asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider making the colour of the 6d. insurance stamp lighter so that an ink cancellation can show more distinctly?

The answer is in the affirmative Experimental prints in fresh colours are now being made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of the intended Grant-in-Aid to be given to Irish county councils to assist in providing sanatoria treatment for uninsured persons, and to meet the cost of providing sanatoria treatment for insured persons, in so far as insurance contributions will be insufficient for the purpose?

The intention is that the amount of the annual Grant should be one-half of the total net cost incurred, within reasonable limits, by or on behalf of a county or county borough council, or combinations of these bodies, in the treatment, according to a scheme approved by the Irish Local Government Board, of tuberculosis in the area, of all persons, whether insured persons, dependants of insured persons, or persons who are neither themselves insured persons, nor their dependants, after deducting the amounts received from insurance committees out of the moneys available under the National Insurance Act for sanatorium benefit, and any sums received in respect of the treatment of non-insured persons or otherwise. A circular explaining the conditions of the Grant in detail is now in draft, and will shortly be issued by the Irish Local Government Board.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he realises that in Mr. Henry Hobhouse's letter written to him on behalf of the County Councils Association, in reference to sanatorium benefit, in July last it was stated that local authorities were prepared to bear 25 per cent, of the deficit arising from sanatorium maintenance schemes if the remainder were provided from other sources; that in his reply, published and circulated by the Local Government Board, the local authorities are by an error stated to be willing to contribute 25 per cent, of the whole annual cost of such schemes; that such authorities are, in fact, wholly unable to increase by this amount the already heavy burdens upon their ratepayers; and whether, under such circumstances, he can see his way to increase the Exchequer Grant so as to enable local authorities to provide sanatorium benefit to all persons within their areas seriously affected by tuberculosis?

I think the hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The exact terms of the memorandum forwarded by Mr. Henry Hobhouse were as follows: "As regards the maintenance of insured persons, the association would desire to know what sums will be actually available for the county councils under Section 16 of the Act. They desire to express a strong opinion that such a sum should amount at least to 75 per cent. of the annual cost of maintenance of the institutions to be provided, and that a similar percentage should be provided by the Exchequer in respect of the maintenance of non-insured persons." This is exactly consistent with my letter of the 31st of July last, which stated: "I gathered that local authorities are prepared to bear 25 per cent, of the annual cost of schemes if the remainder were provided from other sources." In both statements the percentage taken was explicitly a percentage of the annual cost of the schemes and not of the deficit arising if the remainder were provided from other sources.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that Mr. Birkin, who has subscribed for forty-two years to the Midland Railway Friendly Society, the last twelve years since his retirement from the service of the Midland Railway Company as an out-subscriber, who reached the age of sixty-five on 13th August last, has been informed that, owing to the reorganisation of that society, caused by the National Insurance Act, he is only to receive a pension of Is. 3d. a week, instead of 5s., between the ages of sixty-five and seventy, and of 7d. a week, instead of 5s., after reaching the age of seventy; whether the alteration of this benefit was made with the sanction of the Registrar of Friendly Societies and of the Insurance Commissioners; whether subscribers to this friendly society were consulted before this alteration was made; and whether, in the event of this alteration having been made without consulting the persons concerned, he will give orders to the Insurance Commissioners and the Registrar of Friendly Societies to refuse their consent to this alteration and arrange that those benefits for which members of this friendly society have subscribed are paid to them in full; and whether he is aware that the Board of Trade disclaim all responsibility for the matter, and declare that it is entirely one for the Insurance Commissioners and the Treasury?

I have no information as to the. particular case mentioned in the question. The reorganisation of the society was not caused by the National Insurance Act, but by the necessity of removing the very large deficiency which existed in the society. It is believed that the amendments necessary to carry out the reorganisation were properly adopted in accordance with the rules of the society, but such amendments have not yet been registered. If they have been so adopted, and are in accordance with law, the Registrar has no jurisdiction to refuse to register them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what number of nurses have joined the Nurses' Insurance Society; and what is the estimated number of hospital-trained nurses at work in the United Kingdom?

The exact membership of this society is not yet available, but I understand that it amounts to rather more than 30,000. I have no information as to the total number of hospital-trained nurses in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether doctors placed on the insurance panels will be authorised to hand over their cases under the National Insurance Act to qualified assistants, and, if so, what power will the representatives of the approved societies on the insurance committees possess to insist upon a proper salary being secured to such qualified medical assistants?

A practitioner on the panel may depute an assistant to act on his behalf when he is precluded by urgency of other professional duties, absence from home, or other reasonable cause from giving personal attendance to an insured person under his care. It is the duty of the insurance committee to take any necessary steps to secure that the service provided by any assistants is satisfactory, but, subject to this, the salary of such assistants is a matter for their principals and themselves to determine.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he is now able to state the number of fully-stamped cards of compulsorily insured persons received for the first quarter during which Part I. of the National Insurance Act, 1911, has been in force for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, respectively; and if he will state what proportion the fully-stamped cards bear to the estimated number of compulsorily insured persons?

The full figures are not yet available. In a test sort, however, of 10,000 English cards for the first quarter (which included the August holiday period) it was found that 90 per cent, had twelve or thirteen stamps affixed for the thirteen weeks.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether any arrangements have yet been made to provide nursing for insured persons; whether such arrangements, if any, have been made with existing district nursing associations; whether these associations are willing to undertake the work; and how much it is proposed to pay per insured person for the nursing required?

