asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the case of a telegraph messenger at Cardiff, who attended recently before the Post Office medical officer in that town, and was refused medical treatment on the grounds that the boy had not chosen that official as his panel doctor; and whether, in view of the fact that the lad was under sixteen years of age, he will have inquiry made into the medical service of the Cardiff Post Office?

The boy messenger to whom the question is understood to refer reached the age of sixteen on the 10th of July, 1913, and had chosen to receive medical benefit from that date under the National Insurance Act from a panel doctor insteadof remaining under the Post Office medical system. Through inadvertence, however, the Post Office medical officer was informed that the boy would cease to be under his care as from the 1st of July, and when the boy attended the medical officer's surgery on the evening of the 9th of July he was advised, as it was thought in his own interest, to go to his panel doctor as the medical officer could only treat him as a private patient. The medical officer was in no way to blame for the misunderstanding.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that seasonal workers at Rothesay, Millport, and other Clyde holiday resorts, who did not transfer for medical benefit under the National Insurance Act, were paid for by the Commissioners at a tariff mutually agreed upon between the local medical practitioners and the Scottish Insurance Commissioners up to Friday, 18th July, but that since that date this arrangement has been cancelled by the Commissioners, will he authorise the continuance of this procedure and so enable the local medical practitioners to receive fair remuneration for their services?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The sole question at issue is how best to secure an equitable adjustment of the funds available for the purposes referred to.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in computing the profits upon which Income Tax is payable under Schedule D in respect of letting furnished houses, any reduction may be made on account of the sum paid as Income Tax in respect of the same houses under Schedule A; if so, whether he is aware that the surveyor of taxes at Guildford in March, 1913, declined to admit any such reduction in the case of a taxpayer in his district who specifically inquired in writing if it was admissible; if so, whether the taxpayer in question was obliged to apply to the Board of Inland Revenue in order to secure repayment of the amount of tax illegally levied by the surveyor at Guildford; if so, whether the surveyor at Guildford has been suitably reprimanded; and what steps are to be taken to protect the public against similar misleading directions and illegal exactions in future on the part both of surveyors of taxes in general and of the surveyor of taxes at Guildford in particular?

The reply to the first of the question is that, in computing liability under Schedule D of the Income Tax Acts, in respect of the profits of letting a furnished house, an allowance may be made for the proportion of the annual value of the house (chargeable under Schedule A) corresponding to the period for which the house was let furnished. I have caused inquiry to be made into the case to which I understand the hon. Member to refer, and, while I note that a mistake was made for which regret has been expressed, I do not think that the facts justify the implication contained in the latter part of the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the promise that, in the case of the clerks to the surveyors of taxes, there should be prospect of promotion beyond the maximum, he will take into consideration the case of the abstractor class of clerks in the Statistical Department of His Majesty's Customs and Excise who have been marking time on their maximum for over eight years?

The abstractors referred to form part of the general body of assistant clerks in the Customs and Excise Department who, as a body, have already prospects of promotion beyond the maximum salary of their grade.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the contracts for the supply of oil fuel for the Navy have yet been signed; and, if so, on what date were they signed?

There are at present in force about twenty-five Admiralty contracts for oil fuel entered into at various dates in the last four years and one of earlier date. Further contracts will be entered into from time to time as occasion may arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has notified to the troops in the Southern Command the removal of the restriction placed on the wearing of plain clothes?

The previous order was cancelled by Southern Command Order No. 684.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the Local Government Board have decided to impose a. speed limit of 10 miles an hour at Hyde Park Corner, which is stated by the police to be the busiest traffic centre in the world; whether it is proposed to enforce the said Order by means of police traps; and, if so, whether, in the opinion of the police authorities, such enforcement would lead to serious congestion and consequent danger to the public?

