asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken to obtain from Japan reciprocity in respect of coastal trade; and whether any advance has resulted, or is likely to result, from the recent visit of Mr. Monteath to Tokio?

The matter is still forming the subject of communication with the Japanese Government. I am not in a position to give any information as regards the results of Mr. Monteath's visit to Tokio. No doubt the recent change of Government in Japan has unavoidably delayed the expected answer from Japan to our last communication.

asked what protection is afforded to the resident and other Europeans in Busra; and whether any special precautions are being taken in view of the rebellion at Muscat, the presence of a camp of Arabs near Busra, and the general condition of unrest in the Tigris district?

I am not aware that there is any need for the special protection of His Majesty's Consul and other Europeans at Basra. The master of a British steam-lighter was murdered on board his vessel in Basra Harbour on 8th February, and strong representations have been made to the Ottoman Government by His Majesty's Ambassador to spare no efforts to bring the guilty parties to justice. Those efforts have not so far been successful. I have received no information as to a state of general unrest in the Tigris region or as to affairs at Basra being effected by events at Muscat.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information to give concerning the recent fighting in Muscat and the shelling of Barka; were there any casualties on board His Majesty's ships "Dartmouth" and "Fox" or amongst the British-Indian troops; and what is the present state of affairs at Muscat?

A rebellion against the Sultan of Muscat has been in progress for nearly a year, and His Majesty's Government have been obliged to take measures for the protection of towns on the coast where they have important interests. During April the rebels occupied forts at Kuriyat and Barka, which His Majesty's ships bombarded at the request of the Sultan and dislodged the rebels. So far as I am aware there were no casualties on His Majesty's ships. British-Indian troops have not been engaged. According to my latest information, which is, however, not more recent than 25th April, it was improbable that the rebels would again attack the coast towns. The situation in the interior was uncertain, though the rebels were reported to be disheartened.

May I ask if proper precautions will be taken to prevent the looting of Muscat and other coast towns by rebels from the interior, as happened some years ago?

All proper precautions are being taken and will be taken.

asked whether Mr. Eyres is to return to Constantinople in a month, notwithstanding his speech, which has given offence to the Turks; whether the Grand Vizier has complained of Mr. Eyres's speech to the Foreign Office; and, seeing that in these circumstances Mr. Eyres cannot be a useful and acceptable Consul - General at Constantinople, whether he will now inform the House what action is to be taken in regard to this matter, which touches the discipline and character of our Consular service and the feelings of a friendly nation?

It is obvious that the report of the speech in question is a matter that has not been disregarded, as appears from the answer given last month, but the matter is still under consideration.

Is not Consul-General Eyres an exceedingly capable official?

Yes. He has had a long period of good service, it is quite true, but the report of the speech in question is a matter which cannot be disregarded in the special circumstances of the case of his present post.

Was not the speech a purely private one, and not intended to be reported at all?

I believe it was not intended to be reported, but once it was reported it became public property.

If I had understood that the speech was not intended to be reported I should not have questioned the right hon. Gentleman again. I was unaware of that.

Oh, yes, that was the case, the misfortune arising from remarks which were never intended to be reported having been reported, and once reported they became public property, and we received representations from the Turkish Government on the subject.

Would not some expression of regret on the part of Mr. Eyres go some way towards soothing Turkish feelings?

I think the hon. Member will see by my statement that the matter is still under consideration that I meant to imply that it is a matter of some importance and delicacy, and the fact that the matter is still under consideration must be taken to mean that a definite solution has not yet been arrived at.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Carranza-Villa party in Mexico had removed the Dutch sailors who hitherto guarded some of the Tampico oilfields and has made a levy upon the Tampico Chamber of Commerce; and what action is being taken by the United States Government to counteract the effects of its refusal to recognise the de facto government of General Huerta?

I have no information as to the reported removal of Dutch sailors, but His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington, in consequence of a report received' by the Netherlands Minister at Washington that the Constitutionalists had demanded sums of money from the foreign colony at Tampico, called on the Secretary of State with the Netherlands Minister and represented to him the importance of this matter. The United States Secretary of State informed them that he had already telegraphed to General Carranza urging him to put a stop to such proceedings, and had instructed the United States Consul at Tampico to communicate in a similar sense with the Constitutionalist General there.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received a representation from the London All-India Moslem League regarding the treatment of Macedonian Moslems at the hands of the Greeks in the Balkans, and asking that steps be taken to give effect to the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin in order to afford to Moslems in ceded territories protection and civil and religious freedom, and compensation for being driven from their homes; and, if so, what action will be taken by the Government in the directions indicated?

