asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that agreements to purchase their holdings were signed by the tenants on the estate-of Miss Annie Dolphin and others, Cross and Benbeg, New Inn, county Galway, six years ago; is he aware that the agreements were signed contingent on the distribution amongst them of the untenanted lands of the estate; is he aware that the tenants range in valuation from £1 to £8 and, considering the age of time, those-poor tenants are looking forward to some relief; and will he state if the property has been inspected, was it acquired, and when do the Commissioners hope to be able to bring relief to the district?

As the hon. Member has already been informed, this estate is not the subject of proceedings for sale by the owner to the tenants, but to the Estates Commissioners, and they have no knowledge of the agreements referred to in the first part of the question. If the Commissioners acquire the property, the tenants will be asked to sign undertakings to purchase at prices fixed by the Commissioners. The property has been inspected. It is not in priority for payment during the current financial year, but the question of making an offer for the purchase of it will be considered by the Commissioners during the coming financial year.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Congested Districts Board acquired the Normangrove farm, the property of Miss Minnie Forster, Kinvarra, county Galway; and, if so, can he state when they hope to be able to deal with this estate?

The offer of the Congested Districts Board for the purchase of the estate referred to has been accepted, but it has not yet been vested in them. The Board cannot at present say when they will be in a position to deal with the property.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware of the delay on the part of the Congested Districts Board in taking over the estate of Blake Forster, situated at Kinvarra, county Galway; and can he give, approximately, the time when the Board hope to be able to deal with this estate and generally relieve congestion in this district?

The offer of the Congested Districts Board for the purchase of this estate was accepted on the 24th April, 1912, but the property was not vested in the Board until the 31st July, 1913. New houses have been erected, but there has been some difficulty in getting the tenants to agree to the proposed rearrangement of the lands. They have, however, now agreed to the Board's proposals, and it is expected that tenancy agreements for the rearranged holdings will soon be executed.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware of the clear and definite understanding arrived at as between Viscount Gough, Lough Cutra Castle, Gort, and his tenants, in respect to the sale to them of their houses in the town of Gort; is he aware that the Estates Commissioners promised to make an inspection of the town section of the property with a view of adjusting the interest of the different parties concerned; and whether he can state what steps were taken by the Commissioners to carry out this undertaking, and with what result?

Any understanding which may have been come to between Lord Gough and the tenants as regards the premises in the town of Gort is not binding on the Estates Commissioners. The Commissioners have had a preliminary inspection made of the premises in the town of Gort, and, having regard to their nature and character, they do not propose to make an offer for their purchase.

asked the Chief Secretary for the names of all the holders of grazing lettings on Lady Chapman's estate, specifying those who have attempted to sell, to build, and to till, respectively, and who have been prevented by the landlord; the text of the agreement enabling the landlord to prevent; the Section of the Act under which such graziers can purchase; the number of acres held elsewhere by those graziers; the number of uneconomic holdings on the estate, including the rural village of Clonmellon; and what the Estates Commissioners propose to do in the circumstances?

As I have already informed the hon. Member, the Estates Commissioners are making further inquiries as to the tenure of the holdings on this estate, and I am not yet in a position to reply to the first four paragraphs of the question. As I stated in reply to the hon. Member on the 5th instant, the village of Clonmellon includes some seventy non-agricultural holdings of less than half an acre, while on the agricultural portion of the estate there are fifty-four holdings of a valuation less than £7. The Commissioners have not yet acquired the estate and are not therefore in a position to deal with it.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts. Board have yet issued an offer to Lord Vaux for the purchase of his congested estate near Newport, county Mayo; and, if so, whether the offer has been accepted or refused?

The Congested Districts Board have recently decided to issue an offer for the purchase of this property, and it is now in course of preparation.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that the estate of W. E. Churcher, county Galway, has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board; was it acquired; and when do the Board expect to be able to deal with it.

The Congested Districts Board have purchased a portion of the estate of Mr. W. E. Churcher situate in Tuam Union, County Galway, and they hope to deal with it during the coming financial year.

asked whether the estate of Lord Ardilaun, situate at Holly Park, Athenry, has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board; has it been inspected; and, if so, with what result.

A section of Lord Ardilaun's estate in the neighbourhood of Holly Park was offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board, and was inspected by the Board. On consideration of their Inspector's report the Board decided not to make an offer for the estate.

asked the Chief Secretary how many policemen are employed on protection duty at the Castle, Portumna, and the Kent Office Square, Loughrea, in connection with the estate of the Marquess of Clanricarde; what is the cost; is any portion of it included in the charge for extra police within the county; and can he give the cost of special police services on the Clanricarde estate since 1881?

