asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the deatchment of officers and men landed from the Fleet for garrison duty at Scutari is to be replaced by a military force from Malta; if the other Powers are taking a similar course and replacing their sailors at Scutari by soldiers; and, if so, who will be placed in command of the forces there when the Admiral leaves?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I am not aware that other Powers are taking a similar course. Vice-Admiral Burney remains in his present international office, and the question of his successor does not therefore now arise. The exchange of personnel now being made is simply a matter of convenience and does not make any change in policy.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any offer of mediation has been made by the Great Powers in regard to the subjects of difference between the Balkan Allies; and, if not, whether His Majesty's Government will consider the desirability of making an offer of mediation, with a view to the interests of European peace and the economic prosperity of the Balkan States?

My hon. Friend has no doubt seen in the Press that under a treaty between Bulgaria and Servia there is provision for the submission of certain differences to the arbitration of Russia. He will also have seen the appeal and the warning addressed by the Emperor of Russia to the Kings of Bulgaria and Servia. It is most earnestly to be hoped that the advice thus given may be accepted. It is impossible to express too strongly the feelings of disappointment and disapproval with which an outbreak of war between the Balkan States, so lately Allies, would be regarded by public opinion generally. It would alienate all the sympathy in Europe which has hitherto been an important contributory factor in securing an attitude of neutrality and noninterference on the part of the Great Powers, and the Balkan States must themselves be aware that if they were to fight with each other respecting the fruits of victory, they might risk what they have hitherto gained in the war with Turkey.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been called to a complaint published in the "Egyptian Mail," and signed by I. Fisher, of Alexandria, that his letters and papers are retained in the post office and handed over to the Russian Consul; whether this is with the consent of the Egyptian Government; and, if not, whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I have no information on this matter, but will inquire.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government exercised any and what control over the price to be paid to the Chinese Government for the bonds recently issued, or whether it was left to the determination of the British group, in consultation with the rest of the bankers of the international group, to fix the price to be paid to the Chinese Government?

The minimum price payable to the Chinese Government was settled between them and the international group of bankers without the intervention of His Majesty's Govern- ment. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the loan agreement signed recently between the Chinese Government and the quintuple group of bankers confers any special privileges upon the bankers in regard to future loan business; and, if so, what is the nature and extent of such privileges?

I must ask the hon. Member to wait until he can himself examine the terms of the Agreement, which will shortly be laid before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that an agreement between Russia and China with regard to Mongolia was initialled on the same day that the quintuple loan was signed; and whether the membership of Russia in the quintuple group of bankers is without connection with political considerations?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the replies returned respectively to the hon. Member for North Westmeath on 7th November last and to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds on 27th March last. The operations of the quintuple group have had nothing to do with political considerations of the kind mentioned in the question.

asked whether the Government proposes to continue exclusively to support the Hong Kong and Shanghai Corporation and its associates in connection with the issue of future direct loans to the Chinese Government, or loans arising out of contracts for the construction of railways and similar undertakings?

The future policy of His Majesty's Government is now under consideration, but I can make no statement at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will lay the correspondence connected with the Chinese loan agreement, in continuation of China, No. 2, of 1912 [Cd. 6446]?

Further Papers will be laid in due course.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Grant of £40,000 for secondary education promised for last year will still be available; and, if not, will the Grant for future years be increased so as to recoup Ireland for the loss she has suffered?

I should be sorry to say that this Grant was not available. I certainly cannot hold out hopes that it will be increased.

asked the Chief Secretary when he proposes to give the House of Commons an opportunity of discussing the delay in making the promised Grant of £44,000 per annum towards secondary education in Ireland?

I quite recognise that this matter cannot stand over much longer, and as soon as ever a decision has been arrived at I will inform the House what it is. As to an opportunity for discussion I cannot answer.

asked the Chief Secretary when the Grant of £40,000 per annum for secondary education in Ireland was first promised; whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a copy of the conditions then suggested; and will he explain the cause of the delay and the loss which Ireland has suffered?

I stated in the House on the 31st July last that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had agreed to allow me to have this sum of £40,000 for the improvement of the position of secondary teachers in Ireland, to be distributed in a way to be settled by me in consultation with the proper authorities in Ireland. A draft scheme for the distribution of the Grant was published in the "Times" and in the Irish newspapers on the 10th September last, where anyone who wishes can see it. I am still in communication with educational authorities in Ireland as to the details of the scheme, and no useful purpose will be served by laying a copy of the original draft on the Table of the House.

Is it a fact that as a result of the opposition Ireland has lost £40,000 already?

The matter is still under very careful discussion, and I am still hopeful to be able very soon to inform the House that a satisfactory agreement has been come to whereby this very considerable sum of money would be secured for the purpose named, but at the present moment it is in peril.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give any hope that an arrangement will be come to within a reasonable time, because we have already waited twelve months, and we should not be asked to wait any longer?

I cannot expect the House or anybody else to be content not to know what has happened, and therefore I hope very shortly, in a few days or weeks, to be able to say that. I am fully alive to the importance of the matter.

asked the number of persons in county Kerry receiving an old age pension at the end of the year 1910; and how many who had been previously receiving pensions were disqualified on questions raised by the pension officers since the passage of the Old Age Pensions Act of 1911?

