asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what proportion of the sick berth staff, Royal Navy, hold the rank of head ward-master (warrant officer); and whether he will consider the advisability of giving greater facilities for increasing the appointments to this rank?

The number is based on the requirements of the Service. I can give no undertaking in the sense of the latter part of the hon. Member's question.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that it takes from seventeen to nineteen years' service to secure promotion to chief sick-berth steward (chief petty officer); that in all large ships each rating is represented by a chief petty officer; and will he consider the advisability of extending this privilege to the sick-berth staff with a view of assisting promotion in this branch of the naval service?

It is not considered necessary to adopt the suggestion contained in the question. As I pointed out in reply to the Noble Lord the Member for Portsmouth on 19th May, improvements were made in the conditions of service of the sick-berth staff as regards pay and advancement in 1911, as a result of the Report of the Committee on the Naval Medical Service, and they also shared in the general increase of pay in 1912.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give the date when Rear-Admiral Thursby's Committee, appointed to inquire into the pay and condition of service in the accountant branch of the Royal Navy, reported; whether the Admiralty have yet acted upon the recommendations made; and, if not, is it their intention to do so?

The date of the Report is 31st March, 1914. As I have previously stated, the Report has been deferred for final consideration until the termination of hostilities. I may say, however, that certain recommendations of the Committee have already been adopted.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think that the time has come to consider the question of the paymaster, more especially in view of the circumstances of the War?

No. As I have said, there is to be further consideration of the subject first.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if sailors of the Royal Navy who lose their clothes and kit in consequence of the sinking of their ship through war are entitled to receive payment to refit themselves; and, if so, where must such men apply for payment?

Men of the Royal Navy, including Reservists, who lose their service kits in consequence of the sinking of His Majesty's ships during war or peace are re-kitted without cost to themselves. Action is taken by the commanding officers of His Majesty's ships or depôts to which the men are sent for the purpose of re-kitting.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if the contracts with the six medical men receiving £5,000 a year each as consultants at Royal naval hospitals have been terminated?

The engagements in question have been terminated from the 19th instant, and we are about to enter into a new arrangement.

Can the right hon. Gentleman state the terms of the new arrangement?

If the hon. Baronet will put down a question for this day week I shall state them fully.

Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake not to enter into this arrangement until the House has had an opportunity of controlling it?

The whole question is now before the Treasury. I should not think of overriding the opinion of the House.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will state how many civilian surgeons or physicians are now employed by the War Office in a consultative capacity at military hospitals at home and abroad; upon what terms as to remuneration are they engaged; if the working staffs of the hospitals are now fully adequate for all requirements; and if it is necessary to continue the engagements of all these consultants attached to hospitals on the Continent?

The number employed is twenty-four. The pay is that of the rank held. The working staffs of the hospitals are fully adequate, but the services of the consultants is necessary to co-ordinate work in their specialities, and they also give the benefit of their advice and skill in such cases as may demand them. Their employment has been most beneficial to the sick and wounded, and, as the Director-General of Army Medical Services considers their employment as essential to the successful working of the medical arrangements, it is not proposed to terminate their engagements.

Will the hon. Gentleman kindly answer what the terms of remuneration are?

I did answer that—the pay is that of the rank held.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that some 1,000 tins per day are being sent to Germany; whether the tin contained therein is used for bomb and rifle making; and whether he will take steps to stop such export?

I am aware that a considerable number of tins are being sent to Germany daily addressed to prisoners of war. I understand that 90,000 tins of a dimension of 9 inches each way would be required to produce 1 ton of tin. The matter has been carefully considered, but at present adequate grounds do not appear to exist for stopping the use of tins for sending comforts to the prisoners of war.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can cause a report to be furnished on the revival, under Government stimulus, of cotton growing in China?

No information on this subject has been received by His Majesty's Government, but, if the hon. Member desires, His Majesty's Minister at Peking will be asked to furnish a report upon it.

What Government is meant by "Government stimulus?"

