asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the conjoint committee of the Irish Medical Association and British Medical Association received a definite pledge that a minimum capitation rate of 2s. 6d. would be provided for certification in the event of medical benefits for Ireland being deleted from the National Insurance Act; and if, in redemption of this pledge, he intends to make a further Grant to enable the Irish Commissioners to meet the financial difficulties in the way of the efficient working of the Act in Ireland?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The second does not therefore arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the quantity of hops used in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, respectively, in the years 1911 and 1912; and what was the quantity of hop substitutes entered in brewing books as having been used in those countries during the same periods?

The quantity of hops used in brewing in England, and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively, in the years ended 30th September, 1911 and 1912, and the quantity of hop substitutes entered in brewing books as having been used in those countries during the same periods, is as follows:—

—			Hops.		Hop Substitutes.
			Year ended 30th September, 1911.	Year ended 30th September, 1912.	Year ended 30th September, 1911.	Year ended 30th September, 1912.
			Lbs.	Lbs.	Lbs.	Lbs.
*England and Wales	…	…	50,927,302	48,265,383	4,989	28,889
Scotland	…	…	3,503,445	3,362,175	796	1,075
Ireland	…	…	9,885,361	9,917,235	—	—
* Separate figures for Wales are not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the recent decision in the case of the Wine and Spirit Trades Association v. Messrs. Piper, Limited, he will consider the advisability of appointing a small expert committee to consider the whole question of basis wines, both as regards their unfair competition with genuine wines and the loss to the revenue caused by the sale, duty free, of so-called British wines?

I am making inquiries in this matter, and will communicate with my hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the intention of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue to proceed further in their claim in the Rchmond case, or whether the two ladies against whom the claim for Increment Value Duty was originally preferred may now consider themselves as free from any liability in respect of any future proceedings which may be brought by the Comsioners of Inland Revenue against them?

In the case referred to by the hon. Member it was the intention of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, unless the appellant desired an earlier settlement, to allow the claim for duty to stand over pending a final decision being come to in the Lumsden case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to a resolution passed at the Easter vestry meeting of St. George's Church, Tufnell Park, London, N., urging that the Easter offerings to rectors, vicars, and incumbents of the Church of England should no longer be subjected to any deductions for the payment of Income Tax by the clergy, seeing that these are freewill offerings of the people as personal gifts, and therefore ought not to be considered as stipend; and will he say whether he is prepared to introduce such legislation as may be necessary for a discontinuance of the present practice of deducting Income Tax from them?

My attention has been called to the resolution referred to by the hon. Member, but I am not prepared to introduce legislation to alter the law, which makes Easter offerings liable to Income Tax in common with all emoluments which accrue to any person by reason of his office whether such emoluments are legally claimable or not.

asked what was the proportion of direct to indirect taxation in Ireland and Great Britain for the years 1911–12 and 1912–13, on the basis of Exchequer receipts?

The proportion of direct to indirect taxation in Great Britain and Ireland for the year 1911–12 was:—

	Great Britain.	Ireland.
Direct	58.6	33.1
Indirect	41.4	66.9

The figures for 1912–13 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the cash balances at the credit of Votes of Parliament in the books of the Paymaster-General on the 31st March in each year for 1904 to 1913, inclusive, under the heads of Consolidated Fund Services, Army, Navy, Civil Services, Treasury Chest, Civil Contingencies, and Sundry Deposit Accounts; and what was the total amount standing at the close of business on the 31st of March on the Paymaster-General's account at the banks of England and Ireland in the same years?

The figures are as follows:—

Balances in the Books of the Paymaster-General at the Credit of the following Services:—									Total Amount standing on the Paymaster-General's Account at the Banks of England and Ireland. (Total of cols. 1 to 7).
On 31st March.		Consolidated Fund Services. (1)	Army. (2)	Navy. (3)	Civil services (Voted). (4)	Treasury Chest. (5)	Civil Contingencies. (6)	Sundry Deposit and Miscellaneous Accounts. (7)
		£	£	£	£	£	£	£	£
1904	…	34,970	991,917	889,260	925,640	229,586	99,298	409,609	3,580,280
1905	…	24,874	739,852	303,239	773,490	775,123	77,739	784,155	3,478,472
1906	…	58,167	1,285,105	334,111	1,158,054	641,414	93,831	907,923	4,478,605
1907	…	34,797	92,698	118,391	1,202,755	548,942	103,805	694,302	2,795,690
1908	…	31,110	237,480	124,414 overdrawn	1,691,188	376,017	71,175	643,167	2,925,723
1909	…	54,378	140,574	46,665	1,089,010	512,553	80,572	793,469	2,717,221
1910	…	30,890	247,504	814,884	1,074,278	338,512	105,999	1,080,882	3,692,949
1911	…	43,771	206,285	43,689	1,447,516	385,165	115,114	1,828,700	4,070,240
1912	…	53,355	516,893	873,495	1,965,183	347,761	116,681	1,428,335	5,301,703
1913	…	72,776	228,543	1,350,024	2,343,892	211,621	287,934	1,242,807	5,737,597

