asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether there has been for the past few years and now exists an unfilled vacancy in the Dockyard Expense Accounts Department of the Admiralty for the post of assistant expense accounts officer, as shown on page 152 of the Navy Estimates; and, if so, whether steps will be taken to fill the vacancy at an early date?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; to the second in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the cost., exclusive of buildings, of the Regular Army and the Auxiliary Forces in 1903; and if he will give the cost, exclusive of buildings, of the Regular Army, of the Special Reserve, and of the Territorial Army, respectively, in 1913?

The Army Estimates and Accounts are not designed to show the cost of different branches of the forces.The following figures are roughly approximate only, and it is not possible to eliminate the cost of buildings:—

asked the Secretary of State for War the cost of the Territorial Artillery since its first establishment up to the present time, or up to 30th June, 1913?

The figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) if, as the result of the seventy-two field batteries being brought up to a higher establishment as a whole than they were, there will be 584 more men in these batteries; if at the same time he will give the establishment for the year ending 31st March, 1913, of officers, of non-commissioned officers; and of men, respectively, of the twenty-one field batteries serving at Home on the higher establishment, the sixty field batteries serving at Home on the lower establishment, and the eighteen batteries of the training brigade; if he will give the present (July, 1913) figures, or, if the figures for July are not yet available, for June, 1913, of the seventy-two field batteries serving at Home on the higher establishment, the fifteen field batteries serving at Home on the lower establishment, and the twelve depot batteries serving at Home; (2) whether the figures given in the Memorandum relating to the Army Estimates, 1913–14, page that the savings made in the training brigades and depots will enable the Secretary of State to place the whole of the seventy-two batteries of the Expeditionary Force, of which fifty-one are now on a four-gun peace establishment, on a uniform six-gun peace establishment of 158 all ranks and seventy-five horses, have been found to require revision and, if so, what; and if he will say how many of the fifty-one field batteries are at the present time actually in possession of the full complement of officers, of non-commissioned officers, of men, of guns, and of wagons, respectively, necessary for a six-gun peace establishment?

As I have informed the hon. Gentleman on a previous occasion, I am not prepared to publish any details concerning the composition of the Expeditionary Force. As regards establishments, the hon. Gentleman will find the information he requires on page 14 of this year's and of last year's Estimates. The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the establishment and the strength, respectively, of officers, of non-commissioned officers, and of men, by arms, of Category B and Category C of the Special Reserve, on 1st July, 1913; and if he will say if the men of Category C only are to be called to the Colours in case of war; and whether these men receive an annual bounty of £4 per man and receive no annual training?

The figures required are as follows:—

asked the Secretary for War (1) the total number of certificates granted up to the present date at the Central Flying School, stating whether obtained by officers, non-commissioned officers, or men, and whether on the active list of not; (2) how many officers, noncommissioned officers, and men have completed the course and obtained certificates at the Central Flying School since 14th September, 1912?

Fifty-one certificates have been granted to officers with the Military Wing or at the School, and fourteen to officers in the Reserve; two of these qualified before 14th September, 1912. Twenty-five non-commissioned officers and men have qualified as second-class pilots.

also asked the Secretary for War whether the order of 14th September, 1912, for the discontinuance of the use of monoplanes by the Royal Flying Corps and at the Central Flying School is still in force?

The reply is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many public elementary schools in single school parishes (as defined in Section 3 (6) of the Elementary Education (England and Wales) Bill, 1908) can be classed as provided, and how many as non-provided schools?

On 1st August, 1911—the last date for which complete figures are available—there were 1,896 provided schools and 5,704 non-provided schools in single school parishes as defined in the question.

asked the Under-Secretary for India the values of the re-exports of the imports from India into the United Kingdom for the years 1890-1, 1900-1, 1910-11, 1911-12?

The value of that part of the re-exports from this country which consisted of goods originally consigned from British India was not ascertained prior to 1905, when it amounted to £10,540,603. In 1910 it was £10,971,135; in 1911, £10,914,333; and in 1912, £11,730,140.

asked the Under-Secretary for India, having regard to the wording of the last paragraph of General Order 869 of 1862, that the principle upon which the succession to colonels' allowances of officers of the Indian Army was to be considered as determined by that arrangement, and of paragraphs 20, 25, 46, and 81 of General Order 632 of 1864, absolutely promising, assuring, and guaranteeing colonels' allowances after a period of twelve years' service as lieutenant-colonel, irrespective of numbers, whether he now recognises that this right was improperly taken away by the draftsman of the pension rules of 1882, incorrectly citing the cadets' agreement in words of different meaning; whether erroneous citation of one document in a later, and a subsequent afterthought, that the guarantee upon which the officers had relied, are now held to justify depriving those officers of what they had been promised, assured, and guaranteed, and what was given as an act of grace to their juniors in the Staff Corps; and, if the promise is not to be kept with them, will he say why an inquiry into the validity of their claim is also denied?

