asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it was in obedience to instructions from the Admiralty the acting captain of the "Lusitania" on her last voyage slackened the speed of that vessel when approaching the Irish coast; and what was the purpose of that slackening?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The second part, therefore, does not arise.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) whether the responsible officers at the head of the Royal Naval Air Service at any time put forward proposals or views urging that rigid airships should be built; if so, in what year and by whom; (2) if he will say what decision was arrived at in September, 1911, by Prince Louis of Battenberg and by Sir A. K. Wilson with respect to the proposal then before them for the construction of a Zeppelin; and (3), whether at the start of the War the Admiralty was constructing a Zeppelin; and, if so, what happened to it?

My right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty, in his speech of 7th March, said as much about the earlier policy of the Government in connection with the construction of lighter-than-air craft as seems desirable. He does not think that anything can be gained by reverting to pre-war controversies. The rigid airship which was under construction for the Admiralty at the beginning of the War is now being completed.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that experts are agreed as to the great difficulty of attacking Zeppelins when over this country, and are unanimous that effective attacks can be delivered on Zeppelin sheds; and whether the latter policy is still being followed by the Admiralty?

I can add nothing to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the First Lord to a similar un-starred question asked by my hon. Friend yesterday.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if the Government .will take immediate steps to request the various railway companies and river and port authorities to extinguish all signals and other lights on railways, rivers and docks during any period of active Zeppelin visitation, wherever trains and other traffic are brought to a standstill, as signal and other lights of similar description have proved a direct guide to large cities and towns that have recently been raided?

This matter is one entirely within the control of the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, the Home Forces, who can, and I am sure will, issue all the instructions which may be necessary to secure the objects which my hon. Friend desires.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the hardship that has been occasioned to widows and children of civilians who have been killed by Zeppelins in recent raids; and whether he will consider the propriety of awarding them some compensation from public funds?

The National Relief Fund is available for the purpose of granting temporary assistance in such cases, but I regret that I am unable to make any promise of assistance from public funds.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman see that there is every similarity between these cases and those who have suffered from death through bombardment—there is no difference in principle?

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration the fact that compensation is given for property and not for human life in these cases?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the steamship "Uganda," since its transfer to the La Plata Steamship Company, has been requisitioned by the Admiralty; and, if so, for what period?

The steamship "Uganda" has not been engaged as a transport since her transfer to the La Plata Steamship Company. She is now under charter to carry wheat for the Commonwealth Government to the United Kingdom, and has been requisitioned for transport service on the completion of the discharges of her cargo in England.

Are we to take it that this ship which was requisitioned when it was owned by a bonâ-fide British owner has not been requisitioned since it was transferred to the La Plata Company, in which the capital is in American hands?

I do not know. I do not follow my hon. Friend's question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1) whether an order has recently been placed by the Admiralty for ivory-handled table-knives; if so, for how many, and at what cost; and (2) whether the Admiralty has recently placed an order for electro-plated-handled knives; if so, for how many and at what cost?

Tenders were invited in respect of both articles in our annual requisition for 1916–17, in acordance with established practice. Meantime, our attention was drawn to the desirableness of using less expensive articles. We, therefore, at once suspended action and discussed the question of whether actual economy would result from the adoption of cheaper substitutes. No orders, therefore, have been placed, and the matter is-receiving careful attention.

Was action only taken; after the question was put on the Paper?

I do not know about the question. I think our attention) was called to it by a Press paragraph-We at once took action.

Does it require an intimation from the Press to induce the Admiralty to take action?

The thing is not quite so obvious. The cheaper article is no doubt immediately more economical, but the article we have been using is certainly more serviceable. It can be rebladed, and it lasts longer, and consequently fetches a higher price. The argument, after all, is not all on one side. We are very carefully considering all the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government will consider the advisability of making known to the Egyptian people that Egypt is one of the small nations for the independence of which the Allies are fighting and that it will be invited to send a freely chosen representative to the Peace Conference following the War?

I do not consider that there is any need for making an announcement to the Egyptian Government on the points mentioned by the hon. Member.

Can the Noble Lord say what are the small nations for whose independence the Allies are fighting?

Serbia.

Do not you know?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by whose authority the title of the British High Commissioner in Egypt was changed to Representative of the King, the name of the British Agency to House of Protection, the occupant empowered to travel in state as a sovereign, using special trains, a guard of honour, and passing through the royal gates; whether the Egyptian people have ever given any consent to this; and whether the Sultan has consented to the implied limitations of his sovereignty?