The number of old age pensioners in county Kerry at the end of 1910 is not known; but three months later, i.e., at the end of March, 1911, the number was 9,047. The information asked for in the last part of this question is, I fear, not available, as no separate record of such cases is kept.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Local Government Board are still determined to deprive Edward Prunty, Aghaward, Ballinalee, of the old age pension to which by age and circumstances in life he is entitled; whether he is aware that three different times the local sub-committee have passed this man's claim only to have their decision upset by the local pension officer, who is neither an expert nor a professional valuer; and will the Board accept evidence of value if tendered by Mr. William Stephenson, J.P., a large farmer and auctioneer in the district?

The pension committee have on three occasions granted a pension of 5s. a week to Prunty, but the claims have been disallowed by the Local Government Board on the grounds that his means exceed the statutory limit. The pension officer has no authority to award or refuse a pension, and his estimates are not binding on the Board, who formed their own independent estimate from the particulars of stock and crops on the farm, which contains fourteen acres of fair land. Before determining his last claim, the Board had inquiry made as to the claimant's circumstances by one of their own inspectors. As the case is now closed the Board cannot consider any further evidence except in the event of an appeal being lodged in connection with a further claim, when all evidence furnished would be duly considered.

May I take it that the evidence of Mr. Stephenson will be accepted or at least considered?

Certainly it will be considered; but I will accept no man's evidence without an opportunity of considering it.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether pension officers, in estimating the means of applicants for old age pensions in England, value the maintenance of the artizan classes at from 3s. to 5s. per week; whether the same officers value maintenance in Ireland, where the standard of living is considerably lower, at from Ss. to 12s. per week; and whether this is done with the authority or by the direction of the Treasury?

No instructions have been issued to pension officers directing them to assign a particular value to maintenance in framing their estimates of means for old age pension purposes. The rule in force throughout the United Kingdom is that such estimates should be made by reference to all the facts bearing on the standard of living of the person with whom the claimant resides.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury, whether he is still satisfied that pension officers in Ireland have acted fairly between old age pension applicants and the Local Government Board in the matter of appeals and that they do not in many cases err, especially in the matter of valuation of means; and will he arrange that in disputes in future the evidence of local professional valuers will be accepted?

I am confident that pension officers in Ireland act fairly between old age pension applicants and the Local Government Board in the matter of appeals, and I do not except those cases in which the officer's estimate of means is not adopted by the authorities with whom the decision rests. An officer would be failing in his duty if he did not exercise his right of appeal when his estimate is less favourable to the claimant than that of the committee. As regards the last part of the question, I have no authority to give directions to the Local Government Board as to the evidence to be accepted in cases submitted to them on appeal.

asked whether the agreement between Dowd, a sub-tenant on the farm of P. Mulhern, estate of Mr. O'Connor, at Cruckawn, county Longford, will be given effect to and the sub-tenancy vested in the sub-tenant, the direct tenant, Mulhern, having assented to this settlement?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that Timothy Dowd is a sub-tenant of about 1½ acres on the holding of James Mulhern on the estate referred to, which was the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owner to the tenants. The Commissioners decided that the case was not one in which the sub-tenant should be deemed to be tenant for the purposes of sale of the parcel of land in his occupation, and the entire holding has accordingly been vested in Mulhern, subject to the sub-tenancy. The Commissioners have no knowledge of the agreement referred to in the question, and the matter cannot be reopened.

asked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay investing the lands of Caldraghmore, county Longford, estate of George Lemon, deceased, in the tenants; whether he is aware that this is a small estate, with only a few tenants, and there is no obstacle as to title or the like in the case; and will he now direct that the estate be vested forthwith in these few tenants?

The Estates Commissioners are unable from the particulars given to identify this estate as the subject of proceedings for sale before them under the Land Purchase Acts.

asked the Chief Secretary what is the cause of the delay in concluding the arrangement made with the landlady's representative for the sale and division of the lands of Toneymore, Shirley Ball estate, county Longford, amongst the uneconomic and landless people of that district; whether nearly five years have elapsed since this matter was settled; and will he now request the Estates Commissioners to conclude the transaction?

This estate is the subject of proceedings for sale direct by the owner to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and the owner has included in the proceedings some 137 acres of untenanted land situate on the townlands of Toneymore and Abbeylara for sale to the Estates Commissioners. The estate is on the principal register of direct sales, and, having regard to the claims of other estates, the Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when it will be reached, and they have no power to deal with it until it is so reached.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the price which the Estates Commissioners were prepared to offer Mr. James W. Bond, D.L., for the lands of Coolcraft, North Longford; whether he is aware that this landlord has declared he was willing to sell and that the price only remained to be settled; what was the report of the inspector in the case; and will he now request the Commissioners to reopen the negotiations in order to allay local feeling in the matter?

It would be contrary to the Estates Commissioners' practice to make any statement as to the price which they were prepared to advance for the purchase of lands which have not been acquired by them, or to disclose the contents of their inspectors' reports, which are furnished for the confidential information of the Commissioners.

Am I to understand from the right hon. Gentleman's reply that the Commissioners regard this matter as closed and will take no further action?

I think that that is so.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Estates Commissioners have yet considered the report of their inspector on his recent inspection of the Massy estate; whether they must conduct any further negotiations with the Land Judge before fixing the terms of purchase with the tenants; is he in a position to state what these terms will be; and what consideration is being given to the claims of evicted tenants on or in the neighbourhood of this estate?

