asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of the export and import trade from and to the Port of London in April and May of this year, and the corresponding figures for the same months in 1911?

The following statement shows the value of the imports and exports recorded at the Port of London (excluding Queenborough) in April and May, 1911 and 1912:—

asked the President of the Board of Trade what qualifications in regard to seafaring experience and Board of Trade certificates must be held by applicants for positions as nautical surveyors under the Marine Department of the Board of Trade; and what salaries are given on appointment to such positions?

Candidates for the appointment of Nautical Surveyor must be between twenty-five and forty-five years of age. They must possess a foreign-going master's, or extra master's certificate of competency; and must have been in command of foreign-going merchant steamships. The salary commences at £200 per annum, and increases by £10 per annum, to £300 per annum. On obtaining a certificate of efficiency after a year's service at £300, the salary increases (subject to the Board of Trade's approval) by £15 per annum to £400 per annum. Surveyors are eligible for promotion to a higher grade, for which the rate of salary is £420 to £500 per annum.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether, in regard to the statement of Captain Alfred Young, principal marine adviser to the Board, in the course of his evidence at the "Titanic" inquiry, that more surveyors of all classes are now being appointed by the Board, he can now state how many additional nautical surveyors have lately been appointed; and whether it is intended that the principal part of their duties shall consist of surveying the life-saving appliances and navigational equipment on British merchant vessels before proceeding to sea?

Steps are being taken with a view to an increase in the establishment of surveyors, but I am not yet in a position to state how many additional nautical surveyors will be appointed or what the principal part of their duties will be. No addition to the staff of nautical surveyors has been made recently.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made with the negotiations for an International Conference on the question of life-saving appliances on merchant ships?

I am not yet in a position to make any statement with regard to the negotiations referred to, but I hope to be able to do so at a later late.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps, if any, have been taken to prepare and issue revised Rules and Regulations with respect to the boat accommodation on British ships?

Before issuing their revised Rules and Regulations the Board of Trade are awaiting a Report from the Merchant Shipping Advisory Committee on this subject, and also the Report of the Court of Inquiry. I hope that these Reports will be received shortly, and the Board of Trade will lose no time in issuing revised Life-saving Appliances Rules for presentation to Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade by how many shillings per quarter the average price of wheat varied in Great Britain between the years 1900 and 1911; and what was the variation in the actual price of the four-pound loaf during that period?

Table showing the average price per quarter of British wheat, the average declared value per quarter of wheat imported into the United Kingdom, and the mean retail price per 4 lbs. of household bread in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin in each of the years 1900–11:—

asked the Home Secretary whether, in the case of a man growing fruit on his own land near the town, whilst his wife and daughter attend in the shop without wages, his wife and daughter will come under the Insurance Act ; and, if not, whether the man will have to pay the employer's contribution; and whether, in this case, the shop where fruit and flowers are sold would come under the Shops Act?

As regards the first part of this question, I must refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary to the Treasury. As regards the last part of the question, a shop in which fruit and flowers are sold comes under the Act, but it is exempt from the obligation to close for a half-holiday on one week-day in each week, unless an order is expressly made by the local authority for that class of trade with the consent of the occupiers of two-thirds of the shops in the trade.

A man of this age will, if employed within the meaning of the Act, be insured under the special provisions of Section 49. If his society adopt the scheme suggested on the first page of circular A.S. 29, such a person would receive sick pay after the expiration of six months at the rate of 6s. for the first thirteen weeks (and 5s. for subsequent weeks) of illness for as many weeks as contributions had been paid by or in respect of him, notwithstanding that he would then be over seventy years of age.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the advisability of issuing from time to time Returns showing the decisions given by the Umpire under paragraph 5 of the Unemployment Insurance (Umpire) Regulations?

The Umpire's decisions are published weekly in the Board of Trade Journal, and monthly in the Board of Trade "Labour Gazette." From time to time copies of important decisions are issued and sent to the persons affected. I propose to lay on the Table of the House a Return giving a classified list of decisions by the Umpire, and also to take steps to have this list widely circulated.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what proportion of the 7d. due and payable on 15th July under the National Insurance Act should be contributed by the employer and what by an agricultural labourer over twenty-one years of age whose wages exceed 2s. a day but do not exceed 2s. 6d. a day, such labourer being, however, entitled to receive a sum of, say, £7 in lieu of his weekly wage as harvest money, thus bringing the average wage to over 2s. 6d. a day?

