asked whether the First Lord of the Admiralty threatened to tender his resignation if the Royal Naval Air Service was included in the recent Air Inquiry; and whether the Lords of the Admiralty have threatened to tender their resignation if any steps are taken to remove from the sphere of their control the Royal Naval Air Service?

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

asked the Prime Minister whether he will in due course order that the Report of the Air Board shall be laid upon the Table of the House, or, if this course should be considered inadvisable on military grounds, if Members will be given an opportunity to see it privately, or, if necessary, to hear its contents during the proposed Secret Session?

The first Report by the President of the Air Board is a document of a highly secret character. So far as my own knowledge and responsibility extend, its contents have only been communicated to members of the War Committee, and are engaging the Committee's close attention. The Report embodies certain proposals and recommendations affecting at least three Departments, the Admiralty, the War Office, and the Ministry of Munitions, whose considered views on those recommendations have yet to be submitted to the War Committee. I hope to be in a position shortly to make a statement to the House on the subject. I certainly do not think it desirable that the Report in its entirety should be laid on the Table. I am not prepared at present to state whether or not it is advisable that the. Board's proposals should be discussed in Secret Session.

asked whether any old age pensioners have received increased allowances at the present time?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that certain payments are long overdue to Mr. Maurice Murphy, Macroom, and Mr. C. M. Lynch, Ballyvourney, late clerks to Macroom (Nos. 1 and 2) old age pensions sub-committees, and that repeated applications have been made to the responsible authorities for payment without avail; and whether he will institute inquiries as to the cause of the delay and see that payment of the sums due is forthwith made?

The delay which has occurred in this matter is in no way due to the action of any Government Department. Orders for payment of the amounts known to the Board of Customs and Excise to be due to Mr. Murphy and Mr. Lynch were, in accordance with the regulations, issued to the clerk to the local pension committee as far back as June and April, 1915, but apparently have not reached them, as they have not been cashed. The amounts due in respect of certain other fees, etc., cannot be calculated until the necessary information, for which the clerk has been repeatedly asked, has been supplied. Fresh orders are, in the exceptional circumstances, being sent direct to Mr. Murphy and Mr. Lynch in lieu of the uncashed orders of June and April, 1915, but payment of the other fees, etc., cannot be authorised unless and until the necessary information is supplied.

asked the Chief Secretary if he will consider the advisability of winding up the Irish Constabulary Force Fund; if he will state the amount of money involved; and, seeing that foodstuffs have now almost reached famine prices, whether he will consider the advisability of the distribution of the funds to the subscribers?

This fund was created by Statute for the benefit of the widows and orphans of the subscribers. It cannot be diverted from that purpose.

asked the Chief Secretary is he aware that the Home Office experts who upon two occasions visited the Wolfe-hill Collieries, Queen's County, reported very favourably as to the quality and quantity of the coal in the district; is he further aware that a sample of the coal was taken by the Munitions Department and found absolutely satisfactory; and, in view of these facts, will he impress upon the Treasury the necessity of helping to build a light railway from the mines to the junction of the Great Southern and Western Railway, a distance of six miles, and thus enable the Irish people to be provided with cheaper coal during the War?

I am informed that an inspector has visited the mine on behalf of the Development Commission, and I will ascertain, if possible, the purport of his report. The report of the Home Office inspector was unfavourable, and the Treasury has, therefore, decided against the proposed expenditure.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of a retired national school teacher who had to retire owing to ill-health after twenty-eight years and three months' service without a fault, and has only £10 11s. 4d. per annum as pension, and whether steps will be taken to extend the war bonus to retired teachers?

I am not aware of the particular case to which the hon. Member refers, but presume that the pension has been computed in accordance with the statutory rules. As regards the last part of the question, I am unable to add anything to my reply of the 2nd November to the questions of the hon. Members for West Limerick and Dublin (College Green).

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will consider that the demand of the ex-national school teachers for a bonus is due to the fact that the rise of prices makes it impossible for them to maintain their families as formerly; and whether, if no other means be available, he will introduce a Bill to deal with the matter?

asked whether, in view of the inadequate pensions given to retired national school teachers, the proposed war bonus will be extended to this deserving class of the community?

I cannot add anything to the reply given to the questions on this subject of the hon. Members for Limerick West and Dublin (College Green) on the 2nd November.

asked whether any further steps have been taken to prevent oil being extracted from Indian meal by large millers; and, in view of the fact that such meal will in all probability be largely used by the poor as human food for the: coming winter, will immediate steps be taken to put a stop to this practice being carried on, and have the meal absolutely free from any extraction process whatever?

Experiments to test the feeding value of oil-extracted, as compared with whole, maize meal have been carried out by the Department, and the results will shortly be available. Until these results have been considered the Department are not in a position to express any definite opinion on the comparative values of such meals as feeding stuffs. Steps, however, have been, and will continue to be, taken to ensure that millers sell oil-extracted meals under proper descriptions. So far as the question affects human food, samples may be taken by local inspectors under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, with a view to analysis, and proceedings can be instituted if it is found that the article sold is not of the kind demanded by the purchaser.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether an inquiry is being held into the circumstances and incidents of the enemy raid in the Channel and whether a further statement relative thereto may be expected at a later date?

The usual inquiry into the loss of the "Flirt" and the grounding of the "Nubian" will be held. I have nothing to add to the statement I made in the House of Commons on Tuesday last, which included all the relevant facts.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether the locally engaged bricklayers who are employed at Rosyth are receiving the extra 7s. per week which is being paid to bricklayers brought from southern dockyards; whether the contractors carrying out the work at Rosyth Dockyard are forbidden. by the commodore to pay the halfpenny per hour increase conceded by the master builders of Dunfermline and district, which embraces Rosyth, to their men employed in the dockyard; and whether the contractors' men are paid the 7s. per week allowance?

As regards the temporary war increase of 7s. per week, locally engaged bricklayers and those brought from Southern dockyards are treated alike—that is to say, the increase is paid in addition to Admiralty rate, but not in addition to special local rate when the latter equals or exceeds Admiralty rates plus war bonus. As regards the second part of the question, the answer is in the affirmative. Finally, the contractors' men are not paid the 7s. per week allowance as a war bonus, but their rate of 11d. per hour is equivalent to the special rate plus the war bonus now paid to-Admiralty bricklayers.

asked whether an Austrian, named Knafe, was employed in the Admiralty before the War; whether he is still employed; and, if so, in what capacity?

No one of this name has been employed at the Admiralty either before the War or since. But I imagine this question may be directed to the case of Mr. C. J. Naef, Deputy-Accountant General of the Navy. Mr. Naef's father and mother were both Swiss. Mr. Naef, senior, settled in this country in 1860, and from then until his death in 1907 made England his home. I am told that he came of a family which is purely Swiss, the records of which are to be found in the history of Zurich for the last 400 years. I am told that he had no Austrian connections, and there appears to be no German branch of the family. Mr. C. J. Naef was born in this country forty-five years ago. He was educated at the City of London School and at Merton College, Oxford. He took second place in Class 1 of the Home Civil Service examination in 1895, and entered the Admiralty in March of that year as a higher division clerk. He is now Deputy-Accountant General.

asked whether the conditions of Service men enrolled in the Naval Anti-Aircraft Corps involving duty on alternate days only are liable to alteration without the men having the opportunity to resign from the corps; and whether the men can be transferred to any other arm of the Service or of the Army without their consent?

