asked the Secretary of State for Foriegn Affairs whether he has now considered the facts connected with the trial and sentence of the Portuguese Corporal Taveira for the murder of the Rev. Arthur Douglas, at Kango, Portuguese East Africa; and whether he has been successful in obtaining an indemnity in addition to the punishment of lone year's imprisonment?

I have considered all the existing facts connected with this case. No indemnity has so far been demanded from the Portuguese Government, and I can add nothing to the answers which have already been given on the subject.

Has the right hon. Gentleman consulted the family of the late Mr. Douglas regarding indemnity?

My impression is that we have consulted them, but they do not want anything in the form of money compensation; but I would like to be quite certain about it.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that the penalty of one year's imprisonment is sufficient for the offence?

No, Sir; I would not commit myself to saying that I am satisfied with the actual penalty, but the case is causing a good deal of difficulty, and after reviewing the whole case, it is very doubtful whether we shall press for anything more. I would not like to say definitely whether we should not press for an indemnity under the circumstances.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether there is arty information concerning the position in the Balkans which he could appropriately give to the House?

There is nothing that I can usefully add to the information that has appeared in the Press, or to the statements that have been made by the Prime Minister the other day, or by Lord Morley in another place yesterday.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs if he can give any further information as to what steps the Red Cross Society are taking as to the Balkan war; and whether he will urge on the Red Cross Society the necessity of sending contingents to the front, both for the wounded and the destitute population?

On 5th July, His Majesty's Acting Consul-General at Salonika reported that in consequence of the renewal of fighting in the neighbourhood of that place, medical stores and help would be welcome. This intimation was at once conveyed by the Red Cross Society, who, I understand, have dispatched units both to Salonika and Athens. His Majesty's Government have no further applications of the kind from any of their representatives in the Balkans, and they are not, in any case, in a position to put on the Red Cross Society pressure of the kind suggested by my hon. Friend. The representations made by my hon. Friend have, however, already been conveyed to the society, in accordance with the promise which was given to him on Tuesday night.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs if he can give any further information as to the movements of the British military attachés with the forces of any of the belligerent States in the Balkans; and whether, in view of the reports of outrage by troops, he will consider the extreme desirability of the attaches proceeding to the front to verify the published reports?

It has been extremely difficult to secure that military attaches should be at or near the front throughout the whole of the war in the Balkans, and I have no official information that any of our military attaches are now with the forces of any of the belligerent States. I may add that it is no part of the duties of a military attaché to conduct, uninvited, an inquiry such as that suggested by the hon. Member. A military attach? can only be present with the consent of the belligerent Power.

Can my right hon. Friend give any further information as to the protests made by the European Consuls at Rodosto against outrages committed by the Turkish troops on the Greek population, and also on the Armenian population, and whether their protests have been energetically backed up by His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople?

That is quite a different question from the one on the Paper, and perhaps my hon. Friend will give notice.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he has official information showing that 8,000 wounded Greeks have been brought into Salonika, and that the number of Bulgarian wounded brought in by the Greek forces is not more than twenty; and whether His Majesty's Consuls have reported that the relief of the wounded Bulgarians of the retreating army has been reasonably carried out by the Greek authorities?

I have no information on any of these points.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether any acceptable alternative proposals for dealing with the opium stocks accumulated at Hong Kong and Shanghai have yet been put forward by the Chinese Government?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs if the position of British subjects in Mexico is endangered by the continued revolution in progress there; and if any reassuring reports have been received from His Majesty' Minister there?

Recent reports from His Majesty's Minister at Mexico show that there is a good deal of disturbance, especially in the Northern Provinces, and in certain places British interests, in common with others, have suffered through the continued disturbances. His Majesty's Minister has not reported that British subjects are in danger, but I am in communication with the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in case the presence of one of His Majesty's ships may become advisable.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that widow Mary Muldoon has made a fresh claim for an old age pension, that the Delvin sub-committee has again declared her entitled to 5s. a week, and that the same pension officer has again reported against this without any fresh inspection; and, having regard to the consent he was understood to give to a different and competent inspection of the alleged means, whether the Local Government Board will withhold its decision until it has obtained a report of such inspection?

No further appeal has been received by the Local Government Board in this case since the previous claim was disallowed. If a further claim is received on appeal it will be open to the Board to consider whether a local investigation will be necessary before the appeal is determined.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether Mr. Timothy Teahan, of Illauncaum, Castlegregory, county Kerry, is to be deprived of his pension because his age cannot be found in the local register or in the Census records; and whether, in such cases, where the applicant is clearly over 70 and can get several neighbours to testify to that fact, he is to be for ever deprived of the pension because he cannot supply documentary evidence of age?