I apprehend the Government of China. I do not know.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that five voluntary societies are competing against each other for funds to ameliorate the treatment and conditions of horses engaged in warfare; whether so many organisations working independently of each other tend to a waste of effort and money; whether the deficiencies of the Army Veterinary Corps are such as to require the assistance of so much charitable effort; whether these appeals are made with the sanction and approval of the War Office; and, if so, will the War Office exercise some supervision over the administration of these funds?

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the only society recognised and authorised by the Army Council to collect funds for the provision of comforts for horses in veterinary hospitals. The expenditure of the money thus collected is under the direction of the War Office. The offers of other societies have not been accepted. I agree with my hon. Friend that it is undesirable that there should be a waste of effort owing to different organisations working independently, but the War Office is not able to do anything more definite than to express disapproval of such independent and unauthorised appeals.

asked whether commanding officers at Home will be called upon to report upon the men in their battalions who, there is reason to think, are less likely to become as good soldiers as others and who may be mechanics by trade, with a view to the services of these men being utilised in the production of munitions and equipment?

The whole question is under consideration, and steps are being taken to liberate all mechanics by trade whose services are required for the production of munitions and equipment.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the proximity of the city to a coal field and the railway communications it enjoys, the Government proposes to establish a factory for the making of munitions of war at Nottingham?

Authority to establish a national shell factory at Nottingham was given on the 12th June, and I understand that the question of site and other details is now under the consideration of the local committee.

What about the town of Mansfield, which is a much more important town?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether there is a laboratory equipped for research in respect of explosives; and, if so, what is the number of chemists regularly employed; and whether the full staff engaged upon research work has been regularly employed during the past six months?

The answer to the first and last parts of the question is in the affirmative. The number engaged is seventeen.

asked whether any and, if so, what communications have been made to learned societies such as the Royal Society, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, etc., or to the universities inviting them to concentrate their scientific efforts upon the chemical and mechanical problems that may assist us in this war of scientific devices and inventions?

I cannot set out in detail all the communications which have taken place with the Royal Society, the National Physical Laboratory, the universities, and other bodies, but I can assure my hon. Friend that the War Office has derived great benefit from the discussions and from the advice and information received, and I would take this opportunity of conveying to these scientific and learned bodies the thanks of the Army Council.

asked whether there is a chemical laboratory attached to the War Office for research in relation to the properties and effects of gases, oils, and dangerous fluids; if so, will he say what is the equipment of the laboratory; what is the number of chemists employed; and what are the chemical qualifications of the superintendents of the laboratory?

The laboratories of the War Office Research Department are available for the purpose mentioned, and I may add that practically all the laboratories in the country have been placed at the disposal of the War Office. There is a large chemical staff of highly qualified men.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he can state the names of the scientists who have been consulted or employed by the War Office since the beginning of the War, together with the occasions and subjects upon which they were consulted?

A great many leading scientists have been consulted, but to draw up the names, occasions, and subjects would involve considerable labour.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether there is a Department of the War Office for considering and testing inventions; if so, what is the number of officials regularly employed; and what are the technical qualifications of the principal officers in the Department?

A Department of the War Office receives and, in consultation with the appropriate technical officers in other branches, considers all proposals for inventions which have possible military value. These branches have at their disposal various special committees such as the Ordnance Board which deals with Artillery inventions, the Royal Engineer Committee for engineer stores; Lord Rayleigh's Advisory Committee on aeronautics, and the special sub-committee of the Royal Society.

Will all these bodies remain under the War Office?

The Department which is responsible for inventions will no doubt remain under the War Office. The other bodies, as my hon. Friend knows, are independent bodies.

asked the Minister of Munitions which are the firms where employment can now be secured by those anxious to take part in the production of munitions?