asked the respective amounts of Income Tax contributed by Great Britain and by Ireland for the years 1910–11 and 1911–12?

The amounts of Income Tax (including Super-tax) are as follows:—

—	Great Britain	Ireland.
	£	£
Year 1910–11 (as shown in House of Commons Paper 220, of 12th July, 1911)	60,608,000	2,164,000
Year 1911–12 (as shown in House of Commons Paper 190, of 1st July, 1912)	42,370,000	1,504,000

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed by the Loughrea Rural District Council in reference to the promised Land Bill; is he aware that discontent is felt amongst the people owing to the exclusion of young men with capital, but without land, from the operation of the Land Act of 1909 in Galway; and will he institute full inquiry into this matter before framing his Bill, so that the existing Law shall be so amended as to remove the disqualification on young men who are most anxious to live a farming life in Ireland if they are only given the chance?

My attention has been called to the resolution referred to. This matter was fully discussed by the Dudley Commission, and there is no necessity for any further inquiry.

asked the Chief Secretary on what date were the finances of the Royal Irish Constabulary Force Fund referred to the actuary for report; has the Report been received yet; and, if not, will he expedite the drawing up of the Report by any means in his power?

The Report was called for in February last, and the necessary investigations are now proceeding. The Report will not, however, be ready for a considerable period.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the quantities of British plain spirits in Customs bonded houses in Scotland on 31st January and 31st October, 1912?

Statement of the quantities of British plain spirits in Customs bonded warehouses in Scotland on 31st January and 31st October, 1912:—

Collection.			31st Jan., 1912.	31st Oct., 1912.
			Proof galls.	Proof galls.
Aberdeen	…	…	903,428	913,070
Ayr	…	…	31,225	30,859
Dundee	…	…	970,737	925,403
Glasgow	…	…	2,953,128	2,945,213
Greenock	…	…	408,905	436,134
Inverness	…	…	97,776	103,935
Leith	…	…	2,233,652	2,211,442
Other Collections	…	…	48,576	50,875
Total	…	…	7,647,427	7,616,931

The "other collections" are:—Ardrossan, Bo'ness, Burntisland, Grangemouth, Granton, Methyl, and Wick.

asked the Chancellor if he will state the total loss sustained by the Treasury consequent upon the reduction by the Finance Act, 1907, of the tax upon earned incomes from 1s. to 9d. in the £ during each of the financial years 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, and 1912?

The loss on the assessments made in each year is as follows:—

Year.		Reduction Allowed On Earned Income where the Total Income of the Taxpayer exceeded £160 but did not exceed £2,000.		Loss.
				£
1907–8	…	From 1s. to 9d.	…	1,185,666
1908–9	…	" ""	…	1,257,399
1909–10	…	" 1s. 2d. to 9d.	…	2,145,730
1910–11	…	" ""	…	2,169,845
1911–12	…	" ""	…	2,215,000*
1912–13	…	" ""	…	2,290,000*
* Estimates; definite statistics not yet available.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners have received a resolution from the people of Mullinahreena, Tubbercurry union, county Sligo, protesting against the injustice inflicted on Mrs. Catherine M'Loughlin, of Cloonarara, same district as above, by vesting a portion of his holding in a man named Thomas O'Connor; and, if so, whether, seeing that feeling runs high and the peace of the district likely to be endangered, an inspector will be ordered to reinvestigate the case of this poor woman?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. This estate was the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owner to the tenants, and Catherine M'Loughlin entered into an agreement with him for the purchase of her holding. With the owner's consent nearly six acres of cutaway bog were added to her holding without any increase in the purchase money which she had agreed to pay, and the holding and the additional six acres were vested in her on the 28th November last. The plot referred to in the question was never part of Mrs. M'Loughlin's holding, but she and other tenants have certain turbary rights thereon, and it has been vested in O'Connor subject to such rights. The purchase money of the estate has been paid and the lands vested in the purchasing tenants, and the Estates Commissioners cannot reopen the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Branchfield farm, situate on the Harlech estate, parish of Mullinahreena, union of Tubbercurry, and county Sligo, has yet been vested in the Estates Commissioners; whether he is aware that there are ten sub-tenants residing on this ranche whose average valuation does not exceed £3 10s.; and whether, before the Harlech estate is vested, the claim of these cottiers for the enlargement of their holdings will be duly considered by the Commissioners?

