asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been drawn to the recommendation in the Report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases that a man in the Navy should not be discharged if suffering from any such disease; whether any legislation is required in order to enable effect to be given to that recommendation; and, if so, whether he is prepared to introduce such legislation?

I think my hon. Friend will see that the question raised in the recommendation to which he refers is one which will call for careful consideration. He is, of course, aware that the Report was signed so recently as 11th February, 1916, and was publicly circulated in the early days of the present month.

May we be sure that it is to receive careful attention at once, and not put off further?

The matter will be considered, but I can give no undertaking as to it.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been drawn to the recommendation in the Report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases that men joining the Navy should be warned at the earliest possible moment of the grave dangers which venereal diseases involve, and that the warning should be formally repeated at intervals of not less than a year; whether the existing Regulations provide for such warnings; and, if not, whether he will cause the Regulations to be amended so as to secure that the recommendation of the Commissioners be carried into effect?

The answer to the earlier parts of the question being in the affirmative, the last part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the President of the Local Government Board (1) whether it is the intention of the Board to use their power under the Public Health Acts to supply drugs used in connection with venereal diseases free to medical practitioners, as recommended in the Report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases; and (2) whether legislation is required to enable the Board to secure accurate statistical information as regards the prevalence of disease among persons receiving institutional treatment, as recommended in the Report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases; and, if so, whether it is his intention to introduce such legislation?

I cannot say more at the present time than that the Report of the Royal Commission as a whole is under the consideration of the Departments concerned.

Has the right hon. Gentleman considered whether a Clause might not be added to the Local Government (Emergency Provisions) Bill which would bring the recommendations within the purview of the Bill?

My hon. Friend will consider that.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his or any other Government Department authorised the agents of the British Government at Valparaiso to ship a quantity of Chilian beans at the port of Talcahuano or other West Coast port and deliver same at Buenos Ayres by a steamer requisitioned by the Admiralty to carry nitrates to this country; whether his or any other Government Department authorised the consignment of these beans at Buenos Ayres to the firm of Brauss, Mahn, and Company; and whether he is aware that Brauss, Mahn, and Company are the Imperial German commercial agents at Buenos Ayres?

To secure the full use of the cargo capacity of a steamer carrying nitrate to this country, which had in any case to go round Cape Horn, she was ordered to Buenos Ayres to load hay. The space left for carrying hay was, between the nitrate loading port and Buenos Ayres, filled with beans consigned to Buenos Ayres, thus ensuring that no part of the ship was wasted on the trip. The Government agents, without the knowledge of the Admiralty, consigned these beans to the firm mentioned by the hon. Member, under the impression at the time that this was a Belgian firm with a head office at Antwerp, and unexceptionable from the point of view of trading with the enemy. The Government agents have since severed all connection with this firm.

( indistinctly heard ): Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that it goes round the Horn; in the second place, ought he not to have known that this firm for many months was the German Imperial commercial agent; and is he aware that I had brought this to the notice of the Government Department?

As to going round the Horn, that is a detail as far as the substance of this question is concerned. I will accept my hon. Friend's correction. As regards the second part, the action was not taken by the Admiralty, but the Government Agents. We did not appoint them. But, as I have said, they have since severed all connection with the firm.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can inform the House of the circumstances connected with an application from the War Office for the services of Royal Naval Air Service pilots for Royal Flying Corps machines; and can he state the objections put forward by Royal Naval Air Service pilots against volunteering for the work?

My right hon. Friend has no statement to make.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Mr. Duncan, a pupil at a civilian flying school who has already spent £160 in qualifying for his pilot's certificate, has been called up under the Military Service Act, 1916, in spite of assurances that he would be given sufficient time to obtain his certificate; is he aware that this is not an isolated case; and will he make a public statement reassuring all those men who are qualifying at their own expense for this branch of the combatant services that the labour and money expended and the risks they are taking will not be lost to the country?

The War Office have no information in regard to this case, but inquiry shall be made. It seems clear that Mr. Duncan had not attested and, therefore, came under the Military Service Act and, as he was neither exempted nor excepted, the authorities were bound to send him a notice calling him up. As the hon. Member states that this is not an isolated case, I will ask him of his abundance to give particulars of any other cases and to state in each case whether the pupil was attested and, if so, whether he had begun qualifying for his certificate before or after his group was called up.

Would the right hon. Gentleman mind telling me whether it is the intention to call up men who are almost qualified as pilots and send them into the trenches, when pilots are scarce, as was suggested in the House yesterday?

No, Sir, there is no such suggestion. The question the hon. Gentleman asked was whether the man was attested or not.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty how many motor cars are at the disposal of the Anti-Aircraft Service at the present time, and if the same are being put to the best possible use?

If my hon. Friend means passenger cars, the answer is five. We have also a larger number of motor vehicles performing service work. All are being put to the best possible use.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that friction has already arisen between the naval and military members of the Joint War Air Committee; and, if so, whether he will do his best to ensure that this friction does not prevent a full and frank disclosure of the position of each service?

I am informed that no conditions have arisen which will prevent a full and frank disclosure of the position of each service.

Would the right hon. Gentleman answer my question whether any friction has arisen?

