asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why the dispatches from the commander of H.M.S. "Lion," dated 1st September, H.M.S. "Euryalus," dated 28th September, and H.M.S. "Lowestoft," dated 26th September, all reporting the engagement off Heligoland on 28th August, were not issued to the public until 23rd October?

The delay was due to the desire to complete the dispatches with a list of the honours awarded for services rendered in the action.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that Govern-employés who wish to volunteer for service for the period of the War are informed that employment in their respective departments, including arsenals and dockyards, cannot be guaranteed at the expiration of the War; and whether, in the case of unskilled labourers, these men will be released on the same terms as to re-employment as are being offered by most private employers of labour?

Whole time Government employés, including those in the dockyards, who have been in regular and quasi-permanent employment and who volunteer with the permission of the head of their department, will in addition to other advantages, have their places kept open for them during their absence on naval or military service. Men in the arsenals, whether skilled or unskilled, are being similarly treated; but it is obviously impossible to guarantee re-employment after the War in the case of temporary hands taken on since the outbreak of War owing to War pressure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that there are some Belgian artisans now in this country who are being employed by people in this country at skilled labour at considerably under trade union wages, and whether the Government, in view of the difficulties of the situation, could lay down some rule as to the employment of Belgian refugees?

I have no information which confirms the suggestion made in the first part of the question. The Government have had the matter under careful consideration, and a Departmental Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Ernest Hatch has been appointed by the President of the Local Government Board to make recommendations thereon. In the meantime, any employers desiring Belgian labour should apply to the Labour Exchanges, who, in dealing with such applications, will have full regard to the interests of British labour.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Baron Bruno Schroeder, a native of Hamburg, trading with another as J. Henry Schroeder and Company, merchant bankers, at 145, Leadenhall Street, E.C., and whose son joined the German Army on the outbreak of the War, was granted a certificate of naturalisation in this country on the 7th August last; whether Julius Rittershaussen, also a native of Hamburg and holding an important position in the above-mentioned firm, was granted a certificate of naturalisation on the 28th September last; and whether any protests have been received, and, if so, from whom, against the granting of British rights and citizenship to such persons at the present time?

Yes, Sir. I granted certificates of naturalisation to the gentlemen named on the dates specified, after satisfying myself that it was clearly in the public advantage to do so. I received a protest dated 24th October from the Court of Aldermen of the City of London sitting in committee. The protest was couched in the same terms as the first two paragraphs of the present question, and I replied in the same terms as I have just given to the House.

asked the Home Secretary whether there is any means of cancelling certificates of naturalisation; and, if so, how many such certificates have been cancelled since the outbreak of war?

There is at present no power to cancel certificates of naturalisation. When the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act comes into force on 1st January next there will be power to revoke certificates obtained by false representations or fraud.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that complaint is made of the delay in forwarding letters from marines interned in Holland; that a letter acknowledging money was written from Groningen on 20th October but had not been received on 29th October, as a letter was received in Holland bearing that date stating that no acknowledgement of the money had been received; that letters are detained by the Censor and returned after a lapse of ten or more days because they contain one small paragraph of personal experiences in Antwerp such as were published in British papers many days before, while some undelivered letters are not returned, causing friends to think their letters are being ignored; and can he do anything to diminish unnecessary inconvenience?

So far as the Post Office is concerned there is no delay in the delivery of correspondence received from officers or men interned in Holland. The arrangements for the censorship of such correspondence are not under my control.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the granting of allowances to the widows and dependants of officers and seamen of the mercantile marine who are sufferers owing to the operations of war, as in the case of the "Manchester Commerce"?

I will give careful consideration to the point raised by my hon. Friend; but, as he is doubtless aware, the case of dependants of seamen on merchant ships who lose their lives at sea is already to a considerable extent met under the Workmen's Compensation Act.

asked what provision is made in respect of policemen who are Navy or Army Reservists and are killed or injured in war; if they are injured do they receive the pension they would be entitled to if injured in police service, and if killed is provision made by the police authorities for their dependants; and, if not, is it under consideration to revise these conditions?

Under the Police Reservists (Allowances) Act as amended by the Police Constables (Naval and Military Service) Act police authorities are empowered to supplement the Army pension given to a policeman called up as a Reservist if he is injured, or to his dependants if he is killed, by 50 per cent. of the Army pension, up to the amount of the total pension which might have been granted to the officer if he had been injured in the execution of police duty.

asked the Home Secretary if he will consider and take steps to remedy the hardships caused by the present distinctions of treatment of policemen serving with the Colours who are Army or Navy Reservists as regards pay in addition to Army or Navy allowances, the married men receiving full police pay, if the authorities think fit, less the amount of their allowance, unmarried men with dependants 8s. a week, plus the allowance, the combined sum being considerably less than their ordinary pay in the force, and unmarried police Reservists receiving nothing; is he aware that the allowance of 8s. a week to unmarried men with dependants is often quite inadequate, as in the case of Constable Harland, lost on the "Aboukir," who had as dependants a mother and crippled sister; that unmarried men who, by re-enlisting, surrender a considerable sum weekly, suffer from a sense of injustice, especially if they have marriage in prospect; and are any changes in the present regulations under consideration?