The provision of nurses is a matter for the insurance committees and approved societies. The Commission have not yet received information from any committee or society as to the employment of nurses under medical benefit, but I believe some provision of the kind has been made in some cases in connection with sanatorium benefit.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland when the untenanted grass lands on the estate purchased by the Congested Districts Board from Colonel Blake, Towerhill, Ballyglass, county Mayo, will be distributed amongst the occupiers of uneconomic holdings in the district?

The estate referred to has not yet been vested in the Congested Districts Board, and until this has been done they cannot divide the property among the occupiers of the uneconomic holdings referred to.

also asked whether Mr. Richard Gibbons has yet lodged with the Congested Districts Board the maps of his estate situate in the parishes of Kildaco-mogue and Turlough, county Mayo, with a view to a sale through the Board?

Mr. Gibbons has not so far lodged with the Congested Districts Board the maps and documents for the section of his estate referred to, but he has informed the Board that he will do so as soon as possible. The Board have already received the necessary maps and documents for sections of his estate situate in the unions of Swinford and Westport

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the estate of George A. Newcomen, in the county of Roscommon, was offered for sale to the Estates Commissioners under Section 6 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, about the year 1908 and is entered at Record No. 5978; that, in the month of July, 1912, the Estates Commissioners issued a proposal to purchase the said estate, and said proposal was accepted by the vendor, and the tenants on this estate signed undertakings to purchase their holdings on the 15th August, 1912; have the said undertakings to purchase been lodged with the Estates Commissioners; and, if so, when; and have the Estates Commissioners agreed to purchase the said estate; and, if so, what is the date of their agreement; if the Estates Commissioners have not yet agreed to purchase the said estate, what is the cause of the delay and when do they intend to do so; and is the vendor entitled to collect the old rents from the tenants who signed undertakings to purchase their holdings?

The reply to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative. The great majority of the tenants have signed undertakings to purchase their holdings at the prices fixed by the Estates Commissioners, and such undertakings were lodged with the Commissioners last month. Some of the tenants have not yet signed, and pending the lodgment of these outstanding undertakings the Commissioners are not in a position to issue their formal agreement to purchase and take over possession of the property. Meanwhile the tenants are liable to rent, but the Commissioners understand that as regards the last half-year's rent the vendor is only asking the tenants to pay interest in lieu of rent calculated on the prices fixed by the Commissioners.

next asked the Chief Secretary why the Local Government Board on appeal awarded only 3s. per week old age pension to Mary Roche, Fisherhill, Turlough, county Mayo, although she had no means of livelihood except that afforded her by her son, a small landholder whose rent is only £2 l1s. per year; was Mr. Hassett, the pension officer who first dealt with her case, so overburdened with work at the time that the Foxford Pension Sub-Committee applied to his department to provide him with an assistant; what pension officers had to deal with Mrs. Roche's case since Mr. Hassett left the district, and do their reports and Mr. Hassett's agree as to the claimant's means; has any of Mr. Hassett's successors reported that the claimant is entitled to a full pension of 5s. per week according to his estimate of her means; and will he, in the circumstances, ask the Local Government Board to have the case investigated by one of their inspectors?

The Local Government Board refused Mary Roche's application for an increase of pension from 3s. to 5s. on appeal by the pension officer as they estimated that her means exceeded £23 12s. 6d. a year. Pension officers are not under my control, and I am therefore unable to say what particular pension officers dealt with her case. So far as the Board's records show, none of the pension officers recommended the increase of the claimant's pension to 5s., but, on the contrary, appealed against the higher amount in each case. The Board have no power to reopen consideration of her case.

asked the Chief Secretary whether a scheme formulated under the Labourers (Ireland) Acts by the North Dublin Rural District Council was lodged with the Local Government Board so far back as January, 1911, and a supplemental scheme in August of the same year; whether an inquiry has yet been held into those combined schemes or either of them by the Local Government Board; if not, what has been the cause of the delay; and whether, in view of the number of insanitary and overcrowded labourers' houses in the district, he will urge on the Board the necessity of taking action at an early date in this matter?

The scheme in question was made by the council on the 25th January, 1911, and lodged with the Local Government Board on the 4th April. The supplementary scheme was made on the 9th August, and lodged on the 5th November of the same year. These schemes have not yet been inquired into, and the council have been informed of the cause of the delay, namely, that schemes from other districts where the need for additional cottages is much greater must take precedence. No less than 552 cottages have already been provided in the North Dublin rural district, and if the entire 5¼ millions provided by the Labourers Acts of 1906 and 1911 were allocated amongst the several rural districts in Ireland in accordance with their respective valuations, the share of the North Dublin rural district would be much less than the amount of loans which the council have already obtained out of that fund. The schemes propose to provide 196 additional cottages, but only eighty-five of these are based on the alleged unfitness of the applicants' existing dwellings. In the circumstances there appears to be no special reason for taking this case out of the ordinary course.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been called to the case of a Clare prisoner named Arkins, sentenced at Cork Winter Assizes to seven years' penal servitude for pulling down a small piece of wall; was evidence admitted to show the condition of county Clare, to the prisoner's prejudice; was Arkins arraigned under the Whiteboy Acts, and will he say who decided the question of the mode of arraignment and who drew the indictment, how many Catholic jurors were ordered to stand aside by the Crown, and how many challenges could the prisoner exercise; will he say whether the Crown prosecutor, Mr. George M'Sweeney, K.C., is still a member of the staff of the "Freeman's Journal" and of the executive of the United Irish League; and what personal knowledge had the Clare Crown Solicitor of Cork jurors; who marked the jury panel for him to indicate the Catholics to be challenged; and did the Crown Solicitor visit the judge before the trial of the prisoner?

