asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the appeals for funds from the Young Men's Christian Association to enable them to carry on their work of assisting soldiers arriving from the front, and if he will make inquiry as to whether the Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, could be obtained and permission given to fit it with beds for soldiers; if the suggestion has been made that temporary beds might be fitted up for soldiers arriving in the middle of the night; and if he will make inquiry as to the temptations held out to soldiers in the Waterloo Road?

I am not aware of any appeals for funds to the general public by the Young Men's Christian Association for the purpose named. The association has already erected a hut for the use of soldiers in Waterloo Road, also a second in Euston Square, and they are now erecting a third and fourth for the use of soldiers and officers in Grosvenor Gardens. My hon. Friend's suggestion with regard to the Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, would certainly be considered if any provision for financing it could be made. Now that leave trains from the Expeditionary Force arrive in the middle of the day, and not by night, accommodation by night is not often required. If found necessary action to provide further accommodation than is available will be taken. The attention of the Provost Marshal and his staff is constantly directed to the matter referred to in the last part of the question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that discontent exists among our soldiers in France, owing to the manner in which leave is being granted; whether he is aware that many soldiers have not had leave at all, although they have served over twelve months at the front, while others are allowed leave within two or three months of their arrival, and that soldiers after being wounded are returned direct to the front without any leave; and, having regard to this, whether he will consider the question of making some improvement in the arrangement for leave?

The House is aware, and I have constantly stated, that this matter is one for the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief. But as I receive such numerous representations, which show that the matter is one of general interest, I am writing privately to the Commander-in-Chief on the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many man who have joined the Army have since reported that they did not understand that at the time of their attestation they were consenting to undergo vaccination or revaccination; and will he give instructions that the questions put to intending recruits shall be distinctly read over to them and the answers they give accepted by the recruiting officers, in order to avoid the possibility of men who are strongly opposed to vaccination undertaking inadvertently to submit to that operation?

I cannot understand how any man can be ignorant of his liabilities in this respect. The question, "Are you willing to be vaccinated or revaccinated?" is put to every man who enlists in the Regular Army, and the answer he gives is entered on the attestation paper immediately. Further, the magistrate or attesting officer is required to sign a certificate that the questions on the attestation paper were read to the recruit in his presence and that he has taken care that the recruit understands each question and that the answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to, and that the recruit has made and signed a declaration before the magistrate or attesting officer. I do not see what further precautions can be taken.

Suppose a man objects; will he still be enlisted?

No, he will not.

asked whether Lord Derby's scheme has up to the present time proved satisfactory; whether the number of recruits joining daily, if continued in the same numbers up to 11th December, will be sufficient to prevent Conscription; if not, and Conscription must be introduced, will he take steps to exempt Ireland and any other town or city that has given their fair share of recruits to the Army; and whether he is aware that if Conscription is forced on Ireland it will be resisted by drilled and armed forces?

I cannot undertake at the present moment to answer the hon. Member's question. I very much deprecate the threat contained in the last paragraph.

May I ask whether, in regard to the allusion in the question to drilled and armed forces he proposes to extend the Volunteer Bill to Ireland?

That does not arise, but if the hon. Member will give me notice, I will answer it.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his. attention has been directed to the case of Private R. Armstrong, who joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers ten months ago and was recently discharged from the Service on medical grounds; whether he is aware that this soldier was sent under escort from Netley for the purpose of being placed in Maybole poorhouse; that he was taken under warrant to the poorhouse and indignantly refused to enter the same, desiring to be taken to his wife and four children in Sheffield; that the escort then disclaimed further responsibility and left the soldier, who had only 2s. 6d. between him and want; that a doctor who examined the man said there was nothing wrong with him mentally and that he was suffering from nervous debility; whether the authorities will make efforts to find this man and afford him free travelling facilities to his wife at Sheffield; and whether steps will be taken to prevent anything similar happening to other soldiers?

I have not yet received the report which I called for. Perhaps my hon. Friend will repeat this question.

asked whether the Borough of Windsor has been removed from the Home District and transferred to the Aldershot Command; and, if so, what is the reason of this change?

By "the Home District" I think my hon. Friend refers to the London District. Windsor is within the London District to the same extent as it has always been—that is to say, the General Officer Commanding the London District commands the Household Troops at Windsor.

asked what are the hours on duty of V.A.D. nurses in military hospitals; and what off-duty time is allowed each week and month?

If I stated the hours on duty, and also the hours off duty, I should be giving two different statements for the same thing. I will therefore state the times off duty. These consist of three hours every day, either from 9.30 to 12.30 p.m., or from 2 to 5 p.m., or from 5 to 8 p.m., and half a day every week from 2 to 10 p.m., and a whole day every month from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. of the following day. The nurses are called at 6.30 a.m., and they proceed to their rooms at 10 p.m. The regulation time-table is adhered to so far as circumstances will permit, but in times of stress it may have to be modified.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that certain nurses have to work fourteen hours a day at a stretch, and are not allowed to leave the hospital?

