asked the Prime Minister the total number of men that Parliament has authorised should be raised during the present financial year for the purposes of the Army and Navy?

3,250,000.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he can give an estimate of the number of men of military age now engaged in administering the Insurance Act; the number of women competent and willing to do their work; the reason why so many such women have recently received replies from the head insurance offices that there are no vacancies; and what action it is proposed to take in this matter?

As regards the first part of the question, the information at my disposal relates only to the staff of the four Insurance Commissions and the Joint Committee, and not to that of the County and County Borough Insurance Committees, nor of the approved societies. The number of men of military age engaged upon the administrative work of four Insurance Commissions and the Joint Committee at the outbreak of War was 1,220, of whom 509 have since joined His Majesty's Forces or have been seconded for special War work. I am unable to form any estimate of the number of women competent and willing to do the work of the remaining members of the staff, but I may say that women are being engaged almost daily through the Labour Exchanges, with the view of releasing further members of the staff for military service.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether, although the War Office official book, called War Establishment, lays down that the war establishment of a divisional train of the Army Service Corps consists of one colonel, two majors, and at least seven captains, etc., he is aware that for many months prior to 18th May the 4th divisional train at the front had no major and only two captains; and whether, therefore, seven lieutenants have been performing duties of a higher rank than their own and will receive the pay and temporary rank of captain, in accordance with the official announcement; and whether appointments to such temporary rank will be antedated, with a view to the avoidance of the injustice of officers of six months' service being passed over by their juniors from home without practical experience in the field, as the new divisional trains come out nearly up to war establishment, with the result that many of the new arrivals hold rank higher than that of officers who were at the front before some of the new officers had received their first commissions?

It is impossible to apply identically the same system to Army Service Corps units as is applicable to a regiment of Cavalry or a battalion of Infantry. Promotion must necessarily run throughout the whole of that corps, or else considerable injustice will occur owing to various causes which cannot be foreseen. Promotions amongst the officers who have been temporarily commissioned in the Army Service Corps are made by selection, and the Noble Lord will see from the "London Gazette" of the 20th May that 350 such promotions have recently been made. These promotions are carried out in accordance with the recommendations received from the Commanders-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces Overseas.

asked whether the naval surgeons in charge of hospital ships, having the rank of fleet-surgeon in the Royal Navy, have been given the rank of major in the Royal Army Medical Corps; and whether, having regard to the fact that a fleet-surgeon ranks with a lieutenant-colonel, the latter rank can be accorded to them, no question of pay being involved, instead of degrading them one step in rank?

These officers voluntarily offered their survices and accepted the rank of major. They have no experience for Army requirements beyond that which is to be obtained by the medical charge of hospital ships, and are not, therefore, eligible for service in the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether any allowance has been paid to Mrs. Kate Gallagher, of Mullaghmore, Bawnboy, county Cavan, in respect of John Gallagher, No. 18231, D Company, 5th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers, who enlisted on 3rd March last; will he say what allowance is to be paid her; and, as this soldier's mother is solely dependent on her son's support, will the matter have immediate attention?

I will have inquiry made into this case and will let the hon. Member know the result in due course.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether money standing to the credit of enemies or branches of enemy concerns and debts due to them in the United Kingdom, and royalties or other sums due or payable to enemies in respect of the British rights in German and Austrian patents, are included in the enemy property in the United Kingdom officially stated to amount to £97,000,000, and, if not, why such valuable property was omitted from the Act passed in November last, and will any steps be taken to remedy this omission; when the Government intends to require a complete return to be made of all enemy property and rights, without exception, in the United Kingdom belonging to or in which an enemy of this country or the branch or agency of an enemy business is interested, and to keep a register open to public inspection of all such property; has the Public Trustee, as custodian of enemy property, or the Board of Trade taken any active step or initiative to ascertain the whereabouts or to obtain possession of enemy property and rights in the United Kingdom; and have the Government decided to give a preference to British creditors over their enemy debtors' property in the United Kingdom, or is it intended that all enemy property will be put into hotchpot and divided pro rata between all British creditors?

The enemy property in this country to the amount of £97,000,000, which has now been increased to £100,000,000, of which the Public Trustee has received information in accordance with the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act, 1914, does not include money standing to the credit of enemies, or debts or royalties due to enemies, but the question of introducing legislation to extend the provisions of the Act is under consideration. Steps have been taken by the Public Trustee and the Board of Trade to secure compliance with the requirements of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act, and proceedings have been instituted by the Director of Public Prosecutions on information laid before him by the Board of Trade, showing that there has been a failure to disclose certain property as required by the Act. Sections 4 and 5 of the Act contain provisions for enabling a creditor of an enemy to obtain payment of his debt out of property which that enemy may have in this country, but it is not at present proposed to make the property of individual enemies available for the payment of debts due by others.

asked whether there is a substantial margin of profit between the price paid by the Government for New Zealand lamb and the price the same is being offered at in the Central Meat Market, London; and who gets such profit?

As my hon. Friend will recognise, until I have received the accounts of receipts and of direct and indirect expenditure in connection with the consignments of New Zealand lamb which have recently been placed on the market, I shall not be in a position to state what, if any, profit has been made. As the meat sold is the property of His Majesty's Government the profit on any sales through their selling agents will accrue to the public exchequer.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that in many rural districts the success of recruiting means that indispensable farm servants are being attracted to the Army to the detriment of agriculture, and that, in consequence, the farming community cannot respond to his appeal to increase the area of land under cultivation; and whether he can take steps to prevent this misapplication of service?

I am afraid that this has been largely the case, and the Board are now in consultation with the War Office authorities on the whole subject. Agriculture is, I fear, not the only industry as to which successful recruiting is bound to mean the withdrawal from the industry of those who can ill be spared.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if any suitable employment has been found for Andrew Nolan, of Ballyroan, Queen's County, Ireland, who lost his left hand during Army manœuvres in Ireland in 1908 through the carelessness of some soldiers, and whose application for work has been under the consideration of the War Office and the authorities of the Royal Dockyard, Woolwich, for some time past; and whether, in view of the fact that this boy Nolan cannot obtain employment, clerical or otherwise, owing to physical deformity caused by the loss of his hand, some suitable clerical employment will be found for him at the Curragh Camp or some other military centre in Ireland, where numerous clerks are now being employed?

I will make inquiries whether any suitable employment can be found for this lad; but I must not be taken as admitting that the War Department was liable for the unfortunate accident, although some compensation was given as an act of grace.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that the Commissioners of National Education have caused to be reserved for competition between untrained principal and assistant teachers a percentage of vacancies for candidates for training in recognised training colleges for national teachers; and if a percentage of vacancies will also be reserved for junior assistant mistresses?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative and to the second in the negative. The standard of educational attainments required in the case of candidates for the position of junior assistant mistress is not of so advanced a character as that required in the case of candidates for qualification as untrained assistant teachers, and any reservation of vacancies for competition by the former would discriminate against better qualified candidates. At the same time junior assistant mistresses are already in a privileged position as compared with ordinary candidates not in the service of the Board of National Education in that they are not restricted as to the number of times they may compete for admission to a training college, and they have, moreover, an opportunity of qualifying as untrained assistants, on recognition in which capacity they come under the regulation as to the admission of such teachers to the training colleges.

also asked if the observation on the constitution of the Dill Committee in its proceedings and Report, which the Commissioners of National Education promised in their letter of the 31st August, 1914, have yet been received; and, if so, will they be published?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative.

likewise asked the Chief Secretary if he will grant a Return showing the Grants sanctioned by the Commissioners of National Education for the erection or structural improvement of national school buildings during the nine years ended 23rd January, 1915, distinguishing them into building grants made respectively to schools conducted by Roman Catholic monks, brothers, and nuns, to those managed by other Roman Catholics, to those managed by clergy and laity of the Church of Ireland, to those managed by Presbyterians, to those managed by Methodists and other Protestant Dissenters, to those under joint Protestant management, and to those under joint Roman Catholic and Protestant management?

As I stated in reply to a request for similar information made by the hon. and gallant Member for East Down on the 10th June, 1914, the preparation for this Return would involve a great amount of labour. The considerations which led to the refusal to grant it on that occasion are even stronger at the present time when the staff of the Board of National Education is depleted by the absence on military service of a number of its members.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that many Irish chambers of commerce and other industrial representative bodies desire to have the Public Trustee Act extended to Ireland; and whether he will take the necessary steps to comply with their wishes?

I have received at different times many representations from public bodies and private persons in favour of a Public Trustee for Ireland, and personally, I should like, if it were possible, to extend the provisions of the Public Trustee Act to Ireland, but as there are Treasury difficulties as to the guarantees and as a good deal of opposition is certain, I cannot now hold out any hope of introducing the necessary legislation.

also asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is aware that many experienced persons interested in livestock supplies for Great Britain and Ireland allege that cows and heifers forward in calf are being slaughtered in considerable numbers; whether he will make inquiry and consider the advisability of adopting precautionary measures to prohibit the exportation from Ireland of animals visibly in calf?

The whole question of the probable effects on the future of home live-stock production through the sale by farmers in Great Britain and Ireland of breeding animals is under the consideration of the Agricultural Departments ol the three Kingdoms, who have recently conferred upon the matter.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what has been the result of the communication which was made to the guardians of the East Preston union with reference to the death of Winifred Terry; and whether the Poor Law inspector had examined the application and report book and had impressed on the East Preston board the importance of prompt medical relief when necessary for the sick poor and the danger of interference with the duties of relieving officers in cases of illness?

The inspector, who was instructed to confer with the guardians, reports that arrangements have now been made which should prevent any unnecessary delay in the provision of medical relief to the sick poor of the union.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the quantities and value of the exports of cotton yarns from the United Kingdom to Switzerland during the month of May last?

The exports of cotton yarn from the United Kingdom to Switzerland during the month of May were: In 1914, 958,400 lbs. (value, £95,871); in 1915, 1,331,200 lbs. (value, £137,109).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he has information that the Isle of Wight bee disease is less prevalent than in former seasons; and, if so, whether this is attributable to the dissemination of information and warnings by the Board?

I regret to say that the information in the possession of the Board does not indicate that this disease is less prevalent than in former seasons.