My attention was called to this case some time ago by the hon. Member for East Clare. Patrick Arkins was indicted at the Winter Assizes in Cork for having with others assembled by night and unlawfully by menaces attempted to compel a tenant named Fitzpatrick to quit her farm, and with having unlawfully and maliciously injured a wall on the farm, and was found guilty. No evidence save that legally admissible was given. The indictment was directed by the Attorney-General, and was under the Statutes popularly called the White boy Acts. It was drawn, as is the practice, in conformity with the Attorney-General's direction by the Junior Crown Prosecutor. No juror was ordered to stand aside by reason of his religion. The Crown Solicitor followed the course laid down by the Circular of 1894. The prisoner had a right to challenge six jurors without cause, and any number for cause. I am informed that Mr. George M'Sweeney is neither? member of the "Freeman's Journal" staff nor a member of the executive of the United Irish League. There is no founda- tion for the suggestion that the Crown Solicitor visited the judge with reference to this case. It is usual in Ireland for the Crown Solicitor to pay a formal visit of courtesy to the judge before the Assizes open.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the exact site upon which the contractor is about to erect huts for the accommodation of the workmen at Rosyth; whether the huts proposed to be erected are those which were recently sold second hand at Immingham, and have already been many years in use; and whether it is a bona fide attempt to house the whole body of the workmen, or only a selected few, as a provision against a contemplated strike in the spring?

A site for the erection of huts for the accommodation of workmen has been allocated to the contractor at Rosyth and approved by the Admiralty. The site is a central one, and close to the works; and, if my hon. Friend desires, I should be pleased to indicate it to him on a plan. I have been informed that the huts proposed to be erected are those recently sold at Immingham, but the plans and arrangements will be submitted to the Admiralty engineer. I may add that I have received the firm's assurance that they will be very pleased to carry out the work in connection with the huts and their sanitary and other arrangements in a manner which will be equal to the reasonable requirements of the Scottish Local Government Board. With reference to the accommodation to be provided, I would refer my hon. Friend to the particulars I gave to the hon. Member for Stirling Burghs in reply to his question on 18th December. It is the contractors' intention to supplement existing housing accommodation, and not to provide huts for the whole body of workmen employed on the works, many of whom would not, undoubtedly, leave their present accommodation to avail themselves of the proposed new provision.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the recruiting of cheap labour in the southern districts of Ireland for the new dock works at Rosyth; whether he is aware that the navvies and labourers on those works are contemplating another struggle in the spring to secure from the Government contractors the rate of 6d., now paid by other contractors in the district; and is his Department again connected in any way in this cheap labour recruiting with a view to supplying the Government contractor with labour should his workmen go on strike?

I have no information with regard to the matters referred to by my hon. Friend. I understand that no steps have been taken by the Labour Exchanges, during recent months, to bring vacancies at Rosyth for navvies and labourers to the notice of applicants at a distance either in the South of Ireland or elsewhere. There is no foundation for the insinuation contained in the last part of the question.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many armoured ships of the heaviest type could be in the slips at the same time in this country?

There are about twenty slips on which such ships could be built, but the rate of completion depends chiefly upon such items as guns, gun-mountings, and armour.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware of the fact, and can he explain why, that A. C. James had failed to pass examination for mechanician at Chatham in June and October last, and had been again allowed to take part in a third examination in December; and if the eleven who failed in the last-named examination will also be given a second and, if not then competent, a third opportunity of qualifying?

A. C. James failed for the rating of mechanician in June, 1912, and was put back for three months; he failed to reach the required standard when then re-examined, and was put back for another three months, and passed for the rating in December. Each individual case of failure at the end of the course of training for mechanician is considered on its merits, and in the light of reports from the instructing officers as to the prospect of the man becoming an efficient mechanician. Of the men who failed at the recent passing-out examination in December, three have been put back for six months, and will be re-examined at the end of that time; the remainder have been discharged from the training establishment.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many ships of the "Dreadnought" type it is possible for Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary to have on 1st April, 1914, and 1st April, 1915, and what are their names?

On the assumption that the progress of the work on ships under construction remains normal and that there is no acceleration, the information asked for is as follows:—

Great Britain 1st April, 1914.
1.	"Dreadnought."	16.	"Centurion."
2.	"Bellerophon."	17.	"Ajax."
3.	"Superb."	18.	"Audacious."
4.	"Temeraire."	19.	"Iron Duke."
5.	"Collingwood."	20.	"Marlborough."
6.	"St. Vincent."	21.	"Benbow."
7.	"Vanguard."	22.	"Indomitable."
8.	"Neptune."	23.	"Inflexible."
9.	"Colossus."	24.	"Invincible."
10.	"Hercules."	25.	"Indefatigable."
11.	"Orion."	26.	"Lion."
12.	"Monarch."	27.	"PrincessRoyal."
13.	"Thunderer."	28.	"New Zealand."
14.	"Conqueror."	29.	"Queen Mary."
15.	"King George V."

Add for 1st April, 1915.
30.	"Delhi."	33.	"Barham."
31.	"Queen Elizabeth."	34.	"Valiant."
32.	"Warspite."	35.	"Tiger."

Note—The "Australia" and two "Lord Nelson" have been omitted.

Germany, 1st April, 1914.
1.	"Nassau."	13.	"Prinzregent Luitpold."
2.	"Westfalen."
3.	"Posen."	14.	"Ersatz Kurfurst."
4.	"Rheinland."
5.	"Helgoland."	(Friedrich Wilhelm.)
6.	"Thuringen."	15.	"Ersatz Weissenburg."
7.	"Ostfriesland."
8.	"Oldenburg."	16.	"S."
9.	"Kaiser."	17.	"Von der Tann.
10.	"Friedrich der	18.	"Moltke."
	Grosse."	19.	"Goeben."
11.	"Kaiserin."	20.	"Seydlitz."
12.	" Konig Albert.	21.	"K."