If my hon. Friend tells me that that is so, no doubt it is so; but I think it is a very rare case, and it would be one of the cases I have spoken of as occurring in times of stress.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received any official information to the effect that His Majesty's Consul and the manager of the Imperial Bank of Persia at Shiraz have been made prisoners, and, if so, by whom were they made prisoners and by whose orders; and whether the Consul has a Consular guard; and, if so, whether they were powerless to intervene, or what occurred?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative.

The arrest of the persons in question and seizure of property was carried out by the gendarmerie, but without the knowledge of the Persian Government. It was an act of unprovoked brigandage.

Details have only just been received, and when possible a fuller communication will be made to the Press.

Information has also been received that the gendarmerie, under its foreign officers, is in open revolt against the Persian Government, and has cut telegraph lines, and seized and robbed road toll-houses and offices.

Our information is that all this has happened in defiance of the Persian Government, who resent the conduct of the gendarmerie and their officers.

asked what has been done by the Government by way of furnishing the Serbian people with sufficient food to protect them from starvation?

Everything possible has been done, and His Majesty's Government are actively engaged in endeavours, in concert with their Allies, to provide early and sufficient supplies of food.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that the writers and temporary foreman employed in the field stores, Aldershot, are now working from twelve to eighteen hours per week overtime, for the first three hours of which they receive no extra pay; and, in view of the fact that the wages of some of these men are as low as 24s. per week, if he will consider the matter, with a view to paying the men reasonable overtime rates for all hours worked, in exactly the same way as other workmen are dealt with?

I am fully aware of the circumstances of this case, which I have very carefully considered. These men are paid at a rate fixed to cover all overtime necessary under normal conditions; but as a special concession, in view of the War, they are paid for overtime in excess of three hours a week. For writers, this means payment for all hours in excess of forty-five.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether Colonial allowance of 3s. a day is paid in Egypt to all officers of the Royal Army Medical Corps whose stay in Egypt exceeded fourteen days; whether this applies to temporary lieutenants there whose stay in that country often extends to six months or a year; if not, will he say why this exception is made to this particular class of officer; and will he see that in future equality of treatment of all officers is carried out?

Temporary lieutenants serve under a special contract at a rate of pay explicitly fixed to cover all cash allowances.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office on whose information he stated that no hay had been commandeered in Westmeath; whether he is now in a position to explain how it was that at that time the military authorities were dealing with complaints from persons in Westmeath whose hay had been commandeered for military purposes; what the rule is on which the military authorities inform an owner in Ireland that he should never have purchased the particular class of hay that suits him; and how it is that no such powers are exercised in Great Britain?

No hay whatever has been requisitioned in Westmeath. The methods adopted for buying hay in Ireland are similar to those in England and Scotland. Throughout the United Kingdom, producers are asked to give the military authorities first refusal of a certain class of hay required for the horses overseas, and consumers are asked not to consume this special class of hay if wanted for Army purposes. It is only in cases where hay has been disposed of in spite of these directions that resort is had to requisitioning.

The hon. Gentleman has. not answered the first question—from whom did he derive the information with respect to Westmeath at a time when hay was actually being commandeered there?

I am informed that no hay has been commandeered. Of course, I derive my information from those who are responsible for giving it to me.

Will the hon. Gentleman make inquiry into the matter if I put into his hands the correspondence from the military authorities?

Yes; if the hon. Gentleman can give me any accurate information bearing on the question, certainly I will.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the War Economy Committee of the Cabinet has not met for two months; when it is proposed to resume its sittings; and whether he has in contemplation any immediate and drastic measures for checking the extravagent consumption of luxuries imported from abroad?

The Cabinet Committee on Finance is sitting regularly. The Treasury Committee on Retrenchment, having taken evidence from most of the large English Departments, is about to consider the question of economies in Ireland. As regards the last part of the question, I am unable at present to add anything to my answer to the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth, on the 18th instant.

asked from what date the new scale of valuation of securities will be applied; whether it is intended to apply it from the date when minimum prices were first imposed; and, if not, what is the objection to or difficulty in so applying it?

The arrangement referred to in my reply of the 23rd September last to my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Lanarkshire, takes effect in all cases in which the date for the determination of value is subsequent to the issue of the prospectus of the New War Loan, namely, the 21st June last.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether there is already a number of men in the British hospitals in France suffering from frozen feet as a result of not being supplied with rubber knee-boots; and whether he is aware that Sir Francis Ley, baronet, was anxious to supply rubber boots to some 300 men who have enlisted from his works at Derby, but that he was discouraged from doing so by the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores, who informed Sir Francis on the 15th September last that an ample supply of rubber boots of a special pattern was being sent out to France and to the Dardanelles to meet the requirements of all the troops?