The Anti-Aircraft Corps is being brought into line with all other branches of His Majesty's Service according to the terms of the Military Service Acts. All men of military age are being medically examined, and as the number of men in the corps exceed the number required, men will be given their discharges in accordance with their medical classification, commencing with Class A. No guarantee can be given that men retained in the corps who are liable to serve under Military Service Acts will in future only be employed every other day or night as in the past. They will perform the same amount of duty as the military who man the remainder of the London Anti-Aircraft defences. The amount of duty performed by the men over military age who are volunteers will remain as in the past, but the hours may be slightly adjusted if it can be arranged. There will be no question of transference to any other arm. Men not required will be given their discharge and their names forwarded to the Director of Recruiting. He, however, has been requested to allow men who have been in the Anti-Aircraft Corps to join the Artillery if they prefer it to any other arm of His Majesty's Forces.

asked the Secretary of State for War if an Army Council instruction has been issued to the effect that in future all promotions within the establishment of units at Home will be acting rank only, and immediately on a warrant officer or a non-commissioned officer departing for service overseas he will revert to his substantive rank; and, in view of the hardship this practice will inflict upon many men who have been kept at Home as indispensable for training of recruits, will he order the revocation of this instruction?

Yes, Sir. A warrant officer or non-commissioned officer going abroad will, under the instructions lately issued, revert to his substantive rank; but it is under consideration to introduce certain modifications of this rule in the case of non-commissioned officers who have held acting rank for some months at Home on being ordered abroad with a draft. No non-commissioned officer who is fit for service abroad is to be retained at home.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether an appeal was made last year to men between the ages of forty and fifty to join in order to bring up certain provisional battalions of the Territorial Force to full strength; if so, whether it was represented to them that they would be allowed forty-eight hours' leave once a month to enable them to attend to their private business affairs: and, if so, whether he will direct the officers commanding these battalions, in so far as possible, to grant this leave of absence to these men?

No such undertaking is known, nor was such a promise authorised by the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in the Volunteer Training Corps there are a certain number of officers who have previously been rejected or have been exempted by tribunals but who may be called up for service in the Army; whether the Army Council will see that the special qualifications of these officers may be so far considered as to prevent them being drafted into the ranks until an opportunity has been found for inquiring as to their suitability for passing through officer cadet battalions or an Officers Training Corps?

If they are recommended as possessing suitable qualifications, officers of the Volunteer Training Corps can be enlisted in the Inns of Court or Artists' Officers Training Corps, with a view to their being passed to an officers cadet unit, if found suitable.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that arrangements have been completed between the War Council, the Ministry of Munitions, and the Employment Exchanges by which men of a medical classification too low for effective Army purposes, instead of being exempted or returned to civil life, will be entered at the Employment Exchanges in connection with the scheme of substitution; whether he is aware that such a man will be asked to enter a contract that he will remain in the employment of any firm of employers to which he is assigned by the Ministry of Munitions and for any period during the War, and that he will be liable to be returned to military service should this firm cease to employ him; whether he is aware that a member of the Shoreditch Tribunal, where this scheme was explained by the military representative, said it was industrial conscription but a good arrangement; and whether, having regard to his pledges in this House that the Military Service Acts should not be used, and should not be capable of being used, for any purpose of industrial conscription, he will say what action he proposes to take in the matter?

(for the Prime Minister): I am aware of the arrangements referred to by my hon. Friend which have been made between the War Office and the Ministry of Munitions in consultation with the Labour Adviser, whereby men of certain categories, liable to military service, may sign an undertaking with the Minister of Munitions to work upon munitions in any establishment to which they may be assigned. Entrance upon the undertaking is, of course, entirely voluntary, and any man assigned to munitions work under the terms of the undertaking will work under ordinary civilian conditions in all respects, including pay. With regard to the second part of the question, I must point out that under this scheme men are not tied to any particular firm. They would only be liable again for military service if the Ministry of Munitions found that they could not usefully continue to employ these men in industry, or if the men were ordered by the competent military authority to report for service with the Colours, which would only occur in case of grave national emergency. With regard to the third part of the question my attention has not been called to the statement attributed to a member of the Shoreditch Tribunal, which the answers to the first two parts of this question showed to be incorrect. The last part of the question does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Mr. J. H. Brain, of 11, Trelawney Road, Paragon Road, Mare Street, Hackeny, who is suffering from acute neuralgia and a weak heart, whose wife is suffering from insipient tuberculosis and expecting to be confined in December, and whose two daughters suffer respectively from rheumatics round the heart and double-mitred heart, was passed in Class C 1 and called up on 7th November; and if, in view of these circumstances, he will decide to transfer the man to the reserve?

The calling up of this man has already been postponed to the end of the year on domestic grounds.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in the case of Mr. Patrick Daly, of Lissycasey, West Clare, who was tried under the Military Service Act by the resident magistrate sitting alone at Ennis on 27th October last and subsequently handed over to the military authorities, he will advise the liberation of this young man pending an appeal; and whether, as this may be a test case, all facilities will be given to Patrick Daly to prepare his defence?

The question involved in this case is, as I am told, pending for decision in the King's Bench Division of the High Court in Ireland. Probably, therefore, special facilities such as the hon. Member mentions will not be needed.

asked whether each day served by a conscientious objector under the Home Office scheme counts as the equivalent of a day's service in prison so far as the sentence is concerned; whether the conscientious objectors at Ercoll have completed their sentences; and what steps do the Home Office propose to take with regard to these men?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The sentences of all the men now employed at Ercall have expired; but if the men do not remain in the employment of the Committee, or if they commit any serious breach of the Committee's regulations, they are liable to be recalled to the Army.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Special Committee which was recently appointed to inquire into cases of alleged unfair release of railwaymen for the Army is competent to deal with the cases of men who were liberated before the issue of the instructions as to release of railway-men in June last; and, if not, what steps must be taken by the men concerned in order to remove the hardship of their release and to secure their reinstatement in the railway service?

The terms of reference to the Committee do not contemplate that cases of men who were liberated before the issue of the instructions referred to should be dealt with by the Committee. A large number of such cases have been dealt with by communication between the Board of Trade and the railway companies concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state under what circumstances and by whose authority the Railway Executive Committee have decided that railwaymen must be released for the Army according to the size of family and not in the order of age; whether he is aware that this method of release is out of keeping with the Derby scheme under which most of the men attested and with the pledges and assurances of responsible Ministers; and, seeing that this method is likely to result in the release of men bordering on the age limit and the retention of younger men who would be of more use in the Army, will he say what steps he proposes to take?

