asked whether the Burma Oil Company has paid the dividend on the preference shares of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company; how much they have paid; what is their liability still outstanding for payment of the preference dividend; whether the Burma Oil Company charge the Anglo-Persian interest on payments for preference dividend; is the interest compound interest; and have the Burma Oil Company a charge on all future profits for the repayment of the interest advanced and the interest on the same prior to any dividend being paid on the ordinary shares?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Burma Oil Company has already advanced £144,848 6s. 11d. for this purpose, and their outstanding liability is £31,438 7s. 1d. They are entitled to claim repayment of such advances with compound interest at 5 per cent. per annum out of the first surplus shown after the Anglo-Persian Oil Company has fully met its debenture stock interest, has paid 8 per cent. dividend on its preference shares and 6 per cent. dividend on its ordinary shares, in addition to making proper provision for depreciation and other charges, and carrying a suitable sum to reserve. This obligation and method of repayment of preference dividend were set forth in the original prospectus of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909, and no variation of that arrangement is now being made. No part of this repayment will therefore be made from the amount subscribed by Government either for ordinary shares or debentures. As explained in one of my replies on Monday to the hon. Member's questions, the money advanced by the Government on debenture security will be partly used for the repayment of certain other loans. Those repayments are to the Burma Company, Lord Strathcona's executors, and Mr. D'Arcy, and are for sums of money advanced during the last few months for development work, and have no connection with the preference share dividend. Instead of the company exercising its existing power of raising further money from the public on debentures, His Majesty's Government considered it preferable to provide the money, and so to obtain a standing as first debenture holders, and, as will be seen from the agreement, His Majesty's Government have also an option to strengthen their financial position in the company by redeeming the whole of the existing debentures in 1920.

Arising out of that rather long and complicated answer, can the right hon. Gentleman tell us the amounts of the loans to the Burma Oil Company, Lord Strathcona and Mr. D'Arcy, which are to be repaid, and also whether the prospectus just referred to will be presented to Parliament?

My answer must necessarily be rather long, as the hon. Gentleman asked me something like six questions.

I was apologising for my supplementary question.

I was doing my best to give the desired information. Speaking from memory, the repayment of loans to Mr. D'Arcy is £25,000, to the executors of Lord Strathcona £25,000, and to the Burma Oil Company on account of moneys advanced for carrying on development work £86,000. But I should like notice of questions affecting this complicated matter.

I was not criticising the right hon. Gentleman. I was apologising because I had not quite followed his lengthy answer.

Was Lord Strathcona's interest in ordinary shares or in preference?

I think it was in ordinary shares, but I am not sure.

Was not the amount £30,000?

Did the right hon. Gentleman say that the preference shares bore 8 per cent. or 6 per cent.?

Eight per cent. Before this compound interest loan has to be repaid to the Burma Oil Company, the company must have paid 8 per cent. on its preference and 6 per cent. on its ordinary shares, in addition to having made proper provision for reserve.

Is it not 6 per cent. on the preference and 8 per cent.—that is, plus 2 per cent. out of extra profits—under certain circumstances?

Apparently the hon. Gentleman wants to give me information.

asked whether, in view of the proposed financial interest of the Government in the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, it is the intention of His Majesty's Ministers to include in the agreement a clause stipulating that so far as possible the purchase of machinery and plant by that company should be restricted to that of British manufacture?

The agreement is already concluded, and as the Noble Lord will have seen from the Blue Book, no such clause has been included. It would not have been desirable to impose restricttions on the company which would hamper their commercial freedom and to which Government Departments themselves are not subjected.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Burma Oil Company, with the subsidiary of which the Anglo-Persian Oil Company the Government proposes to enter into partnership, has any official connection with his Department; and whether Sir Hugh Barnes, who is now actively identified with this company, was ever associated in an official capacity with India or Burma?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Sir Hugh Barnes was formerly Lieutenant-Governor of Burma. He re- tired in 1905, and was appointed a member of the Council of India. When the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was formed in 1909, under the chairmanship of Lord Strathcona, he was permitted by the Secretary of State for India to accept a seat on the board of directors. The company at that time had no connection with His Majesty's Government or with the Indian Government. He resigned the India Council in the autumn of last year, in view of the possibility that the company might enter into business relations with the Government.

Was not the company in business relations with the Government of India or Burma at the time when Sir Hugh Barnes was Lieutenant-Governor?

No, Sir; Sir Hugh Barnes retired from his post in Burma in 1905; the company was not formed till 1909.

asked what is the amount of protection by tariff which is given to the Burma Oil Company (the parent company of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, with which the Government suggest going into partnership) in respect of the Indian market?