Timothy Teahan's claim for an old age pension was disallowed by the Local Government Board on appeal, on the ground that he was unable to produce satisfactory evidence of age. The only evidence of age which he was able to produce was a document signed by some of his neighbours, containing an expression of opinion on their part that he was over seventy years of age; but, in the absence of any other proof of age, this uncorroborated expression of opinion could not be accepted as sufficient evidence by the Board. The onus lies on the claimant to furnish satisfactory proof of age.

In such cases where it is absolutely impossible for men to produce documentary evidence of age, does that mean that they must lose the pension?

No, Sir. I have never found cases of that kind, but there are no doubt cases very near the line, and in the absence of satisfactory evidence, I dare say injustice may be done sometimes.

Will the right hon. Gentleman indicate what means are to be adopted by men of this class to prove that they are of age?

The hon. Gentleman must surely recognise that people cannot be put upon the pension list simply because they say they are eligible, and some evidence is required.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland on what grounds the Local Government Board for Ireland disallowed the pension granted to Mrs. Mary O'Connor, of Teervrin, Castlegregory subcommittee, county Kerry; what evidence had they before them before they came to their decision; who supplied it; whether the local pension officer recommended that she should have a pension of 3s. per week; and whether it is because her son, on whom she is wholly dependent for her maintenance, is about to be evicted that she is deprived of a pension!

Mary O'Connor's claim for an old age pension was disallowed by the Local Government Board on the grounds that her means exceeded the statutory limit. In determining her case, the Board had before them the particulars as to her circumstances supplied by the claimant and the pension officer, from which it would appear that she resides and is maintained on a well-tilled farm of seventy-five acres, carrying upwards of twenty head of cattle, in addition to other stock. It is a fact that the pension officer recommended a pension of 3s. a week, but, in. the opinion of the Board, the value of the benefits and privilege's enjoyed by her was worth more than £31 10s. a year. It has been represented to the Board that the claimant's son was in financial difficulties, and it is open to the claimant, in the event of any change in her circumstances, to make a fresh claim for pension.

Do I understand that the Local Government Board, in giving their decision on this case, had presented to them the statement that £20 had been given, because that is absolutely untrue?

I will look into the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that during the last twenty-five years there has been in the Royal Irish Constabulary Force neither favourable record nor money reward given to any officer whose district was quiet and free from crime; and will he specify any rule of the force intended or calculated to counteract the dangerous temptation which knowledge of that fact constituted among a large force?

The hon. Member is quite under a misapprehension. Favourable records and sometimes Grants from the Fund are awarded for the meritorious performance of police duty in matters quite distinct from the detection of criminals.

Are they extremely few compared with others?

I have not considered the exact proportions; I have no doubt they are fewer.

asked the Chief Secretary (1) in view of the general refusal of the Crown to pay civilian witnesses who have not been examined in Court in cases in which if examined they should be paid, if he will state the number of cases in which the late District Inspector William Davis was given a good record and money out of the Irish Constabulary Force Fund, respectively, though not produced as a witness; the reason why he was not produced as a witness; the total amount so paid him; the rate of his promotion; the rule under which he was so favoured; and whether the services for which he was so paid and promoted were all connected with social agitation and not ordinary crime; and (2) in view of the general refusal of the Crown to pay civilian witnesses who have not been examined in Court in cases in which, if examined, they should be paid, if he will state the number of cases in which ex-District, Inspector William Henry Joyce has been given a good record and money out of the Irish Constabulary Force Fund, respectively, though not produced as a witness; the reason why he was not produced as a witness; the total amount so paid him; the rate of his promotion; the rule under which he was so favoured; and whether the services for which he was so paid and promoted were all connected with social agitation and not ordinary crime?

I will answer this question and No. 15 together. The hon. Member is under a misapprehension as regards civilian witnesses, who, when summoned by the Crown Solicitor, are paid their expenses whether they are examined or not. Both the officers referred to have long since left the force. I cannot undertake in reply to a question to enter into particulars as to the records of officers who were never under my control and for whose advancement I am in no way responsible.

asked the Chief Secretary (1) if he will say under what district inspector Sergeant Sheridan and Tramp Ryan served in county Clare; whether that officer is still in the service or in receipt of public money for his services; how he has accounted for the escape of Sheridan and Ryan after he had become-aware of their guilt; what was, or is, his answer to their subsequent public assertion that in all they did they had acted on the suggestions of their superior officers; in how many cases was this officer given a good record and money out of the Irish Constabulary Force Fund, respectively, though not produced as a witness; the reason why he was not produced as a witness; the total amount so paid him; the rate of his promotion; the rule under which he was so favoured; and whether the services for which he was so paid and promoted were all connected with social agitation and not ordinary crime; and (2) if he will state the number, pay, and expenses, at intervals of five years since 1878, of the section of the Royal Irish Constabulary called crime special men, to which Sheridan, Cullinan, and Tramp Ryan belonged; what the crime was that led to the exposure of the criminal activity of each of these; where, by whom, upon whom committed, by whom investigated, and with what result in each case; if he will state the rule, and the authority for it, under which the officers who employed, directed, and gave favourable records to those men were themselves all given favourable records, promotion, and grants out of the Constabulary Force Fund, while the officers whose investigation exposed those men were not rewarded in any of those ways; and if he will state the total amount of public money paid to those men and to the officers who treated their services as meritorious, respectively?

