asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state the number of cases of pneumonia which have occurred among the men training in the military camps in England and Wales during the months of August, September, and October, the number of deaths, and the number who have been discharged as physically unfit for further military service owing to having suffered from this disease?

The number of cases of pneumonia occurring in camps in England and Wales during August, September, and October, amounts to 494; the number of deaths sixty-eight, and the number discharged from the service ten.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the expediency of communicating with President Wilson, pointing out that the rise in the price of wheat is largely owing to options and futures gambling transactions on the New York and other American stock exchanges; whether he will communicate to the President the effect of the restrictive regulations enforced on British stock exchanges?

I do not think I can usefully take any steps in the direction indicated.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is a fact that the corn trade introduced dealings in options into London in October, 1897; whether, in view of the danger which has subsequently arisen from gambling in food products, shares, metals, and commodities, he is aware that gambling on 'Change is an evil gradually taking hold on all classes of society; and whether he will consider the advisability, when opportunity occurs, of summoning an international congress to confer respecting the best means of suppressing options and futures gambling operations by continuing the present restrictions to real contracts for delivery?

No dealing in wheat options has been permitted on the British Exchanges since the outbreak of War. As regards the last part of the question, I see no prospects of an opportunity for useful action on the lines suggested.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to a case in which a widow had to pay 1s. postage in order to send candle and notepaper of the value of 5d. to her son in France, and to the fact that it costs 1s. to send a shirt to a soldier at the front, and other articles in proportion; and whether he can see his way to arrange for some concession in the rate charged for parcels to soldiers at the front?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Bedford on the 4th instant.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will name the publications suppressed, or by any Government action forced to discontinue, in Ireland since the War began, with the date in each case?

It is not in the public interest to add to the information given to the hon. Member on this subject on the 8th instant.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of persons in Ireland whose letters are opened in the Post Office for purposes of espionage and the number whose letters are confiscated; and whether he will reduce the inconvenience which this interference causes to professional and business men by having the examination of their correspondence carried out locally and all lawful letters delivered without needless loss of time?

The military authorities, by whom the censorship of correspondence in Ireland is being carried out, are of opinion that the public interest would not be served by the disclosure of the information asked for. With regard to the second part of the question, I am assured that no more delay is involved in the delivery of letters than is necessary to their due examination.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he is aware that on the 23rd January ultimo all the Irish tobacco manufacturers received notice from the War Office requesting tenders for 93,750 lbs. of cut tobacco, and that no Irish firm received part of the contract; and whether he can state the reasons which prevented the War Office from sharing this contract with the tobacco manufacturers in Ireland?

Nine tenders were received from Irish firms on the occasion referred to, but all were rejected on account of price, except in one case, where the sample was not satisfactory.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that a new depot for the testing and reception of military stores has been established in Leeds recently; whether he can state why a similar depot is not established in Dublin to enable Irish manufacturers to compete for orders under equal conditions, as for many years it has been under consideration?

The depot at Leeds has been established to deal with clothing and clothing material only. Arrangements have already been made for clothing material manufactured in Ireland, and clothing made up in that country, to be delivered at the Dublin clothing depot and examined and tested there.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if he will give in parallel columns for each of the years from 1898 to date the total number in the American Army, the total number inoculated, and the number of cases of and deaths from typhoid fever?

This information is not readily available, and would take some time to compile.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the category of soldiers' and sailors' dependants can be extended so as to include the case of an aunt whose nephew has lived with her for a long period and has made her an allowance weekly of 20s. out of his 30s. wage, and is now willing to make his allotment?

The War Office is adopting the definition of dependant recommended by the Select Committee, which will cover such a case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount of gold held, the value of the notes in circulation, and the percentage of notes to gold of the Bank of England and the Imperial Bank of Germany on 31st December, 1913, and 31st December, 1914, respectively?

The following figures, which have been compiled from general public sources of information, will perhaps be sufficient for my hon. Friend's purpose:—

The gold coin held in the Banking Department is not shown separately in the returns. The amount of gold and silver coin so held was on 31st December, 1913, £1,108,614, and on 30th December, 1914, £461,475. The figures for the Bank of England do not, of course, include the currency note issue. On 30th December last the currency notes outstanding amounted to £38,478,164 and the coin and bullion in the Redemption Account was £18,500,000. The figure given above for the circulation of notes in Germany does not include the Treasury notes (Reichskassenscheine) or the new loan notes (Darlehnskassenscheine), against which no gold reserve is held. The amount of these notes in circulation is only published at irregular intervals.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he will state the average number of persons in prison in Scotland ten years ago and now, the amount of increase or diminution in the annual cost of the prison service now as compared with ten years ago, the scale of pay of the Prisons Board, governors, officials, and warders, respectively, then and now, with the present periods and amounts of increase in each class; and if the warder service is recruited from police pensioners, what their scale of pay is and whether they are satisfactory?

(1) The average daily number of prisoners in Scotland in 1913, the last year for which figures are available, was 2,694, as compared with 2,946 in 1903. (2) The average expenditure for the periods of five years 1899 to 1904 and 1909 to 1914, respectively, was £90,773 and £105,746, showing an increase of nearly £15,000. (3) The particulars desired are given in the relative Parliamentary Estimates (for 1903–4 and for 1913–14), to which I would beg to refer the hon. Member. (4) The warder service is not recruited from police pensioners.

asked the Chief Secretary whether any estimate has been formed of the area of arable land in Ireland recently submerged in water for want of arterial drainage, and the amount of damage caused to the land and to livestock; whether the Department has brought under the notice of the Treasury the amount of taxation of Ireland which should be applied to the work of drainage; and whether any promise has been obtained that this will be done?

No estimates of the nature indicated by the hon. Member have been framed, nor are the materials available for doing so.

asked the Chief Secretary when the purchase arrangements with the tenants on the Massy estate, county Cork, will be finally completed; whether any scheme for the distribution of the untenanted lands on this estate has yet been considered; and whether the claim of James D. Sullivan, of Ballinagree, for a parcel of these lands has been noted?

The Estates Commissioners are not at present in a position to say when the sale of this estate may be completed, or what action may be taken in the matter of Sullivan's application.