The hon. Member presumably refers to the import duty on petroleum under the Indian tariff. The duty is at the rate of 1½ annas per gallon. Like all other duties under the Indian tariff it is imposed for revenue purposes.

Was not Sir Hugh Barnes in control of the finances of India at the time this tariff was given to the Burma Oil Company?

I am not quite certain of the date: perhaps the hon. Member would give notice of that question.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many thousand tons of oil have been consumed in the last two months by the destroyer flotilla patrolling the coast of Ulster; and what has been the total expenditure on oil in this connection?

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. and gallant Member for Evesham on the 25th. of last month.

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us what has been the net result of this very large expenditure of public money?

That does not arise out of the question on the Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is intended that the agricultural Grant of £727,655 should be included in the Transferred Sum under the Government of Ireland Bill; and whether it is intended that the provisions of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, for the distribution of this Grant among county councils in aid of rates should be repealed by the Finance Bill or the Government of Ireland Bill?

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

Why is this subsidy under the Agricultural Rates Act withdrawn in the case of England and Scotland and not withdrawn in the case of Ireland?

It is to be handed over to the Parliament in Ireland with full powers to deal with it.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at present it is the Imperial Parliament that is legislating for the United Kingdom?

asked the Postmaster-General (1) if Mr. Hood is an overseer in the employment of the Post Office in Ireland, Dublin District, or, if not, what are his duties and at what salary; and (2) if, on the morning of Monday, 7th June, a man called Hood, in the employment of the Post Office in Dublin, was detected at Kingstown, on the arrival of the mail boat from Holyhead, as endeavouring to bring into Ireland 3,000 rounds of rifle ammunition then in his possession; if the said Hood gave the Customs authorities a false name and address; if the said Hood is a member of the said National Volunteers; and if the postal authorities are going to take any and, if so, what action in the matter?

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

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if he will consider the lack of opportunity for advancement in carpenters' crew ratings; and if he would open some higher ratings for them so that they may have further opportunities for advancement in their own branch of the service.

I do not understand what further opportunities for advancement the hon. Gentleman has in mind. Carpenters' crew ratings have opportunities of rising eventually to both warrant and commissioned rank through the regulated channels. As regards immediate advancement of such ratings, I can add nothing to the reply I gave him on 5th March last.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, if, in view of the threatened renewal of hostilities by the Hellenic Government against Turkey, His Majesty's Government will consider the possibility of offering its friendly services to the two Governments concerned?

His Majesty's Government in common with other Powers will take advantage of any opportunity that may present itself to endeavour to preserve peace between Greece and Turkey, but as a rule friendly offices are only effective when desired by both parties to a dispute.

Will the hon. Gentleman consider what steps it might be necessary to take to protect our very great commercial interest in Smyrna, and also at the mouth of the Dardanelles if, unfortunately, these friendly offices are not accepted?

That is being considered.

asked whether, as a result of the Simla Conference, the Chinese Government has recognised the claims of Tibet as to the complete autonomy of Tibet; and whether any and, if so, what Chinese officials are now stationed in Tibet?

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

Can the hon. Gentleman tell us when he will be able to lay further Papers in regard to Tibet; they are long overdue?

I am afraid I cannot answer that at present. We should, naturally, not lay Papers till matters have come to a conclusion.

Can we, at any rate, have some more information about Tibet before the questions of Supply relating thereto come up for discussion?

The hon. Member knows that the question of debating Foreign Office Votes lies with his side of the House as well as with us.

asked what progress is being made regarding the international Statutes affecting the administration of Tangier; whether, pending the production of these Statutes, Great Britain is obtaining, in common with France and others concerned, an equal share in the administration of the affairs of Tangier?

The details of the future regime at Tangier are still under discussion with the foreign Powers interested. Pending the definite establishment of the projected autonomous municipality, the status quo is being maintained.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether an international harbour board is about to be created at Basra; and whether he can state what the composition of that board is likely to be?

An Ottoman Commission is to be instituted to improve the conservancy of the Shatt-el-Arab; full particulars of this Commission will be furnished in the Papers, which I hope to lay at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state the final nature of the arrangements come to between the Smyrna-Aidin Railway Company and the Porte in regard to the application made by the Italian Government for a railway front Adalia?

The arrangement between the Smyrna-Aidin Railway Company and the Ottoman Government, to which the agreement between that company and an Italian syndicate is subsidiary, is still forming the subject of negotiation.