The recommendations of the Railway Executive Committee as to the order in which railwaymen should be released for military service-were made in order to secure uniformity of practice by the railway companies, and so far as I am aware the recommendations were regarded as being satisfactory by all parties. I may point out that they provide that in the first place unmarried men shall be released in order of age, and that as regards married men in cases in which the number of children in the family, under fourteen years of age, is equal the younger men are to be released.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the diminution of the staffs on the railways is becoming alarming in certain parts of the country, and that, in consequence, railwaymen are having to work abnormal hours, even signalmen being retained on duty seven days a week of nearly ninety hours, with only a very occasional day off; and, in view of the danger of accidents when railwaymen are overworked, resulting in serious injury not only to the men themselves but also to passengers and troops, whether he will take steps to prevent this peril growing more serious, as it certainly will with any further release of men for military service?

It is the case that on railways, as well as in other employments, the release of men for military service has resulted in long hours being worked in many instances. I am not, however, aware that signalmen have to-work for ninety hours a week, and I should be glad to make inquiries in regard to any specific case which my hon. Friend may have in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the proportion of leave granted to the men of the Royal Naval Division; whether there are many cases in which men of this division have not had home leave since they left for Gallipoli at the beginning of March, 1914; and whether he will endeavour to secure some mitigation of this exceptional hardship to officers and men as soon as the exigencies of the Service allow?

The Army Council do-not receive returns of the leave granted to the different divisions which are in the field, but the circumstances of each division in this respect are, of course, known to the Commander-in-Chief, with whom the discretion of granting or withholding leave must necessarily rest, as he alone can be acquainted with the requirements of the military situation so far as they bear upon this matter at any particular moment. It is hoped the number of men going on leave may be increased, and any exceptional cases will no doubt be dealt with sympathetically by the Commander-in-Chief.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the establishment of a Department at the War Office with the special object of keeping official opinion in touch with working-class sentiment and of co-operating as much as possible with the organisations which represent in?

The office of the Labour Adviser to the Government exists for the purpose of effecting the desired co-operation, and the various Departments of the War Office refer to the Labour Adviser as occasion requires.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Private Thomas Deegan, No. 6984, joined the Connaught Rangers in November, 1900; whether he is aware that Private Deegan, during his fifteen years' service with the Army, served and was wounded during the South African War, served also in India, France, and Belgium; whether he is aware that Private Deegan was discharged in 1915 in consequence of wounds inflicted on him in France, which disables him from performing work; whether he is aware that a pension of 25s. a week was awarded to him for the first twelve months after his discharge, and that this pension of 25s. was reduced to 12s. 6d. a week after the first twelve months; and whether, having regard to the fact that the local doctors certify that Private Deegan is unable to perform any class of work, he will have the case reconsidered with a view to the augmentation of his pension?

I am making inquiries into this ease, and will let my hon. Friend know the result.

asked whether there is any reason why a pension has been refused in the case of Edward Roberts, of 22, Willoughby Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool, being No. 221, lance-sergeant in the 9th King's Liverpool, and who was enrolled in the Territorial Force on the 13th of April, 1908, and has had a service of eight years and 191 days, and was mobilised in August, 1914, serving two years seventy-seven days with the 9th King's Liverpool, 44th Battalion, and being discharged with a bad ankle on the 20th of October, 1916, pay stopped and pension rejected by Chelsea Commission on the 18th October, case No. 77,402?

I am having inquiries made into this case, and will let my hon. Friend know the result.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether, in the case of the boy Francis Lyons, a dependant on Private M. Lyons, No. 11235, Connaught Rangers, he is aware that the boy's father is dead and his mother in an asylum, and the eldest brother, Michael, now a soldier, was the sole support of the family; and will he ask the military authorities in Longford their opinion of this case before depriving the boy of a means of livelihood?

This is not a question for the military authorities at Longford. It is open to the claimant to lodge an appeal against the finding of the pension officer; a form for this purpose can be obtained on application to any post office.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether his inquiries into the following cases are yet completed and, if so, what is the result: Private William Carroll, No. 4624, Leinster Regiment, Sergeant Eugene M Manus, 1st Battalion Irish Guards (killed), and the late Private P. O'Connor, of Long ford?

These cases are still under consideration, and I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as a decision has been reached.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will state the principle or method on which the War Office allow temporary pensions of 4s. 8d. a week to disabled soldiers; and whether such men can reasonably hope to secure a living-wage pension when the War is finished?

Such pensions are given, under the Royal Warrant, in cases where the disability has no connection of any kind with military service. In view of the recent announcement of a Pension Ministry, the hon. Member will not expect me to answer the latter part of the question.

(Leicester, Harborough) asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Strapper Adams, late No. 2164, Army Service Corps, who has been discharged from the Army, though his condition necessitates his being retained in Cosham Military Hospital; whether he is aware that a pension of 4s. 8d. per week has been awarded him, and that this represents the entire income of his family; and whether, as the man is obviously unable to work at the present time, some provision will be made for the support of his family?

I am making inquiries into the case and will let my hon. Friend know the result.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office when the war bonus authorised by Army Council Instruction, No. 1901, dated 5th October, 1916, will be issued to the civilian clerks employed in the Regimental Pay Office, Dublin; or whether, alternatively, having regard to the fact that the present rate of wages issued to the civilian clerks employed in the Regimental Pay Office, Dublin, is a pre-war rate formulated in 1911, will he state when effect will be given to Army Council Instruction, No. 1901, dated 5th October, 1916, on their behalf?

I have ascertained that all those entitled to the bonus are now receiving it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will instruct the district purchasing officers of the various counties to give an answer reasonably quickly, say, within a fortnight, to traders who have to purchase hay and straw by a permit from the producers under the Defence of the Realm (Consolidation) Regulations, 1914–16, as, owing to the delay in receiving replies to their; applications for permits, traders have in many cases been put to inconvenience?

Permits to traders to purchase are issued by the Secretary,. Forage Committee, 64, Whitehall Court. Endeavours are made to deal with all applications on the day of receipt, and they are always replied to within three days. The same remark^* applies to correspondence with purchasing officers. If my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of the cases of delay to which he refers I will have special inquiry made.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the desire of a number of Army schoolmasters to join combatant units; whether he is aware that the scholastic work has diminished in the case of a number of these men; and whether, in view of the present requirements of the Army, he is prepared to make arrangements for suitable Army schoolmasters being given the opportunity of taking up commissions, inasmuch as their training and experience partly qualify them for responsible military work?

Applications have been received for commissions from schoolmasters, but the educational necessities of the Army must be safeguarded, and while work may have diminished in some directions it has increased in others.

asked what provision is made for continued hospital care in the case of Irish soldiers of the rank and file, while still in the Army, who have been invalided through transient and uncertifiable loss of balance other than committal to war hospitals?

