asked the Prime Minister whether it is contemplated that this country should enter into an agreement with France, Russia, and Italy, to the effect that no one of them will after the War make any commercial treaty with Germany or Austria without the consent of the others?

It would, I think, be premature to make a statement on the subject.

asked the Prime Minister if he can see his way, in the interest of public economy, to introduce legislation restricting the rights of debtors to recover for debts incurred on account of luxuries purchased during the War?

Although it is, of course, desirable to discourage the consumption of luxuries during the War, I do not think that my hon. Friend's suggestion is practicable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with regard to the increases in Income Tax made in 1915–16 and again in 1916–17, whether the exemption granted in 1915–16 to officers of the Navy and Army whose incomes do not exceed £300 a year and the exemption granted in 1916–17 to all officers, without exception, of the two Services apply equally to the widows of such of these officers as are killed in action or lose their lives in connection with the War; whether widows whose incomes do not exceed £300 a year are exempt from both the increase of 1915–16 and 1916–17; and whether widows whose incomes exceed £300 a year are exempt from the increase made in 1916–17?

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

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what facilities are to be given to people of small incomes from whom 5s. in the £ has been deducted on their dividends so that they may easily and rapidly secure repayment of the excess deductions?

I may refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave on this subject to a question, of 18th April, by the hon. and learned Member for the Ealing Division. I am sending him a copy of that reply.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the gross assessment to Income Tax for the financial year ending 1905 and for the years ending 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916?

supplied the following particulars:

The gross income brought under the review of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for the years mentioned is as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the dissatisfaction at the incidence of the proposed increases in the Licence Duty on motor cars, he will consider any alternative proposal calculated to produce as great a revenue but based on a more equitable distribution of the burden?

I am considering the whole question of the proposed increase in the Motor Car Licence Duty and I shall be glad to give careful attention to any suggestion that the hon. Member may care to submit.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the New Issues Committee of the Treasury has disapproved the issue of capital by a newsagents' co-operative supply company, to be called the London and Provincial Newsagents' Co-operative Society, Limited, or by some similar name, proposed to be formed by the London and Provincial Retail Newsagents' Association, representing about one-half of the retail shopkeepers in London and district, without calling on the general public for subscriptions; if it has been intimated that the certificate entitling the company to commence business will be refused, and has it been refused; is he aware that the new company would give employment to some of the smaller shopkeepers, which would be a boon to many members of the association at the present time, and is willing that the conditions of employment should comply with the regulations of the Paper Workers' Union or other trade unions concerned; that it is alleged that, as a result of agreements amongst the wholesale trade, the refusal of a certificate would leave the retail trader in dependence on a virtual monopoly, even under conditions of unsatisfactory supplies; will he say by what statutary or other authority the certificate is to be withheld; and will he take steps to secure a reconsideration of the question?

The proposed issue was refused on the recommendation of the Capital Issues Committee after full consideration of all the circumstances of the case, including those to which the hon. Member refers. So far as I am aware registration of the Company has not been refused.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the necessity to increase the national revenue, there are adequate fiscal objections to increases in the existing Licence Duties payable in respect of male servants in private employment, in respect of armorial bearings, and in respect of dogs; whether he has considered the possibilities of a Licence Duty on billiard tables in private use; and whether he is satisfied that chars-à-bancs are sufficiently taxed, in view of the facts that they are used mainly for pleasure, that they consume a quantity of petrol, and that they are very destructive to country roads?

I have considered the various suggestions made in the question, but I am not prepared at present to lay before the House any proposals for taxation beyond those which I have already submitted.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what action the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken towards bringing to justice Walter Arnold Conduit, a fugitive from justice now in the Army, of whom Mr. Justice Dodd said in Dublin on the 8th instant that the least punishment that should be inflicted on him was penal servitude for life; and when he will be brought to trial?

I know of no crime committed by Walter Arnold Conduit for which he could be criminally prosecuted.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what action the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken, in pursuance of the desire expressed by Mr. Justice Dodd in Dublin on the 8th instant, to have the unnamed female then severely censured discovered and brought to justice?

I am unable to trace any such expression of Mr. Justice Dodd as is referred to in the hon. Member's question, and I am not aware that there is any evidence of a criminal offence having been committed by the unnamed person of whom mention is made.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, with reference to the commandeering of ships, whether he can state how the record of the members of the Advisory Committee who are tramp owners compares with the general average of the owners of similar ships?

The following table shows the exact proportion of service rendered by the companies with which the four owners in question are associated for the full periods during which they have been members of the Advisory Committee up to the end of March. It will be seen that in one case the record is identical with the general average; in one it is a little below, and in two a little above that average:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether before the War an Order in Council provided for officers: provided for coaling, transport, and boom defence officers to be paid an allowance of 3s. per day; whether he is aware that the majority of officers on boom defence work during the War have not been given this allowance; and whether the Board will take the matter into consideration, since without the allowance Royal Naval Reserve officers have only their pay, and are in a much worse position, than contemporaries who joined at the same time and obtained commands of drifters and trawlers?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part of the question, the special remuneration to be paid for boom defence duties, which have changed considerably from those for which the allowance was orignally instituted, is now under review, and any cases in which officers have not drawn the 3s. allowance are being considered.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he can give the number of men discharged from the Army up to 31st March as unfit for further service, together with the number of those who have found employment?