Can we have some assurance that the Smyrna-Aidin Railway, who are in possession of the full concession, will get some compensation under the terms which will be arranged for it in regard to Adalia?

Will the hon. Member put that question on the Paper?

asked if we have any forces at present in Albania; and, if so, whether they are to take any part in the present commotion in that country?

A British detachment is included in the international force now in occupation of Scutari. The duties of the force are limited to the preservation of order in the town and its immediate neighbourhood, and it is not proposed to extend the scope of those duties so far as the British detachment is concerned.

Can the hon. Gentleman say the number of these men and the admiral; are any there now?

The force present is eight officers and 383 men of the Warwickshire Regiment. The only ship is the "Defence," in command of Rear-Admiral Troubridge, which has just gone to Durazzo.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in August, 1913, thirty-eight British subjects, natives of the West Indies, were arrested at Santa Marta, in the Republic of Colombia, by order of the port captain, an official of the said Republic, upon a charge of assaulting an official of the Colombian Custom service; whether the port captain ordered their arrest without first attempting to identify any one of them as having committed, or being a party to, the said alleged assault; whether they were, by order of the port captain, kept in prison for three days without any evidence of their guilt being offered and without the semblance of a trial; whether this prison is wholly unfit for human habitation and without any sanitary conveniences; under what legal authority the port captain ordered the arrest and imprisonment; whether the Vice-Consul at Santa Marta, the Governor of Jamaica, and His Majesty's Minister at Bogota have reported that, after making searching inquiry, each of them is satisfied that there was no justification for the said arrest and imprisonment; whether the British Minister at Bogota, having been informed of these facts early in September, 1913, drew the attention of the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs to the matter; whether any explanation has yet been given, and what steps, if any, have been or will be taken to secure compensation for these men and protection for British subjects in the said Republic?

The answer to the first, second, third, and sixth parts of the question is in the affirmative. I have no information as to the condition of the prison in which the men were detained. With regard to the fifth part of the question, it would appear that the port captain exceeded his authority in ordering the arrest of these men, as they were at the time not employed on the wharves and were consequently outside the captain's summary jurisdiction. In a dispatch dated 28th March last, His Majesty's Minister at Bogota reported that on the receipt of information from the Governor of Jamaica, the British Consul at Barranquilla and the British Vice-Consul at Santa Marta, he had addressed a note to the Colombian Minister for Foreign Affairs drawing his attention to the facts, stating that the men had filed a claim for compensation and damage with the British Vice-Consul at Santa Marta, and requesting His Excellency to cause a careful inquiry to be made into the circumstances of the case. I propose, for the present, to await a reply to this communication before considering whether the claim put forward should be supported diplomatically.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether it is proposed to increase the pay of British officers serving in India commensurate with the increase recently granted to officers serving in this country; and, if so, when?

The subject is under consideration by the Secretary of State and the Government of India, but the Secretary of State is not at present in a position to make any definite statement.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India, whether he has any figures to show the total sum which a peasant of the Punjab, working an average holding under the existing system of State ownership of land, must not exceed as cost of living for himself and his family; and does it exceed 6s. a month?

I have no data which would enable me either to confirm or to dispute the hon. Member's figures.

Is any fair-rent Act in India, or any fixity of tenure acting there?

I think the hon. Member had better give me notice of a definite question; there is legislation bearing on the subject.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has any documents or records showing that the amount of land revenue, i.e., rent, collected in India in pre-British times amounted to 50 per cent. of the gross produce of the land; whether the amount now collected does not exceed from 7 per cent. to 11 per cent. of the total gross produce; and has the Government of India made any estimate of the amount which will be extracted from the new Punjab irrigation colonists by the purchasing landlords and the Revenue authorities combined?

As far as I am aware, no general standard for the land revenue based on a fixed proportion of the gross produce has ever prevailed in India. In pre-British times as large a proportion as one-half has on occasions been enforced. In British India the lower ratios mentioned by the hon. Member are not of infrequent occurence. With regard to the last question, I am not aware that any such estimate has been made.

asked whether the Government of India is satisfied with its experience of the landlord system in Bengal, especially in connection with the existing condition and future prospects of the peasantry?

The conditions and prospects of the peasantry in Bengal are safeguarded by tenancy laws which are generally regarded as being adequate for their protection.

Is it not a fact that the Revenue authorities looked with great disapproval and regret upon this system?

