asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the average cost of armaments per head of the population for each year since 1895?

The average cost of armaments per head of population for each year since 1895 has been as follows:—

Note.—For the purposes of the table, the cost of armaments has been taken to include in each year the audited Army and Navy expenditure (including Ordnance Factories and Indian Army Pension Deficiency Annuity), including the expenditure of the year under loan Acts, but deducting all debt charges for previous loan expenditure. The figures for 1913–14 and 1914–15 are estimates only.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a tabular statement showing for the various orders of Income Tax and Supertax payers as, for example, between £160 and £300 a year, between £300 and £500 a year, and so on upwards, the number of taxpayers and the aggregates of incomes estimated to be possessed by each class, upon which the estimates and amended estimates of the yield of Income Tax and Super-tax are based for the fiscal year 1914–15?

Owing to the system of collection at the source, a scientific classification of the numbers and incomes of the various grades of taxpayers is not possible. It will be seen on reference to the Report of the Select Committee of 1906 that the estimates made by authorities — of whom my hon. Friend was one — vary very considerably. For the purposes of the Budget it was necessary to make certain estimates, but for the reasons indicated the publication of detailed figures might only be misleading.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the percentages of revenue raised by taxation in 1913–14 were as regards Great Britain and Ireland, respectively, for direct and indirect taxation, respectively; and what those percentages are estimated to be for 1914–15?

The percentages are as follows: —

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in the new rules embodying the revised scheme of pensions for Irish national teachers, service given by recognised lay assistant teachers in convent national schools will be taken into consideration; whether such teacher, though not allowed to join the pension list while acting in that capacity, are, when appointed to an ordinary national school, compelled to join the pension list and also required to pay increased premiums called stoppage for pension, proportional to age at the time of joining, so as to entitle them to full pension (for women) on reaching sixty years of age; and whether, seeing that these increased premiums are an equivalent for the contributions to the pension fund not made during the years when such teachers were still assistant lay teachers, they will, under the new scheme, be entitled to have one-eightieth added to their pensions for each such year?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the remaining parts, under the revised scheme proposed the premiums of teachers appointed to ordinary national schools after serving as lay assistant teachers would be proportional to their salaries, and not to their ages, on coming under the scheme, and consequently the situation referred to would not arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of Government Grants received by the county of Gloucestershire in the year 1913–14, and what approximately will be the amount of the Government Grant in aid of rates to the same county for similar services in a full financial year?

I can only refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on the 6th ultimo to the hon. Member for the Eastern Division of Nottingham.

asked the Secretary for Scotland (1) whether he can arrange a conference with Scottish Members before proceeding with legislation affecting the allocation of the proposed additional Grants in aid of local taxation in Scotland; and (2) whether he intends to consult representatives of the local authorities interested in the allocation of the proposed additional Grants in relief of local taxation before proceeding with legislation?

The proposals of the Government for the allocation of the Grants referred to are embodied in the Finance Bill. If there is a general desire that I should have a conference with the Scottish Members to discuss the matter of allocation, I think such a course would be helpful, and I will be glad to arrange accordingly. As regards consultation with local authorities, it would not, of course, be practicable for me to receive individual representatives of every one of the local authorities, but I am prepared to give favourable consideration to any request that I should receive a limited representation of the different classes of authorities.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of the increase of the revenue from Ireland, comparing the years 1908–9 and 1913–14; the various headings of revenue making up the increase; and the increase under each heading?

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the Tables in the Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons, No. 208, of 1909, and Command Paper 7400 (1914).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the basis upon which he arrives at the ad valorem duty of 55 per cent, on tea imported into the United Kingdom in order to produce the same amount of revenue as the 5d. per pound on tea produced in 1912–13, seeing that no statistics are available at the Board of Trade with regard to the quantity of tea imported which falls within a particular range of value?

The ad valorem rate of 55 per cent, (which related to the year 1913–14, not to 1912–13, as stated in the present question) was based on the average import price of tea in 1913–14. This was 9.14d. per pound, and the duty of 5d. per pound therefore represents 54.7 ad valorem. The average price of 9.14d. per pound is arrived at by dividing the aggregate declared value of tea imported during 1913–14 by the aggregate quantity imported, without reference to the quantities imported at different prices per pound.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if the St. Stephen's National Health Insurance Society has notified the National Health Insurance Commissioners that it is discontinuing operations as it is unable to fulfil the requirements of the National Insurance Act; in what respect the organisation is unable to meet the obligation imposed on approved societies, whether financially or otherwise; and whether regulations exist to provide for the administration of benefits to members of approved societies dissolving in this way?