Such a representation has reached me, as have also communications in which precisely similar charges are brought by Greeks against the Turkish authorities in Thrace. His Majesty's Government have brought under the consideration of the Powers the question of a reaffirmation of the civil and religious rights of minorities provided for under the Treaty of Berlin. Complaints of ill-treatment of Greeks by Turks were brought unofficially to the notice of the Turkish Government, and I have already brought the complaints of the ill-treatment of Mussulmans by Greeks in the same way to the notice of the Greek Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been given to the proposed loan of £6,000,000 sterling to the Chinese Government which is to be advanced by the Bethlehem Steel Trust of the United States, on the conditions that only one-third of the loan is to be paid in cash and two-thirds are to be exclusively devoted to the construction of naval docks; whether correspondence on this proposal has passed between the United States Government and the Foreign Office; and what is the policy of His Majesty's Government in this connection?

I have seen the reports in the Press; I have no information to the effect that the present Chinese Government intend to act as stated in the question. No correspondence or communica- tion on the subject has passed between the United States Government and His Majesty's Government, and we are taking no action.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make certain inquiries in view of the very serious crippling of the power of China to perform her obligations, which this loan, if carried through, would imply?

That seems to me a matter for the United States Government and the Chinese Government.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the amount levied out of local rates by the education committees of public authorities in Ireland for various education purposes?

Education committees in Ireland are not empowered to levy rates. The expenditure of these bodies, as shown in the accounts of local authorities for the year ended 31st March, 1913, amounted to £120,410, while the Grants-in-Aid received by such authorities during the same period in respect of such expenditure amounted to £40,478. The net expenditure, therefore, from local sources for the period was £79,932. The Local Government Board have no information as to the sums raised by local authorities by means of rates to meet the expenses of these committees.

Does that sum include moneys raised for university education?

I do not know that it does. As far as I can make out, this figure of £120,000 odd is made up of £16,623 for expenses in connection with the Compulsory Education Act of 1892, and £103,000 odd for technical education.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will issue his answer among the Papers so that we can compare the figures with the figures for Scotland?

I will consider that.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the total amount withheld during the past four years from public authorities in Ireland owing to deficiency in the Local Taxation Account, and the amount withheld from county Kerry during the same years; and what he proposes to do to make good these amounts to the public bodies?

The total amount of the abatements from payments out of the Local Taxation (Ireland) Account to local authorities in Ireland during the four years ending 31st March last, owing to the insufficiency of the income of the account is £156,699, the proportion withheld from county Kerry being £7,033. These abatements were made in accordance with Section 58 (5) of the Local Government (Ire-land) Act, 1898.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether there has been any reduction of the staff, or of the expense, of the Estates Commissioners since 1911; if not, how is the fact accounted for that while in 1911 25,587 holdings were vested in the purchasers, only 20,861 were vested in 1913; if he can say, approximately, how many signers of purchase agreements are waiting to have their holdings vested on estates for sale in the all-cash, the part-cash, and part-stock, and the all-stock registers, respectively; how many of the latter have now been paying interest for seven years; and whether he can give any undertaking that the completion of sales will be expedited?

The Estates Commissioners' staff of inspectors has been reduced by five since 1911. The number of holdings vested and the amount of advances made during any given year are not a precise index of the work of the staff generally during that year, as they depend mainly upon the amount of cash available and the extent to which vendors choose to accept stock in lieu of cash. The number of holdings vested in 1911 was abnormally high, and the number vested in the year to 31st October, 1913, was greater than the average for the preceding five years. On 31st March last the number of holdings in direct sale cases awaiting vesting on the all-cash register was 63,023, part-cash, part-stock 13,011, all-stock 1,765, and cases under the Act of 1909–9,293. The Commissioners are now making advances in "all-cash" cases in respect of purchase agreements lodged in 1907, but there are still some agreements lodged prior to that year in respect of which interest in lieu of rent is being collected. The delay in these cases is unavoidable, being due to questions of title, turbary, embankments, and other causes. All possible steps are being taken to expedite the completion of pending sales.

The right hon. Gentleman has not answered that part of the question asking how many have been paying interest for seven years?

I have not given the exact figures, but there are, of course, a certain number of persons still paying-interest for seven years.

asked what steps the Estates Commissioners or the Congested Districts Board propose to take to compel the owners of the Pierce estate, Keel, county Kerry, to compensate Mr. O'Brien, Mr. O'Donnell, and others, whose lands have been seriously injured by flooding, due to breaches in a badly-kept embankment; and whether, seeing that these tenants have judicial tenancies with rents fixed, subject to the guarantee of the banks being kept in repair by the landlords, the Estates Commissioners will refuse to collect further interest till the embankment is put in repair and compensation given to the tenants for the loses they have suffered?

The owner of this estate instituted proceedings for sale direct to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon between the parties were lodged with the Estates Commissioners. In their agreements the tenants contracted to pay interest in lieu of rent, and the Commissioners are under a statutory obligation to collect such interest, and have no power to comply with the suggestion contained in the question.

asked a question which was inaudible in the Reporters' Gallery.