I will communicate the figures asked for in the first part of the question to my hon. Friend privately. It is not possible to give the total number of discharged soldiers who have found employment, inasmuch as many have found employment for themselves or have gone back to their former work. Up to the 10th March 8,500 men had found employment through the Labour Exchanges, and there were about 1,800 men on the registers of the Exchanges on that date.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that on 14th April about forty horses, mostly of good hunting type, sound and in condition, some of which were valued before the War at between £100 and £200, were offered by owners and breeders to the purchasing officer of remounts at the remount depot, Curragh Camp; can he say why only one of these horses was accepted and the others rejected, no price being offered; as the Government will not buy them, will they now permit these horses to be sold to the Belgian, French, or Italian Governments; and what steps, if any, do they intend to take in the matter or do they mean to compel the owners to keep these surplus horses until the end of the War?

I have asked for a report on this matter.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will ascertain and give to the House the total figures of the amount held back from soldiers' allowances by the Canteen Board of Control during the term of its existence while the 5½d. arrangements have been in force; if he can say what has become of the percentages paid to the Board of Control or retained by them; and if any duly audited accounts of these deductions and their destination will be presented to this House?

The total sum retained by the Central Regimental Institutes Fund from 6th January, 1915, to 31st December, 1915, was £121,661 16s. 1d. The amount retained from 1st January, 1916, to 10th April, 1916, is approximately £56,000. This sum represents one-fifth of the rebate received from canteen tenants on their total takings. It is not possible to say what proportion of this sum represents the rebate on the expenditure from the 5½d. allowance. The balance of the Central Fund, after paying administrative expenses, is being retained by the Finance Committee of the late Board of Control, pending instructions from the Army Council as to its disposal. A duly audited account to 31st December, 1915, has been presented to the Army Council.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will give further consideration to the cases of the 200 men about to be transferred from the Artists Officers' Training Corps to an ordinary Territorial corps, in order that they may be given the opportunity of going through the officers' training school and passing the necessary examination?

Only those men who were recommended by the Commanding Officer for transfer to ordinary Territorial Force units will be sent to them.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the case of men who are called up for service and give up their situations in consequence, but are afterwards medically rejected after joining the Colours, and when they return home find their positions filled up; whether it can be arranged that every man when called up shall have such a thorough medical examination as will ensure that he shall not be rejected when he joins the Colours; and whether at present a man desiring to go before a medical board for the above purpose has to do so at his own expense?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on the 2nd March to the hon. Member for the Attercliffe Division. To that answer I would add that the question of allowing the man a railway warrant when he goes before the medical board prior to being called up is under consideration. I answered a question in this sense yesterday.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been called to several cases in which military representatives and members of local military tribunals have made remarks of an offensive nature to applicants who pleaded that they were carrying on work of a national character as unregistered practitioners in dentistry; and, seeing that such remarks prejudice the applicant's case and injure him in the pursuit of his calling, whether, with a view to preventing a recurrence of such remarks, he will make it known that he disapproves of such action on the part of local military tribunals?

I have been shown some papers which have been sent to the hon. Member containing allegations of the kind referred to. I would, of course, deprecate the use of offensive remarks towards any applicant, and my feeling would, I am sure, be shared generally by members of the tribunals.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will give instructions for the case of Councillor G. H. Bagnall, of Pendlebury, an applicant for exemption from the Military Service Act, 1916, on the grounds of conscientious objection, to be heard before the Central Appeal Tribunal, seeing that his claim was rejected by the local tribunal by four votes to three, the four members who opposed the claim being members of the council of which the applicant is a member and are bitter political opponents of the applicant, and because there is reason to believe that the decision was given, not on the facts of the case, but because of personal and political bias?

I am not acquainted with the facts of this case. An applicant has a right of appeal to the Appeal Tribunal, and may, if leave is given by the Appeal Tribunal, appeal to the Central Tribunal. I have no authority to direct that an appeal be allowed to the Central Tribunal.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if any arrangement has been made with conscientious objectors who belong to the Christadelphian sect, and if members of that denomination have been released from combatant and non-combatant service on condition that they engage in work of national importance; and if he will receive representations from the International Bible Students' Association, who desire some arrangements by which their members who object to military service on religious grounds may be put to work of national importance?

As I have already stated, I have no authority to make such an arrangement as is suggested.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he has received sworn affidavits signed by a number of persons who declare that the statement made to him by Mr. Marshall, the clerk to the Doncaster Rural District Tribunal, that the proceedings of the tribunal held on 29th February last were held in public and that no member of the public was refused admission is totally untrue; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I have not received the affidavits, but I have made inquiry into the case. There appears to have been some misunderstanding owing to a statement made without authority by a subordinate that the public were not admitted. It does not appear to me that further action is necessary.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will appoint representatives of the Scottish Board of Agriculture to watch the case for agriculture before the local military tribunals and Appeal Tribunals, in the same way as is being done in England by the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries?

I have discussed the subject referred to in the question with the Board of Agriculture for Scotland, and am in communication with the sheriffs who are chairmen of the Appeal Tribunals with a view to making suitable arrangements for the purpose my hon. and learned Friend has in view.

asked the Secretary for Scotland why the reasons for the appeal to the Appeal Tribunals by military representatves are withheld from the parties concerned?

The Regulations provide that where an appeal is lodged the local tribunal shall send to the other party the duplicate notice of appeal stating the grounds of the appeal, and I have no reason to believe that local tribunals are failing to observe this rule.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he can state the number of cases in which the Appeal Tribunal of the Lothians and Peebles district have, on the application of the military representative, reversed the decision of the local tribunal in the case of conscientious objectors?

