asked the Prime Minister whether, having regard to the near approach of the quarter-day of 25th March, he will state when the promised proposals of the Government dealing with the civil liabilities of men called up for service will be announced?

I hope very soon.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that men employed in the Royal and other dockyards doing Government work are being paid double rates of pay for Sunday labour while at the same time they, or many of them, are taking a day off in the week as a matter of practice; and whether, with a view to public economy and prevention of waste, he will direct that the day off shall, wherever possible, be a Sunday so as to save the payment of the double pay?

So far as the Royal I Dockyards are concerned, the suggestion contained in the question is not correct. For day-time work on Sunday in the Royal yards double rates are not paid; the rates allowed are time-and-a-half. Double rates are allowed only for night work on Sundays. The numbers of men employed on Sundays in the Royal yards form but a small proportion of the men employed in those yards, and these are employed only when the exigencies of the Naval Service require that they should be so employed; and in such cases the men are permitted to be absent on another day in the week, so that, whenever possible, every man shall have one day off in seven. So far back as 13th April, 1915, the Admiralty communicated to the Royal yards the decision that Sunday labour was to be avoided as far as possible and only engaged upon where the urgency of the work rendered it unavoidable. It is the case that for men employed on Sundays in contract shipbuilding yards the rate of pay is generally double the week-day rate. But here, again, steps were initiated by the Admiralty on 13th April, 1915, to lessen the amount of Sunday labour. It cannot, however, in the national interest, be entirely stopped, and it is considered very necessary that a man working on Sunday should have a day in lieu. It is also arranged that the working of the same men on consecutive Sundays is restricted as much as possible. I may add that the Admiralty have for a long time past given, and are at present giving, close attention to the questions of continuous overtime and Sunday labour and their effect upon efficiency and output.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Captain Briggs, the military representative, stated publicly at a meeting of the local tribunal, held at the Battersea Town Hall on the 14th instant, that the Non-Combatant Corps should be known as the "No Courage Corps"; whether the use of such language has the sanction of the War Office; and, if not, what steps does he propose to take to bring home to Captain Briggs the views of his official superiors on the matter?

I am unaware of the use of this phrase by the military representative for the Battersea local tribunal, but the matter is being inquired into.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state the number of men of military age and fitness now engaged in England and Wales in each of the principal industries in which recruiting for the Army is restricted, and the number in the general population outside those industries who are not yet in khaki?

I am not in a position to supply the figures desired.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state approximately the number of men of military age and fitness now engaged at and in connection with agriculture in England and Wales, and with fishing, respectively?

The Census of 1911 shows that the numbers of men between the ages of twenty and forty-five who were then engaged in agriculture and fishing, respectively, in England and Wales were 526,546 and 14,052. The Board have no information as to the number or fitness of the men engaged in these pursuits who have not enlisted, and I doubt whether any estimate that could be made would be of much value.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of men of military age and fitness now engaged at and in connection with the coal and other mining and quarrying industries in England and Wales?

I regret I am not in a position to give the information asked for in this question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether men of military age and physical fitness are engaged on clerical work in the Army pay offices; whether he is aware that ex-warrant officers and ex-non-commissioned officers of the Army Pay Corps, who are well qualified by experience for employment as acting or assistant paymasters or as supervisors in Army pay offices, have never been invited to offer themselves for such work; that some of those who have offered them- selves have been offered employment of an inferior kind which would not have made the best use of their experience; and whether steps will be taken, in view of the demand for soldiers, to make use of the services of these old and experienced men?

Men of military age and physical fitness for active soldiering are not now taken for work in Army pay offices. No special invitation to ex-members of the Army Pay Corps has been issued, but I am not aware of any suitable candidate of the class referred to being refused employment suited to his capacity.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War how many officers of the rank of major and upwards are now engaged in the anti-aircraft defence of London?

I regret that it is not in the public interest to give this information.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he has yet made inquiries into the case of Mrs. Brelsford, 186, Accrington Road, Burnley, mother of Private William Brelsford, 1/4th, No. 091,627, Army Service Corps, 82nd Field Ambulance, 27th Division; and, if so, whether he will say why no Government allowance has yet been paid to her?

The hon. Member was informed on the 17th instant that Mrs. Brelsford had been found not to have been dependent on her son. An earlier letter to the same effect seems to have miscarried.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether majors commanding temporarily British Infantry battalions left in India are not given the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel, as is usual elsewhere; whether their wives, in the event of their being killed on active service in frontier fights, which are now not unusual, thus qualify for lower pensions; whether it is usual to gazette to the rank of temporary lieutenant-colonel after one month's tenure of command; and whether there is any reason for discrimination against officers holding temporary commands in India?

The rule referred to by the hon. Member as in force outside India applies only to officers in the field. It has now been arranged that a major temporarily commanding a regiment or battalion in India in lieu of a lieutenant-colonel extra-regimentally employed out of India shall be promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel after thirty days.

asked the Minister of Munitions how many men of military age are now engaged at and in connection with the manufacture and transport of munitions of war?

I am not in a position to give the information asked for in this question.

asked the Home Secretary if he will, either by legislation or by a circular to justices, or through the Central Control Board, secure a reform of the method of punishment of persons charged with drunkenness, discriminating between occasional offenders on the one hand and chronic drunkards on the other, with the object of giving each class such punishment or treatment as may be most likely to be beneficial to the individual and a safeguard to the community?

I do not think I can add anything to the answer which I gave my hon. Friend a week ago. The circumstances of the present time do not admit of our undertaking any general reform of the means of dealing with the habitual drunkard. I do not doubt that magistrates take pains to discriminate, so far as opportunity allows and within the powers of the existing law, between the individuals who come before them on charges of drunkenness.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state for the year 1913, or earlier complete year, the value of German exports to Russia, France, Italy, and Belgium, and if he can state what proportion of these exports were manufactured goods; and if he will issue and publish the full details of all these German exports, so that British and Colonial manufacturers and merchants might know the class of goods exported by Germany to these countries?

The following statement shows the value of the exports of merchandise from Germany in 1913 to the destinations specified, distinguishing separately the exports of goods classed as manufactured and semi-manufactured:—

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the advisability of increasing the maternity benefit payable under the National Insurance Act from 30s. to £5?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. Legislation would be required to give effect to the hon. Member's suggestion, but perhaps he will communicate to me the reasons on which the suggestion is based.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the new valuation of the City of Dublin coming into operation on 1st April, 1916, is estimated, by way of increased Income Tax and additional licence duty on the licensed traders of the city, to bring an increased revenue of £30,000 to £40,000 yearly to the Treasury; and whether he will urge upon the Treasury the necessity of refunding yearly the said increased amount of Dublin ratepayers' money, in addition to the grants Dublin is already entitled to, for the housing of the working classes of that city?

I cannot recognise the principle that advances to local authorities should be regulated by the amount contributed by residents in the respective localities by way of Imperial taxation. It is evident that if the amounts so contributed were refunded to the locality the primary purpose of taxation would be frustrated.