Add for 1st April, 1915.
22.	"Ersatz Brandenburg."
23.	"Ersatz Kaiserin Augusta."

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether all the fishermen whose nets were damaged during the manœuvres of the Red and Blue Fleets last July, have received the consideration which has been found due to them in respect of such damage?

One hundred and twenty-one claims were received from British fishermen for damage to nets during the manœuvres last July. Payment of compensation was authorised in sixty-one cases early last month. The inquiries are complete in thirty-five other cases, and payment of such compensation as is considered equitable will shortly be made. Further investigation is necessary with regard to the remaining twenty-five cases, and to fifteen claims received from foreign fishermen.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the names of the battleships, battle cruisers, cruisers, and destroyers of the Fleets and squadrons in Home waters; and which of these ships are manned by full, nucleus, and reduced nucleus crews?

The fully-manned ships and destroyers will be found on pages 269 and 269 (a) of the current Navy List. Those with nucleus crews will be found on pages 269 (b,) 269 (d,) and 270 (b), omitting those ships which are noted as being in the Third Fleet for administrative purposes, and also any destroyers in excess of twenty in each of the patrol flotillas. Those with reduced nucleus crews are the omissions above-mentioned and the ships shown on page 269 (c.) In the case of certain individual ships, the notations at the foot of the page should be studied.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty when the annual grant of nine days' leave of absence with pay, recently conceded to all chargemen of trades, after they have served three years continuously, will be extended to the chargemen under dockyard regulations in the Naval Ordnance Department at Plymouth?

So far as I am aware the concession of annual leave to chargemen of trades is already in effect in the case of recognised chargemen of trades with the prescribed service in the Naval Ordnance Depot at Plymouth. I am, however, inquiring into the matter.

asked whether any of the smaller German cruisers are fitted with vertical armour; and, if so, where it is situated?

The small German cruisers "Breslau," "Magdeburg," "Strassburg," and "Stralsund" are provided with vertical side armour for a portion of their length.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the fact that Sir Percy Scott assisted while in His Majesty's Service in a newspaper campaign against his superior officer; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I am satisfied that Sir Percy Scott's general services to the Navy are deserving of reward and not censure, and I have no intention of reviving the controversies of the past.

asked the names of the German battleships in full commission in reserve?

"Wittelsbach," parent ship of group; "Wettin," gunnery school ship.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that some grammar schools have ceased to be recognised as Army schools on the ground that they have not got an officers' training corps; and whether he can state what conditions are necessary in order to obtain the sanction of the War Office for the formation of officers' training corps in such schools?

I am not aware to what particular schools the Hon. Gentleman refers. I should be obliged if he would furnish me with the information which will enable me to reply to his question.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will cause some inquiry to be made into the regulations affecting the grant of the Territorial decoration, with a view to their amendment in such a way as to allow some period of service in the ranks to count for the qualification for this medal?

Paragraph 515 of the Territorial Force Regulations allows half of any time during which an officer of the Territorial Force may have served on the active list in the ranks of the force or in the ranks of the Yeomanry Cavalry, Imperial Yeomanry or Volunteer Force, after attaining the age of seventeen, to count as qualifying service towards the twenty years' service required.

asked the Secretary of State for War what were the numbers of officers and men, respectively, of the old Volunteer Force in the last year of its existence; and what are the corresponding figures for the Territorial Force for the latest year available?

The comparative figures are as follows:—Yeomanry and Volunteers.—On 1st October, 1907:Officers, 9,211; non commissioned officers and men,268,029.Territorial Force.—On 1st January, 1913: Officers, 9,283; noncommissioned officers and men, 254,030.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the Nestle and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, who are contractors to his Department, pay 2s. less per week to their workmen and Is. 7d. per week less to the workwomen employed at their Chippenham factory than the same firm pays to similar workpeople at Staverton, in the same immediate district; and that they are employing their workmen at. Chippenham five hours more per week than the employes of the same firm at Staverton, and six hours per week more than workmen of the same grade at Melksham, Wilts; and whether he will make immediate inquiry into the matter, with a view to requiring the firm to carry out the Fair-Wages Clause in their contract?

This firm does not hold any War Office contract at present.

asked the Secretary for War whether, in the establishment of aviation camps for military purposes in Scotland, he will consider the suitability of Caithness and the Highland counties for this purpose?

Orders have been issued for a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps to be moved from Farnborough to be temporarily stationed at Montrose. In the event of the establishment of further stations in Scotland in the future, the suitability of Caithness will be considered with other Highland stations.

asked the number and estimated cost of the successive alterations in the uniform of officers in the different branches of the service since the Boer War?

No general changes of importance in officers' uniforms have been introduced since the close of the South African war. It is not practicable to estimate the cost of such minor changes as have been introduced.

asked what is the estimated cost of the recent alteration in the khaki jacket for officers?

Jackets, with upright collars, can be continued in use until worn out. Jackets, with turned-down collars, which can be worn in future, are estimated to be slightly cheaper.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce their promised Education Bill before Easter; and whether it is proposed that the Bill shall deal with all grades of education, elementary, secondary, and higher, and also with the universities?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. In answer to the second part of the question, I must refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister yesterday with reference to the proposals of the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that the Coal Mines Act, 1911, passed into law on the 16th December, 1911, and came into operation on the 1st July, 1912, and that no special inspectors of pit ponies, as provided by that Act, have yet been appointed, or at any rate had been appointed on the 10th January, 1913, he will call for special reports from the district inspectors of mines as to the treatment of pit ponies during the year 1912, and the observance of the regulations in relation to pit ponies contained in the Coal Mines Act, 1911; and whether he will cause such special reports to be laid upon the Table of the House?