The Harlech estate to which the hon. Member refers is not pending for sale to the Estates Commissioners, but is the subject of direct sale proceedings by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and McKim, who is tenant of the farm in question, entered into an agreement to purchase it. There are some ten sub-tenants in occupation of portion of the farm. McKim has not paid the interest in lieu of rent which he contracted to pay in his purchase agreement, and the question whether the holding should be excluded from the proceedings is at present under the consideration of the Commissioners.

asked whether the tenants to whom land was allotted on the Blake estate, at Cormeen, county Meath, are likely to be put in possession this month, in order that they may not be compelled to sell the young cattle which they intend feeding on the lands?

The formal offer of the Estates Commissioners to purchase in this case has been issued and is awaiting acceptance by the Land Judge. The Commissioners understand that it will be considered by the Judge at an early date, and if accepted by him, will take over the lands as soon as possible.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board has made an offer for purchase of the estate of Mesdames St. George and Brown, situate at Ballindoreen, Kilcolgan, county Galway; has the offer been accepted; and, if so, will he state when the Board propose to deal with this estate to relieve congestion in the district?

The Congested Districts Board have made an offer for the purchase of the estate of Mrs. St. George and Mrs. Concannon, including the townland of Ballinderreen, and they are at present in correspondence with the owners regarding it.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have acquired the Daly estate, at Thomas-town, county Tipperary, and whether they are preparing a scheme for its redistribution amongst the uneconomic landholders of the district?

The reply to the first paragraph of the question is in the negative. This estate, which is the subject of proceedings for sale to the Estates Commissioners under the Irish Land Act, 1909, will be dealt with in order of priority, and until it has been acquired by the Commissioners they will not be in a position to make any statement as to the distribution of the untenanted land included in the estate.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Patrick Egan, Bellavista, Duncannon, whose father was evicted from the Leigh estate, South Wexford, in 1885, applied for restoration in 1907; and whether the Commissioners will make inquiries into his case, with a view to giving him back his father's farm or procuring another farm for him?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that Egan's application was not lodged until 1908. The holding is in the occupation of another tenant, with whom the Commissioners have no power to interfere, and they are not prepared to provide Egan with a holding elsewhere.

asked whether a new inquiry will be made into the application of Michael Tiernan, an evicted tenant who got an equivalent holding on the Rathdonnell estate, for a sum of money to build a house, having regard to the dilapidated and unsanitary condition of the one he is now living in?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on the 6th March, 1912, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will have further inquiries made into the application of James M'Goorty to the Estates Commissioners under the Evicted Tenants Act for a holding equivalent to the one from which he was evicted on the Jones estate, Belcoo, county Fermanagh; and will he request the Commissioners to give the case favourable consideration?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on the 10th instant, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will give figures showing the number of labourers' cottages built under the provisions of the Housing of the Working Classes (Ireland) Acts for the years 1909–10, 1910–11, and 1911–12, respectively?

Precise information on this point could only be obtained by application to the various local authorities, but the number of houses built is approximately as follows:—