The Commissioners have no information that the society referred to has failed to fulfil the requirements of the National Insurance Acts, or that it is in any way financially unsound. They understand, however, that in view of its comparatively small membership it is contemplating a transference of engagements to a larger society. That is, of course, a question for the society itself to consider with reference to its own interests and convenience, and no difficulty could arise with regard to the administration of benefits if such an arrangement is effected, as the benefits would be administered in the ordinary course by the larger society.

asked the Prime Minister if a communication has been received by or forwarded to him from representatives of Welsh constituencies in regard to the Established Church (Wales) Bill, asking that the Bill shall be passed in exactly the form in which it left this House, whatever amendments may be suggested by the House of Lords; and what reply he has sent thereto?

No such communication as that referred to in the question has reached me.

asked the Prime Minister if the provisions of the Parliament Act, as regards the-powers of the House of Lords with reference to financial measures, will be affected in the event of the Finance Bill of the present year containing provisions with regard to the raising of revenue which is dependent upon future legislation which, under the Parliament Act, the House of Lords is entitled to deal with?

It rests with the Speaker of this House to decide as to the application of the provisions of the Parliament Act.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the religious denomination of the last appointed assistant master in Newtownards model school; the religious denomination of his predecessor; why a change was made; the name of the-school where the said assistant master taught before he was appointed to Newtownards model school; the name and religious denomination of the manager of the school where he last taught; if the manager dismissed him because his wife-died; did the Commissioners hold an inquiry into the justice or injustice of this dismissal; and do they consider that the death of a schoolmaster's wife, or of any other member of his family, is a sufficient cause for dismissal?

The Commissioners of National Education inform me that two assistant masters were appointed to the Newtownards model school on 16th March last, one a Presbyterian and the other an Episcopalian, and they respectively succeeded masters of the same religious professions. No change was therefore made. Neither of the teachers then appointed was married, so far as the Commissioners are aware, and the remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Chief Secretary on what information he stated on the 21st June, 1912, that the late Lord Chancellor for Ireland (Sir Samuel Walker) had removed the name of Mr. J. K. O'Connor, of Castleisland, from the commission of the peace for the county of Kerry; and if he will state on what date the decision of Rex (Matthew) v. M'Court was given, and the date of the death of Sir Samuel Walker?

With regard to the first paragraph of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question on 21st June, 1912. The decision in the case of Rex (Matthew) v. M'Court was pronounced on 23rd March, 1911, and the late Sir Samuel Walker died on 13th August, 1911.

asked the Chief Secretary upon whose responsibility Mr. Denis F. O'Connor, of Kilmainham, Brosna, county Kerry, was appointed to the commission of the peace for the county of Kerry; and if His Majesty's Lieutenant for the county of Kerry was consulted in the matter?

Mr. Denis F. O'Connor was appointed by the Lord Chancellor in 1911 to the commission of the peace for the county of Kerry. His appointment was recommended to the Lord Chancellor by the Lieutenant of the county.

asked the Chief Secretary the reason for the delay in publishing the annual Return showing the names, addresses, occupations, or descriptions of the persons appointed to the commission of the peace in Ireland; when the Return will be made; if the last Return (Parliamentary Paper, No. 396, of Session, 1912) was dated 30th November, 1912; and if he will give directions that the next Return is to include all appointments to the end of 1913?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. There is no such annual Return as that referred to, but such Returns have been presented from time to time by order of the House. The latest Return of the kind was presented on the 16th December, 1912.

asked the Chief Secretary what the rates in the Listowel Urban District Council, county Kerry, amounted to in the £ for the year 1913; and if he will also state what the valuation and the population amounts to in the Listowel Urban District Council according to the latest returns?

The total rates made in the Listowel Urban District to provide for the expenditure of the district during the year ended 31st March, 1913, amounted to 12s. 6d. in the £. The valuation of the district on the 1st March, 1914, was £5,348, and the population in 1911 was 3,409.

asked the Chief Secretary the date of the signing of purchase agreements between the owner and tenants of the Irvine estate, situated in the townland of Gortrush, near Omagh, in county Tyrone; what is the cause of the delay on the part of the Estates Commissioners in making payment to the landlord in this case; and when is the money to be advanced?