The information asked for by my hon. Friend is not in my possession.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has considered the case of those soldiers acting as military representatives on the tribunals who are not in receipt of pensions, and who are not being paid anything whatever for their services, which are now of an engrossing character; whether he is aware that civilians who have been appointed as military representatives to the Appeal Tribunals are paid the Army pay of lieutenants, and that the clerks of the local tribunals are paid for each case which pasees through their hands; and whether he will remedy this grievance?

The military representatives appointed to act with local tribunals are not paid, but give their services like the members of the tribunals. The military representatives with the Appeal Tribunals are Territorial officers temporarily appointed to act as such, and receive no extra pay for this work. The clerks to the local tribunals are only given an allowance per case to cover office expenses in order that these may not fall on the rates.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is proposed to reduce the pay of civilian clerks employed in military offices in the South of Ireland who have been in receipt of 35s. per week of seven days and overtime actually worked out 24–42; and whether, in view of the extra cost of living, about 50 per cent., and that most of these clerks are compelled to live away from their families and have to be available at a moment's notice day and night, and that the proposed reductions would actually bring their pay to a lower standard than the unskilled labourers working under them, he will see that the present wage will not be reduced?

Civilian clerks in certain military offices in Ireland have been incorrectly paid in the past for overtime and Sunday work. They are now being paid in accordance with the instructions governing such payments, which apply to clerks in military offices generally.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will explain why Mrs. Bridget Cassidy, Clooneagh, Dromod, county Leitrim, is only receiving the sum of 7s. per week separation allowance, although her two sons, Private Francis Cassidy, No. 25569, E Company, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and Private Patrick Cassidy, No. 25495, D Company, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, both of whom are stationed at Templemore, county Tipperary, and who joined the Army some months ago; whether their mother will receive any allowance except the sum of 3s. 6d. per week, which amount has been allotted to her by each of her sons out of their weekly pay; and whether, in the interests of voluntary enlistment in Ireland, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The claim in respect of Private F. Cassidy could not be admitted as dependence prior to enlistment was not established. No claim has been received from Mrs. Cassidy in respect of Private P. Cassidy, and on enlistment the soldier signed a form stating that he made no claim to separation allowance.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Private Robert Murray, No. 17684, York and Lancaster Regiment, who was killed in action in the present War, was the sole support of his widowed mother, Bridget Murray, Tarbert, North Kerry; whether he is aware that Mrs. Murray has to depend mainly on the generosity of her neighbours for support and sustenance; and whether he will recommend a gratuity or pension in this case?

No, Sir. On Mrs. Murray's own statement her son did not contribute to her support.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether there are a number of men at Grove Park, mostly skilled men, who have received no uniform and who, in consequence, have received no pay; and, if so, whether anything can be done to minimise the loss to the public service of keeping these skilled men idle for weeks and subject to the hardship of being unable to draw any pay?

Any man who joins and is accepted for military service is entitled to pay from date of joining whether he has received his uniform or not. There has been some delay recently at Grove Park in the issue of uniforms owing to a temporary cause which has now been remedied.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he can state the cause of delay in having the examining and receiving depôt in Dublin established; and whether he is aware that it is admitted its establishment woud be more economical and convenient to all parties concerned?

I had hoped to be able to deal definitely with this question before the adjournment, but I regret that I am not in a position to do so. I do not anticipate further delay of more than a few days.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is aware that the proposed closing of certain stations on the Great Eastern Railway between Stratford and Liverpool Street will cause inconvenience to a large number of munition workers; and whether he will take steps to investigate the matter with a view to remedial action?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. He has received and sent to me certain representations to the effect stated, and I am in communication with the railway company on the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will take steps to prevent the already serious overcrowding on the District Railway in East London being intensified by the threatened closing of stations on the Great Eastern Railway; (2) whether the proposed closing of various stations on the Great Eastern Railway has in any way come before the Board; and whether the Board has in that case expressed any opinion on the matter?

I have been informed by the Great Eastern Railway Company that the closing of the stations has become necessary owing to the heavy requirements of Government traffic and the shortage of staff. I am still in communication with the company on the subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that it is estimated that 2,500 persons use the Cambridge Heath station and 5,600 the Bethnal Green Junction station, on the Great Eastern Railway, between the hours of 5.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. on an average day; whether he is aware that these stations serve poor and overcrowded areas and that the Bethnal Green Junction station is in the heart of the Brady Street area, a district condemned for clearance by the Local Government Board; and will he ask the Great Eastern Railway Company to consider these factors before finally carrying out their proposals to close down these stations?

I have seen the estimated figures referred to. I am asking the railway company for their observations upon the points raised by my hon. Friend, and will communicate with him upon the receipt of their reply.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he can state, approximately, the number of factories and employés and the amount of wages paid weekly in munitions work in England, Scotland, and Ireland?

The number of persons engaged on Government work in the metal and chemical trades, including those employed at the Ordnance factories is, approximately, 1,900,000, of whom over 200,000 are women and girls. Of this total from 40 per cent. to 45 per cent. are engaged on Admiralty work, while a comparatively small proportion of the remainder are working for the Contracts Department of the War Office on non-munition work. These persons are employed in approximately 13,000 factories and workshops, in addition to the Ordnance factories, but a number of these concerns are only partially employed on Government work. The amount paid in wages for munition work is not known.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he has received a letter from John MacEanany, of Port Glasgow, concerning Daniel MacEanany, who was recently employed by Robert Duncan and Company, of Port Glasgow, in which the allegation is made that this man has been the victim of industrial compulsion; and what action he has taken in the matter?