Three policemen are engaged on protection duty at Portumna when Lord Clanricarde's agent is there, and five policemen when he is at Loughrea. With the exception of one of these men all the others are drawn from the free force of the county. A charge against the county at the rate of £34 9s. 3d. is made for the man drawn from the extra force. The information asked for in the last paragraph is not available.

asked the Chief Secretary whether assistant teachers in Ireland who had given several years' highly efficient service before 1900 had their cases ever considered by the National Board either then or since; and why such teachers who reached the maximum of the third grade in the years 1900 to 1912 did not get the promotion to which they were entitled?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that there was no special or general consideration of the cases of assistants such as are referred to in the question by the Commissioners except such as was given when the new rules of 1900 were promulgated. Prior to 1900, assistant teachers, no matter what their classification or the efficiency of their service with certain exceptions, were paid fixed salaries. Under the regulations of 1900 the financial position of all assistant teachers was improved. They were granted the income of third grade teachers, and in addition increments of good-service salary, and the Commissioners reserved to themselves the power of promoting exceptionally deserving assistants to the higher grades. Assistants who reached the maximum income of the third grade between 1900 and 1912 were not entitled to promotion. They could only be promoted under exceptional circumstances.

asked whether an undertaking was given to a deputation of Irish national school teachers, before the heating and cleaning grant was made, that as some managers have failed to keep their engagements to provide the local moieties under the scheme regulations would be made which would ensure that teachers would not be responsible for the manager's moiety of the grant; and when the regulations will be published?

The Commissioners of National Education introduced in 1911–12 a provision in their regulations by which they refuse to approve of any expenditure connected with the heating and cleansing of schools being imposed upon the teachers. This rule is still in operation, and if particulars be furnished of any case in which it has been infringed through a teacher being required to pay for the heating or cleaning of his school the matter will be investigated by the Commissioners.

asked the Chief Secretary whether it is stated in the Report of the Departmental Committee on housing in Ireland that three members of the corporation received rebates in local taxes in respect of property which is described in the Report as unfit for human habitation, and that the medical officer of the city had dispensed in these cases with the conditions laid down by the corporation in respect of rebates; and whether the Government of Ireland propose to take any steps to compel these members of the corporation to pay over to the city the amount of these rebates?

That has been answered.

asked if the actuary is still engaged on the investigation into the state of the Constabulary Force Fund (Benefit Branch); if so, how far he has gone towards the completion of his labours; when will his report be laid on the Table of the House; and when the Chief Secretary for Ireland will make a definite statement as to his intention of introducing a short Bill to wind up this fund?

The compilation of the data required by the actuary, which necessarily involved considerable research on the part of the Constabulary Office, was not completed until the middle of January last. As the observations upon which the report will be based relate to the history of some 18,000 members of the Fund, it is not anticipated that the report will be ready for some weeks, but every effort is being made to expedite the work. My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary will no doubt be in a position to answer the last part of the question when he has considered the report.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the nuns in charge of the convent national schools, Graignamanagh, county Kilkenny, claimed £39 19s. 6d. from the Board of National Education as payment for the quarter ending 31st December, 1913, and received only £26 13s.; whether, owing to an epidemic of scarlatina, the attendance of pupils was exceptionally low during the quarter, and the attendance during the corresponding period in the previous year was still lower owing to an outbreak of measles and whooping-cough; if so, was not the claim of the nuns in accordance with the spirit if not the letter of Rule 2 ( f ), which provides that if the average attendance in any quarter is seriously reduced owing to exceptional causes, payment of the ordinary capitation Grant may be claimed on the actual average attendance for the corresponding quarter of the preceding calendar year, the claim being based on the attendance during the quarter ending 31st December, 1911, when there was no epidemic and when there was a normal attendance of pupils; and will he, under the circumstances, request the Board to reconsider the matter, and see that justice is done to those who without any payment for their personal services are endeavouring to maintain these useful and necessary schools?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the facts are as stated in the first two paragraphs of the question. It was not practicable for the Commissioners to accede to the claim of the nuns, which was based upon the average attendance for the quarter ending 31st December, 1911. The rule referred to lays down that the claim should be based on the average attendance for the corresponding quarter of the previous calendar year.

asked whether the Irish Government has been consulted by the War Office as to immediate accommodation for additional forces in various parts of Ireland by way of quartering and billeting; and, if so, whether, in view of the scale of remuneration to those citizens who have troops billeted on them and the rise in the price of food necessaries, the Irish Government will make any representation to have the scale of remuneration raised?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that a shooting outrage occurred in county Galway on the night of 5th March, when the residence of Daniel Moylan, at Clonboe, was attacked by three masked men, who entered the house, carried off a gun, and fired a volley of shots through the windows from outside, and whether any arrests have been made in connection with the case?

The facts are as stated. The police are still actively investigating this outrage, but no clue has yet been obtained.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that cattle driving took place on the Ross estate, in county Galway, where forty-two head of cattle have been driven off the demesne land on this estate lately and the iron gates on the fields were thrown down, and the hair cut off the tails of twenty-two of the cattle; and whether anyone has been arrested or made amenable for this outrage?

The police inform me that on the night of the 10th instant forty-two head of cattle were driven off the property referred to, and the gates thrown down. The hair was clipped off the tails of twenty-two of the cattle, but no further injury was done to them. The police are pursuing their inquiries, but so far no person has been made amenable.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that disturbances occurred at an exhibition in Dublin of a series of cinematograph films depicting aspects of the British Army, which cinematograph films have been approved by the Army Council and have been exhibited before His Majesty the King; whether he is aware that on its appearance at the picture house in Sackville Street, Dublin, an organised crowd of young Nationalists boohed, groaned, and shouted, that cheers were called for the Germans, that some of these disturbers had to be removed by the police, and leaflets were distributed outside the picture house opposing enlistment in the Army; and, seeing that these disturbances were organised to prevent enlistment, whether any arrests have been made?