The Estates Commissioners have not yet considered their inspector's report on this estate. Further negotiations with the Land Judge will be necessary before fixing the terms of purchase, and the Commissioners are not therefore in a position to say what these terms will be. The claims of evicted tenants will be considered by the Commissioners when they are dealing with the property if acquired by them.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that it is most desirable, in the interests of the evicted tenants, small holders, and labourers of the district, that the demesne and untenanted lands on the Massy estate, near Macroom, should be acquired for purposes of distribution; whether the Estates Commissioners have made any representations to the Land Judge claiming that all the property on this estate should be placed at their disposal; and, if not, will they immediately do so, having regard to the importance of the interests affected; and whether they will at the same time take steps to have the holdings on the town portion of this estate sold to the occupying tenants?

The Estates Commissioners have not made any representations to the Land Judge on the subject of the sale of the mansion house and demesne lands and they are not prepared at this stage of the proceedings now pending before them in connection with the sale of the agricultural portion of the property to make any statement as to what action, if any, they may take in the matter.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners will take immediate steps to ascertain whether Henry Good, a tenant on the estate of Sir George Colthurst, at Ballyvourney, is now willing to consent to a sale, on terms already arranged, to his sub-tenant Cornelius Sheehan; whether Sheehan has all along been willing to purchase at the price fixed by the Commissioners; and whether they have communicated to the tenant Good their decision to dismiss the proceedings for the sale of his holding unless he comes to terms forthwith with his sub-tenant?

The Estates Commissioners informed Good's solicitor some time ago that if his client was not prepared to consent to the purchase by Sheehan of the lands in his occupation as sub-tenant they would consider the advisability of excluding Good's holding from the sale, and they have now intimated to him that if Good refuses to signify his consent within a reasonable period the Commissioners will dismiss the proceedings for the sale of the holding. The Commissioners are aware that Sheehan is willing to purchase at the price estimated by them.

asked whether the Estates Commissioners are unable to state the area of land now occupied by evicted tenants or tenants who have been given new holdings in county Cavan under the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, and to the latest date available in 1913?

The Estates Commissioners, in compliance with Section 3 of the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, publish quarterly Returns of reinstated evicted tenants which are presented to Parliament, and contain the particulars prescribed by Statute, and I cannot ask them at a time of pressure such as this to take their staff away from their current work to compile the special Return asked for by the hon. Member.

What length of time would it take to have this small item of information supplied?

I am afraid that whatever time it would take would be taken away from business of the most pressing importance.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, having regard to his statement that no constable was seriously hurt in the recent affray on grazing lands on the Ashtown estate, near Clonbullogue, King's County, he will cause inquiries to be made as to the batoning of the people on that occasion; whether he is aware that two young men were so severely injured by the constabulary that their lives were in imminent danger and their clergy called for to administer the rites of their Church; and why a special police force, quartered on this district for the benefit of graziers owing to the protracted delay of the Estates Commissioners in proceeding with the purchase of the Ashtown estate, was unable to maintain order against an unarmed crowd without such an unnecessary display of violence?

On the occasion referred to a crowd of 300 persons attacked eighteen police who tried to prevent them driving the cattle off the lands referred to, and the police were obliged to use their batons in self-defence. I am not aware that any of the crowd which attacked the police were so injured as to endanger their lives.

Will the right hon. Gentleman acquaint himself with the history of this estate, and when he has acquainted himself with the history of this estate from which fifty tenants were evicted by a former landlord, will he use his best offices with the Estates Commissioners to have it purchased, and the representatives of the former evicted tenants put back on their own holdings?

That is another matter. I am most concerned at the present moment with the protection of the police who in this particular matter were subjected to a very savage attack which I am glad to say they repelled with considerable vigour.

Is the landlord of this estate, Lord Ashtown, now a bankrupt, and would it not be in the interests of the estate to get some ready money?

I quite appreciate that point.

Will the right hon. Gentleman cause inquiries to be made to confirm the statement which I have made, that the Catholic curate was called in to administer the rites of the church to two young men who were nearly killed?

All I know is that 300 people attacked eighteen.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), whether he is aware that sugar beet can be profitably grown in Ireland; and, if so, whether the Department will take some steps to encourage the growth of the crop in that country?

The Department have for some time been carrying out experiments regarding the cultivation of sugar beet, and good crops have been grown in connection with these experiments, which are being continued. If, however, the prices hitherto offered by sugar factories continue as at present, the Department would not, as a result of their trials, be justified in recommending generally the cultivation of beet in preference to other root crops

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the amount annually expended on the importation of sugar beet from Germany and Holland into these countries?

The imports of sugar beetroots into the United Kingdom are not of sufficient importance to be separately recorded in the official trade Returns of this country, but according to the official Returns for 1911 of Germany and the Netherlands, no beets were exported in that year from the former country to the United Kingdom, and only eleven tons from the latter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he is aware that the Government, of Ceylon on 7th May refused when requested to forward to the Secretary of State for the Colonies a formal protest lodged by the Colombo Total Abstinence Central Union against the new Government order prohibiting headmen from belonging to temperance societies; and what steps he proposes to take to insure that in future such representations of Colonial opinion on important matters of public interest are not withheld from him?

