asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider if the existence of a considerable profit on the South African Field Force Canteen Account provides a good opportunity for doing something for ex-soldiers, whose earnings have largely contributed to this result; and whether, under the circumstances, he will consider the practicability of dividing the surplus between the National Society for the Employment of Ex-Soldiers and the Union Jack Club or some similar institutions?

The whole question is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the latest Returns relative to the numbers of officers and men in the Territorial Force; if he will state what were the numbers at the corresponding period last year; what is the increase or decline shown; and if he will say by how many the present numbers fall below the establishment?

The following figures give the information required:—

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the failure of the Great Eastern Railway Company to manage the ordinary traffic on their line on Saturday, 12th July, owing to an accident outside Colchester; and whether, in view of the disaster which such incapacity would cause in the event of military operations on the East Coast, he will call for a special Report upon the handling of the traffic on the occasion referred to?

I have been asked by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War to reply to this question. The engine of the train concerned in this accident overturned and fell across both running lines. Traffic in both directions had to be worked through a siding, and this necessarily caused a good deal of delay until the lines were cleared. When I have received and considered the Report of the Board of Trade Inquiry which has been ordered into the circumstances attending the accident, I will consider, in consultation with my right hon. Friend, whether any further inquiry is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the directors of the South African garrison institutes are officers on full pay on the active list of the Army serving in South Africa; whether the Army Council has decided to raise no objection to these officers opening institutes, with the object of embarking in commercial undertakings, in any garrison towns in this country, provided in each case the general officer commanding-in-chief concurs; how many such branch institutes have been approved; whether it is proposed that the officers acting as directors of the South African institutes shall continue to hold their present appointments or shall be retired from the Army; and, if not, what proportion of their time is to be devoted to Army affairs and what proportion to the management of the branch institutes in this country?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The answer to the second and third parts of the question is that no branches in this country have been approved. The officers concerned devote only their leisure hours to the management of these institutes, which are not commercial undertakings in the generally accepted sense of the term; they receive no payment for these services. No action will be taken until further full consideration has been given to this matter.

asked the Undersecretary of State for India if he can now give any information concerning the discontent among the military officers of the Military Accounts Department in India on account of their salaries and prospects and the proposals of the Government of India for remedying them?

Out of forty-three military officers belonging to the Military Accounts Department in India fourteen have presented memorials to the Government of India regarding their pay and prospects of departmental advancement. Three of these memorialists hold the departmental grade of military accountant, the remaining eleven being assistant military accountants. After a careful consideration of these memorials the Government of India have arrived at the conclusion that the military accountants have no real grounds for discontent, either as regards their salaries or their prospects, but that assistant military accountants are.suffering from an exceptionally slow rate of promotion. The Government of India are considering how this can best be relieved, but have not yet framed a definite scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received the Report of the inquiry into the financial condition of the St. Augustine estate, the property of the Trinidad Government; whether the Report showed negligent management; and, if so, what steps he has taken, or intends to take, in the matter?

I have received a dispatch from the Governor reporting that in October last very considerable arrears of rent had been found to be outstanding, that certain payments had not been brought to account, and that the overseer of the estate had been dismissed. The Governor added that he had appointed a committee to consider what steps should be taken to put the management of the estate on a more satisfactory basis. I have not yet received the report of this committee.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has now been drawn to the discussion in the Trinidad Legislative Council on the subject of granting municipal powers to Port-of-Spain, which took place on 25th June; and whether, having directed the council to decide this question, he is now prepared to adopt its decision and direct that steps be taken forthwith to create an elective council in the manner it suggests?

My hon. Friend has sent me a copy of a newspaper containing a report of the debate in question. I propose to await the Governor's recommendations, which he will, no doubt, forward to me with his report on the discussion at an early date.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he is aware that the Home Secretary has provided in the English Mental Deficiency Bill that the full half of all the expenses incurred in the administration of the Act, including interest on loans, will be paid by the Treasury; and if he will provide in Clause 35 that a similar advantageous provision be obtained for Scotland?

My hon. Friend seems to be under a misapprehension as to the effect of the provision made in the English Bill. I have no reason to suppose that less advantageous provision is made for Scotland than the English Bill provides for England.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will submit a list of instances in which permission has been given to sanitary and other authorities to allow their small-pox hospitals to be used as sanatoria for the treatment of consumption?