The £7 harvest money must be allocated to the period in respect of which it is paid. The result will be that during harvest period the labourer will have an average wage exceeding 2s. 6d. a day, and during the rest of the year will have an average wage between 2s. and 2s. 6d.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Registrar of Friendly Societies is prepared to approve schemes under Section 72, which provides for the apportionment of released reserves among existing members?

Released reserves may be applied in increase of benefits payable independently of the Act, or in provision of other benefits so payable, or in reduction of contributions so payable, or, in certain cases, in the payment or repayment of contributions payable under the Act. There is no provision in Section 72 for payment out of the released reserves in the form of a general cash distribution.

asked if district nursing as such will come under the heading of sickness benefit, medical benefit, or whether it will be considered as an additional benefit?

The Commissioners have not yet prescribed on which specific benefit or benefits any grants made by approved societies or insurance committees shall be treated as having been expended.

asked upon what conditions grants to district nursing associations can be given under the National Insurance Act, and the date when the amounts of such grants will be made known to the various district nursing associations who elect to serve under the scheme?

Under Section 21 it is lawful for an approved society or Insurance Committee to grant subscriptions or donations in support of district nurses. It is not possible at present to make any statement as to what use they will make of this power.

asked if district nursing associations who accept grants from the Insurance Committees or from approved societies will be exempted or not from the operation of the National Insurance Act?

I do not understand what form of exemption the hon. Member has in mind. District nursing associations cannot be relieved of their obligations under the Act as employers on the ground that they are in receipt of such grants as those mentioned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether having regard to the number of workers who will be compelled to furnish certificates of birth under the National Insurance Act, he can arrange that these certificates shall be supplied free of charge on application being made at a Labour Exchange?

The Act provides for the supply of birth certificates at the charge of 6d., instead of the usual charge of 3s. 7d., and the Commissioners have issued a special circular, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy, stating how these cheap certificates can be obtained. I think this privilege should be sufficient without the further extension suggested in the question.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the fact that golf caddies are paid at the rate of 1s. a round, equal to 5d. per hour, makes their remuneration more than 2s. 6d. per diem for the purposes of the National Insurance Act with reference to casual labour of those over twenty-one years of age?

The method of calculating the remuneration of persons whose employment is intermittent and uncertain is now under the consideration of the Commissioners. They do not consider that in such a case as that stated the remuneration can be calculated on a basis of the hours of actual employment.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he has received a request from the Prudential Staff Mutual Aid Federation that representation should be given to them upon the Advisory Committee to the Health Insurance Commissioners; and whether he proposes to afford such representation?

The answer to the first question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers I have given to the hon. Members for Pontefract and West Leeds on the 4th and 5th of June last.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how an employer is not liable for the payment of the weekly contribution of an insured person under the National Insurance Act, if such insured person refuses to pay or to allow deduction from his wages, seeing that the Insurance Commissioners have stated that an employer is required to pay, in the first instance, the worker's contribution as well as his own?

The employer is liable in the first instance to pay the employés' contribution as well as his own. He has a right to recover the former by deduction from wages, and the insured person has no legal power to refuse to allow the deduction. If the amount be not recoverable by deduction from wages, it may be recovered summarily as a civil debt at any time within three months after the contribution was payable.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many societies have been granted unconditional or conditional approval under that part of Section 23 (3) having reference to compliance with the requirements of the Act within a time limit?

No societies have received conditional approval under the part of the Section referred to. As shown in the list issued on Tuesday last unconditional approval had, up to 1st July, been given to 504 societies, some of which consist of federations of many small societies. Further approvals are being given daily.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what are the civil charges per head in Great Britain and in Ireland for 1911–12, and what were they in 1896–7?

The Civil Government charges as given on page 8 of the Annual Revenue and Expenditure Returns represent the following amounts per head of the population:—

asked the Secretary to the Treasury how many properties have been valued in Scotland under Part I. of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910; in how many cases these valuations have been appealed against; what is the percentage of appeals to valuations; and how many of the appeals have been successful?

The number of provisional valuations issued in Scotland to the 31st May, 1912, was 52,460, representing a total of 249,292 hereditaments. The number of cases in which there has been an appeal is forty-three. The percentage of appeals to valuations is.08 and to hereditaments.017. Of the forty-three appeals twenty-eight were against assessments, and only fifteen, representing.03 of the valuation and.006 of the hereditaments concerned, were against original valuations. Of the fifteen appeals some have been settled without going to the Referee, and some remain to be heard. The three that have been heard were all decided by the Referee in favour of the Crown, but in one case, that of minus site values, the decision was reversed by the Court of Session, and the matter remains to be finally decided by the House of Lords.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when it is proposed to issue the Report of the Departmental Committee on Local and Imperial Taxation; and whether, pending the issue of such Report, the Government propose to put forward officially any new or alternative system of rating or taxing agricultural land?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 24th June to the hon. Member for North Londonderry; and, as regards the second part of the question, to the answer given on the 6th June to the hon. Member for Enfield.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is yet in a position to announce the names of the Committee appointed to inquire into and report on the administration and working of the Land Clauses in the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910?