I am not aware of the facts of the matter to which my hon. Friend refers. The regulations for His Majesty's Colonial Service lay down that any communication from individuals in a Colony addressed to the Secretary of State through the Governor are to be forwarded by the Governor with all reasonable despatch, together with such report as their contents may seem to require. I have no reason to suppose that any steps are required to ensure that this rule is carried out by the Government of Ceylon.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Governor refused to pass on this representation?

I do not know the facts yet; but I have no reason to think that there was any refusal before a representation had been made in the ordinary course.

asked whether the Secretary of State for the Colonies is aware that the Excise authorities of Kandy (Ceylon) have recently placed an arrack tavern within thirty yards of the Roman Catholic cathedral and two doors from a girls' school, against the almost unanimous written protests of the resident occupiers of the neighbourhood; and, seeing that the Report of the two Excise Commissioners on which the new Excise Ordinance is framed recommended that taverns should not be too near any place of religious worship, or public market, or any school, or court house, or similar institution, whether he will either close the tavern or order its removal to a less unsuitable site?

I have no information with regard to the matter, but I will make inquiry of the officer administering the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether an official investigation into the truth of complaints made by suffragists concerning the conditions under which prisoners are removed in prison vans is being conducted; if so, whether the investigation in question has been placed by the Prison Commissioners in the hands of the Commissioner of Police; whether, having regard to the fact that it was on the authority of the Commissioner of Police he stated on 12th February last that prison vans were not overcrowded, that female prisoners are conveyed in closed compartments entirely separate from the males, and that the sexes are always separated in the prison vans, and of these statements being in direct conflict with sworn statements of the Suffragists, which sworn statements have been forwarded to him, he will entrust the investigation to an independent tribunal and not to the Commissioner of Police, whose statements are challenged; (2) if the investigation into the truth of statements made by suffragists regarding the conditions under which prisoners are removed in prison vans is being conducted in secret, and if the Commissioner of Police who is conducting the investigation has refused to accept first-hand statements from those who have lodged the complaints which are the subject of his inquiry; and (3) if he is aware that the governor of Holloway Gaol told one prisoner that complaints concerning the conditions under which prisoners are removed in prison vans did not concern the prison authorities, and that such complaints must be laid before the Commissioner of Police; that the Commissioner of Police, when appealed to in the matter, said that it did not concern him but must be laid before the Prison Commissioners; that the Prison Commissioners have now called upon the Commissioner of Police to make an inquiry and inform them of what, on his authority, is no concern of his; and that the magistrate at Marylebone Police Court, in reply to similar complaints, said the matter only concerned the Home Secretary; and if he will say who is responsible?

The prison vans are supplied by the Commissioner of Police and are in charge of police officers, but in conveying prisoners between the courts and prisons these officers act as agents for the Prison Commissioners, who are responsible for this service. If a complaint relating to his conveyance to or from the prison is made by a prisoner to the Prison Commissioners, they refer it to the Commissioner of Police, who takes statements from his officers and reports to the Prison Commissioners. An inquiry has been made into a complaint addressed by two female prisoners on the 15th May to the Visiting Committee of Holloway Prison, and it has been shown that, if the prisoners' complaint was rightly understood by the Visiting Committee, it was not in accordance with the facts. I find, however, that the statutory declaration made by one of them, which has just been sent to me by my hon. Friend, differs from her complaint as reported by the Visiting Committee, and I propose that further inquiry should be made into the whole matter?

asked if the Home Secretary is aware that Miss Emerson, who was sentenced on the 18th February to two months' imprisonment, and released on 8th April in a state of collapse, was forcibly fed whilst suffering from appendicitis, and is now in such a condition as to require a serious operation; whether forcible feeding is intended to be resorted to under circumstances so painful and so dangerous to life; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to prevent its repetition under such circumstances?

Miss Emerson, while she was in prison, showed no symptom of suffering from appendicitis and she was not in a state of collapse when released. She did her utmost during her imprisonment to impair her health by refusing food and by other wilful acts, but her weight and general condition were well maintained, and she was not released on grounds connected with her health. I have no information as to her health since her release.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a copy of the complaint which he has made to the Royal College of Surgeons against Sir Victor Horsley?

Personally I should have no objection to laying upon the Table of the House a copy of my communication to the Royal College of Surgeons, but, as I have said, it is a matter for their discretion whether or not it should be communicated to Sir Victor Horsley or made public.

May I ask why this is a matter within the discretion of the Royal College of Surgeons, since the complaint emanated from the right hon. Gentleman himself; and whether he can refer me to any precedent of a complaint being made by a Government Department against a professional authority which has not been communicated to the person indicated?

All the facts, I assume, have already been communicated to Sir Victor Horsley by the Royal College of Surgeons.

In what terms?

The facts, as I explained in a previous answer, were already known to Sir Victor Horsley, and the complaint, as it is called, contained no new charge, nor any charge at all against Sir Victor Horsley. What has happened is this: Sir Victor Horsley made certain complaints against several members of the Royal College of Surgeons, and I, in this House, denied the justice of those complaints, and I have forwarded Sir Victor Horsley's charges, with the documents which I quoted in my answer given in this House.

Why should that be done?

