asked the Chief Secretary what provision, if any, has been made for the storage or distribution in Ireland of the proportion of the Canadian gift of flour which has been sent there; whether he is aware that it is still lying at the Northwall, in Dublin, where it was landed five or six weeks ago, and that, unless it is soon removed, great deterioration in value must result?

The Dublin Port and Docks Board have generously allowed the flour to be temporarily stored at the Northwall extension sheds pending the making of further arrangements. I am assured that these sheds are quite suitable for the purpose, and effective steps are being taken to prevent damage to the flour by vermin.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the inadequacy of the postal arrangements between this country and the front, resulting in some cases in neither letters nor parcels being received posted as long as two months ago; and whether he can take steps to remedy the hardship complained of?

I understand from the military authorities that, generally speaking, the mail service between this country and the British Expeditionary Force is working satisfactorily. There have been some cases of delay, but they have been mainly due to the rapid movements of the troops and to the detachment of the addressees from their units.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the fact that the two admirals entrusted with the duty of intercepting the "Goeben" in the Mediterranean have, as a result of an official investigation, been declared to be free from all blame in the escape of the German vessel, the Admiralty will now issue an official explanation of the whole incident?

A partial explanation would be of no value, and the time has not yet come when all the facts can be published, without prejudice to vital interests.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the enemy Government has confiscated stocks at Plauen, in Saxony, belonging to Nottingham merchants; and whether His Majesty's Government proposes to take possession of enemy-owned stocks held in this country by the agents of enemy manufacturers in order to ensure fair barter on behalf of our own merchants?

I am not aware of the circumstances referred to in this question, and such information as is in my possession goes to show that no general confiscation has been put into practice in Germany, though the German Government are understood to have sequestrated enemy property in Customs warehouses and to have taken powers to dispose of it, if thought fit, for the purpose of compensation to German creditors. The policy of His Majesty's Government in regard to this matter is embodied in the trading with the Enemy Amendment Bill now before Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether the Board of Trade have, under Section 2 (2) of the Trading with the Enemy Act, 1914, appointed an authority to inspect the books of and otherwise control a company now executing contracts with His Majesty's Government for the supply of petroleum products, 99 per cent. of the shares of this company being held by a German com- pany; and whether His Majesty's Government intends to continue to employ this company for the supply of His Majesty's forces by land and sea during the currency of the War?

The Board of Trade appointed an inspector under the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act in the case to which the hon. Member no doubt refers. The Board of Trade have no contracts with this company, and the question as to the source from which the supplies of His Majesty's forces by land and sea during the currency of the War is to be obtained is one which must be dealt with by the contracting department concerned. I may however add that the capital of the German holding company is itself to a large extent owned by non-German interests.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in cases where a police constable or officer of Customs, acting under the powers of Regulation 13 of the Defence of the Realm Regulations, 1914, as amended by the Order in Council of the 17th September, 1914, arrests a person without warrant, such police constable or officer of Customs acts in England and Wales under the direction of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and in Scotland under the direction of the Secretary for Scotland, and in Ireland under the direction of the Chief Secretary to the

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. It is impossible to say in answer to a general question under whose direction a police constable or Customs officer may be acting. In some cases it will be under the directions of his immediately superior officer; in others by the express directions of the chief officer of police or Customs for the district; and in others, at the request of the naval or military authority.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can state the number of casualties in killed, wounded, and missing, respectively, so far as is at present known, sustained by His Majesty's Navy during the present War; and can he also make a similar statement of the number of killed, wounded, and missing, respectively, so far as is at present known, in the Marine and Naval Brigade during the expedition to Antwerp, and also during any other warlike operations in which that brigade has been employed?

The following is a statement showing all casualties (killed, wounded, missing, and interned) in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, including the Royal Naval Division, since the beginning of the War:—

asked the Prime Minister whether, having regard to the expression of public opinion as evidenced by citizens' meetings in different centres, the adoption of resolutions by the Glasgow City Council School Board and other public bodies in support of prohibition, and to the inadequacy of the Temporary Restriction Act, he will state what steps the Government propose to take during the present Session to meet the popular demand for immediate legislation respecting the sale of liquor in Scotland during the War?

The Government are fully alive to the importance of this matter, but they are not prepared at present to propose further legislation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware of the distress that prevails amongst the fishing communities on the Fife coast; and whether he will endeavour to employ steam drifters and other vessels in any way suitable, wherever and whenever he can do so, in order to distribute such employment as fairly and as widely as possible?