This estate is the subject of proceedings for sale by the vendor direct to the tenants, under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements at prices agreed on between the parties were lodged with the Estates Commissioners in July, 1907. The estate has been inspected, and the Commissioners' rulings have recently been communicated to the vendor's solicitors. The estate is not in priority on the principal register of direct sales (all cash) for payment during the present year, but it is anticipated that, provided the Commissioners' requirements are complied with, the holdings will be vested in the purchasing tenants, and the purchase money of the estate lodged in the Court of the Land Commission for allocation by the Judicial Commissioner to the parties legally entitled thereto during the following year.

asked whether the Rev. Arthur Livingstone has offered his estate in Kilmeena parish, county Mayo, for sale to the Congested Districts Board; and, if not, will the Board inquire whether he is willing to sell the estate?

The estate of the trustees of the late Reverend Arthur Livingstone, townland of Knocknaboley, has been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board?

asked the Chief Secretary whether he has been able to confirm the statement which he made in the House of Commons, on the 9th December, 1912, in Committee on the Government of Ireland Bill, that Civil servants in Ireland do not retire until sixty-five years of age have been reached; whether he can give the number of officers in Ireland, including those in the Imperial services, such as the Post Office and Customs and Excise, who have retired on pension during the past three years; how many of these have been over the age of sixty; whether such figures represent the normal proportion of officers who retire at or under sixty years of age; and whether these figures demand modification of his statement?

The statement referred to was that while Civil servants in Ireland were liable to be retired at the age of sixty, as a matter of fact they did not retire until they had reached the age of sixty-five, and I see no reason to modify this statement. The hon. Member will find full particulars of all Civil servants granted superannuation and retired allowances in the Estimates for each year, under the head of Superannuation and Retired Allowances.

asked the Chief Secretary if the sum of £5,000 has been given to the parish priest of Achill for school-building purposes within the last six years to build schools and class-rooms, wholly at the public expense; how many of the schools so built, or to which classrooms have been so built, are vested in the Commissioners; how many are vested in trustees; how many are not vested at all; and will he say if it is the settled policy of the Education Office to give a preference in every instance to applications for building Grants to pariah priests?

Since the 1st March, 1908, the Commissioners of National Education have sanctionel Grants to the amount of £4,054 9s. for the erection of six new schoolhouses (to replace very unsuitable structures) and the enlargement of three existing schoolhouses under the management of the parish priest of Achill. All the works, both of building and enlargement, have been entrusted to the Board of Public Works, and, in view of the extreme poverty of the district, no local aid towards any of these works was required. Of these nine schools, four are vested in the Commissioners and the remaining five are vested in trustees. Grants are not given for any works in connection with Schoolhouses which are non-vested. It is not the settled policy of the Commissioners to give a preference to applications for building Grants received from parish priests, nor is there any ground whatever for the suggestion implied in the inquiry.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland on whose information and by whose authority recent proceedings were instituted against fifteen farmers in the district of Crossmolina, county Mayo, on a charge of unlawful assembly; why were these men arrested from their beds at three o'clock in the morning; is he aware that the police, in evidence before the resident magistrate, testified to the peaceful, respectable, and law-abiding character of all the arrested men, and to the fact that there was no likelihood of any of them evading process of the law; is he aware that the resident magistrate discharged eleven of the men and accepted the personal recognisances of the four others; that every witness for the prosecution declared they entertained no fear from any of the defendants, and that the resident magistrate described the evidence as very slender; will he say if one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution was, at a subsequent sitting of the same Court before the same resident, magistrate, fined substantially for assaulting one of the arrested men; is he aware that in the Belmullet district of the same county two other series of midnight arrests were recently made in cases which, on investigation, proved to be also of a trivial character; and will he intimate to the officials responsible for instituting these proceed- ings, and for the manner of their execution, that such administrative methods serve only to create contempt for the law's impartiality and really foment discontent and disorder?

Proceedings were instituted against these persons on the charge mentioned by the direction of the Attorney-General. I am informed by the police that none of these men were arrested in their beds at three o'clock in the morning, the arrests being made between 5.30 a.m. and 7 o'clock a.m. One of the police stated in evidence that the men were respectable. The resident magistrate discharged eleven of the men and accepted the personal recognisances of the other four. One of the witnesses for the prosecution was at a subsequent Court fined 10s. for an assault on one of the persons arrested. There have been no midnight arrests in the Belmullet district, but several arrests have been made in the daytime of persons charged with unlawful assembly who have been returned for trial.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware that the urban councils of Cavan, Clonmel, Long-ford, and Ballina have failed to put the Shops Act into operation; whether he proposes taking action in the matter; and, if so, what?