I am aware of the Order made by the Local Government Board. It will be the duty of the police to enforce the Order so far as practicable, but I do not know that the establishment of what the Member calls "police traps" would in this case be the most effective method.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been directed to the case of Mr. H. P. King, who has been fined £5 and sentenced to a week's imprisonment by the Consular Court at Tientsin for disobeying an injunction obtained against him by the Pekin Syndicate; whether he is aware that the injunction was to restrain publication in this country of information concerning the syndicate's activities in the Far East, and that. Mr. King's letters to a London newspaper were dispatched and received before the injunction was obtained, their recall being impossible; and whether steps will be taken by the Foreign Office to quash the sentence and prevent the use of the Consular Court for the purpose of restricting communications concerning enterprises in China in which British capital is invested?

I have no official information regarding this matter, but a report shall be obtained. I would, however, point out that His Majesty's Government have no control over the judicial decisions of His Majesty's Consular Courts in China.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the bandmasters of the bands of the Governor-General and of the presidential Governors in India are foreigners; if so, whether there is any lack of competent British-subject musicians in the bands of the British-Indian Army; and, if not, why such are passed over in favour of nonmilitary and non-British-subject musicians?

I have no information on the subject, but will obtain it for the hon. Member if he so desires.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the annual average value of cotton knit goods exports from this country to the United States for the years 1873 to 1883 and 1902 to 1912; the numbers of hose and half-hose (knit goods) manufactured in this country in 1907 and in the United States in 1905, with the. average value per pair; and what was the total value of knit goods manufactured in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, according to the latest Returns?

The following statements give the information desired by the hon. Member, so far as the particulars are available. The figures relating to production in the United States of America, though collected in 1905, relate to 1904:—(1) Average annual value of cotton hosiery (United Kingdom manufacture) exported to the United States.

Description.	In the period 1873–1883.	in the period 1902–1912.
	£	£
Stockings and socks of cotton	94,568	7,730
Other sorts of cotton hosiery	238,849	15,722
Total	333,417	23,352

(2) Output of hose and half-hose (knit goods), whether of cotton or other materials, in the United Kingdom and United States.

—	Dozen Pairs.	Average Value.
		per pair
United Kingdom (1907).	14,409,000	6.1 pence
United States (1904).	44,186,000	4.2 pence

(3) Total value of finished knit goods (hosiery) of all materials returned as manufactured in the United Kingdom and United States in the years specified.

	£
United Kingdom (1907)	8,638,000
United States (1904).	27,102,000

No information is available from official sources with regard to the output of hosiery in Germany.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that considerable inconvenience is being caused to residents in Edgware Road by the lateness of the morning delivery of letters, which is often made after 8.30 o'clock; and whether he can expedite the delivery in this business thoroughfare?

As stated on page 706 of the current issue of the Post Office Guide, the authorised time for completing the first delivery of letters in the Western and Paddington Town Districts is 8.45 a.m. I am inquiring whether the delivery is being extended beyond that time in any portion of Edgware Road, and, if so, will consider the question of expediting it.

asked the Postmaster-General the name or names of the expert or experts who informed him that deliberate interference with a spark station by a similar station can be so overcome that the strategic value of the service remains intact; whether such expert or experts has or have any connection with any wireless company; and, if so, which company?

I am not prepared to give the names of the experts who advised me on this matter; but I may state that they are officers of the Post Office and Admiralty, and that they have not, and never have had, any connection with any wireless company.

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 he is aware that for many reasons such an arrangement would be objectionable to telephone users in Longford; whether he is aware that 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?

Premises for the proposed telephone exchange in Longford have been taken from a local cattle dealer and butcher for a period of seven years with a break in the lease at the end of five years. The rent is not, however, £100 a year. There is no accommodation for the exchange in the Longford Post Office, and no new post office is being provided there. No other suitable premises could be found.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he realises the inconvenience experienced by the troops on Salisbury Plain and by the tradesmen and others who supply them with provisions or arrange for motor transport in the district owing to the nonexistence of a telephone exchange at Amesbury; and whether, and how soon, the undertaking given to local residents last November that such an exchange would be provided will be carried out?

I cannot trace that any undertaking was given to local residents last November that an exchange would be provided at Amesbury. The establishment of an exchange at that place has, however, recently been authorised and the work is in hand, but I fear that some months must unavoidably elapse before the exchange can be opened.