That appears to be so, but it is no part of the agreement itself.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that during the negotiations for the sale of the Warburton estate, Queen's County, which were carried on in the Land Judge's Court, one of the terms of conditions of sale, clearly and definitely agreed on between the owners and the tenants and sanctioned by Mr. Justice Boss, was that a portion of untenanted land, known as the Pullogh meadows, should be allotted amongst the tenants on the townlands of Strahard, Barranaghs, and Garryinch whose holdings do not exceed £10 valuation; if the Estates Commissioners have not divided the Pullogh meadows in accordance with this arrangement, but have given allotments both to tenants whose valuations exceed £10 and to tenants who have not holdings on the before-mentioned townlands, and left without any allotments deserving tenants with holdings on the three townlands under £10 valuation who signed their purchase agreements on condition this land would be allotted amongst them; if these tenants have forwarded a petition to the Estates Commissioners strongly protesting against being deprived of their allotments and protesting against the action of the Estates Commissioners in not giving effect to the terms of sale which all parties concerned considered just and equitable; and whether the Estates Commissioners, on a reconsideration of the facts and circumstances, will give full effect to the agreement arrived at in Judge Ross's Court and divide the Pullogh meadows in accordance with the same?

When this estate was the subject of proceedings in the Land Judge's Court it was arranged in connection with its proposed sale under the Irish Land Act, 1903, that Pullough Meadows, so far as possible, were to be sold to the tenants on the townlands named whose holdings did not exceed £10 a year valuation, but the Court subsequently approved of a sale of the lands to the Estates Commissioners, who were to be informed of the proposed disposal of them. When dealing with the estate the Commissioners, after inquiry, approved of a scheme of allotment which they consider is a fair and equitable one. In framing this scheme they had regard to the circumstances of the tenants on the three townlands in question, to whom twenty-eight of the forty parcels of land provided under the scheme have been allotted. The reply to the concluding portion of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, having regard to his own recognition of the importance and urgency of the completion of land purchase in Ireland, if he will say why he does not proceed with the Bill he has introduced with that object, trusting to the constitutional parliamentary methods of ascertaining the views of the parties concerned; and, this being the last Session in which a full Irish representation will be here, whether he will make an effort to have the Bill passed?

The reason why I do not at once proceed with the Land Bill is that in the absence of some general measure of previously arrived at agreement no real progress with so complicated a measure would be possible.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether Major Marsh, the present owner of the lands of Annegrove, Scott estate, Raheen, Queen's County, has notified the Estates Commissioners of his willingness to sell that part of the lands of Annegrove in his possession and has furnished them with maps of the same; and can he say what steps the Estates Commissioners intend taking in the matter?

The hon. Member presumably refers to the lands of Killeaney on the estate of R. M. Marsh, Queen's County, the owner of which recently wrote to the Estates Commissioners with reference to the sale of this estate to the Commissioners, and they informed him that if he desired to sell the lands referred to he should institute formal proceedings for the sale under the Land Purchase Acts. Up to the present the owner has not instituted such proceedings.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet issued a final offer for the estate of Mr. D. G. Fitzgerald, Turlough, county Mayo; and, if not, what has caused the delay; and when the Board hope to be able to issue such offer?

The Congested Districts Board have issued a final offer for the purchase of this property.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet come to an agreement for the purchase of the congested estate of Mr. F. C. Garvey, Murrisk Abbey, county Mayo, or what stage the negotiations for purchase have reached?

The Congested Districts Board have not yet agreed to purchase the estate referred to. They have issued an offer for the purchase of it, which has not yet been accepted.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet issued offers for the congested estates of the Achill Mission and Mrs. Pike, situate in Achill, county Mayo; and, if not, what is the cause of the delay, the owners having long since expressed their willingness to sell?

The answer to the first paragraph is in the negative. The estates referred to have been valued and the Congested Districts Board have decided to make offers for their purchase which will be issued as soon as practicable.

asked whether the Congested Districts Board have yet come to an agreement with Mrs. Agnes O'Donnell for the purchase of her estate in Achill, county Mayo; and when they hope to complete the purchase?

The Congested Districts Board have not yet agreed to purchase the estate referred to, and they cannot at present say when it is likely that the purchase will be completed.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether Mr. James W. Bond informed the tenants around his Cooleraff farm that he was willing to sell the same to the Estates Commissioners for division amongst the people; whether any inspection of the holding took place, and what was the valuation put on it by the inspector; what price Mr. Bond demanded; and will he direct that the matter be reopened, as it is believed Mr. Bond will now be willing to reconsider the matter?