The same provision is made for Irish as for all other soldiers.

asked the Secretary to the Local Government Board, as representing the Statutory Committee for Disablement, what provision has been made for the assistance, encouragement, and reinstatement in industrial life of Irish soldiers who have been discharged from the Army while not yet fully recovered from the effects of prolonged nerve strain, with a view to preventing the risk of their eventually drifting into asylums?

On the general subject of the treatment of nerve-shaken soldiers I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on Tuesday last to a question put to me by the hon. and gallant Member for the Melton Division. There has, unfortunately, been some delay in forming local committees in Ireland; but I may state that in Dublin a strong voluntary committee has been acting, and that in Belfast the local war pensions committee has been working vigorously for some time. In some of the Irish counties, too, special disablement sub-committees have been formed, and in others Grants are being continued through the old voluntary organisations until new committees are established. I may add that the command depot for the Irish regiments at Tipperary has been dealing successfully with cases of nerve-strain by means of treatment in the training classes started with the help of the voluntary committee and the technical school in the town.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is still appointing accountants of military age; and, if so, will he state the reasons for so doing?

The answer is in the affirmative. I regret to say that the supply of suitable accountants who are ineligible or unfit for military service became exhausted some months ago, and it has therefore been impossible to fill vacancies or provide for expansion of work without engaging a certain number of accountants who are fit for military service.The Institutes of Chartered and Incorported Accountants, and the accounting profession generally, have done their utmost to assist my Department in obtaining qualified men, and I welcome the opportunity of recognising this publicly. I have also advertised for accountants in the professional journals, but without substantial results. The private firms with their depleted staffs are heavily overworked and cannot be expected, except in isolated instances, to spare more of their staff for Government work.Qualified accountants are required in my Department to deal with work of the following kinds:

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is aware that at a-certain gunpowder works a German foreman named Werths is employed; and whether he has any information to the effect that the managing director of the works has changed his name from Kraftmeyer to Kay since the commencement of the War?

The foreman referred to-in the first part of the question was naturalised in 1908. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. The military authorities in December, 1914, after careful investigation of the case of the man first named, were satisfied that no suspicion attaches to him, and expressed a similar view in September last with regard to the man last named.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he is aware that Perilli's Cable Company, Southampton, is a controlled firm under the Munitions of War Act; that this firm employs about 200 women and girls; that the rate of wages paid by them to women of eighteen years of age and upwards is 2d. per hour during the first three months of employment, 2½d. during the second three months, and 2¾d. after the completion of a year's service, with no further advance; that the average weekly wage of the women employed is 10s. 10d., rising to 13s. in the case of those working overtime; whether the payment of such rates in a controlled establishment has the sanction of his Department; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take for dealing with them?

The facts are substantially as stated by my hon. Friend. The rates as minima were fixed in February of this year by an award, but, in view of the changed conditions, the matter is being taken up by this Department. It is further understood that applications for leaving certificates have been lodged with the local munitions tribunal. The question of applying Order 447 to all establishments of this class is now under consideration, and, pending a decision, the women can apply for arbitration, which, in fact, is the most direct course.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he intends to allow local Labour Exchanges to assist controlled firms in preventing Catholics from getting employment; and, if not, what action will he take with reference to the firm of McKendrick, of Motherwell, Glasgow?

The Employment Exchanges are controlled by the Board of Trade, and I understand from my right hon. Friend that he cannot add to the reply which he gave on 26th October to the hon. Member for Bridgeton. I have had inquiry made as to the action of the firm now in question, and find that they actually employ a number of Catholics at the present moment, and have no objection generally to engaging them. In the instance which gives rise to the question put by the hon. Member, I understand that the firm desired to engage a Protes- tant for employment on a particular shift, in order to avoid the recurrence of friction which has previously arisen.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he will add to the Committee set up to deal with the licensing of building work two or more representatives of the building employers and workmen, respectively, and authorise them to deal with the distribution of labour disturbed through the discontinuance of building operations?

My right hon. Friend is under some misupprehension as to the functions of the Committee to which he refers. This Committee has not been set up to deal with the licensing of building work but to consider the procedure under which applications are at present decided upon and to advise whether any improvements are possible. I am of the opinion that both employers and workmen are adequately represented for the purpose on the Committee has at present constituted. Under the terms of their reference the Committee are already authorised to consider the distribution of labour which may be disturbed by the discontinuance of building operations.

asked whether all cases of fatal accidents in munition works are publicly reported and inquests held on the victims?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. Fatal accidents in munition works— whether Crown or private works—are reported to my Department, and are investigated in the usual course. Inquests are held, as in the case of all other accidents.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether there has recently been any unrest on the Mohmand border; and what are the latest reports?

At the end of September trouble appeared to be threatening on the Mohmand border., Suitable military measures were promptly taken, and the hostile movement did not mature, though small raids took place at night. The latest report to hand speaks of nothing more serious than occasional sniping.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the resources of the fighting races of India, coloured, white, and Anglo-Indian, from the voluntary recruiting point of view, have been exhausted; and, if so, whether he will suggest to the Indian Government the possibility of compulsion?

I am in communication with the Viceroy as to the possibility of further developing the military resources of India under the voluntary system. I can make no further statement at present.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will give the numbers of the following races in India and the protected States: European (male and female), Anglo-Indian, Sikhs, Mahrattas, Rajputs, Dogras, Gurkhas (Bhootan, Nepaul, etc.), Pathans, Baluchis, Mahomedans not included above, Madras pariahs?

I append a statement giving the information asked for so far as it is obtainable from the tables of the Census of 1911:

asked the Secretary of State for India if he will give the relative production last season of the native growers and manufacturers of natural indigo, in comparison with that of the

I have no information regarding the area controlled by the Bihar Planters' Association. If the investigations are successful, it is thought that they will serve the interests of native growers and manufacturers equally with those of Bihar planters, and the results will be disseminated by the Provincial Departments of Agriculture. The fact that natural indigo is at present put on the market in an unsuitable form is the main reason for the present scheme of research, which if successful will provide a practical remedy. There is no reason to suppose that the Indigo Committee as now constituted will not supply the necessary link between producers and users.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that a Proclamation was issued on 10th June, 1915, by John George Fraser, Special Commissioner for the Western Province in Ceylon, for the purpose of inquiring into the riots, to the effect that all persons in the said province were required to give every assistance and information to the military and civil authorities, and that persons not obeying orders would be shot at sight; and whether, under this Proclamation, men were shot without charge or trial?

I have not seen this particular notice; but I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to him on the 25th October on the subject of a somewhat similar notice.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has arrived at any decision regarding the extension of hours, under the new Order for the earlier closing of shops, during the Christmas holidays?

An extension of hours will be authorised, but I have not yet received the views of the local authorities whom I have consulted. The decision will be announced in good time.

asked the Home Secretary whether, under the Shops Closing Order, it is permissible to sell magazines and similar periodicals at the same hours as daily newspapers; and, if not, whether he will alter the regulations to allow of this?

