asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take into consideration the propriety of vetoing the official quotations for enemy bonds, having regard to the fact that neutral nations are liable to be favourably impressed by such apparent British backing?

The only enemy bonds which can be dealt in on the Stock Exchange are bonds which have been continuously in physical possession in the United Kingdom since the outbreak of War, and practically the only transactions which take place in such bonds are sales by British holders for foreign account. As such sales increase the liquid resources of this country at the expense of funds abroad seeking investment in enemy securities, which, in the absence of facilities for obtaining the bonds in question, would be likely to be employed in purchasing new securities of enemy governments, and so directly assisting enemy finance, I am of opinion that it is in the national interest that the transactions should be encouraged by the continuance of official quotations of the bonds referred to.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will state the relative average prices of wheat, flour, and the quartern loaf of bread on the 1st May, the 1st August, and the 1st September in the current year; and (2) whether the heavy fall in the price of wheat and flour throughout the country has been fully reflected in the current price of a loaf of bread; and, if not, what steps, if any, is the Board taking in the interests of the very poor to ensure that it shall be so reflected?

The prices in London of two typical grades of wheat, and of a standard quality of flour on the Monday preceding the 1st of May, August, and September, 1915, respectively, and the predominant prices of bread in London on the 1st of each of these months, are as under. Owing to variations in grades and descriptions average prices of wheat and flour for the country generally are not completely comparable:— — May, 1915. August, 1915. September, 1915. Wheat (London quotations)— No.1 Northern Manitoba (ex-ship), per quarter of 496 lbs. 71s. 60s. 6d. 59s. 3d. English White (delivered), per quarter of 504 lbs. 62s., 66s. 58s., 61s. * 57s., 59s. 6d. Flour— London Town Households, No. 1 (ex-mill, less usual discount), per sack 51s. 6d. 43s. 6d. 42s. 6d Bread— Predominant prices in London, per 4 lbs. 8½d. 7½d. and 8d. 7½d. and 8d. * These prices relate to 23rd August, as after that date the only quotations are for new wheat, and these are not fairly comparable with those for 1st May and 1st August.

The price of bread on a given date is obviously affected by the price of flour at a somewhat earlier date, and having regard to this fact it would appear that the fall in the price of bread has followed, approximately, the usual course, namely, that a fall in the price of flour of about 4s. per sack entails a fall of ½d. per four pounds of bread. As, therefore, the keen competition among bakers to secure the trade would seem to have regulated the price in accordance with the usual practice in times of peace it does not seem necessary to take any special steps. The matter is, however, being carefully watched.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give the names of the German papers to which the articles mentioned in No. 24, of Cd. 8012, were addressed?

The names are as follows: "Hamburger Fremdenblatt," "Magdeburgische Zeitung," "Kolnische Volkszeitung," "Munchener Neueste Nachrichten," "Schlesische Zeitung," die "Zeit" (Vienna), "Weser-Zeitung," (Bremen), "Hannoverscher Courier," "Karls-ruher Tagblatt," "Berliner Lokal-Anseiger," and der "Artist" (Dusseldorf).

I desire to take this opportunity to correct an inaccuracy in the summary given in the White Paper of the contents of these eleven envelopes. They do not all contain, as stated, copies of the same newspaper article. The first five, in the order enumerated above, contain the article entitled "The Rage of Impotence," the next four an article entitled "A Final Cry of Anxiety," the next an article entitled

"The Revelations of the New York World," and the last an article entitled "News from America." All the articles are by the same author.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there is a likelihood of another exchange of invalid prisoners in the near future?

According to the arrangement made through the American Embassy at Berlin the next exchange of invalid civilian and of incapacitated military and naval prisoners of war will take place on 6th and 7th October and, thereafter, on the 6th and 7th of every month.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can give figures showing how many boys and girls have, since the War began, received certificates of proficiency permitting them to leave school and be employed; and whether he will publish in the Votes such figures as are readily available showing the number of such certificates of proficiency issued by inspectors of the Board of Education to boys and girls in elementary schools, both for some period since the War began and a corresponding prewar period?

The Board are not in possession of information which would enable them to furnish the figures asked for. I will consider whether the information can be collected without excessive labour. I may, however, point out that the information would throw no light on the number of children under fourteen who have entered employment, since many children obtain exemption otherwise than by a certificate of proficiency.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Regulations under which certificates of proficiency are given entitling children of eleven years of age and upwards to be withdrawn from school and employed were fixed in 1901; and whether, in view of medical inspection of school children having been since introduced, he will now revise those Regulations in order to secure that no child shall be employed with a certificate of proficiency unless medically certified by the school doctor to be capable of being so employed without danger to his or her health?

