asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether holders of Consols who have acquired their holdings through the Post Office Savings Bank will be permitted to convert their holdings into new War Loan stock on the same terms as other holders of Consols?

The answer is in the affirmative. A circular on the subject will shortly be issued.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether his Department will control the rail transport of war materials when produced; and whether he anticipates being able to take any steps to reduce the congestion on the railway systems of Great Britain caused by the present uneconomical use of railway goods rolling stock?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. The Railway Executive Committee have throughout Great Britain since the War began controlled all railway transport, and they have, under many difficulties, attained a great measure of success. It is not intended that the transport of munitions should be controlled by the Department of the Minister of Munitions. With regard to the last part of the question, the Railway Executive Committee have made such arrangements as they consider necessary for the common use of rolling stock.

asked the Chief Secretary (1) how many members of the Royal Irish Constabulary volunteered to join the Army at the time 200 were accepted; how many recruits have since joined the Royal Irish Constabulary; on what grounds a larger number of the Royal Irish Constabulary are not permitted to join the Colours; and (2) whether, in view of the fact that recruits for the Army are being called for, he will consider the desirability, with a view to stimulating recruiting in Ireland, of permitting a larger number of members of the Royal Irish Constabulary to join the Army as volunteers and, if necessary, of filling their places by re-employing constabulary pensioners?

In November, 1914, volunteers were called for from the Royal Irish Constabulary for service with the Irish Guards, applications being limited to unmarried constables between the ages of twenty and thirty-five. From this limited class 493 constables came forward, of whom 66 subsequently withdrew their names and 37 were removed from the list as being unsuitable on various grounds, 200 being finally selected. The vacancies created by the departure of the latter have not been filled, but some 260 recruits have since been enlisted to fill the ordinary wastage of the force. Recruiting was, however, entirely suspended on the 10th April last. The question of permitting the enlistment of a further number of volunteers is under consideration, and the possibility of utilising the services of constabulary pensioners has not been lost sight of; but I must point out that emergency legislation, and the necessity for active co-operation with the naval and military authorities during the War, has materially added to the duties normally devolving on the police.

asked how many gentlemen, nominated by the Lord Lieutenant, have joined the Royal Irish Constabulary as cadets since the outbreak of War; whether these gentlemen were of military age; and whether head constables of the force could have been found able and willing to perform the duties of district inspector?

Since the outbreak of War, four gentlemen nominated by the Lord Lieutenant, and all of military ages, have joined the Royal Irish Constabulary as cadets, while seven head constables have been promoted to the rank of district inspector in that period. Under the regulations of the force, one-half of the vacancies in that rank are filled by the appointment of cadets and one-half by the promotion of head constables. The maintenance of this proportion is very important in the interests of the force, but the Inspector-General is fully alive to the desirability of not making further appointments of men of military age during the period of the War. It is therefore proposed to suspend the nomination of cadets in that period, and when recruiting is resumed to give preference to gentlemen who have served in His Majesty's Forces during the War.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if a tender for clothing has been received from Messrs. Blum, Cohen, and Masser, of Leeds, a trade firm of good financial standing, and if such tender has been accepted and, if not, why; and will the War Office give further consideration to this matter?

An application has been received from this firm for a clothing contract. They were informed after inspection that their services were not likely to be required, but I am now arranging for a further inspection of their premises.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will have investigations made into the case of Mrs. Alice Chadwick, of 3, Guilford Street, Burnley, mother of Private J. L. Chadwick, No. 19875, 3rd East Lancashire Regiment; whether Private Chadwick made an allowance of 6d. a day from 26th March to his mother and a deduction of this amount was made from his pay from that date; whether Mrs. Chadwick has only received payment of the allotment and Government allowance from 24th April; and whether, if these facts are verified, he will have the balance paid to her?

The hon. Member has, I fear, been misinformed. Private Chadwick only made an allotment from 24th April, and his dependant has been paid from that date.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will have inquiries made into the case of Mrs. Whittaker, of Burnley, whose son, Benjamin Whittaker, sailor, No. 5,323, is now serving on His Majesty's ship "Cleopatra"; whether before this lad joined the Navy he handed over to his mother 24s. a week; whether she is now receiving only 5s. 6d. a week from the Admiralty; and whether, if this is found to be so, he will have the case revised, with a view to increasing her allowance?