I regret that I am not yet in a position to announce the names, but I hope to be able to do so very shortly.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount paid to the Bank of England by the Irish Land Commission or otherwise in 1911–12; and what will be the amount estimated to be paid to the Bank in 1912–13, for management of the Irish Guaranteed 2f per Cent. Land Stock under the provisions of the Irish Land Act, 1903?

The total amounts paid to the Bank of England for management of Guaranteed 2¾ per Cent. Stock were £10,554 8s. 8d. in 1911–12, and £11,753 12s. 9d. in 1912–13.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can state why the Bank of England had, on Friday, 28th June, received no money whatever, either from the Irish Land Commission or from the Treasury, to pay the dividends due on Monday, 1st July, on the Guaranteed 2¾ per Cent. Irish Land Stock; and, seeing that the warrants for the dividends in question were issued by the Bank on Saturday, 29th June, can he state how and when the Bank was placed in possession of the money to pay them, and what the amount of that money was?

The money for the payment of the dividends on Guaranteed 2¾ per Cent. Irish Land Stock is issued to the Bank of England on the last week-day before the date on which such dividends fall due. The sum required to pay the dividend on this Stock due on 1st July was issued to the Bank of England on Saturday, June 29th, and amounted to £656,894 13s. 8d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to a resolution adopted by numerous boards of guardians throughout the country to the effect that the limitation of the amount of Exchequer contributions in respect of the salaries of Poor Law officers, and the cost of drugs and medical appliances to the expenditure actually incurred during the financial year 1887–8, operates unfairly in the case of the many unions where vast improvements in administration have been made during the past twenty-four years, especially in the case of the sick and children, by casting the whole burden of such improvements upon the local ratepayers; and whether, seeing the removal of such limitation has been recommended by the Royal Commissions on Local Taxation and on the Poor Laws, the Government are prepared to give effect thereto at once and so make the Grants to correspond with the efficiency of the service given?

I will refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for Leigh on 10th June.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that it appears in the Report of the Registrar-General for 1909 that ten out of eighteen counties showing the highest death rate from phthisis are Welsh; and whether, as this death rate in the Welsh counties is due to a high rate of female mortality, and in view of the effect of defective housing conditions in producing this state of things, he will reconsider, under these circumstances, his refusal to grant half a million from the Exchequer, as proposed by the Bill of the hon. Member for Dudley, to local authorities to enable them without delay to provide a remedy for this social evil?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I am aware of the figures which the Noble Lord quotes. It is true that taking Wales as a whole, the female phthisis death rate is higher than the male rate, unlike the experience of England, but the causes underlying this difference are not altogether clear. On the latter part of the question I may say that, while my right hon. Friend is very anxious to develop better housing conditions, he agrees with me that the proposal embodied in the Bill of the hon. Member for Dudley does not provide the remedy.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will indicate the provision in the Government of Ireland Bill which preserves to local authorities in that country the continued distribution, on the basis of existing statutory sanctions, of payments from the Local Taxation Account and from the Exchequer in relief of rates, the maintenance of pauper lunatics, salaries of medical officers of workhouses and dispensaries, trained nurses in workhouses, etc.?

There is no such provision. The transferred sum will include the amounts which under the existing law are paid to the Local Taxation Account.

asked the Chief Secretary what were the numbers of persons boycotted seriously and less seriously on the 1st January last and on the 1st June in each county in Ireland?

The following Return shows the number of persons boycotted in each county on 1st January and 1st June, 1912:—

asked the Chief Secretary if he will give the date on which the first director and inspector of drawing under the new system of the National Education Board was dismissed; who moved his dismissal, and was he dismissed because he was a member of a missionary society; does the Board forbid all its inspectors and teachers to join missionary societies; if not, will he say why the first inspector of drawing was removed; and what statement was made to the Treasury and the Irish Office on the subject?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that in 1900 a head organiser of hand and eye training and drawing was appointed for a term of

five years. He was not dismissed from his position, but at the end of the period for which he was appointed the organising staff was discontinued. The Commissioners have not found it necessary to make any rule in regard to missionary societies so far as their inspectors are concerned, but under the rules teachers are not permitted to carry on or engage in any business or occupation that would impair their usefulness as teachers. The Commissioners made no statement to the Treasury or Irish Office on the subject.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), whether the cases of sheep-scab in Ireland were more numerous for the

four months ended April, 1912, than the four months ended April, 1911, and, if so, to what does he attribute the increase?