The allegations implied in the first part of the hon. Member's question have no foundation in fact. The title of His Majesty's Representative in Egypt is that of High Commissioner; the name of the former Agency and Con- sulate-General has been altered to British Residency. The second part of the question does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Egyptian reserve has been called up to take part in the present War; how that is reconciled with the pledge given to the Egyptian people at the outbreak of the War that they would not be asked to take part in it; whether he is aware of the official statement published in Cairo that Great Britain would bear the cost of the Egyptian reserve in the War and the offer of the Egyptian Ministers that this cost would be borne by the Egyptian people; whether the Egyptian Ministers have power to decide such matters without consulting the Financial Adviser; whether this adviser is British or Egyptian; and whether the Egyptian Legislative Assembly will be allowed to meet before the offer is accepted?

As regards the first part of the question, I understand that some reservists have been called up to look after the large herds of camels now being employed by the British forces in Egypt. As regards the second part, I can only refer to the answer returned to the hon. Member's question of the 11th November last. I have received no offer such as is mentioned in the third part of the question, and the remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is in possession of any information as regards the course adopted by the German authorities in refusing to give the names of prisoners who may be in hospitals in Belgium or in that part of France occupied by the Germans; and whether he has approached the Ambassador to the United States in order to endeavour to obtain this information from German official sources?

I have received no information in the sense of the first part of the hon. Member's question; the second part does not therefore arise.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the basis of exchange of civilian prisoners between Great Britain and Germany was that they were incapable of military service; and whether that remains the basis of exchange?

The reply to both parts of my hon. Friend's question is in the affirmative, but it is hoped that it may be possible to secure some modification of the present rules with respect to civilian prisoners over forty-five.

If that is the case, can the right hon. Gentleman explain how it is that the Under-Secretary of State for War the other day told me that he could not give a guarantee that these exchanged civilian prisoners would not be used for foreign and home service?

I do not at all know what that refers to, but it cannot refer to those who are incapable of military service?

Does the answer imply that forty-five years of age is now taken by the British Government as the limit of useful military service?

No, Sir, it does not imply anything of the kind. It implies that we desire, so far as we can, to obtain the repatriation of those over forty-five years of age who are not likely to be of any military value.

Does it mean that those who are exchanged are exchanged on the ground that they are not fit for military service and therefore will not be used for military service?

I do not think that question arises, but I cannot imagine that they would be used for military service.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will communicate to the House the promised explanation by the camp commandant at Groningen of his imprisonment of sixteen Royal Naval Reserve men; and whether His Majesty's Government will invite the Dutch Government in future to inform the British Minister at The Hague immediately such grave sentences are passed upon British subjects interned in Holland?

The report on this subject has not yet been received. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any arrangement is contemplated whereby British firms prohibited from trading with companies or firms blacklisted under the Trading With the Enemy (Extension of Powers) Act will be indemnified against claims to which they may be liable under the law of neutral countries?

No, Sir; but any case where a British firm can show that it will be liable in a neutral country in respect of a transaction with a person or firm on the Statutory List, special consideration is given to the question of granting a licence enabling such liability to be avoided.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any official information showing that Herr Hirter holds in Switzerland simultaneously the post of vice-president of the German coal monopoly at Bâle, and that of president of the Import Trust recently organised by arrangement with the Allied Powers; and, if so, whether, in view of the conflicting duties thus imposed upon this gentleman, His Majesty's Government can properly intervene to safeguard the raw material exported under certain conditions from this country to Switzerland?

I understand it is the case that Herr Hirter is President of the Societe Suisse de Surveillance Econo-mique, and is also a member of the Swiss syndicate recently formed for the importation of coal from Germany. But I am afraid that I cannot usefully make any further statement on the subject at present.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many men of the National Reserve are doing duty in responsible positions, far from their homes, on inadequate pay, that some are of fifty or more years of age, and have left dependants inadequately provided for; and whether he can give such directions to the commands in this country as will secure that individual cases of hardship may be considered and, if possible, relieved?

These men and their families receive the full pay and allowances of soldiers, and I fear I cannot hold out any hope that they will receive anything further from Army funds.

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been called to those who are serving a long way from home, and are, therefore, under peculiar disadvantages and expenses?

I am afraid that a great many soldiers have to serve a long way from home.

Has the National Reserve, for instance? That is the point

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a number of married men in Bristol and the neighbourhood, Derby recruits, having received notice to present themselves at the recruiting office at which they attested for examination by the military doctor, settled up their affairs, abandoned their situations, and in some cases broke up their homes, only to find that at their military medical examination they are unfit and are either rejected or informed that they may return to civilian life until required; is he aware that these men are neither in the Army nor finally refused for the Army; and can the War Office take some means to prevent the suffering, loss, and uncertainty its present methods are causing?