No exception is made in the Order for the sale of periodicals other than newspapers. I have received a deputation from the Society of Periodical Proprietors on the subject, and I am awaiting the result of some further inquiries which they are making on my suggestion.

asked the Home Secretary whether Mr. Jeremiah Lynch, at present imprisoned in Dartmoor, who was sentenced in connection with the recent rising in Dublin, has been deprived of flannels though ordered to wear them by his doctor; whether the prison doctor has sanctioned this deprivation; whether, owing to impaired digestion, he is unable to eat the food supplied at dinner and has to eat the remains of the porridge sup- plied at breakfast; and whether a medical report as to this prisoner's health will be called for?

This prisoner was supplied with flannel underclothing on reception, and has made no request for alteration or addition to his clothing. An alteration of his diet has been made on the recommendation of the medical officer. One pint of porridge is served to him at dinner in lieu of meat which he does not care for and which he returned. The medical officer reports that apart from digestive trouble his general health is satisfactory.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the view held generally in Ireland that the continued imprisonment of political prisoners at Frongoch is a fruitful policy leading to unrest and exasperation, and certain to keep open the sore created by the Easter Week disturbances in Ireland; whether representations have been made to him respecting the cases of John Kilkelly, John Glyn, Patrick Hansberry, John Burke, John Whelan, and David Hanlon, from the Kinvarra district, county Gal-way; and whether he will review their cases with a view to their discharge?

With regard to the first part of the question, I v, would refer the hon. Member to what my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary and I said in the course of the Debate on 18th October. With regard to the second part, I had received no representations about the men mentioned before the question appeared on the Paper; but their cases are now being dealt with in accordance with the general statement which I made in this House on 10th October in reply to a question by the hon. Member for North Galway.

asked the Home Secretary if he will make a classified statement of the kinds of work imposed on the prisoners now in penal servitude as a result of being sentenced by courts-martial for connection with the recent rebellion in Ireland?

The prisoners at port-land are employed on—

asked the Chief Secretary whether, having regard to the larger interests of public policy, he will pass in review the whole situation of Irish prisoners still incarcerated in connection with the Dublin rebellion; and whether, if he discovers that the present policy of the Government is tending in the opposite direction to that aimed at, he will advise as to the best solution, the withdrawal of martial law, and the proclamation of a general amnesty?

Every case of an untried prisoner has been reported on, and some have now been released with proper guarantees for public security. I hope the number will be largely increased. As to the larger question of policy to which the hon. Member refers, I would refer him to the statement of the Prime Minister in Debate on the 18th October last.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can state the names of all the prisoners, natives of county Clare or arrested in county Clare, in connection with the Dublin rebellion; whether, considering that no disturbance of any kind happened in Clare, he will advise the Government to release these men at once?

I am unable to identify with any certainty the prisoners to whom the question refers. It is the fact that there was no rising in county Clare. The cases of all the men now interned have been considered by the Advisory Committee, and they are under further consideration with those of the general body of interned men at the present time.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that immediately after the rebellion the police took up from the farmers in the parish of Carron, county Clare, all the shot guns which were being used by them for the shooting and searing of crows and other vermin; is he aware that no Sinn Fein volunteers or organisation of any kind existed in the parish; and now that the farmers are in great need of these guns in order to frighten off crows who do mischief to the potatoes still undug because of the weather, will he take steps to see that the weapons are handed back to their lawful owners?

I am in communication with the military authorities as to whether these guns can now be returned.

asked the Chief Secretary when the individual owners of property destroyed during the recent rebellion in Ireland will receive intimation of the exact amount which the Government will sanction as an ex gratia grant to them so that such owners may make the necessary arrangements with their architects for reconstruction; and whether he will consider the advisability of intimating that the amount to which such owners will be entitled will be paid on the certificate of the architect that the work has been completed?

As to the first part of the question I am not yet in a position to add anything to the replies which I have recently given to questions on this subject. The course mentioned in the concluding part of the question has been decided on, as was stated in answer to the hon. Member for Dublin (St. Stephen's Green) on the 9th instant.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, whether, in view of the fact that he referred the case of Thomas Croke to the Wilson-Byrne Committee and of the undertaking that if no evidence could be submitted thereat to prove the complicity of Croke in the Sinn Fein rebellion he would be reinstated in his position and paid his salary during the period of his suspension, he will say if it is the practice of Government offices to permit men to be discharged on false and misleading information so as to procure suitable positions for others; if he will grant a sworn or other inquiry into the manner in which this man has been deprived of his livelihood; and if it is the intention to pay this man his salary during the period which the Commissioners were preparing a pretext to dispense with his services?

As this man was not a Civil servant his case did not come within the scope of the Commission referred to, and no such undertaking was given as the hon. Member suggests. The allegations contained in the latter portion of the question are unfounded, and I see no reason for instituting any further inquiry.

asked whether Thomas Croke, an employé of the Insurance Commission, was arrested by the Sinn Feiners and deported; if, after receiving permission to communicate, he intimated the cause of his absence to the Insurance Commission, and received there from an acknowledgment that on his release the position of his employment would be considered; and whether this communication was suppressed by the officers of the Insurance Commission and the nominee of another Commissioner, who was in receipt of a pension, appointed to his place?

Thomas Croke, who was employed at the Irish Insurance Commission as a temporary porter on a weekly engagement, was arrested by the authorities on the surrender of the rebels in the General Post Office, Dublin, and deported. He did not communicate with the Commissioners until some six weeks after his deportation, and a letter was sent to him on 20th June to the effect that the question of his re-employment could be considered on his release, but that he must understand that his place could not be kept open indefinitely. I am informed that the person who was subsequently taken on to fill the vacancy was a pensioner of the Royal Irish Constabulary, but there is no truth in the suggestion that it was owing to any suppression of papers, that Croke did not obtain reemployment.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether the Government has determined to carry out the recommendation of the Food Prices Committee with regard to the provision of dinners and milk to nursing and expectant mothers and children under five years of age?

It is proposed to introduce legislation on this subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantity of sugar was imported into Ireland in the year 1915; will he state as far as possible the sources of this supply; is he aware that the traders of county Cavan have been seriously curtailed in their supply of sugar since the 1st October, 1916; and will arrangements be made to have the fullest supply of this necessary food, so important for the very poor of this country, released without delay to these traders?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. There are no statistics available to show the quantities of sugar, or other goods, imported into or consumed in Ireland. I have received no evidence to show that the traders of county Cavan are suffering more than those of any other part of the United Kingdom from the curtailment that want of tonnage has rendered necessary in the imports of sugar. I can only say that the arrangements made by the Sugar Commission aim, and I believe with general success, at distributing the reduced supplies equitably to all districts in the Kingdom, those in Ireland as well as those in Great Britain.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that retailers in many parts of Ireland cannot obtain supplies of sugar from whom they obtained such supplies in previous years, and that in some cases orders placed over two months ago have not been satisfied; and whether he proposes to take any steps in the matter?