The allowances payable from police funds under the Police Reservists (Allowances) Act as amended by the Police Constables (Naval and Military Service) Act are granted for the benefit of the soldier's wife and children, or, in the case of an unmarried man, his dependants, and not by way of increase of his pay, and they are additional in every case to the allowances payable from the Army funds. Reservists who were serving in a police force at the time of mobilisation have other advantages not possessed by ordinary Reservists—for example, their service in the Army or Navy will be reckoned towards their police pension on their rejoining the force, and the police authorities may supplement from police funds the allowances payable from Army funds in the event of their being injured or killed during their naval or military service. I do not think I could propose any further legislation on the subject.

asked the Under-Secretary for War in what manner soldiers receive their pay when serving in the United Kingdom, when on active service on the Continent, when in hospital on the Continent on account of wounds, when in hospital in the United Kingdom on account of wounds, and when on furlough in the United Kingdom after having been in hospital on account of wounds received in action, respectively; is pay due to soldiers killed in action sent to their next-of-kin; and have many soldiers received no pay since proceeding abroad on active service?

The answers to the various parts of the question are as follows:—First, weekly from their company officer; second, advances are made as required by the officer under whom the men serve; third and fourth, advances, as required, are made by the medical officer in charge; fifth, periodical payments are made to the men by the paymaster keeping the men's accounts; sixth, such pay is dealt with as part of the man's estate; and seventh, so far as is known every soldier has received some pay.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is aware that some ex-quartermaster-sergeants, Royal Marines, who, since being discharged to pension, have been serving in the Royal Fleet Reserve as colour-sergeants, have, on mobilisation, had to retain the rank of colour-sergeant, while ex-quarter-master-sergeants who have not served in the Royal Fleet Reserve have been given their former service rank of quartermaster-sergeant, thus placing them in a senior position, both as regards rank and pay, to those ex-quartermaster-sergeants who have maintained their interest in the Service with the Royal Fleet Reserve; and will he give consideration to the facts with a view to removing a grievance keenly felt by the non-commissioned officers concerned?

Marine pensioners who do not belong to the Royal Fleet Reserve are entitled when called out for active service to resume the pay of the rank they held on discharge to pension. Pensioners in the Royal Fleet Reserve, however, are in common with other Fleet Reservists required when called out to serve in the rank they held in the Reserve, and it is a condition of enrolment in the Reserve that Royal Marines above the rank of colour-sergeant shall revert to that rank on enrolment. It is not practicable or desirable to vary this condition of service in the Reserve on the outbreak of war, and it is not considered that the non-commissioned officers concerned have any legitimate grievance in the matter, since their service in the Reserve, whether they are called out or not, qualifies them for an increase of pension at the age of fifty years. Pensioners, other than Reservists, are eligible for a similar pension from Greenwich Hospital funds at the age of fifty-five years, but as the amount of money available for these Greenwich Hospital pensions is limited, awards are not usually made to men until they have attained the age of about fifty-nine, or are even older than in the case of men with large naval pensions.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the ships of His Majesty's Navy at sea have a sufficient supply of sea-boots and other requisites for winter cruising?

The answer is in the affirmative. To meet the special requirements of the situation, the Admiralty have increased the supply of protective clothing supplied to His Majesty's ships—such as sea-boots, oilskins, etc.—at a cost of over £300,000. They have also provided a very large amount of personal warm clothing for the men, such as caps, gloves, jerseys, etc., involving the expenditure of something like another £300,000. My hon. Friend is no doubt aware that each rating is supplied with a free kit on entry. The Admiralty have thus taken steps to supply the men of the Fleet with all necessaries in the way of clothing, though doubtless supplementary comforts would at all times be welcome, and with reference to certain statements which have appeared, we made it clear in our communication to the Press on the 16th September that we were not asking for additional supplies from private sources, but merely endeavouring to suggest the direction in which private enterprise might be usefully applied. Information which we have received from the Commander-in-Chief indicates, that the results of that enterprise have been very greatly appreciated by the men of the Fleet. Private supplies can usefully consist of woollen caps, jerseys, mitts, woolen drawers, thick socks and stockings, and warm mufflers. Parcels can be sent to particular ships, addressed c/o General Post Office, London; but when the supply is too large to be sent by post, application should be made to the Director of Victualling, Admiralty, London, who will advise as to the dispatch of the goods.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether recruits who refuse to be inoculated will, unless physically disqualified, be given the same chance as those inoculated to proceed to the front and serve their country in the fighting line?