The Act is being enforced in Cavan and Clonmel, but in Longford and Ballina the local authorities have taken no action beyond appointing inspectors under the Act. The inspectors have not been doing their duty, and steps will be taken to compel them to do so—if necessary by an application to the High Court for a mandamus.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the officers in charge of the guns on armed merchantmen in every case hold commissions in the Royal Naval Reserve; and, if not, what allowances are made for such officers who do not hold commissions in the Royal Naval Reserve in consideration of the extra duties and responsibilities devolving upon them in connection with these guns?

The officers in charge of the guns on armed merchantmen do not in every case at present hold commissions in the Royal Naval Reserve. The personnel for charge of and working guns is being gradually formed, and it will be a matter of time before all such officers belong to the Royal Naval Reserve. No allowances are made to the officers, but, as previously stated, the guns' crews receive extra pay for their services.

asked the Secretary of State for War the strength of the Regular Army at Home and of the Special Reserve, respectively, on 1st May last?

The figures are 125,292 and 65,491, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will state for each of the last two years for which the facts are known how many fatalities have occurred amongst the military aviators of Britain, Germany, France, and Italy, respectively, if possible distinguishing aeroplane from airship accidents?

The information asked for is as follows:—

asked the President of the Board of Education whether local education authorities have made provision for dental treatment of school children in their area; arid how many have made no such provision?

Up to the present date, the Board have sanctioned the provision by local education authorities of dental treatment for school children in ninety areas. There are, therefore, 227 areas for which no such sanction has been requested.

asked whether any local education authorities provide artificial substitutes for teeth extracted as part of the dental treatment of school children?

The Board are not aware that any local education authority makes such provision. The policy of the Board with regard to dental treatment is stated in pages 196–197 of the Report for 1912 of the chief medical officer of the Board. The dental treatment of school children should be conservative in character, and accordingly the bulk of the treatment work should be by filling rather than by extraction.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the inspectorship of public schools at Trinidad has become vacant, or is about to become vacant, this year; and if any appointment has been made?

This appointment will become vacant shortly, but no candidate has yet been selected for the vacancy.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether there exists at Aden a dock adequate to the reception of the two submarines which recently visited that station; and what is the accommodation available for men-of-war at Aden?

There are no dry docks at Aden and no docking accommodation for men-of-war. Lloyd's Register states that there is a small pontoon dock there, but it is not considered probable that the Australian submarines could be docked on it.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the proposals to be embodied in the India Council Bill will first be debated in the House of Commons; and whether it is intended to propose changes in the constitution of the India Office during the present Session?

The Bill has been introduced in another place, and will proceed through the ordinary stages of discussion there before it is debated in this House. It is hoped that the Bill will pass into law before the close of the present Session.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will inquire into the case of William B. Jackson, now serving in Maidstone Gaol a three years' term for manslaughter committed in Nigeria; and whether, in view of the fact that his conduct has been exemplary in every way and two years of the sentence have already been served, he can consider the case with a view to the remission of a portion of the sentence?

The sentence was four years, not three. As I informed the hon. Member in December, 1912, the Governor-General of Nigeria, with whom the question of remission of sentence rests, considered that the sentence was a very lenient one, and could see no grounds to justify a remission. I am not aware that anything has occurred since to lead him to alter his view. The prisoner can, of course, while in prison in England earn the ordinary remission by good conduct and industry in the same way as if he had been convicted in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the British Board of Film Censors has the official recognition of the Government or Home Office; and if he is aware of and is satisfied with the class of films that receive the censors' certificate?

The board is an unofficial body established by the 'trade itself for the purpose of preventing the exhibition of objectionable films. It is not subject to the Secretary of State's directions or supervision, but he approves of the objects of the board, and in his opinion it has done very useful work.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will send a circular to all benches of magistrates expressing the opinion of the Local Government Board that it is inadvisable that conviction should be recorded in the case of proceedings against the use of preservatives in cream, except in cases where the amount of boric acid in the cream exceeds the amount declared on the label or where the amount so declared is clearly excessive?

My right hon. Friend has been in communication with the Local Government Board on this subject, and he is advised by the Board that it is unnecessary to issue such a circular as is suggested.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will send a circular to all local authorities expressing the opinion of the Local Government Board that, pending further investigation, it is inadvisable that local authorities should institute proceedings against the use of preservatives in cream, except in cases where the amount of boric acid in the cream exceeds the amount declared on the label or where the amount so declared is clearly excessive?