I can well imagine that there must be a considerable amount of distress amongst the fishing population of Fifeshire in consequence of the War. I can assure the hon. and gallant Gentleman that the consideration he advances in the latter part of the question will be borne in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that on the 17th and 27th August, respectively, Mr. James Good, of 25, Heathfield Gardens, Chiswick, handed in for dispatch telegrams to Arthur Seddon, a British subject, resident at Valparaiso, concerning the safety of his daughter, Ada Seddon, detained in Berlin, and paid the sums of 24s. 9d. and 22s. for such telegrams without being informed of any difficulties or risks of transmission to Valparaiso, neither of which telegrams were delivered; whether the same were dispatched from England; and, if not, for what reason, and upon what ground, does the Department refuse to refund or justify the retention of the sum of £2 6s. 9d. paid for services which were never rendered, notwithstanding repeated applications?

I am not in a position to furnish information in regard to the treatment of the telegrams referred to by the hon. Member. All telegrams to and from places abroad are accepted subject to censorship and at the sender's risk; that is to say, subject to the condition that no inquiry can be made as to the disposal of the telegrams and that claims for the reimbursement of the sums paid for transmission or otherwise cannot be considered. Search has been made for the forms of the telegrams in question but at present only one can be traced—namely, that sent on the 27th of August—and, according to the record, the fact that it could only be accepted at the sender's risk was duly notified when the telegram was handed in.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he will cause enquiries to be made of all medical officers in charge of the various camps and barracks throughout the United Kingdom in order to ascertain the extent of sickness and injury to soldiers caused by vaccination and inoculation, and present a report?

Such a report would throw much labour upon the Medical Department of the Army, and I would ask my hon. Friend not to press me to cast this burden upon officers who are already overpressed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will have inquiry made into the case of Mrs. Mary Quinn, of 76, Ross Road, Enniscorthy, county Wexford, whose two sons are serving in the 2nd battalion and 6th battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, respectively, and who has not received any allowance since the War began; and if, in view of the fact that there have been other complaints of a similiar nature from Enniscorthy since the War broke out, he will see that the dependants of soldiers there are given directions as to how they are to apply for the allowances due to them?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what is the amount of pension, which will be granted to the widow or dependants of an Army pensioner who, having re-enlisted, is killed in action or dies of wounds?

The widow would be granted the same pension as the widow of any other soldier, according to the rank the man held at the time of his death. The rates proposed by the Government are shown in the recent Command Paper, but all these rates are under consideration by the Select Committee on pensions.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why no allowance has yet been paid to Mrs. Hartley, of 7, Sandy Passage, Burnley, the wife of Arthur Hartley, 6430, 3rd battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, who enlisted more than three months ago; and whether he is aware that a marriage certificate and three birth certificates in respect of Mrs. Hartley and her children have been duly sent and returned, but no money has yet been received?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why no payment has yet been made to Mrs. Little, of 15, Linley Street, Burnley, the wife of Robert J. Little M-2, 12799, Army Service Corps, who joined the Army on 19th September?

The Paymaster reports that a book of postal drafts in favour of Mrs. Little was sent to the Post Office, Todmorden Road, Burnley, on 19th instant, and that an identity certificate to enable Mrs. Little to cash the drafts was forwarded to her on the same day.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why no payment has yet been made to Mrs. W. A. Bailey, of 3, Tay Street, Burnley, the wife of Driver William Arthur Bailey, No. 19175, Army Service Corps, who has now been away for over eleven weeks; and whether he is aware that Mrs. Bailey's marriage certificate and her children's birth certificates have been duly sent and that many letters have been written, both by Mrs. Bailey and by the honorary secretary of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association on her behalf, asking that the money due to her should be paid, but no notice has been taken?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked why no payment has been made to Mrs. M'Kale, of 102, Hurtley Street, Burnley, the mother of Private John M'Kale, 14111, 10th battalion Scottish Rifles, who allotted his mother the sum of 8d. a day, six weeks ago, and has also signed the new form which was duly sent over a week ago to the Paymaster, but no reply has been received?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked why no payment has yet been made to Mrs. Shorrock, of 21, Westbourne Road, Burnley, the wife of James Philip Shorrock, 12805, Army Service Corps, who has been away on service since August last?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he can state the number of Army chaplains who have been accepted for service since the commencement of the War; what is the cost of the necessary equipment of an Army chaplain; and what part of the cost is defrayed out of public funds?

Over 260 clergymen of all denominations giving their whole time to Army duty have been appointed temporary chaplains to the Forces since the outbreak of War to the present date. The cost of an officer's outfit is about £30. At present no portion of this is borne by public funds.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what number of recruits enlisted in the area of the borough of Merthyr for each of the separate weeks beginning with the week ending 8th August and ending with the week ending 21st November?