I will answer these two questions together. As regards Sheridan and Ryan, who was not a policeman, I must again refer the hon. Member to Mr. Wyndham's statement in the House of Commons on the 10th July, 1902. The case occurred in his time and I must decline to reopen it in any way. I do not know who the person referred to as Cullinan was.

Has the right hon. Gentleman made inquiries of the police authorities?

Yes, I have, and that is the information; otherwise I should have been even entitled to say that I had never heard of it.

Do the police authorities deny that Cullinan was in their service and kept in their house for hired informers?

I do not know. Those transactions all occurred in 1902, long before my time, and I cannot undertake to say who is responsible.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in view of the fact that the Congested Districts Board has purchased the Fuller estate, near Cahirciveen, he will state when the work of improvement will be taken in hand?

This estate is not likely to be vested in the Congested Districts Board for some months, but, when it is, improvement works will be commenced.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will state if the farm on the Nicholson estate at Hosath, county Meath, for the purchase of which an advance was applied for by David Farrell, a minor, and refused by the Commissioners, has recently been inspected by officers of the Commissioners, and with what object; and whether he can state if an advance to purchase the same farm was recently, or is now being, sought for, and by whom?

The Estates Commissioners have refused to make the advance applied for in the purchase agreement signed by Farrell. The lands were visited in connection with their exclusion from the sale of the estate. The reply to the last paragraph of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the Estates Commissioners' inspector, Mr. E. Gallen, in dividing the untenanted lands of Rhyne, on the Bond estate, county Longford, omitted to provide for William Hughes, Rhyne, whose total acreage is three acres at a small valuation; for John Brady, of Rhyne, whose total acreage is eight acres and whose valuation is £6 10s.; for Nicholas Murtagh, Rhyne, whose total acreage is four acres and whose valuation is £4; and for Thomas Maguire, Rhyne, whose total acreage is three and a half acres and whose valuation is £2 15s., whilst granting to one person, a former herd on the property, an area of thirty acres of these untenanted lands; whether, as this is a matter of importance and urgency, he will immediately call for a report from Mr. Gallen as to his reasons in disqualifying these applicants and not giving a share of these lands to one William Hughes, one of the applicants, who is the son of. a tenant evicted from a large farm some twenty years ago on the same estate; whether it is the policy of the Estates Commissioners to make economic holdings by granting additional acres to such tenants as are set out above; whether their policy was carried out by Mr. Gallen in his recent division of Rhyne; and if he will now insist, before putting the tenants into possession, that the matter be inquired into with a view to providing for these uneconomic landholders?

The allotment of the untenanted land referred to was made by the Estates Commissioners after inquiry and in the exercise of the discretion vested in them. It is the practice of the Commissioners, when dividing up lands to provide, where practicable, an allotment for the herd, and it is impossible to provide allotments for all applicants. The allottees approved of by the Commissioners have signed undertakings to purchase the parcels allotted to them, and have already been put in possession thereof, and the suggestion that the allotment be reconsidered cannot be entertained.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Congested Districts Board have yet issued an offer for the purchase of the estate of Miss Olivia Crean-Lynch, county Mayo, or when they expect to be able to do so?

The Congested Districts Board have issued an offer for the purchase of this property, and they are at present in correspondence with the owner regarding it.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether negotiations are proceeding between the Congested Districts Board and Mr. Fitzgerald-Kenny as to the sale of his estate in county Mayo; and when the Board hope to be in a position to issue an offer for the estate?

Negotiations are proceeding between the Congested Districts Board and Mr. Fitzgerald-Kenny regarding the sale of his property, but the Board are not at present in a position to give any further information on the subject.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Congested Districts Board have yet issued an offer for the purchase of the estate of the Marquess of Sligo; and, if not, what has been the cause of the delay, and when the offer will be issued?