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member's similar question on the 20th June.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury why Hugh M'Caffrey, of Barron, Blacklion, county Cavan, has been refused a pension; will he have an inspector sent to visit this man, who has been several times passed for a pension by the local committee, who know intimately that he is thoroughly qualified to receive a pension both on the ground of means and age?

Hugh M'Caffrey's claim for an old age pension has been before the Local Government Board four times on appeal. On each occasion the claim was disallowed, as he was unable to furnish any evidence of his having reached the statutory age. His last claim was disallowed by the Board in March, 1912, and they have now no power to reopen consideration of the case.

asked the Chief Secretary what were the numbers of persons receiving special police protection, constant and patrols, in each county in Ireland on 1st January last and on 1st June?

The following Return shows the number of persons receiving special police protection in each county on the dates named:—

asked the Chief Secretary why James Commins, Martin King, and Pat Finn, occupiers of uneconomic holdings of land at Cornahan, Balla, county Mayo, on the Blosse estate, purchased by the Congested Districts Board, have not yet been allotted additions to their holdings, although there is sufficient unoccu pied land in the neighbourhood for the purpose, and although the other small holders in the village were allotted ample additions nearly two years ago; and when the Board intend to deal with the repeated applications of these people for additions or new economic holdings?

The Congested Districts Board inform me that there is not sufficient land in the townland mentioned to enable additions to be provided for all the tenants' holdings, and the most deserving cases were dealt with first. The three cases mentioned will receive consideration when the Board have obtained possession of more grazing lands in the vicinity.

asked what is the present position of the negotiations of the Estates Commissioners in connection with the proposed exercise of their compulsory powers under the Land Act of 1909 to enable the tenants on the Orpin estate, near Bally-duff, the Chearnley estate, and the trustees of the Stuart estate, county Waterford, to purchase their holdings which the owners have refused to sell; whether he is aware that memorials from the tenants on these estates were sent to the Estates Commissioners in March, 1910; and what is the cause of the delay in complying with the requests contained in the memorials?

The Estates Commissioners have issued a final offer under Section 43 of the Irish Land Act, 1909, for the purchase of the Orpin estate, and they are making inquiries as to whether there is any untenanted land in the locality which could be utilised to relieve congestion on the Chearnley estate if acquired. In the case of the Stuart estate the Commissioners are unable at present to obtain untenanted land which could be utilised in connection with this estate, and they do not propose at present to institute proceedings for the compulsory acquisition of the estate.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), whether the Department has made any experiments with reference to the vitality of seeds; and, if so, will he say in what proportion do seeds lose their germinating power annually, and about how many years old are they when their germinating powers cease?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his similar question on this subject on 20th June.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what banks doing business in Ireland are licensed under the Acts 7 Geo. IV., c. 81, and 8 and 9 Vic, c. 37; and what banks doing business in Ireland are not?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question, and I assume that the hon. Member is referring to Licences under the Acts 9 Geo. IV., c. 80, and 8 and 9 Vic, c. 37.

The following banks are licensed:—

The Provincial Bank of Ireland, Limited.

The Belfast Banking Company, Limited.

The Northern Banking Company, Limited.

The Ulster Bank, Limited.

The National Bank, Limited.

The following banks are not licensed:—

Hibernian Bank.

Royal Bank of Ireland.

Munster and Leinster Bank.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that, on the 21st of April last, a man named Patrick Conniskey, of Shercock, county Cavan, was brought to the Dundalk Work house by a warder of Dundalk Prison and was admitted to the workhouse infirmary, where he still remains chargeable to the rates of the union; whether he is aware that Conniskey wa a prisoner undergoing a month's imprisonment in Dundalk Gaol for an offence committed in county Cavan; if he is aware that the guardians of Dundalk Union have requested the Prisons Board either to remove Conniskey from the workhouse or pay for his maintenance in the infirmary, but have been met by a refusal; if the Prisons Board are to be permitted to use Dundalk Workhouse for discharged prisoners from Dundalk Gaol to which prisoners from Belfast, Monaghan, Cavan, etc., are committed; and if full inquiry will be made into this matter?

