asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will grant a Return giving similar information to that given for all England in Tables 84, 93, and 96 of Cd. 6344, for each of the following towns and urban districts, namely: Acton, Birkenhead, Blackburn, Bournemouth, Burnley, Cardiff, Carnarvon, Coventry, Devonport, Edmonton, Hendon, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Plymouth, Sunderland, Tottenham, and Walthamstow, for the years 1881–82, 1891–92, 1901–2, 1905–6,and 1911–12?

I regret that the information desired by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consent to publish the correspondence between the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society and the Development Commission and the Treasury before the latter came to any decision on the proposal to alter the conditions as laid down in the Treasury letter of the 1st of April, 1913; and whether he can see his way to defer the Development Commission Vote and such decision until the question is debated in this House?

I fear I could not give the undertaking which the hon. Member suggests, but I will certainly consider whether correspondence can be laid; and, if so, lay it at the earliest possible date.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1) whether the Local Government Board for Ireland has, after a provisional sanction of Rossclare, county Fermanagh, as a sanatorium, allowed the expenditure of large sums of money on a site condemned by all local medical opinion as too exposed, too damp, and too far from medical supervision; is he aware that there are many patients sent there who require close medical supervision, which cannot be given by a medical man residing eight miles away; is he aware that the patients' sleeping shelters were blown down twice in May last, the second time after they were secured by wire ropes; and will he suggest to the Board to consult some local medical men with expert knowledge of tuberculosis sanatorium treatment before incurring further expense on a bad site; and (2) whether the doctor to the Local Government Board who reported on the site for a sanatorium at Rossclare had ever any practical experience in sanatorium work; did he call the attention of the Board to the fact that Rossclare stands on a hill with a wet, impermeable soil, and exposed without shelter to the Atlantic gales and the fogs and mists of Lough Erne, and bad not that shelter from prevailing winds and the dry, porous soil ordinarily desiderated for sanatoria; and were the Board put into communication with three medical experts in sanatorium work who from personal experience of Rossclare condemned it as quite unsuitable?

The Local Government Board have approved of an expenditure of £2,000 on Rossclare, and of this £1,700 has already been advanced. I would refer the hon. Member to my answer to his question of the 10th instant as regards the qualifications of the Board's medical officer who inspected the site. He called attention to its elevated and exposed position, but described the soil as drying quickly and suggested planting to provide shelter. This, I understand, has been carried out. It is true that some of the sleeping shelters were blown down during one of the exceptionally heavy gales of last winter, but they have since been made secure. The suggestion that Rossclare is condemned by the experts who have had personal experience of it is incorrect. The opinions vary, but one at least of the former resident medical officers states that he obtained some strikingly good results there. No inconvenience has arisen up to the present from the fact that the doctor is non-resident, but it is proposed to appoint a resident medical officer when the buildings now in course of construction are finished.

also asked the Chief Secretary if it is proposed to appoint any more justices of the peace for the Belleek Petty Sessions district in county Fermanagh; have a number of persons, some of whom are members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, been sent forward by the parish priest to the Lord Chancellor; will he suggest to the Lord Chancellor the desirability of appointing a few Protestant justices and men who are not old age pensioners, as is the case with one occupant of the local bench; and is he aware that, of the justices qualified to sit at Belleek, only one is a Protestant, and the Protestant population of the district has no confidence in the Court as at present constituted?

The Lord Chancellor intends to appoint justices of the peace for the Belleek Petty Sessions or for any other district if, in his opinion, same are required. It is not a fact that a number of names of persons, some of whom are members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, have been sent forward by the parish priest to the Lord Chancellor. No names at all have been sent forward by the parish priest. No old age pensioners have been appointed to the commission of the peace as suggested. There are seven magistrates authorised to attend the Belleek Petty Sessions of whom three are believed to be Protestants, and four are believed to be Roman Catholics.

asked the Chief Secretary why the Estates Commissioners have not got the bog passes on the Curraghanny estate of Mrs. Archdale, county Longford, completely finished, though there was a Grant allowed for them more than a year ago; and will the tenants be again disappointed this coming harvest in failing to get out their fuel for the season?

The Estates Commissioners have already expended over £200 in improvements on this estate. They propose to expend a further sum in connection with the turbary when matters of access have been settled. Meanwhile, no further expenditure will be made.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will again bring under the notice of the Local Government Board the circumstances relating to recent surcharges on certain members of the Roscommon Board of Guardians for giving out-door relief to a working man with seven in family whilst he was sick in bed, the surcharges being made because this man held two acres of land; and whether, in view of the fact that it would have been competent for the board to have given relief to a destitute member of his family, the Local Government Board will reconsider the matter with a view of remitting the surcharges in question?

This case was decided in March last, and the Local Government Board have no power to re-open consideration of the matter.

asked the President of the Local Government Board with regard to direct beneficiary assistance to individuals, whether he will now give the figures for 1911–12, including old age pensions; whether he will state when the figures for 1912–13 will be available, including old age pensions and national insurance; and whether he will grant an annual Return setting forth the above figures, with an introductory note such as is prefixed to the Local Government Reports on pauperism?

Complete figures for the year 1911–12 corresponding to those contained in the table given in my answer to the hon. Member's question of the 16th instant, will, I understand, not be available for some little time. Similarly, complete figures for 1912–13 will not be available till next year. It is proposed to publish the table with the latest figures available in the forthcoming Annual Report of the Local Government Board, and corresponding figures can be given in succeeding years.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that the Islington Tuberculosis Dispensary, founded and financed by the doctors of Islington for the purpose of giving treatment to the poor people of the district suffering from tuberculosis, is in danger of being closed owing to the lack of funds, while it is stated that, owing to the delay of the Local Government Board in approving a scheme for the establishment of a tuberculosis dispensary by the borough council, there is no probability of the official institution being opened for some time; and can he take any steps to obviate the risk of injury to some twenty-five patients now under treatment from an interruption of their course of treatment?

I caused this dispensary to be investigated by one of my inspectors, and I did not feel justified in approving it under Section 16 (1) (a) of the National Insurance Act for the treatment of insured persons suffering from tuberculosis. As I explained in reply to a question by my right hon. Friend the Member for West Islington on Monday, I am anxious to deal with the proposals of the borough council as rapidly as possible.

asked the Secretary for War what were the respective numbers of recruits accepted for the Army, Militia or Special Reserve, Volunteers and Yeomanry, or Territorial Force, as the case may be, forming the Home and Colonial establishment for each year from 1900 to 1912, inclusive?

The number of recruits who joined the Army, Militia, or Special Reserve, Volunteers and Yeomanry, or Territorial Force, during each year 1900 to 1912 inclusive, is as follows:—

asked the Postmaster General what proportion of penny stamps are used for postage and what for revenue purposes; and what means he has of ascertaining the respective proportions allocated to the Post Office and general revenue?

Out of a total of £24,481,000 worth of stamps sold in the year 1912–13, it is estimated that £611,000 represents the value of those used for Inland Revenue purposes. The estimateis based on the ascertained revenue from the sale of Inland Revenue stamps before they were unified with the Postage stamps, allowance being made for growth of revenue by an annual addition under an arrangement made some years ago between the Post Office, the Board of Inland Revenue, and the Treasury.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the branch post office at the docks at Cardiff has been closed at night; will he say when this was done; whether the convenience of seafarers at the docks was considered; and whether he will give instructions for its reopening?

The Bute Docks Branch Office, Cardiff, is closed from 10 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. The arrangement under which an all-night attendance was formerly given ceased in August, 1908. The convenience of seafarers was considered, but the present hours of business, which are exceptionally long, seem to be such as to meet all reasonable requirements, and I regret that I cannot undertake to extend them.

asked the Postmaster-General, whether, under the pro posed horse-drawn mail car service from Drogheda to Navan, it is proposed to serve Rossin and Slane post offices en route; what time it is intended that the car should reach Navan; whether, in the event of English mails arriving too late for the proposed service, they will be forwarded by the train which now carries the mails; and, if so, will there be a delivery in Navan to meet such cases without incurring a greater delay than at present?

I will make inquiry, and will furnish the hon. Member with the information he desires.