I regret that, for reasons already stated, it is impossible to give recruiting statistics of this kind.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, considering the amount of pay allowed the soldiers and the difficulty due to this in their raising train fares, he will arrange for their being carried free to their homes at least once a fortnight during their training period or residence in camp?

The question of allowing a short furlough, with travelling facilities, is under consideration, but I cannot hold out any hope of a fortnightly holiday being arranged.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is in a position to state what steps have been taken with reference to the claim of Mr. W. G. Boshells against the Government of the Republic of Colombia, now pending for some ten years; whether there is any likelihood of a speedy settlement of the matter; if he is aware that Mr. Boshells son is now serving in the British Army; and if the Foreign Office will take special care that Mr. Boshells' interests do not suffer owing to the absence of his representative in Europe at the front?

Acting under instructions from home, His Majesty's representative at Bogotá is in constant communication with the Colombian Government with a view to reaching a settlement satisfactory to both parties, but I cannot say if a speedy settlement is likely. The reply to the third part of the question is in the affirmative. His Majesty's Government will continue to do what they can in Mr. Boshells' interests.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if it is the intention of the War Office to place the wives of all soldiers under police supervision; if he has received representations from different societies objecting to such a proposal; and what are the reasons for issuing such an order?

The expressed intention of the War Office is, not to place the wives of all soldiers under police supervision, but to convey a timely warning of the results of misconduct in cases in which the need for warning has become evident.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury why a deduction of 40 per cent. has been made by the Insurance Committee for London from the accounts of panel chemists for the month of August; is he aware that in the case of those chemists who use first quality drugs a deduction of 40 per cent. is more than the profit made; and will anything be done to protect these men from unmerited loss?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. Any such monthly payments as those to which he refers are advances only on account of the total remuneration due to each chemist in respect of the whole year. The rate at which these advances are made is a matter for agreement between the insurance committee and the committee representing the panel chemists and does not necessarily bear any relation to the actual remuneration payable.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Development Commissioners have received a communication from the Carnarvon County Council urging that moneys to be advanced for the acquisition and cultivation of waste land, particularly in view of the fact that any loss arising out of the transaction falls on the county council, should be paid to the council and not to agricultural colleges; and whether the Commissioners, for the reason given and for facilitating the object in view, will modify their scheme so that the money shall be paid to and applied by a public representative body?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The Development Commissioners have pointed out to the Carnarvon County Council that their communication was made under a misapprehension. The Commissioners are quite prepared to recommend advances to county councils for the execution of approved schemes of reclamation of waste land.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken as to the equivalent duty on private home-brewed beer to correspond to the duty on beer brewed for sale?

No change is proposed as regards persons who brew beer for domestic use, except that in cases where they are liable to duty on the beer brewed by them, they will be charged at the proposed increased rate as in the case of beer brewed for sale.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury the amount of money made available for financing land purchase in Ireland in the twelve months ending 31st October, 1914, and in each of the five preceding corresponding periods; and whether that is the full amount of money applied for by the authorities administering the Land Purchase Acts?

Excluding the cash advanced under Labourers (Ireland) Acts, the amount advanced for land purchase in Ireland during each of the six years ending on 31st October was:—

asked the Chief Secretary if he will state the cause of the decline in the number of holdings vested in purchasers under the Land Purchase Acts in Ireland in the last twelve months as compared with the five preceding corresponding periods, having regard to the increased number of quasi-purchasers paying interest in excess of their purchase agreements and to the increased staff for completing these transactions?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that the number of holdings vested in purchasing tenants under the Land Purchase Acts during the five years ended 31st October, 1913, was 101,779, representing an average of 20,355 per annum; the number vested in the year ended 31st ultimo was 14,762. The number of holdings vested, and the amount of advances made during any given year are not a precise index of the work of the staff generally during that year. They depend mainly on the amount of cash available, and the extent to which vendors choose to accept stock in lieu of cash. Other matters which delay vesting are questions of title, turbary, embankments, and the carrying out of improvements on estates purchased by the Commissioners. The statement that the number of purchasing tenants paying interest has increased, and that they are paying interest in excess of their purchase agreements is not correct. The number on 31st March last was 97,367, whereas the number on 31st March, 1913, was 115,572, while the interest payable by the tenants is that which they have in the purchase agreements contracted to pay. Since the 1st of April, 1911, the staff has been reduced by five inspectors and five assistant inspectors.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland when the Grant of £40,000 provided by the Intermediate Education (Ireland) Act, 1914, was paid to the Board; and what is the cause of the delay in having it applied?