Arrangements have been made in co-operation with the trade unions to start Munition Work Bureaus in all the principal industrial centres of the country, where men skilled in the engineering, shipbuilding, and kindred trades may enrol as War Munition Volunteers on an undertaking to be transferred as required to work in controlled establishments on the production of munitions. Full details of this scheme will be given by advertisement and posters. Any workman who enrols will be informed at which controlled establishment he should take up duty. To avoid misconception, I should add that, so far as I am aware, the only acute shortage of labour at present is for skilled workmen in the engineering and shipbuilding trades. For such workmen there is so large and widespread a demand that it would be impossible to give a list of the firms requiring men.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether workmen who are skilled workmen and who register will receive the same treatment as the workmen under contract?

All those who enrol will get exactly the same conditions as those who are employed now.

Does that apply to trades in Ireland, Belfast, and Dublin, and throughout the country?

I would not like to answer that without making some inquiries.

Will any restrictions be clearly stated in the advertisements?

Yes; the conditions have been agreed with the leaders of the unions, and they are stated in the arrangements made between the workmen and the Munitions Department.

Do the leaders of the trade unions with whom an agreement has been come to include the miners?

I referred in the reply to the engineering and shipbuilding trades.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether British subjects from other parts of the world besides Canada are being invited to work in the State workshops?

At present the only British Dominion in which active steps are being taken to bring British subjects to the United Kingdom for the purpose mentioned in the question is Canada, but, should necessity arise, I should not hesitate to adopt similar procedure in other parts of the Empire.

Will the right hon. Gentleman invite the help of the Labour party by sending a representative of that party?

That is already done. The hon. Member for Blackfriars (Mr. Barnes) has gone to Canada.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he will consider the payment of bonuses to workmen engaged in shell manufacture; and whether he will consider if the introduction of a bonus system would lead to an increase of output and rapidity of production?

I will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind, but I am doubtful whether it can be of any general application. Proposals for accelerating the output of munitions of war are made in the Bill which I am introducing this afternoon.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether the Government will consider the advisability of authorising workmen engaged in the production of munitions of war to wear military uniform?

I should like to consult the leaders of the men and elicit their views on the subject. Some are opposed to it. I cannot for the moment express an opinion, because it has not been sufficiently discussed.

asked the Minister of Munitions if his duties embrace the provision and regulation of raw material for the use of firms at work on Government contracts for munitions of war; whether his powers extend to inquiry into the high values of metals and the possible existence of means of restricting supplies and raising values; and whether all orders for the commandeering of stocks of raw material in the possession of private firms are issued in his name?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part of the question, so far as I am aware, I have all the necessary powers for the purpose. As regards the last part of the question, no commandeering has been resorted to, but arrangements have been made with private firms to ensure that metals required for munitions of war are not used for other purposes.

asked the Minister of Munitions how long it should take, under his new proposals, to ensure that the full scheme of organisation is in operation?

It is not possible to state in the case of a rapidly growing organisation how long must elapse before it is fully in operation. Every effort is being made to avoid delays.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Board of Control is delegating its duties to provide counter-attractive and temperance agencies in isolated works to organisatoins such as the National People's Palaces Association, although Parliament placed this duty upon the Board of Control for wide areas?

I understand that the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) are disposed to encourage institutions, such as the National People's Palaces Association, to supply food and refreshments where suitable arrangements can be made, but they have not delegated their powers in the manner suggested by my hon. Friend.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the prospectus of the National People's Palaces Association states that the association has now, at the request of His Majesty's Government's Central Control Board, established those canteens and in the same prospectus are inviting people to subscribe capital bearing a 6 per cent. preference dividend?

I do not know that that is inconsistent with what I said. The Central Control Board have not delegated any of their powers, but they are using this association for the purpose of establishing refreshment houses.

Do I understand my right hon. Friend to mean that the Central Control Board are not doing the work Parliament asked them to do and that they are requesting associations which are making profit out of it to do it for them?

The Central Control Board can either set up establishments themselves or can utilise other establishments. They have absolute discretion in that respect.

May I ask why in that case the Government are not offering the opportunity of tendering for temperance refreshments in those works to the people in the localities, who could do it infinitely better than an association which has not yet got the capital to do it?

