsel's fees which are approved of by the Attorney-General. The account is regularly dealt with by the Audit Office but there is no other taxation. It would not be possible to answer the last paragraph of the question, but if any particular period or cases be indicated the chief Crown solicitor will be able to supply the information required from his books.

asked the Chief Secretary on what grounds the full old age pension is not allowed to George M'Laughlin, Killoort, Ballygorman, Malin, county Donegal, seeing that his acreage is only six acres, a considerable portion of which is rough land, and his rent £2, and the net income of which is necessarily small; and whether he will take steps to have the full pension allowed?

George Mlaughlin's claim was disallowed by the Local Government Board on appeal in April, 1910, as he was then under the statutory age. He has now attained the requisite age, and it is open to him to make a fresh claim.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if his attention has been drawn to the fact that regimental bands, including the Buffs, the Yorkshire, the Leicester, the Queen's, and the Somerset Light Infantry, have been engaged by the Corporation of Weymouth, through agents, on a speculative contract; whether such a proceeding is in accordance with the instructions issued by the War Office that military bands are in future not to be engaged through agents; and, if not, will he cause inquiries to be made with a view to the Department's instructions being duly carried out?

This matter has already been the subject of inquiry. None of the bands named have been engaged by the Corporation of Weymouth through agents. In one instance a commanding officer, through oversight, accepted an engagement through an agent, but the engagement has subsequently been cancelled.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that no payment has yet been made to Mr. Robert White, of Bill-hay Farm, near Tisbury, in the county of Wilts, in respect of six sacks of oats sold to the Government in August last for the use of the Scots Greys, who were then quartered at his farm during the manœuvres; that no reply has been sent to any of his letters respectfully demanding payment of what is due to him; and whether it is proposed to leave this debt undischarged, owing to the neglect of some formality on the part of the vendor or for any other reason?

Inquiries into this matter are still proceeding.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War, whether an engineer-clerk in the Territorial division of the Royal Engineers, having held for three years and upwards the rank of sergeant, can under the existing regulations, be promoted, as in the case of a non-commissioned officer of similar rank in the Regular forces?

The reply is in the negative. The engineer-clerk for the headquarters of Divisional Engineeers, Territorial Force, is not in the same category as the engineer-clerk of similar rank in the Regular Royal Engineers, whose pay and promotion is governed by Article 936 Royal Warrant for Pay, etc. The Territorial Force clerk is treated as an ordinary sergeant, and receives engineer pay according to his qualifications in trade.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the desirability of submitting to His Majesty the King a proposal that the loyal devotion of the constabulary forces throughout the United Kingdom, and the exceptional duties cheerfully performed by them, should be recognised on the occasion of His Majesty's Coronation by presenting a special medal to all police officers who have served under the reigns of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII., and His Majesty King George?

I regret that I cannot make such a recommendation. The medals for the Metropolitan and City police will be given on account of the heavy extra duties to be performed at the Coronation by these forces.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he will make inquiries as to the present pay of the Northern India Salt Department; whether he is aware that the maximum salary of an assistant superintendent is Rs.175 per mensem, a rate of salary which no mercantile house in India would give to its youngest European assistant, and of a superintendent, after long years, only Rs.400 per mensem; whether he is aware that the service requires educational and moral and physical qualifications, and that its officers are exposed in the discharge of their duties to dangers and inconveniences arising from varying conditions of climate and other causes; and, seeing that the rates of pay have remained practically unaltered for forty-three years, whereas during that period the cost of living in India has more than doubled, whether he will take some steps to ameliorate the conditions mentioned and to bring the pay of this Department more nearly into harmony with that enjoyed by members of the kindred services of, say, opium or survey?

