asked the Postmaster-General the total amount received in Ireland to the present time for stamps sold there for the purposes of the National Insurance Act?

The amount received from the sale of Health Insurance stamps in Ireland up to the present time is £669,500.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many ships of the "Dreadnought" type will be completed for the British Navy during the next eighteen months, and how many overdue vessels are included in the total; and how many vessels of the "Dreadnought" type will be passed into service in the same period by Germany, Italy, and Austria?

The figures are: Great Britain, 12 (three of which are overdue); Germany, 6; Italy, 3; Austria-Hungary, 1.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will state how many seaplanes are now possessed by the Navy; and how many of them are of British design and manufacture

I cannot add anything to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the First Lord in the discussion on Vote 8.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will amend the Naval Regulations so as, to allow officers under the age of forty, who are certified by a naval medical board as incapable of further naval service, to commute their pensions, and thereby put naval officers on the same footing, as regards commutation of pensions, with military officers?

I will consider the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion, but I can give no undertaking on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will procure the amendment of the Territorial Force Regulations so as to make an officer eligible for the Territorial decoration who has served the full four years in command of a battalion, and whose period of service has therefore expired, if his total service shall have been not less than twelve years?

The point raised has been considered, but it is held that it would not be in the best interests of the force to make such a concession.

asked the Secretary for War the number of those who formed the committee which devised the present scheme of changing the numbers of batteries of Artillery of the Regular Army; if this committee was composed entirely of distinguished Artillery officers; and if he will give the names of all the members of this committee?

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, the Master-General of the Ordnance, the Inspector of Royal Horse and Field Artillery, and the Assistant Adjutant-General for Artillery in the Adjutant-General's Department attended the conference.

asked the Secretary for War whether at the present time service brigades of Field Artillery are called upon to furnish fatigue parties at Artillery practice camps; and, if so, whether he will consider the advisability of abolishing this practice, with a view to the improvement of the efficiency of the service brigade of Field Artillery?

The depot batteries and unallotted brigades of Horse and Field Artillery are detailed for this duty, and if further assistance is required arrangements are made that any batteries belonging to the Expeditionary Force which are required for this duty are detailed, but only at times which will interfere as little as possible with their field training.

asked the cost to the Imperial Government of the maintenance of the military force in South Africa?

My hon. Friend will find the information he requires on page 215 of the Army Estimates.

also asked the Secretary for War if the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief the Forces in South Africa is empowered to furnish the Government of South Africa with troops in, connection with labour disputes without first receiving the sanction of the Governor-General?

It appears that the proper official channel for a request for the use of Imperial troops in South Africa is the Governor-General. But it must be borne in mind that the action of officers in the Army wherever stationed is governed by King's Regulations. Under paragraph 974, in case of immediate and pressing danger, when violent crimes are being or are likely to be committed, an officer is empowered to take such action as he thinks necessary on his own responsibility. In this case the officer acted in accordance with King's Regulations, and Lord Gladstone, who was absent in Durban, gave his approval as soon as he was apprised of the facts.

asked the Secretary for War whether attendance at divine service is compulsory on soldiers who do not belong to any of the religious communities for which regular services are provided; and, if so, on what principle are such soldiers allotted to the services they are compelled to attend; and whether exceptions are made in the case of men who conscientiously object to attend any of the services?

It is customary for men belonging to denominations which are not specially provided for to attend their own services independently. Nothing is known at the War Office of any cases referred to in the last part of the question.

asked the Home Secretary how many prisoners have been released under the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health) Act; how many have escaped from his jurisdiction; and what proportion of their respective sentences these escaped prisoners have served?

The total number of prisoners who have been released on temporary discharge under the Act is thirty-one; fifteen of these are at present liable to arrest for having failed to return to prison at the expiration of their period of discharge, and this liability they can escape only by leaving the United Kingdom; how many have so escaped I am unable to say.

asked the Home Secretary whether, with the approval of the Treasury, he has made any Grants to physiological laboratories at any of the universities in the United Kingdom for experimental research into the factors affecting efficiency of work or fatigue in various industries; and, if so, to which universities have such Grants been made?

The Professor of Physiology at Bristol University has undertaken for the Home Office research work in regard to the measurement of fatigue in industrial occupations, and a Grant towards the expenses entailed has been made by the Department to the university. No other Grant of the kind has been made.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been drawn to the case of a taxi-cab driver named Bender, who, on 15th July, was charged with causing obstruction in Argyll Street, W., and on whose behalf four independent witnesses attended at the Police Court and denied the constable's statement that there were any cabs on the rank at the time, and asserted that the only cab in the street was the one driven by Bender; and whether, inasmuch as in spite of the evidence tendered the taxicab driver was convicted by the magistrate, although no penalty was imposed, he will cause inquiry to be made into the matter with a view to the conviction being quashed and the constable dealt with in some way?

I have made inquiry in the case and am informed by the magistrate that he was satisfied by the evidence that the defendant had caused obstruction and that the witnesses he called to prove the contrary had not had their attention directed to the matter in dispute until too late to enable them to give relevant evidence. He came to the conclusion that the police officer was doing his duty in good faith and with a desire to be fair to all parties, but that the charge might properly be dismissed under the Probation of Offenders Act. There was no conviction, and I see no reason for action on my part.

asked the Under-Secretary for India whether new rules dealing with the compulsory retirement of officers from the Indian Army have been framed; whether these rules have been published; and, if so, where?