I am perfectly certain if any responsible persons in the locality offered to do what my hon. Friend suggests, the Central Control Board would consider their proposal and be very glad to obtain their assistance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether spelter used in the manufacture of cartridges has been advanced in price from £21 a ton last July to £115 a ton at the present time, an increase of over 500 per cent.; whether in the same period the price of the best finished iron in Staffordshire has advanced from £8 10s. to £12 12s. 6d. per ton; whether he will cause thorough investigation to be made as to whether attempts have been made by various interests to corner supplies and force up prices by means of price rings; and whether he will make public the facts as to the prices and profits realised by all the interests concerned out of the present crisis?

I am aware of the increase in prices to which my hon. Friend refers. The whole matter of the supply of materials for munitions is receiving constant and earnest attention, and all necessary steps will be taken to guard against any artificial enhancement of price.

Is it not a fact that last autumn a committee was specially appointed for the purpose of protecting the supply of spelter, and that the results were very unsuccessful from the munitions point of view, especially to the Admiralty? Would not the formation of a similar committee at the present time probably have the same beneficial result?

That will be considered.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Government is prepared to recommend the grant of a pardon by the Crown to long-term prisoners of good character on the recommendation of governors of gaols on condition that such prisoners qualify as manufacturers of munitions of war under discipline for the period of the War?

In one or two cases short sentence prisoners who were skilled hands in munition works have been released, and I will consider whether there are any similar cases among the long-term sentences; but I believe that among the convicts under sentence of three years or upwards (whose number is now the un-precedentedly low figure of 2,240) skilled mechanics whom it would in any circumstances be possible to release are extremely few. The others are doing more and better work in the manufacture of war stores in the prisons than they would be likely to do if set at liberty.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider some wholesale method of employing prisoners in a time like this, if they can be beneficially used?

I think they are very well occupied.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he will take steps to expedite the payment of separation allowances to dependants of soldiers serving with the Colours; whether he is aware that in some cases dependants of men who joined the Colours as far back as September last have so far received no allowance, although the men's pay has been stopped from that month for the purpose; and whether this hardship is partly due to the insufficiency of the staff whose duty it is to arrange for these payments?

All possible steps have been, and are, taken to expedite these payments, and there is no limit to the staff of the pay offices necessary for this purpose. If the hon. Member is aware of any actual cases of undue delay, I shall be glad if he will communicate with me, giving the necessary particulars for inquiry to be made. I think my hon. and gallant Friend must be misinformed as to the stoppages made in September, as the scheme did not take effect till October.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether by a Special Army Order men married after enlistment were put on the same footing with respect to payments as those married before enlistment; whether he is aware that in the case of the men in the Army Pay Corps the separation allowance in respect of recent marriages, after being paid for a few weeks, was stopped; and will he state on what grounds the men of the Army Pay Corps receive in this matter different treatment from other soldiers?

If the hon. Member will give me particulars of the cases which he has in mind I will have inquiries made. He doubtless understands that the allowance is only given when, owing to the exigencies of the service, men are separated from their families.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if the authorities at the War Office will issue instructions to commanding and other responsible officers to the effect that, in any reconstruction of military units for the more successful prosecution of the War, they will provide for chums and pals being kept together, seeing that many enlisted under the distinct promise that, as chums and pals, they would fight together as such in the New Armies?

Every endeavour is now made to keep soldiers as far as possible with their friends, and in their local corps, but the exigencies of the service may not always permit of this being carried out.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the effects upon the administration of justice, and upon the reputation of the Army, of soldiers charged with various offences appearing in Courts in their uniform; and whether, as in the case of policemen, the wearing of uniform on such occasions will be prevented?