I am aware that during the exhibition of the British Army film at a picture theatre in Dublin a disturbance was caused by some young men in the audience booing and hissing, and at the request of the manager they were removed by the police. They were not arrested, as no charge was made against them by the manager. The incident is not likely to have any effect on recruiting.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if it is on behalf of these hooligans that the services of the British Army—

The hon. Member must know that a question of that sort can serve no useful purpose.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the expenditure which the Dublin Distress Committee has undertaken this season already includes £1,440 in improving the property of the Grand Canal Company; whether that sum is likely to reach £2,000 before the season closes; whether £1,170 has been spent in cleaning streets and lanes not in charge of the corporation and for the purpose of improving private property; whether £28 has been spent on the yard attached to a church and school, and £40 in laying concrete in a convent school yard; whether both of these latter sums are in addition to the distress committee's money spent last year; whether smaller sums of money are being spent in improving the property of private owners; whether the money now spent in improving the canal harbour will substantially benefit wealthy merchants who own the adjoining warehouses; whether, in respect of these payments, no recoupment is being asked for; whether the Irish Local Government Board is aware of these facts; and, if so, what steps it is taking to safeguard the Dublin distress fund from being spent in the interests of private people and more on behalf of unemployed workpeople?

The Local Government Board are not in a position to check the accuracy of the figures of the hon. Member, as they have not yet received the detailed accounts of the expenditure of the City of Dublin Distress Committee this year. The Board have already directed a careful inspection to be made of the works undertaken and being undertaken by the distress committee, and this is a preliminary to their making a final distribution of moneys out of the unemployed fund.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that the Dublin Distress Committee proved at the recent distress inquiry that they could not get work for the unemployed with full recoupment, that the committee waited until such time as they could get work, and that under these circumstances hundreds of people would remain starving and unemployed; and may I ask further whether there was an inquiry into the working of the distress committee, which lasted fourteen days, and whether the Report of the Local Government Board was in every respect in favour of the distress committee?

The hon. Member should give notice of that series of questions.

Has the Local Government Board of Ireland not got power to consider the schemes before they are entered upon, and impose conditions under which they must be carried out?

I do not know that that is so. The whole question is whether recoupment is possible. Obviously it is most desirable that it should be.

asked if under the Government of Ireland Bill it would be possible for the Irish Parliament in framing Customs Duties to differentiate between different provinces or districts of Ireland?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that on the 16th instant a resolution was proposed and carried at a meeting of the Cork County Council repudiating the proposal he has recently made with regard to the temporary withdrawal of certain portions of Ireland from the scope of the Government of Ireland Bill; whether a copy of the resolution has been forwarded to him; and whether he has received similar resolutions from other wholly Nationalist bodies in Ireland?

The answer to the first two branches of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the last branch, I have received somewhat similar resolutions from the central branch of the Independent Labour Party of Ireland, and from the Parliamentary Committee of the Irish Trades Union Congress.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has been able to read the report of a convention held in Cork on the 14th instant, and attended by eight out of nine of the Parliamentary representatives of the county and city, at which, a resolution was passed by acclamation condemning the Government for rejecting concessions and amendments to the Government of Ireland Bill, which would have ensured to the Protestant minority an effective voice in the government of their country, and in proposing instead a division of the country which would divide Ireland into two camps of warring races and creeds; and whether this resolution was in his knowledge when he made his amplified statement and amendment to the Government of Ireland Bill on Monday of this week?

I saw a brief report in the "Times" of Monday, the 16th, of the conference referred to.

asked the Prime Minister whether, under the proposed amendments to the Government of Ireland Bill, the office of Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant will continue to exist?

I must refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Members for Bury St. Edmunds and for Salisbury on the 4th, 26th, and 27th November, 1912. The matter is not affected by the present proposals of the Government.

asked how many lectures on each of the following subjects were given by the professor of education in Marlborough Street Training College during the two sessions ended 30th June, 1913, namely, the history of education, general methodology, method of particular subjects, the logical bases of education, scholastic ethics, scholastic hygiene, psychology as applied to education, and the literature of education?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that the number of lectures in the subjects mentioned given by the professor of education during the sessions referred to were approximately as follows: General methodology, 80; methods of particular subjects, 200; logical bases of education, 12; scholastic ethics, 12; scholastic hygiene, 21; psychology as applied to education, 72. There were no lectures given in history or literature of education.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he has seen a resolution passed by the Wexford Rural District Council stating that no foot-and-mouth disease exists in any of those districts where restrictions are enforced; and, as farmers have no means at this season of the year of holding their fat stock for any considerable time, will he issue an Order permitting fat cattle, swine, and sheep to be removed to the slaughter-house for slaughter, and, in the event of a farmer having land on both sides of the road, that such farmer be allowed to move his stock on either side on which his land is situate?