I think on the point to which the question refers that the tenancy laws are regarded as satisfactory.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India has received any remonstrances against its departure, in the case of the Punjab irrigation colonies, from its established practice, outside of Bengal, of the State ownership of land; whether he is aware of the alarm in India at the possibility of the Punjab irrigation colonists becoming the rack-rented tenants of the land speculators to whom the irrigation lands are being sold or the usurers who find the money for these speculations; whether this alteration of policy is due to the pressure of a general demand for funds to be expended upon education and upon the carrying out of sanitation schemes; and whether this pressure can be met in some other way?

The Secretary of State is not aware of any representations of the nature referred to, which would seem to him to be based on an incorrect view of the facts. The policy of alloting a part of the area of an irrigation colony for estates larger than the ordinary holding of a peasant proprietor has not the novel character ascribed to it in the hon. Member's question.

Does my hon. Friend suggest that the ordinary peasant of the Punjab is able to pay 270 rupees per acre for his small holding?

Some part of the area has been allotted to the peasant proprietor, and some will be sold in larger blocks.

Are these larger blocks not to be let or cultivated at all by the peasant proprietors; is that decided?

The policy of selling the larger blocks outright has been decided upon.

They are not to be sublet?

I am not sure of that.

Can the hon. Gentleman say why the Government are giving up the policy in the case of this particular parcel of land in view of the traditional policy that the State should own all the land it can in India?

The hon. Member is, as I think I have previously informed him, under a misapprehension in supposing that this is a novel departure. The object is to test the price of land, and to recover some of the large capital expenditure of the scheme.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the fact that the recent bank failures in India have aroused alarm in the minds of thrifty Indians, the Government of India is considering the urgent necessity of demonstrating and extending facilities for investment in sound securities other than those in connection with land?

The Government of India, as has been already stated, are considering proposals for enabling investments in their rupee loans to be made in the shape of bearer bonds. They will also issue this year a loan of considerably larger amount than in recent years. They have also enlarged considerably the facilities for depositing in their savings banks.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he can say whether the Government received a report on the new Delhi from the architect sent out to India by the Government for the purpose; and, if so, will he have it placed upon the Table of the House so that Members may have the privilege of reading it and learning exactly what this report contained?

The reports of the Town Planning Committee of which one of the selected architects was a member, have been presented to Parliament. No separate report has been received from the architect in question.

Was not a separate report on the building of the Delhi received a considerable time ago from Mr. Lanchester; was he not sent out at the cost of the India Office to make a special report upon it?

I think I have answered the question, if the hon. Member desires to ask another one will he please put it down.

Will the hon. Gentleman refer to the answer which has been given to me on this subject by his predecessor?

I shall be glad to receive the hon. Member's information.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether any architect who was a member of the body of persons officially sent to India by the Government to report upon the town-planning of the new Delhi has sent in plans or drawings for the principal buildings of State in his own town-planning scheme; and, if so, if the Government intend to accept these plans without competition and without reference to any other distinguished architects?

Mr. Lutyens, the architect to whom the hon. Member refers, was appointed in the early part of 1913 by the Secretary of State to prepare plans in conjunction with Mr. Herbert Baker for Government House and the Secretariat buildings, which are the principal State buildings concerned. The Secretary of State has received their designs, and they are about to be exhibited in the Tea Room of the House. As the hon. Member has been informed, there will be no competition in respect of the designs of these buildings.

May I ask my hon. Friend whether he will consider the question of exhibiting a scale with the model?

The Tea Room at present is a very congested district. I have not been able yet to get the exhibition of those promised some time ago.

Will it be possible to have an exhibition somewhere of the scale model, so that hon. Members can form some opinion on the subject?

May I ask whether plans, in addition to the scale such as now exhibited in the Academy, are to be put into the Tea Room with the actual framed plan?

I think what is proposed to be put into the Tea Room is practically a copy of the plan exhibited in the Academy.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there was some time ago exhibited in one of the rooms of this House a plan of the National Museum in Wales, which was very largely visited?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many architects and how many surveyors went out officially to India at the request of the Government to report upon the town-planning of the new Delhi; if he will give their names and ascertain whether any of their number had special qualifications to report upon planning and architecture in India; if any of them were nominated by present or past Viceroys or other high officials in India;, and if any of them are in any way related or connected with any past or present Viceroy or high official?

The Delhi Town-Planning Committee consisted of Captain Swinton, formerly Chairman of the London County Council, Mr. John Brodie, City Engineer to the Liverpool Corporation, and Mr. Edwin Lutyens, the well-known architect. They were selected by the Secretary of State after careful inquiries in various quarters as to their special qualifications for the work. The answer to the penultimate question is in the negative, and in view of this fact the relevancy of the last question is not apparent.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the reasons why Philip Goltard, of Llanellen, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, aged seventy-four, has been refused an old age pension; and whether he will inquire into the case?