The Congested Districts Board have not yet issued an offer for the purchase of this estate, but they hope to do so at an early date. There has been no avoidable delay in the matter.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to an attack made upon Mr. Bernard Conway, while exercising his ordinary duty as reporter for the "Dungannon Democat," at a Unionist meeting addressed by the hon. and learned Member for South Tyrone, at Castlecaulfield, county Tyrone, on the 12th instant; whether he is aware that Mr. Conway was knocked down and assaulted several times, and that when he eventually reached Dungannon collapsed during surgical treatment; whether he is aware that a Protestant clergyman, who intervened on his behalf, was himself set upon by the mob and received blows upon the head and body; whether any police were present; and, if so, what action did they take to protect Mr. Conway and the reverend gentleman; and whether any of the perpetrators of this outrage have been brought to justice?

My attention has been called to the wanton attack made upon Mr. Conway on the occasion referred to. I am glad to learn from the police that although Mr. Conway was knocked down and received several kicks he was found on examination by the doctor not to be seriously injured. The Protestant clergyman who intervened on his behalf was not set upon by the mob, but received a number of blows intended for Mr. Conway. He, however, suffered little injury. There were only eight police present when the assault took place as no disturbance was anticipated. They did all in their power to protect these two gentlemen. Some of Mr. Conway's assailants have been identified, and the question of a prosecution is being considered.

I wish to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has been informed that the alleged assault referred to in the question took place after the Castlecaulfield meeting was over and when the hon. Member for South Tyrone was at another meeting some miles distant; that it took place upon the road when Mr. Conway, the reporter, was on his way to the railway station; that it originated in a private quarrel between him and an irresponsible person unconnected with party politics; that gentlemen who had been at the demonstration, including Colonel Brown and Rev. Gordon Scott, saved the reporter from his assailants; and that though the incident has been greatly exaggerated every law-abiding man deplores it?

I can hardly be expected to be acquainted with all these facts. I understand the hon. Member was not present when the assault took place, and I am sure we all deplore the incident.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Rev. Mr. Simpson was speaking from the platform at the time when this outrage took place, and, if that is so, is he also aware that such an outrage has never taken place at a Nationalist meeting before in any portion of Ireland at any time during any campaign?

I should like to see all these questions on the Paper.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he proposes to introduce a Mental Deficiency Bill for Ireland; and, if not, why this exception is made of that country, in view of the fact, stated by the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feeble-minded, that 66 per cent. of the 25,415 mentally defectives in Ireland, outside of asylums, are in need of immediate provision being made for them, whereas in England and Wales the percentage is 44 and in Scotland 35?

It would be impossible to introduce a Mental Deficiency Bill for Ireland during the present Session.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if the resident medical superintendent of the Peamount Sanatorium has any duties to perform which make it necessary that he should be of the same religion as the majority of the patients; and if the Local Government Board propose that in all similar institutions the choice of the chief medical officer should be decided upon religious grounds?

The answer to both parts of this question is in the negative.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that, although the Peamount Sanatorium has been open for nearly a year, the patients during almost the whole of that time have not been under the charge of a resident medical superintendent who possessed the qualifications prescribed by the Local Government Board to undertake the care and treatment of consumptives; if the Board's approval is necessary to enable a sanatorium to be used for insured persons; and if he has at any time directed the Local Government Board to notify to the Women's National Health Association that the Board would suspend their approval unless and until the management of the institution was placed in the hands of a duly qualified resident medical superintendent?

The delay in the appointment of a resident medical superintendent for the Peamount Sanatorium has been due to the desire of the, Women's National Health Association that the selection should be made by a fully constituted management committee, including representatives of the county councils which have taken beds in the sanatorium. But from the first when the patients numbered only twenty the institution was in temporary charge of Dr. Joseph Daniell as visiting physician, with a most competent resident Irish lady doctor, Dr. Gaffigan, who as assistant medical officer of health in Huddersfield and Warrington, and as medical officer under the education authority at Enfield, Middlesex, has had a great and varied experience. Dr. Daniell is a tuberculosis expert and is in charge of an important tuberculosis dispensary in Dublin. In view of these provisional arrangements the Local Government Board sanctioned the admission of patients to the institution as required by the provisions of the National Insurance Act of 1911. The authorities of the Women's National Health Association have been most anxious to obtain the services of a resident medical superintendent possessing the necessary medical qualifications with experience in the management of a sanatorium. A considerable number of eligible candidates have now applied, and an election will be held within the next few days, which it is hoped will result in the selection of a suitable person to fill the vacant post.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the visiting doctor who has been acting up to the 1st of last month resides eleven miles from the sanatorium, and that he visits the sanatorium only two or three times a week; and does he think it is possible to do justice to the patients of that sanatorium with this scant service?

No, Sir. We are most desirous to proceed at once to the appointment of a resident medical superintendent, and as one acquainted with the lady doctor in question, I feel sure that no patient suffers from being under her care.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that the quarterly payment of salaries entails a financial loss to Irish national teachers through an enforced system of credit which is estimated at £100,000 per annum; and if he can make any statement as to the possibility of an immediate change to a system of monthly payments?