Having sent the correspondence and the statements to the Royal College of Surgeons, surely it is within their province to decide whether they will make them public or not. I have merely called their attention to the documents and the statements, every one of which has already been published.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the opinion widely held that the establishment of the office of Poet Laureate has been of advantage neither to the nation nor to literature, he will consider the advisability of abolishing that office?

The question is being considered in all its aspects.

asked whether the Prime Minister can state the salary, perquisites, and privileges appertaining to the office of Poet Laureate, and also the exact nature of the duties; whether the Poet Laureate is bound to produce a certain quantity of verse per annum; and whether he will have printed as a White Paper the productions in verse of the Laureates for the last 150 years?

The salary is now £70 a year with an allowance of £27 in lieu of a butt of sack. I do not know that the duties of a Poet Laureate are exactly defined. I am not prepared to accede to the request contained in the last part of the question. Most of the productions referred to can be obtained by those who desire to peruse them.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the position of Poet Laureate was established in substitution for the old, ancient, and time-honoured institution of the King's jester, and that the salary is exactly that which was given the King's jester? Will the right hon. Gentleman now re-establish the office of the King's jester?

This time, I think my hon. Friend's history is not quite right.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the claim of the hon. Member for Donegal?

Has the Poet Laureate the option to claim a butt of sack or £27?

That was commuted nearly one hundred years ago.

Is there not an intolerable deal of sack for a ha'porth of poetry?

asked if the Prime Minister will state when he proposes to give effect to the undertaking that a Select Committee should be appointed forthwith to inquire into the question of collection of taxes?

I presume the hon. and learned Member refers to the Select Committee in regard to the provisional collection of taxes promised by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the 15th April last at the conclusion of the Committee stage of the Bill dealing with that matter. I have not forgotten that undertaking, and hope soon to be in a position to make an announcement.

Does the right hon. Gentleman remember that we were induced to withdraw an Amendment on the promise to appoint a Committee?

dissented.

asked if the Prime Minister will state on what date he proposes to introduce the Imperial Naturalisation Bill?

The Prime Minister has asked me to reply to this question. I cannot fix a date because the final details of the Bill are still the subject of correspondence with the Dominions. When that is concluded, I should be glad to take the earliest opportunity that may present itself for the introduction of this Bill, whether in this House or in another place.

asked (1) if the Prime Minister is aware that the ravages of the Isle of Wight bee disease in Scotland, the South of England, and Wales have been more serious during the last twelve months than in any similar period; and whether and, if so, when the Government propose to proceed with the further stages of the Bee Disease Bill; and (2) whether it is proposed to proceed with the Milk and Dairies Bill and carry it through all its stages during the present Session; and, if so, whether, in view of the large number of its Clauses and its probably far-reaching effect upon various classes of the community, he will arrange for the Second Reading of the Bill to be taken at an early date?

I am informed that the losses due to the Bee disease during the last twelve months have been serious, but that it is not possible to make any trustworthy comparison with previous years. The Government would be glad to carry the Bee Disease and the Milk and Dairies Bills through this Session, but, unless they can proceed as substantially uncontentious measures, I am afraid there is little prospect of this in the time at our disposal.

Does the right hon. Gentleman mean to convey that both Bills are exactly on the same footing as to the prospect of going through this Session?

I do not know whether they are exactly on the same footing. They stand in the same category.

asked the Prime Minister whether any and, if so, which of those provisions of the Acts of Union between England and Scotland which are thereby declared to be essential and fundamental conditions of the Union which have been repealed or modified have been so repealed or modified without the consent of the majority of English representatives?

The sources of information are as readily available to the hon. and learned Gentleman as to me. He can ascertain the facts by research into the pages of history and the Journals of this House.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I have not been able after research to ascertain any precedent for the violation of an essential fundamental condition of the Act of Union between England and Scotland, and whether the right hon. Gentleman will say that that fundamental condition no longer exists?

I am not at all aware to what extent the hon. Member's research has been carried.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it was a fundamental and essential condition of the Act of Union that every Scottish professor should sign a confession of faith and that that fundamental and essential condition was repealed in 1830, and as yet I do not see that the Scottish are up in arms against it?

That was done with the consent of both parties.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that changes have been made relating to the Church of Scotland without the consent of Scotland?

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government invited any tenders from, or contemplated any contract with, the Mexican Eagle Company for oil during the year 1912; how far negotiations went; and the reason they were never completed?

Competitive tenders for fuel oil were invited both in 1912 and 1913 from the company in question, but the company were not then in a position to offer oil for early delivery to Admiralty requirements. Prolonged experiments have been carried out in recent months with samples of oils from the newer fields of supply, not only from Mexico, but also from Trinidad, California, Persia, and from Home, with the object of widening and diversifying the sources of oil supply. The results are now engaging the persistent attention of the Board of Admiralty, by whom the subject is regarded as of the highest consequence. Proposals, whether by purchase or by forward contracts, for the supply of oil from the Mexican Eagle and other companies are still under consideration; and having regard to the geographical position of Mexico and its strategic communications with this country, partial reliance upon Mexican supplies would appear to be indicated as a necessary feature in any satisfactory solution of the problem.

May I ask the Prime Minister to whom this question was addressed—whether he will appoint a Com- mittee to examine the books of Messrs. Montmorency and Company, in view of the published statements that investments have been made?

That is a question which clearly requires notice.