I would refer the hon. Member to my replies to his previous questions on this subject. If, as stated in the question, the owner is willing to sell the lands to the Estates Commissioners, he should institute proceedings for sale before them, but up to the present he has not done so. At this stage of the negotiations it would be contrary to the practice of the Commissioners to give the other particulars asked for in the question.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this gentleman has changed his view, and is now willing to reopen negotiations?

I am very glad to hear it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman ask the inspector to go into the case again?

I will communicate with the inspector.

asked, having regard to the belief of old age pension officers that they are expected to prevent wherever possible the grant of pensions irrespective of statutory qualifications, and to their reluctance to reverse their own decisions, whether a fresh inspector will be sent to investigate each case in which a pension committee or sub-committee, with personal knowledge of the claimant, grants a pension a third time; and whether this will be done in the case of Mrs. Julia Peppard in the Coole district?

I am not aware that there is any foundation for the statements in the first part of the question. An inspector is sent whenever such a course seems necessary and likely to lead to the production of satisfactory evidence. The fact, however, of a claim having been passed three times by a local pension committee does not in itself seem a sufficient reason for sending an inspector. As regards Mrs. Peppard's claim, I would refer the hon. Member to the replies to his previous questions on the subject.

asked the grounds upon which the Local Government Board decided to reduce the Grant under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1910, from £125, the amount due, to £45, to the Longford Urban District Council; and whether the Board will reconsider their decision and enlarge the Grant?

The income of the Housing Fund established by the Housing of the Working Classes (Ireland) Act, 1908, is limited, and as the operations undertaken by local authorities under the Act increase year by year the proportionate Grant-in-Aid from the fund to each such authority must accordingly decrease. For the year ended 31st March last the income of the fund was only sufficient to meet about 36 per cent. of the liabilities of local authorities under the Act, whereas in the previous year upwards of 80 per cent. of the local housing charges was met from the fund. The Local Government Board have no funds at their disposal to supplement the Grant for urban housing.

Can the right hon. Gentleman hold out any hope of increasing this fund?

I am looking about in all directions for any funds that may be available.

When he is considering this question, will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind the great good that is being done by this Act in erecting suitable houses?

Yes, Sir; there is no better Act in operation.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Estates Commissioners will take into consideration the fact that Michael Pender, representative of an evicted tenant James Pender, through error did not lodge his application within the time provided by the Evicted Tenants Act, 1907, for reinstatement to the holding at Gurnaclea, Queen's County; and will he bear in mind the circumstances of his eviction and grant him an allotment of any untenanted land they may hereafter acquire in the district?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on this subject on Monday last. The Estates Commissioners are not prepared to take any action in this case.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider it a great hardship-to this evicted tenant who through error did not get his application in in time to be deprived of the advantage of land purchase?

That may be so, but the estate has been purchased by the occupiers, and they have dealt with it. I cannot interfere.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if he will state, for the period from the establishment of the Department to the 31st March, 1914, the total cost to the State of the Department as such, as distinguished from the preexisting institutions over which it has been given control; the total of the contributions made in the period by the Department towards technical schemes and other purposes in Westmeath; the total of the contributions made in the period by local bodies there towards those schemes and purposes; and the population and area of tillage in that county at the beginning and at the end of the period; and if he will explain the fact that the Mullingar cap factory, the only new industry founded there in the period, has never received any sort of assistance from the Department or the local technical committee?

With reference to the former portions of the question, I must refer the hon. Member to my previous reply given on the 13th instant. In regard to the Mullingar cap factory, the Department, in November, 1907, informed the County Westmeath Committee of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, that any proposals submitted for giving the managers of this factory the benefit of the provisions contained in the County Westmeath Technical Instruction scheme for the training of workers, would be considered by the Department. Since that date no further communication on the subject appears to have been received by the Department.

asked if he will explain why the Department has so long left Ireland's natural resource of peat unworked and derelict, while certain Continental countries with inferior supplies and less favourable circumstances are enriching themselves with fuel, paper, oil, and other useful products from peat; whether this matter will be put on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council of Agriculture, and provide for the attendance thereat of persons experienced in peat industries and in the working of technical peat schools and capable of explaining the requirements and probable cost of such institutions in Ireland; and whether in this matter the Vice-President can free himself from the coal interest, which defeated the previous attempt at a peat industry?

The Department do not undertake the working of peat deposits. They confine themselves to assisting private enterprise, in so far as such assistance seems practicable. For instance, in certain districts in Ireland, peat moss-litter is now being manufactured, and the Department have aided by supplying the services of a Dutch instructor to give instruction in the cutting of peat for moss-litter purposes. This assistance has had successful results. I do not think it necessary to adopt the hon. Gentleman's suggestion as to bringing the matter to the notice of the Council of Agriculture, but it is open to any member of the council to do so.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), whether, in the event of it being necessary to destroy any more gooseberry bushes in consequence of the prevalence of American mildew, he will cause an estimate to be made of the loss of income to the owner by the destruction of the bushes and report it to the authority possessed of the power to award compensation?

