asked the Secretary to the Treasury what was the amount allowed to the Solicitor to the Treasury for his own professional fees for the prosecution of Arthur Garrod for murder at Ipswich; and what was the amount of the like fees allowed to the solicitor for the defence, under the provisions of the Poor Prisoners' Defence Act, for the defence of Arthur Garrod?

The amount allowed by the county in this case was: —

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners are in possession of about 1,000 acres of untenanted land on the St. George estate, Cam, near Athlone, county Roscommon; whether they have prepared a scheme for the redistribution of this land; whether according to this scheme the whole of this land "will be divided amongst about fifteen persons; "whether possession has yet been given to any of these persons; whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction in the district in connection with this scheme, especially considering that there are several occupiers of uneconomic holdings in the immediate vicinity whose names have been forwarded to the Estates Commissioners; and whether, in view of these facts, the Estates Commissioners will take local feeling into consideration in connection "with their scheme or, as an alternative, transfer this land to the Congested Districts Board?

The owner of this estate has accepted the formal proposal of the Estates Commissioners to purchase 840 acres of untenanted land for the sum of £5,800, but the Commissioners have not yet acquired possession of the lands. The Commissioners have approved of a scheme for the allotment of these lands, and, as at present advised, see no reason for altering it. They are not prepared to discuss the details of a scheme prepared in the exercise of the discretion vested in them. If the Congested Districts Board desire to purchase this estate, and the owner consents, the Estates Commissioners will place no obstacle in the way of this being done.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Mrs. Eliza Hayes, of Kilmacomma, county Waterford, near Clonmel, was placed on the list of suitable evicted tenants by the Estates Commissioners; whether she has since died, and whether the Estates Commissioners have received any claim from her son-in-law, Mr. Michael Meagher, of Kilmacomma, as her legal personal representative; whether he is aware that her evicted holding is in the possession of the owner and has been recently let for grazing to a man named Edmond Guiry; and whether the Estates Commissioners will take steps to acquire the same by arrangement with the owner or compulsorily, or will offer Mr. Meagher a suitable holding elsewhere?

The Estates Commissioners received an application from Eliza Hayes for reinstatement in a holding formerly occupied by her on the estate of D. J. Higgins, county Waterford. The Commissioners offered her a parcel of land on another estate, which she declined to accept, and on further inquiry they decided to take no action in the matter of her application. They subsequently received an application from Francis G. Meagher, her grandson, and he has been informed that the Commissioners do not intend to provide him with a holding as her representative.

asked how many junior assistant mistresses under the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, who passed the King's scholarship examination in 1910, and the attendance in whose schools have averaged fifty pupils daily, have been deprived of assistants' salaries owing to the requirements of the Commissioners' rules; and how much money has been returned to the Treasury as unexpended balances by the Commissioners during the years 1909, 1910, and 1911, while junior assistant mistresses entitled by their scholarships and the school attendance to the salaries of assistant teachers have been compelled to teach on the allowance of £25 per annum?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that junior assistant mistresses who have given three years' satisfactory service and who pass the King's Scholarship examination in the 1st or 2nd Division are recognised and paid as full assistants if appointed as such by the managers, provided there is an average daily attendance of fifty pupils in their schools. There are nineteen junior assistant mistresses who have not yet given three years satisfactory service, and three who did not pass in the 1st or 2nd Division in 1910 who are otherwise-eligible for advancement to the position of full assistants. With regard to the last paragraph of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the similar question of the hon. Member "or South Cork on 16th May last.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what dates the "Friedrich der Grosse," "Kaiser," "Ersatze Hagen," "Aegir," "Odin," "Weissenburg," and "K. Friedrich Wilhelm" were ordered and laid down; and when it is anticipated they will be completed?

We have no official information regarding any of these vessels beyond the dates of delivery from the shipyards for the following ships:—

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what dates the "Von der Tann," "Moltke," "Goeben," "I," and "K" were ordered and laid down; and when it is anticipated the last four will be commissioned for service with the German fleet?

We have no official information with regard to any of these vessels beyond the dates of delivery from the shipyards of the following ships:—

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the "Texas" and "New York" have yet been commenced; and, if so, on what dates; and when it is anticipated they will be completed?

The "Texas" was laid down in February, 1911, and the "New York," in May. The contract time for building is thirty-six months.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a uniform has yet been decided on for chaplains of the Territorial Force; and, if not, when may a decision be expected?

The question is still under consideration. A decision will shortly be arrived at.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether he is aware that officers who served in the Peninsular campaign and at Waterloo had the letters P and W placed before their names in the Army List from the years 1341 and 1816 respectively; and whether he will consider whether a similar honour can now be conferred on those few surviving officers who served in the Crimean War and in the Indian Mutiny?

