asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that preparations had been made to hold an exhibition on behalf of the Belgian Refugees Fund at Bristol, and the Coliseum, Bristol, was secured for the exhibition, and a deposit paid; and that the Bristol Coliseum has since been commandeered for the billeting of soldiers, and no compensation is to be given for the deposit paid or other loss of the undertakers of this effort to assist our Belgian allies; and whether any promise can be given to reconsider this matter in a more generous spirit?

I am informed that the deposit paid was promptly returned by the owners of the building. The liability of the War Department in the matter does not extend beyond the payment of the proper rate for the billeting during the period of occupation.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the children of women whose allowance has been withdrawn on the ground of misconduct will be treated in regard to the amount of allowance paid in respect of their maintenance on the same scale as motherless children?

Yes, Sir, this is the present practice.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether, in view of the numerous complaints from those having horses billeted on their premises in Surrey of the insufficiency of the allowance of 1s. 9d. per day paid by the War Office, he will give particulars of the daily amount of fodder which the contractor is under the obligation to supply for this purpose and the average retail price, stated in pence and decimals, of each of the various articles comprising the day's supply; and, if any sums are allowed for the lodging accommodation and water supply, will he state the amounts?

I hope to be able to increase this allowance.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he can arrange for some variety in the jam supplied to the troops, other than apple and plum?

I am informed that other kinds of jam than those mentioned are already supplied.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can see his way to reduce the charge or fee required to be paid by persons who have become citizens of the United States of America but who desire to resume their British citizenship?

This matter was recently considered when the fee for a certificate of naturalisation was reduced from £5 to £3. I should not feel justified in reopening the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the offer of political autonomy to a united Poland, made by the Russian Commander-in-Chief, was communicated to and approved by the French and British allies of Russia before it was promulgated to the Polish peoples?

The Proclamation is issued and on record. If the object of the hon. Member's question is to be assured that His Majesty's Government are not out of sympathy with it, I can assure him that this is so.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any explanation has been offered by the British Consul at Dunkirk as to his action in persistently refusing assistance to the British subject, George Lads, who had been arrested by the French police on 13th January last in that town; and whether the repeated refusal of the British Consul at Dunkirk to assist this man in obtaining a regulation permis de sejour was the cause of his arrest and detention?

His Majesty's Consul at Dunkirk has been asked to furnish a full report on this case. It has not yet been received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether German prisoners of war have been vaccinated upon removal to internment camps; whether German prisoner of war, No. 777, at Knockaloe Aliens' Camp, Peel, Isle of Man, was suffering severely on 10th January from the effects of vaccination that had been performed on him about three months previously; and whether a fellow prisoner who was a doctor recommended transference to hospital in view of the dangerous character of the man's illness?

German prisoners have been offered facilities for vaccination and for inoculation against typhoid fever on reception into places of internment, but have not been compelled to undergo either. Prisoner No. 777, now at Knockaloe Camp, was inoculated at Grimley Camp, and is suffering from septic sores. He has not been, and is not now, dangerously ill. A statement that he was dangerously ill and should be transferred to hospital is said to have been made to him by a fellow prisoner, who is reported by the medical officer of the camp not to be a doctor of medicine nor to have had any medical training.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the Report of Mr. Baines on the Westminster Hall roof proposes very great expenditure on lines which has been condemned by many expert authorities; that this Report, which was published shortly before the outbreak of the War, has never been discussed in this House; and whether he will undertake that the Vote for the Office of Works (Houses of Parliament) will be discussed at the earliest possible date?

I must refer my hon. Friend to the statements made by the hon. Member for Dumfries on 11th February and the hon. Member for Saffron Walden on 25th February. This Vote is, as a rule, taken early, but in view of the discussion which has already taken place I cannot say more than that I will endeavour to meet my hon. Friend's wishes, if such be the general desire of the House.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the owners of the Higgins M'Carthy Estate, Townaleen, Connemara, have yet accepted the offer to purchase made by the Congested Districts Board; and, if not, will he state why the offer has not been accepted?