May I ask the Prime Minister, arising out of this rather oily, unctuous question—

It seems to me an important matter.

It is.

Then notice should be given.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, if he will state the names of the persons or firms, together with the respective dates, quantities, or values for the year 1912, from whom purchases of oil fuel for the Navy were made?

It is the practice of the Admiralty in the public interest not to publish particulars of contracts for important supplies, on which the war efficiency of the Fleet depends. It is regretted that no exception to that rule can be made in the case of the supplies in question.

Am I to understand that the right hon. Gentleman objects to publish the names of the persons with whom he has contracted, or the amounts of the contracts?

Unless any special circumstances are brought to my notice in this House by some Member of the House I shall decline to depart in any respect from the regular, settled, and established practice of the Board of Admiralty.

Is it not customary in a great many cases to publish the names of Admiralty contractors? Why should an exception be made in this case?

No exception will be made. The regular practice will be followed without any deviation in one direction or the other.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a contract for the supply of lubricating oil for use on Gnome motors has recently been given to a firm who supply Gnomol; that such oil when used some months ago, gave unsatisfactory results and was found to be dangerous, so that certain naval aviators refused for this reason to use it; whether the only safe oil is pure castor oil; and will he cause inquiries to be made?

I am informed that several brands of castor oil for lubricating purposes have been under trial in the Naval Air Service, and purchases have been made of those descriptions (including Gnomol), which have been found to give the most satisfactory results in actual use. Several criticisms of various brands of castor oil, including so called "pure castor oil," have been received from time to time. At the present time Gnomol is giving the most satisfactory results. No special inquiries appear necessary as the naval aviators are in close touch with the Admiralty purchasing Departments on this matter.

Will this question come within the purview of the Committee now sitting on the supply of oil fuel for the Navy?

No. The question of lubricating oil for aircraft is a very small one, and does not raise any of the difficult problems connected with the supply of oil fuel for the Navy.

Does the right hon. Gentleman notice the transfer of interest from Marconis to "Oils"?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the New Explosives Company, at Stowmarket, are contractors to the Admiralty; and, if so, whether the Fair-Wages Clause is being observed by the company?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, no complaint has been received by the Admiralty in regard to the wages paid by the firm.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any official information has reached him that the advance which he announced in the construction of the three "Dreadnoughts" has been unfavourably received in Germany; and whether there are any indications of a German agitation for a new building programme?

We have no official information on either of the points raised.

asked the Prime Minister, whether, having regard to the many interests and the important issues involved in the proposed National Insurance Act Amending Bill, he will arrange that the Bill shall be considered after its Second Reading in a Committee of the Whole House?

asked whether the Prime Minister intends to send the National Insurance Act Amending Bill to a Grand Committee, a Standing Committee, or a Select Committee?

It is the intention of the Government to send the Bill to a Standing Committee.

Is the Bill being sent upstairs in order to avoid the necessity of a Dissolution?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that great expectations have been aroused with regard to this Amending Bill by his own letter to the electors of Altrincham; and, in view of the importance of the matter, is it not desirable that every Member of the House should be in a position to take part in the discussion of Amendments?

I said nothing in my letter to Altrincham that I had not already said in this House.

Having regard to the number of persons who are desirous of suggesting Amendments, does not the right hon. Gentleman think that the time of the House would be really economised by Amendments being made in Committee rather than on the Report stage?

As at present advised we think this is the best course.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) whether he has seen the report of a meeting of the Kent Insurance Committee on 29th May last, wherein it is stated that the rate of sickness experienced was more than double that expected, and that in a district near Maid-stone the rate went up to four times that expected; if so, what steps he proposes to take for the protection of approved societies; (2) whether the Insurance Commissioners have received representations from the approved societies under the National Insurance Act as to the prevalence of malingering, if so, whether he proposes to appoint medical referees for the purpose of checking malingering; and (3) whether the sickness claims received by approved societies under the National Insurance Act are in excess of those expected on the basis of the Government actuaries' calculations; and, if so, whether the excess arises from malingering?

It is too early at present to make any generalisation as to the actual claims for sickness benefit in comparison with the actuaries' estimates. I have seen a report of the meeting of the insurance committee to which the hon. Member refers, from which it appears that references were made to the rates of sickness in certain areas, but I am not aware that any general official statistics were available. As was to be expected, there is evidence that the claims on some societies, and in some districts, are above the normal, but such evidence as is at present available for the country as a whole does not point to any general excess over the actuarial expectations. The primary responsibility for checking malingering must, of course, rest upon the approved societies who administer the sickness benefit. The whole question, however, including the appointment of medical referees, is now receiving the most careful consideration of the Commissioners, who are obtaining information as to the character and extent of the problem.

Is it proposed to introduce any Insurance Act Amending Bill touching this matter?

I cannot give any answer to that question.

If a society's sickness experience largely exceeded the estimate, would there be an early valuation?

Certainly, in such circumstances the valuation would be expedited.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether a married woman, not an insured person, who is deserted by her husband just before the birth of her child, can obtain the maternity benefit; and, if not, whether he will deal with this matter in the forthcoming National Insurance Act Amending Bill?