The Noble Lord is correct in his information concerning the letter W; but the letter P was not shown until the year 1880 in the quarterly Army List. The Noble Lord's proposal will receive careful consideration.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War if he will state what distribution of Coronation medals it has been decided to make to the troops employed in lining the streets in London on 22nd and 23rd June on the occasion of the Coronation and Royal Progress through London, to the Regular Army, representative detachments of the Special Reserve, and representative detachments of the Territorial Force, respectively?

Representatives of each unit which was present or sent a detachment to London for the Coronation will receive the medal. I am not yet in a position to state the exact allotment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the Transvaal Draft Municipal Ordinance gives to municipalities the power to refuse to issue hawkers', pedlars', and other similar licences, and that such refusal is unappealable to the Courts; and whether, in view of the experience in Natal and the Cape Colony that the withdrawal of the right of appeal is calculated to bear hardly upon Indian interests in the province, he will say what action he proposes to take to prevent the refusal of a means of honest livelihood to His Majesty's Indian subjects lawfully resident in the Transvaal?

My attention has been called to the Ordinance in question, and I am making inquiries as to it of the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Transvaal Draft Municipal Ordinance gives to municipalities powers in regard to the segregation of British-Indians which have not hitherto been conferred upon them; whether it contains provisions for the penalising of British-Indian labour employed in useful industries which in some cases may result in the withdrawal of a means of livelihood from the British-Indian labourers; whether it precludes British-Indian ratepayers from exercising the municipal franchise; whether it prohibits or restricts the use of municipal tramcars by respectably dressed British-Indians; and whether the Secretary of State has made representations to the Government of the Union of South Africa with a view to obtaining for the British-Indian residents of the Transvaal a greater measure, and not a diminution of civil liberty?

My attention has been drawn to this draft Ordinance, which is of the nature described, and I am in communication with the Governor-General of the Union with regard to it.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will issue a Return showing the various ages of exemption fixed by different local education authorities, with the conditions under which exemption is granted in each case?

I am collecting information on this and kindred matters in connection with the Education (School and Continuation Class Attendance) Bill now before the House. As soon as information has been collected in a sufficiently comprehensive form it will be presented to both Houses of Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) if any scheme in connection with the Wrey Charity, in the parish of Coombe-in-Teignhead, has yet been sanctioned; if not, what is the reason of the delay, considering that as long ago as April, 1909, according to a letter of that date, No. 12,310, 00/1891, C.T., received by the council, the Board communicated with the trustees to the effect that a scheme would be necessary; and (2) whether he will sanction a scheme whereby the annual payment of £10 from the Wrey Charily shall be paid direct to the overseers of the parish of Coombe-in-Teignhead, either in aid of the Poor Rate or for some public purpose in the parish?

I will answer this question together with the next question down in the name of the hon. Member. A scheme has not yet been established in this case. The delay is due partly to pressure of work and partly to the fact that the preparation of schemes for elementary endowments has been as far as possible suspended pending the receipt And consideration of the Report of the Departmental Committee which was appointed to consider the best mode of dealing with endowments of this character. The endowment does not, in the view of the Board, fall within the operation of the proviso to Section 13 (1) of the Education Act, 1902, and I therefore think that it would not be possible for the Board to sanction the application of any part of the income to the relief of the Poor Rate. The Board will be glad to consider any other proposals for the application of the money for some public educational purpose in the parish. In any such application regard will have to be had to the origin of the foundation.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will explain why the mail which reaches Ballybrittas, Queen's County, about 10.20 a.m., with the English letters and Dublin newspapers is not sent out for delivery to residents on the south-east and east sides of the village until 3 p.m., although it is delivered at some houses on the north, south, and west sides by 10.30 a.m.; whether frequent complaints have been made as to the inconvenience resulting from this delay; and whether he will take steps to remove this grievance by the substitution of a bicycle service for the present foot service between Monasterevan and Ballybrittas?

I regret that, owing to the serious loss on the postal service in the district, I am unable to impose on the taxpayer the whole of the additional expense of affording an earlier delivery of the day mail letters in the locality to which the hon. Member refers. I have, however, already offered to provide the service if a suitable guarantee be forthcoming to contribute towards the cost. The delivery at about 3.0 p.m. is made in connection with a collection of letters which takes place at that time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture the total number of male persons engaged in agriculture according to the latest figures he has available?

The following statement will give the information desired:— Number of males aged ten years and upwards returned at the Census of 1901 as engaged in agriculture in Great Britain: England and Wales, 1,071,040; Scotland, 169,130—Great Britain, 1,240,170.