1909–10	…	…	…	329
1910–11	…	…	…	709
1911–12	…	…	…	665

These figures relate solely to operations by town authorities, and do not include houses built under Section 67 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, or the Labourers (Ireland) Acts.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Mr. Delany, Local Government Board inspector, some time ago held an inquiry under Scheme No. 4 adopted by the Innishowen Rural District Council, under the Labourers' Act, under which some six cottages were applied for in the townland of Aughilly, or Lenynarnan, in the Buncrana electoral division; that some twenty-five cottages were applied for on lands occupied by the same party in the townland of Ballymacarry Lower, one mile nearer to the town of Buncrana; that these lands in question are untenanted, the tenants who occupied them having been evicted without any compensation in 1847, and that they are at present used as grazing ranches by the representatives of the landlord's agents; whether he is aware that the present occupiers proposed to give sufficient land for all the cottages applied for on both ranches on that in Aughilly, or Lenynarnan, the one more distant by one mile from the town; that the sites committee recommended twenty-one cottages on the Ballymacarry Lower ranch and four on that in Aughilly, or Lenynarnan; will be say why the inspector refused to sanction any cottages on either of these ranches; do the representatives of these evicted families now reside in houses within the area of the town of Buncrana, at a weekly rent of 2s. to the number of twenty-two families; did the inspector sanction the demolition of the twenty-two houses which these families now occupy in order that nine labourers' cottages should be erected in their stead, and whether, in face of the refusal of the inspector to allow these labourers any houses on these lands from which their forefathers were evicted, and that no other houses of any kind suitable to these poor people are available in the town or its vicinity, these twenty-two families, who are at present under notice to quit without any fault of their own, are to be compelled, without compensation, to leaves their homes and seek shelter in the workhouse?

The facts are as indicated in the first two paragraphs of the question and statements were made at the inquiry as regards the present use of the lands referred to identical with those in the third paragraph of the question. An alterna- tive site for twenty-five out of the thirty-one cottages proposed was offered at the inquiry by the owner's solicitor, but it does not appear to have been acceptable to the council, as they considered that the locality was inconvenient for the labourers. The Local Government Board have no information as to the recommendations of the sites committee, but the inspector disallowed the two sites in question on the ground that "necessity was not established." It appears that in nine of these cases the inspector was not satisfied that the applicants were "agricultural labourers," within the meaning of the Labourers Acts; in five cases the proposal was withdrawn by the district council; one of the applicants was an old age pensioner; two others were absent in Scotland at the time of the inquiry; while in two other cases alternative sites were offered by the owner, but were apparently refused by the applicants. The Board have no information as to the present residences of the families referred to. Under Section 17 of the Labourers Act of 1885, the inspector holding the local inquiry is required to report to the Board the cases of any houses occupied as dwelling houses by labourers which are proved to his satisfaction to be unfit for human habitation; but he is given no powers to order the demolition of such houses, the matter being one in which the rural district council must act, but only when suitable housing accommodation has been provided by them. Of the thirty-one houses referred to in the question, it would appear that only one was proved at the inquiry to be unfit for human habitation; and of the thirty-one representations made only three were made on those grounds, the remaining twenty-eight being made on the ground that there was insufficient accommodation in the locality,

asked the Chief Secretary when an appeal to the Local Government Board for Ireland against an old age pension voted by a pension committee fully conversant with the case is supported by allegations which have never been before the committee; whether a decision on the appeal is withheld until the opinion of the committee on the allegations is obtained; and, if not, will he say by what authority the Board decide a case on allegations never considered by the committee?

When an appeal is made against the decision of a pension committee, the claim or question stands referred to the Local Government Board under Section 7 (1) (c) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908, and it rests with the Board to take such steps as they see fit to determine the claim or question. Where it is found desirable to obtain the opinion of the committee the Local Government Board do so.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) what Regulations are now in force for the prevention and suppression of sheep scab; by what means these Regulations are enforced, especially in mountainous districts; in what parts of Ireland is this disease most prevalent; and whether he will consider more effective methods for its eradication?

