whose name was not handed in, asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the seniority of temporary clerks who, after passing the quali- fying examination as assistant clerks (new class), are granted certificates from the Civil Service Commission as assistant clerks, dates from the day of issue of these certificates or from the dates upon which they were appointed, as clerks on temporary duty, to the particular department; and whether their pensions will be calculated from the date of issue of the certificates or from the date of entry into the department as temporary officials?

Service as assistant clerk is reckoned from the first day of duty as such, after the issue of a Civil Service Certificate in. that capacity. The service of the clerks referred to will reckon for pension from the same date.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury on what date the Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the conditions of service of the Excise staff, as a result of their separation from the Inland Revenue and transfer to the Customs, will be presented to the House; and whether, in view of the delay in the publication of the Report, he will undertake that any increases of salary or other emoluments or allowances recommended by the Report will be made to take effect retrospectively?

The Committee hope to be able to present their report to the Treasury in a very short time now. In reply to the second part of the question, I regret to be unable to make any anticipatory statement as to the possible contents of the report.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have entered into negotiations with the representative Church body for the purchase of the lands of Newrath, Kells, county Meath; how far the negotiations have proceeded; and whether he can state if the lands are likely to be distributed this year?

The Estates Commissioners have entered into negotiations for the purchase of the lands referred to, and the owners have instituted formal proceedings for their sale. They will be dealt with as soon as possible in priority, but it is not probable that their turn will be reached this year.

asked whether the Chief Secretary is in a position to state the total amount expended up to 31st March last upon the purchase of land in Ireland under the various existing Land Purchase Acts, and the further amount involved in contracts entered into on that date but not completed?

The amounts advanced for land purchase under the different Acts up to the 31st March, 1911, were as follows:—

	£
Act of 1870	518,933
Act of 1881	240,801
Acts of 1885–8	9,992,536
Acts of 1891–6	13,145,817
Acts of 1903–9 (by Estates Commissioners)	41,301,213
By Land Commission (other than Estates Commissioners)	1,364,794
Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906	3,111,816
	£69,675,910

The amounts applied for but not yet advanced on the same date were:—

Acts of 1903–9:
	£
By Estates Commissioners	46,387,249
By Land Commission (other than Estates Commissioners	93,111
Labourers (Ireland) Act, 1906	1,138,184
Total	47,618,544

These figures include advances to the Congested Districts Board for the purchase of estates, but exclude the advances made on resales by them to purchasers, in which case such last mentioned advances are-written off the Board's liability. In addition to the figures given above the Congested Districts Board have arranged for the purchase of estates in respect of which advances will be made to the amount of £517,836.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, seeing that Irish is now taught in half the schools of Ireland, steps will be taken to secure proper instruction in the language and methods of teaching it for teachers during their training courses?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that provision is made for the instruction of the King's scholars in Irish in all the training colleges except the Church of Ireland Training College in Dublin, by the appointment of a professor or teacher of Irish. The Commissioners examine any students presented to them by the authorities of the colleges with a view to their recognition as being qualified to teach the language. The Commissioners also grant aid in special colleges for the teaching of Irish in addition to the colleges for the general training of teachers.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many students finished their courses of training in each of the Irish training colleges in the year ended June, 1910; how many of those in each college obtained certificates qualifying them to teach Irish; how many students attended each college in the year ended June, 1911; how many of those in each college sat for examination in Irish; and how many hours per week does each student taking up Irish get from the professor of Irish in each college?

Training College.		1910.		1911.
		Number of students who finished their course of training.	Number of those who obtained certificates in Irish.	Number of students in attendance.	Number who sat for examinations in Irish.
Marlboro' Street, Dublin	…	198	4	311	13
St. Patrick's, Drumcondra	…	87	12	165	41
Our Lady of Mercy, Blackrock	…	86	3	200	39
Church of Ireland. Dublin	…	75	—	137	—
De La Salle, Waterford	…	97	3	200	39
St. Mary's, Belfast	…	48	8	100	23
Mary Immaculate, Limerick	…	51	2	100	28

The Commissioners of National Education have no information at their disposal with regard to the last paragraph of the question.

asked the Chief Secretary as representing the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, how many prosecutions for selling margarine as butter the Department's inspectors have undertaken in London and Glasgow, and how many convictions have been obtained; whether a trader in St. Pancras sold an inspector margarine as butter while two charges were pending against him for similar offences; whether he was subsequently

The local authorities instituted proceedings in fourteen cases in London and in nine cases in Glasgow in which samples purchased as Irish butter by officers of the Department, acting in co-operation with officers of the local authorities, proved on analysis to be margarine. Convictions were obtained in all cases. The Department have no information in regard to that part of the question which relates to a trader in St. Pancras. As regards the last paragraph of the question, the Bill relates to the United Kingdom, and not to Ireland only, and the question as to facilities for the passage of the Bill should be addressed to the Prime Minister.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what is the total rateable value of property in England and Wales?

The total rateable value of property in England and Wales, according to the valuation lists in force in 1910 was £217,180,184.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state the number of teachers from primary schools in receipt of superannuation on 31st March, 1911, the total amount paid out for breakdown allowances the same year, and the total amount standing to the credit of the pension fund on 31st March, 1911?

