asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether dividends on Exchequer Bonds not exceeding £200, issued through the Post Office, will be paid without deduction of Income Tax?

Dividends on Exchequer Bonds deposited with the Post Office will be paid without deduction of Income Tax where the total amount of bonds held by any one individual together with the 4½ per cent. War Loan Stock, if any, held by him on the Post Office Register does not exceed £200. Coupons on bearer bonds issued through the Post Office will be liable to deduction for tax, except in the case of holders who are neither domiciled nor ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether registrars have been appointed for all the military hospitals in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Serbia, and Gallipoli, for the purpose of tabulating the records of the cases of British soldiers?

The recording of cases is part of the established routine of every military hospital for which the officer commanding the hospital is responsible. A staff of officers, non-commissioned officers and men is at his disposal for this purpose.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a boxing contest promoted this week by Sergeant Dick Burge had as its principal purses one of £800 and one of £300; that the money for these purses was provided by the public, who paid from 5s. to five guineas for seats, and that two days before the contest all guinea, half-guinea, and 5s. seats had been sold; whether, in view of the Government's appeals for economy, these private contests for private gain on the part of serving soldiers are countenanced by the authorities; and whether any and what portion of the proceeds of this contest is to be devoted to any military institution or fund?

Inquiry is being made.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the payment of separation allowance to wives and dependants of soldiers of the Territorial Force is still made through the Territorial Force Association, although the pay of the soldiers themselves is given through the Army Pay Department; whether his attention has been called to the waste of public money that frequently occurs through want of proper co-ordination between the Department and the association, in the continuance of allowance to the dependants of soldiers who have been discharged and other similar mistakes; and whether, with a view to greater economy, the Government will consider the advisability of altering this system so as to secure the same unity of control as is already secured in the case of the Regular Forces?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I am aware that at first there was occasional failure of co-ordination, but improvements have been made in the procedure, and I see no sufficient reason to make the change suggested, which is itself not free from serious difficulties.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if the Report of the Commission on Army Clothing has been received; and when it will be published?

A Departmental Committee has recently inquired into certain questions connected with the Army clothing services. It is not proposed to publish the Report.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Major D. Paton, Headquarters No. 8 District, Exeter, gave instructions to the recruiting officers under him to agree to pay to doctors undertaking the examination of recruits in November and December last 2s. 6d. per examination; that such recruiting officers thereupon verbally and in two cases in writing agreed with large numbers of doctors to pay them this fee, and on the strength of the undertaking secured the services of these doctors; that thereafter, when the examination of recruits had been made, the same recruiting officers were instructed by Major Paton to write the doctors informing them that in promising the payment of 2s. 6d. per recruit they had exceeded their duty, and the agreed payment would therefore not be made, and offering payment on a lower scale; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I am having inquiry made.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the parents of a soldier who has been enlisted at an age below the military age are able to obtain his discharge on production of his birth certificate; and, if so, whether they can do so at any time before he reaches the age of eighteen years?

I would refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Blackburn on the 2nd November, 1915.

asked the Minister of Munitions (1) whether in all centres in which the Control Board's Regulations have been applied, a general consensus of opinion Has concerted in the statement that home drinking had greatly increased, with very prejudicial effects upon the rising generation; whether he will appoint a Departmental Committee to inquire into the working of the Orders and report promptly on the matter; and (2) whether his attention has been called to the statement of the secretary of the Police Court Mission to the effect that the Central Control Board's Regulation that spirits could only be purchased by the bottle has had a bad effect by inducing home drinking of a worse character than public-house drinking, and that it was inducing persons to club together to buy bottles of spirits; and whether he will now advise the Central Control Board to permit the purchase of spirits by the quartern or half-quartern?

As I told my hon. Friend on 23rd December, these matters are being carefully watched. The time of the operation of the Orders at present is insufficient to provide reliable data as to their effect on home drinking, but the Board is not aware of any such consensus of opinion as that referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether, seeing that, on the passage of the Defence of the Realm (No. 3) Act, dealing with liquor restrictions, he gave an undertaking that the Government would not proceed with anything which could be regarded as controversial and that action would not be taken without the support of local sentiment and that there should be as little disturbance as possible with existing arrangements, and that, in regard to the Control Board Orders for London, Manchester, and Hull, controversy has arisen on the advisability of imposing the Orders, that in each case local sentiment had decided so definitely against the Orders that the Control Board refused to publish or even submit to Parliament the evidence on which the Orders were based, and that many persons had been prosecuted in the Police Courts and disturbance created in consequence of the impositions of the London Order, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The matters referred to in the question cover so much ground that they do not appear suitable for dealing with by way of question and answer. I may say, however, that I cannot endorse the suggestions of my hon. Friend, especially that local sentiment is on the whole against the Orders. The question of the appropriate action to be taken depends upon a variety of considerations of which the most important is an increase of efficiency in munition output.

asked the Home Secretary if he will state the total number of the Metropolitan Police Force before the War; the number who have enlisted since the commencement of the War; and the number of special constables now serving in the Metropolis?