I have seen a resolution of the Dublin Central Teachers' Association to the effect mentioned in the first part of the question. As regards the latter part of the question, I am not in a position to add anything to the replies which I have already given on the subject.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the cause of the delay in satisfying the claims of the paper-promoted teachers; and whether, seeing the wrong done to those teachers as well as the injury to education and, farther, seeing the small amount of money required, steps will be taken to have this matter settled immediately?

There has been no avoidable delay in this matter. As I have already informed the hon. Member, further proposals have been laid before the Treasury and are still under consideration.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in view of the urgency of providing money to carry on the work of the Labourers Acts, he will immediately introduce a Bill sanctioning sufficient advances for these purposes through the Irish Land Commission as heretofore; whether he is aware that a postponement of the advances provided for in the Irish Land Bill until next year will delay building operations in the cases of thousands of cottages either sanctioned by the Local Government Board or passed by district councils; and whether there would be any difficulty in carrying through both Houses of Parliament this year a short amending Labourers Bill as an agreed measure?

The hon. Member will, I am sure, recognise that at this stage of the Session it would be impossible to effect any legislation on the subject by means of a separate Bill. The hon. Member must not overlook the fact that operations under the Labourers Acts impose certain additional burdens both upon the Irish ratepayers and upon Irish funds.

The right hon. Gentleman has not answered the last part of my question, "Whether there would be any difficulty in carrying through both Houses of Parliament this year a short amending Labourers Bill as an agreed measure." Is he not aware that the Bill of 1911 was an agreed Bill and passed through without any contention or debate?

Yes, Sir; but the circumstances are very different now, and there is a great deal of difficulty in the way.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the fate of something like 20,000 labourers is involved by hanging up this question?

The hon. Member is now entering into an argument.

Having regard to the urgency of this matter, I beg to give notice that I shall raise this question on the Motion for Adjournment.

The hon. Member is precluded from doing that.

May I point out that we have already built 41,000 cottages in Ireland, and although I agree that more should be built, really some other people have claims as well.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he will state the present position of the proposal to encourage forestry in Ireland?

(Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture, Ireland): Since 1909–10 an annual sum of £6,000 has been voted to the Department for the purchase and upkeep of woodlands and lands adapted for forestry comprised in estates which were being sold under the Land Acts. Nine areas, comprising 5,396 acres, are worked as forestry centres in connection with this Vote, which is now exhausted. An advance of £25,000 from the Development Commissioners has been sanctioned for the purchase by the Department of areas suitable for afforestation, subject to certain prescribed conditions. The money so advanced to the Department is given, not by Grant, but by a loan not repayable, and bearing no interest, for thirty years; the question of requiring interest and provision for repayment to be considered at the end of that period. Negotiations for the purchase out of this sum of 2,692 acres situate in the Ballyhoura Hills area, county Cork, 3,146 acres situate in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, Queen's County, and 2,158 acres situate at Glendalough, county Wicklow, have been concluded. An application for funds for planting and management is at present before the Development Commissioners. The Department are not yet aware of the precise terms on which the Commissioners will make advances for the planting and management of the areas purchased. Negotiations for the purchase of additional lands in the Slieve Bloom area, and also for lands in Aughrim district, county Wicklow, and Woodford district, county Galway, are proceeding. In cases where county councils are willing to acquire small woodlands under the Land Purchase Acts the Development Commissioners have stated that they will be prepared to consider applications for annual advances towards meeting the cost of maintenance and management of such woodlands. The woodlands must not be less than 50 acres in extent. The Department have directed the attention of couny councils to the matter, but they are not yet in a position to say how far the county councils will avail themselves of the Development Commissioners' offer. So far only one county council has taken definite steps to obtain an advance from the Development Commissioners. The operations at Avondale, county Wicklow, comprising a school of forestry are carried out by the Department out of its Endowment Fund.

Might I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether we are to understand from his answer that, both as regards the Treasury Grant of £6,000 and the advance from the Development Commissioners, all the receipts from the working of these schemes go back to the Treasury?

Yes, that is so.

If that is so, might I ask the right hon. Gentleman how the advance of the Development Commissioners is regarded as a loan without interest, and whether he could see that this money, which must accrue from the working, is given by the Treasury for the further development of this work?

I pointed out at once that this £25,000 from the Development Commissioners could not be regarded as a Grant, or be taken into account against Ireland as a Grant, but I have also put before the Treasury the expediency of giving receipts for forestry work in Ireland.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that some of this land in Queen's County is some of the best arable land in Queen's County, and that a claim has been put forward on the part of several small tenants and evicted tenants to some of it, and cannot that be done?