The offer made by the Congested Districts Board for the purchase of this property has been accepted.

asked if the offer of purchase made by the Congested Districts Board (Ireland) for the St. Leger Higgins estate, Shrule, Connemara, has been accepted by the landlord; and, if not, are the Board prepared to use their compulsory powers to enforce a sale?

The offer has not been accepted, and the Congested Districts Board are not prepared at the present time to use their compulsory powers to enforce a sale of this estate.

asked whether Messrs. O'Malley and Joyce, the owners of the Raha estate, near Maam, have yet lodged their maps with the Congested Districts Board?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether four-sevenths of the net income of the Town Lands Charity in the parish of Wilby, Suffolk, have been since 1903 devoted to educational purposes; if so, in what way and to what amount this charity has been since applied; whether there is a balance now standing to the credit of the account; and whether the parishioners, to whom this charity was originally left, have, by parish meeting or by a local elected representative body, any control over this charity?

Four-sevenths of the net income are, under a scheme made in 1869, applicable to educational purposes. I believe that this income has been accumulating in recent years, and I understand that the accumulations now amount to about £163. Proposals have from time to time been made by one of the trustees for the application of the income to purposes other than educational, but the Board have refused to allow such an application as not being in accordance with the trusts. The Board have frequently intimated their willingness to proceed with a scheme for the educational foundation, but no sufficient application has been received. Under the scheme the trustees are the Rector and Churchwardens of Wilby, and seven other persons to be appointed by co-optation. Under Section 14 (2) of the Local Government Act, 1894, the Parish Council appear to be entitled to appoint trustees in place of the Churchwardens.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what has been the effect of his representations to the Board of Trade as to the delays which are taking place in getting the usual quantity of seed potatoes from Scotland for the southern counties of England; has anything been accomplished to remove the difficulty; and is he aware of the necessity of getting these seeds in full quantity before the middle of March?

In the only case in which the delay referred to by my hon. Friend was attributable to shortage of railway wagons, the railway company concerned have undertaken to expedite the dispatch of future consignments. I may add that upon the information now in the Board's possession, notwithstanding the recent rise in the cost of carriage in some instances, there does not appear to be any reason to fear that farmers in the southern counties of England will experience difficulty in obtaining a sufficient quantity of seed potatoes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state the names of the representatives of the outside bodies with whom the Board has made arrangements in conjunction with the Development Commissioners for concurrent research in swine fever, as promised by the late President of the Board in his speech in this House on 16th June last; and whether, in view of the increasing prevalence of the above disease, the Board will take steps to remove all obstacles which may impede the inauguration of such research?

The Board have asked the Royal Society to conduct the researches to which the hon. and gallant Member refers. The Board understand that the society have appointed a Committee to deal with the matter, constituted as follows:—

• His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, G.C.V.O., PC.
• Sir Clifford Allbutt, K.C.B., F.R.S.
• Sir John Rose Bradford, K.C.M.G., F.R.S.
• Dr. W. Bulloch, F.R.S.
• Dr A. E. Garrod, F.R.S.
• Mr. W. B. Hardy, F.R.S.
• Dr. F. G. Hopkins, F.R.S.
• Col. Sir William Leishman, F.R.S.
• Dr. C. J. Martin, F.R.S.
• Sir William Osler, Bt., M.D., F.R.S.
• Sir William Power, K.C.B., F.R.S.
• Dr. A. E. Shipley, F.R.S.
• Professor Lorrain Smith, F.R.S.
• Professor E. H. Starling, F.R.S., Chairman.

I am not aware of any obstacles within the scope of the Board's influence which require removal, but the hon. Member may rely upon the Board to do anything in their power to advance the inauguration of the research.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to advertisements for farm workers in western agricultural districts where the wages offered are usually 15s. to 17s. a week; and whether he can take some steps to make it known in farming circles that both wages and the cost of living have recently advanced and that con- sequently higher wages must be offered to attract good workers?