The instructions to general officers commanding are that special efforts are to be made to secure that no officer or man may, through not being inoculated, possibly risk his chance of seeing active service abroad.

asked whether the regulations in regard to vaccination which apply to the Army or those which apply to the Territorial Forces are the regulalations under which are enrolled recruits who join for the period of the War only?

The Regulations of the Regular Army.

asked whether anti-typhoid inoculation with serum from the Pasteur Institute has been practically universal throughout the French armies; and whether the widespread epidemic of typhoid which has been attributed to germ-laden soil has occurred mainly amongst these well-inoculated troops?

I cannot say definitely that the vaccine used for inoculation in the French Army is prepared at the Pasteur Institute, but I believe it to be the case. I have no information as to any widespread epidemic of typhoid in the French Army, and cannot be taken as accepting in any way the suggestion contained in the last part of the question.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if he is aware that, in spite of his statement in the House on 10th September that inoculation is not compulsory, some Army doctors are practically enforcing inoculation on unwilling soldiers by threatening not to report them as medically fit, and thus prevent them from serving at the front; whether he has been informed that this action is deterring many desirable men from joining the Army; and whether he will issue instructions to Army doctors or their superior officers that will protect conscientious objectors from such illegal pressing and persecution?

No information has been received in the sense of the first part of the question, and I am not aware that any men have been deterred from joining the Army by the cause stated. The instructions already issued are intended to protect conscientious objectors.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that a Mr. Blay, of Dartford, who has a contract for the erection of huts for the War Office at Felixstowe, is violating the Fair-Wages Clause by paying the men employed on the work less than the rate of the district, and that he is ignoring the working conditions generally; whether he is aware that a contractor for the erection of huts at Dovercourt is acting similarly; and whether he will take steps to compel these employers to comply with the provisions of the Fair-Wages Clause?

No complaint has at present been received in regard to either of the contracts referred to, but if the hon. Member will furnish further particulars the matter will be investigated.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he will state how many commissions from the ranks have been granted since the commencement of the War?

Since mobilisation 438 commissions from the ranks have been given, exclusive of commissions as quartermasters.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if he will explain why the sustenance allowance of the National Reservist Territorials does not amount to the 3s. a day referred to by the Prime Minister on 10th September; is it now 2s. 9d. a day when on duty and 2s. when off; and, having regard to the circumstances that the men are remaining at home for the convenience of the authorities, will he reconsider the question of amount?

The 3s. a day, covering pay and all allowances, promised by the Prime Minister on 10th September, did not apply to the class to which I understand the hon. Member to refer. I think he will find, on further inquiry, that there is no National Reservist called up for duty who is not in receipt of at least 3s. a day, including the separation allowance given to wives.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in connection with the Christmas and New Year holiday season, full opportunity for leave will be given to such of His Majesty's Forces in this country as circumstances will allows especially to soldiers in training, to visit their homes; and will early notice of the arrangements be given?

This matter is receiving careful and sympathetic consideration, but I am not now able to make any definite announcement on the subject.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether some 150,000 gallons or more of rum have bean sent out for the use of the British Army at the front; whether the rum is being served out to the men in their tea or at other times without their wishes being consulted in the matter; and whether, having regard to the fact that at least one-fifth of the Army are teetotalers, and that Lord Kitchener has indicated that the consumption of alcohol by our soldiers should be discouraged, steps will be taken to prevent the issue and use of rum by our Army in future except for purely medicinal purposes for the sick and wounded?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to-day to oral questions by the hon. Members for Shoreditch and for Bury.

asked whether, in view of the fact that over 60 million bushels of grain are used annually for the production of intoxicating liquors in the United Kingdom, of the danger of a shortage in food supply next year owing to the War, and of the necessity of preventing waste in this time of national danger, the Government will take steps to limit the quantity of grain so used, or prohibit its use for this purpose during the War, as has been done in other countries?

His Majesty's Government continue to watch most closely the position as regards supplies of grain of all kinds and see no reason at present to prohibit or limit the use of grain for brewing.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider the issue of a second part, in cheap form, of the correspondence on the European Crisis, containing the Belgian, Russian, and Turkish correspondence respecting the War?