:I will send my hon. Friend a statement giving the information he desires.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether any local authorities, and, if so, which, have taken steps to secure the compulsory isolation of tuberculous cases which are in a state of high infectivity; and, if so, whether he will state what action has been taken

In the Session of 1911 the Corporation of St. Helens obtained by means of a local Act certain special powers in regard to the compulsory isolation of persons suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. Similar powers were refused in the case of Sheffield in the Session of 1912, and in the cases of Derby and Southport in the present Session. Similar powers have been obtained in the present Session by Liverpool, East Ham, and Bradford. The medical officer of health of St. Helens considers that the powers have proved useful, but he reports that during 1912 in only one case was it necessary to make an application to the Court for an order authorising compulsory removal.

asked the President of the Local. Government Board whether his attention has been called to the shortage in the water supply at Carnetown, Abercynon, in consequence of which the drains remain unflushed and the cottagers are without water in their homes; whether he is aware that the water supply is drawn from a private reservoir which is inadequate and not properly protected from pollution; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made in the interests of the public health?

I am in communication with the local authority on the subject,of the hon. Member's question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, having regard to the importance of the Industrial and Provident Societies (Amendment) Bill now before the House, he will give facilities for this Bill to be passed during the present Session and so give effect to what is looked upon as a vital interest to hundreds of thousands of the workers of this country?

I understand that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will make a statement on business this week, and meanwhile I can add nothing to the recent answers given by him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the average price of wheat per quarter in London, Paris, and Berlin during the first six months of 1913?

The average "Gazette" price of British wheat in London during the first six months of 1913 was 33s. per imperial quarter, and the average declared value of wheat imported into London during the same period was 35s. 11d. In Paris and Berlin the average official prices of wheat per imperial quarter—quoted irrespective of origin—were 49s. 7d. and 43s. 7d., respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the Allen steamship "Corinthian" was passed by the Board before she left Liverpool in June as having suitable accommodation for 200 third-class passengers, who complain of overcrowding, poor bedding, and of having no place to sit down on except their bunks during rough weather?

The steamship "Corinthian" left London on the 12th June last. She was cleared as an emigrant ship by one of the assistant emigration officers of the Board of Trade, and I am informed on inquiry that she fully complied with the requirements of the Merchant Shipping Acts. Nine hundred and seventy-nine steerage passengers (equivalent to 828 adults) were embarked at London and Plymouth, and the clear space allotted to emigrants was much more than sufficient for the number carried, according to the scale laid down in the statutory rules. Besides the usual dining rooms, additional rooms were provided for recreation. If the hon. Member will send me particulars of the complaints referred to, I will cause inquiries to be made in the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General the position of skilled workmen who are established in regard to standing off work during inclement weather; and whether the fact of nonpayment during such period of bad weather would in effect reduce them to the level of casual labour?

Time lost through bad weather in any one week has ordinarily to be made up within that or the next two succeeding pay weeks. If this is impracticable, the time is not made up. In no circumstances is there stoppage of pay.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the War Office invites postal telegraphists to join the Royal Engineers, which invitations are published from time to time in the official Post Office circular; whether it is stated that the time served in the Royal Engineers will count in Post Office service, and if the telegraphist, when leaving the Colours, will resume the relative position in his class; whether, since these invitations were issued, the Treasury have deducted the Royal Engineers' time when assessing superannuation, the result of which will reduce the pension to a very small amount; and, in view of the fact that the unit in question is wholly employed by the Post- master-General in telegraphs and is paid from a Civil Vote, the Superannuation Act of 1887, Section 3, will be interpreted so as to cover the case in point?

The facts are substantially as stated, but no expectation is held out that service in K Company of the Royal Engineers will count as Post Office service for purposes of superannuation. The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury hold that they have no legal power, whether under the Section quoted or otherwise, to include such service for pension.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that three temporary sorting clerks are at present employed at the Derby Post Office at wages considerably less than those paid to the regular staff for doing similar work; and, having regard to the fact that this employment of temporary labour has been going on for over two years and repeated promises having been made to deal with the question, whether he will take immediate steps to have the staff so increased so as to prevent the necessity of temporary men working at a less wage than that paid for the work performed?

I am aware that it has been necessary to authorise the employment of postmen on sorting work at Derby, pending an increase of the regular sorting staff. Steps will be taken as quickly as possible to make such increase. The difficulty has arisen from the adoption of a new circulation for letters under which additional work has been thrown upon Derby.