I was not aware of the circumstances mentioned by my hon. Friend. The action taken by the men in question certainly does credit to them, though I cannot help thinking that they may have been somewhat premature if they gave up their situation when they knew that the question of their medical fitness for service had yet to be determined. In order to prevent any such uncertainty medical boards have been set up at the headquarters of each recruiting area, before which men may appear before they are called up, and from which they may obtain an opinion as to their physical fitness and consequent likelihood of being called up.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that these medical boards are refusing to examine men who present themselves?

No, Sir, instructions have been issued that they are to examine.

Could the right hon. Gentleman see his way to pay the travelling expenses of these men who are called up to be examined?

I will look into the matter.

Could some sort of warning be given to these men that they may be rejected, because I know of several cases in which men have thrown up their employment, and then subsequently they have been held over for Home service only?

I should have thought the Regulations were sufficient. I do not know really what else I can do.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he will inquire into the circumstances attending the death of Private Leonard Wainwright, of the 3rd Cheshires; whether he was passed by the Medical Board at Chester for home service only and on the understanding that he would have to undergo hospital treatment; whether he is aware that on reaching Birkenhead he was put into immediate training, taking part in hard drilling and route marches; that his health immediately broke under the strain so that he died in a fortnight; that the military medical surgeon who saw Private Wainwright on the day he died expressed regret that he had been passed for the Army in his state of health; and, in view of the recruitment of unfit persons, will he say what steps are being taken to prevent the repetition of similar occurrences?

I have already caused inquiry to be made into these circumstances, which had been brought to my notice irrespectively of my hon. Friend's question. I am taking steps to accelerate the arrival of the report.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether he is aware that out of 1,200 men from the borough of Mossley who presented then selves for attestation during the week ended 11th December, 1915, 200 were rejected as unfit, and that the oath was not administered to them; that neither the recruiting officer nor the examining doctors were supplied with rejection certificates; that these rejected men are now being called up for military service, although the forms of attested and rejected were sent to the military authorities at Ashton-under-Lyne, and are unable to produce rejection certificates that were never supplied to them; that Lieutenant-Colonel Cheetham, at the Ashton-under-Lyne Barracks, on being written to on the subject, has replied that the rejected men must bring the certificates with them which they have not been able to obtain; that the local recruiting officer was not supplied with money to pay the 2s. 9d. to which the men sworn in were entitled; that some of the rejected men have had to pay the local doctor who examined them a fee of 2s., which they much resent; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I am not aware of the circumstances mentioned by my hon. Friend. I am having inquiries made into the matter.

asked whether attested married men desirous of joining the Royal Garrison Artillery before their groups have been called up have been refused permission to do so by the recruiting authorities at Leeds and elsewhere, while at the same time unattested men were accepted?

I understand the men in question were refused because it was thought that a certain number of men who had not attested under the group system and were not liable under the Military Service Act, might be willing, if they were allowed, to go into the Royal Garrison Artillery. The Royal Garrison Artillery is being opened to group men as well as to unattested men.

Is it fair to this class of man that he should be denied privileges which are given to men who are unattested?

That has been allowed. It was a mistake.

asked whether steps can be taken to carry out more fully the undertaking made in Lord Derby's scheme that attested men should be allowed to join the unit for which they volunteered, provided that there were vacancies in that unit which required to be filled?

This question has been dealt with both in individual cases and by general instructions. For the last three months all the officers responsible have been instructed that, as far as possible, men should be given their preference of unit, provided they stated this preference on their attestation form and that there are vacancies in the unit which they choose.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if he will instruct Lieutenant John Jurniper, recruiting officer for the Old Trafford district of Manchester, in his duties under the Military Service Act, 1916, seeing that this officer has informed a man who was married on the 13th of October last that, as he was a single man on 15th of August last and being an unattested man, he must make an application to the local tribunal to be put in a later group, as he has no authority to do that; and, in view of the annoyance, inconvenience, and loss of time which is being inflicted upon persons outside the Military Service Act, 1916, by the illegal actions of recruiting officers, will he make striking examples of a few officers who act illegally as a warning to other law-breakers?

I have no knowledge of the circumstances stated by my hon. Friend. If the man in question was not an attested man it would, of course, be wrong to suggest that an application, under the Military Service Act, would be necessary in the case of a man who was married on the 13th October. As to such a man the Act does not apply. If it were found that a recruiting officer was deliberately acting illegally suitable action would be taken.

Is the suitable action to be taken by the War Office?

Yes, Sir.

Then I will find you plenty of work.

Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the condemnation of military representatives by Lord Selborne, and will he issue instructions to military representatives not to endeavour to mislead people?

The question which I have answered related to recruiting officers and not to military representatives.

asked the Under-Secretary for War if a decision has now been arrived at as to the administrative means to be adopted to give effect to the exemption of officers and men in the mercantile marine from the operation of the Military Service Act, 1916; and, if so, what steps he is taking to make them known?