I am not convinced that there would be a sufficient demand on the part of the public for a cheap edition of these Papers to warrant the necessary expenditure that would be entailed. The present sale price of the Russian correspondence is 3d., of the Belgian 4½d., of the Turkish 9d.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the application of inland rates of postage on letters, newspapers, and parcels when these are sent to members of His Majesty's Expeditionary Forces serving abroad?

The present rates of postage on letters and newspapers addressed to troops at the front are the same as those in force in the service between this country and the Empire generally. I have dealt with the question of parcel rates in my reply to the question addressed to me to-day by the bon. Member for Derby, to which I would refer my hon. Friend.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received a resolution passed by the Mountmellick Board of Guardians on the 10th October last drawing the attention of the Government to the advisability of utilising the labour of the German prisoners, at present domiciled in Ireland, for the purpose of draining the River Barrow, and emphasising the fact that troops of our own country taken prisoners are compelled to perform all sorts of menial work in Germany; and can he say whether the Government are prepared to adopt the course suggested in the resolution, considering the position in which the occupiers of land and other residents along the basin of the Barrow are placed on account of the neglected state of the river?

I have given careful consideration to the resolution referred to, but I regret that, on financial grounds alone, it is not possible to adopt the course it suggests. The value of the unskilled labour, such as could be furnished by prisoners of war, amounts only to one-thirtieth of the estimated cost of the whole project, and the special conditions involved in the housing and supervision of such prisoners while at work would do away with any economy derived from the employment of unpaid labour.

asked the Solicitor-General why it was necessary for the Press Bureau to disclaim authority for the views expressed in a recent leading article in the "Times" newspaper; and whether the assumption is that in all except that instance the "Times" speaks for the Government?

It was apprehended that, among people who were not well informed, the "Times" might be assumed to speak with authority, and the views expressed in the article were regarded as calculated to endanger our relations with two neutral and friendly countries. There is no manner of justification for such assumption as that referred to in the latter part of the question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he has had a copy of a resolution passed by the Scottish Operative Tailors' and Tailoresses' Association of Scotland calling upon the War Office to augment the price paid for producing military, naval, and Territorial clothing, so as to enable a share of the work to be distributed among the members of this association, among whom there is very considerable unemployment; and whether he intends to do anything in the matter?

I have received a copy of the resolution referred to. At the suggestion of the Wholesale Clothiers' Federation of Great Britain and Ireland the War Department has recently established a uniform scale of prices for the manufacture of Army clothing which will apply in all future contracts. The new rates are higher than those usually paid for similar work hitherto, and are considered adequate to allow both a substantial margin of profit to the contractors and the payment of proper rates of wages to all the workpeople employed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any record is kept of the circumstances of dependants of men in the Army or joining it; whether he is aware that Widow Anne Power, of Delvin, Westmeath, whose two sons, William and James Power, belonging to the Reserve Forces, were without notice called to the front on the outbreak of the War, leaving her without means, almost blind, unable to go about without an attendant, and now in a state of distraction since her son William, her sole support, died in action, has received no allowance or help of any kind from the War Department or any public source, and has been kept out of the workhouse only by the charity of her neighbours; whether he is aware that a statement of these facts sent to the Secretary of State for War has failed to elicit attention or acknowledgment; whether this is the usual treatment of dependants in such circumstances; and, if not, will he say what is the regulation treatment, why it has not been extended to Mrs. Power, and when it will be extended to her?

It is not practicable to keep records of the circumstances of the dependants of men in the Army, and no public provision was made for them until the recent concessions, made specially for the War. No application by or on behalf of Mrs. Power is traced in the War Office; but if application is now made as directed in the recent Army poster, it will be duly considered.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War the number of deaths that have occurred in the 20th Hussars whilst stationed at Colchester within the past three months, and the causes of such deaths?

There was one death, the cause of which was appendicitis.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that certain of the recruiting clerks employed in the recruiting office at Sunderland shortly after the office was opened worked many hours' overtime without additional pay; that an application for some recognition of the additional work done was refused by the officer in charge, and that subsequently some clerks received additional pay for overtime; and will he say whether it is proposed to take action to meet the claim of the men who worked overtime without remuneration, some of whom were subsequently dismissed without even a day's notice being given?

These clerks were taken on at an inclusive rate of pay higher than that normally given, which was to cover all time worked. They were, therefore, not entitled to overtime, and the recruiting officer reports that he has not received a complaint from any clerk in his employ.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in order to obtain replies to assist recruiting, circulars are being sent to all Parliamentary electors in the United Kingdom or only to those registered as householders; whether they are being sent to women voters on Division 3 of the registers; and whether the information obtained in answer to these circulars will be made public?