Owing to the general shortage of agricultural labour, advertisements for farm workers are not confined to any particular districts. I think that farmers are well aware of the conditions that prevail as the result of War, and I can assure my hon. Friend that the Board have the whole question under active consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the case of Richard Knight, a lad who was convicted of larceny at the Tottenham Petty Sessions on 13th October last, and ordered to be detained in the county house of detention for a month, but being found to develop epileptic fits, and so certified, was sent to his home on 2nd November; whether his release and the remittance of the sentence was directed by a warrant under the Royal Sign Manual and, bearing a 10s. stamp, was issued on 9th February; whether he will consider the advisability of amending the law so as to avoid the necessity for the Royal Sign Manual in these cases, having regard to the many and important documents, especially at the present time, requiring the Royal perusal and signature; and out of what fund was the amount of the Stamp Duty referred to paid?

The sentence in this case was remitted in the same manner as a sentence of imprisonment. The 10s. stamp on the warrant of remission, which is obligatory by the Stamp Act, 1891, was under a general Treasury authority affixed without charge, the cost being, I believe, paid from the Civil Contingencies Fund. The formality of a Royal Warrant in such a case is at present legally necessary, but under Section 17 (6) of the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, which comes into force on 1st April next, it will be possible to dispense with it in similar cases in future.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state, for each of the seventeen parishes which have been treated as outside Wales and Monmouth-shire, the number of ballot papers issued; the number of votes given, showing separately those given in favour of being treated as outside and those given in favour of being treated as inside Wales and Monmouthshire; the number of ballot papers not returned; the number of spoilt ballot papers returned; and the population of each parish; and whether he will give similar figures, so far as available, for the two remaining parishes of Llansilin and Rhydycroesau?

The following table gives the particulars desired in the case of each of the seventeen parishes, which, in accordance with the order of the Welsh Church Commissioners, are to be treated as being wholly without Wales and Monmouthshire for the purposes of the Welsh Church Act, 1914:—

Parish.	Population in 1911.	Voting Papers issued.	Voting Papers returned.	Number of Papers not returned at all.	Number in favour of Wales.	Number in favour of England.	Number of spoilt and doubtful Papers.
Alberbury	756	414	316	98	28	273	15
Brampton Bryan	421	211	199	12	23	168	8
Brilley with Michael-church-on-Arrow	483	244	224	20	27	192	5
Churchstoke	999	596	496	100	75	390	31
Dixton Newton	623	304	255	49	29	209	17
Dodleston	733	430	421	9	93	279	49
Great Wollaston	440	242	224	18	37	173	14
Hyssington with Snead	334	185	158	27	33	108	17
Kentchurch with Langan	380	213	152	61	38	107	7
Lache-cum-Saltney	3,962	1,640	1,158	482	228	854	76
Llanymynech	1,049	526	468	58	130	315	23
Lydham	173	108	108	—	6	91	11
Mainstone	294	143	133	10	20	85	28
Middleton	404	188	181	7	16	156	9
Old Radnor	872	508	473	35	99	344	30
Presteigne with Discoed	1,705	1,059	936	123	289	595	52
Sarn	598	282	257	25	96	140	21

The record of papers issued for some parishes is not quite complete, and the actual issue may in them have slightly exceeded the number stated above. As regards the parishes of Llansilin and Rhydycroesau, the Welsh Church Commissioners would prefer not to publish any figures until a determination has been reached.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the balance of the accounts due to chemists for drugs supplied under the National Insurance Act during last year will be paid?

The calculation of the sums available to Insurance Committees for the purpose of effecting a settlement with doctors and chemists in respect of last year is in progress. The matter is, however, complicated by the effects of the War, and it is not at present possible to state when a final result will be arrived at.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many procurators-fiscal there are in Scotland over seventy years of age; whether there; is any age limit for such positions; if not, why these officials are treated differently from Civil Service officials; and whether he will introduce legislation making the retiring age sixtyyears, in view of the fact that efficiency in the prosecution of criminals is necessary?

I have no official information as to the number of procurators-fiscal over seventy years of age, but I believe the number is four. To the second part of the question the answer is in the negative. With regard to the third part of the question, the reasons why the ordinary Civil Service age limit does not apply to these officials are historical and are too lengthy to set out in answer to a question. Provision for the superannuation of these officials is under consideration. I may add that I know of no more efficient class of public servants than the procurators-fiscal in Scotland.