In the circumstances mentioned by the hon. Member, I think that the society, which has discretion to administer the benefit otherwise than in cash, would be justified in using the money to make provision for the wife. The question of proposing a Clause in the Amending Bill to enable the society to treat the benefit, in cases of desertion, as in every respect a benefit for the wife has been under consideration.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he has received representations from health insurance officers under the National Insurance Act as to their remuneration of £80 per annum, out of which they have usually to purchase food away from home; whether a number of these officers are married; and whether they are virtually debarred from promotion?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; to the second part in the affirmative, but the scale of salary was well known to candidates before they accepted appointments. In reply to the third paragraph, I may say that they are not debarred from promotion, but they were informed before appointment that they would not ordinarily be eligible for promotion to the inspectorate, though promotions might be made in special cases of exceptional merit.

asked (1) whether any decision has yet been come regarding the appointment of inspectors of pharmacies; and (2) whether the auditors appointed to audit the accounts sent in by chemists who have supplied medicine under the provisions of the National Insurance Act will have to possess a special knowledge of the price of drugs and the business of a chemist?

I propose to take Questions 65 and 66 together. The matters referred to in the two questions are under consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make any announcement in regard to them.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if in any amending Bill to the National Insurance Act he, will take into particular consideration the case of the casual dock labourers who, from the nature of their work, are often out of employment through no fault of their own, and find it difficult to keep up their weekly insurance payments?

The problem to which the hon. Member refers is receiving the careful consideration of the Government and the Insurance Commissioners.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury when the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Civil services may be expected to issue an interim Report of their proceedings and recommendations, so far as these relate to the Civil Service proper; and if he will inquire when evidence will be taken concerning the legal branches of the public departments in Ireland?

With regard to the first part, of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Barrow-in-Furness yesterday. I understand that it, is not possible to say at present when evidence will be taken with regard to the legal departments.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the lock-out now in force at the works of the Metropolitan Amalgamated Carriage works at Birmingham is due to the breach of an agreement by the Engineers and Allied Trades Societies Federation, made between it and the company; and whether he can take any steps to impress upon the members of the workers' union that the lock-out consequent upon this breach of agreement is causing hardship to innocent men and their families?

I understand that statements have been made to the effect that one of the questions at issue in the present dispute between the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company and their workpeople relates to an alleged breach of an agreement. As stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Wednesbury on Monday last, I understand that a meeting between the parties will shortly take place.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average incidence of the import duty levied in the United States on the class of goods principally exported to that country; and what change would be introduced if the proposed new tariff were passed into law?

The official Returns of imports into the United States from individual countries are not published in sufficient detail to enable the ad valorem incidence of the duties on imports from the United Kingdom to be calculated. Even were such a calculation practicable it would be impossible to foresee the extent to which the changes now proposed in the United States tariff would affect the magnitude of the imports of the different classes of goods from this country. I regret, therefore, that I am not in a position to give the information desired.

May I ask whether the United States proposed tariff has been submitted to the Commercial Intelligence Committee for examination?

Do I understand that the Board of Trade has not inquired into what the difference would be?

I have given the reasons why I am unable to answer, but if any hon. Member desires a reply to any question I shall be pleased to give it on notice.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what would be the average incidence of the Import Duty levied in the United States on British exports as represented by the proposed tariff recently introduced in the House of Representatives and calculated on a basis similar to that employed in the Second Fiscal Blue Book, p. 295?

I will have the necessary calculations made, and will communicate again with the hon. Member when the results are available

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can explain why in Part III. of the Preliminary Tables of the Census of Production the net output per person employed, based upon the cost of material, the price at which the goods are sold, and the number of persons employed in making and marketing them, is in the case of such trades as hosiery, china, and earthenware £68 only, but in the case of chemicals, coal-tar products, drugs, and perfumery rises to £185, and in the case of ink, gum, and sealing wax to £318; and whether, if such figures are largely affected by the cost of advertisement, he will arrange that in future similar Returns such cost is deducted so that the figures may, in the case of each trade and industry, be judged on a similar basis?

According to the revised figures shown in the Final Report of the First Census of Production, the net output per head in the hosiery trades was £61; in the china and earthenware trades, £68; in the chemicals, coal-tar products, drugs and perfumery trades, £183; and in the ink, gum and sealing-wax trades £280. The differences in the rate of net output per head are partially due to the cost of advertising and sales expenses in the two latter groups of trades, but other factors have to be taken into account, and the whole subject is discussed in the section on "Net Output per head of Persons Employed" on pages 12–15 of the General Report (Cd. 6320, Part I.). Under the provisions of the Census of Production Act, 1906, and the Orders and Rules issued by the Board of Trade thereunder, it is not possible to require manufacturers to state, for the purposes of the Second Census of Production, the cost of advertisement, so that the course suggested by the hon. Member is not practicable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to that part of the Official Report issued by the Board of Trade of the formal investigation into the loss of the ss. "Veronese," which deals with the conduct of Mr. Ernest Victor Hugo, chief officer, and Messrs. Frederick Martin, boatswain, and William Jay, able seaman, where it is pointed out by the Court that the rescue of the emigrants from their dangerous position, this work entailing danger to life and limbs, was due to the conduct and untiring efforts of Mr. E. V. Hugo, chief officer, ably assisted by F. Martin, boatswain, and W. Jay, able seaman, the court stating that Mr. Hugo was so severely injured during his courageous efforts that he was unable to sit upright whilst giving evidence some ten weeks after the event; and what steps, if any, he is taking in respect to these opinions expressed by the Court?