As I have stated in reply to previous questions of the hon. Member, the district inspectors will report on this subject in their annual reports for 1912, which they will shortly be preparing, and these reports will be laid before Parliament. It would not be right to take up time which the inspectors should be giving to actual inspection by calling upon them to prepare special reports on this subject in anticipation of their annual reports.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the inconvenience caused to busy men by the present method of summoning jurors; whether he will direct the summoning officers to inquire when it is convenient to the jurors to attend; and whether he will direct the summoning officers to give longer than six days' notice requiring their attendance?

I have no authority to give any directions as to the summoning of jurors. The Departmental Committee which is inquiring into the working of the jury system will no doubt consider how far the inconveniences attendant on jury service can be remedied.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give the House any information as to the results to date of the working of the Criminal Law Amendment Act?

The Commissioner of Police reports that there is good reason to believe that the Act, which received Royal Assent on 13th December, has had a very satisfactory effect on the classes of persons against whom it was directed. A great many of them cannot be found in their usual haunts, and are believed to have left the country. In the Metropolitan Police District eighteen persons have been convicted during the month of living on immoral earnings, and several cases are still pending. There have been fifteen convictions for keeping disorderly houses. Two cases of procuration are being dealt with, one of which is awaiting trial at the Central Criminal Court. I cannot, of course, say how many of the prosecutions would or would not have been successful under the old law; but the sentences passed show that the Courts are availing themselves of the provisions of the new Act,

asked the Home Secretary whether any alternative to forcible feeding has been considered by the prison authorities as a suitable method of dealing with prisoners who refuse to take their food?

Every means of persuasion has been used in these cases. When persuasion fails I know of no way of keeping the prisoners alive but forcible feeding. I should be glad if there were any practicable alternative.

asked the Home Secretary when the sentences of the two women prisoners who are being forcibly fed in Holloway Prison expire; and whether, in view of the sufferings which they have already undergone, he will recommend the remission of the remainder of the sentences and order their immediate release?

One of these prisoners was released on Tuesday on payment of a proportion of the fine imposed on her; the other could similarly secure her release, but in any case her sentence expires tomorrow. I do not propose to advise any interference in the case.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the stoppage of work at the Copper Pit Colliery, Morriston, Glamorganshire, through the action of the management insisting upon the winding of horses to the surface alternately with the workmen, thus causing delay in the winding of the whole body of workmen; whether he is aware that both workmen and horses are raised within the period of time approved by the inspector of mines for the district, notwithstanding the provisions of the Coal Mines (Hours) Regulation Act of 1910; will he say what steps he will take to put an end to the practice and to facilitate the restarting of the colliery; and whether he will now reconsider the periods of time approved by the mines inspector of the district of South Wales, which have been, by experience, proved to be excessive for the purposes intended by the said Act?

My attention has been called to this case. The winding times in South Wales were fixed on the same principle as in other districts, a certain margin of time over and above the bare minimum required being allowed for contingencies in order to prevent accidents being caused by haste in winding; and no complaint has up to the present reached the Department that the times are excessive for the purpose. It was not intended, of course, that the additional time allowed for contingencies should be utilised in the manner mentioned in the question—a practice which obviously defeats the very object which the time is allowed; and I have instructed the inspector to inform the owners that it will be necessary to reconsider the winding times at the mine. If there are other cases in which it is considered that the winding times are excescive they should be brought to the notice of the divisional inspector.

asked the Home Secretary whether the constable who arrested a girl employed as a domestic servant at Shepherd's Bush, at the in- stance of the Ipswich Board of Guardians on 4th January, belonged to the Metropolitan Police; whether the accused was kept in Acton Prison from Saturday till Monday, the bail which was offered for her appearance on Monday being refused; whether he is aware that the Ipswich Board of Guardians knew the address of the accused, but had not given her any intimation that they had any claim against her before they caused her to be arrested; and whether any action can be taken to prevent a recurrence of an incident of this kind, which may have a serious effect upon the girl's reputation and prospects of earning her livelihood?

The arrest in question was made by a constable of the Metropolitan Police, acting on a warrant issued at Ipswich. The arrest was made about 7 p.m. on Saturday, the 4th, and a telegram asking for an escort to be sent was dispatched at 7.13 p.m. The escort arrived at 11.30 a.m. on the 6th, when the prisoner was handed over. Inquiry was made if she could be liberated on bail, but the Metropolitan Police had no authority thus to release her, as she was in custody on a warrant. The question so far as it relates to the action of the guardians appears to be one for the Local Government Board rather than my Department.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will give the names of the members of the Immigration Board for London?

I give below the list approved for the Port of London in pursuance of Section 2 (1) of the Aliens Act, 1905:—Mr. William Amyas Bailward, Mr. George Reuben Boustred, Mr. Alfred Brisco, Sir David Burnett, Mr. Francis Gawayne Champernowne, Mr. Leonard Cohen, Mr. Walter Eickhoff, Mr. A. E. Enfield, Mr. T. J. Evans, Mr. T. W. Francis, Mr. Alfred Ordway Goodrich, Mr. Alphonse D. Joseph, Mr. Ernest Lesser, Mr. Henry Raphael Levinsohn, Mr. David Levy, Dr. Bernhard Morris, Mr. Joseph H. Polak, Mr Joseph Prag, Sir Richard Stapley, Mr. Edward J. Urwick, Mr. John Williams, and Sir G. J. Woodman.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the India Office is bound by the Fair Wage standard in respect of orders for India; and, if so, why the Indian taxpayer is bound by a standard which, while it increases the cost of stores provided for him, does not in any way benefit himself?