Yes, we always do what we can in these matters. We have made no application for land at any time but that we have been at once met with a demand for a portion of it for the tenants.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) whether the trust deed of the Oakham national school is being violated in respect of the religious education now being given; whether the bishop of the diocese has been consulted; and whether he is prepared to advise all managers of schools with the National Society's trust deed that they may safely violate their trust deeds in a similar manner; and (2) whether the trust deed of the national school at Oakham, Rutland, provides that the religious instruction shall be according to the principles and in furtherance of the ends and designs of the National Society for Promoting the Principles of the Established Church, including instruction in the liturgy and catechism of that Church; that the religious instruction to be given in the said school shall be vested in the vicar of the parish, and that the teachers are to be members of the Church of England; whether Nonconformist teachers have been appointed and are giving Nonconformist teaching and that Nonconformist ministers have been invited to take the place of the vicar in controlling, assisting, and directing such teaching; whether the trust deed further provides that, in case any difference shall arise on any matter respecting the religious instruction, an appeal may be made to the bishop of the diocese, whose decision in writing shall be final and conclusive and binding upon all parties; and whether, as Sub-section (4) of Section 7 of the Education Act makes it one of the conditions to be fulfilled by a school in order to obtain a Parliamentary Grant that the religious instruction shall, as regards its character, be in accordance with the provisions of the trust deed, he will obtain the prescribed decision of the bishop in writing before paying the Parliamentary Grant to this school?

My right hon. Friend is not aware that the trust deed is being violated and he does not know whether the bishop of the diocese has been consulted. The trust deed declares that the school shall be conducted in accordance with the doctrines, principles, and discipline of the Church of England, and according to the principles and in furtherance of the ends and designs of the National Society, and that the vicar shall have the superintendence of the religious and moral instruction of the scholars. It does not specifically define the character of the religious instruction to be given in the school, nor does it require all teachers in the school to be members of the Church of England. On the facts at present before him he sees no reason to intervene in the matter.

Will the hon. Gentleman put this matter, which is a very large one, before the Law Officers of the Crown with the object of getting their report upon it?

I do not think that there is any necessity for that in view of the nature of the trust.

Does the hon. Gentleman not regard it as a commendable fact that managers of non-provided schools should give facilities to Nonconformist parents and others who desire them?

As far as I know, the arrangements in these cases are working perfectly well.

Will the hon. Gentleman make the further inquiries asked for by my hon. Friend the Member for Somerset, in order to ascertain by whose authority and to what extent these things are done, and whether they be desirable or not?

I do not think that there is any need to make inquiries. If my hon. Friends have any information which they think I have not got, I should be very glad to consider it.

Will this practice—

We really must get on with the questions.

asked the President of the Board of Education when the annual volume of Education Statistics will be published; and whether he will defer the Second Reading of the Bill to amend the law with respect to Educational Grants until hon. Members have been able to study the latest information available?

The volume of statistics to which the hon. Member refers. cannot be published before 31st July, but it does not appear to be necessary to the consideration of the Education (No. 2) Bill.

asked the Postmaster-General whether two appointments have been made recently at Colchester of young women as probationer telegraph learners, and that one case was that of a near relative of a Post Office official at Colchester; whether these cases relieve the young women in question of the usual competitive examination required for entrance to the telegraph service; and whether he will give instructions that in future only those entering through the usual competitive methods will be admitted to the Colchester office as telegraph learners?

I presume that the hon.. Member's question refers to two girl probationers who have been employed at Colchester since November, 1911. These girls are not engaged in learning telegraphy, but perform indoor messenger duties. They are both related to members of the staff at Colchester. Girl probationers cannot become telegraph learners without passing a competitive examination. They may, however, become telephonists on passing the usual qualifying tests for admission to that class.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is in a position to make any statement as to the locality for the new wireless station south of Aberdeen?

The precise locality has not yet been settled.

If I repeat the question before the Recess, will my right hon. Friend be able to give me the information?

I am not quite sure if I shall be able to do so, but, if not, I will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) specifically what parts of the British Empire will be barred from the benefits of unrestricted competition in wireless telegraphy by the possibility of their conflicting with the interests of the Imperial stations; (2) whether the monopoly which he proposes to create in connection with wireless telegraphy is to be temporary or permanent; and, if the former, what is the period of time which his advisers consider must elapse before the State service can be expected to support the effect of competition; and (3) whether the creation of a monopoly for the State in wireless telegraphy needs the sanction of Parliament; and whether it will in any way be embodied in the contract now being concluded with the Marconi Company, or whether it is a matter solely for the Postmaster-General of the day, and is capable of termination or revision at his own edict on the counsel of his advisers?

asked the Postmaster-General (1) on whose advice he is acting in refusing to issue licences for stations which will, in the hands of private companies, enable competition to be made with the State-owned service; and whether the arguments on which this advice is based are financial or strategical; (2) why there should be a monopoly in respect to wireless telegraphy when there is none in respect to the cables; and whether the fact of the failure of the Pacific Cable Company, which is a Government-owned concern, successfully to compete with private enterprise has been a factor in inducing him to arrive at this decision; and (3) how he defines competition with State-owned wireless enterprise; and whether, as the stations under Government control are on the route to the Mid and Far East, all rival wireless systems will be barred from operating east of Suez?