I have seen certain remarks made by magistrates, but otherwise I have no information in the sense of the first part of the question. The position of soldiers and policemen is different. The latter wear plain clothes when off duty; the former have no plain clothes. I am afraid, therefore, my hon. Friend's suggestion is not easy to realise, though I recognise the point of view from which he makes it.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that an advance of wages has been granted to temporary writers employed in His Majesty's dockyards; and if he will give a corresponding advance to all temporary writers employed in War Department establishments?

The conditions are not identical in the two Services, but the question of the pay of writers in War Department employment is under consideration.

If the Government acquiesces in my hon. Friend's suggestion, will they take care that the same invidious distinctions are not made which are now being made in the case of temporary writers?

The whole question is under consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction which exists among ex-Territorials and Navy men now serving with the Colours at not receiving the proficiency pay granted to ex-soldiers of the Regular Army; and if he is prepared to lake action with a view to redressing their grievances?

This question is under consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if any decision has been arrived at with regard to an increase in the pay of officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force) so as to make their emoluments correspond with those of medical officers of the Regular and New Armies?

I regret that I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this subject.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether His Majesty's Government will take steps to reduce the scale of payments for billeting soldiers?

This question is under active consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the firm of Hepburn, Gale and Ross, leather manufacturers, Bermondsey, hold a contract with the Department; if so, whether he is aware that the wages paid by this firm are much lower than those paid by similar firms in the neighbourhood, and that girls employed on haversack and pack sewing, who have to buy their own thread, wax, and needles, can only earn about 3d. in an hour and a half; and whether he will have inquiries made with a view to the provisions of the Fair-Wages Clause being complied with?

The firm named holds contracts for the War Office. I have no knowledge of the facts alleged in the question, but I will have the matter inquired into and let the hon. Member know the result in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will state how many enemy aliens in India have been interned; how many are still at large; whether German missionaries, teachers, and bandmasters are included amongst those interned; and, if not, for what reason they are exempted?

I am unable to give figures as to the total number of enemy aliens interned or still at large in India; but as regards enemy alien missionaries, consisting for the most part of Germans, the figures at the beginning of last April were:—

What is the nature of the supervision exercised over German missionaries, seeing that they have great influence in large areas, in which each missionary is perhaps the only resident European?

It is all the supervision which the Government of India consider to be required in the circumstances of the case.

Why did they release on parole the German missionaries in India; surely they are impregnated with German ideas?

I am quite ready, in this matter, to trust in the discretion of the Government of India, who have acted, as I said in a previous answer to another question by my hon. Friend the Member for Yarmouth the other day, with great vigour in regard to it. The dealing with aliens in India is stricter, I think, than in this country.

Was not the Government of India satisfied that German influence had nothing to do with the apparently eccentric voyage of the "Komagota Maru," and is that now seriously maintained?

asked the Secretary of State for India if he can state what is the exact amount of pay to officers in the Indian Medical Service who are now employed with the field ambulances of the Expeditionary Force in France, and by how much their pay has been increased since it was stated that the rate of pay in future would be somewhat in excess of unemployed pay; and can he state whether any of the other grievances, of which the Indian medical officers at that time complained, have been redressed?

A lieutenant in the Indian Medical Service of two years' service employed with the Expeditionary Force in France who holds no specific appointment receives under the orders recently issued grade pay of Rs. 350 a month and staff pay of Rs. 100 a month, or Rs. 450 a month in all, as against unemployed pay of Rs. 420 a month. A lieutenant of less than two years' service likewise receives Rs. 450 a month, if at the time he left India he drew staff pay; otherwise he receives unemployed pay. A captain of less than five years' standing, who holds no specific appointment in France, receives grade pay of Rs. 400 a month and staff pay of Rs. 100 a month, or Rs. 500 a month in all, as against unemployed pay of Rs. 475 a month. These rates are exclusive of exchange compensation allowance. With regard to the second part of the question, the grievances represented in my hon. Friend's two questions of the 27th April have been remedied by the decision of the War Office described in answer to those questions.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) how many education authorities have received during the current and preceding financial years Grants to assist technical instruction for the glass industry; what is the total amount of those Grants in the two years; what number of students attend, or have earned Grants in, the classes so assisted; (2) whether he is aware that such technical instruction as has been given in recent years in glass manufacture has been directed more to the decorative than to the operative and productive sides of the industry; whether, in view of the complete failure of the supply of certain classes of glass products from Germany and Austria, steps are being taken, either under the special research proposals or by means emanating from the Board, to enlarge the range and increase the output of our glass industry; and (3) whether he can state, by recourse to figures and Reports readily available, the total amount of money from Grants, rates, endowments, fees, and other sources of income which has been expended by local educational authorities or university colleges in the year 1913–14 on instruction connected with the glass industry; and whether this amount will be increased during the current year?