I understand no conditions involving friction which would "prevent a full and frank disclosure" have arisen.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the granting of 1d. a day to labourers and 2d. a day to mechanics employed at His Majesty's dockyard, Gibraltar, by way of bonus, is insufficient to meet the increased cost of food; that the cost of living has gone up from 40 per cent. to 60 per cent.; that rents are being increased and new tenants cannot obtain a room for less than 5s. a week, unless in undesirable and insanitary quarters; that, but for the overtime worked, the wages paid, 14s. a week, would not have met the cost of subsistence; and whether he can say, now that overtime is being greatly reduced, if he will consider the possibility of raising the rates of pay of labourers, skilled labourers, and mechanics?

The question refers solely to men locally entered at Gibraltar. Men sent out from England from the home yards receive the home-yard rate, plus the home-yard war bonus, plus a foreign service allowance. As regards the payments to local entrants we are considering their remuneration, and a decision will shortly be taken, as to which I can give no undertaking.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether Messrs. Mathwin, Admiralty coal agents at Cardiff, have been invested by the Director of Transports with autocratic powers to requisition steamers on his behalf; whether this firm requisitioned the steamer "Hesione" on 31st May, 1915, to act as a collier by notice served on the owners in Liverpool, although she was a refrigerated steamer carrying 1,500 tons weight of meat and was already under requisition to the Board of Trade by Order in Council; and whether this Mathwin requisition was withdrawn by notice to the owners in Liverpool on 5th June, and only after letters had been written by the hon. Member for the West Toxteth Division of Liverpool to Messrs. Mathwin and the Director of Transports protesting against this requisition, which, if it had been carried out, would have resulted in an improper and wasteful use of a vessel engaged in carrying meat from the Argentine to this country?

My hon. Friend was informed on the 8th June, 1915, by the President of the Board of Trade that the requisitioning of the vessel referred to was due to an oversight and was cancelled as soon as this was discovered—namely, on the second day after the requisition was forwarded to the owners.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty (1) whether he can state if any, and, if so, how many, cargoes of Australian wheat carried in steamers requisitioned by the Admiralty have been, and have yet to be, delivered in Italian ports; and (2) whether he can now state definitely which Government Department is responsible for the sale and delivery of cargoes of Australian wheat carried in requisitioned steamers and delivered in Spanish ports; and how many steamers requisitioned by the Transport Department of the Admiralty have delivered and have yet to deliver such cargoes in Spanish ports?

The Australian Commonwealth is responsible for the sale and delivery of wheat to Spanish and Italian ports in requisitioned steamers. These steamers were not requisitioned by the Transport Department of the Admiralty, but by the Commonwealth Government. I should explain to my hon. Friend that they are not the steamers which were released by the Transport Department at the instance of the Colonial Office and formed the subject of his question of 22nd March. The number of the steamers requisitioned by the Commonwealth Government which have so far delivered such cargoes are—to Spanish ports four, to Italian ports five.

Are we to understand that no steamers requisitioned by the Admiralty have delivered this wheat for the Australian Government to Spain and Italy?

That is my impression, but I will look into the matter.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say why wheat was sent to Spain that was badly wanted here?

That is not a question which should be addressed to me. The Australian Commonwealth Government was responsible for the sale and delivery of wheat at Italian and Spanish ports.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if men of the Royal Fleet Reserve and ex-Royal Fleet Reserve and men of the mercantile marine employed on armed cruisers (auxiliary), patrol yacht, etc., are entitled to a monthly bonus and of what amount; and if he can say if these men are paid this bonus monthly or is the amount payable at the end of the War or of a man's service?

Men of the Royal Fleet Reserve and pensioners, who are employed in armed auxiliary vessels, are paid their ordinary naval rates of pay and allowances. A bonus is not payable in addition. Men of the mercantile marine who are employed in similar circumstances are allowed a bonus of 15 per cent.—in some cases £1 a month—on their civilian rates of wages. This bonus is paid concurrently with wages.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if he is now in a position to give the House the date and text of the Instruction issued by the Admiralty to merchant shippers with reference to arming and their use of arms?

If the hon. Gentleman refers to shipowners, the current Instructions with reference to defensively armed merchant vessels were issued by the Admiralty on 20th October, 1915, and they have recently been made public through the Press on 3rd March.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the two wireless messages sent to and acknowledged by the acting captain of the "Lusitania" on its last voyage related to any person or thing on board that vessel; and whether the instructions conveyed were acted upon?

I have nothing to add to the reply, referring to the Wreck Commissioner's Findings, which I gave the hon. Member yesterday in answer to a similar question.

Does the right hon. Gentleman refuse to answer the question on the Paper?

I have referred the hon. Gentleman to Command Paper 8,022, 1915.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the German interned steamers lying in Italian ports are now being used by the Italian Government; and whether the terms as to payment for the use of these vessels are the same as those offered by the Portuguese Government to Germany for the use of similar vessels in Portuguese ports before Germany declared war on Portugal?

As regards the first part of the question I must refer the hon. Member to the reply returned to the hon. Member for the Mansfield Division of Notts on the 29th ultimo. With regard to the second part, no precise scale of payment for the use of requisitioned ships was laid down by either Government.

Are we to understand that the scale of payment was offered by either Government?

I think it was so, but I should like notice of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can now state the number and tonnage of German ships now requisitioned by Italy and Portugal, respectively?

All German vessels sheltering in Portuguese ports have been requisitioned, and the same applies to those in Italian ports, with the exception of three, which for various reasons are unusable. If the hon. Member requires further statistics regarding the vessels I must ask him to address himself to the First Lord of the Admiralty.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can state the number of German vessels interned or sheltering in Argentine, Uruguayan, and Brazilian ports, respectively, giving their names and gross registered tonnage?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The respective totals are:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any contracts for Army clothing have been placed in Scotland since November last; is he aware that any fresh orders placed there by his Department are going into the hands of the six to twelve largest manufacturers, who in some instances are extending their factories, while some of the smaller factories, that put machinery in in order to cope with the emergency demand of his Department at the beginning of the War, are now practically idle, with the workers in severe straits; and can he do anything to alleviate this?