The dispatch published by General Order No. 869 of 1862, including its last paragraph, dealt solely with the promotion and succession to colonels' allowances of officers of the East India Company's Army, and the term "General List" as used in that dispatch referred to the general (as opposed to the regimental) seniority lists of the three presidential armies of the company, and had no application to the officers appointed to Her Majesty's Indian Service after 1858, under new conditions, whose names were placed on separate general lists of Cavalry and Infantry, in accordance with General Orders 1637 of 1859, 1115 of 1860, and 214 of 1861. No paragraph in the General Order 632 of 1864 guaranteed succession to colonels' allowances after a period of twelve years' service as lieutenant-colonel, irrespective of numbers, to the officers under new conditions of appointment who afterwards came to be known specially as "Officers of the General List." The Secretary of State, therefore, adheres to the statement made in my answer to the hon. Member on 10th July, 1913, that nothing which was ever promised to the latter officers, has ever been withdrawn from them, and sees no reason for such an inquiry as is asked for.

asked the Under-Secretary for India what progress is being made in the direction of ascertaining the views of local authorities and bodies in regard to the proposed coinage of gold in India?

The whole question of the proposed coinage of gold in India is under consideration by the Royal Commission on Indian Finance and Currency, who have full opportunities for ascertaining the trend of Indian opinion on the subject. Pending their recommendations, no action is being or will be taken by the Government of India.

asked if the Government of India would prefer the coinage of sovereigns in India to the issue of a 10-rupee gold piece if the matter had to be determined irrespective of conditions stipulated by the Treasury?

The Secretary of State can add nothing to the Government of India's statement of their own views on the subject contained in their dispatch, No. 110, dated 16th May, 1912, Paper No. 59, in the correspondence presented to Parliament (H.C. 495 of 1913). These views will no doubt be restated with necessary amplifications and explanations by their official representatives in giving evidence before the Royal Commission which is now inquiring into such matters.

asked the Secretary for the Colonies the number of oil concessions granted by the Trinidad Government under the administration of the present Governor; whether he can give the names of the concessionaires and their residences, the extent of acreage granted to each, the district, and the value paid by each concessionaire to the Government in the first instance; and whether due precaution was taken by the director of public works, on assignment, to satisfy himself that the concessionaire possessed sufficient capital to ensure proper working?

If by the term "oil concessions" my hon. Friend refers to oil mining leases, only one such concession has been granted by the present Governor. The lease in question was granted to the Trinidad Petroleum Company, and is now held by the Trinidad Oilfields, Limited. It includes certain parcels of land lying in the wards of La Brea and Guapo, containing an area of 3,200 acres or thereabouts, and the minimum rent reserved by the lease amounts to £2,000 a year, first payable from the 1st January, 1912. The lease also contains clauses providing for the payment of royalties on oil won. No complete list of exploration or prospecting licences granted by the Colonial Government is available in this country. Precautions are always taken by the Government to satisfy themselves that concessionaires possess sufficient capital to ensure proper working.

also asked the Secretary for the Colonies whether any official or unofficial members of the Legislative Council of Trinidad have at any time obtained oil concessions; and, if so, will he give the names and positions held, and the amount in acreage of the concession and the price paid as purchase, and, if since transferred, the price so received?

My hon. Friend will observe from my reply to another question to-day the distinction which it is necessary to draw between the various kinds of oil concessions in Trinidad. No official or unofficial member of the Legis- lative Council has, so far as I am aware, been granted an oil mining lease in the Colony.

asked the Secretary for the Colonies whether, in regard to the oil concessions in Trinidad, he can furnish the amount paid by the large corporations to the first concessionaires on the transfer of their concessions?

I have no official information as to the transactions referred to.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the produce of Tobago, where no indentured labour exists, is taxed on exportation to meet the expense of importing indentured labour into Trinidad?

The Island of Tobago is a ward of the united colony of Trinidad and Tobago, and the revenue, expenditure, and debt of Tobago has been merged in the united colony, and the debt of Tobago to Trinidad cancelled. There is, therefore, no ground for discriminating between the produce of the two islands in regard to export tax.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of prosecutions in Scotland for illegal trawling, the number of convictions, imprisonments, and fines, and the total amount of the fines since 15th April, 1912?

The information desired is as follows:Number of prosecutions, forty-four.Number of convictions, forty.Number of imprisonments, seventeen.Amount of fines imposed, with alternative of imprisonment, £1,900.Amount of fines paid, £772 6s. 8d.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is able to communicate to the House any facts respecting the action taken by the Senate of Cuba in regard to the Bill introduced into the Legislature at Havana by Senor Dolz; whether any information has been received from His Majesty's Minister in Cuba which throws light upon the proceedings of the management of the Cuban Ports Company; and whether, having regard to the importance of maintaining friendly commercial relations between this country, the West Indian Islands, and Cuba, he will lay upon the Table Papers upon this subject at an early date?

I have no information respecting the action of the Cuban Senate in regard to the Bill. I understand that the fullest investigation is being made by the Cuban Government into the affairs of the company, and seeing that this inquiry is now proceeding, and that the company is a Cuban one, I could hardly lay Papers with any advantage at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will lay upon the Table the Protocol signed by the two British Plenipotentiaries to the International Opium Conference and by the representatives of twenty-three other Powers?