Instructions have been given that officers and seamen of the mercantile marine, whether attested or not, are not to be called up for service, and should not be acepted for direct enlistment even if they offer themselves. I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the instructions, which are too long to read out now.

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman what steps he has taken to make these regulations generally known?

The instructions have been issued to recruiting officers.

asked the Under-Secretary for War (1) whether, in view of the official statement that a recruit would not be sent abroad unless the medical authorities considered that his physique was equivalent to that of a man of eighteen and a half, he will say whether numbers of recruits under eighteen years of age are still being sent to the front; what is the minimum age at which youths are sent abroad; if he will give instructions that no youth is to be sent to the front till he is eighteen years of age; and (2) whether he has had a sight of two letters addressed to Mr. Kitching, of No. 68, Nottingham Road, Mansfield, from the colonel commanding the 17th Sherwood Foresters and the Officer of Infantry Records at Lichfield, stating that his son, Private Kitching, No. 29731, 17th Sherwood Foresters, is to be sent abroad, though his age is only seventeen years and four months; whether he is aware that though Mr. Kitching sent his son's birth certificate to these officers they replied that, seeing his son's official age was nineteen years 314 days, they regretted that Mr. Kitching's request could not be acceded to that his son should be retained for Home service; if he will give instructions that this boy is not to be sent abroad till he is over eighteen years of age; and if he will at the same time issue instructions that officers are not to rely on the official age of the recruit when they have proof that this is incorrect?

I have seen the correspondence to which my hon. Friend alludes in Question 36. The answers sent by the officer in command Infantry Records at Lichfield and by the officer commanding the 17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, were in accordance with the instructions issued, the nature of which I stated fully in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blackburn on the 2nd November. The question is one for the medical authorities to decide on the medical facts of each case, and I am unable to promise that it will be decided merely with reference to the question whether the lad has or has not passed his eighteenth birthday, and without reference to his physical development. I cannot say what number of recruits actually under eighteen years of age are being sent to the front, but the number cannot, I think, be large. I stated in a reply I gave to the hon. Member for East Edinburgh on the 8th March that for a considerable period now recruiting officers have been required to see the recruit's registration card, on which his real age is shown, before accepting him. There is no minimum age at which youths are sent abroad; they are sent when their physical qualifications are such as to make it suitable that they should be sent.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Lord Derby has expressed the view to the War Office that boys ought not to be sent until they are at least nineteen years of age on the ground of the waste of good material? Cannot the right hon. Gentleman make a regulation that boys of sixteen should not be sent, even if he cannot make the limit eighteen?

It all depends on the question of physical development. I cannot give the undertaking the hon. Baronet asks for because there are a certain number of lads already serving who are under the age.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give a guarantee to those not now at the front that they shall not go if they are under eighteen?

I cannot say more at the present moment than that no one is being accepted for the Army who is under nineteen years. The cases referred to by my hon. Friend are all of old standing, and the question is governed by the physical development of the boy.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say how many boys under the age of twenty have broken down at the front and have been executed by order of a British court-martial?

asked the Under-Secretary for War by whose authority the commander of the Royal Army Anti-Aircraft Corps posted a notice in the stations of the corps informing men of military age that to save being conscripted arrangements had been made with the War Office to allow them to attest at Scotland Yard in uniform; and whether, as a matter of fact, the Military Service Act, 1916, does not apply to persons serving in His Majesty's forces at the date of passing the Act?

These men, i.e., those of the Royal Naval Anti-Aircraft Corps, were subject to the provisions of the Military Service Act, 1916, and opportunities were given to them to attest voluntarily before the date of the Act coming into force. In this respect they received no privilege that was not equally available to everybody else coming within the provisions of the Act. The Anti-Aircraft Corps is not within the exceptions set out in the first Schedule of the Act.

asked the Prime Minister if, when considering the matter of a moratorium for married men called to the Colours, he will also take into consideration and make provision for single men with serious domestic, business, and financial obligations whose cases have been refused consideration by the local tribunals?

All aspects of this question are being carefully considered

asked the Prime Minister whether, having regard to the numerous cases of hardship which have arisen to men already called up for service, and having regard to the further cases of hardship which will arise as the married groups are called up, he will state when the promised proposals of the Government to deal with the problem will be published?

This question, which is an exceedingly complex one, is being carefully considered, but I am afraid I cannot yet say definitely when it will be possible to make an announcement upon it.

Is there any likelihood of an immediate decision, in view of the anxiety of such a large number of men throughout the country?