There are seventy-three Scottish firms included in the War Office list of contractors for the supply of various articles of Army clothing, and since November last, inclusive, orders have been placed with thirty-seven of these firms. The contracts were allocated in open competition, with due regard to the manufacturing capacity of the various firms and to the manner in which previous work had been executed. Endeavours have been made to spread work as widely as possible, but the need for employment in the clothing trade and the number of firms capable of undertaking Government contracts exceed the present requirements of the Department.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is the rule of his Department that separation allowance to the wife of a soldier is not granted where at the time of enlistment she had a business of her own from which an income was derived, and that no separation allowance is paid during the whole currency of the War in the case where the wife's business has been ruined by the exigencies of the War?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will have inquiries made into the case of Harold Hargreaves, lately of Burnley, and afterwards residing at 20, St. James's Street, Southport, who offered himself for enlistment at Blackburn on 26th October last and was then rejected as medically unfit, but has since been compelled to join the Army under the Military Service Act, 1916, and, in particular, if he will ascertain whether this man, on receiving a yellow notice requiring him to join for service with the Colours, called at the recruiting office at Southport on Friday, 3rd March, and produced the certificate of rejection which had been given him at Blackburn, and was then informed that this could not be accepted because it was signed only by a non-commissioned officer; that on Monday, 6th March, he travelled to Blackburn and called at the recruiting office to ask that the certificate should be corrected, but was informed that this could not be done, as the doctor who had rejected him had resigned his post; that at 10.45 on Thursday, 9th March, the police called at the shop where he works and told him that unless he reported himself for military service by 11.30 he would be arrested as a deserter; and that he then went and was passed for immediate service, although, in fact, suffering from rheumatic affection of the heart; and whether the War Office propose to take any steps in the matter?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of the late Private Laban Crane, 3/9th Manchester Regiment, who was sent to Colford on 3rd February in indifferent health and was reported sick six days later; that he was placed on sick parade at 7 a.m. on the following morning, the doctor ordering pills and duty; that on the evening of the same day he was again reported sick and was again on sick parade next morning, being given more pills and being inoculated at eleven in the morning, and that later in the day, though scarcely able to walk, he was obliged to remove from one hut to another and to carry his kit; that on the following day, being Saturday, 12th March, he had again to sick parade at 7 a.m., though practically on the point of collapsing, the doctor ordering more pills; that during the week end he was dependent for food and attention upon the kindness of a few of his comrades, apart from the visit of a Royal Army Medical Corps sergeant on Monday afternoon, who gave him two more pills; that though he was again reported sick on the Monday there was no visit by the doctor; that he was allowed to remain in this condition until Wednesday, when he was asked to walk to hospital, though by this time he could not stand; that within an hour of his being taken to hospital by ambulance oxygen was administered and, despite all possible skill and attention, the man died three days later; and whether thorough investigation will be made and, if necessary, suitable action taken in respect of the doctor in question?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of A. Avery, who attested on 11th January at 5, Boylie Street, Stourbridge, and was rejected for heart trouble, receiving a form to that effect; whether he is aware that this man applied on the 6th February to the recruiting office at Stourbridge for an armlet, and that his rejection paper on this occasion was taken from him by the officer in charge, who said the paper was no good; whether this man has now received a notice calling him to the Colours; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made into all the circumstances?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War by what authority recruiting officers in the Hamilton district of Lanarkshire have driven a number of unnaturalised Lithuanians and Russians and other foreigners into the Army under the Military Service Act, in spite of the protests of the men; and will he give instructions at once that these men are discharged, and also take proper measures against the recruiting officers for their conduct?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Richard Ivor Parry, of Disgwylfa, Trevor, in the county of Carnarvon, who has been unable to work for the last thirteen months, suffering from heart disease, has, notwithstanding his medical attendance certificate to that effect, been passed by the military authorities at Wrexham for general service; whether Parry has been called up for service on 7th April; and whether, in view of the medical evidence as to the man's condition and the danger to his health, he will cause an immediate inquiry to be made into the case?

Inquiry will be necessary before these questions can be answered, and it is being made.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I gave notice ten days ago, and that he told me that an answer would be ready?

I will communicate with my hon. Friend when I have the information.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) whether any and, if so, how many clerks or officials, now employed in the War Office, have obtained exemption from military service as conscientious objectors, other than the clerk who has been exempted on the ground that he belonged to the Fellowship of Reconciliation; and (2) in which Department of the War Office the clerk was at the time when he obtained exemption from military service as belonging to the Fellowship of Reconciliation; how long has he been at the War Office; and what is his present salary?

I have no evidence that the cause of exemption in the case of the clerk referred to was that he is a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. I hardly think that it is necessary or relevant that the particulars asked for in the question should be given. I am not aware that any other clerks or officers now employed in the War Office have obtained exemption from military service as conscientious objectors.

Did not the right hon. Gentleman say, in answer to my question in the House a week ago, that the clerk referred to belonged to the Fellowship of Reconciliation?