I am inquiring into this case, and will communicate further with my hon. Friend in regard to it.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether in the National Shell Factory, Huddersfield, the women employed worked formerly on an eight-hour shift; whether a twelve-hour shift has recently been introduced in this establishment; and, in view of the recommendations of the Health of Munition Workers' Committee, what action it is proposed to take?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Officers of the Ministry are now inquiring into the matter locally.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he can supply a statement of the convictions for drunkenness in London and in Glasgow, showing the latest figures, as well as those for the periods immediately before and after the Orders of the Central Control Board?

supplied the following statement:—

Convictions for drunkenness before and after Orders of the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) came into operation:

asked the Minister of Munitions whether the Government have taken over the grain distilleries; whether he can state the nature of the control and the price paid; whether he can say if the Government require the whole output and, if not, how do the Government propose to distribute the surplus to the traders; and whether he can assure the House that reduction in the production will not be allowed to interfere with the retention in bond of spirits for a minimum of three years?

The distilleries are being worked under a scheme of control approved by the Ministry of Munitions. My right hon. Friend is not prepared at present to give details of the arrangements.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he will give the following figures for Messrs. Vickers' works at Erith for the week ending 1st April and the following week: the total number of girls employed; the total wages paid; the total number of hours worked; and the total output?

My right hon. Friend is not in a position to give the details asked for by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he will state whether either of the two girls who were recently sent by one of Messrs. Vickers' representatives to canvass the female workers on the question of changing from an eight-hour to a twelve-hour shift was a member of the National Federation of Women Workers?

I do not know, and I do not think it desirable to ask the firm to inquire as to the trade union, if any, to which individual employés belong.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that many members of the London Teachers' Association are seriously affected by the intention of the Great Eastern Railway Company to close a number of its stations in East London; whether the association as a body is taking action; and whether the Board of Education will investigate the whole matter and remove or minimise the inconvenience to which these teachers will be exposed in the fulfilment of their duties?

My right hon. Friend has no information and has received no representations on this matter either from teachers or from the local education authority. He sympathises with the teachers in any inconvenience to which they may be put, but he feels sure that they will be prepared to subordinate their own convenience to the interests of national economy. No occasion appears to have arisen for the Board's intervention.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the arrangements for children attending schools in the East End will be affected by the action of the Great Eastern Railway Company in closing a number of their stations; and whether he will investigate the matter?

My right hon. Friend has no information and has received no representations on this matter, but he does not think it probable that the arrangements for children attending schools in the East End will be seriously affected by the closing of the stations in question, as the number of children in the district who go by train to school must be comparatively small. In the absence of further information the matter does not appear to call for investigation on the part of the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of Zeppelin raids, he has considered the advisability of furnishing the police on duty on those occasions with steel helmets?

If my hon. Friend can produce any evidence that a steel helmet is an effective protection against a bomb dropped from a Zeppelin, I shall be happy to consider his suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police have given permission for a demonstration in favour of stopping the War which has been advertised to be held in Trafalgar Square on Easter Sunday; and whether, as such a meeting is certain to result in a breach of the peace and to give encouragement to the King's enemies, he will take steps to prevent its being held?

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement which I made yesterday.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Caspar Fischer, a lad of seventeen, who was sentenced at Middlesbrough on 14th April to six months' imprisonment for taking photographs in a local steel works; and whether, in view of the age of the offender, he will advise a mitigation of the sentence?

I have received a full report of the facts of this case, and find no ground for recommending any interference with the sentence imposed.

asked the Home Secretary whether a woman named Kesselbach, a resident at Herne Bay, who was recently fined at Canterbury for an offence against the lighting regulations, is a British citizen by birth or naturalisation; if not, can he say what is her nationality; if she is an alien enemy or a person of hostile origin or association, will he say why she is permitted to reside in a prohibited area; and will he give instructions for her to be immediately interned or repatriated?

The woman in question is of German nationality, and was exempted from repatriation on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee in view of the fact that she had resided in this country for forty years, and had no relations or friends in Germany. I am making further inquiry in the case.

asked the Home Secretary whether the Metropolitan Police have licensed any women as drivers for tramcars or motor omnibuses in the Metropolitan Police area; if so, how many licences have been granted; and, if not, can he state the reasons why the police refuse to license women for this work?

No women have been so licensed in the Metropolitan Police district. The Commissioner of Police, who is responsible for the granting of licences, informs me that, having regard to the standard of physique and stamina necessary for the proper performance of the duties involved and to the special traffic conditions of the Metropolis, he is not satisfied that women can safely be licensed to drive tramcars and motor omnibuses.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has any information concerning a French soldier who was subject to an accident by falling from the train on the Great Western line on 21st February; whether he was conveyed by the police to Wantage hospital; whether he has been placed under arrest; if so, why and by whose orders; where the man is now; and, if still in custody, on whose orders or on what charge is he being detained?

The man referred to was arrested for an offence against the Aliens Restriction Order; as he was a deserter from the French Army, it was decided to send him back to France, and while being taken to Folkestone for this purpose he jumped from the train. He was conveyed to Wantage hospital and subsequently to a hospital at Folkestone, from which he escaped and his present whereabouts are not known.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has been informed that the British Columbian Government is providing 2,000,000 acres of land for free grant to soldiers who have fought in France, that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company is providing 1,000 farms, that Victoria is providing 1,000,000 acres, that Rhodesia is providing 500,000, and that New Zealand is providing 87,000 acres; and whether he is taking any steps to ensure the unemployed wounded soldiers now discharged from the Army, anxious to emigrate and suitable for land settlement, are put in a position to take advantage of these offers from the Dominions?

I have not received any such offers as are suggested in the question. As already stated in this House, the whole question will receive the careful attention of the Government.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if his attention has been called to the statement of the relieving officer of the Stokesly Board of Guardians that, owing to their inability to live on the old age pension, a number had had to give up their pensions and come on the relief list in order to get a larger allowance, and there were more likely to come on the rates; and, seeing that the alleged reason for the above is the increasing cost of living, will he consider a temporary increase to assist old age pensioners to survive the present crisis?

My attention had not previously been called to the statement referred to in the first part of the question. The second part of the question is a matter for the Treasury.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can make a statement as to the additional steps he is taking so that imports may be strictly confined to commodities necessary for war purposes and for essential trades?

The Prohibitions of Importation for which I am responsible have been imposed with a view to securing additional tonnage space. A further Proclamation dealing with the matter will be issued shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether traders who entered into contracts of purchase or sale of goods for which permission to import cannot now be obtained are relieved under the restriction of import orders from liability in respect of such contracts?

The question of the effect on contracts of these orders is one for the decision of the Courts, and is not one on which I can possibly express an authoritative opinion.

asked the President of the Board of Trade who are the members of the committee of which the chairman is the Right Hon. F. Huth Jackson; what are the terms of reference to that committee; and when it is expected to report?

Mr. Huth Jackson, the hon. Member for the Bewdley Division (Mr. Stanley Baldwin), Professor W. J. Ashley, of Birmingham, and Sir Alfred Booth were asked by me some time ago to give the Board of Trade the advantage of their confidential advice on a number of commercial and financial problems arising out of the War. From the nature of the case, I am not in a position to make any public statement on the subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many men are at present engaged on the construction of the non-tunnel route between King's Cross and Stevenage, Great Northern Railway; whether, in view of the urgent requirements of the class of men engaged thereon, he has approached the directors of the railway company with a view to the stoppage of the work during the continuance of the War; and (2) how many men are at present engaged on the widening of the London and North-Western Railway between Willesden and Chalk Farm; and whether, in view of the urgent requirements of the class of men engaged thereon, he has approached the directors of the railway company with a view to the stoppage of the work during the continuance of the War?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer these questions. I will take them together. The number of men employed on these works has been reduced from several thousands at the commencement of the War to 570. The railway companies have been asked to assist in a further reduction.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the House any results of the work of the Committee on Work of National Importance in discovering any work of this description which is in need of assistance; whether he himself and this Government Committee are aware of the present shortage of recruits for the Army; and whether the labours of the Committee will be confined to finding work for men who are above military age?

The Committee was appointed to advise as to what service of national importance an applicant for exemption from military service on conscientious grounds should undertake in case the tribunal decided to exempt him, and has nothing to do with persons not coming under the provisions of the Military Service Act.

The Committee has collected information as to the need of assistance in various occupations of national importance, more particularly in agriculture, forestry, and public utility services.

asked the Postmaster-General if he has fixed rates for parcels sent to soldiers serving in Mesopotamia in the Indian Expedition D; if these rates are the same as those chargeable for parcels sent to the Western front; and whether he has taken measures to prevent the post offices treating Mesopotamia as if it were a part of India and under Indian rates and conditions, especially as regards parcels not exceeding eleven pounds in weight?

This question is under consideration, and I will communicate with the hon. Member shortly.

asked the Postmaster-General, with respect to the statement made at a country post office that for purposes of the telegraph the station of Nasiriyah cannot be traced on the official list of places in Mesopotamia, whether he can see his way to issuing instructions whereby the word Nasiriyah shall be treated as sufficient without the addition of the word Basra, so as to save expense to relatives of soldiers cantoned at Nasiriyah?

No intimation of the opening of a public telegraph office at Nasiriyah has been received, and in the circumstances arrangements cannot be made to accept telegrams addressed in the manner suggested by the hon. Member. The military authorities desire that all telegrams for members of the Forces in Mesopotamia should be sent to Basra, where steps are taken to retransmit them to the addressees by the best available means.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that a newssheet entitled "La Correspondance Politique de l'Europe Centrale," printed in four parallel columns, in four languages, and composed of pro-German propaganda, is delivered through the post to editors of English newspapers and others; whether the printing and distribution of this sheet is financed or assisted by the German Government; and whether he will take steps to prevent the British postal service from being used for the distribution of this matter?

The publication in question has not come to my notice, and I should be obliged to the hon. Member if he would send me a copy, together with the wrapper in which it arrived. In general, the stoppage of German propagandist literature is a matter rather for the military censors than for the Post Office, but the Post Office endeavours to stop any obviously German publications so far as possible.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the Baron Schröder, who is stated to have recently contributed £5,500 towards the liabilities of the German Athenaeum Club, is a naturalised British subject; and, if so, what was the date of his naturalisation; whether he is the same Baron Schröder who occupies a shooting and sporting estate in the Highlands of Scotland; whether a young, able-bodied electrician in his employment there has been granted exemption from military service as long as he remains in the baron's service; and, if so, whether, having regard to the Regulations issued for the guidance of Scottish tribunals, he will state what steps he proposes to take in respect of this man?

The issue of certificates of naturalisation is in the hands of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and I would suggest that any inquiries on that subject should be addressed to my right hon. Friend. As regards the electrician referred to I have no information, and am not aware of any occasion for action on my part under the Regulations mentioned.

asked the Lord Advocate whether a prosecution against a flight-commander for an alleged contravention of the Lighting Regulations made by the Secretary for Scotland, committed at the flight-commander's house in the South-West of Scotland, was instituted by the procurator-fiscal; whether it was subsequently withdrawn on the instruction of Crown Counsel; and, if so, what was the reason for its being so withdrawn?

The answer to the first and second parts of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative. With regard to the last part of the question, the circumstances of the case were peculiar. The house in question, which was requisitioned by the Admiralty, was not occupied by the flight-commander but was used as an officers' mess. The necessary blinds for darkening the windows could not be procured without consulting the Admiralty and the owners of the house. The failure to comply with the Order appeared to Crown Counsel to be due to the delay resulting from these communications. Crown Counsel, having been satisfied that the appropriate blinds were being procured, were of opinion in all the circumstances that the prosecution should not proceed.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any official information showing that the Norddeutscher Lloyd steamship "Friedrich der Grosse," while enjoying the hospitality and protection of the territorial waters of the United States of America, has been used by agents of the German Government for the manufacture of infernal machines and other military supplies and as a base for hostile and piratical acts against British vessels; and, if so, whether he will request the Government of the United States to treat her as a vessel of war and order her immediate departure from the port of New York?

With regard to the first part of the question, I am informed that several persons connected with the Hamburg American Line have been arrested by the United States authorities in connection with fires and explosions on ships leaving for Europe. The United States Attorney has stated officially that there is evidence to show that the "Friedrich der Grosse" was the central factory for the manufacture of incendiary bombs, and that the bombs were sent to other United States ports to be placed on board Allied ships by special agents. The ringleaders have not yet all been arrested. It is understood that the late German military and naval attachés are seriously implicated. With regard to the second part of the question, as the matter is still sub judice, I am not in a position to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the question has been, or will be, considered of the Danube Committee, consisting of seven belligerents and Roumania, and of the Quintuple Power Loan of 1913, in which four of the Allied Powers participated, through their banks with German banks, in order to bring about the elimination of German influence?

The question of the regulation of the Lower Danube is being borne in mind, and must necessarily form the subject of settlement when the conditions of peace are arranged. If by the Quintuple Loan of 1913 the hon. and gallant Member refers to the Chinese Reorganisation Loan of that year, the position with regard to that loan of the German Group, which formed part of the consortium that made it, is a matter that primarily concerns the Chinese Government, but the British Group has been instructed to sever all connection with the German Group.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the number of police available for duty in Tullamore on the night of the 20th March last, when a riotous mob besieged and attacked for upwards of two hours the room belonging to the Sinn Fein organisation, where a number of respectable young men and women were assembled for the study of the Irish language and history; whether, when leaving for their homes, the young women were hustled and mauled by the mob; whether, instead of dispersing the crowd, the police raided the besieged room and arrested some of the occupants, when unfortunately a police sergeant was seriously wounded; whether the mob were then permitted to wreck the room, smashing the windows, furniture, pictures, and band instruments there; will he say how many of the mob have been arrested or prosecuted in connection with the occurrence; whether the local authorities have received notices applying for compensation for malicious damage, amounting to £135, in respect of the riot; whether thirteen persons, almost all apprentice boys aged from sixteen to eighteen years, who were present in the room at the time and whose characters are above reproach, have been a month in prison on remand from week to week, the only evidence put forward at the last inquiry by the Crown being a statement by the Crown Solicitor that a telegram was received by the police from their Inspector-General stating that the wounded sergeant was unable to attend, at the same time refusing to produce the telegram or put it in as evidence; and whether, taking into consideration the youth and good character of the boys in custody and the circumstances under which they are charged, he will give immediate instructions that they be admitted to bail and that the Royal Irish Constabulary be instructed to give all classes of the public equal protection when exposed to violence?

The strength of the Tullamore Constabulary Station on the occasion referred to was eighteen, of whom twelve were actually available for duty on the streets of the town. It would not be desirable to make any statement about the details of the occurrence concerning which legal proceedings are at present pending. I understand that some claims for malicious injuries have been made, but have no knowledge of the amount. The police sergeant who was shot is not yet out of danger, but when he is so the question of bail for the men now in custody will be duly considered. There is no necessity for issuing the instructions suggested in the concluding part of the hon. Member's question.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention has been drawn to the continual complaints about the discharge of poor children from the industrial schools in Ireland; if he can say whether Police Court magistrates have lately received any instructions, in the interests of Treasury economy, not to commit children to industrial schools; if this is done to save the Government Grants given to support each child; if he can say under what Statute or other legal authority does Dublin Castle order any such discharge; who in Dublin Castle is empowered by law to exercise it; what kind of investigation is binding on Dublin Castle before it reverses the magistrates' decision; and what is the English procedure in such cases?

My attention has been drawn to some complaints of the kind re- ferred to, which appear to have arisen from some misunderstanding of the facts. The reply to the second part of the question is in the negative, and the third part accordingly does not arise. I have a discretionary power under the Children Act, 1908, to order the discharge of persons committed to industrial schools, and have found it necessary from time to time to exercise this power in a number of cases in which, after a full investigation of the facts, I was advised that the grounds for committal were insufficient. I understand that powers similar to those which I possess in Ireland are possessed by the Secretary of State in England.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that protests are being made through the Press columns in Dublin against the action of the Local Government Board in vetoing the Spitalfields area scheme after it had been passed by an inquiry and adopted by the housing committee and the corporation; and whether he will consider the advisability of rearranging this decision in view of the need for housing accommodation?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to his question on this subject on the 5th inst., and to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether certain Catholic children have been discharged from industrial schools; if so, can he state the number of children so discharged and under what authority such orders were issued; and whether the magistrates concerned were consulted or an investigation previously held?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply that I have given to-day to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for the Harbour Division of Dublin. I have discharged eight persons this year in whose cases the orders for committal did not appear to me to be satisfactory.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the farm from which Mrs. Glazure was evicted on the Palmer estate at Banemore, North Kerry, was acquired compulsorily by the Estates Commissioners over three years ago for the reinstatement of the evicted tenant, Mrs. Glazure; whether he is aware that Mr. Huggord, of Tralee, who is the agent or receiver on the Palmer estate, has consented to have the price fixed by an inspector of the Estates Commissioners at a lower sum than that fixed by the compulsory procedure; whether an inspector has visited and reported on the farm; and, if so, can he say why the delay in restoring Mrs. Glazure to her evicted farm, from which she has been evicted for over three years?

This holding was not acquired by the Estates Commissioners under the Evicted Tenants Act. The estate on which the holding is situate is the subject of direct sale proceedings between the owner and the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, as amended by the Act of 1909, and in connection with these proceedings the Commissioners are in negotiation with the owner's representatives with a view to the reinstatement of the former tenant as a purchaser under the said Acts.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that Michael McCarthy, of Rathea, is the registered owner of the two parcels of land situate in the townland of Rathea, in the Barony of Clanmaurice, in the county of Kerry, which he purchased under the Land Purchase Acts from the Earl of Listowel; that one of the parcels contains about 2 acres statute measure and is held at an annuity of £1 6s.; that the other parcel contains about 7 acres statute measure and is held at an annuity of £2 16s.; that the land in both parcels is mountainous and of poor quality with the exception of 2 acres which consists of high bog: whether he is aware that within the last few weeks one of McCarthy's children was attacked by fever from which she died, and that the doctor who attended this child stated that McCarthy's house was most unsanitary and entirely unfit for human habitation and that this house should be pulled down at once; and whether, seeing that McCarthy is a most hard-working and industrious man but is unable to provide any money for building a new dwelling-house, the Irish Land Commission will see their way to provide McCarthy with the sum of £50 for the purpose of enabling him to secure the necessary materials?

I am informed by the Estates Commissioners that in connection with the sale of the Listowel estate direct from the landlord to the tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, Michael McCarthy agreed to purchase his two holdings (comprising 8 acres, 3 roods, and 31 perches, and 3 acres, 3 roods, and 20 perches respectively, and these holdings were consolidated and vested as one holding in him in fee simple on the 16th January, 1908, subject to the advances amounting to £86 applied for in his purchase agreements repayable by a land purchase annuity of £2 16s. He was also a sub-tenant on a neighbouring holding, and the Commissioners declared him to be a direct tenant for the purposes of sale under the Land Purchase Acts of the portion of the holding in his exclusive occupation comprising 3 acres, 1 rood, and 26 perches, for which he signed a purchase agreement, and the lands were vested in him in fee simple on the 15th July, 1909, subject to the advance of £40 applied for in the agreement and repayable by a land purchase annuity of £1 6s. The Commissioners have no knowledge of the other matters referred to in the question. As stated, the holdings have been vested in MacCarthy, who is the owner of the lands, and as such is responsible for any proceedings by the local authorities under the Public Health Acts. The Commissioners cannot sanction any expenditure in the manner suggested in the concluding part of the question.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if the town of Carrick-on-Shannon, county Leitrim, will be included in the sale of the Whyte estate, seeing that the rural portion of this estate has been sold to the tenants but so far purchase money has not been advanced, and the tenants on the estate residing in the town are anxious that they should be included in the sale?

I am informed that proceedings have been instituted for the sale of the Whyte estate by the owner direct to the agricultural tenants under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and purchase agreements at prices agreed upon between the parties have been lodged with the Irish Land Commission. Purchase agreements have not yet been lodged in respect of the town holdings referred to. There are estates of an estimated purchase money of 14,000,000 in priority to this estate on the principal register of direct sales (all cash) pending under the Irish Land Act, 1903, and this estate will not be reached in its turn to be dealt with for some years, and meanwhile the Commissioners are not prepared to express any opinion as to whether the town holdings may be included in the sale.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireand whether he is aware that the Listowel Rural District Council have called public attention to the existence of a police hut at Mountcoal, which they declare is not necessary from any point of view and is an extra cost to the ratepayers; and whether he can see his way to the discontinuance of this hut?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The hut is considered necessary, and is not a charge on the ratepayers.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will state the net Excise revenue of India for the years 1904–5, 1909–10, and 1914–15, respectively; and what was the recorded consumption of country spirits in each of these years in Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Bihar and Orissa, the United Provinces, the Punjab, and the Central Provinces (including Berar), respectively?

The following statement gives the information asked for:

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if his attention has been directed to the case of Mr. Henry T. Ashbee, M.R.C.V.S., formerly a senior veterinary inspector under the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland), who has been retired on pension and credited with only twenty-two years' service, although he has actually served as a full-time officer for upwards of forty years and during no part of that time did he engage in private practice; and if he will state why less favourable treatment has been accorded to Mr. Ashbee than that given to officials on the English veterinary staff, who have been pensioned on the entire period of their whole-time service?

Mr. Ashbee's pensionable service amounted to nine years only. When this officer was placed upon the pensionable establishment in 1905 it was on the express condition that no part of his previous service should be counted for the purpose of pension, and in counting for this purpose half of his unestablished service the Treasury has made a substantial concession. In the other cases referred to, two in number, it was part of the terms on which the officers were placed on the establishment that their previous temporary service should be reckoned for pension.

asked the Home Secretary if he will state the number of prosecutions for reckless driving and exceeding the speed limit in the Metropolitan area for the months of January, February, and March in 1915 and 1916?

The following are the figures for the Metropolitan Police District for the six months from September, 1915, to February, 1916:—

I regret that the figures are not available for the other months mentioned by my hon. Friend, and they could not be obtained without much additional work which I should not be justified in imposing on the police at the present time.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in those districts wherein infant-welfare clinics are establised, the facilities are reported on and only subsidised when recognised as sufficient for the number of births occurring?

This work is at present in course of development, and it is not yet possible to insist, as a condition of a Grant, that each institution shall provide sufficient facilities for all the births occurring in the neighbourhood for which its services might be of value.

asked the number of infant deaths during the six months September to March for the four years 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, and 1915–16?

The number of deaths of infants under one year of age in England and Wales for the period referred to is as follows:—

asked whether it is proposed to take any steps to penalise or compel action on the part of those local authori- ties which have prepared no schemes under the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915?

No such steps as those suggested are in contemplation.

asked whether a special committee, including women members, has been formed in each district for which an infant-welfare scheme has been adopted under the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915?

A special committee, which includes women members, has been appointed by many local authorities who have adopted infant-welfare schemes, but I cannot say whether this has been done by all these authorities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has had a request from the Amalgamated Society of Scale, Beam, and Weighing Machine Makers for arbitration in a dispute between the union and Messrs. W. T. Avery and Messrs. H. Pooley and Sons, Limited; and if he will cause inquiry to be made into the matter with a view to settlement?

The Chief Industrial Commissioner has already been in communication with the parties, and is communicating with them further.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the lock-out in the printing trade in Scotland consequent upon a sectional dispute in Edinburgh; and whether he is taking any action to settle the dispute?

The Chief Industrial Commissioner communicated with the parties in the early stages of the lock-out, and I am informed that a settlement of the dispute was arrived at on 14th April at a conference under the chairmanship of a conciliator appointed by him.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what, if any, are the rights of the University of London in, or to any part of, the Imperial Institute building, referred to in Section 12 of the Imperial Institute Transfer Act, 1902, and how were such rights acquired; and whether the University of London has any other and, if so, what rights in or affecting the Imperial Institute?

The rights of the University of London to the occupation of a part of the Imperial Institute Buildings rest upon a Treasury Minute, of the 13th July, 1899, which, after reciting in general terms the arrangements made by His Majesty's Government with the governing body of the institute respecting the whole group of buildings, proceeds: "These arrangements will enable His Majesty's Government to offer to the London University accommodation in the building which may roughly be described as follows: The eastern and central portions of the main block, including the principal entrance, vestibule and staircase, and the great hall, subject to occasional use by the institute of certain portions of the central block, when not required by the university, under regulations approved by the Chancellor of the University, and subject also to certain reservations in favour of the Government of India. Also a portion of the upper floor of the inner block of building running east and west, and the temporary structure now standing in the South-Eastern Court."

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that at the telegraph office at Paddington Station, and elsewhere, the officials have no information as to whether the wires to certain places have been repaired after the gale of 27th March, nor do they warn people, nor is any warning notice conspicuously posted up of the possibility of delay; and if he will take all possible steps to prevent people's money being taken for a service that cannot be rendered?

I regret that it would not be practicable to keep all railway and other telegraph offices advised as to telegraphic delays all over the United Kingdom. As the hon. Member for Mid-Armagh was informed on the 5th instant, "delay" is a variable quantity, changing from hour to hour, and particulars of "delay" communicated to Paddington Railway Station at a specified moment might soon after be very misleading.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if the cattle belonging to the Rajah of Sarawak, detained under the Diseases of Animals Acts., 1894 and 1896, are still detained at the premises of the Zoological Society in Regent's Park, and described as having been presented by Sir Charles Brooke; whether the cattle in question have at any time during the last two months left the Zoological Gardens for four days and are now returned to the custody of the Zoological Society in London; and, if so, if the Board of Agriculture will now allow the cattle to be transferred to the estate of the Rajah of Sarawak?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The animals which the Zoological Society had arranged to transfer to the premises of the Society of Dublin were on their way there when an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease occurred in this country, and they had to be returned. The reply to the last part of the question is in the negative for the reasons given in my replies to the hon. Member's questions on the same subject on 10th January last.