I regret to say that there are a certain number of men in hospital in France suffering in their feet, but there is nothing to show that this is due to the absence of rubber boots. Rubber boots of special pattern reaching to the top of the thigh are supplied to men in the trenches. The knee-boots which Sir Francis Ley generously offered to provide were not considered suitable for the trenches.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, in his campaign for economy, his attention has been called to the number of golf courses in Scotland that are now unutilised or only occasionally utilised; and whether he can get the local authorities to take action for amalgamation or otherwise so that the men em- ployed on these courses may be relieved for the more urgent requirements of the-country?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I do not doubt that local authorities or others concerned in the management of golf courses in Scotland will have regard to the national needs, in the matter of employment, and to the recommendations as respects golf courses contained in the recent Report of the; Scottish Committee on Food Production.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the approximate national wealth and the national yearly income of the British Empire, namely, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia,. South Africa, New Zealand, India, and Ceylon, Crown Colonies, Possessions, and Protectorates, including Egypt?

The information available will not, I fear, enable me to give anything but very rough estimates in reply to my hon. Friend's question. It has, however, been computed by statisticians that the capital wealth of the British Empire-amounts roughly to £26,000,000,000, and its yearly income to £4,000,000,000.

Plenty of money to goon with, then!

asked if farmers who elect to be assessed for Income Tax under Schedule D will pay on their returns for the last complete year, or will they be assessed on their average returns for the last three years?

The basis of assessment under Schedule D would be the average profits of the three preceding years.

What will the basis be ire the case of a farmer taking up a new tenancy less than three years before the time he wishes to be assessed under Schedule D?

The last one or two years of the period.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether any, and, if so, how many, schemes for the reclamation and cultivation of waste land have been submitted and approved by the Board since the beginning of the War, and the extent of the land comprised in such schemes?

A number of suggestions for reclaiming waste land have been received by the Board, but no schemes for the reclamation and cultivation of such land have been submitted to and approved by the Board. My hon. Friend will realise that under the Development and Road Improvement Funds Act the Board of Agriculture are only in a position to make recommendations on these matters.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) whether any schemes for reclamation and cultivation have been prepared by the Development Commissioners; what is the extent of the land comprised in such schemes; and (2) whether the Development Commissioners have had submitted to them since the beginning of the War any and, if so, how many schemes for the reclamation and cultivation of waste land; what extent of land is comprised in such schemes; and whether such schemes have been approved?

A scheme of reclamation of 200 acres prepared by the Development Commissioners is being carried out in Norfolk. Since the outbreak of war a scheme has been submitted to and approved by the Commissioners for the reclamation of 16,000 acres of flooded lands in the Feltwell Fen. No other definite schemes have been prepared by, or since the beginning of the War submitted to, the Development Commissioners, though in numerous cases preliminary proposals have been sent in and surveys have been made of tracts of land with a view to the preparation of such schemes, if the areas are found to be suitable and if proper financial and administrative arrangements can be made. Grants for such surveys have been made in various cases from the Development Fund. I shall be happy to give the hon. Member information as to any particular reclamation proposals in which he is interested.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that 499,233 quarters of barley and malt have been exported to neutral countries between the months of November, 1914, and October, 1915, against 63,911 quarters in the corresponding period of 1913–14, and of the shortage and high prices consequent upon this excessive export and the reduction in the acreage of barley grown in Great Britain, he will entirely stop the issue of licences for further export?

No applications to export barley have been approved since July last, and the export of malt is being severely restricted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the generosity shown by the Oversea Dominions and the Crown Colonies in their gifts for war relief purposes to the Mother Country and her Allies, he will publish a complete statement so that the public may know the full extent to date of this practical sympathy?

My answer given to the hon. Member for North Somerset on 20th October explained what had been done up to that date to make public these welcome proofs of generosity and sympathy, and it is proposed at the end of the War to issue a comprehensive list of all the gifts which have been received from His Majesty's Oversea Dominions. In the meantime particulars of gifts received continue to be published through the medium of the Press Bureau.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether all persons employed on the staff of the House of Commons in the Department of the Serjeant-at-Arms have now been granted bonuses to meet the increased cost of living due to the War; and, if not, will he state in which Departments and at what dates, respectively, such bonuses have been granted?

I am informed that no War bonuses have been granted in any Department of the House.

Is it not the case that war bonuses have been granted to the police staff of the House, to those employed in the ventilation and cleaning departments, and to other departments; if so, is there any particular reason why the bonuses should be withheld from a poorly paid class of employés?

The remuneration of the staff of the House of Commons is not under the control of the Treasury, but I made inquiries from the officials of the House of Commons, and that is the information I have obtained for the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has considered whether it would be possible for the Government to take over by mutual arrangement for the duration of the war all British shipping needed for and in connection with the war, under a system which would insure liberal and acceptable terms to the shipowners, placing the management of all such ships in the hands of an executive drawn from their number on lines analogous to those now existing in respect to the control and management of the British railways; and whether he will consider the advisability of such an arrangement so as to avoid inefficiency and waste, to avert the increase and fluctuation in freights, and ensure the best and most economical use being made of all ships during the war in the interests of the nation and the owners?