I do not exactly remember the terms of the hon. Gentleman's previous question which he has referred to. What I said was, if I remember aright, that the man went before the tribunal and was exempted as a conscientious objector. Of course, it is very difficult to remember all the answers I give. I am sure the man was exempted from military service on the ground of conscientious objection and not on the ground that he was a member of this particular body.

Is the Fellowship of Reconciliation on the War Office list of recognised religions?

I am sorry to say the War Office is not a body that holds a list of recognised religions.

asked whether the instructions isued by the President of the Local Government Board to the military tribunals are issued only to the military, tribunals in England and Wales; and, if so, whether any similar instructions have been issued by the Secretary for Scotland to tribunals in Scotland?

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

asked the President of the Local Government Board if any steps are to be taken to equalise the treatment of the owners of small and large businesses under the Derby scheme; and whether his attention has been called to the fact that the attested man who works his small shop or business single-handed will have to close his shop and serve, whilst the big man is exempted as being necessary for the working of his business?

It is not possible to lay down general rules in these matters. Each case has to be considered on its merits.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the tribunal in Dumbarton consists of a glue merchant, a builder, a factor, and two lawyers; whether he will explain how such a tribunal carries out his recommendation in regard to adequate Labour representation; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

The answer to the first portion of the question is in the affirmative. I do not consider that the present constitution of this tribunal does carry out the recommendation in regard to adequate representation of Labour, and I am in communication with the town council on the subject.

asked whether any labour representatives have been appointed on the tribunal for the Metropolitan borough of Stoke Newington; and, if so, how many have been appointed and to what labour organisation, if any, do they belong?

According to the return furnished to my right hon. Friend this local tribunal contains one Labour representative, who is stated to be an "ex-railway signalman." It is not stated in the return whether he belongs to any labour organisation, but I understand that he is a member of a trade union.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether steps will forthwith be taken to secure for the forces on the Rivers Tigris, Euphrates, and Karun, in addition to medical and surgical requirements for the case of wounds, such drugs and appliances as have been proved useful in cases of plague, cholera, malarial fever, sunstroke, guinea worm, and other diseases likely to occur in the approaching very hot weather in the deserts of Mesopotamia?

I can assure my hon. Friend that all the resources at the disposal of the War Office, whether in personnel or in stores, have been offered to the Commander-in-Chief in India.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War when the Papers relating to operations on the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates are likely to be published?

Dispatches regarding operations in the Persian Gulf and in Mesopotamia have already been published in Command Paper No. 8074. It is hoped to publish shortly a further dispatch from Sir John Nixon. This will cover events up to the end of September.

Will those dispatches be published in the "London Gazette"?

I should like notice of that question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he will issue instructions that recruits who object to anti-typhoid inoculation are to be allowed leave in the ordinary way, providing they produce evidence from the medical officer of health for the district they intend to visit stating that the neighbourhood is free from typhoid fever?

The ncessity of preventing the introduction of enteric fever into military camps is paramount, and this necessitates that leave shall be granted sparingly to men who object to inoculation. I do not think that the suggestion made in the latter part of the question provides sufficient safeguard that uninoculated men on leave will not bring back infection.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will say what commission, if any, is paid to Messrs. Keele, Limited, 72, New Bond Street, on motor goods supplied to his Department by the Sunbeam Motor Company, Limited?

No commission is, or has ever been, paid by the War Department to the firm in question.

Are they not receiving £1,000 per week from the Sunbeam Company?

Not that I know of.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Messrs. R. F. White and Sons, of 33, Fleet Street, are still the agents of the War Office for advertisements given out to provincial papers; and, if so, what sums of money were paid to this firm last year?

Yes, Sir. The amounts paid could not be ascertained without lengthy inquiry into the various commands where the expenditure is authorised and the details of the accounts are kept.

Is it not possible to take out the amount from the ledger of money paid to this firm for advertising?

My hon. Friend will realise that all these accounts are kept in various commands; and owing to the form in which Army accounts are kept, it is not so easy to get out the details of the amounts as he would suppose. The accounts are laid down in the form prescribed by Parliament for keeping the Army accounts, and vouchers are, of course, obtained, and every penny can be accounted for if my hon. Friend thinks the value of the investigation will be commensurate with the labour employed.

What percentage do they get on the amount given out?

I will find out.

Are they not getting precisely the same commission as they did for forty or fifty years before?

Is not the work ten times as large?

I can find out.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he has any information that parcels to British prisoners in Germany which contain butter are opened and the butter confiscated by the German authorities?

I have no information to that effect.

asked the Minister of Munitions (1) the number of men and women, respectively, actually employed in making munitions of war in Ireland and being paid wages in the munitions area, south of a line from Ballyshannon to Dundalk, since the establishment of a branch of the Munitions Ministry in Ireland; what is the number of these men and women, respectively, employed at the works of Messrs. Kynochs as additional hands since the War; and what is the total employed in Ireland; and (2) what amount of labour has been brought from Ireland for employment on the manufacture of munitions of war and kindred work in Great Britain?

Since the establishment of the branch of the Munitions Ministry in Ireland in August, 1915, approximately 2,900 men and 730 women have been engaged and are being paid wages on the manufacture of munitions in Ireland, south of a line from Ballyshannon to Dundalk. It is not considered desirable to give the number engaged by particular firms. It is not possible to state without exhaustive inquiry what is the total number of persons employed in Ireland on munitions work, but the number entering such employment in Ireland since August, 1915, is 9,316 men and 1,074 women. It is not possible to state what amount of labour of all kinds is available for employment in Ireland on munitions of war, but I may say that the numbers on the Labour Exchange registers in Ireland available and willing to undertake munitions work are as follows: 508 skilled mechanics; 802 unskilled men; and 1,225 women.

Has the question been studied of extending munition works to provincial parts of Ireland?

Yes, the whole question about Ireland has been carefully studied.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he will consider the possibility of making arrangements whereby skilled workmen who are released from military service in order to return to their usual occupation, instead of, as is now frequently the case, being sent to factories where they were not previously employed, when they are required by these works where they were employed before joining the Army, may go back to those works, thus avoiding in many cases the necessity of paying sustenance money?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on the 21st October last to the hon. Member for the Bridgeton Division of Glasgow, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he will have a return made of the number of single men and the number of married men of military age who are employed in ordnance factories and controlled works?

In view of the large amount of work which the making of this return would cause to the staff of the Controlled Establishments and of the Department, my right hon. Friend does not feel prepared to ask for it. As has already been announced, the Ministry of Munitions are making systematic investigations with a view to discovering those men of military age who are employed on work which could be done by women.

In making those inquiries, if he gets the information can he not give the return?

It is quite a different thing. We send officers down to the factories in connection with dilution of labour. The question on the Paper is for a return for controlled establishments. There are thousands of them, and there would have to be reference to all the employés.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether his attention has been called to the numbers of Belgian soldiers, many quite unskilled, who are being withdrawn from the Belgian Army to make munitions in this country, whereas English workmen are being recruited for the Army; whether special terms and conditions are being arranged for these soldiers; and, if so, will he say what is the reason for such action?

It is not a fact that unskilled soldiers are being withdrawn from the Belgian Army to make munitions in this country. Owing to the shortage of labour in this country the Belgian Government offered to supply sufficient Belgian labour to equip one entire munition factory. This labour is being chiefly recruited from wounded Belgian soldiers who have received their discharge from the Army as unfit for military service, but who can be employed on munitions work, for which they are being specially trained. I understand that the Belgian military authorities are taking steps similar to those which have been already taken by the British War Office, whereby a certain number of highly skilled men are being withdrawn from the Colours, and some of these will be employed at the munitions factory in question. The rates paid to all Belgian workmen employed at the factory will be the rates current in the district for the work in question. Owing to lack of accommodation in the district, temporary housing accommodation is being provided, in which all Belgian workers will be housed together under suitable supervision.

Are the men over military age, or is it a fact that a great number of them are under military age? Will my hon. Friend make inquiry as to whether in some of the controlled firms there are at present a number of Belgians of military age?

My answer covers that point.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he can state for what period he has stopped building work on the new County Hall; is he aware that a good deal of the work in hand is stone-masons' and joiners' work; can he see his way to allow the men on this class of work to continue; and, if so, will he state the number of workmen it would allow to remain at work on the building?

It is not possible to make any statement at present as to the length of time for which work on the London County Hall will be stopped. The subject dealt with in the remainder of the question is now under consideration.

asked whether Messrs. Vickers are about to employ women on twelve-hour shifts instead of on eight-hour shifts as hitherto; whether such a change would be directly contrary to the recommendations of the Health of Munitions Workers' Committee; and whether this is a controlled establishment?

Messrs. Vickers, Limited, have hitherto, at their works at Erith, employed women on a three-shift system for seven days a week. The Report of the Health of Munitions Workers' Committee was in favour of a three-shift system for women, and the Ministry of Munitions adopt their views in normal cases. These particular works present certain exceptional features, and after a report by the Home Office inspector and full consideration of the matter, the Ministry agreed to recommend to the Home Office that permission be granted to the firm to establish a two-shift system under which the work of women would be practically limited to six days a week. This permission has, I understand, been granted, and the new system was introduced at the beginning of this week. Under the three-shift system the actual hours of work are 52½ a week (including Sunday work) for two weeks, and 48 for the third. Under the two-shift system they will be 58 on day-shift or 60 hours on night-shift, with a full rest at the week-end. These figures are within the limits recommended by the Health of Munitions Workers' Committee. The permission given to the firm is provisional only, and the experiment will be most carefully watched in regards to its effect alike on the workers and upon the output.

Will the hon. Gentleman give us the reasons for this change? Is the result likely to be a decrease in the total output of munitions during the twenty-four hours and an increase in the breakdown of the health of the workers?

If that appeared to follow we would stop it at once.

Has not arbitration been asked for on this question by the organisation responsible? And is it not the case that the firm have refused to postpone making the change pending the result of that arbitration?

I was not aware of that. I will inquire.

What are the reasons for the change?

There are complicated reasons; I would rather not go into them.

Is it correct that the Committee have reported against the change?

No. It is quite within the bounds of the Committee's report.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Labour Exchanges in Ireland are recruiting men and women for munitions work in Great Britain, including the construction of the large explosives factory in the North, and whether numbers of these are being sent from Ireland to Great Britain every night; and can he say what amount of labour, male and female, has been so recruited by the Labour Exchanges?

Vacancies for situations for munitions work which cannot be filled locally are circulated through the Labour Exchanges in Ireland, as in other parts of the United Kingdom, and if applicants are obtained to fill the vacancies arrangements for their transference to the job are made similar to those made in Great Britain. The number of cases of men sent from Ireland to Great Britain through the medium of the Labour Exchanges for the manufacture of munitions or for the erection of buildings in connection therewith up to 11th March, 1916, was 18,840. These figures do not necessarily relate to different individuals in every case, as the same individual may have been sent on more than one occasion. Corresponding figures for women are not available at the moment, but they do not amount to any considerable number.