In accordance with the Resolutions passed by this House in 1891 and 1909 the Secretary of State in Council includes in his contracts a Fair-Wages Clause similar to that adopted in other contracting Departments. Even if it were possible, my Noble Friend does not consider that it would be in the interest of India to attempt to enforce a lower standard of wages in work done for him than that paid by other Departments of State in similar conditions.

asked the Under - Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the Nestle and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, who are contractors to his Department, pay 2s. less per week to their workmen and Is. 7d. per week less to the workwomen employed at their Chippenham factory than the same firm pays to similar workpeople at Staverton, in the same immediate district, and that they are employing their workmen at Chippenham five hours more per week than the employes of the same firm at Staverton and six hours more per week than workmen of the same grade at Melksham, Wilts; and whether he will make immediate inquiry into the matter with a view to the firm carrying out the Fair-Wages Clause in their contract?

The firm referred to has at present no contract with the India Office.

asked the Under-Secretary for India if he will state when the first payment was made to Messrs. Samuel Montagu and Company in respect of silver purchased in 1912?

The first payment was made on 1st June.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Governor of the Straits Settlements has addressed a letter to the Administrator of Sarawak, urging the adjustment of the selling price of opium in that country in accordance with the views of the Colonial Office; whether the price of opium sold in Sarawak for internal consumption is any concern of His Majesty's Government; and whether the treaty of 1888 secures to the Rajah of Sarawak the transaction of the internal affairs of his country without interference from His Majesty's Government?

The Rajah of Sarawak has furnished me with a copy of a letter written by the Governor of the Straits Settlements in his capacity of British Agent for North Borneo and Sarawak to the officer administering the Government of Sarawak, from which it appears that he expressed the hope that the opium farmer might be required to raise his prices to the prices fixed for the neighbouring State of Brunei and the settlement of Labuan. The object of the British Agent was no doubt to secure that opium should not be smuggled from Sarawak into Labuan and Brunei. Such smuggling is likely to take place when the price of opium in Sarawak is considerably lower than in Labuan and Brunei, and the price in Sarawak is, therefore, of considerable importance to the Government of these places. The price has been raised in Labuan and Brunei in pursuance of the policy of restricting the use of opium to which His Majesty's Government are pledged by the Opium Convention, to which the Rajah has also adhered. The agree- ment of 1888 between Her late Majesty's Government and His Highness the Rajah provides that the Government shall have no right to interfere with the internal administration of Sarawak except in certain specified cases. But I am unable to admit that the suggestion put forward by the British Agent in the interest of free intercourse between Sarawak and its neighbours constitutes interference by either His Majesty's Government or the British Agent.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the British Consular Report on Trade in the Argentine Republic for the year 1911 was only issued in December, 1012; where this delay occurred; whether the value of such Reports is much lessened by the lateness of their publication; and whether he will make representations to foreign Powers pointing out the desirability of the earlier compilation and issue of their trade statistics?

In compiling the Report for 1911 on the trade and commerce of the Consular district of Buenos Ayres, His Majesty's Consul had to contend with the difficulties caused by the absence of detailed official statistics, which, as pointed out in the first paragraph of the 19il Report, do not appear until about two years after the end of the year to which they refer. In addition, His Majesty's Consul was in this instance new to the post, and was carrying on his duties under great pressure of work owing to the large increase of business. Representations such as are suggested in the last part of the question would not be likely to be effective, but I agree with the object which my hon. Friend has in view.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any lace factories have been recently established in Austria; and, if so, what help has been given by the Imperial Government to the owners of such factories analogous to that given by the Hungarian Government?

I am not aware whether lace factories have been recently established in Austria, but His Majesty's Ambassador at Vienna states that the Austrian Government have no power to accord such assistance to new factories as is given by the Hungarian Government under the Hungarian Law of 1899.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it has been found possible, in connection with the Census of Production, to state the numbers of persons employed in factories and workshops for each county separately?

The Returns for the year 1907 made to the Home Office by occupiers of factories and workshops have rendered it unnecessary to consider the question of the publication, in connection with the First Census of Production, of the aggregate numbers employed in each county. If my hon. Friend has in view separate figures for each principal industry, the provisions of the Census of Production Act, 1906, Section 6 (3) (aimed at preventing the publication of particulars identifiable as relating to individual businesses), would render it impossible, in many cases, for the Board of Trade to publish separate figures for each county.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to communicate the reply of the Great Central Railway Company on the question of station masters employed on other duties, as promised on 21st November last?

The Great Central Railway Company have informed the Board of Trade that it is only in exceptional cases that station masters are required to relieve goods guards in charge of trains where the latter would otherwise have to work long hours, other relief not being available. They state that in the course of three months only nine out of a total number of 215 station masters were called upon to take charge of goods trams, and then only for short periods.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state what underground telegraph wires have been installed in the United Kingdom, and what towns and districts arc served by the same; and what the cost of such underground installations has been?

The cost of the main underground telegraph system has been over £2,000,000, and I will place in the Library a map showing the towns through which the lines pass.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture when the restrictions on the importation of hay and straw shipped from Ireland to Great Britain will be removed?

asked the President when he proposes to relax the restrictions on the importation of Irish hay and straw into Wales and England; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made as to the fact that no foot-and-mouth disease has occurred in county Longford, so as to allow the hay and straw trade from that part of Ireland to Great Britain to be resumed.