The Secretary of State is not aware that the salaries and other conditions of service in the Northern India Salt Department are materially inferior to those ruling in other similar departments of the Provincial Civil Service in India. The work of most of the officers is of a routine and comparatively unimportant character. To the more important and responsible posts local allowances are attached. In some cases free quarters, and in others house rent, are given. Superintendents are eligible for promotion to the superior administrative posts. The conditions of the service were carefully examined in 1900, and such changes as were considered necessary were then made. The Secretary of State does not propose to take the action suggested in the question.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that a medical man has testified at a public lecture, given by him in Liverpool, that he had knowledge of sixteen feeble-minded women having, from time to time, become, collectively, the mothers of over 100 illegitimate children thereby increasing pauperism, vice, and crime, and entailing great cost upon the ratepayers; and what action he proposes to take to remedy this evil?

I have no knowledge of the lecture referred to; but the considerations mentioned in the question have frequently been brought before me, and I am deeply impressed with their importance.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, with the eugenic object of preventing the degeneracy and decadence of the people of this country by the propagation of imbecilic, weakly, and diseased children, he will introduce legislation to segregate in separate places imbecilic males and females and those suffering from incurable transmittable and hereditary diseases, or such other drastic measures as may be found possible having the same object; and whether he will state the character and nature of such legislative measures?

As I stated in reply to a question on 24th April, I am not wholly without hope of being able to introduce a Bill on the subject of the feebleminded this Session. A Bill is in preparation, but I am not in a position to enter into details. The scope of the Bill will not extend beyond mental deficiency and possibly epilepsy.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will shortly introduce legislative measures of an industrial, reformatory, or penal character, to deal with lazy able-bodied men who refuse to work and maintain them- selves, their wives, and families, to compel them to do so?

I am not in a position to announce legislation answering the description given in the hon. Member's question.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he has received an appeal from the West Riding County Council for his permission to substitute 4d. for the present 3d. limit upon the rate for higher education, imposed by the Education Act, 1902, and, if so, whether he can see his way to at once consent to that substitution?

The matter is at present under the careful consideration of the Board. There was considerable opposition to the application at the local inquiry, and many important points were raised. I will, however, give my decision as early as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give a list of the direct telegraphic lines between Liverpool and London, and between Liverpool and other towns of the United Kingdom, distinguishing those lines which are more particularly intended for commercial service?

I am sending the hon. and learned Member the list for which he asks. He will see that Liverpool has direct communication with seventy-one towns in the United Kingdom by means of 125 wires, furnishing about 200 separate channels. Of these twenty-six wires, giving forty-four channels, are to London, and ninety-nine wires, giving about 160 channels, are to other towns. I cannot distinguish the lines intended more particularly for commercial purposes, because all lines carry commercial work:—

asked the Postmaster-General if he would give a list of the direct telegraphic lines between the chief commercial centres of the Continent and London and between such Continental towns and the towns of the United Kingdom other than London; and whether it is intended to provide further direct lines from any other, and, if so, which of such other towns of the United Kingdom, and when?

There are direct telegraph lines between London and the following commercial centres on the Continent:—In France.—Paris, Havre, Lille, Lyons, Marseilles, and Bordeaux.In Germany.—Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Magdeburg.In Holland.—Amsterdam and Rotterdam.In Belgium.—Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Ostend.In Italy.—Genoa, Milan, and Rome.In Switzerland.—Zurich.In Austria.—Vienna.In Hungary.—Budapest.Liverpool is the only place other than London possessing direct communication with Continental offices. Those offices are:—Antwerp, Bremen, Hamburg, Havre, and Paris. It it not proposed to provide direct communication with the Continent from any other provincial towns, as the amount of traffic from and to those towns is not sufficient to justify the special allotment of wires to that traffic.

asked the Postmaster-General whether it is proposed to discontinue the mail-car service between Milford and Carrigart, county Donegal; and, if so, whether, before sanctioning any such change, he will have local inquiry made as to the wishes of the inhabitants?

Since 23rd April Carrigart has been served from Creeslough Railway Station, instead of from Letterkenny, via Milford, with the result that the postal service to both Carrigart and Downings has been considerably improved.

asked what are the names of the Commissioners who drew up Cd. 5609, and when their investigations, which are stated in the Prefatory Note to have commenced in February, 1909, terminated; and what was the total cost of the investigation?

The report referred to was drawn up by the Board of Trade, and not by Commissioners. The investigation in America terminated at the end of December, 1909, but some returns were received at the Board of Trade at various dates throughout 1910, and a few as late as February and March of 1911. The total cost directly chargeable to this inquiry, exclusive of the expenditure on printing, but inclusive of temporary clerical assistance at the Board of Trade, was £6,956.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the date on which he received the last portion of the report from America dealing with the cost of living in American towns; the date on which the prefatory note was written, not printed; the date the report was ready in manuscript; the date the report could have been handed to the printers; and why this report was not more expeditiously published, in view of the General Election in December, 1910?

The report was prepared at the Board of Trade from material collected in America, and the process of collecting the material in that country was completed by December, 1909. The manuscript of the report was completed on 9th December, 1910; and the first rough draft of the prefatory note was written on 14th December, 1910. Each section of the work was sent to the printers as soon as it was completed, the proofs were sent for revision on 21st March, 1911, and the report was issued on 12th April, 1911. Having regard to the size of the book (625 pages), the difficulties of the subject matter and the necessity for careful revision, it was impossible to issue it earlier.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture (1) whether he will state by whom the Northumberland fisheries committees are appointed, and the names and addresses of the members of such committees. (2) whether he will state for what reason the fishermen on the Northumberland coast, when fishing for salmon and grilse in the sea, are forbidden to weight their nets; by whom such regulation is made and on what authority. (3) whether he will state by what authority a licence duty of £5. per boat is made on the salmon fishermen of the Northumberland coast in respect of fishing in the sea; by whom the licence duties are levied; to whom the proceeds are paid; and what services are rendered by the recipients in return for the payments?

If the hon. Member is referring to Local Fisheries Committee the members are appointed by the Northumberland County Council. If he is referring to boards of salmon conservators, those bodies are similarly appointed, with the addition of certain members elected by those fishermen who have taken out licences to fish in the sea for salmon. Other members sit ex officio under certain qualifications as prescribed by the Salmon Fishery Acts. In the case of the Tyne Board, the county councils of Cumberland and Durham and the borough councils of Newcastle, Gateshead, and South Shields also appoint members. The numbers vary and the Board have no complete lists, but I will obtain the particulars should the hon. Member so desire. Each of these Fishery Boards is authorised by the Salmon Fishery Acts to issue licences to persons fishing for salmon, to receive the proceeds of such licences, and to apply them to the general protection and improvement of the salmon fisheries within their respective districts. With regard to the use of weighted nets for salmon, their prohibition would appear to be the result of the general enactments of the Salmon Fishery Acts. In addition to their power of enforcing these statutes, Salmon Fishery Boards have power to make by-laws for regulating the use of instruments for taking salmon.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the question of the allow- ance to be paid to the Ordnance Survey men employed on land valuation work has been specially referred to Lord Ilkeston's Committee; and, if not, whether he will draw the committee's attention to the point and ask them to include the subject in their inquiry and Report?

The question of travelling allowances generally is being considered by the Committee. There is no reason for differentiation between the allowances paid to men employed on the work required for land valuation purposes and those paid to men engaged on the normal business of the survey.

asked the Lord: Advocate if an application has been received by the Scottish Congested Districts Board for a Grant for the improvement of the pier at Dwarwick, Caithness; and, if so, whether he is in a position yet to state what reply the Board have been able to make to the application?

In November of last year the. Congested Districts Board received an application with regard to the subject mentioned, and replied that they would be prepared to consider the proposals of the county council on receipt of plans and estimates. In December they received an intimation that the county council had remitted the matter to their piers committee to prepare plans and estimates, but these have not yet reached the Congested Districts Board.