The following question stood in the name of Mr. BOLAND: 55.—To ask the Minister of Munitions whether the branch of the Munitions Ministry in Ireland have ascertained the amount of labour, male and female, in Ireland, skilled and unskilled, available for employment on munitions of war; and what that amount is?

I think this question ought to be put to the Board of Trade.

I think both questions have been answered by the Ministry of Munitions and the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, having regard to the quantity of motor-car tyres and motor-cycle tyres imported from America and which are not included in the list of recent prohibited importations, he will state if it is his intention to continue to allow rubber tyres to be imported?

A prohibition of the importation of tyres for motors and motor cycles is not at present in contemplation, but I can, of course, give no undertaking as to the future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the German firm of W. Wolf and Son, of Stuttgart, who operate in cotton and cotton waste, have a branch house in Manchester which is managed by a person of German birth; if he has appointed a supervisor of this German concern; and if he will see that the question of winding up the business is considered by the Advisory Committee under the Trading With the Enemy Act?

Yes, Sir. In September last the Board of Trade appointed a supervisor of the business in this country of the firm in question, and a winding-up order under the Trading With the Enemy Amendment Act of this year was made on the 20th instant, notice thereof being gazetted on the following day.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information that the Price of Coal (Limitation) Act is in many cases not being carried out; will he introduce an amending Bill providing that the average price of each quality of coal sold in the twelve months preceding the War should be substituted in place of the corresponding price, such schedule of prices to be forwarded to the Board of Trade; and will he at the same time make it a criminal offence for anyone to sell coal at the pits above the scheduled prices other than for export purposes?

The Board of Trade have received complaints from time to time that the Act is being infringed, but so far as they are aware no case in which its infringement is alleged has come before the Courts. I doubt whether amending legislation on the lines suggested is desirable.

Are we to understand that although an Act of Parliament has been passed the Board of Trade do not intend to introduce legislation to see that the Act is carried into effect? Is my hon. Friend aware that the Act is being evaded?

My hon. Friend must assume nothing of the kind. The Act is on the whole being very fully observed. There have been a few complaints, but so far the complaints have been very few in number, and none of them have been carried to the Courts. There does not appear to us to be any justification for reopening the question here or for asking for further legislation.

Is my hon. Friend aware that both buyers and consumers are saying that they will not observe the Act, and are making bargains irrespective of the Act altogether? Having regard to that fact, which I can assure my hon. Friend is correct, will he take steps to see that the Act of Parliament is enforced?

We are perfectly prepared to consider any actual facts laid before the Board of Trade by my hon. Friend

Is not my hon. Friend aware that going into Court has proved a futile remedy for the purposes of this Act? No merchant will go into Court without he is refused all supplies.

I will call attention to the matter on the Adjournment to-night.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has information to the effect that 77s. 6d. per ton freight was paid to a neutral steamer to carry coal from a Bristol Channel port to Buenos Aires last week; and if he can state what the rate of freight now is?

I am informed that no rate as high as 77s. 6d. has been paid for coal from the Bristol Channel to Buenos Aires, and that the highest rate last week was 76s. The market rate yesterday (Tuesday) from Cardiff to Buenos Aires was 62s. 6d.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that as freights go down the price of coal goes up?

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can now state the number of British, French, Norwegian, and other allied and neutral steamers, respectively, which loaded coal from Cardiff, Barry, and Penarth, to French ports during the three months ending 31st January, 1916; and whether he can give similar information for shipments from Newport and Swansea to France during the same period?

The numbers of steamers which loaded coal to French ports during the three months ending 31st January, 1916, from Cardiff, Barry, and Penarth are: British, 70; French, 175; Norwegian, 267; other allied and neutral, 92; from Newport, British, 63; French; 39; Norwegian, 96; others, 23; from Swansea, British, 96; French, 92; Norwegian, 257; others, 11.

As this is a very important matter, will the hon. Gentleman see that information is conveyed through the proper channels to France, so that misunderstanding may be removed from the French people as to the people of England?

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the stocks of coal at Dakar have been requisitioned; whether he is aware that the Argentine Government have prohibited the export of coal from Argentina, and will only allow steamers to obtain sufficient bunker coal to reach the next port from River Plate; whether there is a sufficient stock of coal at that port to bunker steamers for Dakar, St. Vincent, or the islands; and, if not, will he state how merchant steamers are to obtain bunkers to reach a Home port?

I am informed that the stocks of coal at Dakar were requisitioned, but that the authorities are now using colliers of their own to supply their needs. I understand that the Argentine authorities are limiting bunker supplies to the amount necessary to reach the next port from the River Plate; also that subject to tonnage being available there should be enough coal going to the River Plate ports to meet reasonable demands.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this is entirely due to the shortage of merchant shipping, and that we shall shortly be short of coal altogether for foreign ports?

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the German firm of A. Wilson Peck and Company, Limited, are also trading in Sheffield under the name of Hilton and Company; and will he lay this fact before the Committee charged with carrying out the provisions of the Trading With the Enemy Act?

Before the question is answered, may I inquire whether this firm is correctly described as a German firm in view of the fact that at the outbreak of the War it altered its articles so as to annul its German share holdings, and in view, also, of the fact that all its employés of military age have been either recruited or attested?

I think my answer will meet both questions. I will bring my hon. Friend's statement to the notice of the Committee to whom the case of A. Wilson Peck and Company, Limited, has been referred.