I agree with my hon Friend that the sooner a decision is come to the better, but it is really a very difficult question. It has been discussed very thoroughly, but there are some considerations which will have to be thoroughly examined before a decision is come too.

It might have an influence on the Market Harborough election!

Are we to understand that no married groups are to be called up until a decision has been arrived at?

I am afraid I am not in a position to answer that question.

Would it not be better to raise the pay of all the soldiers to such an extent as would enable them to meet all their liabilities, and get the money out of taxation?

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received from the Manchester Home Trade Association a resolution drawing attention to the position that is being created by the disallowing of claims for postponement of the calling up of men essential to business; whether this association express the view that if this policy is pursued it will lead to the closing of many businesses and great loss to national and local revenue and urge the Government to give earnest attention to this aspect of the problem, in order that the enormous financial obligations of the nation may be met, that industry and commerce should not be I unduly crippled, and that the productive power of the nation in essential industries should be maintained; and what steps, if any, are being taken to reconcile conflicting military and industrial claims?

I have received the resolution referred to and am in communication with the association. I may add that the instructions to local tribunals with regard to the exemption of men who are the brains of businesses essential to the national interest are now under revision with a view to fuller consideration being given to such cases.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what action he proposes to take in regard to a decision of the Southampton Tribunal to grant exemption to a sailmaker on the condition that he remained in the employment of his present employer; and if he will communicate with the tribunal and point out that such a decision is a distinct violation of Clause 2, Section 3, of the Military Service Act, 1916?

I am informed that the local tribunal cannot trace the case to which the question relates.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what action he proposes to take in regard to the conduct of the local tribunal for the Petersfield Rural District Council who on 6th March refused to allow a claimant on the ground of conscientious objection to make a statement of his objections or to call witnesses, but rejected the claim on the strength of a letter which had been sent to the tribunal by a stranger living more than 200 miles away; and will he say if such conduct on the part of the tribunal is carrying out the instruction which says that conscientious objectors should be made to feel that their claims will receive fair consideration?

I have communicated with the local tribunal in this case. The statement that the applicant was not allowed to call witnesses is not admitted by the tribunal. The letter referred to was, as I understand, not read till the applicant had consented to this being done. An appeal has been made and is now pending.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what action he proposes to take upon the conduct of Councillor Hopwood, a member of the Shaw, near Oldham, local tribunal, who told an applicant for an exemption on the ground of conscientious objection, on 7th March, that he was exploiting God to save his own skin, that he was a deliberate and rank blasphemer, a coward and a cad, and nothing but a shivering mass of unwholesome fat; and if he will ask the council who appointed this member of the tribunal to exercise their powers under the instructions to dismiss a man who has shown himself incompetent for the duties of his office?

The question of revoking the appointment of any member of a local tribunal rests with the local authority appointing it, and I think I can safely leave this case in their hands.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what action he proposes to take upon the conduct of the Oxford local tribunal who on 6th March refused the claim for exemption on conscientious objection by a theological student named Runacres, the ground of refusal being a letter produced by the military representative from some person whose identity he refused to disclose to the claimant; and will he call the attention of the Oxford tribunal to that part of the instructions which says that conscientious objectors should be made to feel that their case is being considered by a judicial and fair-minded body?

I have no information on the subject, and I cannot undertake to interfere in the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary for War what action he proposes to take on the conduct of the Spur Doubling Company, of Reddish, near Stockport, who have dismissed an employé named Toft for refusing to attest; that the manager, in dismissing the workman, said that he was acting on the instructions given in a pamphlet issued by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee; and that if he continued to employ Toft he would be liable to a fine of £20; and will he say if any such instructions or statements have been made on the part of the War Office?

I have no information of the circumstances mentioned by my hon. Friend. If any statement was made that, in dismissing a workman for refusing to attest, a man was acting on instructions given in the pamphlet issued by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, there is no foundation for the statement. There is a penalty for knowingly employing a Reservist who, after being called up for service, absents himself, and reference to this penalty was made in a pamphlet entitled "An Outline of the Military Service Act," issued by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee. This, of course, is entirely a different matter from a suggestion that a man should dismiss an employé for refusing to become a Reservist. I can show my hon. Friend the exact terms of the statement in the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee's pamphlet.

asked the Under-Sec-retary for War under what conditions colonels in the British Expeditionary Force, and who are also Members of Parliament, are granted leave of absence from their military duties; and whether they, as Members of Parliament, have privileges greater than other colonels?

I have often stated that leave to officers and men of the British Expeditionary Force is a matter within the discretion of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief in France. I should be loth to believe that Members of this House would either consent themselves to receive, or, indeed, would be granted leave of absence on a more generous scale than could be accorded to their brothers in arms. I know of no reason for supposing that the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief would refuse, if military conditions permitted, to take account of special circumstances wherever they could be shown legitimately to exist.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware it was stated the other day that men who had been at the front for twelve months or more could not get leave on account of the exigencies of our Allies?

The exigencies of the Service require that leave should be granted very sparingly at the present moment.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether officers of the Reserve of Officers, including the Royal Army Medical Corps, who were recalled on mobilisation have now been given promotion according to their seniority?

The reply would be in the affirmative, subject to the qualification that the officers must have complied with the conditions laid down— i.e., that promotion is given when an officer comes to the top of the list of his rank, his seniority being counted from the first day of mobilisation.

asked what offences has a subaltern to commit before an officer commanding places him under open arrest; and is it usual to keep him under arrest forty-eight hours without letting him know what he is under arrest for?

I will refer my hem. Friend to paragraph 469 of the King's Regulations for statement of the circumstances under which an officer may be placed under arrest. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether single men who applied for service in the Officers' Training Corps and were rejected for medical reasons since the 14th August, 1915, are being dealt with by the War Office as being liable to serve under the Military Service Act, 1916; and, if so, what justification the War Office has for treating rejection in such cases as invalid under that Act?

An application for service in an Officers' Training Corps is not an offer of enlistment within the meaning of the Military Service Act.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether any members of His Majesty's naval or military forces have been allowed since the commencement of the War to retire or leave the Services for their own convenience or at the termination of their naval or military engagements; and, if so, whether the Government proposes to take the necessary steps to prevent the possible recurrence of this loss of trained men?

As regards non-commissioned officers and men those whose engagements have expired have been discharged as soon as circumstances permitted of their being brought home for discharge. In the case of officers, there have been one or two cases in which retirement was allowed in special circumstances. Steps have been taken by the offer of a bounty to induce time-expired non-commissioned officers and men to remain in the Army. As regards the naval part of the question, I would ask the hon. Gentleman to address himself to the Admiralty.

asked the Under-Secretary for War whether part of the 20th Battalion Royal Lancashire Fusiliers (Public Schools Battalion), who have done excellent service in the trenches, are to remain there whilst the other part, who have been kept at home, are to be converted into Officers' Training Corps units; whether some of the men in the battalion serving at the front have been refused permission to accept commissions offered them by the officer commanding; and whether he is aware that this distinction in favour of those who have seen no active service is giving dissatisfaction?

I presume my hon. Friend is referring to the 20th Royal Fusiliers, about which I answered several questions yesterday. There is no intention of converting any of the so-called "Public School Battalions" into Officers' Training Corps Units. I understand that a considerable number of men are wanted for commissions from these battalions, but there is no discrimination against those who have seen active service. Quite the contrary would be the case. As to the number of suitable candidates likely to be taken from each of the battalions in question I have at present no information. I am, however, in communication on the subject.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the very wide-spread grievance regarding the treatment received and the paucity of commissions, which have been given?

Yes, my hon. Friend has been good enough to make me acquainted with that, and I am, inquiring into it.

asked the Prime Minister whether any steps have been taken by His Majesty's Government to restrict the use of petrol in country districts; and, if so, why have steps not first been taken to restrict the use in London, where there are facilities for persons to travel by underground railways and omnibuses?

The question of maintaining an adequate supply and proper distribution of petrol for purposes of national importance is engaging the serious attention of several departments of Government, but so far no action of a general character has been taken either in the country districts or in London.

Why is it that in country districts supplies of petrol are only given to certain privileged persons, while ordinary persons who have had their horses commandeered cannot get enough petrol to take them to the station?

There are questions on the Paper about that. I am looking into the matter, particularly the cases suggested by the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Snowden). I do not know what action has been taken, and I am not aware of any authority for anyone doing what the hon. Gentleman suggests.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how long he has been, engaged in considering the matter?

I know, for instance, that the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Munitions have been in conference about it. It is a very difficult question. I was discussing it last week, and I hope that a decision will be arrived at soon upon the subject.

asked the Minister of Munitions if the Sheffield Committee of Munitions of War has been authorised to act as the local authority for the granting of permits for the supply of petrol to users of motor vehicles; if so, why has this body been given such power; and, if not, what is the explanation of the fact that persons in Sheffield requiring petrol are refused supplies by dealers unless they have the permit of this committee?

I am making inquiries into the matter and will communicate with my hon. Friend.

Are we to understand that there is no information on the subject and that, the committee has received no authority from the right hon. Gentleman's Department to act as the dispenser of petrol?

I am making inquiries.

asked the Minister of Munitions what steps have been taken to place contracts for the manufacture of 9.2 shells in Dublin; and how soon is it proposed to proceed with the work?