I understand that Philip Goltard is of German nationality, and is therefore ineligible for the receipt of an old age pension.

Has he not been resident in this country for the last sixteen years, and does not that qualify him?

He is not maturalised, I understand.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why British chaplains resident abroad are not exempted from Income Tax on their salaries, seeing that they discharge abroad many of the duties of public officials, who are so exempted?

British chaplains resident abroad are charged Income Tax only in respect of any stipends payable to them out of the public funds of the United Kingdom, and in this respect no differentiation is made between them and other public officials abroad deriving their salaries from the same source.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if legacies to hospitals in Ireland are exempt from legacy duty, whereas English hospitals have to pay; and, if so, whether he can see his way to give to English hospitals the same treatment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, subject to the proviso that the exemption in Ireland applies only where the testator was domiciled in that country. As has already been stated in this House on several occasions, the Government cannot see their way to extend an exemption which, if the question were now being considered for the first time, would probably not be granted.

Has the right hon. Gentleman had any representation from the Scottish people on this matter, and will he say why Scottish institutions do not receive the same treatment as Irish?

As a matter of fact, I have nothing whatever to do with the matter, which is a very old one. If proposals are to be made they ought to be made not to me but to the House of Commons.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, under the Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1897, all bonds, conveyances, agreement, etc., made or granted by or to or in favour of the local authority under that Act are exempt from all stamp duties; whether the same councils in England have to pay stamp duty; and, if so, whether, in dealing with the relationship between Imperial and local taxation, he will make provision that the same provision should apply to England?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. I will consider the suggestion made in the last part of the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is intended by the Finance Bill to do away with existing Grants to training colleges, secondary schools which are not under the control of local authorities, and universities; and whether this would be the effect of the Bill as drawn?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. It is not proposed to deprive institutions for higher education, which are not under the control of local education authorities, of financial assistance. Grants will continue to be paid direct to the responsible bodies.

Would the right hon. Gentleman answer the latter part of the question: Whether it would be the effect of the Bill as drawn to deprive those authorities of their existing Grants or fresh Grants made?

I am advised, as a matter of fact, it is not correct to assume that, and, if it should be found so, it will be altered in the Committee stage of the Bill.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can say which public health officers are included in the list of authorities to receive Grants under the Finance Bill, 1914, under the Second Schedule, Part I, England and Wales, line 25, et seq., where medical officers of health and other public health officers are specially mentioned; and whether the definition, other public health officers, includes all such officers as well as surveyors and analysts?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The intention is to pay to local authorities one-half of the salaries of medical officers of health and their assistants, medical officers of hospitals, sanitary inspectors and their assistants, inspectors of foods, including milk, health visitors, veterinary officers, and any other health officers. It is not intended to make a Grant in respect of the salaries of surveyors and analysts.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if the Board have received any information as to the harm done by the ox-warble fly; and whether any steps are being taken to counteract the evil?

The Board are aware of the harm done by this pest, and experiments have been made with a view to discovering some practicable and effective means of dealing with it, but without, I am sorry to say, any very satisfactory results up to the present. A leaflet of the Board deals with the matter by way of advice. Experiments are proceeding at Ballyhaise, in county Cavan, and the Irish Department are to give us the benefit of the research conducted there.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Board reduced the proportion of the Grant payable under the Medical Grant Regulations to the local education authority of the Buckinghamshire County Council partly on the ground that their school dental service was inadequate and its working inefficient; whether he is aware that in that county, in spite of the admitted difficulties, the authority have made arrangements to deal completely with the children in the six to eight age group and also with other urgent cases in all the public elementary schools; and whether, in view of these facts, he will consider the possibility of paying the Grant at a higher rate for the year ending. 31st July, 1914?

