asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he has now been able to give consideration to the application of the Lerwick Harbour Board and the financial straits in which they have been placed largely owing to the Admiralty having laid in a large stock of explosives without the knowledge of the harbour board, and that, in consequence of the explosives being stored there and the premises being inadequately guarded, a fire broke out in the premises occupied by the Admiralty and a terrific explosion took place, wrecking the said stores and also the fish market, sale hall, and offices; and if he will make representations to the Public Works Loan Department that, in view of the facts set forth, they should not press for payment of interest or loan for the present?

This question is at present receiving consideration.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that there are 3,000 names on the books of the City of Dublin Distress Committee and 3,000 names on the Labour Bureaux of Dublin; and if he will approach the Treasury for a Grant for the relief of distress in Dublin?

I am informed that the number of names on the books of the Dublin Distress Committee is 531 men and 561 women. The actual number of names on the books of the Labour Exchange on the 11th February is 2,885–1,367 men, 1,248 women, 144 boys, and 126 girls. The Local Government Board are in communication with the Ministry of Munitions with a view to an extension of war work in Ireland to absorb present unemployment, but the Treasury have decided that no Grants can be made to distress committees this year in any part of the United Kingdom.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Mr. John M'Galey, of Tralee, a young Irishman of unblemished character and high scholastic attainments, was arraigned before the Tralee Petty Sessions Court on the 22nd November, 1915, under the Defence of the Realm Act, of having made statements prejudicial to recruiting, and was found guilty, on the unsupported testimony of one band-sergeant of the Royal Munster Fusiliers; whether this uncorroborated evidence, upon which M'Galey was sentenced to three months' imprisonment with hard labour, was contradicted by the evidence of four respectable witnesses, including another sergeant of the Royal Minister Fusiliers, who had returned after thirteen months in the trenches, where he had been promoted for conspicuous bravery; whether he is aware that the sentence imposed at the Tralee Petty Sessions, on the uncorroborated evidence of the band-sergeant, was confirmed on the 15th February, 1916, by a County Court judge and local magistrates, all of whom figure prominently on the recruiting platform; and that the imprisonment of M'Galey has been unanimously condemned by the Kerry County Council and other representative bodies and by public assemblies in Kerry, where resolutions were unanimously passed demanding his immediate release; whether he is aware that the facts in connection with this conviction were brought by the Lord Mayor of Dublin and others under the notice of the Lord Lieutenant, who is the Director of Recruiting in Ireland, with a view to securing his liberation; and whether, in the interests of recruiting in Kerry, the persons responsible for this act will be proceeded against under the Defence of the Realm Act for being guilty of conduct prejudicial to recruiting?

At Tralee Petty Sessions on 22nd November last a unanimous bench of six magistrates, after hearing fully all the evidence brought before them for the defence as well as for the prosecution, convicted John M'Galey of having made statements prejudicial to recruiting and sentenced him to three months' imprisonment with hard labour. On appeal, when the facts were again fully investigated, the sentence was confirmed at the Quarter Sessions of the 8th February. I understand that the Kerry County Council and some other bodies have adopted resolutions of protest against the conviction, but I have no information as to whether representations in this matter have or have not been made to the Lord Lieutenant by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. I have no reason to believe that the conviction will have an effect prejudicial to recruiting.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the settlement of wages and compensation for loss of kit of the men who were drowned in the "Hawke" and "Bulwark," in 1914, and the "Formidable," in January, 1915, is not yet settled; if he can say how many cases are still outstanding; and what is the reason?

My hon. Friend will not, I think, press me for precise figures. But I may say that the number of unsettled claims represent only about 7 per cent of the total. I need not add that every endeavour will continue to be made to settle the cases outstanding. I should point out that in settling these claims the various accounts had to be reconstructed from such evidence as was available, the ships' books having been lost. This was a task of considerable magnitude, but arrangements were made for payment on account in those cases in which it was clear that some payment was due and the legal claim of the applicant had been established. The fact that there are cases outstanding, I may add, is due, amongst other reasons, to no applications having been received; no rightful claimant having come forward after refusal of the original applicant; relatives residing abroad; and delay in returning forms of claims and replying to inquiries.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether Sir Percy Scott wrote him a letter in which he expressed his appreciation of the services rendered by the officers and men of the Anti-Aircraft Corps; and, if so, has he an objection to publishing the letter?

