Written Answers
War
Disturbances In Ireland
Mr Sheeiiy-Skeffington (Inquiry)
asked the Prime Minister whether he has received from the solicitor to Mrs. Sheehy-Skeffington a letter dated 13th June, containing a number of serious allegations concerning the court-martial of the officer who murdered her husband; whether any reply has been sent to this letter; and whether the promised public inquiry will now be granted as Mrs. Skeffington requests?
I must refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Westmeath on the 28th June, to which I am afraid I can add nothing at present.
asked whether Captain Bowen Colthurst was on 1st May placed in command of the defences of Portobello Barracks, Dublin; whether this was in the nature of an advancement or removal to a position of less responsibility than that previously held by him; how long Captain Colthurst was in command of the defences of Portobello Barracks; and where is he at the present time?
As has been announced, arrangements have been made for the immediate removal of Captain Bowen Colthurst to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. The points raised in the first two parts of this question were before the court-martial, and it does not seem necessary to add anything in regard to them. Captain Colthurst was in command of the defences of Portobello Barracks from the 3rd until the 5th May, when he left Dublin with the Battalion Advanced party.
asked whether Major Sir Francis Vane was the superior officer of Captain Bowen Colthurst during the time of the rebellion in Dublin in April and May last; whether Major Vane was examined as witness by the court-martial which tried Captain Colthurst; and, if not, why he was not called?
Major Sir Francis Vane "was, owing to his rank, Captain Bowen Colthurst's superior officer. Those responsible for the prosecution saw no necessity to call this officer as a witness.
asked whether Captain Colthurst was protected by his superior officers after he had murdered Mr. Sheehy Skeffington; and whether it was only by the direct orders of Lord Kitchener that he was placed under arrest at Dublin on 6th May?
There is no truth in the allegations contained in my hon. Friend's question.
Arrests
asked the Home Secretary the cause of the delay in releasing Maurice J. Collins (Dublin), M. J. O'Connor (Tralee), and P. J. Cahill (Tralee), all prisoners at Frongoch, and who took no part in the rising in Ireland?
There has been no unnecessary delay. The cases will be considered shortly by the Advisory Committee, who are dealing with all the cases as quickly as possible.
Treatment Of Prisoners
asked the Home Secretary if he will test the accuracy of the information supplied to him to the effect that no Irish untried prisoners are kept in solitary confinement by an inquiry into the cases of Dr. Dundon, Knutsford Gaol, Frank Healy, barrister, Knutsford Gaol, and Denis M'Cullough, Knutsford Gaol; whether Mr. M'Cullough now in Frongoch camp, is still kept in solitary confinement; and whether the diet at Knutsford is complained of as insufficient and of poor quality?
As regards the first part of the question, I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answer I gave on 28th June to Question No. 47, put by the hon. Member for Cork City. No persons in Frongoch Camp are kept in solitary confinement. The statement that the diet at Knutsford is insufficient and of poor quality is incorrect; it is the ordinary scale of diet allowed for prisoners of war. There have been complaints from outside and some from inside. The latter have been to some extent prompted by those who made the complaints from outside; they have been considered and met, so far as there was any ground for this.
Earned And Unearned Incomes (Taxes)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the proportion of taxation under the present Finance Bill on income, earned and unearned, proportion as between direct and indirect taxation, and proportion borne by income, necessities, and luxuries?
Of the taxes levied, namely, Income Tax, Super-tax, and Excess Profits Duty, it is estimated that about 23 per cent, is borne by earned income and 77 per cent, by unearned income (using the terms "earned" and "unearned" in the sense they bear in the Income Tax Acts). Of the tax revenue for 1916–17 it is provisionally estimated that 34.6 per cent, will be raised by indirect taxation, and 65.4 per cent, by direct (excluding Excess Profits Duty), but these figures may require modification in view of changes effected in Committee. I am unable to follow the classification suggested in the last part of the question.
Mental And Nervous Breakdown (Royal Navy)
asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) what measures are being taken to deal with such eases of acute mental and nervous breakdown in the Royal Navy and forces under the Admiralty as are unsuitable for treatment in general hospitals other than at Yarmouth Asylum; and (2) whether, in view of the fact that the Director of the Medical Service has recently authorised an officer to give a full and detailed account of the methods of treatment for all ranks of the Army suffering from mental and nervous disorders, similar action will be taken in the Royal Navy so as to include in the Report the plans of treatment in the United Kingdom and abroad?
The treatment of all cases of mental and nervous breakdown is undertaken in the three large base Naval Hospitals at Chatham, Haslar, and Plymouth. A medical officer who has made a speciality of such cases is detailed to each hospital, and he has as many beds allotted to him as is necessary. The treatment adopted is not to collect these cases into one ward, or one building, but to separate them from each other as far as possible, treating them with other general cases of illness. So far this method of treatment has been followed by favourable results, but the number of cases of this type from the Fleet is not sufficiently large to enable more than a probable estimate of its value to be formed as yet. Later on it is hoped a detailed report of the results obtained will be of value.
Commissioned Rank (Royal Navy)
asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether it is the usual practice to refuse commissions to men on the ground of being over age even if the application has been made several months before the age limit was reached and the application was overlooked in the intervening period?
If candidates placed on the roster for commissioned rank reach the age limit before they are selected they cease to be eligible for promotion in the ordinary course, but I cannot admit that this constitutes over looking their claims.
Military Service
Attested Men (Garrison Duty Abroad)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if an attested man in Group 44, passed as fit for garrison duty abroad, is entitled to two months' notice before being called up?
No, Sir; he is not entitled to this notice, unless he has got a printed undertaking to that effect legitimately in his possession.
Army List
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if, in view of the fact that the current Army List is supplied to the Library of the House of Commons, he can see his way to add to the list of those to whom the same can be officially distributed Members of Parliament who may apply in writing for the same?
Copies of the monthly Army List are supplied to the House of Commons Library for the use of the Members with the express purpose of avoiding any wider circulation.
British Prisoners In Germany (Food Supplies)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether English prisoners in Germany largely depend for the necessities of life upon parcels of food sent to them from England; whether he is aware that such parcels are at present sent by various organisations and individuals independently of each other; and whether he will consider the desirability of the creation of one central body with the sole duty of collecting and controlling individual effort, so that the parcels may go in regular quantities and that their contents may be evenly divided among all who require them?
The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. In reply to the last, I may say that steps are being taken to control and coordinate the activities of the various organisations and individuals interested in this matter so that supplies may be dispatched with regularity and evenly distributed.
Hohenzollern Redoubt (Dispatch)
asked when the promised dispatch, covering the period from 13th October to 19th November, will be published giving an account of the taking of the Hohenzollern Redoubt by the North Midland Territorial Forces?
There will be no avoidable delay in the publishing of this dispatch, but I am unable to state the date when it will be published. My previous statement was that a dispatch was being compiled. This involves consultation of many reports and necessarily takes much time.
Naval And Military Services (Pensions And Grants)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the wife of Sapper James Murphy, No. 46,995, Royal Engineers, killed at Loos, has been awarded 10s. 6d. pension for herself and three children, Ring Paper No. M3,l73; and will he state whether that is the amount payable in such cases, and cause inquiries to be made as to this allowance?
The pension granted is for the children. It appeared that the soldier was separated from his wife and not supporting her, but the facts are under inquiry.
War Office Contractors (Reduced Salaries)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether firms who at the outbreak of war reduced all salaries for a time and subsequently obtained War Office contracts, and made larger profits than they had ever previously done, arc; entitled to retain the moneys so deducted from salaries?
My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I do not know to what firms the hon. Member refers, but if he will be good enough to furnish me with particulars I will have inquiry made. I am not sure, however, that the Department has power to take any action in such cases.
East Africa Protectorate
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the £301,319 which, under the head of investments, is in the hands of the Local Currency Commission of the East Africa Protectorate, is the profit to the Government of that Protectorate on the issue of the £500,000 (seventy-nine lakhs) of current rupee notes 1
As my hon. Friend will observe from the East Africa and Uganda (Currency) Order in Council, 1905, the investments held by the Currency Board represent, not a profit on the note issue, but a part of the coin in exchange for which the notes were issued. The investments and the coin held by the Board constitute together the Note Guarantee Fund, and this fund, together with the general revenues of the East Africa Protectorate is the security for the cashing of the notes on demand.
Allies' Trade (Uniform System)
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in order to facilitate the future study and regulation of the trade of the Allies in the economic war with Germany, he will endeavour to promote a common system of valuation of the imports and exports in the allied countries and in our Empire?
Efforts have been constantly made for a number of years past to promote comparability in the trade statistics of different portions of the Empire and foreign countries, and these efforts will certainly be continued, though there are obvious difficulties in securing the adoption of a uniform system by countries whose circumstances and needs are very different.
Machinery Imports
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the official figures of the value of our imports of sugar, corn, and meat include the entire Government purchases of these articles abroad; and whether imports of machinery for controlled establishments are included while imports of machinery for the regular Government establishments are excluded?
The note which appears on the cover of the Monthly Accounts Relating to Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom includes the following statement:—"The accounts of goods imported include all articles of food, but do not include other goods which, at the time of importation, were the property of His Majesty's Government or the Governments of the Allies." I do not think it desirable to specify in greater detail the classes of articles excluded.
Insurance And Freight
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the attention attracted by the excess of imports; whether he is aware that the excess of £370,500,000 in 1915 was calculated by the Board of Trade to be at 1909 prices to be reduced to £297,000,000 as stated in an answer to the Member for Maidstone on 25th January, 1916; and whether he can state,' approximately, that two-thirds of this amount would disappear if insurance and freight were to be included in the exports as they are included in the imports?
I am aware of the answer referred to. I regret that the data at my disposal are not sufficient to enable me to frame an accurate estimate of the cost of freight and insurance on goods exported from the United Kingdom. I may remind the hon. and gallant Gentleman that only the freights on goods carried on British-owned ships should be taken into account in such a comparison as he suggests, and that somewhat more than one-half the tonnage of shipping leaving United Kingdom ports with cargo for other countries is under neutral flags.
Hops Imported
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether 2,527 cwts. of hops were imported during the week ending 21st June; if so, whether he can say from what countries these hops were imported and why licences were issued for their admission; and whether he can give the names of the consignors and consignees of these hops?
During the week ended 17th June 2,527 cwts. of hops were recorded as imported, and all these hops were consigned from the United States of America. They were admitted without licence, on the ground that they were dispatched before the recent prohibition was announced. They were consigned in part by Messrs. Horst and Co. to the same firm in this country, and in part by Messrs. Strauss and Co. to Messrs. W. Gallagher and Son.
Cahirciveen Postal Service
asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that, in consequence of the altered train service to Cahirciveen, there has been a complete disorganisation of the local postal service in the district, with the result that medicines ordered by post from Waterville, about twelve miles distant, cannot be supplied until three days have elapsed from, the date of ordering; and whether, with a view to obviating this, arrangements can be made for the delivery of letters to addressees on personal application within stated hours *at the Cahirciveen post office?
I am having inquiry made, and will send the hon. Member a reply as soon as I can.
Letting Houses And Apartments
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that his Department refuses to allow the principle of averaging for three years on the profits from house-letting in districts where that is an important industry; and whether, in view of the trials which such districts have experienced since the beginning of the War, he will instruct his Department to adopt the averaging system, particularly in view of the fact that it is held by many authorities that it is illegal to refuse the collating of the three years?
I do not feel sure whether my hon. Friend is referring to the letting of unfurnished houses or of furnished houses, or to the business of letting lodgings, keeping a boarding-house, etc. I will, therefore, deal with the subject under each of those heads.