asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the circumstances relating to the recent death of J. Ironmonger, watcher of His Majesty's Customs and Excise, after twenty-two years of approved service, and also considering the distress which has been caused by the non-pension watchers being compelled to retire after forty years' service without any pension being granted, and also bearing in mind that in one recent instance such compulsory and non-pension retirement has resulted in a retired watcher committing suicide, he will state if it is contemplated that men employed in the Customs and Excise service under similar conditions to the late J. Ironmonger will be brought under the provisions of the Superannuation Act of 1910?

I am informed that J. Ironmonger died from tuberculosis while still in the service. Nothing is known of the second case referred to. The conditions of employment of watchers in the Customs and Excise service are now under the consideration of a Departmental Committee.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that three agricultural tenants on the Lanorlar estate, situate at Castlelough Ballydresheem, near Killarney, county Kerry, have been refused the purchase of their holdings; and, having regard to the fact that the tenants on all other parts of this estate in Kerry have been given the purchase, whether he will direct the Commissioners to see that the three tenants in question are allowed to purchase their holdings?

The Estates Commissioners are unable from the particulars given to identify the lands referred to by the hon. Member as the subject of proceedings for sale before them under the Land Purchase Acts.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received a memorial from the tenants and small holders on the Delmege estate, county Limerick, setting forth that no purchase money should be advanced unless the untenanted lands, to the extent of 156 acres, at present let to eleven-months graziers, is acquired by the Commissioners and distributed amongst the small holders and industrious labourers of the locality; have any untenanted lands on this estate been acquired, if so, how much, and how has it been dealt with; how many acres of demesne land are on the Garryspillane property; in what manner is it used at present, and how will it be dealt with in the future; were the untenanted lands patrolled by police up to two years ago; did it cease, and has it been renewed, and, if so, what is the reason; and were the purchase agreements signed by the tenants in the first instance on the understanding that all the untenanted lands would be divided amongst the people?

This estate is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the vendor to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the vendor has included in the proceedings some fifty acres of untenanted land for sale to the Estates Commissioners. The petition referred to by the hon. Member has been received, and the matter referred to together with the question of acquiring the untenanted land offered by the vendor will be considered by the Commissioners when they are dealing with the estate in its order of priority. The Commissioners have no information as to the matters referred to in the latter part of the question.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will direct the attention of the Estates Commissioners to the case of Mr. Michael Ryan, an evicted tenant, late of Glynnraney, county Wexford, who has not yet been provided with a holding?

The Estates Commissioners received an application from Michael Ryan for reinstatement in a holding formerly occupied by his wife's uncle on the Irwin estate, county Wexford, and now in the possession of another tenant, and, after inquiry and consideration, decided to take no action in the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware if the Persse estate, Killashulan, county Kilkenny, has been sold to the Estates Commissioners; if so, has the untenanted portion of this estate, held by Fitzpatrick and Joyce on the eleven months' system, been included in the sale; if he is aware that those two graziers were assisted by the Estates Commissioners with a loan of £500 each to enable them to purchase those lands; and, in view of the fact that numerously signed petitions have been presented to the Estates Commissioners praying that those untenanted lands would be utilised for the purpose of relieving congestion which exists in the surrounding districts of this estate, he will use his influence with a view of not sanctioning in this manner the sale of those lands, but will reserve them for the purposes above indicated?

This estate has not been sold to the Estates Commissioners, but is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the vendor to the tenants under the Land Purchase Acts, and an agreement for the purchase of her holding on the estate has been signed by Mary Joyce, and lodged with the Commissioners, who have decided to make her an advance for the purchase of her holding. No purchase agreement has yet been lodged with the Commissioners in respect of Patrick Fitzpatrick's holding. The Commissioners received and considered the petitions referred to. Mary Joyce and Fitzpatrick hold the lands as tenants, and not under the eleven months' system as stated in the question.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that the Associated Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom, at their recent meeting, resolved that Ireland should now be included in the provisions of The Public Trustee Act, 1906; if he is aware that repeated representations have been made, to the Government for some years past from Ireland, urging the extension of the Act to Ireland; and if, in view of the fact that the extension of the Act to Ireland is strongly desired and urgently needed, he will reconsider his decision in the matter and deal with the subject this Session?