The Department are not satisfied that any useful purpose would be served by the course suggested by the hon. Member, as compensation payable under the Destructive Insects and Pests Acts, 1877 and 1907, must be based upon the "value of the crop," and not upon the loss of income caused by its destruction. Moreover, Section 3 (Sub-section 4) of the Destructive Insects Act, 1877, expressly provides that the local authority ( i.e ., the county council) may, if they think fit, require the value of the crop to be ascertained by their officers, or by arbitration.

asked the Vice-President whether Sub-section (1) of Section 1 of the Destructive Insects and Pests Act, 1907, gives the Department power to make an Order directing the payment of compensation with the consent of the local authority for any gooseberry bushes that may be destroyed in consequence of the prevalence of American mildew; and, if so, whether, having regard to the number of poor people who have suffered in consequence of the application of the Act, and who are not in a position to take the necessary steps to obtain compensation, he will communicate with the various local authorities where bushes have been destroyed, or are to be destroyed, with the view of obtaining their consent to award compensation and, if the local bodies are agreeable to make the payment, that the Board shall make the Order directing the payment of compensation?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, the Department are considering the question of issuing a circular to the county councils intimating their willingness to make an Order of the nature referred to by the hon. Member in the event of the county councils consenting to pay compensation.

asked the Vice-President whether any of his officers have prescribed spraying of gooseberry bushes as a remedy for the removal of American mildew, and with what success; and whether any of the bushes so treated had to be afterwards destroyed?

The Department's officers have not at any time prescribed spraying as a remedy for American gooseberry mildew, but when the disease was first dealt with by the Department spraying and pruning were in some instances permitted as an experiment to ascertain whether such treatment would effectively control the disease. From the results of the experiments so far carried out, the Department are of opinion that the only effective method of preventing the spread of the disease is to have the diseased bushes destroyed. A number of bushes treated experimentally have had, in consequence, to be burned.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that on the night of the 27th April, Colonel Huddleston, Drumaboden, Kilmacrenan, county Donegal, when returning from an Ulster Volunteer drill, was met by some children who shouted Home Rule; whether Colonel Huddleston then produced a revolver and pointed it at them, shouting to them to come on; whether a sergeant of police found it necessary to intervene; and whether the Government propose to take any action to discourage the carrying of arms on the public roads?

The facts are generally as stated, but the gentleman referred to is a Mr. Huddleston, a retired Indian Civil servant. When unlicensed persons are found carrying arms proceedings are taken against them, but there is no power to prevent persons with a licence from carrying arms.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether his licence will be taken away from this person who has behaved in such a manner on the King's highway?

No, Sir. He seems certainly a very foolish person, and, if I were to deprive him of his arms, I should think it would be a great advantage to the community.

It would be a very foolish thing if he happened to shoot the children?

It would be.

asked the Prime whether the Bill to amend the Government of Ireland Bill will be introduced into the House of Commons or the House of Lords; and whether he will state on what date such Bill will be introduced?

also asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to introduce the amending Bill to the Government of Ireland Bill?

It is the intention of the Government that this Bill should be introduced in the first instance in another place, I am not able to name the date.

Why do the Government propose to introduce this Bill in the House of Lords and not in the House of Commons?

I will explain that in the course of the Debate.

Will the amending Bill be introduced in the other House before the House of Lords has considered the Bill as it leaves the House of Commons?

That is a matter which the other House will have to determine.

Will the right hon. Gentleman either introduce the Bill or explain the substance of it before the Whitsuntide Recess?

I have said the Bill will be introduced in the House of Lords. [HON. MEMBERS "Will it be before the Whitsuntide Recess?]

Will the Prime Minister inform the House whether he has received from any representative body in Ireland any petition, memorial, resolution or request of any sort for an amending Bill excluding Ulster, or any part of Ulster, from the Home Rule Bill?

I cannot say I have.

Will the House of Commons have an opportunity of becoming aware of the contents of the amending Bill before the Third Reading of the Government of Ireland Bill passes in the House of Commons?

That matter will be raised in the Debate on the Bill.

If it is to be explained in Debate, may I ask the right bon. Gentleman if he or some of his colleagues propose to open the discussion so that we may be aware of the terms when the discussion begins?

No, Sir. I do not propose to do that. I think it is a matter which can be discussed in Debate.

May I ask the Prime Minister whether he will not reconsider the answer he gave a little while ago in regard to the amending Bill? Does it not appear to him unfair that the House of Commons should be asked to discuss the Third Reading of the Home Rule Bill without a knowledge of what the real proposals of the Government are?

I have already said that in the considered opinion of the Government the amending Bill ought to be introduced in another place. It would be contrary to all Parliamentary precedent to anticipate such a statement at this stage.