I have seen the resolution referred to. The restrictions at present affecting the Wexford rural district have been imposed pending the tracing of a number of calves brought from Cork and sold in New Ross and Waterford. I am advised that until such tracing has been completed and all stock found healthy on premises where the suspected calves are, it would be unsafe to allow movements such as are referred to in this question. Inconvenience arising in consequence is much regretted. Farmers can assist in hastening the withdrawal of restrictions by affording information which may help the inspectors to locate the calves referred to.

asked what is the present position as regards foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland?

(who was imperfectly heard): Five fresh cases were reported yesterday in the scheduled districts in the county Cork. The disease has not appeared elsewhere. The real difficulty of the present situation is in connection with consignments of calves that were sent from Cork to various places in the south. In five cases these animals have been traced and the disease found. In the other cases the work of tracing is still going on in the counties Waterford, Wexford, and Kilkenny, but no outbreak has been reported. This work has involved the scheduling of large areas of the country. This is a measure of precaution which gives rise to great inconvenience, but I trust that it will be for a very brief time. In some cases the disease has been found to be connected with the cattle sales in the county and city of Cork.

Do I understand that all the outbreaks reported yesterday are traceable to calves sold in Cork; and how many scheduled areas are there now in Ireland?

I think that the hon. Gentleman should give me notice of that question. I have mentioned that there are several areas which are scheduled not owing to the existence of disease, but owing to the necessity of searching for these calves. I cannot give the hon. Gentleman the exact number.

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer the first part of my question—are all the five outbreaks reported yesterday traceable to these calves sold in Cork?

No. There were five outbreaks in county Tipperary directly traceable to calves. There were five outbreaks in Cork city and county in scheduled areas which were directly traceable to the sale in the yard at the end of February.

What was the number of the calves sold?

It is very difficult to say.

Is it not a fact that only twenty-six calves—that is, one wagon of calves—came from this sale yard in Cork to Thurles, that ten of these calves were not sold by the buyer, Dwyer, but were found on his premises and slaughtered by the Department, that that left only sixteen calves to be accounted for, that these have nearly all been accounted for in five districts where these calves were sold in twos and threes, and can the right hon. Gentleman say how many still remain to be accounted for?

There was a considerable consignment of calves which left Cork direct, and did not go by Thurles at all.

Is there any further report of the result of the investigations of the Department in Queen's County? Have any of these calves been found in that district?

No, not yet.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it is proposed to close the nursing home in Sierra Leone Colony to native practitioners possessing European qualifications; and, if so, upon what grounds is this decision based?

The Government of Sierra Leone have proposed to make a new rule, under which private practitioners would not be allowed to treat patients in the nursing home at Freetown. This rule would apply to all private practitioners, and would not affect native practitioners employed by the Colonial Government. The proposal is at present under consideration.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, if he will say why no Member of Parliament has been placed upon the Scottish Board constituted under the Ancient Monuments Act as is done only in the case of England; what is the reason for the English Board of Education being represented by a subordinate Minister of the Government in the case of England; and whether he will consider the advisability of placing a Member of Parliament on both the Scottish and Welsh Boards in order to secure the advantages that will accrue to England from the arrangement obtaining in the constitution of the English Board?

The Member of Parliament referred to by my hon. Friend was not placed upon the Board because he is a Member of this House. While the Bill was under discussion no wish was expressed that members should be nominated, and the First Commissioner would not feel justified in now adding to the bodies mentioned in the first Schedule.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the two Boards referred to, the Scotch Board and the Welsh Board, were added as an afterthought, and were never discussed at all, as there was no opportunity for expressing an opinion?

On the contrary, my recollection is quite clear that the necessity for the Welsh and Scotch Boards was made very apparent.

Is it not distinctly within the recollection of the hon. Member that myself and the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydvil on the last night on which this Bill was being discussed here suggested those additions, which were then made?

Yes, that is so. The additions were made on the suggestion of the hon. Members.

How is it that my hon. Friend says that there was full discussion of the point which I raise in my question?

Notwithstanding that fact, discussion took place in the House.

Does not the Board as now constituted give the English Board an unfair advantage?

I do not think that the Scotch and Welsh Boards are at any disadvantage. If a Member of Parliament joins the English Board, he is there as a representative of the Board of Education and not as a Member of Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Port of London Authority have submitted to him for approval any pension scheme for granting pensions to officers and servants in their employ in pursuance of Section 24 (6) of the Port of London Act, 1908?

The Port of London Authority inform me that they have assumed the responsibility for the various pension arrangements existing with the transferred undertakings at the appointed day, but that they have not created, so far, any additional pension scheme. The authority have, therefore, not submitted any such scheme for the approval of the Board of Trade.

Is the hon. Member aware that such a pension scheme has been promised for several years?

It may be so.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if any cocoa is now imported into this country from plantations in Portuguese West Africa; if so, the quantity so imported in 1913; and whether any form of forced labour is in operation on any of the plantations where such cocoa is grown?