The Parliamentary Recruiting Committee are isuing a form to householders, male and female, asking for the names of the male persons residing in the house who are between nineteen and thirty-eight years old, and who are willing to enlist for the War only. The information obtained will not be made public, but will be forwarded to the officers commanding the depots, who will make a register of the names sent in.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if the estimate of cost of the new scheme for allowances and pensions is the total cost including the amounts which have hitherto been made, and, if so, what is the net additional estimate of cost when these amounts hitherto paid have been deducted; if, in estimating the cost, due account has been taken of the number of young men who, if killed, will leave no dependants and in respect to whom, therefore, the Government are not committed to pension expenditure; what proportion has been allowed of such young men as a proportion of the total number of 2,000,000 given and upon which the estimate is based; and if, in making the estimate of 80 per cent. excess over workmen's compensation terms payable under the new scheme, the estimate is based on the private soldier's pay and keep or upon the wages of the soldier prior to enlistment

The estimates relative to the new scheme of allowances and pensions refer to the full payments. It does not appear that actuarial estimates as to the differences between the old scale, which has been definitely abandoned, and the new scale would provide information of such public utility as to justify the time and expense involved in its preparation. The remaining portion of the hon. Member's question refers to matters which cannot be briefly explained by way of question and answer, but which are fully dealt with in the Actuarial Report included in the White Paper.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will remit the solicitors' certificate duties now about to become payable in the cases of those solicitors who are serving with His Majesty's Forces?

The matter has been carefully considered. My right hon. Friend, however, does not see his way to remit the certificate duties, which in the circumstances referred to by the hon. Member would, as he is doubtless aware, only be payable in the case of solicitors who continued, directly or indirectly, to practice

asked the President of the Local Government Board what amount in loans and to how many public bodies, other than Poor Law authorities, the Board has sanctioned since the War began?

The amount is £5,018,265, and the number of local authorities 625.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the attention of the Government has been drawn to the increase beyond the normal in the amount of cargoes of foodstuffs and fuel to neutral countries; and will he say what steps are being taken and what guarantees are being received, in addition to the demands of certificates of origin and declarations of ultimate destination, to satisfy the Government that such cargoes are not finding their way as re-exports to the enemy's territory?

I am aware that the exports from this country of certain descriptions of foodstuffs have been greater than last year. The exports of coal, however, to neutral countries are not so great as a year ago. The Trading with the Enemy Committee require guarantees in certain cases as to the ultimate destination of exports before recommending the grant of licences, and I may point out that the majority of the neutral States of Europe have prohibited the export of some of the more important foodstuffs and fuels. I should add that the export from the United Kingdom of wheat, wheat flour, and other important foodstuffs to foreign countries is prohibited.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider the desirability of granting railway passes free, or at reduced rates, to men under military training, so as to facilitate their revisiting their homes at Christmas and New Year?

I will consult my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War on the subject, and will inform my hon. Friend of the result in due course.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War whether, in view of the Government control of railways, it will be possible to make further special reductions in the railway fares charged to members of His Majesty's Forces on holiday leave during the Christmas and New Year season, so as to allow men whose homes are at a distance from their camps to visit them at a nominal cost?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to-day to the hon. Member for the Tradeston Division by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has asked the Governments of the Dominions if they are aware that Germans and Austrians have already begun to emigrate to their friends in the Dominions in order to avoid the consequences of the War; and whether the Governments of the Dominions are willing that people from enemy countries should be allowed to obtain land and employment in our Dominions which may be badly wanted by our own people at the conclusion of the War?

The hon. Member drew my attention to a statement to this effect in the case of Australia, and I communicated a copy to the Government of the Commonwealth in whose hands the matter must rest. I have no other information on the subject.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade if he is aware that the practice of the Port of London. Authority of allowing varying amounts, which are less than half wages, to their unmarried employés who have responded to the call to the Colours, while the London County Council, the Post Office, other Civil servants, and many private employers are allowing full wages minus the flat rate of payment from the War Office, is causing much dissatisfaction and affecting recruiting to the forces; and whether the Government will take any steps to remedy this alleged grievance?

This is a matter over which I have no control, but I have communicated with the Port of London Authority who inform me that in dealing with their employés who join the Colours they recognise to the full the position of dependency in every case and make provision accordingly. If my hon. Friend has any specific cases in mind in which he thinks that the allowances made are inadequate I would suggest that he should bring them to the notice of the Port Authority.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what steps have been taken by the Government of India to prevent the selling up of land or property belonging to Indian soldiers during their absence from India on field service abroad?

The Government of India are considering the question, and the Secretary of State expects to learn very shortly whether they consider special measures desirable.

asked whether military officers in civil employment in India have been released for military duty in the Royal Engineers, the State Railways, the Survey of India, and other such Departments?