Was I mistaken in thinking that the right hon. Gentleman said that the terms would be mentioned in the Debate?

No, Sir, I did not say that. What I said or intended was that we will give reasons in the course of the Debate for introducing the amending Bill.

Is it not also contrary to all Parliamentary precedent to introduce an amending Bill in another place to a Bill we are discussing in the House of Commons?

I am sorry I cannot say what is or what is not contrary to Parliamentary precedent. The circumstances of the case are very exceptional.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state why he desires to maintain such strict secrecy until we have read the Home Rule Bill the third time?

We will have an opportunity in the course of the Debate of giving our reasons.

Will you use the opportunity?

Yes.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give the explanation now?

asked the Prime Minister if any steps have yet been taken to ascertain whether an agreement can be arrived at on the Government of Ireland Bill by providing for the permanent exclusion of Ulster from the operation of the Bill?

I would refer the hon. Member to what I have stated in the House on the subject of the Government of Ireland Bill, to which I can add nothing at present.

Has the right hon. Gentleman yet received the authority of the hon. and learned Member for Water-ford (Mr. J. Redmond) that he will agree to the total exclusion of Ulster?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, as the result of his inquiries, Sir Nevil Macready has made any recommendations with a view to the strengthening of the military forces at present stationed in Ireland; and if his Reports on the matter will be made public?

I am not prepared to make public the contents of Sir Nevil Macready's reports.

asked the Chief Secreary for Ireland how many of the ex-soldiers appointed through the general post office, Londonderry, for duty in the city or in the postal area administered by the postmaster of Londonderry were appointed through the employment register kept by the recruiting officer, Ebrington Barracks, Londonderry; and, if not appointed through that agency, upon whose recommendation were they selected?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I am having inquiry made, and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General to what extent the various grades in the postal service in the county of Durham will benefit by recent Grants, stating grade and increased remuneration of each class and aggregate amount for the whole county?

The postal service is not organised by counties, and the information desired could not be given without much trouble and expense.

asked the Postmaster-General why a number of officers in the engineering branch of the Post Office were passed over in the engineering revision of 1911; is it his intention to rehabilitate them; and, if so, when?

The officers to whom he refers were not considered by their superior officers to be as well qualified as those who were selected for inclusion in the new class of assistant engineers. The claims of all officers who are regarded as qualified for promotion are considered as suitable vacancies arise.

Is it not a fact that a large number of these men have since been rehabilitated, and on what ground?

All their qualifications were considered, first of all by the then engineer in chief, and subsequently by a small committee. Certain men were considered to be qualified for promotion at once, and others stood over. From those who stood over selections are made as occasion arises.

asked the Postmaster-General, with reference to the engineering revision of 1911, in view of the fact that a considerable number of appointments to the class of assistant engineers have been made since 1911, and that of these only nine have been given to redundant officers, will he say exactly what is meant by the oft-repeated statement that due consideration will be given to these redundant men as suitable vacancies arise?

Of the twenty-nine vacancies on the class of assistant engineers, for which second-class engineers were eligible, nine have been filled by selection from the latter class; the remaining vacancies have been filled from the competitions held in November, 1912, and August, 1913. It was not practicable in the interest of the service to assign a larger proportion of the vacancies to the second-class engineers, but I look forward to promoting whenever circumstances permit such of them as are reported to me to be qualified.

asked the Postmaster-General if he has considered the advisability of publishing monthly supplements to the telephone directory, and what decision he has arrived at?

The practice of issuing regular supplements to telephone directories has been tried and abandoned by many telephone administrations throughout the world, including the British Post Office and the National Telephone Company, Very few telephone subscribers will refer to the supplement. Arrangements are made to keep lists of subscribers with daily corrections and additions at telephone exchanges in order that information as regards subscribers' numbers may be afforded on application there. These arrangements seem best to meet practical requirements.

asked the Postmaster-General what stops have been taken to establish a telephone service in Birr; whether he is aware that it is nearly twelve months since the matter was supposed to be arranged; and will he state what is the cause of this delay in setting up the service in this town?

Sufficient support has been obtained to justify the provision of an Exchange at Birr, but there is difficulty in arranging for its accommodation and for attendance. I hope, however, that a solution of this difficulty will shortly be found.

When?

Shortly.

asked how many girls of the probationer class are employed in the Manchester Telephone Exchange at a wage of 5s. a week, of what age they are, what hours they work, and what is the class of work which they do?