The Government are of opinion that the stations of the Imperial chain now prcposed to be established should be State-owned, and not in the hands of private companies, and this conclusion is in harmony with the recommendations of the Imperial Conference of 1911, and of the Select Committee of this House on the Marconi Contract, as stated in their Special Report of January, 1913. The erection of such stations would not necessarily preclude the grant of licences to private companies to carry on a competing business along the same routes, and there is certainly nothing in the proposed compact with the Marconi Company which imposes any restriction on the grant of such licences or has, indeed, any bearing of any kind on this question. The matter is one of policy which will be open for review at any time. But the very fact that the stations of the Imperial chain will be owned by the Governments concerned and will be conducted by State servants in the public interest and for the public profit would necessarily have an important bearing on the course taken in this regard. The risk of mutual interference, if several stations using high power are erected in proximity to each other has also to be borne in mind. The Government have not received any applications for licences for long range stations along the route of the Imperial chain, except from the Marconi Company, in 1910, and that application was refused. It is, of course, very doubtful whether any private company would wish, at all events, in the near future, to invest capital in order to establish a service in competition with the Imperial stations. The question whether the grant of a licence in any specified territory, if it were made, would or would not involve competition with those stations is one that can only be decided with regard to the circumstances of the particular case. I have already stated that suitable applications for licences to conduct a Transatlantic traffic would not be refused.

Are we to understand that the monopoly is to be permanent?

No, the hon. Member is not to understand anything of the kind. There will be no monopoly. The State will own its own stations, and the State will be able at any time in the future, if it wishes, to licence private companies to compete with itself. That is a matter which the Postmaster-General of the day 'will decide on the applications which come before him.

Might I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it is not the case that these stations will not only be owned, but also controlled and managed in every respect by the State and the State alone.

Yes, Sir, absolutely.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Post Office authorities have entered into arrangements with a local butcher to engage his premises for the purpose of a central telephone exchange in Longford at the remuneration of £100 per annum for seven years; whether for many reasons such an arrangement would be objectionable to telephone users in Longford; whether there is accommodation in the new post office in Longford for the installation required in connection with this exchange; and, seeing that if he proceeds to carry out this arrangement the local guarantors for the telephone will withdraw their guarantees forthwith, will he consider the advisability of making other arrangements?

:I am making inquiry on the subject, and will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the case of Miss Edith Plumb, who was tried before the Lambeth magistrate on Saturday last for refusing to work at scrubbing, which she was ordered to do by Miss Berry, the assistant matron of the workhouse; if he is aware that the person in question refused to do the scrubbing on account of ill-health, and was punished by the matron by being put on bread-and-water diet for two days; if he is aware that the magistrate discharged the woman and said that it was a monstrous case; if he intends taking any action in the matter; and if he has any power to punish the guardians for ordering the matron to put the woman on bread-and-water diet?

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether this woman was in a weak state of health and had a child aged three and a half months; and, seeing that the magistrate discharged the defendant and described the case as a monstrous one, whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

further asked whether this woman fainted twice in Court through weakness?

I have made inquiry into the case, which has also been the subject of investigation by a committee of the guardians. I understand that the woman was received into the workhouse, on account of the illness of her child, on the 10th May. The child, being ill, was at once taken to the infirmary and is making progress there. The mother did not nurse the child, and was passed by the medical officer as an able-bodied woman. She was employed on light work in the master's quarters for over two months, and during that time no complaint was made against her. She told the committee of the guardians that she had been at all times kindly treated by the master and matron, and was supplied with good food. On Thursday last she appears to have been offended at an order which was given to her, and refused to do any work. On the two following days she refused again, and on the third occasion she was charged at the Police Court. The committee have expressed their deep regret that she was sent to the Police Court in a weakly condition, the fact that she was in that condition not having been realised. I share their regret, and I consider that it is also to be regretted that the master of the workhouse was not present at the Court to explain the circumstances more fully. I am myself satisfied that the master's administration of this large institution is generally efficient and humane, and that his treatment of the poor girl in question had been kindly. The case is an unfortunate one, but I do not think that it calls for further action on my part. Arrangements are, I understand, in progress for the removal of the girl and her baby from the workhouse.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the practice of railway companies, in dealing with the milk traffic, of charging the full penny on each consignment when the rate comes to a fraction of a penny; and if he will consider the desirability of taking action in the matter?