The imports of raw cocoa in 1913, which were consigned to this, country from Portuguese West Africa, amounted to 426,000 lbs. In addition, raw cocoa to the amount of 2,556,000 lbs. was consigned from Portugal, a large proportion of which was probably derived originally from Portuguese West Africa. As regards the third part of the question, I am not aware of any forced labour being employed in any of the plantations where such cocoa was grown.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the forced labour was in operation at that part; and how could the cocoa have been moved to Portuguese East Africa without it?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put a question to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the nature of the evidence for the defence given at the trial of Julia Decies at the Central Criminal Court, on Wednesday, 4th March; if he is aware that the jury, in finding the prisoner guilty, recommended her to mercy, and that Mr. Justice Darling awarded seven years' penal servitude; And whether, in view of the health of the prisoner and the whole of the circumstances of her offence, he can see his way to order a remission of her sentence?

As I informed the hon. Member last week, there is an application in this case to the Court of Criminal Appeal. While the matter is sub judice I cannot answer any question.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is proposing to have rules issued controlling work in coal mines where the humidity in relation to temperature is to be considered as unhealthy?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the observations of the Royal Commission on Coal Mines, who considered this subject and came to the conclusion that no regulation was needed. I have no information, and I have received no representations, which would lead me to differ from this conclusion.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the question correctly describes the conditions prevailing in this Chamber?

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of a man named Charles Matterson, who in October last was convicted of an assault on a men who had assaulted his (Matterson's) wife; whether he has received an application from Matterson for a verbatim report of the police court proceedings; and whether he will grant the application and so assist Matterson in his effort to remove the stain on his character which may militate against him in his work as a licensed cab driver?

No official verbatim reports of police court proceedings are taken, and I am consequently unable to comply with this application.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of a taxicab driver, named Richard Williams, who, on the 17th of February last, was summoned before Mr. Stipendiary Hopkins on a charge of drunkenness and was discharged; whether he is aware that the defence set up was that the defendant was ill and not drunk, and that three days after the alleged drunkenness, and before he was tried, Williams was taken ill again in precisely the same manner and had to be taken to hospital; whether he is aware that when Williams was taken on the first occasion to Cannon Row police station he was examined by the divisional surgeon, who said he was drunk; and whether, in view of the error of judgment committed, he will make representations to the various divisional surgeons that every care should be taken in the examination of persons brought up on a charge of drunkenness, especially in the case of a man holding a public licence whose future career would be seriously prejudiced by a conviction, as Williams's would have been had he not been taken ill under similar circumstances before his case was tried?

My attention has been called to the case. The magistrate very properly, in view of the subsequent illness and the medical evidence as to its being an epileptic fit, dismissed the charge, but it does not follow that the divisional surgeon was at fault; he was told by Williams himself that he was not subject to fits. I am having further inquiry made into the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that Dr. Flora Murray and Dr. Frank Moxon, after interviewing and examining Miss Phyllis Brady on her release in February last from Holloway, stated that they had formed the opinion that Miss Brady had been given doses of bromide during her incarceration; and if he will state whether Miss Brady was given bromide or any other hypnotic drug whilst in Holloway?

The statements referred to were entirely without foundation. Neither bromide nor any other hypnotic drug was given to Miss Brady while she was in Holloway.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state whether the Local Government Board have conducted or caused to be conducted any experiments with a view to establishing the effect upon infants of pasteurised milk and sterilised milk, respectively; whether either pasteurised or sterilised milk has been found to be prejudicial to child life; and, if so, whether it has been found possible to take any steps to neutralise such prejudicial effects?

An investigation of this question was made for the Local Government Board by Dr. Janet E. Lane-Claypon, and I am sending the hon. Member copies of her reports, which were published in 1912 and 1913.

asked the President of the Local Government Board (1) if he will state how many dwelling-houses inspected by local authorities pursuant to the provisions of Section 17 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, were found to be seriously defective from the point of view of danger to health or structural faults; and (2) whether he can state approximately how many vacant houses there were, on any convenient day, in England and Wales suitable for persons of the working classes?

In reply to this and the following question, I may state that I have recently asked the local authorities for returns as to these and other matters. A number of returns are still outstanding.

How many reports has the right hon. Gentleman received from the local bodies?

I cannot give the number. I think the majority have not yet been received.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, prior to the issue of the Local Government Board's circular, dated 27th February, 1914, any return has been called for showing the results of inspections made by local authorities pursuant to the provisions of Section 17 of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909, with a view to ascertain whether any dwelling house in the district of the local authority is in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation; and whether the Local Government Board have any return from any local authority showing the result of such inspection?

Under Section 44 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, the Local Government Board every year call upon local authorities for an account of what has been done under Part II. of that Act, as amended by the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1909. The information given in the accounts is summarised on pages 24 to 26 of Part II. of the Board's forty-second annual Report.

Have all the local authorities sent in reports?

I would not like to answer without notice.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the London County Council Education General Purposes Sub-Committee have made a grant of £30 and other sums to the officers of the staff, stores, and other departments as a reward for energy displayed in January last in assisting to defeat the claims of the London coal porters for a higher standard of life; and if this disbursement of money is in accordance with the regulations of the Board and passed by the auditor?