I expressed my opinion on this subject in the reply I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend on the 21st ultimo. I do not think that the circumstances are such as to require the issue of an official circular.

asked the Home Secretary if any estimate has been formed of the cost to the public of the police force which is devoted to the attempt to protect the public from the growing danger arising from the abuse of motor vehicles; and if he will suggest to the Chancellor of the Exchequer the additional taxation of motorists in order to recoup the great majority of the population, whose use of the roads is contracted and whose lives are endangered, for the extra costs thrust upon them by a limited number of well-to-do persons?

The enforcement of the law in regard to motor vehicles is part of the ordinary duties of the police employed in the streets, and no separate estimate of its cost could be made.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can report any progress, if any, that has been made with regard to the experiments to obviate shuttle-kissing in weaving sheds; and whether he proposes to abolish this practice in the near future?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend on the 2nd March last to a question on this subject asked by the senior Member for Preston. The experiments are still proceeding, as the representative committee who have the matter in hand are not entirely satisfied with the results so far obtained; and I am unable at present to make any further statement in the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to a case at the Central Criminal Court in which it was shown that pistols are now made a certain length for the purpose of evading the restrictions on their sale imposed by the Pistols Act; whether he has information to the effect that these weapons, which can be sold to minors, are capable of taking human life; whether the police have any record of fatalities caused by them; and whether he can hold out any hope of being able to introduce amending legislation in the near future?

The attention of my right hon. Friend has been called to the case in question. There is no doubt that pistols are manufactured and sold with long barrels for the purpose of escaping the requirements of the Pistols Act, and that they are dangerous weapons in the hands of children. Fatalities occur from time to time, but no recent figures are available. The Secretary of State hopes the Act may be amended when time can be found for that purpose.

asked the President of the Local Government Board how many houses in England and Wales, of a rent not exceeding 10s. per week, have been closed by order of the Local Government Board, since the passing of the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1909, to 31st December, 1913, because they are incapable of being made habitable; and the number of new houses of similar rent which have been built or which were in course of construction within the same period?

I have not the information necessary to answer this question. There is no return of the rents of dwelling-houses closed under the Housing, Town Planning, etc. Act, 1909. These closing orders are made, not by the Local Government Board but by the local authorities, because dwelling-houses are in a state so dangerous or injurious to health as to be unfit for human habitation, irrespective of the question whether they will subsequently be rendered habitable and the closing order thereupon determined.

asked the President of the Local Government Board the number of the male population of Ipswich aged twenty-one years and upwards at the Census of 1911; and what is the number of electors now on the Parliamentary register?

The male population of Ipswich aged twenty-one and upwards at the Census of 1911 was 19,799. The total number of Parliamentary electors on the register for 1914 is 13,870.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether notice was given to the Local Government Board of the death by suicide of Catherine Rigby, aged sixty-six, in Lambeth workhouse within twenty-four hours of the death as required by Article 59 of the Poor Law Institutions Order, 1913; whether he is aware that it was stated on oath at the inquest that she had made complaint as to her treatment; whether her relatives were represented by any lawyer at the inquest; whether any and, if so, what inmates of the institution, other than officials, who had been with Mrs. Rigby shortly before her death were examined at the inquest; whether any Poor Law inspector was present at the inquest; and whether he will send an inspector to make inquiries of the guardians and of the inmates who are not officials, as well as of the officials?

The death of this woman was not reported to the Local Government Board until after the inquest had taken place. I am in communication with the guardians on the subject. I have obtained a copy of the depositions of the witnesses examined at the inquest. The relatives were not represented by a lawyer. The deceased made no complaint of her treatment to any of the officers of the workhouse. Three of her relatives who were examined at the inquest stated that she had made complaints to them, but they did not mention these complaints to anyone at the workhouse. No inmates of the workhouse gave evidence at the inquest, but the coroner's officer interviewed several inmates who occupied the same ward as the deceased, and he took statements from two of them, which he put in at the inquest, as they were too ill to attend. These statements give no hint of any ill-treatment or neglect. No Poor Law inspector was present at the inquest. The jury added a rider to their verdict to the effect that they were quite satisfied that the deceased had been properly treated in the 'workhouse sick ward, and the Coroner states that he thoroughly agrees with this expression of opinion. I do not consider that any further inquiry on the part of my Department is necessary.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the continued diminution in the number of dwellings available for the working classes in many urban areas, and in order to encourage private enterprise to meet the demand for such dwellings, he is prepared to consider the grant of an extension of the time allowed for the repayment of loans borrowed by local authorities in respect of the cost of making up and paving private streets to a period of twenty years?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on the 18th May to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil on this subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the expense to local authorities which will have to be incurred by them in assessing the value of underground sewers for rating purposes under the present state of the law, he will take steps to exempt such sewers from rateability by inserting a Clause in the forthcoming Valuation Bill, which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced his intention of introducing this Session, or by some other equally effective means?