The whole question of the control of merchant shipping, including the possibility of making some such arrangement as that suggested by my hon. Friend, has been considered by the Government, and two Orders in Council were made on 10th November. The first prohibits British ships from carrying cargo from one foreign port to another foreign port except under licence; and the second gives power to requisition merchant ships for the carriage of foodstuffs and other necessary supplies to this country. Strong expert Committees have been appointed to carry these Orders in Council into effect, and they are now at work.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet come to an arrangement for fixing maximum retail prices for coal in the Metropolitan area for the winter; whether he is aware that the prices of trolley coal cannot be kept at reasonable levels except by wide publicity being given to agreed maximum prices; and whether in view of the helplessness of the poorest classes of coal consumers in London, the Board of Trade is to allow the winter to pass without protecting at any rate these consumers by stating definitely what the price of trolley coal ought to be?

The principal London merchants have agreed not to raise the present advertised prices of coal without previous communication with the Board of Trade. I am in negotiation with the merchants who are parties to the arrangement for limiting merchants' charges with a view to enforcing a fixed relation between the advertised prices per ton and the prices of coal sold in small quantities from trolleys and in shops. Due publicity will be given to an arrangement as to the sale of coal in small quantities which will, I hope, be soon completed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the list of prices of coal recently published by the Workers' War Emergency Committee as being its calculation of what reasonable retail prices should be, on a basis of the agreements relating to prices of coal published by the Board of Trade, is accepted as correct by the Board of Trade; and, if not, whether the Board will indicate where errors are to be found in the list so that consumers may know when they are being asked to pay unfair prices?

I am unable to accept as accurate in all its details the list of prices to which the hon. Member refers, more particularly in view of the fact that that list prescribed identical prices for all districts in London. I have no reason to suppose that the prices now advertised by the leading coal merchants are not in accordance with the arrangement entered into between them and my Department. The Board of Trade will investigate the grounds for any complaint brought to their notice by consumers.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the Isle of Wight the cost of coal is over 70s. a ton?

No, Sir; I was not aware of that fact. Some time ago I suggested to local authorities in the Isle of Wight that they might complete arrangements similar to those we have made in London. I hope that they might find them useful.

Will the right hon. Gentleman offer those suggestions to the coal merchants in other districts besides the Isle of Wight?

I have communicated with the authorities in every local area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been drawn to the prices charged for food and fuel in Dublin and district; and whether he will appoint a Commission to investigate as to the justification for such charges and also invest the said Commission with powers to fix a fair standard of prices from month to month?

I am informed that the prices charged for the principal articles of household consumption in Dublin are about the same as those charged in the leading centres in Great Britain. The desirability of appointing a Committee of Inquiry is a matter on which my hon. Friend should address himself to my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state in what sense the business of A. Wulfing and Company, trading as the Sanatogen Company, of 12, Chenies Street, London, is a branch of some business carried on elsewhere by Johann A. Wulfing, a German alien enemy; whether he is aware that the London manager of this business, Max Muller, a German alien enemy of military age, has recently dismissed four English employés of the firm, which dismissal is now the subject of a law suit; and whether he will take steps to appoint a controller of this business, and thus relieve English employés from liability to dismissal by a German alien enemy?

The business of A. Wulfing and Company, of London, is a branch of a German business in the sense that there is a separate establishment and management in this country, which was subject before the War to the control of J. A. von Wulfing, the proprietor of the business carried on both in this country and in Germany. I am aware that the London manager recently dismissed four English employés, who have instituted proceedings; but I do not think it necessary to apply to the Court for the appointment of a controller on that account. As I told the hon. and learned Gentleman on Tuesday last, I appointed a supervisor of the business in the month of October, 1914.

Will the right hon. Gentleman take steps to prevent English employés of this firm holding important posts being dismissed from those posts by this German alien enemy?

I am afraid I cannot answer that question without notice. There may be many grounds for the dismissal of a servant that would have nothing whatever to do with the German ownership of the firm.

Is it not the fact that this Max Muller is a German of military age, and ought he not to be interned?

I know nothing about that.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware when he speaks of this business having a branch in England that this man von Wulfing is the business: there is no company whatever?

In answer to questions put to me on previous occasions I have described quite fully the status of the firm, and I would refer hon. Members to those answers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that practically the whole of the leather used for Army boot purposes is of British manufacture; that American leather has been tried and proved a failure; and can he explain how it happens that, if the British leather trade can supply leather in sufficient quantities and of the requisite quality to meet the requirements of Army conditions, the Admiralty are unable to adopt an all-British specification for Navy boots?

I understand that the greater part of the Army boots are now British throughout, though I am not aware that the facts are as stated in the second part of my hon. Friend's question. With regard to the third part of the question, the seaman's boot is required to be suitable for conditions entirely different from those existing in the case of the Army boot. A different class of upper leather is therefore used in the Navy boot, and, although preference is given to British-made leather, it has not hitherto been found possible to obtain sufficient quantities of boots to meet the whole of the requirements without admitting a certain proportion of foreign upper leather of the class referred to.

Is it not a fact that the English boot can be obtained at the same price as the American boot?