I have no information whether any payments of the kind have been made. The remuneration of the staff of the county council is not subject to any regulations of the Local Government Board, and does not require their approval. The accounts of the council for the current year ending the 31st March will not be audited until after the close of the year. Any question as to the legality of any payment charged in the accounts would be one for the decision of the district auditor in the first instance.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the Order that when children are boarded out it must be with foster-parents of the same creed can be modified in cases where the children have been certified as belonging to the Church of England, on account of the uncertainty as to the creed of the parents, and also in cases where there can be no reasons for believing that the parents would seriously object, and when good homes other than those of a similar sect can be found?

I do not consider that the Order could properly be modified in the sense suggested by the hon. Member. But if in a particular case a foster-parent of the same religious creed as that of the child cannot be found, the Local Government Board are willing to allow a departure from the Order if the foster-parent undertakes that the child shall attend a place of worship and a Sunday school of its own religious denomination.

Is it not the case that Church of England people frequently hand over children to members of the Salvation Army, and why cannot that be done at the discretion of the board of guardians?

That would be likely to give rise in particular cases to controversy on religious grounds, and would not be desirable.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the dissatisfaction amongst postal employés, he will fix an early date for discussion of their grievances, and so enable the Postmaster-General to inform the House what he proposes to do with regard to the recommendations of the Holt Report?

This depends upon the exigencies of Parliamentary business.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that he has given the same answer at least five or six times, and in view of the general interest felt on both sides of the House, can he not now fix a date?

I am quite aware of the interest that is taken, but we must get through our necessary financial business. There will be no undue delay, I can assure the hon. Gentleman.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is proposed that the Member of the Cabinet holding the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster shall have a seat in the House of Commons; and, if so, when will this be arranged?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I cannot yet say; but I regret to have to add that my right hon. Friend is still indisposed.

May I ask the Prime Minister whether this is not a suitable occasion for testing the feeling of any English constituency, even though the one chosen is a seat so far called a Radical seat?

Is it not the fact that within very recent times Ministers of the Crown have held office for considerable periods without being Members of either House, notably Mr. Gladstone? [An HON. MEMBER: "Mr. Russell."]

Would it not be possible to arrange for the right hon. Gentleman to get a seat in another place?

asked the Prime Minister whether he has received another application from the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition for a Grant of £3,800 to complete the publication of the scientific reports of the "Scotia"; and whether he can explain how it is that expeditions organised in England are able to secure Grants, while the country which he himself represents cannot?

I have received the application referred to. I would point out that a sum of £3,000 has already been provided by Parliament for the publication of the scientific reports of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition, so that the implication in the last part of my hon. Friend's question is not based on fact.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that all the money for this expedition was contributed before the expedition was begun, and that this money is absolutely necessary to complete the publication relating to this scientific event? Further, is the Prime Minister aware that Scotland contributes every year £3,000,000 to the National Exchequer over and above what is spent on her, and is she not entitled to have some of that money?

asked the Prime Minister if it is competent for the National Health Insurance Commissioners to call for actuarial reports as to the financial position of any approved society, or if the consent of the Treasury is required before this can be done?

I would refer the hon. Member to Section 35 of the principal Act.

May I ask why the hon. Gentleman does not answer the question, but only tells us to turn up Section 35?

The relations between the Treasury and the Commissioners are fully defined in Section 35 and Section 83.

if that is so, is it not advisable that the Government should state exactly what is the position of the Insurance Commissioners?

I cannot possibly define their position better than it is defined in the Statute.

asked whether, when the accounts sent to the Insurance Commissioners by an approved society are found when audited to be incorrect, the society is informed as to what extent they are inaccurate?

The accounts of approved societies are audited, not by the Insurance Commissioners, but by auditors appointed by the Treasury, who inform the societies themselves as well as the Commissioners of any inaccuracies discovered.

asked whether the Insurance Commissioners have abandoned the regulation proposing to restrict the liberty of branches of approved societies as to their place of meeting; and whether this House may understand that no such regulation will be issued during this Parliament?

I have nothing to add to previous answers.

asked if apprentices in the mercantile marine are liable to deductions in respect of health insurance contributions; if so, on what basis; and what arrangements are made for them to receive medical and other benefits when they are employed on voyages of extended duration?

Apprentices in the mercantile marine are insurable if in receipt of money payment, and liable to the same deductions as other insurable persons employed in the mercantile marine. They are not entitled to sickness, disablement, or medical benefit in respect of any period during which the owner of the ship is liable under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, as amended by any subsequent enactment, to defray the expenses of the necessary surgical and medical advice and attendance and medicine and maintenance.

Is it to be understood that the insured person has to pay without any possible chance of getting any benefits except those that are bound to be made good in the way of medical benefits by the owner of the ship?

No, Sir, that is not to be understood.

asked if J. M. Southard, an insured contributor under the National Insurance Act, who recently died from advanced tuberculosis of both lungs, was treated by the panel doctor attending him for rheumatism and cold; whether, in making this diagnosis, the doctor submitted Southard to a thorough examination; what time elapsed between the date when Southard was last seen by the doctor and the man's death; if the coroner's jury in this case censured the doctor; how many insured patients were included on his list at the time; and whether his name still remains on the insurance panel?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for East Nottingham on Monday last, to which I have nothing to add.

asked what is the total number of insured persons in Great Britain and Ireland who have been certified to be suffering from tuberculosis; the number of those who are receiving residential treatment in sanatoria; and the total number of beds in sanatoria which are at the disposal of insurance committees for the reception of such patients?