This matter is one more proper for the Rating Bill of next Session than for the Revenue Bill.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state how, in estimating the immediate cost of the recommendations of the Holt Committee, oases similar to that of a postman who was getting 28s. a week on 1st February, and whose stripe was due on 1st April, were dealt with; was the 9d. accrued stripe money earned for the three completed years he had worked, which he would get on 2nd February, included in the cost of the new scheme; and was the 1s. he would have obtained on 1st April under the old conditions deducted?

The calculation was made in the manner indicated in the question. The estimate represents the net increase of cost after allowing for the increase that would have been due under the old conditions.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the system of triennial increments will mean that many postmen in London and the provinces will receive no immediate increases under the Holt Committee's Report, though they may have worked several years beyond the period which will be laid down in future for new entrants; and, if so, whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

It is estimated that more than six-sevenths of the total number of full-duty postmen will benefit during the first year under the Holt Revision. I am not prepared to recommend any modification of the scales laid down by the Holt Committee in order to confer an immediate increase on all postmen.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that there are a large number of postmen who will take many years to reach the new maximum in consequence of the operation of the particular scheme for triennial increments; and whether he will consider the advisability of reducing the periods for the latter increments from three to two years?

Taking into account stripe pay, which is now partially replaced by the triennial increments referred to, postmen will normally reach their maximum pay under the new scheme some years before they did under the old. Moreover, the maximum pay itself is improved for postmen of all classes. The new scales were laid down by the Holt Committee, and accepted by the Government, and I am not prepared to recommend the modification which the hon. Member suggests.

asked how many girls under the age of eighteen years were employed in the Post Office service in each of the years 1905 and 1913 earning not more than 5s. a week?

I regret that the information, for which the hon. Member asks, cannot be given for the year 1905, because the records are not complete. As regards 1913 also the information could not be obtained without the compilation of special Returns and incommensurate labour, and perhaps, in the circumstances, the hon. Member will not press for it.

asked the Postmaster-General, whether his Department are considering the possibility of the general use of wireless telegraphy for certain of the local purposes of the United Kingdom; and whether he purposes carrying out the extension of underground lines which certain provincial towns are demanding?

The matters referred to are constantly receiving the attention of my advisers, but it would be premature at present to attempt to determine how far wireless telegraphy might be brought into general use for such local purposes of the United Kingdom as my hon. Friend has in mind. The experience to be gained from the wireless communication, which it is proposed to establish between stations near Newcastle-on-Tyne and Stonehaven, will be valuable in this connection. With the completion of the underground cables from London to the landing places of the foreign cables, there will, so far as can at present be seen, be no need to extend further the main underground telegraph system, but where the telegraph overhead routes between large centres are locally congested, the wires will be put underground.

asked the Postmaster-General, whether the result of the recent high-speed wireless telegraphy demonstration in the United Kingdom was of such a nature as to convince the experts of his Department that it might be preferable in the near future to use wireless telegraphy for telephonic communication between distant towns in the United Kingdom, and so obviate the expense of the maintenance of land lines?

I should be sorry to commit myself to a definite opinion on this question at present. The demonstration referred to had no bearing on the question of the use of wireless telegraphy for telephonic purposes.

asked the Postmaster-General whether persons employed under allowance to postmasters will benefit by the over-riding wage; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to deal with the pay of these persons?

All allowance deliverers of the age of twenty-three or over will have their rate of wages increased to 5½d. per hour.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the amounts of the estates of deceased persons domiciled in France, particulars of which have been furnished to the French Government under the Convention dated 15th November, 1907, for each of the years ending 31st March, 1909, to 31st March, 1914; and also the amounts of the estates of deceased persons domiciled in England, particulars of which have been furnished by the French Government to the English Government under the provisions of the said Convention for the same years?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I do not consider it would be in the public interest to give the information asked for.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he has any fresh news of importance to communicate to the House regarding the situation in Mexico and its effect on British commercial interests in that country?

As regards British commercial interests in Mexico, His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington exchanged notes on the 2nd instant with the United States Government with the object of protecting existing interests of British subjects and United States citizens in oil properties in Mexico, and it is hoped that the protection of such interests in mining properties will form the subject of an exchange of similar notes within a few days. In regard to the general situation I have no information to give beyond what is shown through the Press.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether any steps have been taken or are proposed to be taken by foreign Governments to limit or control the export of radium, with the object of reserving the home supplies in the first instance for the satisfaction of the home demand for radium for use in the treatment of disease?

