asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that British banks are at present granting advances to companies who, although registered in this country, are really Germans; and, if so, whether he will at once take steps to put a stop to such practices?

As the Noble Lord is no doubt aware, such companies are precluded from making payments of any kind to enemy shareholders during the War. While it is very desirable that bankers should exercise special vigilance in granting loans to companies, the capital of which is known to be mainly or even largely held in enemy countries, I do not think that a general power to prohibit such loans, even if it were taken by the Government, could usefully be exercised.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state what is the practice of the War Office with respect to the supply of copies of the Bible to soldiers, whether at home or abroad?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for the North Somerset Division.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the arrangements whereby the Commissioners of the Royal Chelsea Hospital provide artificial limbs at the public expense to soldiers who while serving have lost a limb in consequence of wounds, disease, or injury, include officers as well; and, if not, will arrangements be made to include officers?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to Article 647 of the Pay Warrant, which has been in force for many years, and provides that an officer who has been wounded in action and who has thereby lost an eye, a limb or a tooth, or sustained any other injury necessitating the use of an artificial appliance, may be granted such sum as the Army Council consider sufficient to defray the necessary expense of providing the artificial appliance.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will issue a statement setting forth the number and cost of advertisements to encourage recruiting published in newspapers by the War Office since the beginning of the War, together with a list of the newspapers in which they have been published and the amount paid in respect of them to each newspaper?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. and gallant Member for the Melton Division on the 2nd March. That answer applies a fortiori to the present question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that the 3s. 6d. per week special allowance payable to the wives of soldiers resident in London is not being paid to the wives of soldiers brought from India to serve in the Expeditionary Force and who are now resident in the London postal area; will he state the reason for this differentiation; and whether, in the event of this action being a considered policy on the part of the War Office and in view of the dissatisfaction existing, he will have the point remitted to the Pensions Committee for consideration and decision?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question put by the right hon. Member for the Oswestry Division on 3rd February last, of which I will send him a copy. There is no discrimination against soldiers from India.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if Volunteers accepted for service with the Hornsey Division of the National Reserve were enlisted on the following conditions as to pay and duty, pay to be 4s. 6d. per diem and hours of duty to be 24 hours on and 24 hours off duty; if these conditions were duly observed for the first few weeks of service during the mobilisation of the unit; if, subsequently, any men, on being posted for duty to Waltham Abbey, were informed that their pay would be reduced to a gross total of 3s. per diem; that they would be compelled to refund any amount already drawn in excess of this lower rate of pay; and that they would be required to be on duty daily; and, if so, will he state if it is with the knowledge and the sanction of the War Office that men who engaged to serve on one set of conditions should subsequently be compelled to serve on other and inferior conditions?

My attention has not been drawn to the case referred to by the hon. Member, but I am having inquiry made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information as to the prices the Royal Niger Company are charging our soldiers in West Africa for tinned meats, provisions, etc.; whether, at the commencement of the War the company charged 7½ per cent. extra on their pre-War prices; and what percentage is now permitted?

I have no information on the present position and I am not aware that any complaints have been made. At the outbreak of the War Committees of Control were appointed in Nigeria, as in many other Colonies, and the maximum prices at which imported provisions or other victuals could be sold to the public were fixed at 7½ per cent. above pre-War prices; but this emergency measure was, I understand, abrogated when oversea communications became more normal and such restrictions were no longer required. I should add that the Niger Company is only one of the large number of firms to whom the measure applied.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates the prohibition of the export of sugar by Austria and Germany, respectively, were removed?

I have no definite information with regard to the prohibition to export Austrian sugar. As regards German sugar, the following are believed to be the correct dates:—

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state if the issue of his recent circular to chief constables on the subject of recruiting of members of the police has resulted in an increased supply of such recruits; if he is aware that in the administrative county of West Sussex 50 per cent. of the whole force and nearly all men of military age have joined the Army, whereas in other police forces numbers of young men of military age still remain; if the discrepancies in the results obtained are due to unfair pressure not to join the Army put upon the men by certain chief constables; and if he has the power to withhold the Government Grant where such cases are proved?

I think the Noble Lord must have been misinformed, as I have not issued any recent circular to chief constables on the subject. The answer to the second question is in the affirmative. As regards the third question, no case has been brought to my notice in which it was alleged that unfair pressure was exercised. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that, despite the issue of his recent memorandum urging local authorities to release their employés for war service, instances have occurred within the last few weeks where local authorities have refused to allow their employés to join the Army; and whether, when such cases are brought to his notice, he will publish the name of the authority in question, in order that the publicity may act as a deterrent to others?

I have no information of the improper refusal of local authorities to allow their employés to join the Army, but, if any such cases are brought to my notice, I shall be happy to make some inquiry into the allegation.

also asked the President of the Local Government Board if he can give an approximate estimate of the number of men of military age who are still employed by corporations, county boroughs, rural and urban district councils, and county councils in the British Isles, excluding those engaged in the collection and destruction of refuse, drainage, and water works, and other works essential to public health?

I fear it is impossible to make an estimate of any value.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider the possibility of continuing the delivery of mails in the Isle of Mull as hitherto and without any break?

Some months ago I was approached by the contractors for the various packet services to the Western Islands of Scotland, Messrs. McBrayne, who represented that as a consequence of the outbreak of War their earnings from passenger goods and traffic other than mail traffic had fallen off to such an extent that a considerable increase in their subsidies was necessary to enable them to continue to fulfil their contracts. As these services were already conducted at a cost wholly disproportionate to the volume of mail traffic concerned the Government felt that no increase of the subsidies could be justified on postal grounds, and that the only way of meeting the contractors was by reducing the amount of service rendered in return for the contract rate of subsidy. I regret that as a consequence of this decision it has been necessary to arrange for a reduction of the frequency of the postal service to Mull from six days to four days a week as from the 10th instant. If traffic in this way or any other of the routes affected should return to its normal condition I should be happy to consider the question of restoring the service as far as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the reductions lately introduced into the mail services in the West Highlands are causing inconvenience and loss and producing protests, and are specially inappropriate at the present moment when these districts are heavily called upon to provide recruits and other assistance to the State; and whether he can see his way to reverting to the former standard of service or, at any rate, to giving a less restricted service than at present?

Some months ago I was approached by the contractors for the various packet services to the Western Islands of Scotland, Messrs. McBrayne, who represented that as a consequence of the outbreak of War their earnings from passenger goods and traffic other than mail traffic had fallen off to such an extent that a considerable increase in the subsidies was necessary to enable them to continue to fulfil their contracts. As these services were already conducted at a cost wholly disproportionate to the volume of mail traffic concerned, the Government felt that no increase of the subsidies could be justified on postal grounds, and that the only way of meeting the contractors was by reducing the amount of service rendered in return for the contract rate of subsidy. I regret that as a consequence of this decision it has been necessary to arrange for a reduction of the frequency of the postal service to Mull from six days to four days a week as from the 10th instant. If traffic in this or any other of the routes affected should return to its normal condition I should be happy to consider the question of restoring the service as far as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether arrangements have been made or are being made by which tobacco and other ordinarily dutiable goods sent by post to British soldiers in Egypt will be admitted in that country free of Customs Duty?

I am informed that parcels sent to British troops in Egypt are now admitted free of Customs Duty.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the lower paid clerks engaged in the work of the Board at the various branches of the Labour Exchanges have suffered as a result of the rise in the cost of food and other necessities; and will he consider the granting of a War bonus to them?

Representations have been made to me in regard to the grades of officers referred to by my hon. Friend. It is, of course, impossible to consider their position apart from that of the lower grades of the Civil Service generally, and I am unable to do more than to promise my hon. Friend that the position of the clerks in the Labour Exchange service will not be lost sight of in any general consideration of the matter by His Majesty's Government.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether a census has been taken or will be taken of engineering shops in the United Kingdom, showing the suitability of machine tools in such shops for production of war material and indicating to what extent they are working on British Government work, on Allies' Government work, and on ordinary commercial work, respectively?

Inquiries have been made of likely engineering shops in the United Kingdom not known to be fully engaged in Government work with a view to ascertaining to what extent the machine tools in these shops which are not already engaged on work for His Majesty's Government or the Governments of the Allies are available for the purpose in question. The result of the inquiries has been communicated to the War Office and the Munitions Committee.