I am aware that the Grant paid to the Buckinghamshire local education authority under Part I. of the Medical Grant Regulations during the financial year 1913–14 in respect of work done during the year which ended on the 31st July, 1913, was assessed at a rate of somewhat less than one-half of the authority's expenditure, one reason for this being that the arrangements made by the authority in connection with their scheme of dental treatment were unsatisfactory in certain respects. I understand that since July, 1913, the scheme of dental treatment has been extended to cover the whole county. In assessing the Grant payable during the current financial year in respect of work done during the year which ended on the 31st March, 1914, regard will be had to all the circumstances of the case, including the extension of the scheme of dental treatment, and in particular to the extent to which the defects in the authority's arrangements, to which their attention has been directed by the Board, were remedied during the period in question.

asked the President of the Board of Education if a local authority which has previously participated in the necessitous areas Grant of £350,000, but by reason of the growing claims on that sum has not received the full amount represented by three-fourths of the expenditure in excess of the rate of Is. 6d. in the £, may expect to receive for the current financial year an amount equal to the expenditure in excess of the produce of a rate of 1s. 9d. in the £, and also an amount equal to a full three-fourths of the expenditure exceeding the produce of a rate of 1s. 6d. but not exceeding 1s. 9d., both amounts being reckoned on the basis of expenditure for the year 1912–13?

No, Sir, the proposal is that such an authority shall receive in the first instance the same amount of special Grant as it received last year; and that if this Grant does not suffice to bring the expenditure on which it was paid—namely, the expenditure of the year 1912–13—down to the level of a rate of 1s. 9d., it shall receive a further Grant sufficient to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed at the last annual conference of the Association of Approved Societies, to the effect that Section 12 of the National Insurance Act, 1911, as amended by the National Insurance Act, 1913, operates an injustice in the case of an insured person who is an inmate of a sanatorium and has no dependants, by providing that the whole of the sickness benefits must in such cases be paid to the insurance committee, seeing that many such persons have expenses running on while they are receiving sanatorium benefit which they ultimately have to pay; and, if so, whether it is proposed to take steps by amendment of the above Act to remove the injustice?

My right hon. Friend has seen the resolution referred to, and will consider the hon. Member's suggestion when, occasion arises. I cannot, however, agree that an insured person who has no dependants to keep, and who is himself receiving board and lodging and professional attendance and treatment in a residential institution at the expense of the insurance funds, suffers any hardship under the existing law.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Insurance Commissioners are proposing to form a new society to be State managed; whether such scheme will be submitted to Parliament this Session; and will he ascertain the views of the approved societies before subjecting them to such competition?

Any proposals for dealing with deposit contributors must require legislation, and any such proposals will be formulated in consultation with representatives of approved societies.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the Insurance Commissioners, if his attention has been called to the notification by the Welsh Insurance Commissioners that approved societies under Part I. of the National Insurance Act shall not hold their meetings on licensed premises; how many societies in Wales were in the habit of holding their meetings on such premises; what notice was given to enable them to make other arrangements; and if a similar Regulation has been made by any other of the Insurance Commissions?

The Regulations to which the hon. Member refers were made in accordance with Section 27 (2) of the National Insurance Act, 1911. My right hon. Friend is informed that about 1,200 societies and branches in Wales previously met on licensed premises; in all cases they are being allowed whatever time is necessary to terminate their existing arrangements. Regulations under the Sub-section have also been made by the Scottish and Irish Insurance Commissioners

May I ask the hon. Gentleman is there sufficient time to make the new arrangements, and if the societies are not desirous of altering, will they be allowed to remain in the same position as before?

They will have to obey the Regulations made by the Commissioners.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that many of these licensed houses offered facilities for these societies when the temperance people were boycotting them?

It may be so, but I have no information.

asked the President of the Local Government Board how many town-planning schemes have been finally sanctioned by the Board, in accordance with the Act of 1909, since the Act came into operation up to the present date?

The Local Government Board have information as to 232 town-planning schemes. Of these, two have been finally approved by the Board, four have been submitted for such approval, sixty-two have been authorised by the Board to be prepeared, and in twenty-two other cases application has been made to the Board for authority to prepare the scheme.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been drawn to the recent discussion as to the difficulty which postmen experience in finding accommodation in the parish of Coulsdon, in the Croydon rural district; and whether his Department is proposing to take any action in the matter?

My right hon. Friend has received a letter from the Town Clerk of Croydon stating that a committee of the council have had their attention drawn to the discussion referred to, and that they propose to recommend the town council to provide any necessary houses under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, if the urban part of Coulsdon is adedd to the Borough of Croydon, as proposed under the Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation Bill of this Session.

asked the Chairman of Ways and Means whether his attention has been called to the proceedings before the Select Committee on the London County Council Tramways and Improvements Bill, where it was admitted by the counsel for certain frontage petitioners that the expense of the petition was defrayed by the London omnibus owners; and whether such procedure is in accordance with the Rules of the House?