The General Prisons Board inform me that Patrick Conniskey was a prisoner in Dundalk Gaol undergoing a month's imprisonment for an offence committed in Newry. Two days after his reception in prison the medical officer reported that he was in such a feeble state of health that further detention in prison might endanger his life, and he was accordingly discharged for removal to the workhouse hospital. The guardians of Dundalk Union requested the General Prisons Board to have Conniskey removed from the workhouse, but as he was not a prisoner at the time of his admission to the workhouse the Board had no power to comply with their request. The Board were also asked by the guardians to pay for Conniskey's maintenance, but their liability for his maintenance ceased on his discharge from prison. Under the Irish Poor Law Acts the guardians are responsible for the relief of all persons who are considered or found to be destitute in their district, whether they have recently been discharged from prison or not.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the fact that on the night of 29th May a seditious poster was posted on various walls and hoardings in the town of Wexford; whether he is aware that the poster stated that England was certain to be involved in a big war with Germany in the near future, so that it was necessary for everyone to be armed and ready for that time to break away from England; and what steps he is taking to prevent these seditious documents being circulated?

I have nothing to add to my reply to the question on this subject asked by the hon. Member for East Down on the 20th June.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the evidence given by Head Constable Kearney, at Tralee, on 30th May, in the case in which Patrick Ryan and John Clifford were charged with the attempted murder of three men; whether he is aware that, in the course of his evidence, the head constable stated that he had received information with reference to the murder, but that the witnesses could not be brought to the Court as, if they gave evidence, they would be shot: whether he has investigated the statement of the head constable; and what steps he is taking to prevent this organised system of intimidation interfering with the administration of justice in this part of Ireland?

The Inspector-General informs me that the head constable, in giving evidence in the case referred to, made the statements attributed to him. The reluctance of witnesses to come forward and give evidence for the Crown is by no means a new feature in the administration of the law in Ireland. The police are doing all that is possible to prevent such intimidation.

asked whether the Cootehill (No. 2) Rural District Council have as yet advertised for tenders for the erection of the labourers' cottages in the Cootehill (No. 2) Rural District for which plots were acquired some years ago; and, if so, whether any tenders have been received and when it is expected the work of erection will be commenced?

The rural district council on the 3rd May accepted a tender for the erection of two cottages.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is yet in a position to state the result of his correspondence with the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland in reference to the proposed Grant for medical inspection in national schools; and, if so, will he make a statement as to the scheme which is proposed by the Commissioners?

I am not yet in a position to make any statement on the subject.

asked with what body of school managers, members of the dental profession, and others the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland have had conferences in reference to the establishment of school dental clinics in Ireland; and whether the Grant is proposed to be applied solely for dental clinics alone or whether it is also intended to establish a system of medical inspection?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that they invited representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, and Methodist Associations of Managers of National Schools, and also representatives of the Irish Branch of the British Dental Association to conferences in reference to the establishment of school dental clinics. They also consulted the secretary of the Ulster Children's Aid Society and their own officers on the subject. Nothing has been finally settled in regard to the expenditure of the £7,500 included in the Irish Education Estimates for 1912–13 for the purpose. This endow- ment would be entirely insufficient to establish a system of general medical inspection.

asked whether Dr. Alexander, senior inspector of the Dublin No. 1 district, in withdrawing and threatening to withdraw the salaries of teachers, is acting on his own initiative or is carrying out a new policy and method for dismissing teachers under the direction of the National Board of Education?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that Dr. Alexander denies that he threatened to "withdraw the salaries of teachers. Neither directly nor indirectly did he ever say anything that gave any warrant for the statement.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Irish Registration Acts provide for the assistant barristers appointed to revise the lists and the County Court judge of the county arranging for the sittings in order to carry out the work of revision; whether this provision has not heretofore been acted upon by reason of the fact that the revising barristers' apointments are not made in time; and whether he will take steps to prevent this in future, and see that the clerk of the peace shall arrange the sittings as fixed by the judge and assistant revising barristers after they have met and decided upon the same?

I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member's similar question on 13th June.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Urban Councils of Galway, Athlone, and Longford have decided by vote to take no steps to enforce the Shops Act; and whether he proposes to take any action to secure that the Act shall not be a dead letter in the districts referred to?

I understand that the Galway and Athlone Urban District Councils have so far failed to carry out the duties imposed on them by the Shops Act, 1912; but I am not aware that there has been any failure in this respect on the part of the Longford Urban District Council. The matter is engaging the attention of the Law Officers of the Crown.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state, separately, concerning the "Dreadnought" and other battleships of the same class now embodied in the Navy how many cubic feet of air space is allowed per man in the sleeping quarters occupied by sailors and stokers; and what space in cubic feet is provided indoors per man for sailors and stokers for recreation purposes?