Certain cases of the kind referred to in the first part of the question have been or are being dealt with by the Sugar Commission. The retailers in question should ask those who supplied them last year to adjust the matter by allotting to them the proportion due on the basis of their purchases of sugar last year, and failing compliance should lay the facts before the Sugar Commission, stating clearly how much they obtained in the whole of 1915 from each separate source, and how much they have obtained from each separate source since 1st July last. Such complaints will then as hitherto be promptly dealt with.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that the embroidery manufacturers of Nottingham are by no means fully employed, and that their trade, in comparison with the year 1915, is depressed, while increasing imports of embroidery, both on net and cloth fabrics, continue to be permitted both from Holland and Switzerland; and whether, in view of these facts, he will order a revision of the decision of the Director of Import Restrictions not to prohibit the import of these articles?

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for East Nottingham on 12th April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the following Section has been incorporated in a Bill to increase revenue, which was approved by the House of Representatives of the United States of America on the 8th of September last, namely, That it shall be unlawful for any person (the term person as used in this title includes partnerships, corporations, and associations) importing or assisting in importing any articles from any foreign country into the United States, commonly and systematically to import, sell, or cause to be imported or sold, such articles within the United States at a price substantially less than the actual market value or wholesale price of such articles, at the time of exportation to the United States, in the principal markets of the country of their production, or of other foreign countries to which they are commonly exported, after adding to such market value or wholesale price, freight, duty, and other charges and expenses necessarily incident to the importation and sale thereof in the United States: Provided that such act or acts be done with the intent of destroying or injuring an industry in the United States, or of preventing the establishment of an industry in the United States, or of restraining or monopolising any part of trade and commerce in such articles in the United States; and whether his Department contemplates the establishment of similar safeguards to secure Home manufacturers against the competition of dumped goods?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. A notice on the subject was published on page 126 of the "Board of Trade Journal" for 12th October last. The question of policy raised in the last part of the question is one which will no doubt be dealt with by the Committee which has been appointed to consider the commercial and industrial policy to be adopted after the War.

asked if a brewer brews less than his allowed quantity of beer, can another brewer be allowed to add to his output that quantity of beer which the other brewer has not brewed, although he had already reached his maximum?

I cannot see my way to agree to any general provision for-transferring brewing rights from one brewer to another.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give a list of all articles of enemy origin for which licences of any kind to-import into the British Empire are still in existence?

It is undesirable in, the public interest to give this information. The hon. and gallant Gentleman can see a list privately if he wishes to have the information confidentially.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that in the matter of the meat trade his Department is working without an advisory committee, he will describe the character of the control exercised; whether this trade is entirely placed in the hands of clerks and officials and chartered accountants who have had no experience whatever of frozen meat importation; whether he will state if Sir Thomas Robinson had ever been responsible for the management of a meat shop, either wholesale or retail; and, if not, what were the special reasons for deputing to him so responsible a duty as controlling the foreign meat importations into this country?

I have described on various occasions in this House the procedure adopted by the Board of Trade in connection with the sale of their surplus mutton and lamb for civilian consumption, and I may also refer my hon. Friend to page 11 of the Report of the Prices Committee, where the method adopted is described in some detail. I have no reason to think that the officials dealing with this and other matters connected with Government purchases of meat are not performing their duties in an efficient manner. Sir Thomas Robinson has had practical experience of all branches of the meat trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the current rates of freights on coal from Garston and Partington to Belfast, Dublin, and Cork on 4th August, 1914, when war was declared; what were the rates of freights for similar cargoes, at the ports indicated, on 30th October, 1916, and whether he can state the free-on-board prices at the English ports refered to, on the same dates, for best house coal?

The freight rates on coal from Garston in August, 1914, were as follows: To Belfast, 3s. to 4s.; to Dublin, 2s. 6d. to 4s.; to Cork, 4s. to 5s. The rates to Dublin and Belfast at the end of last month are believed to be, roughly, from 10s. to l1s., and to Cork 15s. to 16s. Rates from Partington are from 6d. to 1s. above these rates. The wholesale prices of best house coal free-on-board Garston were, in August, 1914, 16s. 6d. to 16s. 9d., and at the end of last month 25s. 6d.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will circulate to the House a statement giving a complete list of enemy businesses and firms with any share of enemy interest trading in this country before the War and showing in each case how they have been dealt with?

I am not in a position to furnish a statement in the form asked for by my hon. Friend. Lists of businesses in which the interest of enemy subjects was preponderant and which have been dealt with by Orders for prohibition or winding-up are presented to Parliament from time to time and are published in the "Gazette" and in the "Board of Trade Journal." Three hundred and fifty-six such Orders have been made up to the present. I will also lay on the Table of the House a list of the shares belonging to enemy subjects which have been vested in the Public Trustee for purposes of sale.

asked how many and which enemy businesses in this country sold by the Public Trustee to British, Allied, or neutral subjects are still under the direction, management, or control of Germans or Austrians or German- or Austrian-born subjects?

So far as I am aware, the only case of an enemy business disposed of by the Public Trustee by a sale of shares in which persons of enemy birth now have a controlling interest is A. Wassermann and Sons, Limited. In that case British-born purchasers for the whole of the shares held by enemies could not be found, and, in accordance with the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, some of these shares were sold to a naturalised British subject of enemy origin who already held a large number of the shares and has the control of the company.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many ships have been built for neutrals during the War with our own starred labour; how many are now being built; and, of all these ships built and building, in how many cases is there a clause in the contract enabling the British Government to buy these ships at contract price?

Since the 28th February, when the Board of Trade was empowered to certify the construction of merchant vessels to be munitions work, three steamers for neutral owners have been completed and chartered to the Government. There are twenty-eight vessels for neutral owners under construction at present. In twenty-one cases certificates have been issued by the Board of Trade, and arrangements have been made that the vessels, when completed, will be used in the interests of this country. As I explained in replying to the hon. Gentleman's question of the 8th November, according to my information, in two cases only has the possibility of His Majesty's Government claiming the vessels been provided for in the contracts. In no case is there a clause enabling the Government to buy the ships at contract prices.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the name of the official who represents the Board in connection with the overhauling of ships' gear at the wharf or wharves used by the Dutch steamers when lying in the Thames; and whether he has changed his name since the commencement of the War?

The surveyors working at the wharves mentioned in the question have not changed their names. What the right hon. Gentleman probably has in mind is the fact that one of the Board's London surveyors, whose parents and grandparents were British, but one of whose great-grandfathers was German, changed his name by deed poll in December, 1914.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, whether, in view of the fact that the Board of Trade are now considering the winding-up of the firm of Arthur Wilson Peck and Company, of Sheffield and Nottingham, he can say why this firm is now allowed to advertise in the "Sheffield Telegraph" to the effect that it is now controlled by British directors and managers and has only British shareholders and employés; and, seeing that this is unfair to British firms and misleading to the British public, will he say what steps he intends to take in the matter?

