asked the Secretary to the Admiralty what reductions, if any, have been recently made in the fees allowed in respect of naval recruits obtained through the Royal Navy recruiting offices; and whether any corresponding reduction has been made in the fees allowed for the medical examination of naval recruits?

As my hon. and gallant Friend is aware, certain reductions have recently been made for the recruitment of men to certain branches of the Royal Navy. No reduction is proposed in the fees for medical examination.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Mr. J. Scott Duckers was arrested on the 11th April and not proceeded against by way of summons in accordance with the Home Office circular dealing with the Military Service Act, 1916, of 9th March, 1916; whether he is aware that Police-constable Venables stated, at the Marlborough Street Police Court, that his instructions were to arrest Mr. Duckers; and upon whose authority were these instructions given?

The Home Office circular of 9th March stated that, where the military authorities desired to test the validity of a claim which appeared to be made in good faith, they would ask the police to take out a summons instead of arresting; but the decision whether to proceed by summons or not is one for the military authorities, and questions on this subject should be addressed to the War Office.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that G. S. Abbott was granted temporary exemption by the Bridport Urban Local Tribunal till 30th June; that under Regulation 17, Section 2, Part I., of the Military Service Act Regulations a certificate should thereupon have been issued to Abbott; that Abbott applied for such certificate, and could not and did not obtain it; that the military representative appealed to the Dorchester Appeal Tribunal against the local tribunal's decision; that Abbott appeared before the Appeal Tribunal and, in support of his conscientious objection to service, called Mr. E. S. Reynolds, J.P., a member of the Society of Friends, who spoke to the length of time Abbott had held his convictions; that a letter corroborating Mr. Reynold's evidence was before the tribunal from Mr. Cormick, J.P., an ex-mayor of Bridport; that the Appeal Tribunal granted the military representative's appeal, directed the withdrawal of the certificate of exemption, but did not and never have acquainted Abbott with their decision in writing as ordered by Regulation 7, Section 1, Part II.; that under Section 3, Sub-section (3), it is enacted that where the certificate of exemption ceases to be in force owing to the withdrawal of the certificate the man to whom the certificate has been granted shall, as from the expiration of two months after the date on which the certificate so ceases to be in force, be deemed to have been enlisted; that notwithstanding this Abbott was arrested on Wednesday, 5th April, brought before the Bridport magistrates, fined £2, and remanded for a military escort; that he declines and says he will continue to decline to join the combatant or non-combatant service of the Army, but is prepared to join and will be accepted by the Friends' Red Cross Society for work in France; and whether he will give instructions for his immediate release from his illegal arrest upon condition that he carries out this undertaking?

I have no authority to give instructions as suggested. I may add that I am of opinion that in a case of this kind, in which an Appeal Tribunal have decided that no exemption is to be granted, the provision as to the period of two months does not apply.

asked the Minister of Munitions, now that work has been resumed on the Clyde, if he will consider the possibility of steps toeing taken to allow the deported men back to their homes?

My right hon. Friend does not think it will be desirable to take any steps in the direction suggested at present.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether any steps are being taken to bring back to this country such excess of the copper stocks of 5,200 tons in Bombay as are not immediately required, in order to fill up the shortage and reduce the loss which is entailed to Government and trade by the extra high prices of copper in this country?

I have no information regarding these stocks, but I will communicate with the Board of Trade on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any steps will be taken to codify the mercantile law for this country and the colonies, in order to materially promote close commercial union with our Colonies and also closer political union?

I appreciate the importance of the question raised by the hon. Member, and as he is no doubt aware a resolution on the subject was passed at the last Imperial Conference. The process of attaining uniformity in the various component parts of the Empire must necessarily be a gradual one, but progress has been made, as far as practicable, in carrying the resolution of the Imperial Conference into effect.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a resolution adopted at a meeting held in the City Hall, Glasgow, under the auspices of the Glasgow labour party, and asking the Government to take some further steps to protect the people against inflated coal and food prices; and, if so, will he say if any such steps have been taken or are contemplated?

I can assure my right hon. Friend that any practicable steps to protect the interests of consumers by maintaining the supplies and restricting the rise of prices of necessaries are being taken, and will continue to be taken, by His Majesty's Government. As regards such items as coal and rent, special legislation has been passed for the purpose of limiting prices, but, as my right hon. Friend is aware, there are many important commodities, especially those for which we are largely dependent on importation, in whose case any artificial restriction of price might have the effect of reducing supply.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what, will be the position of a brewer who, since 30th September, 1914, has sold his brewing premises to another brewer but specifically excluded in the contract for sale the goodwill of his tied and free trade, and who has entered into an arrangement with another brewer, but not the purchaser of the brewing premises, to supply his requirements and who is now carrying on the business as heretofore; will he make the necessary provision in the proposed Restriction of Beer Bill to allow the brewer now brewing for his requirements to merge the brewings of both breweries for the year ending 30th September, 1914, and thus arrive at the authorised reduced barrelage under the proposed Bill?

The Bill will permit of pooling arrangements between one brewer and another, subject to the output of the two breweries being reduced by the statutory percentage, and the provisions to that effect in the Bill may possibly meet the position referred to in the question. If, however, they do not do so, I shall be prepared to consider the insertion in the Bill of a provision giving the Commissioners of Customs and Excise powers to deal with special cases of this description.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the Bill to restrict brewing is to be introduced; if the object of the Bill is to restrict the importation of foreign barley for brewing purposes; and why the more simple and effective method of preventing the barley coming into the country is not adopted?

This Bill is being introduced to-day. The object of the Bill is to save some part of the tonnage space now occupied by imported barley and other materials for brewing. A direct restriction of the imports of all barley would have interfered with the supplies for more essential purposes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether women agricultural workers enrolled upon the village registers will be exempt from the provisions of the National Health Insurance Act, in view of the temporary character of their employment and the consequent difficulties as to arrears of payments under the Act, and the hardship of compulsory payments under the Act by half-time workers?

Although such women workers cannot as a class be excepted from the provisions of the Act, it is probable that their circumstances will in almost all cases enable them to claim exemption under the Act from the payment of the employed person's share of the contribution. The position is fully explained in a circular letter which the Board are issuing to War Agricultural Committees and a leaflet of the National Health Insurance Commission, of which I am sending the hon. Member copies.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will remedy the grievance to executors who are being compelled to pay Estate Duty on a basis of 7½ per cent. below the minimum price stocks, which in practically no case adequately represents the true depreciation, and instead allow executors to value, for Estate Duty purposes, stocks and shares on a 5 per cent. basis, which corresponds with the present return on Exchequer Bonds?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on the 7th ultimo to a question by the hon. and learned Member for Warwick and Leamington, of which I enclose a copy.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state, with reference to the salaries of the junior staff of the National Library of Ireland, whether the special circumstances duly submitted to the Treasury by the Depart- ment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland on behalf of those men embodied the fact that the men referred to work fifty-four hours per week, resultant upon which they are required to be on duty in the library twice per week from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., with an interval of only two hours; and, if not, will the Treasury reconsider their decision and grant at least overtime for any hours worked in excess of the standard forty-eight hour week?

It is not usual or desirable to publish the details of Interdepartmental correspondence, but I can assure the hon. Member that the Treasury carefully considered the representations of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction before arriving at the decision referred to.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) to whom does the Northlands School of Housewifery in Londonderry belong; whether the Department now exercises any control over it; whether any rent is paid to the Department in respect of the school by its present principals and, if so, how much; is he aware that the school is stated in the prospectus and other advertisements issued in respect of it to be in connection with the Victoria High School, Londonderry, which is a private concern; what is the nature of the connection between the two schools; whether the Northlands School was built and equipped with public money; and, if so, whether it is in accordance with the policy of the Department that an advantage should be given to one private school in Londonderry as against its competitors by allowing it to advertise the Northlands School as an adjunct of it?

The Northlands School of Housewifery, Londonderry, was erected and equipped by, and is the property of, the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland. The manager of the Northlands School of Housewifery is also one of the principals of the Victoria High School, Londonderry, and arrangements are made whereby students may receive their literary education in the latter institution and their domestic science training in the former. This school, with another of the same nature in the South of Ireland, at the Ursuline Convent, Waterford, was started by the Department in 1908 as an educational experiment in a special type of domestic economy instruction, the Department for some years guaranteeing the managers against financial loss. The Northlands School is now self-supporting, and the manager is able to make a payment to the Department by way of rent for the building. The experience gained by the establishment of these schools has enabled others of a similar nature to be started at other centres throughout the country without assistance from the Department other than the usual capitation Grants for instruction under the Department's programme. The Northlands School, like the others, is fully subject to the Department's inspection.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he can now give the figures asked for by the hon. Member for Stirlingshire with regard to the Small Landholders (Scotland) Act, 1911?

As I have already informed my hon. and gallant Friend, I regret that I cannot at present agree to press the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for these figures. The preparation of them would necessitate a large amount of research and compilation, and the Department is depleted owing to the fact that a considerable number of the staff are on military service.