In "Dreadnought" and other battleships of the same class now embodied in the Navy, an average of 156 cubic feet of air space is allowed per man in the sleeping quarters of sailors and stokers. Presuming "indoors" means the interior spaces of the ships which can be entirely closed in from the weather, the space used for sleeping is available for recreation purposes.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the Supplementary Navy Estimates will be printed and circulated?

I hope at an early date.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many ships, normally in reserve with nucleus crews, will take part in the forthcoming manœuvres; and whether all of these ships will be furnished with a full crew of active service ratings?

The following are the figures asked for:—

All the 114 nucleus crew ships will be completed with active service ratings, the remaining fifteen are completed with active service ratings and reserves. Many ill-informed statements have been made upon this subject, and I take this opportunity of pointing out that in time of peace the Reserves, as well as more than half the Coastguard, are not called out. Only the Immediate Reserve, aggregating at present 2,000, and a few hundred Volunteers are available for manœuvres from the Reserves. On war mobilisation, 20,000 Royal Fleet Reserve, 20,000 Royal Naval Reserve, and 11,000 other Reserves, could be summoned, in addition to the whole of the Coastguard and the men under training. It is very necessary to bear these facts in mind.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether warrant officers of the engineering and medical branches of the Royal Navy are authorised to wear the distinguishing cloth stripe of their branch; whether he is aware that the warrant officers of the accountant branch desire a similar privilege; and what reason, if any, is there for withholding it from them?

I am advised that no sufficient reasons have been advanced for authorising warrant officers of the accountant branch to wear the white stripe.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when it is hoped to complete for service the two dockyard-built battleships of the current programme which are to be laid down early in November; and what time for completion will be inserted in the contract for the two battleships which are not to be built in the dockyards?

The reply to the first part of the question is, within twenty-four months. As regards the last part of the question, the time for completion has not definitely been settled, but will probably be given as twenty-four months.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in regard to the services rendered to his country by the late Field-Marshal Sir George White, he proposes to make provision for his widow and family in a manner worthy of and commensurate with such services?

The point raised by the hon. and gallant Member will be the subject of inquiry in view of precedent and the Regulations governing such cases. I would like to take this opportunity of saying that it is impossible to exaggerate the high sendees rendered by the late Field-Marshal.

asked the Secretary of State for War the total effective strength of the various mounted units of the Regular Army; what is the comparative effective strength of the horses for those units; and what reserves of partly trained or otherwise non-effective horses are at present available?

The total establishment of mounted units (all ranks) at home and abroad, excluding India, is 34,852 and of horses in such units 22,534. The former are up to establishment, but there is a deficiency of about 5 per cent. in the latter. The reserves of trained and partly trained horses available reduce this deficiency to less than 1 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any reply has yet been forwarded to the petition submitted to the War Office in August, 1911, by the staff of the Research Department of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich?

The questions raised in the petition are still under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War the total number of chemists employed in the research department of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich; the number of those who have entered the service at a salary of £100 a year or less; and the yearly increments of salary attached to each of such appointments?

The total number of chemists is sixteen, and the number of those who entered at a salary of £100 or less is eight. No fixed increments are attached to the appointment, each case being considered on its merits.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he is aware that a claim for damages has been made upon officers constituting a board of inspection upon greatcoats, issued by the Army Clothing Department to the Royal Engineers in the years 1910 and 1911; will he say what part of the Regulations dealing with such an examination they have contravened, and under what Regulation or provision of the Army Act they are sought to be made liable; whether he is aware of any and, if so, what process by which a board can test greatcoats except under pressure to see whether the material will bear or the seams give way; whether this is what happened to a number of these greatcoats; (2) when the greatcoats were first received from the manufacturer by the Army Clothing Department, and what was the contract price for each greatcoat; to what regiment or regiments were these greatcoats first issued, and when; when were they returned, and upon what grounds; had they been worn, and, if so, for what period, before they were sent for issue to the Royal Engineers; and (3) whether there is any, and, if so, what practice or regulation as to the period which a great coat issued to a private soldier should last, and what are his liabilities, by way of stoppage of pay or otherwise, should a greatcoat not last for that period; whether he is aware that, after these greatcoats had been rejected by the board of inspection, twenty were submitted, ten to a civilian and ten to an Army tailor, who reported that the material and sewing had perished, and that, after return to the Army Clothing Department, that department states that forty-eight of these greatcoats could only be made fit to be handed over to a contractor as worn out, and five only fit for rags; and whether, in these circumstances, he will explain why the board of inspection should have passed these coats as fit for issue to the men?