Five girl probationers are employed in the Manchester Trunk Telephone Exchange at a wage of 5s. a week, rising by increments of 1s. a week to 8s. a week. The limits of age for appointment are fourteen to sixteen. The normal hours of duty are thirty-six weekly. The girl probationers at Manchester are mainly employed in collecting and distributing telephone tickets, but in order to afford them relief from continuous standing they are also employed on simple ticket sorting and switching work.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the approximate number of young rural postmen and boys in Ireland now required to spend most of each day on a roadside with no official duty; what steps have been taken to prevent smoking, reading of newspapers, betting, and other vicious habits to which this life conduces; whether he will offer rewards for the learning of shorthand, a second language, or any accomplishment useful in the postal service; and, if not, if such rewards are provided locally for an efficient knowledge of Gaelic, whether he will give facilities for competitions and favourable service records to the winners?

The number of rural postmen in Ireland who have to wait for a substantial period at the terminal point of their outward journey could not be ascertained without wide inquiry, which would not be of any commensurate benefit. Huts, or other means of shelter, are provided for them. I do not think it desirable to interfere with the manner in which these officers employ their spare time, nor am I prepared to entertain the suggestion made in the last part of the hon. Member's question.

asked a question which was not heard in the Reporters' Gallery.

Instead of enlisting these boys will the right hon. Gentleman give these posts to old soldiers?

They would be persons with part-time employment.

asked whether girls are employed at a wage of 5s. a week in the Post Office; if so, whether this is whole-time employment, and up to what age is it given?

The starting pay of female learners in the provinces is 5s. a week, but wages above this figure are given when the first qualifying standard is reached and at later stages. The hours of duty are forty-two a week. The limits of age for entry to the class are fifteen to eighteen, and on or before the completion of two years' service every learner, if satisfactory in all respects, is offered an established appointment. Girl probationers also in some cases start at 5s., but increases are given after one year's service. The limits of age for entry are fourteen to sixteen, and all girl probationers who give satisfaction and can obtain a Civil Service certificate are eligible for the situation of telephonist or some other permanent employment in the Post Office after they have reached the age of sixteen and are given permanent employment before they reach nineteen years of age.

Is it a fact that girls up to the age of sixteen are taken on by the Post Office at the rate of 5s. a week?

If they are taken on at that age they are taken on as persons with no knowledge at all about the business, and are practically apprentices.

What is the next step in wages?

There are too many scales to carry in one's head. If the hon. Member will put a question I will answer it.

How many of these girls are there at this particular wage?

I could not say without notice.

Can the Postmaster-General explain the astonishment of hon. Members opposite on finding that wages are now being paid in the Postal Service which are higher than the wages paid when they were in office?

asked what are the latest hours for posting letters at the Western, South-Western, and West Central district offices in London for dispatch by the American mail leaving Liverpool by Cunard steamers sailing at 2.30 p.m. on Saturdays?

The latest hours for posting letters for the American mails dispatched from Liverpool by Cunard steamers on Saturdays are At the Western District Office and Western Central District Office 10.25 p.m., and at the South-Western District Office 10.15 p.m. on Fridays. The possibility of affording a later posting is being kept in view. I ought to mention that letters can be posted on Saturday morning at the General Post Office up to two o'clock a.m. without a late foe and up to three o'clock a.m. with a late fee, and that at Euston Station posting can be effected as late as a quarter-past nine a.m. on Saturday with a late fee. Little advantage is at present being taken of the special facilities for late posting.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he thinks it reasonable that the time for posting should close about eleven hours before the train leaves Euston?

The hon. Gentleman forgets that a very considerable amount of time is taken in sorting the very heavy correspondence. It requires thousands of bags to carry the millions of letters which leave on that particular day, and it is impossible to make the hours of posting later unless we limit the amount of work done by the Post Office, so that some letters might be posted later. There would be very little advantage in doing that.

asked whether, in calculating the immediate cost of the recommendations of the Holt Committee, the adjustments due for services prior to the 1st February have been calculated in the £643,000 announced as the estimated cost; whether these adjustments were moneys actually earned under the old conditions; whether the amount of the adjustments would have been paid even if the Holt Committee had not reported, although at different dates; and whether these amounts ought to be deducted from the actual increased money which accrues to the staff in order to arrive at the net increased cost in this financial year?

The amounts referred to have not been included in the estimated cost of the Holt revision.

asked whether the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) will allow a pig market to be held in Thurles on Thursday, 28th May, or Monday, 1st June; and whether the Department will allow the monthly horse, cattle, and sheep fair to be held on Tuesday, 2nd June?

The Department informed a deputation from Thurles on the 19th instant that it was intended, if nothing untoward occurred in the meantime, to withdraw the restrictions so as to allow a pig market to be held there on Friday, 29th instant; and it was understood that the market would be advertised for this date. The holding of cattle and horse fairs on a later date will be allowable if there is no further outbreak of disease.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will issue to Members the recent Report of the Economic Commission appointed by the Government of South Africa?

I do not propose to reprint the Report, but I will have copies placed in the Library.

Will the right hon. Gentleman let me have a copy?