The actual strength of the Metropolitan Police on the 5th July, 1914, was 20,834. Including 2,371 men serving in the Fleet or with the Colours, a total of 5,652 members of the force are employed on naval and military duty. The strength of the Special Constabulary is 21,624, exclusive of 9,227 attested for the protection of the premises on which they arc employed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the proportionate amounts of the war bonus paid by the Government and by the English and Scotch railway companies, respectively; what is the amount of the war bonus paid to Irish railwaymen; and what proportion of it is paid by the Government and by the Irish railway companies, respectively?

A sum approximating to one-quarter of the first war bonus granted to railway employés who come within the Railway Conciliation Scheme is excluded from working expenses for the purposes of the agreement between the Government and the English and Scottish railway companies, of whose undertakings possession has been taken by the Government under the Regulation of the Forces Act, 1871, and this amount, therefore, is paid by the railway companies. The amount of the war bonus paid to Irish railwaymen varies in the case of the different companies. Possession has not been taken of the undertakings of these companies, and no portion of the cost of the war bonus falls to be paid by the Government.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can arrange that live stock may have through booking viâ Dublin port as formerly from inland places in Ireland to centres in Great Britain?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to his question of the 3rd November last on this subject. The position has not since been in any way modified.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the countries requiring consular invoice certificates, certificates of origin, and legalisation of bills of lading, respectively, for goods sent from this country, and the various fees charged for the same by each country?

The compilation of the required information and the preparation of a return giving particulars for all the countries of the world would involve an amount of labour that I am not prepared to impose upon the officials of my Department at the present time.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the Board of Agriculture for Scotland has considered the question of recommending municipalities to organise the collection of waste-food scraps for the purpose of feeding pigs; and whether any action is to be taken in the matter with a view to effecting national economies and increasing the food supplies of the country?

I understand that the question has been raised with the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, but that they are doubtful of the possibility of doing anything practical on these lines; they will, however, call the attention of District Agricultural Committees operating in the neighbourhood of Burghs to the possibility of securing increased feeding for pigs from this source.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the Government of Egypt has taken any steps to ensure the planting of a full acreage of cotton during the coming season in view of the need of greater supplies for the industries of this country; and what steps are being taken in the Soudan to increase the growth of cotton there?

I will refer the hon. Member's question to Cairo for such further information as can be supplied.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if Miss Mary Macarthur is the only woman representing England on the Committee now investigating the financial position of national health insurance; how many Government Committees she is a member of at the present time; and whether a woman with knowledge of the larger and better-managed approved societies can be added to the Committee?

There are three women members of the Committee. The member in question was not asked to join the Committee as representing England, but on account of her exceptional knowledge of approved society administration, and I am very glad to have secured her services. I have no information in regard to the second part of the question. It is not proposed to vary the composition of the Committee.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the amount of money paid under Section 39 of the Irish Land Act, 1903, to the account of Trinity College, Dublin; whether the purpose of that payment has been fully satisfied and the account closed; and, if not, how the account now stands?

The sum of £65,000 has been paid to the public trustee, Ireland, for the account of Trinity College, Dublin, under the provisions of the enactment mentioned, and the payment of £5,000 continues to be made annually in pursuance thereof. The payments made from the account to Trinity College amount to a total of £8,363. The sum of £65,000 is represented by £60,746 Stock, producing a yearly income of £2,340, and the balance of income to credit is represented by £5,521 Stock.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what Grant was available in Ireland for Public Education, Class IV., in the year 1904–5, how much of this Grant was expended, and what became of the balance; will he further state the names of the towns or centres in which this Grant was availed of; and can he say whether similar Grants are made for England, Wales, and Scotland?

The total net provision for Public Education in Ireland in Class IV. of the Civil Service Estimates for the financial year 1904–5 was £1,393,625. The net expenditure was £1,389,611, and the difference of £4,014 was in the ordinary course surrendered to the Exchequer. It is not possible to say how far the expenditure was made in particular towns or other centres as the basis of distribution is not local. Provision for elementary education is made in the case of England and Wales by the Vote for the Board of Education, and in the case of Scotland by the Vote for Public Education, Scotland.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many small landholders are now in occupation of small holdings on the estate of Lindean, Selkirk; what has been the total expenditure by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland in relation to these small holdings, over and above the compensation of £8,588 4s. 3d. awarded to the proprietor and apart from the costs of arbitration and litigation; what is the aggregate annual rental payable by these small landholders, to whom is it paid, and what is the arrangement between the Board and the proprietor with regard to it; by how much the rental of the Lindean estate has been reduced owing to the establishment of these small holdings upon it, and what was the amount of compensation awarded in respect of that reduction of rental?

Eleven holders are now in occupation. The total expenditure to date by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland in relation to these small holdings—over and above the compensation of £8,588 4s. 3d. awarded to the proprietor and apart from the expense of arbitration and litigation, but including compensation of £990 awarded to the tenant—amounts to £5,829 11s. 4d., of which approximately £4,500 is recoverable either as loans for buildings and fences or as the value of unexhausted improvements. It should be noted that of the sum of £8,588 referred to, approximately £l,l81 is also recoverable for existing buildings resold to the new holders The aggregate annual rent is £343 1s., and it is payable directly to the proprietor by the tenants. The decrease in rent amounted to £152, but the arbiter held that this was more than compensated for by setting off against it the interest on the purchase price of the buildings and the saving on upkeep and assessments.