asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the secretary to the Joint Committee, under the National Insurance Act, wrote on 31st May, 1912, to the Scottish Clerks' Association, stating that the association could make a non-State contribution to their special medical scheme a basis of their membership; and, if so, whether this assurance is now being departed from by the Commissioners after the association have incurred liabilities to many of their members?

The letter of 31st May, 1912, stated that it was open to the society to make contributions to the medical scheme a condition of membership of the society for State insurance purposes. This statement did not convey a decision of the Commissioners but follows directly from Section 30 (2) of the Act. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if any Member of this House received, directly or indirectly, from public funds a professional fee in connection with the case of Bowles v. the Bank of England; and, if so, will he say who and how much?

The Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General received fees amounting to £104 3s. and £64 19s. respectively. I am not aware whether any part of Mr. Bowles' taxed costs, which were defrayed from public funds, represented payments to Members of this House.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the total number of the land purchase agreements entered into under the Act of 1903 for which advances have yet to be made, and the amount of money which has so to be provided?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that some 93,600 purchase agreements, representing a purchase money of £28,000,000, are pending before them in direct sales under the Irish Land Act, 1903. These figures are exclusive of sales of estates to the Estates Commissioners and the Congested Districts Board for purposes of resale.

asked the total number of land purchase agreements entered into under the Act of 1903 by the Congested Districts Board, and the amount of money so applied for?

The Congested Districts Board have purchased 159 estates under the Act of 1903, at a total price of £1,700,540.

asked the total number of land purchase agreements and total number of sales completed, giving amounts involved, rental, and purchase price, under the Land Act of 1909?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that some 15,000 purchase agreements, representing land of a rental of £200,000 and a purchase money of £4,150,000, have been lodged in direct sales under the Irish Land Act, 1909, and of this sum £1,920,000 has been advanced in respect of some 6,000 holdings of an estimated rental of £94,000. These figures are exclusive of sales of estates to the Estates Commissioners and the Congested Districts Board for purposes of resale.

asked the total number of land purchase agreements entered into by the Congested Districts Board under the Act of 1909; and the total amount so applied for?

The Congested Districts Board have entered into agreements for the purchase of 346 estates since the passing of the Land Act of 1909, at a total purchase price of £3,275,694.

asked whether the representative for Ireland on the Development Commission was invited to join the Committee; whether he can state the reasons which led to the present appointments; and whether any consultation was held with commercialists or others who represent the great volume of Irish opinion on this subject?

The representatives of the Development Commissioners on the governing body of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society have been nominated on the collective responsibility of the Commissioners, and I am unable to say what circumstances guided their choice. As stated by the Prime Minister in his answer to a question asked by the hon. Member for Mid-Armagh on 1st April last, the present appointments have been made as an interim measure pending the addition to the governing body of the society of eleven persons nominated by the Development Commissioners. Before coming to a decision the Commissioners received a deputation representing the Irish Traders' Association, on which occasion the views of the association were put before them very fully.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the number of cases of women charged and indicted for murder and manslaughter of illegitimate children and for concealment of birth in each of the last five completed years, respectively?

I can only give the numbers of convictions—not the numbers indicted—and, in the case of manslaughter, details as to the age of the persons killed are not available. In the five years from 1907 to 1911 the numbers of women convicted of the murder of illegitimate children were one, two, three, four, and three; the numbers convicted of concealment of birth were thirty-eight, thirty-four, sixty, forty-seven, and forty-four.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty how many skilled labourers employed in His Majesty's Portsmouth Dockyard have been suspended this year for giving in work to the measuring staff contrary to the Regulations?

The number of skilled labourers suspended at Portsmouth Dockyard between 1st January, 1913, and the present date is four.

asked the Secretary for War on what date the original establishment of the Special Reserve was first announced; what was the figure originally fixed for the establishment of the Special Reserve; and what was the establishment of the Militia on that date?

The original establishment of the Special Reserve was first announced in Special Army Order of 23rd December, 1907, and amounted to 79,631, while that for the Militia amounted to 126,191. Both figures are exclusive of permanent staff.

asked the Secretary for War the strength of the Regular Army on the 1st January, 1907, and on the 1st January, 1913, serving at Home, in India, and in the Colonies, respectively; what was the strength of the Army Reserve, Sections A and B, on the same dates; what was the strength of the Militia, Yeomanry, Volunteers, and Militia Reserve respectively, exclusive of permanent staff, on the 1st January, 1907; and what was the strength of the Special Reserve and the Territorial Force, respectively, exclusive of permanent staff, on the 1st January, 1913?

The figures are as follows:—

Strength of the Regular Army (Regimental Establishments) and Sections A and B of the Army Reserve.
Date.		Home.		Colonies.		India.		Army Reserve, Sections A and B.
		Officers.	Other ranks.	Officers.	Other ranks.	Officers.	Other ranks.
1st January, 1907	…	5,448	119,898	2,296	54,251	3,001	75,529	95,217
1st January, 1913	…	5,791	117,874	2,005	47,508	2,988	74,109	112,726

Strength of Militia on 1st January, 1907, 88,301 all ranks.Strength of Reserve Division Militia on 1st January, 1907, 7,739 non-commissioned officers and men.Strength of Yeomanry on 1st January, 1907, 25,382 all ranks.Strength of Volunteers on 1st January, 1907, 245,937 all ranks.Strength of the Special Reserve on the 1st January, 1913, 60,765.