A considerable number of military officers in civil employ in India, especially officers of Royal Engineers, have been released for military duty.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the fact that before the War there was a great majority of women in the United Kingdom and that this will be still greater after the War, he can say what steps the Government are taking to educate women and girls in rural industries so that at the end of the War they may be sufficiently trained to obtain employment in the Dominions, where there are far more men than women?

I have called the attention of the local education authorities, by a Circular dated 14th September last, to the desirability of providing opportuni- ties for instruction in new industries, or industries not yet fully developed, in areas where unemployment exists owing to the War, and have suggested that attention should be given to instruction in domestic subjects for women and girls. The Board, in 1911, issued a Memorandum on the Principles and Methods of Rural Education, and are now engaged on a revision of this Memorandum in concert with the Board of Agriculture, who are now responsible for specialised instruction in technical agricultural subjects for persons over school age.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue officials, including the temporary staff of the Valuation Department, have been refused permission to join His Majesty's Forces?

The number of Inland Revenue officials who have been refused permission to join His Majesty's Forces is 705, including 510 from the temporary Valuation staff. The number who have received permission to join is about 1,370, including nearly 1,000 from the temporary Valuation staff.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether members of the Valuation Department have been refused permission to join His Majesty's Forces on the ground that their absence would interfere with the due completion of the valuation?

The number of officers of the Valuation Department permitted to join His Majesty's Forces has been carefully regulated by reference to a number of considerations, among which, as suggested in the hon. Member's question, is the work that remains to be done in order to complete the results of the original valuation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of the Valuation Department, having joined the forces without permission, have been denied the privilege of full payment of salary during absence according to rule laid down for other Civil servants?

The number of the members of the Valuation Department who have joined the forces without permission, and who have therefore not been accorded the privilege granted under Treasury Regulations to Civil servants who join with permission, is fifty-six.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the financial loss inflicted upon licensed traders in the Metropolitan area by reason of the restriction of hours, it is under consideration, as a matter of equity, to relieve traders of any portion of the heavy License Duty and compensation charge now payable and based on assessments founded on trade under different circumstances?

The matter is under consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if his attention has been directed to cases of soldiers on leave of absence being disallowed ration allowance during such periods of leave; whether such deprivation is according to regulation; and, if not, whether he will cause inquiry to be made into the practice with a view to its rectification?

My attention has not been called to any such case. Under regulations the allowance should be granted, and I am taking steps to bring the matter to the notice of officers paying men on furlough.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the attention of the Estates Commissioners has been called to the case of four tenant purchasers on the Kirk estate, Castletown, Mountrath, Queen's County, who occupied cottages with a half Irish acre of land attached as weekly tenants at the time of the sale, and were raised to the status of yearly tenants by the landlord and allowed to purchase with the other tenants; and, as two of these tenants are now called upon to pay an annuity of £1 16s. 6d. while the other two pay annuities of only 19s. 6d., and seeing that the cottages and plots are identical in every way and of the same valuation for rateable purposes, will he explain the difference between the annuities?

The estate referred to was the subject of proceedings for sale by the owner direct to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon between the parties were lodged with the Estates Commissioners. The four holdings in question were held subject to judicial rents fixed by agreement in 1884 and 1890 and each tenant agreed to purchase his holding for £56. The prices of the four holdings were all within the zonal provisions of Section 1 (1) of the Irish Land Act, 1903. In two of the cases the Commissioners with the consent of the owner reduced the advances to £30.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will consider the advisability of establishing an Irish branch of the Board of Trade; and whether he is aware that many commercial associations in Ireland favour its establishment?

While I am aware that the question of the establishment of an Irish branch of the Board of Trade was recently raised at a conference of manufacturers in Dublin, I do not consider that the time is opportune for the setting up of such a branch as is suggested.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, 1914, does not apply to town tenants in Ireland, although it applies in England, Scotland, and Wales; whether he is aware that evictions have taken place in Dublin which could not have occurred in England, Scotland, or Wales under the provisions of the aforesaid Act; and whether he will immediately introduce the necessary legislation to extend the protection of town tenants to Ireland?

The Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, 1914, applies to town tenants in Ireland in the same way as it applies to town tenants in Great Britain, except in the case of one class of proceedings, namely, statutory proceedings for the recovery of possession of small tenements. The Act extends expressly to proceedings of this nature under the English Statute but contains no reference to the corresponding Irish Statute. This omission is due to the very special circumstances in which the Act passed through both Houses, and I shall endeavour to remedy it at the earliest opportunity. My attention has been drawn to reports of two evictions in Dublin, but I have no means of saying whether evictions would not have occurred in Great Britain in similar circumstances notwithstanding the Act.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will say what local authorities or authorised societies in Ireland have made applications for grants or lonas under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914; and for what amounts, respectively?