Nineteen local education authorities have received Grant from the Board of Education during the current or the preceding financial years in respect of technical instruction for the glass industry. In the majority of these cases the instruction given related to design and the artistic treatment of glass rather than to the productive and operative sides of the industry. Owing to the fact that in the majority of cases the schools in which instruction was given were receiving a block Grant in respect of their work, it is impossible to state the total amount received from Government Grants and from other sources in respect of the glass industry classes, or the total amount of the expenditure on the classes. It would also be difficult, without considerable labour, to obtain the number of students attending classes relating to the glass industry only. The Board realises the importance of encouraging in every way technical instruction relating to the operative and productive sides of the industry, and are prepared to assist so far as is within their power any local authority which may desire to establish such classes. So far, however, there has not been much demand for such instruction from employers and workpeople, and I understand that the experience of the Department of Technology of the City and Guilds of London Institute, which has for many years offered examinations in glass manufacture, confirms the Board's experience in this matter.

asked the Prime Minister whether it has been decided that registration in the constituencies shall be dispensed with in the present year; and whether arrangements have been made which will secure to both parties the present status of registration until January, 1917?

I must refer the hon. Baronet to the answer which I gave on this subject on Monday last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the balance- sheet issued by the Shell Transport and Trading Company, showing an available balance of nearly £2,000,000, declaring dividend at the rate of 35 per cent., and carrying forward £436,000; whether his attention has been called to the report of Messrs. John Brown and Company, armament engineers, which shows that their net profits have increased from an average of just over £200,000 to £521,000 for 1914–15; and whether, in view of these results, any limiting of war profits will be retrospective?

I have seen statements in the newspapers respecting the profits of various firms. My right hon Friend the Minister of Munitions proposes to deal with the question of limitation of profits in armament establishments in introducing the Munitions Supply Bill later this afternoon.

Would the hon. Gentleman say whether or not the profits of the "Shell" Transport Company have for the last year before the War admitted of a dividend the same as that just declared, and whether he is aware that 95 per cent. of the business of the "Shell" Company is transacted abroad, and that therefore only a fraction of the profits referred to can have arisen from trading with the Government; and whether he can also state if the company have charged a higher price since the War to the Government, or whether prices in respect of the trade have continued upon a peace basis both as regards the Government and the public; and whether, in view of these facts, there is any justification for alleging "war profits" in regard to this company?

The hon. Member can hardly expect the Minister to answer that question without notice.

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty a question, of which I have given private notice, namely: Whether his attention has been called to a letter, dated the 22nd of last month, from the Secretary to the Admiralty addressed to Sir Marcus Samuel, signifying their Lordships appreciation of "valuable assistance"; whether the statement above named refers to supplies by the Shell Transport Company to the Admiralty; and whether special war profits have been made by the Shell Transport Company as far as the Admiralty are aware?

I have not had time to refresh my memory on this matter. I accept the hon. Baronet's reference to the letter, but, in regard to the points which he asks me to discuss, I must really ask for notice.