I will place ten copies in the Library.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether an Order has been issued to dismiss all tradesmen who are sixty years of age or over who are connected with the Office of Works in Edinburgh; and, if so, upon whose authority this has been done?

No such general instructions have been issued.

What becomes of these men?

They are put to work suitable for them, if any is available. They are not employed by the Office of Works, but by private contractors.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the Insurance Commissioners, whether he will state for what specific reason, if any, potato pickers are exempt from insurance under the National Insurance Act, while potato gatherers are not exempt; and whether he will communicate with the President of the Board of Agriculture with a view to remedying this state of affairs?

Employment as a potato picker is only excepted from compulsory insurance where the person employed is not already an insured person.

Can the hon. Gentleman say what is the difference between these people?

I do not know that there is any difference.

Then why is one exempt from the Insurance Act and the other not?

The answer is that one is exempt and the other is not.

But are they not both in exactly the same position?

They are in precisely the same position. Where a man is usually an insured person an effort is made to keep him in insurance, but when he is not an insured person he is not brought into insurance in respect of this employment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the evidence given by Dr. Shufflebotham in his Milroy lectures before the Royal College of Physicians, that miners' nystagmus is principally due to the bad illumination of mines; whether the Home Office concur in his views on this subject; and whether any steps can be taken to remedy the evil in connection with the National Insurance Act or otherwise?

I have seen a report of the lectures referred to. The researches made in recent years appear to point strongly to the conclusion that working in insufficient light is the main, if not the sole, cause of miners' nystagmus, and this point was kept in view when it was decided to impose photometric tests for all types of safety lamp approved under the Coal Mines Act, 1911. I am advised that as a result of these tests and of the increasing use of electric lamps the illumination below ground is improving, and I trust that as this improvement continues, it will have a substantial effect in reducing the number of cases of nystagmus. Miners nystagmus is one of the diseases scheduled under the Workmen's Compensation Act.

asked the Prime Minister if it is proposed to introduce legislation in the present Session to improve the position of Post Office contributors under Part I. of the National Insurance Act and to make provision for casual labour?

As regards the first point in the question, it is proposed to introduce legislation for dealing with deposit contributors this Session; the second point was dealt with in the amending Act last Session.

asked the Home-Secretary whether official Reports are available as to the wet-bulb temperatures in mines; whether inspectors or deputies are required to call the attention of mining managers to any wet-bulb temperature over 70 deg. Fahrenheit; and whether there is any legal limit set to the temperatures under which miners shall be allowed to work?

Provision is made in the Coal Mines Act and Regulations under it for the wet-bulb temperatures in all coal mines to be duly ascertained and recorded. Hygrometers are required to be kept in the main intake and main return near the shafts; they are to be read by a responsible official, daily in the case of the intake, weekly in the case of the return; and the readings are to be recorded in a book which is kept at the office of the mine. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is his intention to provide police protection for the deputation of women which is to wait upon the King on Thursday next?

The King is not receiving any deputation of women to-day. If any body of men or women should improperly attempt to approach His Majesty, the police will enforce the law, and maintain order.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Mrs. Pankhurst is heading this deputation? If she is able to do that, is she not equally able to undergo her sentence?

I am unable to answer the first part of the question, and therefore the second part does not arise.

asked the Home Secretary under what law or regulation the consent of a prisoner has to be obtained before an operation can be performed by the prison or other doctors?

There is no express provision of the law, and no Regulation requiring the consent of a prisoner; but it is the invariable practice to obtain prisoner's consent before a surgical operation is performed in prison.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to issue a Treasury Minute embodying the principles laid down by himself last year with regard to investment and speculation by the holders of public office?

In my statement of 19th June, 1913, to which the hon. Member refers, I expressed doubt as to whether it was practicable to lay down a code of rules of conduct for Ministers and persons in official positions with regard to these matters, although I was able to lay down certain principles governing typical cases. I think it is sufficient that I should now reaffirm those principles for the guidance of the Departments, and I see no necessity for, or advantage in, issuing a Treasury Minute on the subject.

May I take it that the Government are prepared to take no steps whatever to avert a repetition of the scandals in which three of their members were involved last year?

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the recent unrest among asylum attendants in different parts of the country, particularly in Lancashire; and whether he will afford facilities this Session for the passage of the Asylums Officers (Employment, Pensions, and Superannuation) Bill, which has already been approved by the Select Committee appointed to consider it in 1911?

I am informed that there is no widespread unrest, though some dissatisfaction does undoubtedly exist. As regards the latter part of the question, the Government are favourable to the principles of the Bill, and will consider whether the business of the House will admit of facilities for its progress.

asked the Prime Minister if, in view of the statement by the Secretary for Scotland on 15th May as to the desirability of having Ministers in Edinburgh dealing with purely Scottish affairs, he is now in a position to state when the Government proposes to introduce a Bill to deal with this subject?