I will refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on the 24th February.

Will the hon. Gentleman lay Papers on the Table?

Yes; they are in course of preparation.

When shall we have them?

I cannot say at present.

asked whether the Stoke-on-Trent insurance committee has officially stated that in round figures the chemists in their area will only be paid 85 per cent. of their bills for 1913; whether the cost per prescription has risen during the year; and whether he proposes to see that these accounts are paid in full?

My right hon. Friend understands that the drug funds of the insurance committee referred to (in whose area the per-attendance system was in operation for the first quarter of 1913) are esti- mated to amount to approximately 85 per cent. of the total chemists' bills presented. In the absence of any action by the chemists concerned to put into operation the surcharging provisions of the Regulations, the total amount available in the drug funds will be paid in settlement of their accounts as provided by the agreements into which they have entered. The average cost per prescription has risen during 1913, but the number of prescriptions has steadily decreased.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state how many days he proposes to allot to Scottish Estimates this Session, and when he thinks such days will be available?

I fear I am not in a position to make any statement on the subject at present.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the number of assistant clerks (new class) employed in His Majesty's Customs and Excise, the number certified to have suffered from phthisis or other tuberculous disease since the 1st January, 1909, and the number granted prolonged sick leave, superannuated, and deceased, respectively, during the same period from tubercular complaints?

I am making inquiries in this matter, and will communicate with the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury why in the new-galleries of the British Museum no arrangements were made before the buildings were finished for any communication from the main top gallery to the offices and store rooms used by the officers in charge of the collections; and, seeing that since the building was finished a portion has had to be cut out in the main ferro-concrete floor to permit of access to this great gallery from below and a stairway is now being built in such a manner that the symmetry of the gallery and the area of the floor space are both thereby impaired, whether steps will be taken to see that such errors of planning, etc., are not repeated in the new national museum at Cardiff?

It was found necessary, after the plans had been approved, to use the eastern part of the top gallery for a students' room. Easy communication was therefore necessary with the rooms below and the new staircase was formed, the concrete floor, not ferro-concrete floor, being cut through for the purpose. There has been no error in planning.

Why were the arrangements not made beforehand?

These were of a nature that could not be determined until the purpose of the gallery had been decided.

Will the hon. Gentleman ascertain what was the cost of this alteration?

It was about £100.

asked if the new special reading-room between the old and new buildings of the British Museum will have to be artificially lighted during the time of ordinary daylight to enable students to read in many parts of the room?

No, Sir, not as a rule.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will arrange for the insertion in the Annual Reports on the health of the Navy of statistics of the vaccinations and re-vaccinations of men and boys, together with the percentage of successful operations, as is done in the Army Reports?

We have no objection to giving the particulars asked for by my hon. Friend on the lines of the statistics given in the Annual Report on the health of the Army.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Naval Ordnance clerks in the Woolwich Ordnance Depot do not participate in the special London allowance enjoyed by the clerks serving at the Admiralty and the Deptford and West India Docks; and whether, in view of the fact that in the case of postal employés and soldiers serving in Woolwich the district is held to be within the London area, he will consider the possibility of putting the Woolwich naval clerks on an equality?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The question of granting London allowance to the clerical staff employed at the Naval Ordnance Depot, Woolwich, has been carefully considered, but it has been decided that the conditions prevailing there are not such as to warrant the grant of the allowance.

Is it not the fact that a Committee recommended that this should be done, and will the right hon. Gentleman inquire?

asked what will be the number of ships of the "Dreadnought" type possessed by Great Britain, Germany, Austria, and Italy on the 31st of March, 1915, and on the same date in 1916, and will he give their names?

I must refer the hon. Member to the Return standing in the name of my right hon. Friend the Member for North St. Pancras.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has made a calculation of the loss in income suffered by employés in the Stafford Post Office by the altered staffing of certain railway mail vans; is he aware how many years these emoluments, now withdrawn, have been enjoyed; and has he made any arrangements enabling the staff to outset this substantial loss?

The trip allowances formerly paid to eight officers of the Stafford Post Office and now withdrawn amounted to £12 3s. 6d. a week altogether. I am sorry that the change involves loss to the Stafford staff, but I cannot recognise any claim to payment in respect of work no longer performed. I could not state, without further inquiries, how long the men have been travelling. The Stafford officers actually engaged on the travelling work at the present time are being afforded an opportunity of transfer to another office with a view to their continued employment on this work. No officer has a claim to continuous employment on travelling work.

Will the right hon. Gentleman state how long this has been going on?

I cannot say off-hand, but I will certainly inform my hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the state of unrest which still exists in the engineering department owing to the continued policy of refusing advancement to those officers who, for the past two and a-half years, have been borne on the redundant second-class engineers' scale, although a number of these officers are admittedly suitable for advancement; if he will undertake to ascertain immediately from the engineer-in-chief which of these men are, in his opinion, qualified for immediate advancement; and will he take the necessary steps to give immediate effect to such recommendations in order that the penalising of these men may cease as early as possible?

asked what steps the right hon. Gentleman proposes to take to reinstate and compensate those post office engineers who were officially condemned as inefficient in connection with the reorganisation of 1911, but whom, it is understood, the engineer-in-chief to the post office is prepared to recommend as efficient officers who are well qualified for promotion?