The Regulations as to certificates of age, proficiency, and school attendance at present in force were made in 1901. The Board would have no power to make a general regulation that no child should be exempted from attendance at school for purpose of employment unless medically certified by the school doctor to be capable of being so employed without danger to his or her health. Where it is a condition of exemption that the employment should be benefical, authorities in considering whether this condition is fulfilled would naturally satisfy themselves that the employment is not injurious to the child's health. I may also point out that a certificate from the certifying surgeon is required before a child or young person under sixteen can be employed in a factory, and that the Employment of Children Act, 1903, contains provisions for safeguarding the health of children in other employments.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, recognising the importance of increasing to the fullest degree possible the tillage area in Ireland so as to ensure an adequte supply of food in the future as well as to help in counteracting the steadily growing adverse trade conditions, and in view of the recommendations of the Departmental Committee in Ireland on war production, he is prepared to give effect without delay to such recommendations, by providing sufficient financial inducements and guarantees as will enable the Irish farmers to till more of their lands; and whether he will specially consider the advisability of taking immediate steps to have the thousands of acres of arable land now in possession of the Congested Districts Board, and lying idle, allocated to small farmers so that they may be put under crops next season?

The Departmental Committee to which the hon. Member refers made their recommendation that the Government should guarantee a minimum price in the case of wheat and oats contingent on a decision which the Government have not considered it necessary to take, and the prices of agricultural produce now ruling and likely to rule will, it is believed, lead the farmers in Ireland, as elsewhere, to increase the general agricultural output without reference to bonuses or guarantees from Government sources. The proposal to allot to small farmers the grazing lands now in possession of the Congested Districts Board is not practicable until these lands can be distributed for that relief of congestion for which they have been acquired, and, in the meantime, it is considered that they can most advantageously be used for the grazing of cattle owned by small farmers. It is the vast bulk of the land in Ireland that is already in the permanent occupation of farmers that can best be utilised for the immediate raising of crops which would serve as substitutes, for imported food-stuffs.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state on whose report it has been decided to refuse any grant to the three tenants on the Longford estate whose turbary face bank was destroyed to make a rifle range for the 5th service battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment; whether he will inquire through the local police whether these tenants have cut any turf this year on this bog; and whether it is the policy of the War Office to refuse a small allowance in cases of such grievance?

Exhaustive inquiries have been made on the spot by the War Department Property agent and adviser, who has interviewed three of the four tenants concerned. As I informed the hon. Member on the 21st instant, they are not found to have suffered any loss, and they all cut their turf as usual.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will state what are the reasons which influence the Board in refusing the request of the Cheshire education authority to be allowed to close the Kerridge Wesleyan school, having regard to the fact, as previously pointed out to the Board, that the school is, a small one with only about twenty-two children over five years of age on its books; that the authority has undertaken, with the consent of the Board of Education, considerable expense in improving and enlarging the premises of the Bollington council school, which was formerly a Wesleyan school under the same trustees as the Kerridge Wesleyan school, on an understanding with the trustees that the Kerridge school would be closed when the alterations in the Bollington council school were completed, as is now the case; that if the Kerridge school were closed every child attending it would have the choice of a council school, a Church of England school, and a Roman Catholic school within 1¼ miles of his home; and that the cost of maintenance of the Kerridge school has been for the last year more than £7 per child, which is out of all proportion to confers on the neighbourhood; whether he will encourage local authorities to reduce their expenditure, especially if such reduction can be accompanied, as in this case, by greater educational efficiency; and whether, in view of these and other points laid before the Board by the education authority, the Board will reconsider its refusal to allow the school to be closed?

In dealing with cases of proposed closure of small schools, the Board are bound to act in a judicial capacity, and by Section 9 of the Act of 1902 they are directed in determining whether a school is necessary or not to have regard to the interests of secular instruction, to the wishes of parents as to the education of their children, and to the economy of the rates. After careful consideration of the representations of the local education authority and the petitions against the closure of the school submitted by the managers and parents of children I attending it, who are all "infants" or children in Standard I., the Board came to the conclusion that the balance of advantage was not sufficiently clear to justify them in determining that the school was unnecessary. Subsequently the Board received a deputation from the authority, and wrote informing them that if they thought fit to renew their application in the spring it would receive further consideration upon its merits. Subject to the statutory limitation of their powers, the Board are, of course, anxious to encourage any reduction of expenditure which is accompanied by greater educational efficiency.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether he can state the result of serum experiments for the prevention of swine fever; and whether he is able to say when the Report will be issued?

The Report to which the hon. Member refers forms an appendix to the recently published final Report of the Departmental Committee on Swine Fever. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.