The Sheep Scab (Ireland) Order specifies the steps to be taken to eradicate the disease where outbreaks occur. The procedure includes the isolation and continued treatment by dipping of affected or suspected flocks and the disinfection of lands and premises at the scene of outbreak. In addition, and with a view to prevention of the disease, the Sheep Dipping (Ireland) Order requires all sheep throughout Ireland to be efficiently dipped twice yearly at certain specified periods. There is also a special Order providing for repeated dippings of sheep on the Curragh of Kildare, a large tract of open country to which sheep are brought from neighbouring mountain areas. These Orders are enforced by the police and inspectors appointed under the Diseases of Animals Acts. In mountain districts special inspections of sheep are made from time to time with a view to such enforcement. As regards areas of prevalence of the disease, if an aggregate of twenty outbreaks be taken as a standard, there are five Irish counties, namely, Down, Cork, Wexford, Meath, and Galway, where this figure has been reached or exceeded during the past winter. Cork and Galway are, however, exceptionally large counties. The question of further action regarding the disease is engaging attention at present.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Board of National Education has enacted that when one or more schools under Protestant management and with Protestant teachers is or are in operation in any place and with sufficient available accommodation for the Protestant children residing in the vicinity, the Commissioners decline to grant aid to any additional school under Protestant management within a distance of less than two miles from any such school except under special conditions after due notice setting forth the exceptional circumstances of the case; whether, notwithstanding this enactment, a school under Protestant management has lately received recognition within a mile from school Roll No. 8583, also under Protestant management; whether the new school has depleted school No. 8583 of any appreciable number of children; whether any protest has been lodged on behalf of the managers of school Roll No. 8583 against the making of a Grant to the new school; and what are the exceptional circumstances that induced the Board to grant aid to the additional school?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the rule is as stated and a similar rule applies in the case of schools under Roman Catholic managers and with Roman Catholic teachers. Finvoy school, situated about a mile away from Carrowreagh school No. 8583 on the roll, was aided by the Commissioners for one year from 31st July, 1912, on the understanding that in the meantime steps would be taken for the provision of a central school to replace these two schools. In October, 1912, it was represented to the Commissioners that six pupils who were enrolled in Finvoy school had been withdrawn from Carrowreagh school. The manager of Carrowreagh was opposed to the granting of aid to Finvoy school, but no protest was made to the Commissioners. The existing Carrowreagh school premises would not afford adequate accommodation for all the Protestant children in the vicinity of the two schools and a considerable number of the pupils enrolled in Finvoy schools reside two miles or over from any other national school under Protestant management.

asked the Chief Secretary the total local expenditure in Ireland for the years 1911–12 and 1912–13?

The net expenditure from revenue during the year ended 31st March, 1912, amounted to £7,134,849; excluding electric lighting, gas, and tramway undertakings in the hands of municipal authorities, the amount was £6,346,161. Additional expenditure amounting to £1,383,615 was defrayed from loans and stock, of which sums amounting to £194,275 were expended in connection with the three undertakings mentioned above. The figures for the year ended 31st March, 1913, will not be available until about February of next year.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that women at Twickenham, Surrey, are acting as recruiting sergeants for the Territorial Force; and if he intends taking any action in the matter?

I am not aware of these particular proceedings, but I see no objection to them.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many of the 260,000 officers and men in the Territorial Force have done their musketry course on an open range during the past year?

There are no statistics available at the War Office to enable me to give the required information.

asked the Secretary of State for War on what date the General Staff assured him that the troops remaining in the country after the Expeditionary Force had left would be adequate to defeat any organised invasion which, on the basis of the Admiralty calculation, might elude the Fleet; and what force is it exactly that the General Staff has recorded in writing can be dealt with effectively by the forces left behind?

The reply to the first part of the question is Wednesday, 16th April. The seond part of the question can only be dealt with adequately in a debate where naval and military questions can be jointly considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can give the number of coroners' inquests for the last year for which figures are available to show the number of inquests on women whose deaths have been connected with their having given birth to illegitimate children?

No statistics on this point are available.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the relatives of Mr. Hugh Franklin, who is hunger-striking in Pentonville Goal, have been informed that his nervous system is so seriously impaired that his reason is endangered; whether, in order to allay their anxiety and at the same time avert the possibility of Franklin's reason being permanently impaired, he will authorise an examination by a specialist to ascertain the facts; and whether his condition is now such as to justify him in ordering his release?

If any such information as is mentioned in the question has been conveyed to Mr. Franklin's relatives, I can only say that it is incorrect and its communication unauthorised. Mr. Franklin's mental condition cannot, in view of the crimes he has committed, be regarded as normal, but it has not in any way deteriorated during his imprisonment. As he had lost weight to the extent of 12 lbs., he was examined a fortnight ago by a specialist—since then there has been no further loss of weight, and there appears to be no necessity at present for a further consultation. There is nothing in his condition to render immediate release necessary.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Plymouth has not yet appointed an inspector under the Shops Act, and that traders are following their own desires, whilst in Nottingham the Act is strictly enforced, one trader having already paid three fines of £10 each; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

Yes, Sir, the matter has been receiving the attention of the Department, and I am glad to be able to say that the Town Council of Plymouth have now given an undertaking that they will take immediate steps to comply with the statutory duty placed upon them by Section 13 of the Act.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received resolutions from South Wales against the prevalent Sunday trading; and whether he will introduce a Bill for Wales which would be non-contentious and have the support of all sections of the community?