Yes, Sir, Papers will be laid in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if any steps are being taken to give effect to the Final Act of The Hague Conference, 1907, recommending to the Powers the assembly of a third Peace Conference, which might be held within a period corresponding to that which has elapsed since the preceding Conference, at a date to be fixed by common agreement between the Powers, and calling their attention to the necessity of preparing the programme of this third Conference a sufficient time in advance to ensure its deliberations being conducted with the necessary authority and expedition, and suggesting that, some two years before the meeting, a preparatory committee should be charged by the Governments with the task of collecting the various proposals to be submitted to the Conference and the subjects ripe for embodiment in an international regulation, and of preparing a programme which the Governments should decide upon in sufficient time for its examination by the countries interested and of proposing a system of organsation and procedure for the Conference itself; if not, who is responsible for the necessary steps being taken so that the next Hague Conference should be held not later than 1915, it being now less than two years from the prospective date of the next Conference; whether such a Committee has been formed, and, if so, on whose initiative?

No steps have yet been taken. The initiative has, I think, generally been left to the Netherland Government. In view of the extent to which the Great Powers have been for some time, and still are, preoccupied with urgent questions, I doubt whether any of them can move in the matter at the present moment.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the total fees received by the vaccination officer of the Kingston-on-Thames Union during the four years ended Lady Day, 1896, 1897, 1898, and 1899, respectively, were £173, 7s., £175 2s., £170 9s., and £171 9s. 6d.; can he state whether any complaint of inadequate remuneration was lodged with the Board during those years; is he aware that the total fees received by the same officer during the four years ended Lady Day, 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903, respectively, were £242 15s. 6d., £321 2s., £441 10s. 6d., and £359 19s.; and are the present fees of this officer in excess of what they were prior to 1900?

I understand that the vaccination officer received the amounts stated in the question. I do not find that he complained to the Local Government Board of inadequate remuneration during the period referred to. His present remuneration appears to be in excess of that of which he was in receipt prior to Lady Day, 1899.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether lunatics whose maintenance cost is paid by a relative and amounts to over 11s. a week are classed as pauper lunatics; and, if so, whether he will make any alteration in their classification?

If a lunatic in an asylum is a pauper, as defined in Section 341 of the Lunacy Act., 1890, I am not aware that the repayment by relatives of the cost of his maintenance will itself authorise his classification as a private patient. The matter, however, is not one in which the Local Government Board have any jurisdiction.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the British Westinghouse Company at Trafford Park, Manchester, are closing the works for ten days; and if he can state whether the men who are prevented from going to work for the ten days will be entitled to sign on at Labour Exchanges as being out of work?

I have received no information as to the proposed closing of the works in question. As my hon. Friend is aware, the decision as to whether unemployment benefit is payable under Part II. of the Act rests ultimately with the Umpire appointed thereunder, and I am therefore unable to state definitely whether benefit will be payable in respect of claims made in the circumstances set out in the question. I am, however, disposed to think that unemployment benefit would not be payable to men who are merely taking the recognised holiday of the trade or district or firm in which they are employed, but that it would be payable where, for reasons of production, the employer closes his works and suspends the staff without wages temporarily, on days other than the recognised holidays.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the Post Office authorities decline to comply with a request for redirection of correspondence addressed to Whitehall Court, S.W., presumably in terms of the provision that the Post Office does not undertake to redirect correspondence to clubs, hotels, boardinghouses, or lodgings; and will he say in which of these categories the Post Office places letters addressed to a tenant who had rented an unfurnished flat at Whitehall Court for a term of years?

Letters addressed to No. 4, Whitehall Court, the exact address to which I understand the hon. Member's question has reference, are delivered in bulk to the hall porter, who is willing to undertake redirection for tenants who remove. In these circumstances it is not the practice of the Post Office itself to undertake redirection. In my opinion an unfurnished flat at Whitehall Court is a "lodging."

asked the Postmaster-General the number of auxiliary postmen at present employed in the Cork post office, with their ages and length of service as postmen; whether he is aware that on more than one occasion outsiders have been introduced, thereby depriving the auxiliary staff of an opportunity of permanent employment; and whether any steps will be taken to secure permanent employment for the men referred to?

I am having inquiry made, and will inform the hon. Member of the result as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of ex-National Telephone operators at Plymouth who were promoted to the rank of assistant supervisor during 1912; whether their length of services as operators, respectively, was in any way comparable with that of the senior Post Office operator; whether the qualifications of the latter were considered when these promotions were made; and whether, having regard to the promise given that the Post Office telephone staff should suffer no injustice as a result of the transfer of the ex-National Company's staff, he will have inquiry made into this matter and into the failure to obtain a reply to the appeals submitted locally by the senior operator?

I will make inquiry on the subject and communicate further with the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he could see his way to make some alteration in the Post Office Money Order Regulations so that it may no longer be possible for a dishonest person to send a money order to a firm, receive goods in return, wait until the money order is paid into the firm's bank, then stop payment of the money order and receive the money back from the Post Office?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave yesterday to a 'similar question asked by the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex.