asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the hardship which will be inflicted on small landlords who will be deprived of their rents by the operation of Clause 51 of the National Insurance Bill, it would be possible for the State to pay or to guarantee the rent payable by insured persons during the period in which the landlord's power to enforce payment is suspended?

I do not think Clause 51 will impose any burden which a humane landlord would not in any case voluntarily accept. Any loss imposed by it on a harsh landlord is likely only to be temporary. Moreover, landlords and other persons engaged in supplying commodities to the working classes are likely to find that their customers are better able to pay their bills when the whole income of the head of the household is not liable to be cut off by sickness.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that, as shown in Cd. 5,308, the gross assessments to Income Tax in 1908–9 aggregated £1,009,935,926, while the actual net income revealed in Table 111, page 104, was £824,057,641, if the assessment of only £130,000,700 to Super-tax in 1909–10 is to be attributed to incompleteness of assessment?

The reply is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state, approximately, for the financial year 1910–11, the number of persons liable to Supertax, and the aggregate assessed income of such persons without deduction of the abatement of £3,000 per Super-tax payer?

The information for which my hon. Friend asks is not available.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the total amounts of the trust funds now vested in the Public Trustee, Ireland; and to how many different trusts do these funds belong?

The trust funds vested in the Public Trustee, Ireland, since the passing of the Land Act of 1903, amount to £557,612. The number of estates to which these trusts belong is eighty-seven.

asked what is the cause of the delay in distributing the lands of Surgalstown, county Dublin, which the Estates Commissioners are understood to have recently purchased?

The Estates Commissioners have made an offer to purchase this estate, and it has been accepted by the owner. The estate is not, however, yet in priority for payment of the purchase money, and meanwhile the owner has been directed to make a temporary letting of the lands until the Commissioners are in a position to pay the purchase money and take possession.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether structural weakness has developed in His Majesty's Ship "Invincible" to such an extent that, through outside pressure, water finds its way into the compartments reserved for oil?

No structural weakness is known to have developed in His Majesty's Ship "Invincible."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, through structural weakness, the roller plates under the turrets of His Majesty's ship "Invincible" have given out, making it impossible to train all guns on one beam, fire them, and then train all guns on the other beam immediately and fire them, as may be necessary in action; and whether the ship will be ready in full commission for active service in three months from 1st March, 1911?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative—and to the second part in the affirmative.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether he has any reason to modify the official statement made that no signs of structural weakness had been shown by His Majesty's Ship "Invincible"; whether when she was recently about to be docked portions of the longitudinal framing were removed; whether on docking the ship signs of structural weakness were apparent to such an extent that pumping out the dock had to be stopped; whether the ship was refloated, taken out of dock, and the portions of the longitudinal framing which were removed replaced, the ship being re-docked afterwards without any further signs of buckling; and whether it is intended, owing to a structural weakness, to strengthen the longitudinals?

There is no reason to modify the statement that no structural weakness has been shown by His Majesty's ship "Invincible." No portions of longitudinal framing have been removed. No signs of structural weakness were observed on docking. It is not intended to strengthen the longitudinals.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any British ships of the "Dreadnought" type, built or building, carry more than ten guns of 10-inches calibre or more in their main armament; whether any foreign vessels of this type carry more than ten such guns; and, if so, which?

The names of the foreign vessels referred to are as follows:—

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the new naval guns will be manufactured at Woolwich Arsenal; and whether any orders have yet been placed there or elsewhere?

All present approved types of guns are manufactured at Woolwich Arsenal; there is no intention of departing from this practice in the case of new designs. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether he proposes to request the War Office to equip the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich so as to enable them to construct gun mountings, for which they have room?

It is not proposed to ask the War Office to equip the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich with means for manufacturing heavy gun-mountings, which would necessitate expending very large sums of money in providing the necessary plant.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Post Office charge a royalty of 10 per cent. upon the cost of removal of exchange telephone apparatus from one room to another in a private house; and whether he will state under which section of the Post Office Acts such a charge is made?

Under the licence granted to the National Telephone Company in 1884, a royalty of 10 per cent. is payable by the company upon the gross revenue arising from their exchange business. A very small portion of this revenue consists of amounts charged by the company in respect of the removal and rearrangement of subscribers' apparatus.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he would give the numbers of illegitimate children born in the workhouses of Great Britain and Ireland during the last completed year for which he has the figures?

No complete information on this subject is available.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is now able to announce the populations, as ascertained at the recent Census, of London, of the Metropolitan Boroughs, and of the other Administrative Counties and County Boroughs of England and Wales.

I am informed by the Registrar-General that, according to the preliminary examination of the Returns obtained at the recent Census, the information desired by my hon. Friend is as follows. It will be understood that the figures for 1911 are subject to correction. They are the provisional numbers derived from summaries furnished by the local Registration Officers:—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the cases where, owing to the liquidation of an injured workman's employer and also the insurance company insuring the said employer, the said workman has been deprived of all compensation; and whether he will take any steps either to give an injured workman the benefit of any recoveries from an insurance policy or to vest in the injured workman the benefit of an insurance policy or by legislation to insure for the workman adequate compensation in the event of loss arising from the liquidation of the insurance company or employer or either of them?

A case of this kind was recently brought to my notice. The Act already makes provision for vesting in the workman, in the event of the bankruptcy of the employer, the benefit of any insurance policy into which the employer may have entered. The question of making further provision so as to protect the workman against loss of compensation through the bankruptcy of an uninsured employer or the bankruptcy of an insurance company are questions of much difficulty, which must come under considera-

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether the constitution of Samos, though guaranteed by some of the great Powers, has, under the regimé of the present prince, been violated; and whether the maintenance of a Turkish garrison in Samos is contrary to the constitution?

With regard to the first paragraph of the question, I am aware that complaints have been made of certain irregularities on the part of the Prince Governor, but I have no recent information on the subject. With regard to the second paragraph, the Turkish Government have the right to maintain a small number of troops in the island.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been directed to the alleged restraint in trade endeavoured by the Imperial Tobacco Trust, by the Coats' Thread Trust, and the Anglo-American Oil Trust; whether he will inquire into their methods and operations; and whether, if necessary, the Board of Trade will take measures to safeguard the retailers and consumers?

I shall, of course, give careful consideration to any information which may be laid before me, but as at present advised, I do not think that such an inquiry as is suggested would serve a useful purpose.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can see his way to allowing the Post Office servants at Portsmouth to consider 24th June next as a bank-holiday instead of 23rd June, in order to allow these public servants to have an opportunity of attending the Naval Review at Spithead?

I would remind the Noble Lord that the Royal Proclamation restricts the bank holiday on the 23rd June to the county of London. It is not within my power to allow the Post Office servants at Portsmouth to consider either the 23rd or the 24th June as a bank holiday.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is in possession of full information as to the various ways in which the deposits in Government savings banks in foreign countries are employed; if so, will he lay it upon the Table; and, if not, will he take steps to obtain such information?

I am not in possession of full information on the subject, but I will take steps to obtain it.

asked the Attorney-General how many causes are set down and pending trial in the King's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice as special jury, common jury, and non-jury cases respectively; and how the numbers of such respective classes of causes compare with the numbers of such respective classes of causes pending trial a year ago?

The following is a comparative statement of the numbers of causes referred to by the hon. Member:—

asked the Lord Advocate who are the members of the Privy Council responsible for education in Scotland; how many meetings have that committee had since December, 1905, when this Government came into office; and whether, if no meetings are ever held, the regulations and circulars issued in the name of that committee of the Privy Council can in future be issued in the name of the Secretary for Scotland?

The members of the Committee of Council on Education in Scotland are the Lord President of the Council, the Secretary for Scotland (Vice-President), the Right Honourable Lord Shaw, the First Lord of the Treasury, the Secretary of State for War, the Lord Advocate, the Right Honourable the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, and the Right Honourable Lord Reay. With regard to the remainder of the question, it is contrary to precedent and practice to give such particulars as to meetings of any Committee of the Privy Council. As regards the hon. Member's reference to the Secretary for Scotland, the Secretary for Scotland is the Minister responsible to Parliament for all that is done in the name of the Committee of the Privy Council referred to, and his position in reference to that Committee is precisely the same as that of any other responsible Minister towards the Departmental Board of which he is the Parliamentary head.