The latter part of the answer shows that is not so, but recently we were very glad and able to accept a tender for all-British shoes in a particular case.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that all leather used previous to the War for the uppers of Navy boots was of German manufacture; that the only source now available for leather other than this country is America, and that, as very little American leather is now available, practically the whole of the Admiralty contracts are being carried out with leather of British manufacture; that if quotations for an all-British specification were united the net result of an all-British specification would not cost the Admiralty any more than they are paying at the present time; and that boots made of American leather purchased for the Navy in the early days of the War were found to be wanting in many respects; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The statements made by my hon. Friend do not appear to be in accordance with the facts. The policy of the Admiralty is to give preference to British leather, and to accept no foreign leather except in so far as sufficient boots with uppers of British leather cannot be obtained at reasonable prices. The major part of our supplies of boots are already all-British, and I hope that it will be possible to increase the proportion in future without departing from the principle which I have indicated.

Then will the right hon. Gentleman say why the Admiralty are not prepared to give an all-British specification?

I think if the hon. Member studies the earlier answer he will see that we are not satisfied that we can get a sufficient supply, but, as I have just told him, we have been able to accept a tender, and we hope to increase the proportion in future.

Do I understand the right hon. Gentleman to say it is only a question of supply? If he can get a supply, is he prepared to accept an order?

What I have said is that, "it has not hitherto been found possible to obtain sufficient quantities of boots to meet the whole of the requirements."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a circular has been issued to the Fleet to the effect that ships' corporals on being examined for master-at-arms need not pass the educational test; that the result of the order is that men are being promoted, as vacancies occur, to master-at-arms over and above the heads of men who have passed the educational test and had their abilities assessed as exceptional; that in some cases the men thus promoted have less time as petty officers to their credit than the men who have not received promotion; and can he see his way, in view of the dissatisfaction prevailing, to make some adjustment with regard to the new order?

Owing to the suspension of the educational test for petty officers generally during the War, it has been found necessary to advance men to petty officers who had only passed the professional examination for the superior rating. This has automatically affected the cases of ships' corporals (old system) who had not passed the educational test for petty officers prior to their advancement to ship's corporal, and who were debarred from further advancement to master-at-arms until they had passed that test. Such men are now eligible for promotion to masters-at-arms after passing only the professional examination for that rating, and have been placed on the advancement rosters at the ports accordingly. There appears, however, to have been some diversity of practice at the naval depots as to the seniority on the rosters which should be assigned to these men, and the whole question is now being investigated.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether, in the case of the contracts for construction of any of the new munition factories, the remuneration of the contractors has been fixed at a percentage on the cost; and, if so, whether he will state in how many contracts this is the case?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. This form of contract has been necessary in about fourteen contracts for the urgent provision of munition factories and stores.

May I ask the hon. Member whether this does not mean that the more the contractor pays in wages and the more he pays for material the greater his profit?

I do not think that is so. In all these contracts the material has been bought by the Department, and the prices of labour have been fixed.

Fixed by the Department or by the contractor, or by whom?

In some cases by the Department and in some cases by the Board of Trade.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he will now state what decision has been arrived at as regards permitting further transactions between his or other Departments of the Government and Henry E. Merton and Company, Limited; and if in future the Government will refrain from consulting or asking the co-operation of firms whose composition is largely German and in which German interests are a predominating feature?

The necessity of conferring with the legal advisers of the Crown on the recent Prize Court cases has delayed communication between the public Departments concerned. I hope that in the course of a few days this communication will have taken place.

asked the Minister of Munitions if a contract for shells has been placed with Messrs. Mann and Company, engineers, of Leeds; and, if so, if he is satisfied that this firm is fully qualified to carry out the contract?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the affirmative.

May I ask if the hon. Gentleman would make representations to the Minister of Munitions asking him if he would withdraw the imputations he made against this firm in this House on 23rd June to the effect that they were not capable of making shells, and were only colour picture printers?

I did not know my right hon. Friend made any imputation against this firm at all. It was in respect of the statement of the hon. Gentleman, if I remember aright, that the firm were able to supply 2,000,000 shells.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is aware that there are still between seventy and eighty labourers, packers, and storekeepers employed at the Army Inspection Department at Small Heath, Birmingham, who are not yet in receipt of the 4s. weekly increase in wages granted to every other section of workers at this and other similar establishments on 15th September; and will he make inquiry into the matter, as irritation and disappointment exist owing to the delays?

The war bonus in question was granted to workmen belonging to the London area only, and does not apply to the men referred to by my hon. Friend. Their cases will be dealt with in accordance with instructions about to be issued relating to Government employés at out-stations.

Is the hon. Member aware that these men are connected with the Enfield factories?

It is not in the London area

asked the Minister of Munitions whether, in view of the fact that sodium nitrate is required in the manufacture of nitric acid as a starting point in the production of explosives and synthetic dyes, he will take steps to utilise the turf from Irish bogs for peat-gas producers, seeing that ammonium sulphate is an important by-product of this method of utilising turf and that, by an increased production of ammonium sulphate for fertilising purposes, sodium nitrate can be used exclusively for the purposes of explosives and synthetic dyes; and whether he will consult with the experts of the College of Science in Dublin, whose researches in this matter have been published in the latest issue of the Journal of the Irish Department?

The various methods of utilising peat have received and are receiving the close attention of the Department in connection with the manufacture, not only of ammonia nitrate, but also of other substances useful for war purposes. The researches referred to in the question are well known to the officers of the Department, and they are already in communication with the persons who own and work peat in Ireland for industrial purposes, as described in the Journal of the Irish Department. The question whether any and, if so, which of the proposed methods of utilising peat can be adopted at the present moment is a difficult one. Most of these methods are still in an experimental stage, and their adoption depends on questions of yield, cost of plant, time required for erection, and the cost of the product obtained from this source as compared with that obtainable otherwise, etc. No decision has yet been arrived at on the subject, but no time is being lost in examining into the matter.

:Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this system has been in practical operation for the last four years in a factory in Portadown, in Ulster, and the running costs have been reduced by 50 per cent. over the cost of coal?

If the hon. Member refers to my answer he will see we have to consider the price of material so obtained as compared with what we have to pay for the material obtained otherwise.

Yes, but is the hon. Member aware that it is no longer a question of experiment but of proved fact that this can be done?

It is a proved fact that various ingredients have been made out of peat useful for the manufacture of explosives, but what we have to consider is whether it is a commercial proposition as compared with other sources.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he has brought to the notice of the Minister of Munitions the results of researches into the valuable byproducts of peat-gas producers, published in the latest Journal of his Department; and whether he will take steps to secure, in concert with the Ministry of Munitions, an extension of the manufacturing plants in Ireland in which peat-gas producers are used, and thereby obtain for Irish agricultural purposes an increased supply of a valuable nitrogenous fertiliser?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The Department will be glad to bring under the notice of the Ministry of Munitions the articles referred to, which in my opinion are well worthy of attention.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Central Control Board at Aldershot exercises jurisdiction over towns 20 miles away, such as Windsor; whether the Board proposes to curtail the hours of licensed houses at Windsor; and, if so, what are the reasons for so doing?

At the request of the War Office the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) recently held a local inquiry at Aldershot to consider whether restrictions are desirable for Aldershot and adjoining districts. Representatives of these districts, including Windsor, were invited to and attended the inquiry. I understand that no decision has yet been reached by the Board.

asked the Prime Minister if the statement of Lord Lansdowne that none of them would dispute that a body of twenty-two public men was not a body well constituted for the purpose of directing the course of a great War accurately expressed the views of the Government; if he will say for what reason it has been attempted for six months to direct the course of a great War by means of machinery not well constituted for the purpose; and whether this defect is the cause of the Government's failure to make provision for dealing effectively with the situation in the Near East?

The questions raised in the first two paragraphs are matters of opinion rather than fact, and I cannot in any way accept the suggestion in the last paragraph.

asked the Prime Minister if he realises the difficulty of persuading people of small means to practice economy and the avoidance of domestic waste when public banquets and other like obvious luxuries are indulged in by the well-to-do, and particulars thereof recorded in the newspapers; and whether the Government will, for the furtherance of thrift and economy among all classes, in view of the financial situation, secure by public appeal, if not by restrictive legislation, the discontinuance for the period of the war of all such functions as the Lord Mayor's banquet in London and the Dolphin and Colston banquets in Bristol?

I have much sympathy with the spirit of the hon. Gentleman's suggestion, but it is a matter in regard to which individuals and public bodies must exercise their own discretion.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the banquets at Bristol are very modest affairs in comparison with the Lord Mayor's banquet at the Guildhall?

My recollections of the banquets at Bristol go a long way back, and they were not at all a, modest affair.

Is the right hon. Gentleman open to accept an invitation to the Bristol banquets on a future occasion?

I am afraid not.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the 4th Scottish Provisional Battalion was recently paraded and addressed by the colonel of another battalion, who informed them that those of them who were unmarried and did not join their Imperial Service Battalion by 30th November would be forced to do so in December; whether this statement was authorised by the War Office; and, if not, will he take measures to intimate to the battalion that the statement was unauthorised?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. A report has been called for, but it has not yet been received.

asked whether General Botha's dispatches relative to the War in German South-West Africa have yet been received in this country; and whether their publication will take place shortly?

No such dispatches have been received.

asked whether the Bill dealing with the question of the increases in the rent of working-class dwellings will be introduced before the Adjournment?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state if the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster carries with it a salary of £2,000 a year, but only few duties and activities; and, if so, will the Government set an example in economy by reducing the salary attaching to that office if it should be necessary to appoint a new Chancellor of the Duchy?

The question of the best means of dealing with this office and its emoluments has been under my consideration since it became vacant. The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, but the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has almost invariably undertaken other work in addition to the duties of his office. The salary attaching to that office is charged on the Civil List, and is not voted by Parliament.

asked whether, with a view to economy, he proposes to leave the office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in abeyance, or whether he will appoint to the office some Minister already in the Cabinet, who may not be overburdened with Departmental work, and thus save the salary of the office for the State?

An announcement will be made in due course.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, if he will state the total amount payable to panel practitioners for the year 1914 in respect of the domiciliary treatment of tuberculosis; how many applications for sanatorium benefit have been made to insurance committees where domiciliary treatment has been granted for 1914; what was the average period of treatment granted and the total number of visits and attendances paid by the practitioners on the patients who were granted domiciliary treatment; and how many panel practitioners actually gave domiciliary treatment under arrangements made by the committees?

The precise figure asked for in the first part of the question cannot be stated in advance of the final settlement of medical practitioners' accounts for the period named. The particulars asked for in the second part will be included in a return as to the operation of the benefit, which is in course of preparation. I am not in possession of the remainder of the information for which the hon. Member asks.

asked whether a Scottish doctor received as much as £76, due under the law, on account of a solitary patient on his panel list, who during the year had required no medical treatment?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave to the hon. Member for the Leith Burghs on the 19th and 21st ultimo, in which I explained that the method of calculation adopted in the question does not indicate the extent of the responsibility incumbent upon the medical practitioner concerned.

Can the hon. Member dispute the fact in my question that this was publicly stated to be so by a member of the Scottish Advisory Committee?

I do not know that, but I cannot accept the implication involved in the hon. Member's question.

Will the hon. Gentleman leave the implication and deal with the fact?

Is it not really the case that £76 odd was paid to this doctor on the Edinburgh panel who had only one patient and who was required to do no other medical work during the year either in connection with that patient or anybody else?

He received that sum of money in virtue of his liability to give his services to a considerable number of persons not on the panel.

Is it not quite well known that it is the case that no such further liability materialised against the doctor?

He held his services ready at that fee.

Quite a number of them.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that the policemen appointed for special duty at the House of Commons are picked men of over eight years' service and have never had a single mark against them; if he is aware that such men are expected not to seek promotion and are encouraged to look for betterment only through the extra pay given to them for this special duty; whether he will see that they receive the extra 1s. per day during each Session of Parliament; if he is aware that the police are under rigid discipline and are not allowed to form a trade union; and whether he can state in what way the men can collectively present their grievances to their chief?

The hon. Member is mistaken in supposing that the House of Commons police are not expected to seek promotion. They hold posts which are much coveted and for which hundreds of their contemporaries possess the necessary qualifications. The sessional police can draw the extra allowance only for the days when the House is sitting. Any member of the force desirous of making a representation to the Commissioner can do so, and this is known to every one of them.

Does that mean that if the whole of the police have any grievance at all they have to put their case individually and not collectively? That is not trade unionism by a long way.

asked the number of Irish Volunteers arrested under the Defence of the Realm Acts; the number tried by jury in Ireland; the number of convictions when tried by jury; the number of cases in which the Crown failed to convict when tried by jury; the number tried by Police Court and resident magistrates; the number convicted by Police Court and resident magistrates; the number not convicted by Police Court or resident magistrates; and if, in future, so as to ensure a fair trial, trial by jury will be restored?

Twenty-two persons, understood to be members of the Irish Volunteers, have been arrested in Ireland under the Defence of the Realm Act. One was tried by jury and was acquitted. Of the remainder eighteen were tried by Courts of Summary Jurisdiction, thirteen being convicted, one discharged, and four bound to the peace and ordered to find bail. The charges in two cases are still pending. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer to the answer to a similar question given on my behalf by my hon. Friend the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household on the 11th instant.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these men are not getting a fair trial?

No, Sir, I am not aware of that at all.

asked whether, in view of the necessity of maintaining the supply of fish, facilities for loans to those engaged in the Irish fishing industry will be continued?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the bandolier equipment of the 1902 pattern is still being manufactured at Cawnpore for issue to the Indian Army; and, if so, whether he can state when this will be changed for the 1908 or 1914 pattern?

I have not yet received the information on this subject for which I have asked in connection with a similar question put by the hon. Member for Eastbourne on 4th November.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War, with reference to Lance-Corporal James D. Keddie, No. 27988, now in the Central Military Hospital at Shorncliffe, an inhabitant of Jedburgh, in the county of Roxburgh, and enlisted in the Canadian contingent, wounded in May last fighting near Ypres, and in consequence having suffered amputation of a foot, whether he is prevented by any regulation from getting an artificial foot fitted on in this country and from going home to his native town before proceeding to Canada to get his discharge, or whether he is required by any regulation to proceed to Canada on crutches and get an artificial foot fitted on there, thus adding to the delay and his discomfort?

I have communicated with the Director of Medical Services of the Canadian Contingents, and he informs me that Lance-Corporal James D. Keddie is not prevented by any regulation from getting an artificial foot fitted on in this country, nor is he prevented from going into his native town before proceeding to Canada for discharge.

To whom should the lance-corporal apply in order to get it put on soon?

I imagine that he should apply at the general offices at Mill-bank, no doubt familiar to my hon. Friend.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the Headquarters Staff at Hull have, since the outbreak of war, had offices at the Station Hotel, Hull, at a rent of £140 per annum; and whether more suitable accommodation is available at £180 per annum?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, but I would mention that the rent includes firing, lighting, and caretaking. Endeavours have been made to find more economical accommodation, and other premises are now under consideration. The rent, however, is more than the sum mentioned in the second part of the question. If my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of any suitable accommodation which he has in mind, I shall be very pleased to consider it.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been called to the case of Finlay Chisholm, ploughman, and Alexander Kelman, cattleman, who were sentenced to fine or imprisonment under the Defence of the Realm Act for opinions uttered in a controversy provoked by recruiting officers who were trying to enlist them; whether he will take the case into consideration with a view to seeing whether the men could have been expected to meet the queries of the recruiting officers by silence; and, if not, whether the sentence should be remitted?

I have inquired into the case, the trial of which took place on 10th September. The facts do not support the suggestions implied in the terms of the question, and I see no reason for remitting the sentence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any amnesty will be applied in the case of the Buddhist prisoners now in gaol in Ceylon who were involved in the late riots; whether any inquiry has been or will be held into the causes of such riots, and the general and relative culpability of Mahomedans and Buddhists; and whether the results of any such inquiry will be published?

While all sentences on such prisoners are carefully revised by the Governor, no proposals for a general amnesty have been put forward. Reports on the origin and causes of the riots have been furnished by the Commissioners appointed to hold local inquiries, and will be included in the Papers which I hope shortly to lay before Parliament.

Is it not the case that a very large number of these Buddhist prisoners are in gaol? Considering the fact that this was a racial riot, might it not be worth considering whether something like an amnesty could not be now proclaimed?

I will put the hon. Gentleman's proposal forward if he wishes. So far, however, as can be ascertained at present, it would be neither desirable nor is it necessary to propose any general amnesty.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) when the annual Report of Irish imports and exports will be published?

The imports and exports Report for the year 1914 will, it is expected, be ready for publication early next year. Its issue has been considerably delayed by the fact that most of the clerical staff engaged in its compilation have joined His Majesty's Forces.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the number of vaccination defaulters in Ireland; whether he is aware that some thousands of Irish parents who have a conscientious objection to their children being vaccinated are now threatened with prosecution for refusing to do what English parents need not do; and if he will take steps to have the Irish Vaccination Acts amended by inserting the conscientious objector's Clause?

It is, I regret, not practicable to obtain a complete return of vaccination defaulters in Ireland. I am aware of a recent decision of the King's Bench Division that it is obligatory on boards of guardians in Ireland to enforce vaccination in their union districts, but, as I informed the hon. Member for North Meath on the 13th May last, I do not know of any general demand for a change in the existing law as regards Ireland, and I do not consider the present a suitable opportunity for legislation on this subject.

asked whether it is with the concurrence of the Government that the Estates Commissioners have, during the twelve years of their existence, failed to exercise the powers conferred upon them by Parliament for the reinstatement or other settlement of evicted tenants and representatives of evicted tenants, and now have wholly ceased to reinstate or settle any, while 2,588 families, more than 12,500 persons, are still in that condition; whether many of these are noted as entitled to be provided for on the fulfilment of a condition which they have no power to control; whether many are neglected for failure to comply with a technicality not affecting the merits of their claim; whether some are denied, on account of sex, the relief to which they are legally entitled; whether he will state the statutory authority for this particular discrimination; whether the Government will take any steps now to redeem their pledges to all those people; and, seeing that Mrs. Riggs, of Collinstown, Westmeath, noted as entitled, her evicted farm being still vacant, has been left to die of exposure, will he say what is to be done for her daughter, and when?

It is not the fact that the Estates Commissioners have failed to exercise their powers in the matter of the restoration of evicted tenants. They have, in the exercise of the discretion conferred upon them by Parliament, restored a large number of evicted tenants, particulars of which I gave in my reply to the hon. Member for the Harbour Division of Dublin on the 17th instant. As regards the particular case mentioned in the concluding portion of the question, I would refer the hon. Member, as I did on the 12th March, 1914, to the replies given to his numerous questions on this matter.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that there are 2,500 families of evicted tenants still outstanding not restored or otherwise provided for, although the Commissioners have power to do it?

No, not at all. The Commissioners have dealt with the whole number of evicted tenants. There are only 230 cases in their opinion worthy of land now under consideration when the land becomes vacant.

How does the right hon. Gentleman explain the fact that the figures in this question are taken from the recently issued Report of the Estates Commissioners?

A great number of persons apply for restoration as evicted tenants who, in the opinion of the Commissioners, are not worthy at all

Would it not be well, in the interests of Ireland, to deal with this question of evicted tenants in Ireland in a large and generous spirit, in view of the records of the past?

It has already been done in the largest and most generous spirit.

Does the right hon. Gentleman deny the fact stated in the Blue Book recently issued, the report of the Estates Commissioners, that there are 2,588 evicted tenants still unprovided for all marked deserving of consideration?

Yes, Sir, I do deny it.

I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer a question, of which I have given him private notice, namely: Whether in the scheme for workmen's savings outlined by him yesterday it is contemplated that the £l Bonds should be transferable by delivery, and, if so, how he proposes to prevent their passing into general use as currency?

In outlining the scheme yesterday I certainly did not contemplate the issue of an instrument which would be available for currency purposes. It would clearly be necessary that the bonds or deposit receipts should be non-negotiable, otherwise one of the main purposes of the scheme—namely, to prevent the security from being converted into cash before maturity except at the cost of some loss of interest—would be defeated.