This claim has been made after full consideration of all the facts of the case. One hundred and fifty-two part-worn greatcoats were issued to the Royal Engineers at Chatham for further wear early in 1911. All these greatcoats had been returned previously by units as fit for further wear, and were cleaned and renovated under expert supervision at the Royal Army Clothing Department; 144 of these were rejected by boards on receipt, and of these 144, 106 were found to have been torn or otherwise damaged by the boards and by other officers to such an extent as to be either useless or to require extensive repairs. The duties of a board of Survey are laid down in Regulations, and while it was within the province of the board to express an opinion as to the unserviceability or otherwise of the coats, it was not their duty to destroy 104 to support that opinion. The charge against these officers is a public claim for stores improperly destroyed under the Preamble to the Royal Warrant for Pay, etc. As regards the points of detail raised in the questions, the matter is too lengthy to deal with in an answer to a starred question, and a memorandum shall therefore be sent to the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has yet decided on any organisation to take the place of the disbanded Railway Battalion at Crewe?

It is not proposed to form any Territorial organisation for railway work to take the place of the disbanded Crewe battalion, but enlistment is to be reopened for the specially enlisted Railway Reserve. This forms part of the Army Reserve, and the men to be enlisted will probably be drawn from several railway companies.

asked the Secretary for War what number of Territorial officers have been appointed brigadiers of Territorial brigades since the passing of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act; what vacancies there are at present in such appointments in the Territorial Force; and whether it is the intention of the War Office authorities to fill all such vacancies as they occur by appointing only Regular officers from the Regular Army?

Twenty Territorial officers have been appointed to the command of the Territorial brigades since the Territorial Force was created. There is one vacancy at present which it is proposed to fill by the appointment of a Regular officer. With the view of obtaining the services of officers who have been recently in touch with the latest military developments the policy of the Army Council is to give a considerable proportion of these appointments to Regular colonels on half-pay. But it is not intended by any means to exclude Territorial officers from these commands, and they have been and will be, appointed in cases where they are fully qualified, and their selection is justified in the interests of the general efficiency of the Territorial Force. Four Territorial colonels have in fact been so selected since 1st June, 1911.

asked the Secretary for War if he will ascertain from the records of the late General Blake, who died prior to 1876, and state the dates and places in the United Kingdom at which he was stationed when in the Service; the date and place of his marriage, with the name of the person to whom he was married; the date of his retirement from the Service; and the date and place of his death?

I will forward to the hon. Gentleman a memorandum containing such information on the matter in question as the War Office is able to furnish.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will give a list of the education committees in England and Wales who recognise the certificates of the National Froebel Union and give increased remuneration to recompense members of their teaching staff for the expense and labour of qualifying for these certificates; and the amount of the increase of remuneration in each case?

I am afraid that I have not any information at my disposal which would enable me to give the hon. Member the facts he desires, and I could not obtain it without circularising every education authority.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether any part of the sum of £200,000, which is to added to the Teachers' Superannuation Fund, will be available for granting increased pensions to teachers who have left the service and who are at present in receipt of a pension?

I must await the Report of the Departmental Committee which I have appointed to inquire into this and other questions connected with the proposed amendment of the Elementary School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1898, before. I can say whether any portion of the sum at my disposal may be devoted to teachers who have retired.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children over twelve years of age and their percentage to the total number on the rolls in each school year 1896–7 to 1910–11, both inclusive, in public elementary schools?

The following figures give the number of children of twelve years of age and over, and their percentage to the total number on the rolls in each school-year 1896–7 to 1910–11, both inclusive, in public elementary schools (including higher elementary schools):—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to the case of Norman Tree, aged nineteen, who is now in Wandsworth Prison serving a sentence of twelve months' imprisonment, and who is suffering from tuberculosis in the initial stage; is he aware that the medical officer thinks his case is curable if taken in hand at once and if the lad's sentence is remitted; that it can be arranged to send the boy free of expense to him to a nursing home for treatment until he is well enough to be sent abroad to an employment agency; and will he, under these circumstances, favourably consider the remission of this boy's sentence?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply in regard to this case which I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to injuries sustained by members of the Essex police in the execution of duty to which they were sent at the request of the Home Office; and whether the Home Office proposes to compensate the constables so injured?

Two members of the Essex police sustained injuries from stones thrown at them, but they were not so serious as to prevent their continuing on duty. They were not sent anywhere at the request of the Home Office, but were doing duty in their own county. No question of compensation arises.

asked the Home Secretary if he will give a statement showing the amount of extra duty entailed upon the Metropolitan, City, and Essex police as a result of the dock strike; and whether extra pay will be paid for such duty?