The Local Government Board inform me that the following local authorities and societies have made applications for grants or loans of the amounts specified, namely: Cork Rural District Council, £30,000; Dungarvan Urban District Council, £15,000; Kingstown Urban District Council, £70,000; Naas Urban District Council, £5,000; Tralee Urban District Council, £60,000; Tullamore Urban District Council, £6,000; Water-ford Corporation, £50,000; Londonderry Artisans' Dwellings Company, £35,000, and Thomond Artisans' Dwellings Company, £3,000. The following Urban District Councils have also made representations with a view to benefiting under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914, but no definite amounts have been stated by them: Athlone, Ballymena, Belfast Corporation, Blackrock, Carlow, Castle-bar, Cork Corporation, Dublin Corporation, Enniskillen, Killarney, Limerick Corporation, Midleton, New Ross, Newry, Pembroke, Queenstown, Skibbereen, Sligo Corporation, Templemore, Tipperary and Westport. The terms upon which the money will be advanced have not yet been fixed, and the Board have, therefore, not been able to deal with these applications. No loans will, however, be made save where distress arising from the War is "existent and insistent." Most of these applications received have been made on the assumption that the £4,000,000 provided under the Act is to be a free grant.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that an application for a loan under the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914, has been made by an authorised society in Londonderry City and particulars of the building scheme lodged with the Local Government Board for Ireland; and whether, having regard to the object of the Act and the need of starting work upon the houses, he will endeavour to secure the approval of this application without delay?

An application for a loan under the Act referred to has been received from an authorised society in Londonderry City and has been submitted to the Treasury with a recommendation that it may be favourably considered.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will explain why the assistant revising barristers and their registrars who revised the lists of voters in Ireland at the last revision sessions have not yet been paid for their work?

Arrangements have now been made for the payment of the fees referred to.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the Irish Board of Works have stopped all new loans except in special cases, such as buildings that have been damaged by storms or fire; is he aware that there are in Ireland six large firms, besides several smaller firms, engaged in erecting hay barns and other buildings under the Board of Works and employing a large number of hands; and, seeing that these workmen will be thrown out of employment, will he inquire into the matter with a view to the continuation of the loans?

The Board of Works have not stopped all new loans, but in accordance with the directions of the Treasury they have informed applicants for new loans under the Land Improvement Acts and the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881, that until further notice they are not prepared to entertain any such applications, except in cases where loans are urgently required owing to existing farm houses having become unfit for habitation on sanitary grounds or as the result of fire or storm. I am informed that the number of firms supplying hay barns and similar iron buildings is approximately as stated in the question, but the Board of Works are not aware of any firm whose business is confined to the supply of such structures.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that Mary Leonard, Chapel Street, Taghmon, who is an insured contributor under the National Insurance Act, although sick for three months, got insurance pay for only twenty-two days; if work-doctor Halligan refused to give sick pay until another doctor certified she was sick, and when the twenty-two days had elapsed and the sick girl applied for a renewal of sick pay did Doctor Halligan visit her or recommend her for sick pay or answer her letter; is he aware that there are only two doctors appointed to visit insured contributors in the whole of South Wexford, and that it is a physical impossibility for them to perform the duties assigned to them; and will he see that the dispensary doctors are empowered to certify for sick pay in their respective districts or take other steps to prevent the poor working people being deprived of their rights, as the case referred to is only one of many cases?

The case referred to has not previously been brought to my right hon. Friend's notice; inquiry is being made, and he will communicate further with my hon. Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, considering that the pay of civilian English-teaching schoolmasters for the regimental schools of the Indian Army is only twenty-five rupees per month, or a little over 1s. a day, and that officers commanding Indian regiments find it impossible to obtain properly qualified schoolmasters to teach their men at that low rate of pay, the Secretary of State will move the Government of India to provide a sum from the education Grant in next year's Budget sufficient to raise the pay of these regimental schoolmasters by at least 50 per cent., and also to provide for duly qualified inspectors so as to place the regimental schools of the Indian Army on a system somewhat more similar to that sanctioned for the British Army in India?

An additional annual Grant, beginning with 1914–15, has been made for improvements in regimental schools in India, and 61 per cent. of this Grant has been allotted to Indian Army regimental schools. The Government of India have recently reported that the existing standard of education in the Indian Army is considered to be satisfactory. In present circumstances the Secretary of State is not prepared to sanction further expenditure on these schools.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India will sanction the grant to the officers and crew of the Royal Indian Marine ship "Minto," and to other officers and men of the Royal Indian Marine employed in connection with the operations for the suppression of gun-running during the last few years, of the medal which is being struck for issue to the officers and men of the Royal Navy who were similarly engaged in those operations?