My attention was not called to the matter referred to by the hon. Member before I saw his question. There is nothing in the Standing Orders or Rules of the House to say that petitioners shall only be heard if they pay their own costs; but I am quite sure that the hon. Members, to whom we are indebted for such careful and conscientious work upstairs on Private Bill Committees, know the proper weight to give to any petition when they are in possession of all the facts connected with it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of Dr. Warrington Yorke, who was charged before the magistrates at Runcorn, on the 1st September last, with cruelty to a donkey upon which he had been experimenting sunder a Home Office certificate, and was acquitted; whether he is aware that part of the experiment in question was conducted in a place not licensed for that purpose under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, namely, in the field where the donkey was left lying for upwards of seven days; whether Dr. Yorke thereby became liable to a penalty under that Act; and whether he proposes to take proceedings to recover such penalty, or what action he has taken or proposes to take in the matter?

I am aware of the case, and caused very careful inquiries to be made at the time. Two irregularities were committed by Dr. Yorke, one in keeping the animal in a field which, though attached to the registered premises, was not specifically included in the registration; the other, in injecting a drug which, though included in his general certificate, had not been specifically mentioned in the special certificate required for experiments on donkeys. I was, however, satisfied that the irregularities were committed through oversight and not deliberately, and were not in fact harmful, and that it was not a case for taking proceedings under the Act; but I have warned Dr. Yorke as to the necessity of strict compliance with the law on his part if his licence is to be continued.

Are all irregularities under the Act overlooked by the Home Secretary as a matter of course?

I think, if the hon. Member refers to my answer, he will see-that that is not the case.

Is it a fact that no punishment is ever inflicted?

Oh, no! My hon. Friend must not assume that.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is with his knowledge that time tables and other information relating to the services of the London General Omnibus Company are furnished to the Metropolitan Police to enable them to assist the public; if this arrangement was made at the suggestion of the company or on the initiative of the Commissioner of Police; if any extra payment is made to the men for performing this duty; and if any similar arrangement exists as regards the tramways?

In accordance with the promise I gave in reply to a question by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight on the 17th of March, I directed the Commissioner of Police to inquire of the various tramway authorities and motor omnibus companies whether they would be willing to submit their time tables to him. The Commissioner informs me that they have all declined to do so.

If time tables are furnished to the Metropolitan Police by the London General Omnibus Company and the London County Council inform the Government that they are desirous of the same facilities being granted, will the right hon. Gentleman do the same?

That is a hypothetical question.

asked the Home Secretary if he is yet in a position to say whether he proposes, under the existing law, to take proceedings, either civil or criminal, against subscribers to the funds of the Women's Social and Political Union and other organisations supporting the militant suffrage movement; and, if not, whether the Government proposes, during the present Session, to introduce legislation for an extension of its powers in the matter?

At present I can add nothing to what I said on Thursday last upon this subject.

asked the Home Secretary at how many mines accommodation and facilities for taking baths and drying clothes have been provided under Section 77 of the Coal Mines Act of 1911?

I have not heard of any case So far in which baths have been provided under Section 77, but I understand that in some cases they have been provided by the owners voluntarily.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to intro duce legislation to carry into effect certain of the recommendations of the Royal Commission, which was appointed to inquire into the delay in the administration of justice in the King's Bench Division, which require the concurrence of Parliament?

As I stated yesterday, I doubt whether it will be possible to introduce legislation for this purpose this Session.

In view of the fact that this Commission recommended a retiring age for judges, is the right hon. Gentleman taking into consideration in present-day appointments the advisability of appointing younger men to these judgeships?

All relevant considerations are taken into account.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that Captain Bellingham, aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, inspected and addressed a body of Irish National Volunteers at Castle Bellingham on 10th June and exhorted them to ensure the triumph of Home Rule; whether Captain Bellingham acted with the knowledge or approval of the Lord Lieutenant or of the Chief Secretary; and, if not, whether he has since been officially reprimanded?

Before the Prime Minister answers this question, may I ask whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Ulster Volunteers have been addressed by two aides-de-camp to the King—Colonel the Marquess of Londonderry and Colonel the Earl of Kilmorey—and whether any action is to be taken in respect of those two officers?

I will answer the question on the Paper first. The answer to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative. The Lord Lieutenant, when his attention was called to the newspaper report of the incident, asked for an explanation from Captain Bellingham, who admitted frankly that, as a member of the Viceregal staff, he had been guilty of an error of judgment. In these circumstances it is unnecessary to take further notice of the incident.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether any similar demand was made on Lord Londonderry?

Nobody's attention was called to Lord Londonderry's observations.