I received a deputation from Ireland on Friday, the 10th instant, when this question was discussed. Arrangements are being made to extend the Dublin National Shell Factory so that 9.2 in. shell may be produced there.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is now in a position to state the total cost to the State of the two meetings of munitions workers at Glasgow attended by the Minister of Munitions last Christmas, including the loss to production occasioned by the absence from work of all who attended and the cost of bringing selected men to the meetings?

I am not able to give the information asked for.

Will the hon. Gentleman state why?

It would be a very laborious task to make a return of the time lost by every individual man attending the meetings.

Is not the reason that it would not be particularly creditable?

Certainly not. The result of the campaign in Glasgow in favour of the dilution of labour have exceeded our most sanguine expectations.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he will give the names of the Committee controlling the export of splint coal from Scotland; whether he can state how many members of the Committee represent the interests of coal producers and exporters and how many represent the interests of ironmasters; what is the difference between the price obtained for splint coal sold to local ironmasters and the price obtained for the same coal when exported; and whether, in view of the acknowledged shortage of the supplies of splint coal to the Scottish blast furnaces, he will forthwith prohibit the issue of any more licences to export?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The control of the export of coal from the United Kingdom is in the hands of the Coal Exports Committee, which is not representative of particular interests. The Committee has regard to any recommendations made by the District Coal and Coke Supplies Committees which were recently appointed by the Board of Trade with a view to ensuring adequate supplies of fuel to important consumers. The District Committee for Scotland, which consists of representatives of the coal industry, recently recommended that in view of the difficulty they were experiencing in connection with the supply of splint coal to blast furnaces exports of this fuel should be curtailed, and action has been taken by the Coal Exports Committee in this direction.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if a fair proportion of the work connected with the War is being allotted to Ireland; on what grounds has the Local Government Board induced numbers of Irishmen to go to munition and kindred works in Great Britain, where they are now compulsorily detained; whether the Board informed them of this detention before they left Ireland; how it is that some local authorities in Ireland applying for assistance for old persons left unemployed by the War are told by the Board to send those persons also to Great Britain, for whose work and life they are wholly unfit; and whether relief will be provided either out of the funds to which the Irish people have contributed or by way of suitable work which they could do near their own homes?

Every effort is being made to allot to Ireland as large a proportion of the work connected with the War as can be undertaken there. The Local Government Board have never induced Irishmen to go to England on munition or any other kind of work, and consequently have had no cause to explain to them the nature of the employment, nor have they induced local authorities to send old persons to Great Britain for employment on work for which they are unfit. If it should be hereafter shown that there is distress caused by unemployment which cannot be met by the ordinary demands of the labour market, or through the Labour Exchange, applications for relief would no doubt be considered by the Prince of Wales' Fund, but in such a case it would not be possible to find suitable work for every applicant near his own home.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view that ships have been and are being sold at many times their pre-war prices, why he has declined to tax these profits seeing that every necessity of life has risen owing to the present high freights; and whether he is aware that shipowners have in many cases escaped paying the Excess Profits Tax by selling their ships at these high prices?

As my hon. Friend is aware, the business of selling ships falls within the scope of the Excess Profits Duty, and special provision was made in the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, to prevent loss of duty on increased shipping profits in cases in which a shipping company substitutes one ship for another. I may add that a wholly isolated transaction would not ordinarily constitute the carrying on of a trade or business.

Was not the provision in the Finance Act withdrawn owing to pressure put upon the Cabinet themselves by a ring of shipowners?

No, Sir.

Yes, it was.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any intention of increasing the Excess Profits Tax in his next Budget?

I can only suggest to my hon. Friend that he should wait until I make the Budget statement.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, now that the State is participating in the profits that may be derived from certain race-horses, he will recognise the desirability of obtaining further revenue from racing, and will take into consideration the system adopted in France for securing revenue from this sport for the breeding of horses and other purposes?

I am not a ware of the particular system adopted in France to which my hon. Friend refers.

Will my right hon. Friend inform himself of the system, or, if I supply him with the information, will he consider it?

If my hon. Friend will give me the information, I shall be very glad to receive it from him.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any belligerent Power has had recourse to the issue of premium or bonus bonds for the financing of its war expenditure up to the present time?

So far as I am aware, no such issue has been made by any belligerent Power.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what effect the imposition of the Customs Duty of 33 per cent. on motor cars has had on their import into this country; if there is any evidence that the cars are sent over in parts in greater numbers than before; and if this is being done to save a portion of the duty?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on 21st February to the hon. Member for the Ludlow Division. A comparison of the five pre-Budget months from April to August last with the five post-Budget months from October to February last shows a decrease under parts as well as under cars and chassis.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he will explain why, having regard to the interests of economy, £4,500 a year should be paid in Pall Mall for rooms used as offices by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command?