I am not in a position to add anything to my reply to the hon. Member's question on this subject on 7th March last.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that although Alfred C. East, able seaman, of His Majesty ship " Natal," had his right to object to vaccination confirmed by the Admiralty in June, 1911, and his privileges as a very good conduct man restored to him on the way to India, whilst escorting the "Medina," East was told by the captain that he would have to be vaccinated, and that East referred to the decision of the Lords of the Admiralty; whether he is aware that the captain refused to recognise this, and also declined to allow East to see the commander of the escorting squadron; that East was not allowed on shore for recreation and to attend divine service; and that on the way home the captain applied for East's discharge, but this was refused by the admiral in consequence of the Admiralty's decision about the case; and whether he will inform the captain of the "Natal" that he has no right to curtail East's privileges solely because he objects to be revaccinated?

No report has been received on the subject, and it cannot therefore be stated whether the facts, as given in the question, are correct in all their details. It would appear that the man's leave was not stopped as a punishment, but as a precaution for the safety of others. No attempt has been made to force him to be revaccinated, and no such attempt will be made, but, as a necessary consequence of the exercise of his discretion in the matter, his movements may have to be restricted, particularly in foreign ports where small-pox is prevalent.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the additional evidence published in the "Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology," issued by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, in confirmation of the view that game in Nyasaland is a reservoir and Glossina morsitans a carrier of the trypanosome of sleeping sickness; and whether he is now prepared to take such steps as shall tend to protect human life, domestic animals, and British trade from the consequences of this disease?

I am informed that as my hon. Friend indicates, Drs. Kinghorn and Yorke, of the British South African Commission, working in the Luangwa Valley, Northern Rhodesia, have shown satisfactorily that Glossina morsitans transmits, in Nature as well as in laboratory experiments, the human trypanosomiasis of that region and that certain wild animals are naturally infected with the human trypanosome. With regard to the first finding it follows that every effort must be made in Nyasaland and Rhodesia to destroy, where it is possible, and elsewhere to avoid this species of tsetse fly. I am advised, however, that the second finding requires more examination. The Commission examined ninety-eight wild animals, of which seventy-seven were antelope and eight were pig; it was in these animals, namely, in seven antelope and one pig, that human trypanosomes were found. They do not record any examinations of domestic animals except that of one dog, and it is noteworthy that in this animal also human trypanosomes were found. But it has been shown elsewhere that cattle and other domestic animals may harbour human trypanosomes without detriment to health. Consequently, it is probable that domestic animals in Rhodesia (and equally Nyasaland), which are subject to the bites of Glossina morsitans, also harbour the human trypanosome. This requires investigation, and if they are found to do so it will great complicate the problem, because it is out of the question to decree the destruction of all domestic animals in Nyasaland. I assume that my hon. Friend wishes to kill off all or a great number of the large wild animals in Nyasaland, and that he advocates this on one of two assumptions, either (a) that the tsetse fly cannot exist without them, and therefore will die out when they disappear; or (b) that the large wild animals form the reservoir of the virus which the tsetse transfers to men. As regards (a), there is much contrary evidence, and as regards (b), there is probability that the domestic animals are serving equally as a reservoir. It might well happen then that, as a result of exterminating or greatly reducing the game, the tsetse, unable to obtain blood from these animals, would attack man and the domestic animals to a yet greater extent than it does at present, and that if, as is probable, these domestic animals harbour the human trypanosome, human beings would become infected in increased proportion owing to close association with their flocks and herds. I do not maintain that this would happen, but I am advised that it undoubtedly might, and such a possibility should make us pause before taking decisive action on the evidence before us.; An attempt made in Nyasaland to get the game in a certain area killed off was after twelve months unsuccessful, though the natives were encouraged to shoot. It; would be well to bring such an experiment to a successful conclusion before deciding to attempt the same thing on a large scale. The matter is, of course, urgent, and it is of vital importance to Nyasaland; but I do not think that anything will be lost by waiting a few months for a report from the Royal Society's Commission, which is investigating the connection between sleeping sickness and the African fauna in all its aspects. No fresh cases of infection either in Nyasaland or Rhodesia have been reported during the present year.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the estimated monetary value of fish; landed at the posts of Burghead, Hope man, Lossiemouth, and Buckie, respectively, during the months of February and March of the present year?

The particulars desired by my hon. Friend are as follows:—February and March: Burghead, £1,178; Hopeman, £1,167; Lossiemouth, £7,698; Buckie, £6,792.