I propose to allow Irish hay and straw to be imported into Great Britain without any restriction as from the 1st February, unless anything occurs in the meantime to give good reason for suspecting that foot-and-mouth disease still exists in Ireland.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will furnish a Report of the veterinary experts who examined the heads which were imported from Ireland, and alleged to have been affected with foot-and-mouth disease?

The reports of the Board's veterinary officers on the cases to which the hon. Member refers, consisted to a great extent of telephonic messages and personal conversations, and the publication of the written parts alone would be, not only useless, but misleading. I have already given the substance of the reports very fully and without qualification in answer to questions in this House, and I would refer particularly to the answer which I gave to a question addressed to me by the hon. Member for the Wilton Division yesterday.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will lay upon the Table a copy of the entire correspondence that passed between the officials of the English and Irish Boards of Agriculture in reference to the cases of alleged foot-and-mouth disease in the animals shipped from Newry to Birkenhead, and of the heads of the animals shipped from Londonderry to Glasgow?

It would be very unusual to take the course suggested by the hon. Member, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by so doing.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture how many unweaned lambs are usually sent from Ireland each year for slaughter on arrival; is he aware that unweaned lambs do not eat hay and only eat very tender and fresh grass; has this matter been considered in framing the Regulations requiring detention for twelve hours of Irish lambs; and is he aware that, during certain periods of the year, the shipments of unweaned lambs are often at the rate of 1,000 a week and over?

About 380,000 lambs on an average are imported annually into Great Britain from Ireland, but I am unable to say how many of these are unweaned. Reading this question with previous questions addressed to me by the hon. Member on the same subject, I am not sure what meaning he attaches to the word "unweaned," but, as I have already stated, the Order will provide for the supply of suitable and sufficient food.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture the number of acres of land acquired for small holdings by the Kent County Council up to 31st December, 1912; the number of applicants this will satisfy; the number of approved applicants to be supplied; and the acreage of land required?

1,995 acres 3 roods 33 perches have been acquired by the Kent County Council, and 1,858 acres 1 rood 33 perches have been let in small holdings to 113 persons. There remain 9G approved applicants unsatisfied, for whom it is estimated that 1,200 acres are required.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he can state how many farm servants in Caithness and each of the Highland counties have applied for new holdings under the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act; and how far the number of farm-servant applicants is affected by the difficulty experienced by this class in providing capital for the purpose of stocking, etc., new holdings.

The number of applicants from these counties who have stated in their applications for small holdings that they are farm servants, is given in the following table, distinguishing between those with and without: capital:—

—	With Capital.	Without Capital.	Total.
Argyll	85	19	104
Caithness	17	7	24
Inverness	77	38	115
Orkney	14	4	18
Ross and Cromarty	32	18	50
Shetland	4	5	9
Sutherland	22	10	32
	251	101	352

In addition to the foregoing there are 387 applicants from these counties who state that they have "farming experience," and in many cases this probably means that they have been farm servants. It would be difficult to form an opinion as to how far the number of farm servant applicants is affected by the difficulty referred to in the last part of the question.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether any cases of swine fever have been found up to this date amongst swine imported from Ireland, and, if so, how many; and whether the Irish Department of Agriculture have made any Report to him on the subject?

If the hon. Member wishes for statistics dating back to 1893, when the Swine Fever Act came into operation, I must ask for longer notice. But from an examination of reports covering the last four years it appears that during that period there was strong evidence in twenty-three outbreaks of swine fever in Great Britain that the disease was introduced from Ireland. The last case was on 13th June last. Communications passed between the Board and the Irish Department in regard to each case.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether there is any Continental precedent for a national agricultural co-operative credit system, under which rural credit societies obtain loans either from the Government or from large joint stock banks, without the existence as an intermediary of a central or district bank to act as a clearing house for bulking loan requirements on behalf either of the Government or of such joint stock banks?

So far as I am aware, the answer is in the negative, but the mere fact that there is no Continental precedent would not seem to be sufficient reason why co-operative societies in this country should not obtain loans from joint stock banks without any such intermediary as the hon. Member suggests, provided that the banks are willing to advance money to them directly.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the special commissioner who was sent by the Board two years ago to Germany to study the subject of agricultural credit in that country has yet reported to the Board; if so, whether such Report favours the constitution of a central bank as an intermediary between co-operative credit associations and the large joint stock banks, or advocates loans from the latter direct to the associations; and whether such Report will be published?

The Report to which the hon. Member refers is in the press, and will be published as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that for many years agricultural credit associations in India obtained loans direct from the Indian Government, but that the system proved unsatisfactory and is now being superseded by a system interposing central banks between the Government and the associations; and whether he will take into account Indian experience before maturing the agricultural credit scheme of the Board?

I am aware that in India provision was made for the granting of loans from State funds to agricultural credit societies in backward parts of the country to assist them in their initial stages. It was not found necessary to grant such loans on a large scale, but I have no reason to suppose that the system where it was applied, proved unsatisfactory, and I understand it is still made use of in exceptional cases. I may, however, point out that I have no intention of making loans of State funds to such societies in this country, and that the arrangements made with the joint stock banks are in accordance with the trend of the movement in India, where also the joint stock banks are now showing their willingness to make advances to similar societies.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, in formulating a scheme for promoting the development of agricultural credit associations and the availability of cheap money for loans to small holders, he will take into consideration paragraph 114 of the Report of the Board's Departmental Committee on Small Holdings, which was presided over by the late Lord Onslow and reported in 1906, and the recommendation therein contained in favour of a central co-operative agricultural credit association rendering available to small holders advances from Post Office Savings Banks deposits?