asked the Secretary for War whether he is aware that a ring or combine is being formed by Army clothing contractors for the purpose of raising prices and placing firms outside the ring at a disadvantage in the purchase of their materials, and that steps are being taken to have a preliminary agreement submitted for signature to-morrow, Wednesday, 9th April; and what steps have been

The operation of the Trade Boards Act will probably tend to standardise and somewhat increase prices for the make-up of Army clothing, especially as the material is issued to contractors from store. It is not apprehended that there would be any difficulty in dealing with the situation if it should appear that prices are being unduly raised.

asked the Secretary for Scotland, whether, in accordance with instructions, an estimate was givento the Board of Agriculture for a third-class road in the Deynie district at Muir-of-Ord, Ross-shire; whether the amount of that estimate was £380, for the half of which the Board was to be responsible; whether, subsequently, an estimate was asked for a first-class road, the amount of the estimate for which was £950; whether the third-class road was regarded as quite suitable for the district and in accordance with the amount the locality could spend; and why, that being so, the Board of Agriculture has entertained the idea of having the more expensive road?

In response to an application from the County Council of Ross and Cromarty the Board of Agriculture offered a Grant of £190, being one half of the estimated cost of £380, for the reconstruction of a road from Drynie Park to Kilcoy. The offer was made in August last, but the county council have not, as yet, intimated their acceptance of the Grant on the conditions offered. The Board have no knowledge of the more costly proposal referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that, in view of the extent of the Isle of Wight disease in Scotland, Scottish bee-keepers are aghast at the threatened death of their industry and the consequent results to fruit-growing and many branches of agriculture by reason of the lack of the chief insect pollinators; and whether, in these circumstances, he will press forward the Bee Disease Bill at as early a date as possible?

I am aware of the ravages caused by Isle of Wight disease in both England and Scotland, and the Bill introduced into this House on Friday last mill be pressed forward as quickly as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he can see his way to pass the Bee Disease Bill through all its stages so that it can come into force this summer and prevent further disaster to the bee industry?

I would refer the hon. Member to my answer to a similar question addressed to me to-day by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Kincardineshire.

asked the Prime Minister, having regard to his former statements on the subject, whether he intends to bring in any Bill for the redistribution of seats concurrently with, or immediately following, the Government Bill for abolishing the plural votes of electors?

The Government have not abandoned their intention of proceeding, if and when opportunity offers, with electoral reforms including registration and redistribution. As regards the latter I must refer the hon. Member to the passage in my speech of 10th March last in which I dealt with this subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board the numbers of legitimate and illegitimate births in England and Wales for the last year for which figures are available; the number of deaths under one year of legitimate and illegitimate children, respectively?

The following figures are for the year 1910:—

		Births.	Deaths under 1 Year of age.	Deaths under 1 year of age. per 100 births.
Legitimate	…	860,327	87,441	10.16
Illegitimate	…	36,635	7,138	19.48

asked the President of the Local Government Board what was the total sum raised in rates, during the last year for which Returns are available, upon all land which was rated under the Agricultural Rates Act of 1896?

There are no returns which show the total sum actually raised in England and Wales from the occupiers of agricultural land by rates to which the Agricultural Rates Act, 1896, applies. On the basis of the average rates levied in the year 1910–11 in the rural and urban parts of the country the estimated total sum raised in that year was about £2,400,000.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that enormous sums of money have been lost during the past few weeks by purely bear and bull gambling operations in options and futures on the London exchanges; whether he will cause official inquiries to be made as to the names and other particulars of the international bear operators who have been the prime causes of the heavy losses to the bonâ fide investors and legitimate speculators, and lay the same before the House for its information?

I do not see my way to institute such an inquiry as that suggested.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the approximate cost of compilation and preparation of the Return of Assurance Companies, Part B, ordered last January to be printed and since issued; and whether the cost was incurred in pursuance of Statute?

This Return, which was presented to Parliament in pursuance of the requirement contained in Section 27 of the Assurance Companies Act, 1909, was prepared in the ordinary course by the staff of the Companies Department of the Board of Trade, and I am unable to give any accurate estimate of its cost.

asked how many small arms and how many barrels for making up into small arms were imported into Scottish ports from British possessions and foreign countries during the year 1912?

The total imports of small arms into Scottish ports in 1912 were as follows:—

	Number.
Sporting guns, carbines and rifles	4,560
Air guns and rifles of all sorts	5,706
Revolvers and pistols	546

There were no importations into Scottish ports of "tubes to be made into barrels of firearms" or of other parts of small arms. With the exception of fourteen sporting weapons, all the above small arms were imported from foreign countries.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the fact that the New York State Legislature passed, on 25th March, 1913, a Bill creating a State board of securities, a measure which prohibits the circulation of watered securities and worthless stocks and shares; if so, whether he will cause inquiries to be made in New York as to the particulars of this Bill and lay the same upon the Table for the benefit of the House?

I am making inquiries on the subject, and will communicate the result to my hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the attention of his Department has been called to the repeated delays which have taken place in installing a telephone at the house of Mr. E. G. Busbridge, 21, Oakfield Road, Selly Park, Birmingham, which are occasioning him financial loss; and whether he will take steps to accelerate the installation so far as the Post Office can control the circumstances?

The provision of Mr. Busbridge's circuit is dependent on the receipt of consent under the Telegraph Acts from the Corporation of Birmingham in respect of the erection of poles in Oak-field Road. In this and a number of similar cases the corporation asked for the provision of underground wires. Such an expensive type of construction is not however regarded as justifiable so far as the telephone service is concerned and failing a satisfactory issue to the negotiations at an early date the question will be referred to the Courts.