I understand that the Austrian Government in 1912 acquired the mines in the Joachimstal, from which the greater part of the world's supply of radium is said to be derived. In 1908 State control was established in Saxony over the search for and exploitation of minerals and water containing radium. I have no information as regards the steps taken by these or any other Governments to limit or control the export of radium, but I will make inquiries as to any regulations at present in force or in contemplation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, as regards the capsizing of the steamer "Turret Hill" in the North Sea, with serious loss of life, he has any information to the effect that the lifelines attached to one of her boats were rotten; and "whether he can state when, where, and by whom was the life-saving equipment of this vessel last surveyed?

All the circumstances attending the loss of the steamer "Turret Hill" will be carefully investigated at the formal inquiry which has been ordered, and I would prefer not to make any statement on points of detail pending the result of the inquiry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade in what countries or Colonies the importation of tea is taxed at an ad valorem duty; and what is the total population living under this system of taxing tea?

The following statement gives the information desired by the hon. Member:—

I—British Possessions and Protectorates.

Congo Basin of Northern Rhodesia ^* , Nyasaland Protectorate, Uganda Protectorate, East Africa Protectorate, Somaliland Protectorate, Gold Coast, Gambia, Dominion of Canada†, New Hebrides, Cayman Islands (Dependency of Jamaica), Tongan Islands Protectorate, Zanzibar Protectorate.

II.—Foreign Countries.

Europe: Turkey, Montenegro, Albania.

Asia: Turkey, Siam, Corea, Kiachow (German Protectorate), China.

America: Cuba, Panama, Dutch West Indies.

Australasia: German New Guinea, Samoa, French Establishments in Oceania.

Africa: Morocco, Egypt, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Abyssinia, Belgian Congo, Portuguese Congo. German: Togoland, Cameroons, East Africa Protectorate, French Somali Coast, Portuguese Guinea, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica.

In certain other countries (omitted from the above list) duty, though nominally ad valorem, is levied on the basis of official valuations, and is thus irrespective of the price of the particular tea imported.

The aggregate population of the above countries may be put, roughly, at between 550 and 600 million persons, but they include a large black population in African possessions who are probably unaffected Toy the duty, as well as the entire population of China, where the imports of tea are of course, insignificant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on what articles of food ad valorem duties are levied in the Customs tariffs of the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States of America, Japan, China, and Persia?

^* A specific duty is leviable, but the duty may not exceed 10 per cent. ad valorem.

† Tea imported direct from the country of growth or production, or purchased in bond in the United Kingdom is free of duty. All other tea is subject to an ad valorem duty.

I.—The Netherlands.

Fruits, salted or preserved in vinegar or brine

Vegetables, pickled.

Fruits, fresh or dried (except prunes, raisins and currants).

Peel of lemons and oranges (but not candied peel).

Spices.

Game and fowl, and meat thereof (except game and fowl preserved in tins).

II.—Belgium.

No articles of food or drink are dutiable ad valorem.

III.—United States of America.

Biscuits, bread, wafers, cakes and other baked articles, and puddings, by whatever name known, containing chocolate, nuts, fruit or confectionery of any kind.

Cheese and substitutes therefor.

Beets of all kinds.

Vegetables in their natural state, not specially provided for in the tariff.

Vegetables, if cut, sliced or otherwise reduced in size, or if parched or roasted, or if pickled, or packed in salt, brine, oil, or prepared in any way, and bean stick or bean cake, miso and similar products.

Pickles, including pickled nuts, sauces and fish paste or sauce.

Yolk of eggs.

Fish, except shellfish, by whatever name known, packed in oil or in oil and other substances, in bottles, jars, kegs, tin boxes, or cans.

All other fish, except shellfish, in tin packages.

Caviare and other preserved roe of fish.

Cranberries.

Sugar candy and all confectionery not specially provided for in the tariff, valued at more than 15 cents per pound.

Comfits, sweetmeats, and fruits of all kinds preserved or packed in sugar, or having sugar added thereto, or preserved or packed in molasses, spirits, or their own juices.

Jellies of all kinds.

Pineapples preserved in their own juice.

Game birds, dressed.

Unsweetened chocolate and cocoa, prepared or manufactured.

Sweetened chocolate and cocoa, prepared or manufactured; valued at more than 20 cents per pound.

Ground spices (the duty leviable is a combined specific and ad valorem duty).