I am not in a position to give this information. To obtain it would involve a long and troublesome inquiry which I cannot impose on the police while their hands are full with more important matters. An extra allowance is given to all Metropolitan Police officers who are on duty for more than nine hours. I cannot speak for the Essex and City Police authorities, but no doubt they will make some provision for men who have worked for very long hours.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received representations, official or otherwise, as to the undesirability of holding public inquiries into the conduct of the police in specific districts during the continuance of the present strike; whether it is the custom to hold such inquiries afterwards; and whether he will cause investigation to be made as to the effect of such inquiries on the morale and discipline of the force at a time when they are carrying out a difficult duty requiring official support?

No representations have reached me. My own view is that, as a general rule, any inquiry into the conduct of the police in connection with a strike should be postponed until the strike is over; but, in the case of the Bermondsey disturbance, it seemed to me and to my advisers very desirable that the police should have an immediate opportunity of answering the charges that were made. I believe that the Metropolitan Police have sufficient confidence in the police authority to realise that they will not be prejudiced by an inquiry being held at one time rather than another.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state how many cases of assault by strikers have been reported to the police, how many arrests have been made, and how many convictions have been obtained since the commencement of the dock strike in the Metropolitan and outside areas, respectively; and whether he can furnish statistics as to the numbers that have been treated in hospital?

Up to and including the 2nd instant, 402 persons had been arrested in the Metropolitan Police district for offences in connection with the strike, and there were in all 360 convictions; but the number of arrests for assault cannot at present be given separately. The number of cases treated in hospital will be shown in the Return moved for by the hon. Member for East Nottingham. In Essex there have been 14 cases connected with the strike, nine of them assaults; eleven were convicted. In Kent there have been six cases and one conviction.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to the case in which a non-union worker was thrown into the water at Mill-wall docks and nearly drowned, a stevedore named William Walters being charged with attempted murder in connection with the occurrence; and what further steps he proposes to take to secure the safety of men wishing to work?

My attention has been drawn to the case in question. The prisoner has been committed for trial. All possible measures have been and are being taken by the police to secure the safety of men wishing to work, and generally they have been successful.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received a communication from certain employers at Tilbury Dock asking that more adequate protection might be afforded to their workmen from intimidation and violence from the transport strikers, and, if so, what answer, if any, he has sent thereto; and if he has taken any further steps to meet the situation shown to exist?

As I stated in reply to a question on Monday last, I sent the communication to which the hon. Member alludes to the Chief Constable of Essex, who is responsible for the maintenance of law and order at Tilbury, and asked him to make thorough inquiry. I have received his report, and it shows that he has taken statements from nearly half of the forty-four men who signed the paper saying that they were deterred from working by intimidation, and it now appears that most of them deny that they have been intimidated, and assert that they were reluctant to resume work because they did not wish to associate with "blacklegs," and feared that after the strike is over they would themselves be regarded by their fellow-workmen as "blacklegs." It further appears that most of them are now actually working. I may add that the Essex police report that during last week there was only one case of assault at Tilbury or Grays and none this week. No doubt there has been some intimidation; but what the men on strike chiefly fear is the loss of status and reputation among their fellows which would result from their returning singly to work; and from this no force, however great, of police or of soldiers, could protect them.

asked the Home Secretary if he has asked the Lightermen's Society to allow the refuse barges of the Shoreditch Borough Council to be unloaded; and whether any action was taken on the ground that the society was entitled to endanger the public health by their attitude, or whether the forces at his disposal were insufficient to preserve order if an attempt were made to unload the refuse without the consent of the society?

The matter referred to occurred about a month ago. The Shoreditch authorities wrote me saying that their contractors could not supply men to move the refuse barges and asking for my assistance. I could not, of course, provide the labour; but as the strike committee had a few days before expressed to me their willingness to carry on the necessary public services during the strike, I asked the Lightermen's Society, through Mr. Gosling, to supply the men. He at first undertook to do this, but afterwards found that he could not get his men to move. I then made arrangements for special police protection, and the council's officers found bargemen who removed the barges. The difficulty of the case was to find men willing to work; the police force available to protect them, when they were found, was ample.

asked the Home Secretary whether any and, if so, what provision is made in the Mental Deficiency Bill for any religious ministration to those detained in the institutions proposed to be set up?

This is a matter which will be dealt with by Regulations under Clause 38. Due provision will be made.