It is necessary for the headquarters of the Eastern Command to be located near at hand, and this was the only suitable accommodation which could be obtained on their removal from the Horse Guards. The amount to be paid has not been agreed, but rests with the Duke Commission.

Could not suitable offices have been found somewhere else in London and not opposite Marlborough House in one of the most highly-rented streets in London?

I am informed that this is the only suitable accommodation which could be obtained sufficiently near at hand.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why, in addition to other woods, the importation of oak, with a view to secure more tonnage space, was not prohibited by the Proclamation of 15th February, seeing that the supply of home-grown oak must be ample in this country, the present sale price being so low as not to leave any profit to the vendor?

The Proclamation of the 15th February was intended to cover woods which are used practically exclusively for furniture purposes, but not to affect woods such as oak which are used for other important industrial purposes and cannot therefore so easily be dispensed with.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the retail hawkers' price of coal supplied in small quantities has recently been so high as 2s. 3d. per hundredweight; and if this is an indication of failure on the part of certain coal merchants whom he called to his assistance to keep down retail prices?

My attention has been called to one or two cases in which excessive prices have been charged by small dealers. These have been dealt with by the London Merchants Retail Coal Prices Committee. The principal merchants agreed to withhold supplies from dealers who charge more than the recognised prices, and I have no reason to suppose that the arrangement is not working satisfactorily.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that, even at the recognised prices, there is practically a coal famine to-day in the City of London, and that it is most difficult to get a supply for household use even by giving a fortnight's notice?

No, Sir, I am not aware that there is a coal famine in London, but if the hon. and learned Gentleman will bring particulars to my notice and the districts where there is a shortage of coal, I will see what can be done.

I will do that.

Will the right hon. Gentleman issue weekly from his Department the recognised prices?

No, Sir. There are no recognised flat prices for the whole of London, as I have frequently explained to the House.

Is it generally understood that the carters of coal form a. reserved occupation under the Military Service Act?

That hardly arises out of the question on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether German subjects interned at the Alexandra Palace who own businesses which are under the supervision of the Board of Trade are allowed to receive visits from employés through whom they can and do conduct their businesses and so preserve them for their use after the War?

Such visits are occasionally allowed.

asked the Attorney-General if a weekly paper called "Britannia," edited by Miss Christabel Pankhurst, has been raided and suppressed; whether it is still published regularly; whether he is aware that this organ gives support to the country in the present conflict; and if he will say why the staff are continually persecuted and if the Government attacked the "Britannia" because of its faithful and devoted pleading of the cause of our Allies the Serbians?

The Attorney-General has asked me to reply to this question. Steps have been taken with regard to this paper, by order of the military authority under the Defence of the Realm Act, and I am informed that it is now only published as a leaflet. The copies I have seen contain statements which are absolutely untrue, and which are calculated to prejudice our relations with our Allies.

Will this paper, "Britannia," which is sent to me regularly by post, be allowed to bring an action against the Government in respect of its suppression?

I should like notice of that question.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, however misguided some of the statements are, it is a paper loyally attached to this country, and is it to be suppressed because it criticised a member of the Government?

It is ostensibly loyal, but undoubtedly it is most mischievous.

Has my right hon. Friend read the constant attacks which are being made on his colleagues and on officials in the Foreign Office who are unable to defend themselves by this infamous paper?

Yes, I have read many of the attacks. Of course, criticisms on members of the Government are quite legitimate so long as they are based on truth, but many of the statements in question are absolutely false.

Why is the editor of this paper not prosecuted?

Will the right hon. Gentleman, as a member of the Government, refute the gross charges which are brought against Sir Eyre Crowe?

That does not arise out of the question.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether great pressure has been and is being brought to bear on his Department to reduce the Board's staff of inspectors; and can he state that he has resisted and will continue to resist the weakening of a staff which has never been large enough to cope with increasing educational necessities?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, though the desirability of differentiation between the functons of the Board's inspectors and of inspectors employed by local education authorities was referred to by the Retrenchment Committee. No occasion for resistance on my part has arisen.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he has consented to reduce the Board's staff under pressure from the Retrenchment Committee; and, if he has not, can he give an assurance that he will oppose any reduction in the expenditure of the Board, which has greater responsibility for the future, intellectual, and moral condition of the British race than any other Department?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I appreciate my hon. Friend's estimate of the Board's responsibilities and will certainly try to secure the means of fulfilling them.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether it is intended to introduce legislation which will enable children to be excluded from school up to a later age than the present statutory age of compulsory education?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave yesterday to the hon. Members for North West Wilts and East Notts, which covers this question.