asked the Prime Minister (1), in view of the fact that, because of the absence of common and universal agreement thereto, neither the Declaration of Paris, 1856, nor The Hague Conventions, 1907, nor the Declaration of London, 1909, have become part of the Law of Nations, do His Majesty's Government propose to repudiate and to withdraw from all obligation to be bound by those instruments; and (2) having regard to the fact that the second article of the Declaration of Paris of 1856 declares that the neutral flag covers enemy's merchandise with the exception of contraband of war, and that His Majesty's Government nevertheless propose to detain and take into port neutral ships carrying enemy goods, and therefore in effect repudiate that article of the Declaration of Paris, whether His Majesty's Government propose to denounce and repudiate the Declaration itself?

The answer to these questions is in the negative. All that is necessary to be done in order to carry out the decision recently announced will be effected by an Order in Council which is about to be issued.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to state why Private T. Llewelyn Davies, No, 1168, 173rd company, Army Service Corps, 85th brigade, 28th division of the British Expeditionary Force, was on two occasions, although he asked to be registered as a Nonconformist, supplied with a disc which described him as a member of the Church of England?

I am informed that the man referred to by my hon. Friend was discharged from the Territorial Force for enlistment into the Regular Army on the 8th December last and has proceeded to the front. In the circumstances I am afraid it is so difficult to pursue this inquiry that I hope my hon. Friend will not press me to continue it.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a written guarantee has been given to every soldier when inoculated that no ill effects would result from the operation and that it would confer immunity from typhoid or mitigate its effects; and, if not, whether such a guarantee will be given in the event of it being decided that inoculation for the troops shall be compulsory?

No such guarantee has been given. I am unable to say what orders will be given in the event of inoculation being made compulsory.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether it is proposed, under War Office instructions, dated 5th February, that officers who have held the appointment of adjutant of a depôt since September last and whose names have appeared in the Army List as such are to receive only the allowance of 1s. 6d. a day now being paid to acting adjutants; whether such allowance is to commence only from 5th February; and, if so, whether he can explain why no allowance is to be made to them for adjutants' work done in many cases during the previous five months; and why these officers should be paid only 1s. 6d. a day instead of the usual rate of 5s. a day?

Five shillings a day is the rate of additional pay laid down in Regulations for the adjutant of a Cavalry regiment or an Infantry battalion; 1s. 6d. a day is the rate laid down for a Cavalry depôt, and is considered suitable also for Infantry depôts under present conditions. Prior to the instructions of the 5th February, no rate existed for an Infantry depôt. It is not the practice to antedate new grants in such cases.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he can state how many prisoners of war are interned at the aliens camps at Knockaloe, Peel, Isle of Man, and at Douglas, Isle of Man, respectively; what was the cost of fitting out and furnishing each camp; how much money is allowed to feed each man; whether any clothes or boots have been given to the men and, if so, the cost for each camp; and what is the expense of administration of each camp, including the salaries of the staff employed?

There are at the present time 2,578 Germans interned at Knockaloe Camp, and 2,449 at Douglas Camp. Accommodation for a further 2,500 is being provided at Knockaloe. The Isle of Man Government is in charge of both camps, and reports that the cost of fitting them out, including huts, lighting, furniture and stores will be, when both camps are completed, about £28,000. The greater part of this sum will have been expended at Knockaloe, as a holiday camp which was already in existence at Douglas was placed at the disposal of the Island Government, and has been adapted for the present purpose at comparatively little cost. The Island Government states that the cost of the food for the men, together with the cost of clothing and boots, and the expenses of administration, is covered by the weekly allowance of 10s. per man which is made to them by the Home Government. I hope that in the present pressure of work my hon. Friend will not ask for further particulars, the collection of which would involve considerable labour.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the actual cost of the average quality of bread, butter, jam, cheese, bacon, meat, oatmeal, tea and sugar at the present time and the price ruling for the same articles on 1st March, 1914?

The average prices paid by the working classes for certain articles of food in March, 1914, and March, 1915, were as follows:—

asked the Attorney-General the number of prosecutions which have been instituted in England and Wales under the Trading with the Enemy Acts and Proclamations, giving in each case the form of the charge, the Court before which the trial took place,

I give below in a tabulated form the information for which the hon. Member asks concerning the prosecutions which have been instituted under the Trading with the Enemy Acts up to 6th March, 1915:—

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give the names and ages of all retired officers of the Army and Navy who have been released by Germany since the War broke out; and, if their release was effected by exchange, the names, position, and ages of the Germans who were released?

Colonel H. M. Caine, age 76; Colonel A. F. Dobson, age 66; Admiral Neeld, age 64, are the only retired British officers who I know to have been released from Germany since the outbreak of War. In the cases of Colonels Caine and Dobson no special representations or arrangements for exchange were made, and it is understood that Admiral Neeld was allowed to leave Germany as the result of a personal representation by the President of the United States.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the unrest prevailing, the services of the Industrial Council can be utilised as a Court of arbitration for the settlement of labour disputes, taking advantage of the services of Sir George Askwith as chairman, with equal representation of both labour and capital?

I must refer the hon. Member to the answer given on Monday last by the President of the Board of Trade to the question put by the hon. Member for Oldham.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the actual expenditure of the Manchester Unity on national insurance benefits has exceeded the actuarial estimates?

I have seen a statement in the Press on the matter referred to. The suggestion which it contains that the expenditure of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows is in excess of the actuarial estimates rests upon a fallacy. No account has been taken of the fact that since 12th October, 1913, the higher benefits provided by the Act of 1913 have been in operation. That Act provided increased benefits for all persons who had entered insurance over the age of fifty, a provision which probably affected the Manchester Unity in a special degree, as the proportion of older members in the society appears to be above the general average. The reserve values credited to the societies have been increased accordingly, and the actuarial estimates taken for any such comparison as that made in the article should, of course, have been similarly increased. The figures there given cover a total period of eighteen months, half before and half after 12th October, 1913, and the expenditure for each of these periods is shown separately. It will be seen that the expenditure for the first nine months is on the whole below the actuarial estimates given, which are the appropriate estimates for a society of normal age distribution during that period. The expenditure shown for the next nine months, as explained above, is necessarily higher because of the additional benefits then coming into operation, but I am informed that if these extra benefits (which, as stated, carry correspondingly increased reserve values) are allowed for, as of course they should be, the expenditure of the society as a whole, as stated in the article, would remain within the actuarial estimates for the whole period of eighteen months ending 5th July, 1914, as well as for the first period ending 12th October, 1913.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what action is taken by his Department when American mildew on gooseberry bushes is discovered in a private garden where from one to twenty bushes may be growing; whether he will state in how many cases the whole garden of bushes has been destroyed; if any compensation has been paid to the owners; and on what basis calculated?

The procedure adopted in the cases to which the hon. Member refers does not differ from that adopted in respect of large areas. A notice is served upon the occupier declaring the premises to be infected premises under the American Gooseberry Mildew Order. At a later date a second notice is served requiring the occupier to cut off and destroy before a given date all infective wood. The Board do not require the destruction of any bush, nor do they pay compensation for the portions removed and destroyed, as the latter are of no value.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many street traffic fatalities occurred in the Metropolitan Police district and the City of London during January and February, 1914 and 1915, respectively, and the number of such fatalities caused by each class of vehicle during the same periods?

The figures are as follows:—

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the examination in knowledge of London of applicants for licences to drive taxi-cabs is wholly oral; and, if so, whether, in view of the difficulty experienced by many candidates in passing a viva-voce examination, he could see his way to substitute a written examination combined with practical tests in the streets?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. This examination has been purposely made oral as many of the candidates would be unable to do themselves justice if set a written paper. I am advised that the substitution of a written examination would be less satisfactory as a test and very unpopular with the candidates.