Sir Percy Scott has written a letter to the First Lord expressing his appreciation of the services rendered by the officers and men of the Anti-Aircraft Corps. Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to cause this communication to be published in extenso, but as it contains a record of the steps which have been taken under Sir Percy Scott's direction to improve the gunnery defences of London it would clearly not be in the public interest to do so.

Nevertheless, I am sure the House would like to know that Sir Percy Scott, as a result of the five months' experience during his tenure of the command of the gunnery defences of London, takes occasion to speak in the highest terms of the manner in which the members of the Anti-Aircraft Corps—drawn as they are from all professions and spheres—have devoted themselves to their duties. He tells us that they have all—both officers and men—displaved an energetic eagerness to master the intricacies of their duties; and it gives him great pleasure to pay a tribute of appreciation to the valuable services they have rendered.

On behalf of the Board of Admiralty, I cordially associate myself with his commendation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been drawn to the issue of a Report on the Working of the Transport Department of the Admiralty, by Mr. T. Paterson Purdie, member of the Ship Licensing Committee, Board of Trade; whether he authorised a thorough investigation to be made by Mr. Purdie and a Report to be published; and, if not, whether this so-called Report was inspired or based on information communicated by an official of the Admiralty?

The gentleman referred to was informed—as any other shipowner who has made the inquiry has been informed—of the general system followed in requisitioning tonnage. Nothing of a confidential character was communicated to him, and he was therefore at liberty to send an account to the Press, a step which he took on his own initiative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether men medically rejected since 14th August, 1915, are exempt from the operation of the Military Service Act; and whether the production of a medical certificate of rejection is sufficient to secure them exemption?

Yes, Sir, the production of a certificate issued to a man by a doctor employed by the military authorities, showing that the man has been rejected, is sufficient to relieve the man from liability to military service under the Act, provided the authorities are satisfied that the certificate was really issued to the man in question, and was issued to him since the 14th August, 1915.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a man who has been dismissed from the military forces whilst holding a temporary commission will be enlisted as a private soldier under the provisions of the Military Service Act; and whether a man who has been dismissed from the military forces will be enlisted under the provisions of the Military Service Act?

If the man is a man to whom the Military Service Act would apply, he is liable to the provisions of the Act in both of the cases mentioned by my hon. Friend. If such a man had been dismissed for disgraceful reasons, it would be a matter for consideration by the military authorities whether he should be called upon to take his place again in His Majesty's Army.

asked by what authority is the Central Medical War Committee compelling all single medical men of military age, under threat of Conscription, to enroll themselves as ready to enter the Royal Army Medical Corps and to place their services at the disposal of this Committee acting under direction of the War Office?

The Committee referred to is taking no such action as is alleged in the question. It has circularised medical men in England and Wales, explaining and emphasising the need of more doctors for the R.A.M.C, and it has brought to their notice an enrolment scheme, under which any man below forty-five years of age who is willing to take a commission (if offered him) in the R.A.M.C. can secure that his application will be taken up by the War Office at the most suitable time, regard being had both to his particular circumstances and to the medical needs of the civil population in the area where he practises. In all these activities the Committee has been giving very valuable assistance to the War Office, and has been working in intimate relations with the various Government Departments concerned.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the Central Medical War Committee, whose members are appointed, elected, or co-opted by the British Medical Association, is regarded as truly representative of the whole medical profession; whether he is aware that there are numbers of medical men who are not members of that association; and whether the doctors who are needed to attend to the civil population are receiving by this arrangement adequate consideration.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12th January last in reply to a similar question from the hon. Member for Plymouth. I need only add to-day that since that date the Committee has been still further strengthened, and that the civilian aspects of the whole matter, to which the hon. Member refers in the concluding paragraph of his question, are amongst the main preoccupations of the Committee working in conjunction with the Government Departments involved.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the failure of the Army Medical Department to utilise effectively the medical services which have been freely offered to the Army, it is the present policy of the Government to permit the Central Medical War Committee to portion out the supply of medical aid to the industrial community, including munition workers, upon whose energy we are so dependent; and whether, in order to secure the health of the civilian population, the medical profession will in future be classed, like clergymen, as a reserved occupation?