My hon. Friend is correctly informed that Mrs. Whittaker is in receipt of 5s. 6d. a week from the Admiralty, being an allotment of 3s. 6d. a week from her son's wages and a separation allowance of 2s. a week. The contribution that this man made to his mother before his entry into His Majesty's service covered the cost of his board, and the local old age pension authorities have reported that the benefit that Mrs. Whittaker used to derive from his payment was 12s. 6d. a week. The Navy separation allowance to be granted to a dependant of an active service rating can in no circumstances, however, exceed half the amount of the man's current allotment. Consequently, Mrs. Whittaker is in receipt of an allowance of 2s. a week, being one-half of 3s. 6d. calculated to the sixpence above. If the man were to increase his allotment, it would be possible to increase the separation allowance as from the date on which the increase in allotment took effect. I may inform the hon. Member that the statutory Committee contemplated under the recommendations of the Select Committee on Naval and Military Services (Pensions and Grants) would have power to supplement allowances—in special cases, for instance, in which, although the man is doing his utmost for his dependants, the allowance which can be issued under the general regulations is judged to be inadequate.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if raw cotton is permitted to pass unhindered into Scandinavia; and can he state the quantities of raw cotton imported into Scandinavia during the last six months of the years 1913 and 1914, respectively, and also during the first three months of 1914 and of 1915?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The aggregate quantities of raw cotton imported into Norway, Sweden, and Denmark from all sources in the periods specified, according to the official trade returns of those countries, were as follows:—

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many persons of the ages of 16, 17, and 18 years were in Scotland committed to prison in default of payment of fines in 1914?

The figures are as follows:—

asked how many young persons within the meaning of the Children Act, 1908, were in 1914 received into prisons in Scotland either upon an adjournment of the proceedings or upon committal for trial?

Eleven were received on adjournment; none on committal.

asked how many male and female persons now undergoing penal servitude in Scotland for offences other than murder have been so kept for five years or longer but less than seven years, for seven years or longer but less than ten years, and for ten years or longer, respectively?

The numbers are as follows:—

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of there being nearly 900 boys and girls, over fifteen but under nineteen years of age, who were received in 1914 into Scottish prisons (apart from Borstal institutions), he will, with the object of reducing the number of youthful criminals, either introduce legislation or take other steps to restrict the action of the Scottish Courts which commit to prison so many youthful offenders?

I cannot undertake legislation on this subject at present, the more so as the Criminal Justice Administration Act, 1914, has recently come into force and may be expected to have a beneficial influence on the action of the Courts. I entirely sympathise with my hon. Friend's desire to reduce the number of juvenile offenders committed to prison, and shall take any steps short of legislation in the matter which seem advisable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male and female persons now undergoing penal servitude in England and Wales for offences other than murder have been so kept for five years or longer but less than seven years, for seven years or longer but less than ten years, and for ten years or longer?

A general Return of the length of sentences of persons now undergoing penal servitude is given in Appendix No. 7 of the last Report of the Directors of Convict Prisons. I cannot ask the Prison Department in present circumstances to undertake the labour of preparing further Returns.

asked how many persons of the ages of 16, 17, and 18 years were in England and Wales committed to prison in default of payment of fines in 1914?

There is no information available giving the exact particulars asked for; but during the year ended 31st March, 1914, 5,878 male prisoners between the ages of 16 and 21 were committed to prison on conviction, of whom 2,549 were committed in default of payment of fine.

asked if he will state in a form corresponding, as nearly as may be, to Appendix XII. to the Annual Report of the Commissioners for Scotland (page 23 f), what and how many punishments were inflicted in each prison and Borstal institution in England and Wales in 1914?

The nature and number of punishments inflicted in each prison and Borstal institution are funished yearly in the Annual Reports of the Prison Commissioners. The Returns for 1913–14 will be found at page 70 of the last Report of the Commissioners.

asked how many female persons are now undergoing penal servitude in England and Wales under commuted sentences of death pronounced for the murder of their children under the age of six months; and whether any such female person has been kept in penal servitude for a period exceeding three years?

Three females are now undergoing such sentences for the offence named. None has been in penal servitude for a period exceeding three years.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many persons of the ages of sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen were in Ireland committed to prison in default of payment of fines in 1914?

The following table gives, for the year 1914, the number of persons of the ages specified in the first column who were committed to prisons in Ireland in default of payment of fines.

asked how many male and female persons now undergoing penal servitude in Ireland for offences other than murder have been so kept for five years or longer but less than seven years, for seven years or longer but less than ten years, and for ten years or longer, respectively?

The following table gives the number of persons now undergoing penal servitude in Ireland for offences other than murder who have been kept in custody for the periods specified in the first column:—

asked the Home Secretary how many young persons within the meaning of the Children Act, 1908, were in 1914 received into prisons in England and Wales either upon remand or upon committal for trial?