The recommendation to which the hon. Member refers was fully considered before the Board's proposals were formulated.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the accommodation, the playground, and the sanitary convenience of the Church of England school at Sharlston, West Biding, are adequate; if not, in what respects are they deficient; how long have they been reported as defective; and what steps are being taken to obtain for the children of this place adequate and proper school accommodation?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. Proposals for the improvement of the school premises referred to were required in January, 1910, when it was pointed out, amongst other defects, that the cloakroom accommodation was inadequate. The average attendance for the last completed school year ended 31st March, 1912, was in excess of the recognised accommodation, but the Board were informed in May of last year that the managers would proceed with the improvements, in accordance with plans which had been approved, with the least possible delay. The playground accommodation is not quite in accordance with the usual requirements of the Board, but, as I stated to the House on Tuesday evening, I am not prepared to reduce the accommodation of the school on that account. Some delay has taken place owing to the efforts of the managers to obtain an addition to the site of the school, but the managers will now be asked to proceed with the improvements to the buildings without delay.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the Return of the number of mental deficients chargeable to each parish in Scotland has yet been compiled by the Local Government Board; and, if so, will he say when it is proposed to circulate the information to Members or make it otherwise available to them?

The Return has been collected, and I expect to present and circulate it very shortly.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, with a view to prevent the further absorption into the deer forest area of land which in recent years has been under cultivation,? he will consider the expediency of introducing legislation such as will empower the Board of Agriculture for Scotland to "prevent arable or grazing lands in the congested areas of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland being hereafter set apart exclusively for sporting purposes?

The matter referred to by my hon. Friend is engaging the attention of the Board under their existing powers, and I do not know that there is at present any practical necessity for fresh legislation.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether a petition was on 19th August sent to his Department, praying for the release of Lieutenant Cameron, who is undergoing punishment in connection with the Edinburgh necklace case; whether any and, if so, what answer was sent to the petitioners; and whether he proposes to advise any clemency in this case in view of the facts that Cameron's wife has herself pleaded guilty to the charge, and has entirely exonerated her husband from any complicity in the transaction, and that Cameron's fellow officers in his regiment testified to his undoubted character previous to this charge?

The petition in question was duly received in my Department, and a reply was sent to the effect that the Secretary for Scotland had given it his careful consideration but regretted he was unable to advise compliance with its prayer. This reply represents my present view of the case.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he can supply a statement showing for the county of Kincardineshire the population (1011 Census); the number of old age pensioners on the last Fridays in March 1909, 1910, 1011, 1912; the number of old age pensioners per 1,000 (1911 figures) of the total population and of the population of seventy years of age and over, respectively; the amount (approximately) produced by a 1d. rate; the annual (approximate) cost of pensions; the rate (approximately) which would be required if pensions were a local charge; and the number of persons over seventy years of age, excluding lunatics in asylums, etc., in receipt of indoor and outdoor relief, respectively, on the 15th January, 1909, and the 15th January, 1912?

The population of the county of Kincardine according to the 1911 Census was 29,580. I am in-formed that particulars as to the number of old age pensioners in the county on the last Friday in March are not available for 1909 and 1910, as for these years the numbers were not differentiated for the various counties, but that the numbers for that date in 1911 and 1912 were 924 and 935, respectively. The number for 1911 (924) represents 31.24 per thousand of the total population and 569.6 per thousand of the population over seventy years of age, which according to the 1911 Census was 1,622. The annual approximate cost of the pensions calculated at an average of £12 10s. per head per annum works out at about £11,700. The amount produced by a 1d. rate in the county if levied on gross rental (£214,373) would be £l,018, and if levied on owners' net assessable rental (£201,252) would be £838. The rate required to raise £11,700 (the approximate amount of the pensions) would be approximately 1s. per £ on gross rental, or 1s. 2d. per £ on owners' net assessable rental. The numbers of persons over seventy years of age in receipt of indoor and outdoor relief, respectively, at the dates mentioned were:—

	5th Jan.,1909	15th Jan.,1912
Indoor	19	17
Outdoor	91	8

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether an Order called the Caledonian Railway Order, 1912, was promoted this Session by the Caledonian Railway Company; whether the preamble of this Order was found proved subject to a Clause being put in prohibiting the use of certain lands in Oban for a herring kippering factory; whether the company sought ineffectively to induce him to override this agreed upon Clause; whether the company are promoting in the 1913 Session of Parliament a new Order leaving out the valuable Clause; and, if so, what action he proposes to take to prevent rich companies wearing out poorer opponents who may win in the first and second rounds?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Order as introduced contained a Clause which was opposed by certain owners and occupiers of property in Open, with the result that the Commissioners who inquired into it inserted a protective Clause of the nature mentioned in the question. Whether this Clause was an agreed Clause is a question as to which the parties differed. The company subsequently approached me with a request to delete the Clause, but were informed that I was unable to do so, whereupon the company withdrew the Order. It is the case that the company are promoting a new Order without the protective Clause. This course is within their rights according to the practice of Parliament, and I have no power to prevent such action.

asked what was the amount of expenditure for the last financial year for administration and for inspection, respectively, of reformatory and industrial schools in Scotland?

The expenditure for administration and for inspection of reformatory and industrial schools for Great Britain are published annually in the Appropriation Accounts. No separate account is kept for Scotland, and I am therefore unable to give the hon. Member the specific information he desires.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, if he will state what areas of the Royal Parks within the county of London have been diverted to other than public uses; whether the diversions are permanent or temporary; and will he give a list of the occupiers of these areas, stating the terms on which they are occupied, as well as the monetary or other consideraiton.

The only important case in recent years has been the addition of about three acres to the Zoological Gardens. The tenancy is only an annual one. The rent is nominal (£5 per annum), but it was a condition that the public in the park should have an uninterrupted view of the animals in this added ground.