I will answer at the same time Question No. 62. The officers referred to have not been removed from the positions which they occupied before the revision; they retain the same title and scale of pay, and no question of reinstatement or compensation arises. For the new classes created under the revision of 1911 a higher standard of qualifications is required; and in the first instance the places in these classes were filled by the promotion of the best qualified officers. The claims of other officers who, though not so well qualified, can yet be regarded as suitable, have been considered in connection with vacancies occurring in the ordinary course, and a number of promotions to the new class of assistant engineers have been made. As further vacancies become available, consideration will continue to be given to the claims of officers reported to be suitable for advancement.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if there is any information available as to the possibility of preparing a diagnostic vaccine for Johne's disease from the causal bacillus; and whether he is aware that no public report has been issued upon this subject since September, 1912?

The inquiry into Johne's disease which is being conducted by the Royal Veterinary College includes the question of diagnosis, and a large number of experiments and observations with regard to the relative reliability of different methods of diagnosis, including the use of "Johnin"—a test substance prepared from the causal bacillus—have been made. It is, however, considered advisable to obtain further evidence, and with this object "Johnin" is now being supplied gratis to veterinary surgeons for testing animals suspected of the disease. The college will publish a Report on the subject as soon as the evidence collected appears to be sufficient to warrant definite conclusions.

Will the right hon. Gentleman arrange, in view of the importance of this subject, that this specific question shall be brought to the attention of the International Veterinary Congress, which will meet in London in August next?

I will consult the authorities of the congress upon it.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he was consulted in advance upon the methods adopted by the police for the arrest of Mrs. Pankhurst in Glasgow; whether he is aware that no attempt was made to make the arrest quietly before the meeting, and by whose authority a public meeting was raided in connection with the arrest; and whether he will cause an investigation into all the facts, with a view to the prevention, if possible, of a future recurrence?

I think my hon. Friend has put his question under a misapprehension. The Glasgow police are a municipal force. Their position is entirely different from that of the Metropolitan police. They are under no obligation to consult me, and did not do so. In view, however, of my hon. Friend's question, I have asked for information on the second and third points which he raises, and I am informed that every effort was made by the police to arrest Mrs. Pankhurst before the meeting and that the police had authority under the Local Police Acts to enter the hall, which is licensed by the magistrates. I have heard that a request for an inquiry has been, or is to be, made to the Glasgow magistrates.

In view of the importance of preserving the right of public meeting free from interruption, will the right hon. Gentleman issue a recommendation to the Glasgow police not to permit a repetition of this action?

I do not think I am called upon to interfere with the police.

asked the President of the Board of Education what provision has been made for increased Parliamentary Grants for the year 1914–15 to the local education authorities?

I have nothing to add to the answer given on Monday last by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for St. Pancras West.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a decision has yet been come to as to what extent the judgments of Mr. Justice Scrutton, in the cases of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue v. Smyth and the Commissioners of Inland Revenue v. Hunter, should be accepted or appealed against; and, if there are to be appeals, what steps will be taken to expedite the hearing?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave yesterday in answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford, to which I have nothing to add to-day.

Do I understand that there is to be an appeal in both cases?

I cannot add anything to the reply. Both judgments will be appealed.

asked if legislation will be introduced in the present Session, and, if so, when, with a view to making it clear that builders' profits are exempt from Increment Duty under the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, and that such duty is only to be levied on the increment of value accruing to land from the enterprise of the community or the landowners' neighbours?

The Government propose shortly to introduce legislation in relief of builders on the lines of Clauses in the Revenue Bill of last Session.

Will steps be taken to secure its passage into law in this Session?

Perhaps the hon. Member will be good enough to address to the Prime Minister questions relating to the business of the House.

asked the Secretary for War why an officer to the Royal Flying Corps, who was injured by an accident to the aeroplane which he was piloting on 3rd February, but who has been only temporarily prevented from flying, has been docked of his flying pay for a portion of last and the whole of this month?

I am inquiring into this case.

asked the Secretary of State for War if any system is in force on the lines of that adopted in Germany for improving efficiency in aeroplane construction and skill in pilotage by the granting of prizes and bonuses, and generally for encouraging military aviation; if he is aware of the sums expended annually by Germany for these purposes; and if he will state what expenditure is provided for under these heads for the present year in this country?

The answer to the first and third parts of the question is in the negative, and to the second part in the affirmative.

I beg to ask the Secretary for War a question, of which I have given private notice, namely: Whether he can give any information as to the fatal accident which occurred at the Central Flying School to-day?

I deeply regret to say that Lieutenant Treeby, of the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment was killed this morning at Upavon. He was flying a Maurice-Farman machine, and had apparently descended from about 1,000 feet, with his engine off, just above Jenner's Firs; he then flattened out and side-slipped from a height of about 250 feet. I have no further information, but inquiry is being made.