I will put a question on the Paper.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the irritation felt among the working classes at the advance of the price of meat and the public knowledge that, although the growers in New Zealand are selling to the Government at reasonable prices, unreasonable charges are being made to the working classes of England but for which retail butchers are not to blame, and in view of the suspicion in the minds of working-class consumers that his present Advisory Committee are agents of the monopolists and working for their advantage, he is prepared to appoint a committee consisting of one co-operator, one trade unionist, and one retail butcher to report to him on the best manner of disposing of the surplus meat; and whether these will, respectively, represent the Co-operative Wholesale Society, the Food Prices Committee of the Labour party, and the National Federation of Meat Traders' Associations?

I have to refer my hon. Friend to the answers given yesterday to his questions numbered 27 and 28. Representatives of the National Federation of Meat Traders' Associations have already been consulted as to the manner of placing on the market the meat not required for military purposes, and my right hon. Friend is not prepared to appoint a further Committee of the character suggested.

asked whether permits are being granted to aliens to leave the United Kingdom for the purpose of obtaining orders for British firms?

No such permits are granted to enemy aliens. In proper cases and after full inquiry such a permit is sometimes granted to an alien of allied or neutral nationality.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been directed to the conditions under which the German-owned product sanatogen is being manufactured and distributed in England; whether three Germans of military age are employed in such manufacture and distribution; whether sanatogen is being supplied to the Government for use in military hospitals; and, if so, whether, having regard to the methods adopted by the enemy, any steps could be taken to safeguard the conditions under which this product is manufactured and distributed?

I am informed that the business in question is conducted under a supervisor appointed by the Board of Trade. One German, who is of military age, is employed in the works at Penzance, and there are three in the London office. They will shortly be interned in accordance with the general policy. I am informed that the Army Council is not aware that sanatogen is being supplied for the use of military hospitals.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the number of persons in Ireland banished from their homes and places of livelihood under the Defence of the Realm Act, as distinguished from persons prosecuted?

Since the outbreak of War, thirteen persons in Ireland have been prohibited, by order of the competent military authority, in pursuance of Article No. 14 of the Defence of the Realm Regulations, from residing in, or entering into, the area specified in the order.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the number of persons in Ireland dismissed from positions in the public service and caused to be dismissed by private employers, respectively, under the Defence of the Realm Act, as distinguished from persons prosecuted?

I am not aware that any persons have been dismissed from the public service under the Defence of the Realm Acts, but I understand that the employment of eight persons has been terminated for conduct incompatible with the positions held by them and openly hostile to the Crown. I have no knowledge of any cases in which the Government have intervened to secure the dismissal of persons in private employment.

asked the Attorney-General if he is aware that German subjects in neutral countries who act publicly in the interest of their Fatherland are engaged in profitable trade with this country under the protection of our Navy; whether the Government intend such trading to be encouraged; if he is aware that Enrique Behn, of Valencia, entertains German officials whenever they visit Spain, and is now in regular communication with his branch at Hamburg, and is doing a large business in London; and whether his representative on the Baltic Exchange is an alien enemy?

I am not aware of the facts to which the hon. Member refers, and without a fuller statement I cannot say whether I have any powers in the matters to which he refers. Perhaps the hon. Member will be good enough to communicate to me a full statement, and I will consider it, if necessary, in conjunction with any other Department which may be concerned in the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the head mistress (after ten years' service) and two assistant mistresses of the Bromley (Kent) County School for Girls have been dismissed without any reason being assigned; that in consequence a state of revolt occurred among the 200 pupils who attend the school; that many expulsions resulted; that a resolution condemning the local sub-committee responsible for the dismissals has been passed at a large public meeting of parents and ratepayers held at Bromley; and whether, seeing that none of the mistresses has been given an opportunity of meeting any charge against her, he will consider the advisability of instituting an inquiry into the action of the local authority concerned, with a view to discovering why public servants, acknowledged to be capable and zealous, should be dismissed or be compelled to resign their posts without cause shown and without any charge either of professional in-competency or moral delinquency being brought against them?

My right hon. Friend is still in communication with the local education authority on this subject and will inform the hon. Member of the result of his inquiries.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the Great Northern Railway Company has decided to restore the 4.40 train from Armagh to Belfast; and if he will arrange for the later dispatch of the English mail from Armagh by this train as heretofore?

