asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the experience which the big friendly societies have now accumulated of the actual working of insurance amongst the people, and also in view of the standard of expert actuarial knowledge possessed by the secretaries and officials of these societies and the confidence which they command amongst the members of the societies, he can give the House any assurance that he will be able to secure the help and co-operation of any of these officials as Insurance Commissioners or in any other working capacity under the National Insurance Bill when it comes into operation?

I will refer the hon. Member to the reply of my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the hon. Member for South Birmingham yesterday.

asked on what grounds John Clancy, of Derryherk, Bally-shannon, county Leitrim, was deprived of an old age pension from January, 1909, to July, 1910; and whether, having regard to the fact that his age could not be found in the Census of 1841 or 1851, and that he furnished certificates and affidavits proving his age to be over seventy-three years, he would be paid the arrears due on account of stoppages?

John Clancy's pension was discontinued by the Local Government Board in July, 1910, on the ground that he had not reached the statutory age. His parents' family was traced in the Census Return of 1841, but his name did not appear as a member. He was reported as having young children, and being obviously by appearance under seventy years of age. He furnished no evidence whatever of his age to the Board although requested by them to do so. So far as the Board are aware John Clancy made no subsequent claim.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the total annual revenue from all sources of Trinity College, Dublin, and of the Queen's University, Belfast, and the total revenue of the National University of Ireland from endowments?

I have no information as to the annual revenue of Trinity College beyond that given for the years 1901 to 1905, at pages 5 to 9 of the Appendix to the First Report of the Royal Commission on Trinity College. (Cd. 3176). The total annual revenue of the Queen's University at Belfast is made up as follows:—

	£
Parliamentary Grant	18,000
Endowment under Section 7 (1) of the Irish Universities Act, 1908	10,000
Fees	9,447
Dividends, interests, etc.	836
Endowments from Benefactors	1,224
	£39,507

The yearly endowment of the National University under Section 7 (1) of the Irish Universities Act, 1908, is £10,000. They also receive a Parliamentary Grant of £64,000 under Section 7 (2) of the same Act. This is in addition to a small annual income from fees and from the portion of the savings of the late Royal University allotted to the National University by the Joint Committee under the Act. I am not in a position to state definitely the amount of this income.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the medal issued to commemorate His Majesty's Coronation was awarded to the members of Colonial and Home Cadet Corps present in London at the Coronation ceremonies; whether any distinction was made, in distributing the medals, between Colonial and Home Cadets; and, if so, whether he will state the grounds for making the distinction?

The medal was awarded as stated in the first part of the question. It is understood that the issue to Colonial corps was carried out with reference to considerations which were not held to apply to Home units.

asked the Under Secretary of State for War whether officers of the special reserve who are over thirty-five years of age, and therefore not in receipt of an annual gratuity, are liable for Foreign service in case of national emergency, under the same conditions as officers under that age who receive an annual gratuity of £20; and, if so, under what regulations they are so liable?

Under paragraph 4 of the special reserve regulations, all officers of the special reserve, irrespective of age, are liable for service anywhere on the occasion of a national emergency. The £20 gratuity given to officers under thirty-five years of age is granted as an inducement to maintain the junior ranks up to strength.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that certain sessions judges in the Punjab are debarred from appointment to the chief court because they once served for a few years in the Army, even though strongly recommended by the judges themselves and the local government; and, if so, whether steps can be taken to remove this disqualification?

The question was most carefully considered by the Secretary of State in Council last year, and it was decided that the accepted principle which precluded the appointment to the highest judicial offices of military officers must be maintained. This disqualification does not apply to officers who have retired from the Army.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if any of the countries, other than Austria-Hungary and Italy, with whom we have Most-Favoured-Nation Treaties affecting the Australian Commonwealth, or Canada, or any other of the Dominions of the Crown, have been approached with a view to the re-negotiation of those treaties?

His Majesty's Government are approaching the Governments of Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, France, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Venezuela, in regard to the position of the Self-Governing Dominions under commercial treaties with those countries. It is not, however, proposed to re-negotiate our treaties with these Powers; but merely to secure, if possible, for the Self-Governing Dominions the right to withdraw from them, should they wish to do so, apart from the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether, in the re-negotiation of commercial treaties with Foreign nations to which His Majesty's Government is now pledged, it is proposed to adopt the precedent of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of 1911, and agree to a further restriction of the fiscal autonomy of the United Kingdom?

There is no present intention of re-negotiating any of our commercial treaties. The hon. and gallant Member probably has in mind action in pursuance of one of the resolutions adopted by the recent Imperial Conference; but this has reference solely to procuring for the self-governing dominions the right of separate withdrawal (should they wish to exercise it) from certain old treaties by which they are now bound.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any substantial progress has been made in the establishment of the rights of the Crown to the foreshore at Seaview, Isle of Wight; and whether there is any prospect of it being settled within a reasonable period?

The defendants have till 19th December to enable them to complete their investigations to reply to the Crown's Information and Interrogatories. When the Answers are filed, the next step will be the examination of the documents disclosed, which would be begun without delay. As I have already informed my hon. Friend, the alleged title of the defendants goes back many centuries, and it is impossible for me to say at present when the case is likely to be settled. Proceedings of this nature, involving questions of ancient title, generally take a considerable time.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can now say what is the rate of remuneration per hour which is to be offered to telegraph messengers during each year of their service from the age of fourteen and a-half to nineteen and a-quarter; what is the rate of remuneration per hour which is to be offered to assistant postmen of from nineteen to twenty-one years of age for such time as they may be employed on the delivery of telegrams; and whether a syllabus of the examination to which boy messengers are to be subjected at the age of sixteen and a-quarter can now be published?

The Standing Committee have not yet reported upon the two first points raised by the hon. Member. But the Committee's recommendations when arrived at will be made public in due course. The syllabus of examination is not yet available, but will be published before long.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that not with standing the fact that the cost of living in Aberdeen has increased during the past twenty-one years the maximum wages of males sorting clerks and telegraphists have not been increased during that period; and whether he is now prepared to consider the propriety of readjusting the maximum?

The present scale of pay of the male sorting clerks and telegraphists at Aberdeen was fixed in accordance with the recommendations of the Select Committee which reported in 1907. I will inquire whether the amount of business transacted at Aberdeen warrants the promotion of that office to a higher class.

asked the Postmaster-General how many visits have been paid to Ireland by officers of the London stores department since the control of the Dublin stores branch was transferred to London in 1908, and the average duration of each, and the total annual cost, including salaries, travelling, and subsistence allowances?

The change to which the hon. Member refers was made in 1907. From that year to September, 1911, thirty-one visits have been paid; the average duration of these was thirty-seven days and a-half, and the total cost of travelling, subsistence, and salaries was £1,301. Of this sum £600 was spent in setting up the system, and is not a recurrent charge. If this amount be deducted the total cost for the five years is £701 for eighteen visits of the average duration of thirty-two days and a-half.