asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the average cost of armaments per head of the population for each year from 1875 to 1895?

The average cost of armaments per head of the population for the years 1875–6 to 1894–5, both inclusive, was as follows:—

asked the Secretary to the Treasury when the last volume of the Royal Historical Manuscripts Commission was published; why the issue of further volumes appears to be suspended; and when the next volume-may be expected?

The last volume of the Historical Manuscripts Commission was published on 10th February of this year. A volume will be published in the course of the present month, and twelve more volumes are in the Press and will be published as completed.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether in certain ships in His Majesty's Navy the duties hitherto performed by members of the ships' police are now being carried out by the ordinary petty officers and stoker petty officers of the ship; whether the abolition of the ships' police staff is contemplated; and, if so, what use is proposed to be made of the present staff?

Yes, Sir, this is the case in a few ships. The future of the ships' police staff will depend upon the result of the experiment. In the meantime the present police staff are fully employed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are any statutory Orders issued by his Department making it compulsory on the workmen to pass through the colliery office or manager's office when recording their votes in the matter of pit-head baths; whether there is a special form of ballot paper required; whether it is necessary for the workmen and the management to work conjointly before the ballot has been taken; whether it is essential that the ballot should be taken under the supervision of the colliery officials; and whether the officials of the mine and boys under sixteen years of age come within the term "workmen" for this purpose?

The procedure in this matter is regulated by an Order made by me under Section 77 of the Act, which provides for the ballot being carried out by a representative of the owner, agent, or manager, and a representative of the workmen, and leaves it to these representatives to determine the place of the ballot, A form of ballot paper is prescribed by the Order. The persons entitled under the terms of the Section to vote are "all workmen employed underground, and all workmen engaged on the surface in handling tubs, screening, sorting, or washing coal, or loading coal into wagons." I am advised that the term "workmen" in this connection includes boys; and I am further advised, although the point is not perhaps altogether free from doubt, that, having regard to the object of the provision, firemen and other officials employed continuously underground are also included.

asked the President of the Local Government Board why no information is given in the Report to the Board on Public Health and Medical Subjects (New Series, No. 78) in regard to the vaccinal condition of the small-pox cases notified to his Department in 1912; and whether he will give instructions for such information to be printed in future, as is now done in the Annual Report of the Local Government Board for Scotland?

The Report to which reference is made in the question is a report of statistics of the incidence of infectious diseases during the previous year, and the particulars to which the hon. Member refers are not available at the date of its publication. Those particulars are, however, given in the Annual Reports of the medical officer of the Local Government Board. The particulars for 1912 will be found on page 213 of the Annual Report for 1912–13.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture on what basis, in the case of an outbreak of swine fever on the premises of Mr. William Roberts, of Hill Farm, Hitchin Road, Meppershall, the local valuer, acting on behalf of the Board valued the slaughtered sows and pigs at the sum of £62 12s., and why the Board's inspector informed Mr. Roberts that it was unnecessary to fetch his own valuers, whose valuation of such slaughtered stock was £74, and allowed him to sign a printed form accepting the Board's low valuation without his reading it or its contents being explained to him; and who is the inspector who acted in this case?

The basis of the valuation in the case to which the hon. Gentleman refers was that prescribed by Section 16 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894, namely, the value of the animals immediately before they were slaughtered. The valuation was made by a well-known and competent firm of valuers. I am informed that the Board's inspector asked the owner whether he accepted the valuation and received an affirmative answer before the printed form was signed. The inspector who acted in the case is Mr. G. Burlingham.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether Clause 12 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order, 1895, empowering county councils in Great Britain to make regulations prohibiting the admission into their districts of animals from any other districts in Great Britain, is, as in the said Order, new matter, or whether any identical or more or less similar provision was contained in any Order or Orders in force at any time between 1878 and 1895; and, in the latter case, if he will give the reference, name of Order and number of Clause I or Section, as regards every such provision in force at any time from 1878 to 1895?

The powers conferred upon local authorities by Article 12 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order of 1895 are either identical with or similar to those conferred upon them by several earlier Orders made under the Diseases of Animals Acts. I would refer my hon. Friend in particular to Article 7 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Temporary Order of 1884, Article 13 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order of 1886, Articles 14 and 17 of the Pleuro-Pneumonia Order of 1890, Article 11 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order of 1892, and Article 17 of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order of 1892 (No. 2.)

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the evidence given last year before a Departmental Committee on compensation for industrial diseases by Dr. S. Monckton Copeman, Professor John Penberthy, and Sir John McFadyean, of several outbreaks of cow-pox within recent years and of the probability that other outbreaks have occurred without being reported; and whether he intends to place that disease under the provisions of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Board have no present intention of scheduling cow-pox under the Diseases of Animals Acts, but I shall be glad to consider any representations which may be made to me on the subject.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been called to suggestions for the encouragement of goat-keeping by small landholders; and whether he is in a position to make a statement on the subject?

I understand that the Board of Agriculture have had this matter under consideration and are at present prosecuting inquiries on the subject. They are faced with the difficulty that breeds of goats in Britain are not as satisfactory as they might be, and that fresh blood from the good milking strains in certain other countries cannot under present arrangements be imported.

asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the Insurance Commissioners, if he is aware that the Women's Freedom League openly boasts that it has not paid one penny in respect of the insurance of any of its employes since the passing of the National Insurance Act; and, if so, whether the Commissioners intend to take action in the matter?

The hon. Member has already called my attention to the fact mentioned in the first part of his question; as regards the second part, the matter is under consideration.

asked the Home Secretary why the hon. treasurer of the Women's Freedom League, Dr. Elizabeth Knight, who was sentenced on 11th February last to £20 fine or distraint or distress or one month's imprisonment, was not arrested until the 16th of the present month, although the warrant for her arrest was issued on 13th May, and she has not been out of the country in the meantime?

Though application was made to the Court by the national insurance officials on the 13th of May for the commitment of Dr. Elizabeth Knight the warrant for her arrest was not issued until the 11th inst. After the necessary inquiries had been made the arrest was effected on the 16th inst.