Is it not the fact, notwithstanding the question of the hon. Member opposite, that practically all the shares of this company are held by E. Bechstein, of Berlin?

All these mattters have gone before the Committee.

Is it not the case that Bechstein, of Berlin, is the only German shareholder, and that at the Board of Trade there is an application to sanction the transfer of his shares?

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether he is aware that Max Lindlar, governing director of A. Wilson Peck and Company, is charged with making continued insulting remarks about the British people; and whether, seeing that this same person is now endeavouring to effect a sale of the shares held by E. Bechstein, of Berlin, in A. Wilson Peck and Company, Limited, in order to say that alien enemies do not control the company, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

:I have no knowledge of any remarks which may have been made by the governing director of A. Wilson Peck and Company, Limited. The case of this company has been referred to the Advisory Committee appointed under the Trading with the Enemy (Amendment) Act, 1916.

Has not the Board of Trade received from the editors of the trade journals some of the particular remarks referred to in the question?

I have not come across those remarks. The whole matter has been referred to the Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, as the South-Eastern and Chatham Railway Company are closing Walworth Road Station and taking off all workmen's trains, he can arrange with the company that they should stop all or a certain number of their main line and Crystal Palace workmen's trains at this station so as to enable the hundreds of workpeople who now use this station to have some facilities to reach their work?

I am bringing my hon. Friend's suggestion to the notice of the managing committee of the railway, and will inform him of the result.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the public are prohibited by armed guards from passing in front of the sea-side of the Hill Cliff Hotel, Bournemouth, after dusk; whether the hotel is managed by a man representing himself on the hotel bills as Mr. J. Stenbridge, which name is printed on a slip over the name of Mr. J. Steinberger; whether he has information to show that there is any connection between the two names; and whether Mr. J. Steinberger was an alien, and, if so, when was he naturalised?

The manager of the hotel in question is a Mr. J. Stenbridge, whose original name was Steinberger. The change of name was effected by Deed Poll in July, 1915. Mr. Stenbridge is of Austrian origin, and first came to this country in 1881. He was naturalised in 1906. He has been in this hotel since 1888, first as waiter and afterwards rising to be manager, and there appears to be no reason to doubt his loyalty to this country. The rule mentioned in the first paragraph of the question, which is enforced, I understand, by the local Volunteer Training Corps without arms, applies to all the cliffs and beach and adjoining roads between St. Alban's Head and Lymington River, and has no reference to this hotel.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the train leaving Euston at 8 p.m. and due at Inverness at 9.35 the following morning has during the last six months ever arrived approximately to time, and how late this train arrives at Inverness, taking daily averages for the last three months and the last six months; and whether, seeing that this train carries mails for the North of Scotland and for various naval bases, and in view of the invariable lateness of its arrival and the inconvenience caused to the naval authorities, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The train in question is usually late in reaching Inverness. Its late arrival is due to the late running of trains from the South which must arrive before it can leave Perth, and to the difficulty of working heavy traffic on a single line. I can hold out no hope of improvement in view of naval and military requirements.

Is there any reason why the King's Cross train leaving London at the same time should arrive every day much earlier than the Euston train; secondly, can the right hon. Gentleman answer that part of the question which asks the average lateness of this train?

I think the average lateness of the train is something like an hour and a half—perhaps rather more; the reason, no doubt, is due to the heavy coal and munitions traffic which is being run on the London and North-Western Railway up to Perth, where the East and West Coast trains join.

Is it heavier than on the King's Cross line?

I understand that that is so.

asked the Postmaster-General how many booklets have been recently sent to telephone subscribers in the London area by his Department, instructing them how to use the telephone; and what is the cost of this printed matter?

About 247,000 copies of the pamphlet in question have been or will be distributed to telephone subscribers in London. The estimated outside cost is £190. The issue of the pamphlet was authorised and ordered before the war. It is issued at the present time because it is now specially important that the telephone service should be worked with the utmost efficiency and economy, and the pamphlet shows how telephone users may co-operate to that end.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say why subscribers are being sent numerous copies, and why in my own case I was sent six copies. Am I six times as stupid as others?

The reason why my hon. Friend was sent six copies was that although he may be one subscriber he has six lines—

There's economy for you!

With different operators, and it was thought advisable that each operator in the service of the hon. Member on the different lines should have a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General if the privilege given to soldiers at the front of sending letters home post-free can be extended to sick and wounded men in hospital in this country?

I regret that there are serious objections, both in principle and practice, to exempting letters from soldiers in hospitals in this country from prepayment of postage.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say why soldiers in France can have their letters franked, whilst soldiers returned from the other side are denied it?

It is very difficult, in a matter of this kind, to extend facilities to individuals in hospitals in this country. If any free licence were given at the present time, I am afraid there would be considerable abuse. It seems, on the whole, desirable that a line should be drawn between those in service on the Continent and those who are in hospital in this country.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the depletion of agricultural labourers in Scotland, resulting in the closing down of dairies and the non-cultivation of land; and if he can state what steps he proposes to take to prevent this depletion causing a serious shortage in the production of food in many districts?

I have received complaints of the kind referred to. As I said in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland yesterday, the agricultural interest, so far as I can judge, is well represented on the local tribunals, and full instructions have been issued to the tribunals with regard to the considerations mentioned in the question.

Can the right hon. Gentleman do anything to facilitate Irish labourers coming over as usual this year?

I do not know what I can do to facilitate it. I think it is a matter which must be left to the employers. As the hon. Member is aware, Irish labourers can come over under present conditions.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he has received a resolution passed at the Scottish smallholders' conference held at Aberdeen, and attended by 150 delegates from all parts of Scotland, drawing the attention of the Government to the necessity of offering the utmost facilities to men returning from the War of settling the population on the land; whether any steps are being taken in the direction indicated; whether steps in the direction of the appointment of a Commission on the lines of the Verney Commission for England and Wales are to be taken in Scotland; whether, since the commencement of the War, several farms have been offered for the purposes of small holdings without any claim being advanced for capital depreciation; and whether, in view of the number of men being discharged from the Army weekly, he can give any assurance that arrangements will be made to utilise the land offering and acquire other land necessary for settling the men on the land?

I have received a copy of the resolution referred to. As regards the second part of the question, I am unable to add anything to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for East Perthshire on the 17th of last month. I am not in a position to confirm the statement that several farms have been offered for the purposes of small holdings without any claim being advanced for capital depreciation, but am in communication with the Board of Agriculture on that subject and would be glad if my hon. Friend would kindly supply me with particulars of the farms which he has in view. The whole question of providing land for discharged soldiers is receiving the careful attention of the Government at the present moment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether instructions have been given to the surveyors of Income Tax that it is improper to compute any liability to Excess Profits Duty by reference to any account or statement based on the same principle as the profits or gains of the trade or business are or would be determined for the purpose of the Income Tax subject to modifications, but the liability is to be computed by reference to the figures of the accounts made up for the taxpayer's own purposes and not for Income Tax purposes; and, if so, having regard to Clause 40 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, will he say why such instructions have been given?

No instructions inconsistent with the provisions of Section 40 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, have been issued to surveyors of taxes by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. I may remind my hon. Friend that the accounting period for the Excess Profits Duty may differ from the period for which an Income Tax account is made up, and, moreover, that the principles of the Income Tax are applicable only with material modifications.

asked whether this Government is co-operating with the French Government in order to bring about more favourable conditions as regards the rates of foreign exchanges at present prevailing in France?

His Majesty's Government is doing everything in its power to assist the French Government in maintaining the foreign exchanges. In particular, arrangements have recently been made, as stated in the Press, for facilitating through the Banks of England and France the sale on the British market of securities held in France for the purpose of financing French purchases in the United Kingdom and so relieving the pressure on the exchange arising out of such purchases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the cargo of 3,000 tons of sugar which arrived in Dublin on the 15th instant is entirely composed of Mauritius sugar for manufacturing purposes only; whether there is a scarcity in Dublin of sugar for ordinary household purposes; and whether he will take steps to have a cargo of such sugar sent to Dublin immediately?

The consignment in question was composed entirely of Mauritius sugar, and is suitable for all purposes and not for manufacturing purposes only. It will be disposed of without restriction as to its uses. I am not aware that the supply of sugar in Dublin is more restricted than elsewhere, but arrangements have already been made for delivery there very shortly of a further consignment of fine sugar.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether that will be within the next week?

I think within less time than that, but I will make inquiries.

( by Private Notice ) asked the President of the Board of Trade if, with a view to removing the uncertainty in the trade concerned, he can now state definitely whether licences will be granted for the importation of preserved fruits by the steamship "Crown of Toledo"?

It has been decided to grant licences for the importation of all such fruit for which space had been booked by this steamer on or before 27th January.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether it has been found that a woman insured in the approved society conducted by the Prudential Assurance Company, and receiving a weekly allowance as insurance benefit therefrom, can be deprived of that benefit by the individual decision of a referee appointed by the Prudential Company without previous knowledge of the case and without consultation or communication with her panel doctor; whether a woman thus deprived of benefit or otherwise treated with harshness can under No. 13 (30 b ) of the approved society's rules be required, as a condition of obtaining redress or getting her case submitted for impartial inquiry, to deposit a sum which may amount to so much as £1, and in case of an adverse decision to forfeit the deposit and pay the whole of the expenses of the arbitration; whether along with the notice of deprivation of benefit any information is given to the insured person as to the existence of a right of appeal or the nature of the steps to be taken to bring about such appeal; whether the said Rule 13 is one of forty-eight rules which cover seventy-two pages of a printed book; and whether it is proposed to leave unaltered a state of the law which makes benefits so precarious and redress so difficult to persons of small means from whom compulsory contributions have been levied?

It rests with the society of which an insured person is a member to determine, subject to the member's right of appeal, whether the facts of a given case justify the payment of benefit, and any medical evidence obtained in accordance with the rules is for the guidance of the society in coming to a decision. In the case of the particular society named in the question, I understand that where a member is required to submit herself for special medical examination under the rule referred to, steps are now taken to inform the doctor by whom she has been attended, and that, where the matter is referred to a medical umpire, it is not the society's practice to require any deposit, although the payment of a deposit is authorised by the rule. I am also informed that in all cases in which payment of benefit is suspended on the report of a medical referee the member is now furnished with information as to the course which she may pursue if dissatisfied with the society's decision. The particulars given in the fourth part of the question are substantially correct. Copies of the rules are available to members on payment of a sum not exceeding 2d. As regards the last part of the question, I am sending the right hon. Gentleman a copy of a circular issued by my Department in May last on the subject of procedure in disputes between societies and their members.

Do the changes which the hon. Gentleman has announced date since the inquiry into this particular case?

I am not quite sure of the date, but I think the changes have been made comparatively recently.