I have brought the advertisement inserted by Arthur Wilson Peck and Company, Limited, to the notice of the Advisory Committee and am taking steps to prevent the insertion by the company of such advertisements in the future.

asked what decision has been arrived at with regard to the-future use of the prize steamer "Prinz Adalbert"?

This matter has been fully considered by the Oversea Prize Disposal Committee, on which the different Departments concerned are represented, and the conclusion arrived at is that, in view of the character of the vessel and the reconstruction and repairs that would be necessary, it would be best to sell her.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to increase the carrying power of our mercantile marine, he will consider the possibility of supplementing civilian labour at our docks by military assistance to ensure the more rapid loading and discharging of vessels; whether he will endeavour to arrange with our Allies for more rapid discharge at Allied ports; and whether the practice of sending steamers to congested ports at Home and abroad will be discontinued?

Military assistance is already provided in cases, where the supply of civilian labour at the port is inadequate by the Transport Workers Battalion, which was formed by the War Office about six months ago. A special Dockers Battalion is also in existence at Liverpool. The Governments of our Allies are fully alive to the importance of a rapid flow of traffic through their ports, and they assure me that they are doing everything in their power to maintain it. I think the interests of the parties concerned tend to prevent vessels being sent to congested ports, unless the nature and destination of the cargo makes it necessary that it should be loaded or discharged at a particular port, and wherever possible the Ship Licensing Committee is withholding licences for voyages to congested ports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the firm of H. R. Merton and Company have been declared an enemy concern by the Commonwealth Government; whether they are still allowed to trade in this country; whether the British Government have been and are still buying metals through this firm; and whether his attention has been called to the remarks of one of His Majesty's judges of the High Court, in giving judgment in the Bilbster case, in which he stated that Messrs. Merton and Company made a payment in order to try and preserve certain goods for the owners, whom they knew to be enemies, and to gain some possible advantage to themselves, or their principals, or co-adventurers, the Metallgesellschaft, of Frankfort, and that, in acting thus, they appeared not to have hesitated to engage in commercial intercourse with the enemies of this country?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, but the company has now applied to be reinstated, on the ground that the German interest is now eliminated. The answers given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to the right hon. Member for Kirkcaldy Burghs on 26th October, 1915, show that metals have been purchased from this company by their Government Departments. As to the last part of the question, I must refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Attorney-General to the hon. Member for West Wolverhampton on 9th November, 1915.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the firm of Merton and Company has been reorganised so as to exclude the German interest; whether 550 shares formerly held by Oscar Langebach are now held by Oscar Lang, 1,250 shares formerly held by Heinrich Schwarz are now held by Harry Ferdinand Staton, and 11,875 shares formerly held by Sehweizerische Gesell-schaft fur Metallwerke, Basle, Switzerland, are now held by the Societe Suisse pour Valeurs de Metaux, Basle; and will he state what connection, if any, the previous holders of these shares have with the present holders?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirma- tive. There has been no change in the ownership of the shares referred to in the remainder of the question. The first two shareholders mentioned are naturalised British subjects who have changed their names, and the third is a Swiss company which uses both a French and German title.

asked whether cotton yarn exported from India is prohibited from coming into the United Kingdom; and, if so, on what grounds?

A prohibition on the importation of all cotton yarn into the United Kingdom was established by Royal-Proclamation of 30th March, which, like other similar Proclamations, was issued with the object of setting free tonnage space for articles of an indispensable character.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Government are purchasing Italian hides at 13¼d. a pound; and, if so, whether he can explain why a maximum of 10d. a pound has been fixed for home hides?

The hides brought to this country under a recent arrangement between the British and Italian Ministries of War were purchased for less than 10d. a pound. The second part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the announcement made by him that parcels for prisoners of war will continue to be accepted at post offices in this country throughout December refers to all parcels dispatched by individuals to prisoners of war; and, if not, whether he will issue another public announcement making quite clear what parcels will and will not be received from the general public for dispatch to prisoners-of war during December?

I presume that the hon. Member refers to the announcement which appeared in the Press on the 8th instant, to the effect that the latest date of posting Christmas parcels for prisoners of war in Germany and Austria-Hungary will be the 30th November, that the German authorities have decided not to admit parcels for prisoners between the 15th and 25th of December, but that parcels will continue to be accepted at post offices in this country throughout December. The acceptance of parcels during December will of course be subject to the regulations which come into force on the 1st of December, under which all parcels for prisoners of war (other than officers) will be sent through authorised associations. Leaflets giving full information on the subject will be available at all post offices shortly before the 1st of December, and a further announcement on the subject will be issued to the Press as soon as the details of the new scheme are finally settled.

asked if any decision has been arrived at in reference to the war bonus to be paid to postal employés; if the matter has yet been dealt with by the Arbitration Board; and, if not, when it will be considered?

The composition of the Arbitration Tribunal to which the claim of the postal servants will be referred is now under the consideration of the Government.

asked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been called to the increasing number of complaints of the non-arrival of parcels sent to the troops in France; and, considering the high cost of food and that many poor people stint themselves in order to send these parcels to their relatives, will he have inquiry made into the matter?

The complaints about the non-arrival of parcels sent to the troops in France have slightly increased. In many cases parcels sent to the troops are carelessly packed and addressed in spite of published leaflets and notices in the Press. Moreover the parcels delivery takes longer than letter post, and disappointment is frequently felt when the parcel does not arrive with the letter advising its dispatch. The time of transit varies according to military exigencies; a parcel frequently reaches the addressee safely soon after a complaint has been made.

asked the Secretary for Scotland why farmers, who have sent their wool to Edinburgh for sale from England prior to the decision of the Government to purchase the 1916 clip, should be unable to obtain payment for their wool; and whether he will put himself in communication with the War Office or other Department concerned in order to expedite the payment?

I am not aware that English farmers who sent their wool to Edinburgh before 5th June have been unable to obtain payment for it, but I shall be glad to investigate any particular cases which my hon. Friend can give me.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Foreign Office are consulted by the French Government before disclosures are made to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French Parliament in regard to matters in which all the Allies are concerned?

His Majesty's Government do not know what the French Government do say to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he was consulted or whether the Attorney-General for Ireland was consulted before the Treasury Order, dated 30th October, 1916, increasing the fees in the Registry of Deeds Office, Ireland, was issued and laid upon the Table; and what explanation is to be given that the office which was always self-supporting is not so at present?

No, Sir; the regulation of the fees in the Registry of Deeds is by Statute placed at the discretion of the Treasury. The main reason why the office is not now self-supporting is a continuous decline in the receipts from fees.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware of an election of a Petty Sessions clerk that recently was held at Castlebar to fill a vacancy caused by the death in action of Captain H. R. Sheridan; whether he is aware that of the six candidates three were natives of Castlebar and Irish soldiers, of whom Captain Bluen, of the Connaught Rangers, had received the Military Cross and the Cross of the Legion of Honour and had been twice wounded; that twelve magistrates took part in the election, of whom five were Unionists, and that as a result the editor of a local newspaper got the appointment, obtaining seven votes; and will he say whether the election will be confirmed by the Irish Government?