The Railway Rates and Charges Order Conkmation Acts expressly provide that for a fraction of a penny in the gross amount of a rate for any consignment a railway company may charge a penny.

asked when it is intended to apply the recommendations of the Report of the Departmental Committee on Boats and Davits?

The recommendations contained in the Interim Report of the Boats and Davits Committee have been substantially included in the Life Saving Appliances Rules which are now in force. As regards the recommendations in the Second Report, their adoption would not require any material alteration in the rules. Some of the recommendations have already been adopted; others are under consideration in view of the International Conference, which I hope will take place in the autumn. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my warm sense of obligation to the Committee and its Chairman, Sir J. H. Biles, for the time and attention which they gave to the subjects referred to them, and for the valuable Reports which they issued.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the strike now in progress of the clerks of the Darlington Labour Exchange; whether he is aware that the cause of the dispute is that one of the clerks, who in May last was suspended for alleged insolence to his superior and Was reinstated unconditionally after inquiry, has been ordered to leave Darlington and take up duty in Perth; whether he is aware that this has.given the impression that the clerk in question is now being punished for an offence for which he had previously been acquitted; whether anything is being done by the Department to come to an understanding in the matter; and whether the instruction for the clerk to remove to Perth will be suspended pending a proper inquiry into the matter with a view to ending the strike?

There is now no strike in progress at the Darlington Labour Exchange. I regret to say that seven clerks employed at this Exchange absented themselves from work without leave during the latter part of last week. I understand that this action was intended as a protest against the proposed transfer to Perth of one of the clerks whose conduct had been the subject of previous inquiry. The clerks who left duty were warned that their places would be considered vacant unless they returned to duty on Monday, and I am glad to say that they all returned on the day named. The clerk has been informed that the Board are giving further consideration to the action to be taken in his case, and, meanwhile, his transfer has been suspended. I take this opportunity of stating that ample means exist for the representation and consideration of officers' grievances through the proper channels; and that there can be no excuse, therefore, for the resort to methods of seeking redress which are incompatible with the interests of the public service.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the strike of tramway men in Edinburgh; whether, in view of the fact that there are very special circumstances, in so far as the tramway system in Edinburgh is an underground cable system and it takes at least three weeks to train a driver, he will make a special effort to induce the parties to the strike to enter into negotiations for a settlement; and whether meanwhile he will take every precaution to prevent the cars being driven by men not fully conversant with the system involved?

The Chief Industrial Commissioner will keep in touch with the dispute referred to. As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, the services of the Department are at the disposal of the parties should they desire to avail themselves of them. As regards the last part of the question, the responsibility for the safe running of the cars rests with the working company.

Considering the extraordinary excitement that exists in this district relating to this and other labour disputes, will the right hon. Gentleman take definite action with a view, to bringing the parties together, rather than wait until they approach him?

The hon. Gentleman is aware that under the statute the Board of Trade has no power of interfering in these matters unless practically they are desired by both sides to intervene. I shall be only too glad to take the first opportunity of assisting in a settlement of this matter. I may, perhaps, have to ask for some legislation in regard to these questions, and I hope to secure the assistance therein of my hon. Friends.

Has the Board of Trade any power of control which will enable them to prevent the employment, as drivers, of men without proper experience?

In this case the responsibility rests with the car company, and if the hon. Gentleman has any special matter to put forward I will bring it to the attention of the company at once.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take towards carrying out the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on male young persons in factories and workshops in restricting the number and divisions of trades in which boys may be employed in night work?

Orders have already been issued by the Home Office giving effect to those recommendations of the Committee which can be carried out without legislation. By these Orders the exemption allowing night work of young persons has been repealed for the following industries: sugar refining factories, mineral dressing floors, works connected with lead and zinc mines, cordite and gun cotton factories, wire drawing works, and artificial silk works; and the exemption has been restricted and made subject to certain conditions in the case of galvanising of sheet metal and wire and works in which regenerative or reverbatory furnaces are used. I hope hereafter to carry out those recommenda- tions which require legislation, but I am unable to make any statement at the present time.

asked the Home Secretary under what authority the police entered the Pavilion Music Hall on Monday last and arrested Mrs. Pankhurst; whether the police may in future enter private, houses for the purpose of such arrests; and whether there are any and, if so, what precedents for this purpose?

I answered this question in the Debate last night. Mrs. Pankhurst was arrested in pursuance of the express power of arrest given by the Temporary Discharge, Act. There is nothing in the Act to prevent the exercise of that power on private premises. There are many cases in which there is a power of arrest on private premises.