The instructions given by the Secretary of State for India in Council for the guidance of the Government of India in dealing with cases in which the compulsory retirement of officers from the Indian Army is recommended are revised from time to time as experience may prove to be necessary. They have not been published.

asked the Under-Secretary for India whether, with a view to removing the block in the promotion of Indian Cavalry officers, pressure is being put on many senior officers to force them to retire on smaller pensions than they would be entitled to if they continued to serve?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary for India if he will issue a detailed statement justifying the contemplated expenditure on the Sara Bridge in India?

The objcet of the Sara Bridge is to link up the railway systems north and smith of the Lower Ganges and to provide adequate facilities for the great and increasing traffic of the districts of Northern Bengal and Assam with the port of Calcutta. Proposals for constructing such a bridge have been examined and reported on at intervals for twenty years. In 1907 the subject was exhaustively considered by an expert committee, who reported that the construction of a bridge over the Lower Ganges was a matter of extreme urgency, and selected the site where the bridge is now being built. If the hon. Member wishes to see their Report I shall be happy to send him a copy.

asked the Under-Secretary for India when the scheme for increasing the pensions of honorary commissioned officers of the Indian Army Departments, which has been approved by the Government of India, will receive the sanction of the Secretary of State for India?

The details of the scheme are at present under the consideration of the Secretary of State, and I am not able to say when a decision will be arrived at.

asked the Secretary for the Colonies whether he can furnish any statement showing the state of the finances of the Government of the Island of Zanzibar for each year since the year 1906?

The following statement shows the revenue and expenditure of Zanzibar from 1906–1911, the latest date for which audited figures are available:—

also asked whether the Zanzibar Government recently purchased through the Foreign Office various enterprises belonging to American citizens in Zanzibar, such as a railway, electric light plant, telephone plant, etc.; on whose advice these undertakings were purchased; and whether he can furnish any particulars with reference to the transactions?

The Zanzibar Government recently purchased the properties of the Zanzibar Railway Company, the Zanzibar Electric Light Company, and the Zanzibar Investment Company. The first and second of these were owned by corporations organised and existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States of America. The purchases were made on the advice of the responsible heads of the Zanzibar Government and of the late Mr. Clarke, then His Majesty's Agent and Consul-General at Zanzibar. As regards the last part of the question, if the hon. Member will state what particulars he desires in regard to these transactions I will consider whether they can properly be furnished.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state why the administration of Zanzibar has recently been transferred from the Foreign Office to the Colonial Office; and why no Consular Report has been issued for that island since July, 1911?

It has always been intended that Zanzibar, like the other British Protectorates in Africa, should eventually be transferred to the Colonial Office; and on the death of Mr. Clarke, His Majesty's Agent and Consul-General, it was decided that the transfer should be made. A Consular Report for the last half of the year 1911 and for 1912 will shortly be issued.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs if he will lay upon the Table the instructions to the British delegates to the Second International Opium Conference at The Hague, as was done in the case of the first conference?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether the Portuguese planters have recommenced the shipping of men and women from Angola to the plantations on San Thomé and Principe; and, if so, can he state the total number shipped to the islands since 1st January last?

No statistics for May or the subsequent months are yet available. Up till the end of April, 154 male and 8 female servicaes had been shipping from Angola to San Thomé. According to my information none had been shipped to Principé. They were all recruited under the Regulations of 1911 for a period of either one or two years.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether there are in existence a treaty or treaties which have been broken by the invasion of Bulgaria by Roumania; and whether he will lay before Parliament particulars of this treaty or treaties, if they exist, so that full information on this subject may be in possession of Members of the House of Commons?

The territorial cessions to be made by Bulgaria to Roumania were fixed by a protocol signed, at St. Petersburg, by the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Ambassadors of the other Great Powers, and their award was accepted by the Roumanian Government. I am not sure whether it was formally accepted by the Bulgarian Government before the outbreak of hostilities, but this instrument cannot properly be described as a treaty. I cannot undertake to lay before Parliament the text of any treaty on other international agreement without the previous consent of the other signatory parties.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information to give the House regarding the report of the French commission of inquiry, and of the coinciding report of the French and Italian Consuls at Salonika, respecting the Bulgarian premeditated atrocities committed at Serres and Doxato; and whether he can state if during the massacres at these places Bulgarian superior officers, local authorities, gendarmes, and police Were present?

I have no information as to the contents of the reports, or which would enable me to give any definite answer to the last part of the question.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can say when the matter of the Industrial Societies (Amendment) Bill can be discussed?

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement on business, from which he will see that we hope to take this Bill to-night.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the Board sanctioned a scheme of the Bethnal Green Board of Guardians for checking the accounts of public vaccinators and vaccination officers whereby 25 per cent. of the cases could be personally visited by the accountant to the guardians; is he aware that after one year's experiment it has been found that the £30 expended on this special work was more than saved by the detection of removals; has he any official information showing that greater amounts could be saved by a closer supervision over the accounts of all vaccination officers and public vaccinators; and, if so, will he institute a system for some such check?

The Local Government Board sanctioned the scheme referred to experimentally for one year, and have now received a report to the effect stated in the question. I propose to make further inquiry before deciding whether it is desirable that such a system should be made general.