Yes, Sir, the English mail will be dispatched by the 4.40 train from Armagh on and after the 1st of next month.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the inadequate accommodation for the transaction of public business at the post office at Houghton-le-Spring; and will he say what steps he intends to take to remedy the inconvenience suffered by the public, and when this will be done?

This matter has already been under report, and steps are being taken to ascertain whether improved accommodation can be obtained.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take advantage of the presence of Sir Thomas Shaughnessy in London to ascertain, in view of the founding of peat industries in Ireland for the manufacture of fuel and charcoal, the probable extent of the Canadian demand for those commodities, the facilities for distribution there, and the prospect of a direct service of steamers between Canada and the West Coast of Ireland?

The inquiries suggested would, I think, be more properly made by the promoters of the enterprise which the hon. Gentleman has in view.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will say on whose evidence, or as the result of what experiments, the Department holds that wasteful hand-made fuel is a more profitable use of peat than efficient engine fuel, charcoal, gas, sulphate of ammonia, and acetic acid from the same substance by the Zohrab process, British throughout; will he say when and where the Department tested that process, and with what results; whether he recognises that the attitude of the Department amounts to prevention of an extensive industry and of the development of a native resource now lying idle; and, in view of the present prices for the commodities named and the willingness of some owners of extensive bogs in Ireland to place them at the disposal of the Department, will he say what the Department is doing or proposes to do in this matter?

In reply to the former portion of this question, I must refer the hon. Member to the very full reply given to him on 9th instant relative to the investigations carried out by the Department on the subject of various processes of manufacturing peat fuel by machinery. The Department have not, so far, inquired into the particular process referred to by the hon. Member. Their views in regard to the general question of hand-made as against machine-made peat fuel, as suitable to existing Irish conditions, were fully explained in the reply above referred to. The Department are at all times willing, so far as possible, to assist private enterprise in the development of the peat deposits of Ireland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether Dr. Edridge-Green was at any time requested by the Board of Trade to submit an efficient test for colour blindness; whether, as a result of considerable experimentation and original research, Dr. Edridge-Green devised that form of lantern which is now employed in the official tests in the Navy, and which, after slight modifications, was adopted by the Board of Trade; whether the Board offered to Dr. Edridge-Green any reward or acknowledgment of his services; and whether, in view of the importance of the material results which have followed from Dr. Edridge-Green's scientific researches, he will recommend him for a suitable reward?

Dr. Edridge-Green was at no time requested by the Board of Trade to submit a test for colour blindness. The lantern adopted by the Board for testing colour vision was not devised by Dr. Edridge-Green, but was devised by a Departmental Committee appointed in 1910 to investigate the question of sight tests. As regards the remainder of the question, the answer is in the negative.

Will the hon. Gentleman look into this question again personally, on the ground that the Board of Trade have simply taken Dr. Edridge-Green's invention and slightly altered it? Since the days of Thomas Young he is the only British man of science who has contributed valuable work in this particular field of research.

I have looked into the question this morning, and my information does not tally with the statement of the hon. Member; but I will look into the matter again.

Will the hon. Gentleman test the information?

I will look into the matter again.

Before you go back on the Questions, Mr. Speaker, may I ask whether it is in accordance with the rules of this House, if a question on the Notice Paper is withdrawn, that any Member of the House has a right to ask that question? The late Mr. Speaker Gully on one occasion gave me the right to ask a question which had been withdrawn. I therefore propose to ask Question No. 47, which has been withdrawn, if you will allow me to do so.

To ask the Prime Minister whether the highest possible authority accessible to him, upon whom he relied in making his statement at Newcastle that neither our Allies nor ourselves were hampered by our failure to provide ammunition, was Lord Kitchener or any other official in the War Office.]

The rule is that a question standing in the name of another hon. Member can only be asked with the assent of that hon. Member.

I beg to give notice that I will put the question on the Paper to-day.