Now that attention has been called to them, will Lord Londonderry be called upon for an explanation, or is it a crime for Captain Bellingham (aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant) to inspect the Irish Volunteers, and a virtue in the King's aides-de-camp to own the Ulster Volunteers'?

It is not a question of crime or virtue. It is simply whether this was a wise or a foolish action.

What is the offence that Captain Bellingham committed for which he was asked for an explanation? What was the ground on which he was asked for this explanation? Is there to be one law for Captain Bellingham and another for Lord Londonderry?

I think we are entitled to an answer.

I have already stated that the Lord Lieutenant—this young gentleman being attached to his Viceregal staff—having his attention called to these observations, asked him for an explanation of them, and told him it was not customary for members of his staff to make speeches of that sort, and he withdrew his speech.

I beg to ask the Prime Minister whether now that attention has been called to the action of these two aides-de-camp to His Majesty the King, they will be called upon to make an explanation on similar lines to that demanded from Captain Bellingham?

There is nothing whatever about Lord Londonderry or Lord Kilmorey in this question. If hon. Members wish to ask these questions they should give notice. [An HON. MEMBER: "We will."]

Does not the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland represent His Majesty the King, and, if so, is not an aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant in the same position as an aide-de-camp to the King?

That may well be, but there is nothing whatever about it in this question.

Will the same facilities be offered to the rank and file of the Irish Volunteers as has been afforded to the Ulster Volunteers; and may I ask whether men who inspect these forces will be put in a position of equality whether they are aides-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenant or to the King; or is there one law for the rich and another for the poor?

Of course there ought to be absolute equality in these matters. Perhaps my hon. Friend will put down a question. I do not know to what special remarks of Lord Londonderry he refers.

I think we must really pass on to other questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that more than a month has now elapsed since the Revenue Bill was ordered to be brought in; and when it is proposed to circulate the Bill?

The Bill will. I hope, be circulated to-morrow.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Chancellor of the Exchequer promised the House that this Bill would be circulated early this week, and is it not the case that it will be utterly impossible adequately to discuss the Finance Bill on Monday if we only get a week-end view of this complicated Bill?

I hope the hon. Member will find four days sufficient to enable him to master it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman definitely promise it for any day?

I said I hoped it would be circulated to-morrow.

asked the Prime Minister when he proposes to introduce his Resolutions on the reform of the House of Lords?

I am not yet in a position to make a statement on the subject.

Does he propose to introduce a Bill founded on these Resolutions this Session?

No, Sir.

May I ask whether these Resolutions are to have precedence over Scottish Home Rule?

asked the Prime Minister if he will consider as to taking measures to prevent the use of Government property by Members of the Government for other than strictly official purposes?

I am not aware of the necessity for any such measures.

aked the Prime Minister if he will consider the question of following the precedent established in the case of the postal workers and establishing Committees, including representatives of the employés affected, for the purpose of reviewing the conditions of labour in the Navy and other Government Departments?

I would refer the hon. Member to the speech of the Postmaster-General of 10th June, from which he will see that the Government intend to set up a body to inquire as to the future relations of the State with its employés generally.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the height, chest measurements, and weight of recruits taken for the Special Reserve are entered on the attestation sheets which are kept at the depots of the Special Reserve units?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked several supplementary questions which, with the answers of Mr. Tennant, were quite inaudible in the Reporters' Gallery.

asked the Secretary of State for War if any orders were issued within the last few days to bands of the Brigade of Guards forbidding them to play before 9 a.m. when marching with troops to the Horse Guards Parade; if so, for what reason were the orders issued; and if there is any precedent for this action?

asked if instructions have been given to prevent the playing of military bands in the vicinity of Downing Street before 9.30 a.m.?

There has been no change in this matter. There is a long-standing practice by which troops are not so employed before 9 o'clock. There was recently an unauthorised departure from this practice, which led to the issue of the order referred to.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any ambulance van is in existence at Tidworth barracks; and, if so, why a motor lorry was sent for an injured officer who was lying at Andover?

There is a motor ambulance wagon at Bulford, but not at Tidworth Barracks. Unfortunately at the time of the accident in question it was under repair. As the case was urgent it was judged best to send a motor lorry rather than incur the delay that would have been involved in sending a horsed ambulance.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Committee on Spontaneous Combustion, appointed by the Home Office, is now considering the question of hydraulic stowage and packing of the waste, so as to fill up old workings in mines and to support the roof; and whether evidence will be taken by the Committee as to the system of hydraulic stowage so successfully carried out at present in France and Germany with a view to its introduction into this country?