The number of the young persons referred to is, I believe, very small, but the exact figures are not available. They could only be obtained by an expenditure of time and labour which I could not ask the Prison Department to undertake.

asked the Home Secretary whether there is a special Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police appointed to supervise the work of the Metropolitan Police in relation to children and young persons within the meaning of the Children Act, 1908; and, if not, whether he will appoint such an Assistant Commissioner?

The plan recommended in this question is already adopted. All matters relating to children and young persons, except cases connected with the "white slave" traffic, are specially assigned to one Assistant Commissioner and are dealt with by him. The excepted cases are specially assigned to another Assistant Commissioner

asked the Chief Secretary whether the terms of purchase agreed upon directly between the Marquess of Conyngham and the tenants on the Glenties portion of his estate, securing all fishing and game rights on the Owenea to the tenants, will be adhered to by the Congested Districts Board; whether it is for the corresponding rights on the portion of the river below Glenties and on the estuary the £2,276 has been paid; whether he is aware that the purchase agreements offered by the Board for signature of tenants whose farms abut on the river and estuary comprise a clause surrendering unconditionally the entire fishing and game rights which they have hitherto enjoyed; whether he is aware that the Board has appropriated those rights and offered them to owners on other estates who never enjoyed those rights and who purchased their holdings ten years ago without any such rights from landlords who had no rights on the river or estuary at the time of sale; seeing that the Board's refusal to carry out the resale is a growing loss to those tenants, will he specify the statutory authority under which the Board withholds from tenants willing to buy at cost price their holdings with the appurtenant rights previously held and enjoyed by them; whether compensation for malicious injury to the Board's property on one side of the estuary has been levied off tenants on the other side on the evidence of a local official, in whose shop in Ardara fish stolen from the Board's boat are for sale; whether the place where the property was injured is the same in which Mr. Inspector Brown and the police found that the Board's fishermen had buried a bag of fish; will he say why no prosecution ensued on that discovery; will he state the total expenditure by the Board on the fishing and guarding, the net profit, if any, and the amount levied as compensation; what reason there is for the present wasteful management, hostile to the tenants, in view of the tenants' offer to submit the whole matter to arbitration and to help gratuitously in protecting the fish; and whether he will relieve the deadlock by granting a public sworn inquiry into the entire dispute?

I am informed that in the abortive negotiations which took place between the Marquess of Conyngham and his tenants, the fishing rights below the bridge and mill of Glenties were reserved from sale. The Congested Districts Board, on the other hand, who have purchased the entire rights of the Marquess of Conyngham over all the Owenea river and estuary with the bed of the river for the price named, are prepared to discuss any reasonable proposal for the transfer of the entire right and not merely of those on the upper waters. The tenants whose holdings abut on the river and estuary were not asked to surrender any fishing rights, inasmuch as so far as the Board are aware they did not enjoy them, and the position is that a small number of these tenants have declined to sign agreements for the purchase of their holdings unless these rights are conveyed to them. The Board have not appropriated the rights, but have purchased them from the owner, and some two years ago they outlined a scheme under which all the riparian tenant purchasers on the Conyngham and some smaller estates along all the river and estuary would be granted equal rights through local trustees and become beneficial owners of the whole fishery. This scheme was not even discussed owing to the opposition of objecting tenants on the Conyngham estate. As the Board are of opinion that no rights of fishing were appurtenant to the tenants' holdings under the Marquess of Conyngham, and as they are willing to sell these rights to the tenants if they sign the necessary purchase agreements, they do not agree with the interpretation placed on their attitude in the fifth part of the question.The order in respect of compensation for malicious injury to the Board's boat and net was made by the County Court judge after hearing evidence. The Board, who are unaware of the names of the persons who committed these injuries, cannot state upon which side of the river or estuary they reside, and they have no knowledge of the sale of stolen fish referred to. A bag containing salmon was found, but there was not sufficient evidence to prove by whom the bag was put where it was found, and no prosecution was accordingly instituted. The Board cannot at present state the amount of their expenditure on the fishery, but they will be prepared, when a settlement has been arrived at, to give particulars there of and of their receipts. The sum ordered to be levied as compensation for malicious injury was £13 and costs. The question is not one for arbitration or for a public sworn inquiry under an Act of Parliament. The issue raised by the objecting tenants is as to their rights or property in the Owenea Fishery, and this question could be decided only in a Court of Law. The attitude of the Board throughout has been, as I have already stated, that they are willing to meet the tenants in any reasonable proposal in which their rights, for which they have paid a substantial sum, are not prejudiced.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether any and, if so, what steps have been taken to transfer the Loan Fund Board in Ireland to the Department, as recommended by the Commission on Agricultural Credit?

The Department, at the request of the Irish Government, have furnished their views in regard to the proposal in question. The matter is at present under consideration.