I have received a number of resolutions from Wales on the subject of Sunday trading, but I can hold out no prospect of the Government being able to deal with the subject at present. I am afraid the non-contentious Bill which would be acceptable to all parties has not yet been found.

asked the Home Secretary what reason he has for believing that the communication referring to the St. David's Mining Development Company was received after notice of the question in regard to it was given, and his grounds for doubting the bona fides of the representations?

Notice of the question was given on the 14th. The letter was registered in the Home Office on the 15th, but I find on inquiry it may possibly have been delivered on the 14th. My grounds for doubting the bona fides of the representations are those I gave in my reply to the hon. Member last Thursday.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of bales of cotton grown in India in the years 1907–8, 1909–10, and 1911–12, respectively, and the number of bales exported, in each of these years, to countries other than the United Kingdom?

The estimated yield in bales of the Indian cotton crop for the years mentioned was as follows:—

1907–8	…	…	…	3,122,000
1909–10	…	…	…	4,718,000
1911–12	…	…	…	3,288,000

The exports to countries other than the United Kingdom were:—

1907–8	…	…	…	2,274,575
1909–10	…	…	…	2,366,102
1911–12	…	…	…	1,934,943

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the values of the total exports from India to each of the principal countries of the world, and the values of the total imports into India from the same places, for each of the Indian financial years 1890–91, 1900–01, 1910–11, and 1911–12?

The Return has been prepared, and will be presented if the hon. Member will move for it in the ordinary manner.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has yet completed the scheme for England to provide farm stud animals of different breeds in this country; and, if so, who will be in charge of this Department at the Board of Agriculture?

Arrangements for the encouragement of milk-recording and for the improvement of heavy horses have been agreed between the Board and the Development Commissioners, and Grants of £5,000 and £8,800 respectively for these purposes for the current financial year have been sanctioned by the Treasury. The Board are still in consultation with the Development Commissioners on certain points in connection with the proposals for the improvement of cattle and swine; but I hope that the scheme will soon be finally settled, so that ample time may be allowed for making the necessary arrangements in the country before the next breeding season. Mr. E. J. Cheney, an assistant secretary of the Board, has been specially charged with the administration of the scheme, and will have the assistance of two expert inspectors.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if his attention has been called to a resolution passed at the annual meeting by the Eastern Counties Farmers Co-operative Association in favour of compensation being paid for pigs slaughtered on account of tuberculosis by order of the authorities; whether the recent declaration made by the President of the Board of Agriculture that, in future, compensation for tuberculosis slaughter would be paid in respect of beasts will be extended also to pigs; and if the Department will issue notifications accordingly?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The Tuberculosis Order recently issued by the Board deals only with certain forms of bovine tuberculosis, and I do not propose to extend its operations to pigs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the lantern adopted by the Board of Trade for testing colour vision differs from the Edridge-Green lantern in having no mechanism for regulating the luminosity of the light shown; if not, whether he can state what is new in this mechanism, and what are the advantages peculiar to the Board of Trade lantern?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the latter part, I do not think that in answer to a question, I can usefully enter into a discussion of the comparative merits of the Board of Trade lantern and other lanterns, but I shall be glad to make arrangements for my hon. Friend to inspect the Board's lantern if he so desires.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the exports and imports, respectively, of Great Britain for 1902 and for 1912, and what were the exports and imports of Germany and the United States for the same years?

The following statement gives the information desired. The figures for 1912 are provisional:—

I. Imports for Consumption.
		1902. Million £s.	1912. Million £s.
United Kingdom*	…	462.6	633.1
Germany	…	276.9	506.0
United States*	…	196.2	371.2
* Total Imports less Re-exports.

II. Exports of Domestic Produce and Manufactures.
		1902. Million £s.	1912. Million £s.
United Kingdom	…	283.4	487.0
Germany	…	230.0	437.0
United States	…	277.8	492.2

asked the Lord Advocate when he proposes to introduce the Bill dealing with clerks of the Court of Session?

I am not at present in a position to state when the Bill to which my hon. Friend refers will be introduced.