I have already had under consideration the observations in the report to which the hon. Member refers. I fully appreciate the services rendered on the, occasion of the wreck of the "Veronese," and the question of suitably recognising the gallantry displayed by Mr. Hugo and others is being dealt with.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps the English and Irish Railway Clearing Houses, respectively, have taken to meet the demand of Irish traders in regard to the new regulations concerning the addressing of packages containing Irish eggs and butter imported into this country; what is the reason for such a delay in a matter so vital to the Irish produce export trade; and whether he will urge English and Irish railway companies alike to revert to the system which has worked so satisfactorily during the last forty years for all concerned?

I have forwarded to my hon. Friend copies of letters from which it appears that the Railway Clearing House hope to arrange for the application of the new addressing regulations to Continental traffic, and that, the Irish Clearing House are considering the representations made to them by a deputation from the Irish Egg and Butter Merchants' Association on the 15th May. I am not aware that there has been any undue delay, but I will communicate again with the Irish Clearing House in the matter.

Does the right hon. Gentleman give us to understand that the railway companies of England and Ireland are prepared to abolish the new regulations in order to bring down foreign produce to the level of Irish at the present time?

I would like notice of that question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of the re-exports from the United Kingdom to foreign countries in 1912 of goods that had been imported into the United Kingdom from India

The value of the re-exports in 1912 to all destinations of goods originally consigned to the United Kingdom from India, was £11,730,000, but I am unable to say what proportion of this value represents re-exports to foreign countries and what proportion re-exports to British Possessions.

asked the Postmaster-General when the installation of the trunk telephone in Longford will take place; whether be is aware that the initiation of this work has been promised three different times within the past year; and will he now give a definite promise as to the date of the commencement of the work?

The work in connection with the extension of the trunk telephone system to Longford was commenced early in May, and I hope that it will be completed in August.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state how, under the Tuberculosis Order of 1913, bovine tuberculosis with emaciation is being distinguished from Johne's disease in cases where the owner does not consent to the application of the tuberculin test; and how, if no outward symptoms of tuberculosis exist, cattle can be notified as giving tuberculosis milk in the absence of the proposed machinery of the Milk and Dairies Bill, whereby the presence of the disease in milk can, after bacteriological analysis, be traced from the retailer's premises to those of the cattle owner and the particular cow which yielded it?

No case of difficulty in making a differential diagnosis between tuberculosis with emaciation and Johne's disease has been brought to my notice, but I am advised that the following method may be used for distinguishing the two diseases, namely, by clinical examination, and, if necessary, microscopic examination of scrapings of the mucous membrance of the rectum, or by microscopic and biological examination of the fæces. With regard to the latter part of the question I would point out that, whilst it is, of course, the case that owners of cows may not be able to notify cases of cows giving tuberculosis milk from clinical symptoms, local Acts are already in existence under which cases may be found and dealt with even before the machinery is made generally applicable by the passing of the Milk and Dairies Bill.

Is it not a fact that the machinery of the Tuberculosis Order, so far as tuberculous milk is concerned, will break down almost entirely in the event of the Milk and Dairies Bill not passing into law?

I am afraid I cannot admit that. It is true that if the Milk and Dairies Bill is not passed into law these Regulations will not be generally applicable, but will be applicable only in the most important cases.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the public expression of opinion on the part of several leading scientists that the house-fly is the medium of conveyance of much infectious disease, especially in urban areas, and that the abatement of the prevalence of this insect pest can only be effected by the removal of stable manure kept in bins and of other similar garbage and filth which afford it suitable breeding places; and, if so, whether his Department propose to take any action in the matter?

Under the Public Health Acts, local authorities have powers with respect to the removal of refuse and for dealing with accumulations of manure and other offensive matters. They are also empowered to make bylaws relating to the deposit and removal of refuse matters, and by-laws of this kind are in force in many districts. The question of the relation between flies and disease has been frequently under the consideration of the Local Government Board, who have made and are continuing a series of investigations with regard to it. In August, 1911, in their circular to local authorities on the prevalence of epidemic diarrhœea amongst children, the Board emphasised the importance of prompt removal of stable and domestic refuse and the prevention of the accumulation of organic matters. I have reason to think that this circular led to much valuable work being done, and I am considering the question of issuing a further circular this summer.

asked the President of the Local Government Board under what Statute or Regulation the Newcastle-on-Tyne Corporation intend to impose tolls upon stallholders in the Bigg Market of that city for standage according to the square foot occupied; can he say what the scale of charges is to be; and when such charges received the sanction of his Department?

The tolls referred to appear to be certain stallages standages and tolls authorised by Section 19 of the Newcastle Improvement Act, 1892, and sanctioned by the Local Government Board on the 6th ultimo. I will send the hon. Member a copy of the scale of charges.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the establishment and present strength of the Territorial Force and the Special Reserve, respectively?

The figures are as follows:—

When were these figures relating to the Special Reserve collected—are they of the present time?

They are the latest figures we have available. I will let the hon. Member know their date.

If an officer serves in the Special Reserve and also in the Territorial Force, is he counted twice, or for which is he counted?

Such cases must be very very rare. [HON. MEMBERS: "No, no."] But it would not affect the figures materially. I will find cut and let the hon. Member know.