I am informed that at the election mentioned, one candidate, who is the editor of a local newspaper, received the votes of seven of the twelve magistrates present. The appointment of clerks of Petty Sessions is vested in the magistrates subject to compliance with rules prescribed under Statute by the Lord Lieutenant, including a rule made under Section 8 (2) of the Clerk of Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1858, prohibiting a clerk from engaging in the occupation of editor of a newspaper. Until the election in the present case is submitted for confirmation by His Excellency, I am unable to say whether it will be found to have been duly made.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that, according to the last published Report of the Intermediate Board, the totals of all candidates passing in English, French, German, Irish, algebra, and geometry give, respectively, the following percentages: 83, 79, 84, 85, 85, 79; can he state how the proportion of 70 per cent. was furnished by the Intermediate Board as being a reasonable proportion of the pupils to get proficiency certificates in the subjects in which the test of any individual examination was applied; and whether he is aware that instruction in science is carried on under most stringent regulations?

The percentage of 70, which is looked on as a reasonable proportion of the pupils to pass the examination in subjects in which there is a written examination, has reference to pass papers only. The percentages for pass candidates in the various subjects in 1914 and 1915-are as follows:—

asked the Chief Secretary if he is aware of the injury threatened to the capital of Connaught in the reduction of Galway provincial prison to the status of a bridewell; whether he received protests from all the public boards in the city, as also from the county council representing the entire county of Galway in reference to the matter; and whether the Government will reconsider their decision in this matter?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of Thursday last to the question on this subject of the hon. Member for North Galway.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he has received representations from various public bodies in county Galway protesting against the intention to close Galway Gaol for present purposes and convert it into a bridewell; and whether these representations will receive favourable consideration?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of Thursday last to the question on this subject of the hon. Member for North Galway.

asked whether the increased allowances promised to the county and senior district inspectors of the Royal Irish Constabulary will rank for pension in the same way as a grant of extra pay would have done?

The increased lodging and servant allowances to these officers will be pensionable subject to the statutory provision that the former allowance shall not exceed one-sixth of the actual salary and other emoluments.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he will take steps to see that on the question of surcharges members of local public bodies in Ireland will have the right of appeal to the ordinary Law Courts?

Persons aggrieved by a surcharge have the right of appeal to the Court of King's Bench under Section 12 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1871.

asked whether boards of guardians in Ireland, when surcharged by Local Government Board auditors in sums not exceeding £100, have the right to appeal to a County Court judge?

Persons aggrieved by a surcharge have the right of appealing either to the Court of King's Bench or to the Local Government Board, but not to a County Court.

asked the Chief Secretary when the Land Commission intends to hold a sitting in Killarney to hear applications for the fixing of a fair rent in the cases of those tenants on the Quill estate, Beaufort, county Kerry, who are entitled to have their claims adjudicated on; and can he explain the cause of the delay, and state what steps will be taken to expedite the hearing?

I am informed that only one application for the fixing of a fair rent in the case of a tenant on the Quill estate is at present outstanding, and that it was received on the 2nd instant. I am informed by the Land Commission that they cannot at present state the date of the next sitting of a sub-commission in this county, having regard to the claims of other districts.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he can give the statutory authority which enables a resident magistrate in Ireland to exclude from the hearing of a case justices of the peace who are-actually sitting on the Bench with him?

I believe this matter is under consideration by judges of the-King's Bench Division in Ireland after, as I am told, a very full argument. All my own information about it was stated in answer-to a question of the hon. Member on the 7th instant.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland what the salary as at present fixed is of each clerk of the Crown and Peace in Ireland, under the County Officers and Courts Act, 1877; and whether at the same time he can give the amount fixed by the-Treasury in each case for clerical assistance and office expenses, under Section 27 (4) of the same Statute?

The salaries of clerks of the Crown and Peace in Ireland are as shown. in the Vote for "County Court Officers, etc., Ireland," in the current Estimates, except in the case of county Down, where the salary is £750, and in that of county Leitrim, where the salary is at present under consideration on the occasion of a, new appointment. The allowances to these officers, which are shown in the aggregate in the Estimates, were fixed some time ago and are liable to revision as vacancies occur. In view of this liability to variation, it would be misleading to publish those in force at any one time. It must be remembered that these officers are also in nearly all cases the local registering; authorities under the Local Registration of Title (Ireland) Act, 1891, and receive additional salaries and allowances as such.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is aware that Mrs. Johanna O'Connor, East Covil, Valentia Island, an evicted tenant, lodged a copy of the deed, which proved her ownership, with the Estates Commissioners after her claim had been investigated; and whether steps will be taken to settle this longstanding claim for reinstatement in view of the special opportunity now given by the improvement of holdings in the island, under the land purchase scheme?

I am informed by the Estates Commissioners that Mrs. O'Connor handed to one of their inspectors, when he was making inquiries as regards her application, a copy deed, which was forwarded by the Commissioners to the hon. Member at his request on the 3rd March, 1910. The greater portion of the holding in question at one time occupied by Mrs. O'Connor's husband was, after the eviction, acquired by his father, who on his death left it to another of his sons, and the residue was acquired by another tenant. The Estates Commissioners have no power to interfere with the present occupiers, or to take any action in the matter of Mrs. O'Connor's application for reinstatement.

asked what number of abstractor clerks employed in the office of National Education (Ireland) were recently recommended for promotion; the length of service of each; whether abstractor clerks of over thirty years' service have been passed over, although some of them were granted special gratuities for highly efficient work within the past two years; and whether the ratification of all recommendations for promotion will be postponed until a full inquiry into the system under which these recommendations are made is instituted?

In connection with the reorganisation of the staff of the office of National Education consequent upon the payment of the salaries of the teachers of national schools monthly, the Commissioners have recommended three assistant clerks for promotion to the second division. These recommendations have been made after consulting the superintendents of the different departments and other officers who have an intimate knowledge of the work of the various members of the staff. The clerks recommended had respectively 18½, 10¼ and 6 5–12 years' service. There are some assistant clerks whose combined service as temporary copyists and assistant clerks covers a period of over thirty years. The claims of these officers were not overlooked. Seniority of service receives due consideration when dealing with questions of promotion, but is not the determining factor. I cannot adopt the suggestion in the concluding part of the question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he has seen the resolution passed by the London Head Teachers' Association asking the London Education Committee to reconsider its decision excluding children under five years from infants' schools; and whether the considerations advanced therein have been the subject of communications between the Board and the London Education Authority?

I have no knowledge of the resolution in question, and no correspondence has passed between the Board and the local education authority with regard to it. On the general question I may refer the hon. Member to the answers given him on 26th and 27th April last.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will state for the last three years for which information is available the number of scholars in public elementary schools over fourteen years of age distinguishing boys and girls?

The numbers of boys and girls over fourteen years of age on the registers of Public Elementary (including Higher Elementary) