asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can say what would be the position of an auxiliary postman under the sickness clauses of the Insurance Bill: would he come under the exemption clause, or would he be compulsorily insured and the Postmaster-General treated as his employer?

An auxiliary postman will be compulsorily insured, and the Postmaster-General would be regarded as his employer.

asked the object of transferring a certain amount each time a member of an approved society changes into another organisation; whether such changes will be permitted when of frequent occurrence, and what will become of the amount so transferred from time to time if the member decides to emigrate; and if such sum will in any case revert to the State?

If an insured person above the age of sixteen passes from one approved society to another a liability is imposed on the latter society in respect of the benefits to be provided for him while the former society is relieved of an equal liability. It is therefore equitable to transfer with him a sum representing the amount (calculated on an actuarial basis) accumulated out of his past premiums to meet this liability. Emigrants are provided for in a similar way on a basis of reciprocity under Clause 26. No sum will in any case revert to the State.

asked whether, in the carrying out of the machinery provisions contained in the National Insurance Bill, it is intended to discriminate between the friendly societies and the collecting societies to the disadavantage of the latter; and whether it is intended to give due consideration to the interests of the agents and others connected with the collecting societies?

Only those societies which give or are prepared to give benefits similar to those provided for by the Bill will be in any way affected, and the societies which do so will be able to continue their work as approved societies. Collecting societies, which provide death benefits, will be absolutely untouched, and the interests of their agents will be therefore unaffected.

asked whether the Royal National Hospital for Consumption at Bournemouth will receive assistance from the new fund; and whether the Government would be prepared to give grants towards the cost of rebuilding such sanatoriums where desirable?

It would, I fear, be impossible to say whether assistance will be given in a particular case or class pf cases until the National Insurance Bill becomes law.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can DOW say if it is proposed to commit the National Insurance Bill to a Committee of the whole House?

I am not prepared to make an announcement on the subject yet.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the term disablement in Section 13 of the Insurance Bill includes isolation for small-pox; and, if so, whether insured persons could be deprived of benefit under the Bill if the societies made regulations insisting on the vaccination of such persons?

A person isolated for small-pox in a hospital provided by a public authority is not entitled to disablement benefit, as it is not consistent with the scheme of the Bill to make provision for persons otherwise provided for. If, however, he had dependants they would be entitled to the benefit. There is nothing to prevent a society from making a rule of the sort mentioned, or to compel a person to join such a society.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, under the provisions of the National Insurance Bill, the sums to be deducted from the wages of an employed contributor who is already a member of an approved friendly society are to me remitted to the friendly society in part payment of the member's present contribution, or whether it is intended that the money shall be invested by the National Debt Commissioners and credit only given to the approved society for the amounts deducted from the employed contributor's wages?

Subject to Sub-clause (3) of Clause 40, the amounts deducted from an employed contributor's wages, together with his employer's contribution, will be credited to his society. Section 55 practically empowers a society which already gives benefits similar to those to be conferred by the Bill to substitute the benefits under the Bill for the existing benefits, and the contributions under the Bill for the existing contributions, and to apply the accumulated funds set free for the benefits of its members.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a workman in a manual trade who earns more than £160 a year must be insured under the sickness part of the insurance scheme?

If a workman in a manual trade, who earns more than £160 a year, is "employed" within the meaning of Part I. of the Bill, he will be compulsorily insured.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if no payment of money benefit is to be made under the National Insurance Bill for domestic servants when ill, if such domestic servants were provided with board and lodgings by the employer?

I will refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for the Colne Valley Division last Thursday.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a person who is suffering from illness or invalidity at the time of the coming into force of the National Insurance Bill will be entitled to join in the scheme, and, should such illness or invalidity continue, be entitled to benefits in duo course?

A person who is sick or disabled at the time of coming into force of the Bill, but who subsequently recovers and makes the number of contributions prescribed by Clause 8 and otherwise conforms to the provisions of the Bill, will be entitled to benefit. He will receive the full insurance if he is employed within one year after the commencement of the operation of the Act, and a reduced insurance if he joins later; but the reduced insurance may be increased to the full insurance in certain cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a person be a member of one or more friendly societies entitling him in the aggregate, including the sickness benefit under the National Insurance Bill, to a sum more than his ordinary wages, will the benefit under the scheme be reduced so that the aggregate sickness payment will not exceed his ordinary wages?

Yes, Sir. This will be the effect of the Proviso to Clause 27.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the research to be endowed with public money under Sub-section (2) of Section 15 of the National Insurance Bill will include vivi-sectional experiments in cutting, maiming, mutilating, electrically stimulating, baking, and inoculating living animals, or whether he will accept an Amendment confining such public endowment to methods of research which do not involve vivisection?

The Insurance Commissioners, in whose discretion this matter would lie, will be responsible through the Treasury to Parliament for the administration of the Government Grant.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the present regulations concerning the sale and transfer of Consols were issued in 1716; will he say whether a large banking concern in London is the principal opponent of a change being made to simplify the sale and transfer of Consols; and when will he be able to issue new regulations on the subject?

The present system of transfer cannot be altered without legislation, and, as I have already stated I hope to take the necessary steps for this purpose at an early date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the date of the introduction of the Budget has varied between 10th April and 7th May during the past five years; and, in view of the uncertainty that arises year by year, could he arrange for the figures regarding indirect taxation to be published on a given date each year?

My hon. Friend refers, no doubt, to the five years, 1905 to 1909. I am aware of the inconvenience caused by uncertainty as to whether proposals will be included in the Budget for imposing or remitting indirect taxation, but it is not clear that the publication of figures on a prearranged date would mitigate the inconvenience.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that Form 99 is so framed as to prevent many owners of agricultural land from obtaining the full benefit of the allowance of 25 per cent. under Section 69 of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, where more than this amount has been spent upon the maintenance of cottages, but not upon that of farm premises; and whether, in order that the expressed intention of the Government may be carried into effect, he will cause the summary of particulars of claim on page 1 of the above form to be amended by the omission of the statement that the maximum deduction allowable, in addition to that provided for by Section 35 of the Finance Act, 1894, is in the case of cottages only one-twelfth of their annual value?

The form is framed in strict accordance with the provisions of the Act, and I may point out that in some circumstances it is to the owner's advantage to show separately the expenditure on lands and on cottages. It is, however, proposed to add a note to the form to the effect that the claim may be made on the basis of the expenditure on lands and houses combined without allocating it between the two classes. The statement that the maximum further sum allowable in the case of the houses is one-twelfth of the annual value is correct, one-sixth of the annual value of the houses having already been allowed under Section 35 of the Finance Act, 1894.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Congested Districts Board has entered into negotiations for the purchase of the estate of Mr. Daniel O'Connell, of Darrynane, Doora, Glencar; and, if so, whether they will make representations so as to prevent the dispossession of tenants or the seizure of their cattle pending a settlement of the purchase price?

The Congested Districts Board are in communication with the Estates Commissioners with a view to having the proceedings for the purchase of the Cahirciveen portion of the Estate of Mr. D. C. O'Connell transferred to thorn. The Board are also in correspondence with the owner regarding the purchase of other portions of his estate, but until the necessary particulars are forwarded they cannot say whether the townland of Doora will be included in the sale. The Board cannot intervene in the pending law proceedings referred to in the question.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that in March, 1909, John Maguire, a tenant on the Adams estate, Artonagh, county Fermanagh, made application to the Estates Commissioners for the purchase of his holding; whether it is the custom of the Commissioners, when an estate is being sold upon which a few tenants do not accept the terms agreed to by the rest of the tenants, to investigate all those cases and settle the disputes between the tenants and owner; whether in the case of John Maguire, the Commissioners' inspector, Mr. John Smyth, Brookeboro, in April, 1910, visited the holding for the purpose of ascertaining all the facts, and reported afterwards to the Commissioners on 2nd September, 1910, without estimating the tenant's improvements or ascertaining the facts of the case, and with the result that this tenant was excluded from the benefit of the Land Purchase Act of 1903; and whether, in view of the fact that the tenant is dissatisfied with Mr. Smyth, the Estates Commissioners will send another inspector over the estate to ascertain the facts, and give this and another remaining tenant an opportunity of purchasing, the circumstances of their holdings being different from those of the other tenants who have purchased, and requiring special consideration?

The tenants on this estate agreed to purchase their holdings direct from the owner under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements were lodged at prices agreed on between the parties. When the inspector visited the estate he inquired as to the circumstances under which no agreements had been lodged in respect of Maguire's holding. The Commissioners consider that the terms offered by the owner to Maguire, whose holding is subject to a judicial rent were reasonable, and, in the absence of any agreement signed by the parties, the holding could not be included in the sale. It is not the practice of the Commissioners to fix prices in such cases, and if Maguire wishes to purchase his holding he should come to an agreement with the owner. The reply to the concluding paragraph of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in accordance with his promise made some twelve months ago, the Marquis of Sligo has yet lodged with the Congested Districts Board the maps, etc., of his estate in county Mayo, with a view to a sale; whether the Board has entered into negotiations for the purchase of the estate; and will he say when the Board expects to be able to complete the purchase?

The maps and particulars in connection with this estate, which are being prepared, have not yet been lodged, and negotiations for purchase cannot be opened pending the receipts of these documents by the Congested Districts Board.

asked whether banks authorised to receive instalments of land purchase annuities have received instructions not to accept payment on receiving orders after the date fixed for payment thereof has expired; and whether, in the event of the answer being in the affirmative, the Land Commission will send a reminder half-yearly to each payer of such annuity, warning him of the last day on which it will be possible for him to lodge the amount of his annuity with the bank?

All receivable orders issued by the Land Commission for instalments of land purchase annuities prescribe a limited time for payment through a bank. The payers are bound to pay their instalments as they fall due on dates which are well known to them, and the Land Commission could not undertake to send reminders as suggested in the question.

asked when the examination of the lands of John M. White, of Coole, Athea, on the Goold Verschoyle estate, abutting on the River Gale, were examined by the inspector of the Estates Commissioners, and by whom; what report did he make; whether he is aware that these lands are affected by the said river; if so, why was the tenant, John White, not treated as the four tenants similarly circumstanced on the said estate, all having purchased at the same time; and whether, if White establishes the fact that the portion of his lands mentioned has not been examined by any person representing the Estates Commissioners, they will have them examined before the sale of the estate is concluded?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that John M. White's holding was inspected when their inspector was dealing with this estate. His report was received in January, 1910. The Commissioners fully considered this case and decided to take no action in the matter complained of by White, and they see no reason for reconsidering their decision.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he can give the names and number of estates in the parish of Annaghdown, county Galway, sold under the Land Purchase Acts prior to 1903; what estates were sold or offered for sale under the Act of 1903; what estates were offered for sale under the Act of 1909; whether memorials were sent by the solicitor for the tenants in the parish to the Congested Districts Board in 1910 asking the Board to purchase lands in the parish; and what steps were taken to acquire the same?

Neither the records of the Estates Commissioners nor the Congested Districts Board are kept by parishes, and the information asked for by the hon. Member is not therefore available.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will state the cause of the delay in the sale of Sinclair's estate, Glenvar, county Donegal, the tenants on which have applied to the Congested Districts Board in January, 1910, but have yet got no reply; and whether he will see that the negotiations are expedited?

The Sinclair Estate, Glenvar, county Donegal, has not been offered to the Congested Districts Board. The landlord has been asked whether he is willing to negotiate for the sale of his estate to the Board.

asked on what terms the directors of the Bank of Ireland hold the College Green premises from Government; and whether an Act of Parliament will be necessary to secure possession of them, or whether it can be secured by service of a notice to quit?

I understand that the Crown's leasehold interest in the premises in College Green was purchased in 1803 by the Bank of Ireland, and that the Bank in 1845 purchased the fee from the representatives of the lessors. The Crown, having parted with its interest, has no power to serve notice to quit.

asked the Chief Secretary if he can state the number of inspectors employed in the transit department under the Board of Agriculture in Ireland; whether it is part of their duties to attend fairs for the purpose of seeing that adequate facilities are provided for the loading of stock and of preventing unnecessary delay in conveying the same to their destination; and whether the inspectors reported the delay that occurred in the conveyance of pigs from Kildare railway station on the last fair day of that town, the 24th April?

There are five transit inspectors employed by the Department of Agriculture. Their duties include visiting and reporting on the arrangements in regard to live stock transit at railway stations and attending fairs when practicable. Kildare was not visited on 24th April. The inspectors had previously drawn attention to the limited accommodation for dealing with the animal traffic at this station, and the matter is at present under the consideration of the Great Southern and Western Railway Company.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that one of the persons employed by the clerk of the urban district council of Rathmines in the work of distributing the requisition forms under the Franchise Act, 1884, is an avowed agent of the Unionist organisation of South Dublin county, within which the district of Rathmines is situate; and whether, in view of the fact that on the filling and returning of the forms referred to depends largely the character of the register of voters, he proposes to take steps to prevent such action on the part of this public official?

The duty of distributing the requisition forms under the Franchise Act, 1884, is cast upon the Poor Rate collectors, and the clerk of the Urban District Council has no power in the matter. I am informed that no avowed agent of any political party is employed in the district on the work.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he had received information of an outrage committed last week on eighteen head of cattle, the property of Patrick Clifford and Michael Morris, of Glencar, county Kerry, when being driven on the high road by their owners to graze on a neighbouring farm, a gang of men scattering and pursuing the cattle, with the result that one bullock was found with its throat cut and another in a deep dyke with its leg broken in two places, while Michael Morris himself was threatened with a revolver and robbed of money; and whether the constabulary had been able, as yet, to arrest any perpetrators of the outrage?

I am informed by the police that two men named Patrick Clifford and Michael Morris, when driving some cattle through Firies about 2 a.m. on the 11th instant, were stopped by a number of men. Clifford states that he was struck, and that a revolver was pointed at him. He also alleged that he was robbed, but subsequently denied it. Morris ran away. The cattle were scattered, with the result that one was found with a deep gash on its neck, and another with a broken leg, having apparently fallen down a deep bank. The men who attacked Morris and Clifford have not been identified, and the police have not as yet been able to make any arrests. The owner of the cattle has lodged a claim for compensation. The outrage corresponds very closely to another which was committed at the same place in August last, and it is very probable that the same men committed both. If so the motive was the same in each case—namely, to obtain money for drink.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners demand payment from evicted tenants, sometimes within two months after they have been put in possession of their holdings, for whatever sum may fall due before the regular half-yearly instalments begin; whether he is aware that the majority of those tenants are so poor that they are unable to meet, without borrowing, the expensive farming operations which have to be taken in hand when they first take over possession of the land; and whether some arrangements could be made by the Estates Commissioners so that no call for payment would be made on such tenants until such times as it may be reasonably expected that some return is being had from the land?

The Estates Commissioners are not aware of the cases to which the hon. Member refers, but the general rule is that instalments of purchase annuities are collected each half-year in accordance with the provisions of the Land Purchase Acts and the Rules made under those Acts. Where cases are brought to their attention in which the Commissioners are of opinion that difficulty would arise, such as is indicated in the question, they endeavour to make such arrangements as will prevent hardship or undue strain on the tenant's resources.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether an application had been made to the Estates Commissioners on behalf.of Richard Walsh for reinstatement in two holdings, namely, Looreems, Carthy, and Knochanecrough, on the Drummis estate, Cordal, county Kerry, from which his father was evicted; and whether seeing that the land is untenanted and in the landlord's possession, and that the bonâ fides of Walsh's claim is not disputed, he will direct that the Estates Commissioners take steps to have him reinstated without further delay?

The Estates Commissioners inquired into the application, and ascertained that Edmond Walsh when tenant of the lands in question sub-let them, and never resided on the holdings. He became a bankrupt, and the landlord was obliged to take up the lands, and they now form part of his demesne. The Commissioners are not prepared to take any action in the matter of his son's application for reinstatement.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have inquired into the application of Mr. Michael Duffy, of Dublin Street, Dundalk, for reinstatement in his father's farm on the Fowler estate, county Meath; and whether, seeing that this land is unoccupied and that Mr. Duffy is compelled to support a young family by working as a common labourer, steps will be taken immediately to have him reinstated in his father's holding?

Michael Duffy's application will be considered by the Estates Commissioners when they are dealing in order of priority with the Fowler Estate, which is pending before them for sale under the Land Purchase Acts.

asked whether James Stubs, evicted tenant, county Cavan, has yet been reinstated; if not, will he say what is the cause of the delay and when his case will have attention?

The Estates Commissioners do not appear to have received any application for reinstatement in this case.

asked whether the application of Mrs. Catherine Price, widow, for reinstatement in a holding, from which she with her late husband and children were evicted, on the estate of Mr. E. C. Walshe, Castlehill, Crossmolina, county Mayo, has been refused by the Estates Commissioners, on the grounds that the application was not received within the specified time; and, if so, whether, having regard to the circumstances of the widow and family, the Commissioners or the Congested Districts Board will provide her with a suitable holding?

The Estates Commissioners received in March last an application from Mrs. Catherine Price for reinstatement in a holding which she states was formerly occupied by her late husband on the Walsh Estate county Mayo. As her application was not received within the period limited by the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, it cannot be dealt with under the provisions of that Act. This estate has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, and, if they become owners, the case of Mrs. Catherine Price will be considered, provided the holding from which she was evicted is untenanted.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he has received a memorial, signed on behalf of eighty-five farmers living on the shores of Lough Erne, setting forth the loss and damage sustained by them in consequence of the overflowing of the lake, and particularly the loss sustained to cereal crops this year, and praying for the opening of the floodgates at Belleek, which serve no useful purpose closed; and what action, if any, he proposes to take in this matter?

The persons responsible for working the sluices at Belleek are the Lough and River Erne Drainage Board. The terms of the hon. Member's question have been communicated to their secretary, who states that the floods complained of took place in February and March, and were due to an exceptionally heavy rainfall, and that the sluices during the period of the floods were worked in a thoroughly efficient manner; the Lower Lake being five inches below ordnance level, while in the Upper Lake the flood rose three feet above ordnance level.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Cork Committee of Agriculture have more than once urged on the Board of National Education and the Department of Agriculture that the elementary principles of agriculture and horticulture should be taught in all the national schools of the country; whether money for these purposes is available in the case of English and Scottish schools, where agriculture is not the staple industry as it is in Ireland; and, if funds are available in Great Britain, can he say why an equivalent grant is not given for encouraging an inclination towards agricultural and horticultural pursuits in Ireland at a school age, when it would be most likely to have permanent results?

I am aware that such representations have been received by the Departments mentioned. I understand that the Board of Education in England give special grants for instruction in gardening, and in Scotland elementary instruction in agriculture and horticulture may be given as part of the course in the primary schools, but there is no separate Grant for the purpose. The Commissioners of National Education have made recommendations from time to time in reference to this matter, but it was held that past experience did not justify the re imposition on the Vote for Public Education of a charge for the purpose, having regard to the more urgent claims on that Vote.

asked whether it was intended to arrange to pass the Art Galleries (Dublin) Bill this Session; and whether he was aware that there is need for its passage into law?

I am fully aware of the need for this Bill, and have every hope that it will be passed into law this Session.

asked the Chief Secretary why an official of the Land Commission in Dublin did not give the Irish tailors the opportunity of tendering for uniforms, and got measure forms from England and made one of his clerks measure the porters and messengers employed in the Land Commission, and sent the order to a person chosen by himself; and whether he was aware that the make and material proved unsatisfactory, while the uniforms of Irish manufacture, made by trades union labour, supplied to other boards, have proved more satisfactory?

The uniforms for the messengers employed by the Irish Land Commission are obtained from the Royal Army Clothing Department in pursuance of instructions issued by the Treasury. The uniforms so supplied are satisfactory in all respects. So far as I am aware all messengers' uniforms for Dublin Departments are obtained from the same source.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is anticipated that all remaining expenditure in connection with the 1909–10 programme will be expended this financial year; and, if not, what sum will have to be provided for this purpose in the 1912–13 Estimates?

The sum remaining to be expended in the 1912–13 Estimates is £510,586.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that engineers employed at Fort Matilda torpedo factory are paid less wages per week and for overtime rates than the standard rate of wages current in the district; and whether he will rectify the matter?

All men who are fully qualified mechanics are paid full rates. A limited number of young men qualifying for the special work of the torpedo factory are paid lower rates according to their ability. It has already been approved that the current rates for overtime shall be paid to the men of the torpedo factory for all time worked beyond fifty-four hours per week.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the War Office has by a recent order prohibited commanding officers of Special Reserve and Territorial battalions from attending the Coronation with the detachments from their units, arrangements will be made to allot seats for them to view the procession at the Horse Guards Parade or elsewhere?

An allotment of tickets for stands on the line of route has been made to the headquarters of each command and district in the United Kingdom for which Regular, Special Reserve, and Territorial Officers had an opportunity of ballotting. A notification of this allotment appeared in the newspapers of 3rd February last. I am afraid no further facilities can be promised.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the result of the correspondence with the expiring county council of Westmeath on the question whether the vacancy caused by death on the new council, now in course of election, is to be filled up by that new council when elected or by the electors of the vacant division; and under what law or rule the expiring council has been consulted regarding the mode of filling the' vacancy on the new council?

The Local Government Board are of opinion that this case is governed by Article 7 (1) of the Local Government (Application of Enactments) Order, 1898, and it will therefore be necessary for the Board to order a new election.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that a circular has recently been addressed to the justices at petty sessions in Ireland, intimating that each declaration of secrecy, made under Section 4 of the Ballot Act, 1872, by presiding officers, poll clerks, polling agents, constabulary, and others engaged in connection with the elections of county and rural district councillors now proceeding, must be stamped with petty sessions stamps to the value of 1s.; and whether, in view of the fact that no such imposition of Stamp Duty has hitherto been enforced, and that such imposition will materially increase the expenses attending the elections throughout Ireland, and the expenses of candidates offering themselves for election, he will undertake to have the circular in question withdrawn?

The circular issued did not specify the declarations of secrecy referred to by the hon. Member. It merely called attention to the fact that solemn declarations made before a magistrate (including declarations of secrecy when so made) should be stamped in the manner indicated. A decision has been given in the courts to that effect. The declarations of secrecy mentioned in the question can be made before the Returning Officer, as well as before a magistrate. When made before the Returning Officer no stamp appears to be required. There need not, therefore, be any additional expense.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that a manual of drill for the Yeomanry has been promised for two years and of the want of uniformity in Yeomanry drill which is the result of their having no such manual, the War Office can have it compiled earlier than the end of this year, as recently suggested by him?

It was decided to prepare a separate training manual for mounted troops other than Regular Cavalry only some few months ago, and as it was impracticable to complete the manual in time for this year's training, it was decided to have it ready for issue about the end of the year, so as to give all ranks an opportunity of studying it before the beginning of the training season of 1912.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the Valkyrie monoplane has flown over 8,000 miles, that eleven successful machines of this type have been constructed, that thirty pupils have been instructed without accident on them, and that the inventor, Mr. Barber, offers to dismantle his machine in five minutes and run it across rough country behind a horse on its own wheels, and again assemble it in the same period of time, he will consider the advisability of subjecting the type to military tests before accepting the opinion of his advisers as definite

Various patterns of aeroplanes are being considered, with a view to determining the most suitable for military purposes. If the Valkyrie is thought to comply best with such requirements as may be formulated it will be tried.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he is aware that the commanding officer of the Derbyshire Yeomanry, Squadron C, has issued orders which will prevent the men using their own horses during the annual training at Whitsuntide, and further that all horses are to be supplied by him; and, having regard to the fact that many of these men have in the past used their own horses and that the £5 grant has been some recompense for the services they render, if he will intervene with a view to allowing the past practice to continue, and also to secure the same treatment in this matter for the men of Squadron C as exists in all other squadrons in this regiment>

The hon. Member appears to have been misinformed. No orders have been issued to prevent the men using their own horses, but in cases where men have no horses of their own the commanding officer has himself arranged to hire the horses required and has forbidden the men to hire any horses in order to secure that suitable horses are engaged. Out of a total of 100 horses forty only have been hired by this officer.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he can explain the delay in publishing the Report of the Departmental Committee on Educational Endowments; and if he can state a date by which it will be circulated or obtainable at the Vote Office?

The Report was published on Saturday last, 20th May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the report of the visiting ophthalmic surgeon to the ophthalmic schools of the Metropolitan Asylums Board at Brentwood and Swanley, and to the statement in that report that the number of trachomatous children admitted to the schools mentioned was 115 in 1906, fell to 82 in 1907, and had risen in 1910 to 122; to the further statement in the report that in the High Wood School, Brentwood, one nurse contracted the disease of trachoma during the year 1909; and to the fact that trachoma is so extremely rare as to be almost unknown as an indigenous disease, while the chronicity of the complaint makes cure a matter not of days or weeks, but of months and years; and whether, in view of the danger of contagion affecting children in schools in London and elsewhere, His Majesty's Government intend to take steps to check the importation of trachoma into this country by aliens arriving in non-immigrant ships?

I have referred to the Reports indicated for the years 1909 and 1910, and I find that, while the figures quoted in the earlier part of the question are taken from them correctly so far as they go, and the statement as to the length of time required for a cure is true, the reports afford no support for the inferences suggested in the latter part of the question. I may point out that while the 122 cases of trachoma in 1910 form a slightly larger proportion of the total admissions in the schools than did the number eighty-two in 1907, they form a considerably smaller proportion than the number 115 in 1907, and are much less both actually and proportionately than the numbers 292 and 200 in the years 1903 and 1904. Further, the largest number of the 122 cases came from Southwark, which is not one of the areas into which newly arrived aliens mostly go, and in which there were fewer aliens, according to the Census of 1901, than in any other Metropolitan Borough, except Bermondsey and Camberwell. At the same time, the question of the opportunity which there may be for aliens suffering from trachoma to come into this country on non-immigrant ships has always been closely watched by my Department; and, as I indicated in my speech on the Second Reading of the Aliens Bill on the 28th of April, I am considering whether and in what circumstances I may properly exercise my power of altering the definition of immigrant ship with the object of rendering the exclusion of disease still more effective.

asked the Home Secretary if he will say how many male young persons are affected by the order recently issued permitting night work in the process of manufacturing artificial silk fibre; and how was the draft order brought to the notice of these persons?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the questions which he and other Members put to me on the subject of the order last Monday.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is intended to continue and extend the operation of the Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I am not in a position at the present time to make any statement on the subject of the further continuance of the Unemployed Workmen Act, 1905.

asked the Under-Secretary for India whether any Report has been made during the last two years on the condition of the military detention barracks; and, if so, whether he will state what was the nature of this Report?

No such report has been received.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is yet able to state the amount of money annually spent by the Government of India on the entire medical education of Anglo-Indian and Eurasian students for the military assistant-surgeon grade; whether the-re are similar officers to look after the troops in this country; and on what grounds is the existence of that branch justified in India?

The answer to both the first and second questions is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the senior assistants in the chief civil medical institutions at Madras are military assistant surgeons; whether the entire cost of their medical education has been defrayed by the Government of Madras; whether he would state the reasons why they have been invariably preferred to Indian civil doctors who have better qualifications and who have been trained at their own expense; and when does he propose to make a statement on the reform of the medical service in India?

The answer to the first question is yes; the second I have already answered. As regards the last, I cannot yet say when it will be possible to make any further statement on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will supply a return of the number of cases in which the present Port-of-Spain magistrate, Mr. Blackwood Wright, has made use of the First Offenders' Ordinance?

It seems unnecessary to incur the expense of printing a Return, but I will ascertain the facts from the Governor, and will communicate them to my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the harm resulting in Trinidad from the imposition of a 6s. fee in filing an action for assault and other offences against the law, such a fee contributing to the creation of criminals by placing the poorest class in such a position that they cannot afford to prosecute; and whether he will advise the Trinidad Government to either abolish the fee or materially reduce it?

I will consult the Governor of Trinidad in regard to the matter to which my hon. Friend refers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in the Trinidad Estimates of 1906-7, 1s. of the Excise Duty on rum was ear-marked for road purposes; and, if so, whether it continues to be so applied?

The answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's question is in the negative. The whole proceeds of the Excise Duty are credited to general revenue.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received a Report on Ottoman Christian subjects (military service) from His Majesty's Acting Agent in Cairo; if he is now able to state whether the recently adopted practice of handing over to the Turkish military authorities Ottoman Christian subjects who have sought refuge in Egypt with a view to avoiding military service under conscription constitutes a reversal of former policy; and whether instructions have been issued to the British advisers of the Egyptian Government to countenance and support this change of policy?

I have received a report from His Majesty's Acting Agent and Consul-General at Cairo. There has been no reversal of former policy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that on the last fair day of Kildare, 24th April, there were no railway waggons in Kildare until 10.40 a.m.; that over 600 pigs had to be kept waiting on the roadway leading to the railway station until 2 p.m. owing to the scarcity of waggons; that it was 5.30 p.m. before the special train started from Kildare; that the thirty miles journey to Dublin was not completed until 9 p.m., when it was too late to ship the pigs; and whether the Board of Trade will take steps to enforce compliance by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company with the regulations, and thus protect traders and the public from the loss and inconvenience arising from the negligence and default complained of.

I have forwarded to my hon. Friend a copy of a letter from the railway company on this subject, in which it is stated that there was no shortage of waggons on the occasion referred to, and an explanation is given of the delay which occurred.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Port of London Authority had ordered the 27th May to be observed as a public holiday by its workmen; and, if so, does the Authority propose to pay wages for that day?

I have communicated with the Port of London Authority, who inform me that they have given notice that Saturday, 27th May, will be observed as a holiday in the docks and warehouses of the Authority, and that the wages of all the workmen other than those engaged by the day or hour will be paid for that day. The Port Authority point out that work held over on account of the holiday will still have to be done, and therefore, whatever daily or hourly labour may be required for such work will necessarily be wanted in the following week.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he was aware, in connection with the Lancashire cotton industry, that in years gone by the Indian cotton imports into Great Britain had been killed by the gambling systems of options and futures in Indian cotton; that these same systems in American and Egyptian cotton in years of corners have paralysed the imports of these growths into Liverpool; that the basis of all imports is a bear sale; that the basis of the spinning industry is a call option; that in consequence, owing to gambling operations in 1911 by so-called Anglo-American and metal syndicates, the markets have been cornered, causing the prospects of the Lancashire cotton industry to be unfavourable before next October; and, considering that these systems of international gambling have been acknowledged at the eight international Cotton Congresses held since 1903 to be the direct cause for artificial high prices, whether he proposes to take any steps to remedy this state of affairs before the Lancashire industry is ruined?

No doubt abuses may arise in connection with speculative dealings in produce, and such abuses may in certain circumstances have a detrimental effect on industry, but, as at present advised, I do not consider that I can usefully take any action in the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has received a memorial, signed by the clergy, local representatives, and people generally in the district of Killeigh, King's County, asking that Killeigh should be appointed a money order office, and pointing out that the nearest place to obtain a post office order was at Tullamore, a distance of over six miles; and will he say what decision he has come to in the matter?

The memorial has been received, but it is found that the amount of money order and savings bank business likely to be transacted at the office is very small and insufficient to cover the working expenses involved. In these circumstances I regret that the extension is not at present warranted even under guarantee.

asked the Lord Advocate if his attention has been directed to the want of proper housing accommodation for the workmen engaged at Rosyth and their families; whether he is aware of the fact that most of the land available for building purposes in the immediate neighbourhood of the works has been bought by a syndicate called the Rosyth Building Company, the directors of which include leading officials in the employment of Messrs. Easton, Gibb, and Company, the Government contractors; whether the building company are also the owners of a model lodging-house; whether they are endeavouring to restrict the dwelling-house accommodation in order to secure patronage for the lodging-house; and whether the Local Government Board will fully investigate the conditions under which these workmen are forced to live, and lay a Report upon the Table?

My attention has been directed to the question of housing accommodation in the neighbourhood of Rosyth, and, as I informed the hon. Member for the Stirling Burghs on 2nd May, the Local Government Board for Scotland are conducting an inquiry into the whole question.