The following are the particulars which the hon. Member is understood to require:—

—	Men.			Women.			Total.
1. Number of teachers receiving Annuities from Deferred Annuity Fund on 31st March, 1911	1,208			982			2,190
2. Amount paid as Disablement Allowance during year ended 31st March, 1911	£16,071	4	9	£33,932	16	11	£50,004		1	8
3. Capital of the Deferred Annuity Fund (including Scotland) on 31st March, 1911			2½	% Consols £2,250,675			9	2
	Guaranteed		2¾	% Stock £808,576			6	1

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can state the system upon which Advisory Committees for the selection of magistrates are being formed by the Lord Chancellor; whether the membership of such Advisory Committees should, as far as possible, be distributed over the whole of each county concerned, and whether the Lord Chancellor's attention has been called to the fact that in forming an Advisory Committee for the county of Essex the whole of the justices selected for that committee reside in the western part of the county, and that only one gentleman with residence and local knowledge in the eastern part of the county has been selected; and whether, in these circumstances, in order that complete local information may be at the disposal of the Lord Chancellor, he will recommend for the consideration of next quarter sessions the addition of, say, two justices to the committee resident in east Essex?

The Lord Chancellor, in appointing Advisory Committees, endeavours, so far as he can, to choose members from different parts of the county, so that information shall be accessible in regard to the whole of the county. It is impossible to adopt any rigid methods. The Lord Chancellor has not had his attention called to the matters suggested by the question, but he will make inquiries.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, under the Cawdor Memorandum of 1905

It is not understood what exact meaning is conveyed by the use of the expression "have been put back for two years." Under the Cawdor Memorandum, no officer would have been withdrawn from sea to specialise until at least two years from the date of becoming sublieutenant, one year of which must have been served at sea. Under the existing arrangements (announced in circular letter of the 1st May, 1908), officers must serve for two years from the date of becoming sub-lieutenant, either as sub-lieutenant or lieutenant. In every case at least one year must have been as lieutenant at sea, before becoming eligible to specialise.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is intended to enter officers into the Royal Marine forces independent of those officers entered under the new education scheme; if so, when; whether he will state the number; and whether the reason for this alteration is owing to shortage of officers in the Royal Marine forces?

The question of officering the corps of Royal Marines in the future is now engaging the attention of the Board of Admiralty.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether we shall be short of officers in the executive, engineer, and marine branches of the naval service in the near future; if so, whether to meet this shortage it is proposed to place warrant officers in command of torpedo and small craft; and, if so, whether he will state to the House how many vessels will be so commanded, and the names of such vessels?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The question of the number of officers required in the more remote future is under the consideration of the Board. As regards the second and third parts of the question, no proposal of the nature indicated has been made.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state what the cost of the administration of the Swine Fever Orders has been during the last five years, namely, the amount paid in compensation to owners for loss of pigs slaughtered and the amount expended in administrative, charges'?

The following statement will afford the information asked for:—

SWINE FEVER.
Amounts paid in respect of Compensation and Administration during the five years 1906–7 to 1910–11 inclusive.
—		1906–7.	1907–8.	1908–9.	1909–10.	1910–11.	Total.
Compensation paid to owners for loss of pigs slaughtered by order of the Board*		11,622	15,723	19,202	18,531	28,288	93,366
Expenses of Administration (including Cost of staff, disposal of carcases, disinfection of premises, etc.)		39,875	53,834	47,943	44,244	48,669	234,565
Total	£	51,497	69,557	67,145	62,775	76,957	327,931
* Net figures, i.e., after deduction of sums received from salvage of carcases.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has recently been drawn to the case of a branch of a trade union which lodged money in the Post Office Savings Bank in the names of three trustees, without making it a society account, and to the fact that the branch is now unable to withdraw the money because one of the trustees has lapsed his membership of the branch and refuses to sign the withdrawal form; and whether anything can be done to remove the difficulty?

The matter was settled on the 12th instant by the issue of a warrant to the two remaining depositors.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will state under what circumstances were 186 sorting clerks and telegraphists passed over in the Dublin Sorting Office for promotion to an overseership in May last, and 125 sorting clerks and telegraphists passed over for a similar appointment in June last; whether he is aware that those appointments have caused dissatisfaction amongst the staff at Dublin; and if he will consider the advisability of introducing a system by which promotion in the Dublin Sorting Office will be governed by seniority, efficiency and good conduct?

The sorting clerks and telegraphists referred to were passed over in each case because I was satisfied by the reports that were made to me that they were not so well qualified to perform the duties of the higher classas the officer selected for promotion. As regards the last part of the hon. Member's question, due weight is given to seniority in making promotions to the supervising classes, and no man is promoted whose conduct is not good. Their probable efficiency in the class in which officers will serve is necessarily the principal factor in determining promotion.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to the need for a mid-day mail service being established between Drimoleague and Cork City; and whether, having regard to the advantage this would be to the business of this town and its increasing population, he would favourably entertain the matter?

I am having inquiry made, and I will acquaint the hon. Member with the result.

asked the hon. Member for Southampton, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, if he is aware that it is the practice to appoint supernumerary park-keepers in the Royal Parks who are on duty on Sundays and holidays, and that in all the parks except Greenwich and Richmond parks these men are provided with uniforms while on duty; whether he is aware that the ununiformed men at Greenwich and Richmond have not the same control over those who frequent those parks as the men in the other parks have; and whether he will provide uniforms for the men employed as keepers in the two parks referred to?

Supernumerary park-keepers are appointed in the Royal Parks for temporary duty on Sundays and holidays, and those officers who are not furnished with a full uniform are provided with an official cap and badge. Experience has shown that the absence of full uniform is in no way detrimental to their control over frequenters of the parks. The First Commissioner of Works is not prepared to incur the unnecessary expense of providing full uniform for the temporary men in question.