asked the hon. Member for St. George's-in-the-East, as representing the Insurance Commissioners, whether any power exists by which police constables may call on employers to show the cards of employed contributors, with the object of obtaining their addresses and serving summonses; and whether, in cases where this has been done, it has been by leave of the Insurance Commissioners?

I am not at present aware of a case in which this has been done. If my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of any such cases I will inquire and will consider the question.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Livingstone estate, Fairhill, Islandeady, Castlebar, has yet been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board?

This estate has not yet been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board have issued an offer to Mr. Desmond G. FitzGerald, Turlough, county Mayo, for the purchase of his estate, or have the negotiations for purchase failed; and, if so, what were the questions in dispute?

The Congested Districts Board have issued a revised offer for the purchase of the estate of Mr. Desmond G. FitzGerald, county Mayo, and negotiations are pending. The question of the sporting rights still remains to be settled.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the estate of Mr. F. C. Garvey, Murrisk Abbey, county Mayo, has yet been acquired by the Congested Districts Board, or when the Board expect to complete the purchase?

The Congested Districts Board have recently issued a revised offer for the estate referred to, but they cannot at present say when the purchase of the estate is likely to be completed.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Phibbs Irwin estate (in lunacy) has yet been purchased by the Congested Districts Board, or will he say when the Board hope to be able to complete the purchase?

The Congested Districts Board have decided to make an offer for the estate referred to which will be issued as soon as practicable. They cannot at present say when the purchase of the estate is likely to be completed.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the Congested Districts Board have taken any steps to acquire the interest of Mr. P. A. G. Grehan in his non-residential farm at Ballintubber, county Mayo, on the Moore estate, which has been purchased by the Board; and whether they intend to do so, having regard to the congestion in the district?

No steps have been taken by the Congested Districts Board up to the present to acquire the interest of Mr. P. A. G. Grehan referred to, but the matter will be inquired into.

asked the Chief Secretary whether Mr. R. V. Stoney, Rossturk Castle, county Mayo, has offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board Glanamaddy mountain and the Islands of Iniskeel and Inishorkan; and whether the Board have taken any steps to acquire those lands for the relief of congestion in the district?

The islands referred to have not been offered for sale to the Congested Districts Board. In the year 1900 the Board purchased from Mr. Stoney a portion of his estate, including 1,569 acres of the Glennamadoo mountain, which was resold to him by the Board in 1907.

asked the Chief Secretary the date when the Irish Land Commission Report up to the 31st March, 1914, will be laid upon the Table of the House?

The Report referred to Was laid upon the Table on the 7th instant, and, I understand, will be circulated to Members this week.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that Messrs. J. B. Watkinson and Son, Limited, of Holmfirth, contractors to the War Office in the Huddersfield district, are paying only 6d. per hour to their dyers labourers, as compared with 6¼d. per hour which their competitors in the same district are paying under agreement between employers and workmen, and that also under the same agreement overtime rates at time and a quarter between six and seven p.m. and time and a half after seven p.m. are paid by Messrs. Watkinson's competitors in the Huddersfield district, whilst Messrs. Watkinson refuse to pay any overtime rates whatever; and, if so, will he take stops to secure that the Fair-Wages Resolution shall be carried out?

As I informed the hon. Member on the 4th instant, no recent complaint has been received in regard to this firm. If the hon. Member will kindly furnish a copy of the agreement mentioned the matter shall be inquired into.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the condemnation of the Board of Trade sight tests at the annual meeting of the British Medical Association, recently held at Aberdeen, on account of the number of normal-sighted persons rejected, and that the great majority favoured, in preference, the official test lantern of the Navy; and whether he will adopt this lantern for the Board of Trade tests and definitely discard other tests?

I do not propose to discard the lantern at present used in examining candidates for certificates of competency in the mercantile marine.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the fact that various newspapers are still offering prizes of great value for competitions on the result of football matches, and at the same time urging all football spectators to join the Army; and whether, in view of the fact that there is a Newspaper Competitions Bill already through its Committee stage, the Government will give it facilities now in order to prevent the exploitation of a popular sport and the waste of public money in a pure gamble?

Only emergency business is being taken at the present time, and I do not think this Bill could be included in that category.

asked the Prime Minister whether, under existing international law, it is possible for Great Britain to prevent the importation in neutral bottoms of foodstuffs into neutral countries far in excess of their normal requirements or the needs of their own population, with the object of their ultimate transference to the territory of a belligerent Power; and, if not, whether the Gov eminent have in view the possibility of taking measures to check such importation of abnormal supplies?

The hon. Member may be assured that questions of this kind are receiving careful consideration by His Majesty's Government

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that communications have passed between the War Office and the organisers of the British Field Hospital for the Belgian Red Cross Society with regard to the transhipment of the Field Hospital and its staff to Belgium; and whether arrangements could be made to convey them there on a Government vessel free of charge?

I am informed that nothing is known of this in the Army Medical Department.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state what the estimated amounts, stated in pounds sterling, of the gold reserves held by the Bank of England, the Bank of France, the Imperial Bank of St. Petersburg, and the Reichsbank of Germany, respectively, at the beginning of January and the beginning of July of each of the years 1011, 1912, 1913, and 1914?