The Grant of £40,000 referred to by the hon. Member has been voted by Parliament, and will be paid over to the Intermediate Education Board as soon as the statutory rules for its application come into operation.

asked when the Rules for carrying into effect the Intermediate Education (Ireland) Act, 1914, will be laid before Parliament?

It is hoped to lay these Rules before Parliament at an early date.

asked the Chief Secretary, having regard to the sufferings at this season of the evicted families in Ireland to whose sacrifices beneficent land legislation is largely due, who are now, on technical grounds, denied the benefit of that legislation, if he will state what the Government propose to do for their relief, by legislation or otherwise?

The Estates Commissioners inform me that no less than 3,396 evicted tenants or their representatives have been reinstated in their former holdings, or provided with new holdings, and that a sum of £360,000 has already been sanctioned in equipping their holdings with buildings, live stock, etc. The Commissioners consider that the 257 cases which have been noted for consideration and where new holdings have not yet been provided include all evicted tenants whose claims deserve consideration and who are, in their opinion, suitable to work land, and I do not think that any case has been made for the extension of the classes of persons for whom the Commissioners may provide holdings under the Evicted Tenants Acts, 1907, and the Land Purchase Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a public inquiry has been held into the disturbances which took place at Abeokuta, Nigeria, on the 8th August last, as a result of which a number of lives were lost; and whether a full Report has been received as to the circumstances which led to the troops from Lagos being sent for, the number of persons killed, and the subsequent arrests made?

I am not aware whether any special inquiry is being held. I understand that the Governor-General was proposing to await the result of the trial of persons concerned in the riots before deciding whether the appointment of a commission of inquiry was necessary.

asked on what grounds the Egba Treaty of 18th January, 1893, which, inter alia, guaranteed the independence of the Egba people so long as its provisions were kept has been annulled, and the Egba kingdom placed under the government of the Protectorate of Nigeria?

The immediate cause of the new agreement was the inability of the native Government of Egbaland to maintain order. It had, however, for some time become apparent that the Treaty made in 1893, when British jurisdiction was confined to the coast, was no longer sufficient for the requirements of good government in totally changed circumstances.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that men employed in the India Store Depot in London are being paid at the rate of 6⅜d. per hour; that this represents an increase of only ⅜d. per hour in the past fifty years; whether the increase of 1s. a week granted recently to all men in the London district extends to those employed in the India Store Depot; and, if not, will he make inquiries with a view to promptly improving the wages of this class of worker?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I am unable to say how the present rate compares with that paid fifty years ago. As I informed the hon. and gallant Member in my reply to his question on the 27th July last the extra 1s. granted last January by other Government Departments has not raised wages to the minimum level which since 1911 has been paid by the India Office. Inquiries made during the present year showed that the India Office wages compare well with those paid by other Departments, but that a small increase might reasonably be given for certain special classes of work. This is being done. There is no intention of making any further increase.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to the form of certificate of registry of death issued by the authority of the Registrar General, and especially to the direction at the foot thereof that the certificate, after production at the interment, should be delivered to the burial authority; whether he is aware that there is no statutory authority for this direction in the Burial Laws, Amendment Act, 1880, or other Act; and whether he will instruct the Registrar General to withdraw the present directions on the certificate and issue a form in accordance with the law?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is aware of any sufficient reason for suggest-in the affirmative. Importance is attached to the direction referred to, and I am not ing its omission.

asked the Postmaster-General, if he is aware that a number of casual sorters in the London postal service, who have qualified for higher pay than the minimum laid down, are not receiving such increase; and whether early steps will be taken to see that these men receive the pay to which they are entitled under the regulations?

No case has come under notice in which a temporary sorter in the London Postal Service is receiving lower pay than that to which he is entitled under the regulations, but I am having enquiry made in the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the casual postmen em- ployed in Manchester are in receipt of only 22s. a week; whether he is aware that this is below the rate fixed by public authorities as necessary to maintain a proper physical standard; whether he is aware that the minimum rate paid by the Manchester municipal authorities for adult labour is 26s. a week; and whether he will at once consider the question of increasing the wage paid to temporary postmen in Manchester to at least the rate paid by the municipality?

The normal rate of pay for a temporary postman at Manchester who is twenty-one years of age or over is as stated by the hon. Member, but I am enquiring whether the circumstances in that city justify the payment of higher wages, and will bear in mind the considerations mentioned.