Any question regarding the naval medal to which the hon. Member refers should be addressed to the First Lord of the Admiralty.

asked the Home Secretary how many local authorities have made provision under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, for dealing with defectives in their areas, and how many have made no such provision?

On the coming of the Act into operation local authorities were invited by circular to submit their proposals for giving effect to the Act to the Board of Control. To assist them in doing so a carefully prepared form was distributed to them with a request that their schemes might be set out in detail thereon and forwarded to the Board of Control by the end of April. The response made by local authorities was very slow, and many of them delayed for weeks, and some for months, the essential preliminary step of appointing a committee to administer the Act as required by law. Up to the present some twenty-three counties and county boroughs have submitted definite schemes which have nearly all received the approval of the Board, and in some seventy other cases correspondence and interviews have taken place which indicate that the preparation of schemes will be proceeded with at an early date. The Board continues to use all its influence towards expediting the action of local authorities and contemplates the issue of another circular immediately with this object. No local authority has as yet provided a certified institution either alone or in conjunction with other local authorities. Four local authorities have under Section 37 of the Act applied for and obtained the approval of the Board to an equal number of Poor Law institutions suitable for the reception of defectives: provision is thus made for 145 cases. Several other applications for such approval are now under consideration.Institutions and homes provided by religious and philanthropic associations, and by individuals, have come forward in considerable numbers, and the Board has certified or approved of thirty-one of them, making provision for 2,533 cases. In addition to these there are the nine hospitals and institutions formerly registered under the Idiots Act which have become certified institutions or houses under the Mental Deficiency Act, and continue to provide accommodation for many hundreds of defectives.Nine local authorities have entered into contracts with one or other of these institutions for the reception of defectives from their area; five of these contracts cover a number exceeding eighty, and in the remaining four the numbers to be received are not specified.

asked the Home Secretary the total number of street-traffic fatalities in the Metropolitan police area and the City since 1st January, 1914?

Five hundred and four teen.

asked the Home Secretary if he has received and considered a petition bearing upwards of 10,000 signatures praying for the release of ex-Inspector John Syme; and whether, in view of this expression of opinion by many persons who are convinced of the honesty of Mr. Syme's intentions and recognise that he acted under a sense of injustice, will he reconsider the question of advising an extension to Mr. Syme of the clemency which has been exercised in other cases since the War began?

I have received a number of representations in this case, but have found no sufficient reason for departing from the decision communicated to the hon. Member on the 28th of August last.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the Sevenoaks Urban District Council, in connection with a scheme under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, have applied to the Local Government Board for a loan of £5,500, of which it is proposed to spend £1,500 on the purchase of eight acres of land; and if he can say what is now being taken as the annual value for rating these eight acres?

I am informed that the eight acres of land referred to form part of a farm of 209 acres. The rateable value for the purposes of the poor rate is stated to be 18s. per acre. The gross estimated rental is £1 per acre.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has received any representations from the London Postal Porters' Association, alleging that temporary porters are being paid 24s. per week, with no uniform, sick pay, or superannuation benefits; and, if so, whether there is any reason for departing from the recommendations of the Holt Committee adopted by himself, whereby the minimum wage of 26s. per week on entry, with annual increments up to 36s., was granted?

I cannot find that any representations regarding the wages paid to temporary porters have been received from the London Postal Porters' Association. The general question of the rates of pay of the temporary staff of all grades employed to replace regular officers who have entered military or naval service is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Education how much would be required to raise the pensions of teachers in elementary schools compulsorily retired before 1912 to the same ex- tent as the pensions which were augmented by the recent grant of £250,000?

The estimated cost of retrospectively extending the benefits of the Act of 1912 to those teachers who retired under the Act of 1898 is a capital sum of £596,889. The equivalent annual charge at 3 per cent. is a perpetual annuity of £17,907.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, whether he is aware that, although rainbow trout are easily distinguishable from all native species and breed in winter instead of spring, they are subject to the same seasonal restriction as to sale; and whether, in view of the importance at the present time of encouraging all available food supplies, he will introduce legislation to allow rainbow trout of non-spawning age to be sold at any season while forbidding the sale of the mature fish during the months of February, March, and April?

I am aware that both with regard to its breeding season and in other respects the rainbow trout are sharply distinguished from the indigenous brown trout. I understand, however, that the question of special legislation with regard to this fish on the lines suggested by the hon. Member is not free from controversy and I am afraid, therefore, that legislation at the present moment would be impracticable. The Board would be glad to consider any proposals which were submitted to them jointly by representatives of all the various bodies interested in trout fisheries.