I have no official information in regard to the gold reserves of the foreign banks referred to in the question. The figures (compiled as regards these banks from general sources of information) are:—

—		Bank of England.	Bank of France.	Bank of Russia.	Reichsbank
		£	£	£	£
January, 1911	…	31,048,000	130,149,000	121,893,000	33,052,000
July, 1911	…	38,729,000	127,843,000	126,889,000	42,141,000
January, 1912	…	33,635,000	127,156,000	124,647,000	36,388,000
July, 1912	…	38,924,000	130,366,000	130,228,000	45,175,000
January, 1913	…	30,377,000	127,539,000	131,681,000	38,833,000
July, 1913	…	35,452,000	132,618,000	141,870,000	54,975,000
January, 1914	…	36,019,600	140,307,000	151,468,000	58,498,000
July, 1914	…	38,476,000	162,307,000	159,748,000	65,555,000

The figures for the Bank of England exclude gold coin in the Banking Department (which is not shown separately in the Returns), and those for the Bank of Russia exclude balances held abroad by that bank.In any comparison of the figures it is, of course, necessary to bear in mind the great

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Bill as drawn to remit in whole or in part Death Duties payable on the estates of those who may fall in the War will include the estates of those whose death occurs at an early date after the end of the War as a direct consequence of injuries received or disease suffered during the War; and, if not, will he enlarge the scope of the Bill to cover these cases?

as the hon. Member will see from the terms of the Bill which has now been circulated, the answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, with a view to maintaining an even flow of trade in this country as far as possible, he will consider issuing on behalf of the Government, a strong appeal to all trading houses to abstain from cutting down their normal seasonal requirements and so assist the manufacturers to find employment for their workpeople?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question for him. The Government appreciate to the full the importance of maintaining employment at a normal level wherever this is possible. I hope and believe that the trading houses in the country are alive to their responsibility in this respect without the issue of any special appeal from His Majesty's Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in reference to the publication in the "London Gazette" of 22nd August, explaining how the Declaration of London, 1909, will be regarded during the present war, whether the neutral signatories of this declaration, whose interests may be affected by the parts of the declaration now set aside or denounced by the British Government, were consulted before the decision of the Government was taken in this matter?

The interests of neutral Powers were most carefully considered and borne in mind, but the position did not admit of consultation with them.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the publication by the German Government of certain proposals which are alleged to have been made to secure French and English neutrality during the War; and whether the publication is complete and accurate?

I have seen an incomplete publication. The circumstances were as follows—It was reported to me one day that the German Ambassador had suggested that Germany might remain neutral in a war between Russia and Austria, and also engage not to attack France, if we would remain neutral and secure the neutrality of France. I said at once that, if the German Government thought such an arrangement possible, I was sure we could secure it.It appeared, however, that what the Ambassador meant was that we should secure the neutrality of France if Germany went to war with Russia. This was quite a different proposal, and, as I supposed it in all probability to be incompatible with the terms of the Franco-Russian Alliance, it was not in my power to promise to secure it.Subsequently, the Ambassador sent for my private secretary, and told him that, as soon as the misunderstanding was cleared up, he had sent a second telegram to Berlin to cancel the impression produced by the first telegram he had sent on the subject.The first telegram has been published. This second telegram does not seem to have been published.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether German and Belgian goods bought and paid for by a British firm in England and consigned on a German steamer to a British firm established in a British Possession are liable to confiscation; and (2) whether Belgian-made goods paid for in London by a British firm, and consigned to Hong Kong by a German steamer, would be confiscated if captured by a British ship?

Goods the property of a British subject, or the subject of an allied or neutral State, shipped on board a German vessel, are not liable to confiscation, apart from any question of contraband. The question whether particular goods are in fact the property of a British subject, or of a subject of an allied or neutral State, is one to be decided according to the rules of law applicable in such case. The following notice, which appears daily in the "Times" newspaper, has doubtless not escaped the hon. Member's attention:"All persons having any interest m cargoes other than enemy cargoes laden on enemy ships captured as prizes and requiring a release of such cargoes or portion of cargoes should make inquiries in London at the offices of His Majesty's Procurator-General, Treasury Chambers, Whitehall, and at the out-ports of the United Kingdom, at the offices of the Agents for His Majesty's Procurator-General, whose addresses can be obtained from the collectors of Customs at such outports.His Majesty's Procurator-General will require proof of ownership and particulars as to freight, whether paid or unpaid."

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has now considered the question of advising the release of ex-Inspector John Syme, having regard to his fifteen years of unblemished service in the police, the original circumstances which led him to considered himself aggrieved, the fact that his career in the police is ruined, the belief in his honesty of intention, and the manner in which other acts of clemency which the Home Secretary has recommended since the burden of war was laid upon the nation have been appreciated in all quarters?

I have given this case my careful consideration, but regret that, in view of all the circumstances, I do not feel justified in advising any remission of the sentence.