No, Sir, I am not aware of any such failure. Such a word seems quite out of place in commenting on the work of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The Committee referred to has collected valuable information as to the existing and prospective provision of medical services for the industrial community and is endeavouring to assist various members of the profession in bringing about such rearrangements and co-operation as may facilitate the most effective distribution of those services where needed. Information as to the present condition of medical provision in England does not afford any grounds for resorting to the sweeping measures suggested in the concluding paragraph of the hon. Member's question.

asked what is the present standard of vision required in the case of applicants for commissions in the Army and the Reserve; and whether applicants who are below the standard required for active service are being accepted for Home service?

The vision of applicants for commissions in the Army must not be below 6/24 without glasses and, after correction with glasses, it must be normal in the better eye and 6/12 in the other. For candidates for the Special Reserve of Officers the standard required is as just stated, except that vision without glasses in each eye must not be below 6/36. There is no special standard required for active service as distinct from Home service.

asked the Attorney-General, whether, seeing that a number of apprentices who have served part of their indentures have joined His Majesty's Forces, he will say when these men are discharged from the Army whether they will have to serve the remaining term of their indentures; and, if so, will he seek powers from this House giving all apprentices the right, if they so wish, to terminate their indentures?

The answer to the question whether legislation will be necessary naturally depends upon the duration of the War and upon the wishes, when ascertained, of those concerned, but my hon. Friend may rest content that the case of these young men, who have enlisted in large numbers, will be so dealt with that they shall not suffer for their patriotism.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the services rendered by Major Sir Francis Vane in connection with recruiting and the training of soldiers during the present War, and in view also of the feeling that exists that Sir Francis Vane has been unfairly dealt with, he will have an impartial investigation made into the case and the reasons why Sir Francis Vane should not be allowed to continue his work?

The case of Sir Francis Vane has already been carefully, and fully investigated. The Army Council cannot undertake any further inquiry into the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of his intimation that, until further orders, paragraph 117 of the Recruiting Regulations will not apply in the case of men enlisted for the duration of the War, a corresponding alteration has been made in paragraphs 515 to 522 of the Regulations for the Army Medical Service, which order officers in medical charge to vaccinate all recruits on the second day after reaching the depot?

The present arrangements regarding vaccination are provisional for the period of the War only, and it is not proposed to amend the permanent Regulations, but instructions will be issued detailing the procedure to be adopted.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will define the position of Irishmen resident in Great Britain in relation to the Military Service Act, 1916; and whether he is aware that one Irishman, who was employed in Wales on war work for seven months and who, owing to ill-health, resigned his position and went back to Tralee, has now been informed by the authorities there that he must go back to Wales as a conscript?

An Irishman in Great Britain who comes within the terms of Section 1 of the Military Service Act is subject to the provisions of that Act in the same way as an Englishman or a Scotsman. If an Irishman was ordinarily resident in Wales on the 15th August, and was a man within the terms of Section 1 of the Act, the Act would continue to apply to him although, owing to ill health, he returned to Ireland. But if he was only temporarily resident in Wales, or residing there for some special purpose, he could not be considered as "ordinarily resident" there, and, therefore, would not come within the scope of the Act.

asked the Chief Secretary whether arrangements are made or are about to be made to secure that members of the Royal Irish Constabulary joining the Army will have their positions kept open for them on the termination of the War?

The arrangements mentioned by the hon. Member have already been made, and it has been provided by Statute that the period of service of policemen in the Army or Navy shall count for calculation of subsequent pay and pension in the Royal Irish Constabulary.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a boy, wounded in Gallipoli and, after discharge from hospital, discharged from the Army on the claim of his father as being under seventeen, is entitled to any allowance while still unable to work owing to the effects of his wound?

The fact that the boy was discharged otherwise than for disability would not in itself debar him from pension. If my hon. and gallant Friend will communicate to me particulars of the case, I shall be able to reply more definitely.

asked when the dispatches relating to the last months of the operations in Gallipoli, of the evacuation, and a list of honours conferred will be published?

No, Sir, I cannot at present make any statement on this point.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Harry Sinclair, of Southend, about a month ago answered the call for mechanics in the Royal Flying Corps, and was accepted as Farnborough as a second-class mechanic, but that when it was found that he had done his duty by attesting under the Derby scheme he was refused and only men who had not so patriotically volunteered were accepted; and whether this is in accordance with the wishes of the Army Council?

I can trace no record of Harry Sinclair, of Southend, in connection with the Royal Flying Corps. The explanation of the case probably is that this man's group had been called up and that he was outside the numbers in that group which were allotted to the Royal Flying Corps. It is also possible that he failed to pass his trade test.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Messrs. J. Lyons and Company have any food contracts with his Department or are holding any local Army contracts; and, if so, will he specify what they are?

Messrs. J. Lyons and Company hold no Army and no canteen contracts.

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?

I regret that the inquiry is not yet completed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) whether any arrangements are being made for troops at Sheerness to be housed in huts so that the congestion of population may be relieved; and (2) whether the medical officer's report for the Town of Sheerness has consistently complained of the overcrowding during the past few years; and, if so, whether he will explain why a number of soldiers have been billeted in the town during the last two winters?

The total number of troops billeted in Sheerness has never at any time been near the number for whom, according to the police, who are the billeting authority, there has been available accommodation. I am not aware that the medical authorities have ever made any complaint, but the first part of Question 5 should properly be addressed to the President of the Local Government Board. Huts for about 4,000 men would have been completed before now had it not been for difficulties arising from the special railway and trade conditions incident to a state of war.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether in view of the demand for economy and retrenchment, he will now take into consideration the salaries of seven and a half guineas per day paid to Messrs. Knowles and Wells as Government meat inspectors, and request those gentlemen to accept an emolument more in accordance with that usually paid to meat inspectors or, failing this, will he publicly advertise these appointments and submit them to the competition of the best men?

As I have repeatedly explained to my hon. Friend, the comparison which he draws between the special duties of the gentlemen referred to and those of ordinary meat inspectors is quite misleading.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether for several months past the Government have used a large amount of heifer frozen beef; whether in many cases heifer and cow quarters are shipped together in bulk, and in such cases the responsibility rests with the inspectors employed by Messrs. Perfect and Company to see that cow beef is rejected; whether these inspectors are competent to judge which are heifer and which are cow quarters; whether their system of examination is so conducted as to enable them to make the proper distinction; and whether he will request the acting chief inspector at Smithfield Market to submit the beef examiners and inspectors employed by Messrs. Perfect and Company to inspect Army beef to the same examination as that imposed on the Navy officers who are trained in Smithfield Market?

The answer to the first, part of my hon. Friend's question is that only a very small proportion of heifer frozen beef has ever been accepted for the troops. As regards the second part, the responsibility rests with the inspectors employed by Messrs. Perfect and Company to see that only suitable beef is issued to the troops. The answer to the third and fourth parts is in each case in the affirmative. As regards the last part, the present system of inspection has been found quite satisfactory, as my hon. Friend has been informed over and over again.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is intended that officers in command of third-line Territorial Force battalions who have been recommended for promotion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel are to be promoted to that rank with full command pay; and, if so, when will this policy be carried into effect?

Officers in command of third-line Infantry units will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel if approved as suitable to command the third-line depot, the establishment of which has been increased. The command pay will not be that assigned to a battalion, as these units are depots.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state how the expenses of the interned aliens' camps in the Isle of Man, namely, Cunningham Camp and Knockaloe Camp, are being met; and will he say who selected the sites for the camps and made the agreements under which the camps were set up and land hired?

My right lion. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The expenses of the internment camps in the Isle of Man are met as respects the guard out of Army funds, and as respects the maintenance of the camps and the inmates out of Local Government Board funds. In both cases the money is provided by the Votes of Credit. The Isle of Man Government, acting in consultation with the Home Office through the agency bf the Destitute Aliens' Committee, made all the arrangements for the establishment of the camps.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he has been made aware that, considering that the city and county of Cork have furnished a larger number of recruits to the New Army than the other counties of Munster put together and more than double the number supplied by the province of Connaught, as well as paying additional war taxation to a great amount, a feeling prevails that some return ought to be made by the establishment of a munitions-filling factory in Cork; and whether he will inquire into the justice and advantage to the public service of that claim?

The choice of localities for filling factories must be made primarily with regard to the availability of empty shell components, explosives, and other constituents in the immediate neighbourhood. Adequate capacity for all filling required in the British Isles has already been arranged. The point raised by my hon. Friend will be borne in mind, but having regard to the conditions mentioned above, I could not hold out any great hope of being able to meet his wishes.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is aware that in West Ham, Woolwich, and Enfield the workers employed in munition factories and in transport work are often charged 1s. and frequently 10d. per lb. for New-Zealand ewe mutton bought by the Government in the Colonies at 4d. per lb. and less; whether he is aware that the actual cost of carriage is less than 1d. per lb.; and whether, in view of the rate of profit that the Government are extracting from the workers on their meat and of the fact that individual capitalists overcharge them on other supplies, he will take steps, either by introducing a Bill or otherwise, to secure the appointment of a control board for food supply in all the areas scheduled by the Control Board (Liquor Traffic), such board to be empowered to purchase food, commandeer shipping for its carriage, open departments for its sale to the working and other classes, and take all steps necessary to place good food within reach of all those employed in munition making and transport?

The question of meat supply and prices does not fall within the scope of the Ministry of Munitions.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed by the Worcestershire Education Committee on the 12th February requiring head teachers of rural schools to allow children of eleven years of age and upwards to absent themselves from school, on the application of any farmers desiring to employ them, for a period not exceeding on the monthly average six school meetings or three days a week; and whether, having regard to the declaration made, in the House of Commons on the 4th March, 1915, he will say what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

I regard this resolution as most deplorable and quite inconsistent with the conditions laid down in the House of Commons and embodied in the Board's Circular (No. 898) of 12th March, 1915. Apart from the undesirability of employing children of the tender age of eleven on the land, I consider that the abdication of control by the local education authority, and the imposition on the teachers of an obligation to release children on the demand of farmers, is most objectionable. The circular issued by the authority suggests that the release of children by teachers is to be occasional and for short periods, but the employment of school children for three school days or four week-days a week on the monthly average is apparently contemplated. The Board have written to the local education authority requesting them to reconsider the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will explain why Jeremiah C. Lynch (known as Diarmuid Lynch), a citizen of the United States of America, bearing passport No. 42,415 issued at Washington on 10th October, 1914, now resident in Ireland and representing American interests in the southern counties, has, since 24th January, 1916, been confined to a five-mile radius from his temporary residence in Dublin and subject to all the provisions relating to alien enemies as specified in the Aliens Restriction Act, 1914; whether he is aware that Jeremiah C. Lynch had registered as such in Ireland in July, 1915, and since that date complied with the regulations respecting friendly aliens, duly reported in the prescribed areas when his business compelled him to enter them; and whether he will explain why the order issued in respect to Jeremiah C. Lynch by the Home Secretary at Whitehall on 3rd January, 1916, was not executed until he reached Dublin on 24th January, 1916, and why the order was not served on him while residing in his native county Cork between the 3rd and 24th of January, 1916, his whereabouts during that period being known to the authorities of the district wherein he was registered?

I am aware that Lynch registered in Dublin in July, 1915, but I am informed by the Irish Government that he had been in Ireland since November, 1914, without registering or otherwise complying with the Aliens Restriction Order, and it was only after proceedings had been instituted against him that he registered. It is not the case that since that date he has complied with the regulations applying to alien friends; on the contrary, in spite of express warning, he continued to disregard them by entering and leaving prohibited areas from time to time without notifying the police. It was therefore decided to place him under the same restrictions as an alien enemy. With regard to the last part of the question, I am informed that the Order was served on him in Dublin and not in Cork, because he had no fixed residence in Cork which was known to the Dublin Police. The Order was therefore held over for service when he returned to Dublin.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the firm of Messrs. E. H. Bentall, Limited, of Maldon, have discharged three of their workmen for having joined a trade union, and that this is a controlled firm; has his attention been called to the undertakings given by the principal trade unions to submit differences and disputes to arbitration before taking offensive action against employers of labour; whether he is aware that, if such action is indulged in by employers, reprisals are certain on the part of the workmen concerned; and, seeing that this firm claim to be contractors to the India Office, will he say what action he proposes to take?

The firm mentioned is noted on the Admiralty list, and at the present time holds a contract for bright steel bolts and nuts. I have no information regarding the suggestion made in the earlier part of the question. I observe that my hon. Friend has already addressed a similar question to the Minister of Munitions, and that the latter has stated that he is in communication upon it with the firm and the union concerned.

addressed a question in similar terms to the Secretary of State for India.

I have asked my right hon. Friend the Minister of Munitions to inform me of the result of the inquiries referred to in his reply to the hon. Member's question of the 23rd February last on the same subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the cargo of frozen meat aboard the steamship "Ruahine," which left Wellington on 12th March, 1915, was valued at £24,562; whether he will state what the Government realised for the same when sold; and what were the main headings of the expenses incurred in realization?

I do not consider it expedient to disclose particulars relating to individual cargoes. All the accounts are being examined by the Exchequer and Audit Department in the usual way.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is proposing to abolish or reduce Sunday work in the Post Office; and whether, in view of the increased cost of living, he will provide that, if any such change is carried out, it does not involve a compulsory reduction in the wages of postal servants?

Proposals affecting Sunday work are under consideration and due weight will be given to their bearing upon the earnings of the staff. I should point out, however, that Sunday pay is supplementary to the normal week's wage.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the remuneration offered by the Post Office for War Loan work done by sub-postmasters, who have to provide their own premises and pay their own assistants, works out at or about 7½d. per cent; whether he is aware that the allowance to bankers, brokers, and financial houses works out at 2s. 6d. per cent.; and, if so, what is the reason for limiting the remuneration of the sub-postmasters to-one-fourth of that given to bankers and brokers?

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the replies given to questions on this subject on the 23rd and 24th instant. The remuneration allowed to sub-postmasters for receiving direct applications for War Loan Stock of £5, or a multiple thereof, works out at approximately 7½d. per £100 worth of stock en the average, though it varies considerably, being based on the number of transactions and not on the value of the stock applied for. This rate of remuneration has been fixed after comparison of the work and responsibility with that involved in Post Office transactions of other kinds, the remuneration for which has been fixed on the recommendation of Select Committees of this House. It is hardly possible to compare the allowances and responsibilities of sub-postmasters with bankers and brokers.

asked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether the list of firms in South America with whom trading or financial operations are to be prohibited under the Trading With the Enemy (No. 2) Act is yet compiled; whether it will be published in this country as well as in the countries where the firms the established; and whether he will make public the names proposed to be listed some time in advance of actual listing, so that names proposed could be omitted if their inclusion were found to be unnecessary or more harmful to British than to enemy interests?

The lists of persons and bodies of persons of enemy nationality and associations in South America with whom transactions will be prohibited under the Trading With the Enemy (Extension of Powers) Act, 1915, are now being prepared and provisional lists have for some time been in the hands of the principal Chambers of Commerce and of individual representatives of the interests most likely to be concerned, with a view to obtaining their advice as to the probable effect upon British commercial interests of the inclusion of the names upon the provisional lists in the published statutory list. The statutory list will be published in this country, and will, of course, be communicated to His Majesty's representatives and Consular officers in the countries concerned. It will also, no doubt, be made available to the public in such countries through the ordinary channels of the Press. His Majesty's Government have, however, no powers to publish such lists officially in countries not under their jurisdiction.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has received any resolutions of protest from public bodies in Ireland protesting against any additional taxation on that country; whether he is aware that Ireland is now in a bankrupt condition; if he is aware that this has been brought about by over-taxation which her resources do not enable her to meet; and if, when drafting his next Budget, he will consider Ireland's claims to exemption from any further taxation?

I have been unable to trace the receipt of the resolutions referred to, and my information does not bear out the statement made in the second part of the question. For the rest, I am unable to anticipate my Budget Statement.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the trustees of the National Gallery have recently purchased Pieter de Hooch's picture known as "The Music Party"; whether he is aware that this picture changed hands two or three years ago for £3,500; and whether it has been bought for a smaller sum on this occasion?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I am informed that the picture was bought in at a sale in Paris, in 1913, at a price reported to be £3,360. It has been bought for a smaller sum on this occasion.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many resident magistrates have resigned since July, 1914, stating their respective districts; how many resident magistrates is it contemplated will be retired before any fresh appointments are made; and will he state if the remuneration of those retained will be increased, or what amount of saving is likely to be effected by the new arrangements?

No resident magistrate has resigned since the date mentioned, but nine vacancies have otherwise occurred, of which four were filled. It is not proposed to fill the next vacancy that will occur, but further retirements without fresh appointments are not at present contemplated. It is not proposed to increase the salaries of existing magistrates. Owing to the readjustment of districts and consequent change in the travelling expenses of the magistrates who remain, no precise estimate of the financial saving to be effected can be made, but the abolition of one third-class resident magistracy would mean at the least a saving of a salary of £425 per annum.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he can give the names of the professors and lecturers and others who conducted the matriculation examinations of the National University of Ireland in 1915; the total cost of the examinations; and the amount paid to each of the examiners?

I am informed that the examiners for the matriculation examination referred to were the professors and lecturers in the subjects of the examination in the constituent colleges, together with the assistant examiners appointed by the Standing Committee of the Senate. For their names I would refer the hon. Member to the University Calendar. The net cost of the examination in summer and autumn, 1915, was £700, but I have no information as to the amount paid to each of the examiners.

asked how many students entered the Queen's University in 1915 through the intermediate certificate; and how many entered through the university's own matriculation examination?

The reply to the first part of the question is fifty-seven, and to the second part eighty-five.

asked the Chief Secretary if, while the Queen's University, Belfast, accepts the intermediate middle grade certificate as satisfying the requirements of the matriculation in that university, the National University of Ireland insists on the intermediate senior grade certificate as an equivalent of the university matriculation certificate; and, if so, what are the reasons for the higher standard in the National University than in the Queen's University?

I am informed that the Queen's University accepts for purposes of matriculation the middle grade certificate of the Intermediate Education Board only provided that the student obtains honours in three of the matriculation examination subjects. The National University requires the senior grade certificate. I am not aware of the reason for any difference in standard that this may involve.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many certificates were issued in 1915 under Section 95 of the Children Act, 1908, in the Metropolitan police area?

The number was ninety-nine.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the restrictions affecting parts of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Northamptonshire imposed by the Board's recent Order relating to foot-and-mouth disease were put in force owing to the occurrence of any outbreak of that disease in the district to which the Order applied?

No, Sir. The restrictions in question were on the 14th instant imposed as a matter of precaution, it having been ascertained that certain calves which had been removed from the premises near Wells, Somerset, shortly before foot-and-mouth disease had been found to exist thereon, had been disposed of by a cattle dealer who trades both at Banbury and at Stratford-on-Avon, and that the dealer had on his home premises near Kineton, Warwickshire, two calves exhibiting symptoms suspicious of that disease. By the 22nd instant, the veterinary officers of the Board had become satisfied that none of the calves under suspicion were affected with foot-and-mouth disease, and the restrictions were accordingly removed. It will, I think, be generally admitted that the circumstances justified the action taken, notwithstanding the local inconvenience which it inevitably entailed. I am glad to be in a position to inform the House that there has been no outbreak of the disease other than that on the premises near Wells.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, if he will state what was the actual cost per week per member during 1914 of sickness, disablement, and maternity benefits combined, for men and for women, respectively; and the total amount paid by way of State Grants in respect of benefits paid to men and to women?

My hon. Friend will be aware that the matters referred to in the first part of the question are at the present moment under the consideration of a Departmental Committee, and pending the receipt of their Report, I am doubtful whether it would be advisable for me to make any statement. The figure asked for in the latter part of the question is approximately £1,903,000.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether, with a view to economy and saving of expense in administration, the National Insurance Commissioners would advise insurance committees that, under present conditions, their meetings should not take place oftener than once a quarter?

I have already given this matter some consideration, and I need not say that the object of my hon. Friend's suggestion has my warmest support. A large number of insurance committees already hold quarterly meetings only, and the Commissioners are advising other insurance committees to adopt a similar course in all cases in which this can be done without prejudice to the essential work of national health insurance.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the fact that no representative of the National Federation of Employés' Approved Societies has been nominated to represent the societies on the Committee recently appointed by the Treasury to inquire into the finance of the National Insurance Act; whether he is aware that the members administering the affairs of these societies have a wide and long experience of industrial insurance and have administered the National Insurance Act to greater advantage than many of the approved societies; and, in view of their special interest in the result of the inquiry, whether he will take steps at once to appoint an additional member or members of the Committee to represent them?

I have received representations on behalf of the body named in the question, and I am glad to have an opportunity of again expressing the hope that they will be willing to place the results of their special knowledge and experience at the disposal of the Committee in the form of evidence. Having regard to the large size of the Committee and to the progress which I understand that they have already made with their labours, it would be impracticable to add to their numbers.