Spices not specially provided for in the tariff ^* , including all herbs or herb leaves in glass or other small packages for culinary use.

IV.—Japan.

Live animals: Bulls, oxen, cows, swine. Poultry, fish, shellfish and mollusca (other than fry and roes).

Grains, not otherwise provided for in the tariff.†

Vegetables and fruits: Not preserved with sugar, molasses, syrup, or honey.

Vegetables other than those preserved in tin, bottle, or jar.

Fruits not preserved in tin, bottle or jar (except fresh fruits and dried fruits).

Mate and other tea substitutes.

Chicory and other coffee substitutes.

Curry, other than in powder.

Mustard, other than in powder.

Fresh meat, other than beef and mutton.

Fresh poultry, game, fish, shellfish and mollusca.

Meat, poultry and game, fish, shellfish, and mollusca, preserved in tin, bottle, or jar.

Other meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, and mollusca, except sausages, ham and bacon, salted meats, salted whale meat, and salted fish.

Peptone, somatose, haemoglobin, and similar tonic foods.

Beverages and comestibles not otherwise provided for in the Tariff.‡

V.—China.

All articles not specially provided for in the Customs Tariff are dutiable at the general rate of 5 per cent. ad valorem. The Tariff was framed to include the principle articles of Chinese import, and provides specific rates for all specified articles of food and drink except the following, which are dutiable ad valorem: —

Arrowroot and arrowroot flour.

Bacon and ham.

Cheese.

Flour of potato, sago, tapioca, and yam.

Mace.

Oysters, dried.

Vegetables, dried and salted and pickled, in bulk.

Liqueurs.

^* Various ungronud spices (ginger, nutmegs, pepper, cloves, mace, etc.) are provided for in the tariff, and specific rates of duty are imposed thereon.

† The following are specially provided for in the tariff, and are all subject to specific rates of duty:—Rice, barley, pearl barley, malt, wheat, oats, millet, Indian corn, beans, and peas.

‡ A number of the more important descriptions of food and drink are specially provided for and dutiable at specific rates. The list is too long to print.

VI.—Persia.

Foods and beverages generally are dutiable at specific rates, but there is a provision in the tariff that "groceries" other than those specifically mentioned ( i.e., other than pepper, curry-powder, pimento, mustard, cinnamon, nutmegs, cloves, vanilla, vanillin, saffron and truffles) are to be dutiable at 15 per cent. ad valorem.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, having regard to serious accidents to ships carrying deck loads other than timber, to the loss of life that has occurred, and to the views of Courts which have dealt with these casualties, he is referring the general question of deck loads of all kinds to the next International Maritime Conference?

I propose to refer the specific question of the carriage of timber deck loads to the International Load Line Conference, but I am disposed to think that it would be neither practicable nor desirable to make so great an extension in the scope of this particular Conference as would be involved in referring to it the general question of the carriage of deck loads of all kinds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, as regards the investigation at his direction into the whole question of seamen's mortality, he will seek the views of the medical officers of health at the different large seaports in the United Kingdom; and whether he will make inquiries as to the exact amount of inspection and supervision of sanitation on shipboard and proper accommodation for officers and crews which is exercised at the different seaports by officials of the Board of Trade?

I do not wish to prejudge the course of this investigation, but I will see that the points raised by the hon. and gallant Member shall be borne in mind.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been called to a Return, dated 9th March, of his Department, moved for by the hon. Member for Central Edinburgh, and ordered by the House to be collected, giving the area in acres of each Royal, Parliamentary, and police burgh in Scotland, and of the agricultural lands and heritages therein; if so, has he made note of the fact mentioned in that Return that the town clerk of the burgh of Newmilns refused to comply with the Order of the House and refused the information required; and will he say what action he proposes to take with such town clerk?

The reply to the first portion of my hon. Friend's question is in the affirmative. I thought it proper that a note of the refusal of the town clerk of Newmilns should be inserted in the Return for the information of the House, but I do not propose to take any further action in the matter.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that in- convenience is caused to all concerned with the working of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts by the want of any publication containing the Acts and Irish Orders issued thereunder printed together in a convenient form; and whether he will direct the issue of such a publication by the Department at a moderate price?

Orders under the Diseases of Animals Acts deal largely with fluctuating circumstances, and are, in consequence, specially liable to modification. A publication containing the Acts and Orders in a collected form would quickly be in part out of date, and might, therefore, be misleading. This is a difficulty that cannot be obviated. In the circumstances the Department cannot see their way to arrange for such a publication. Any Order in force for the time being can, however, be obtained from the Department, free of charge, on application.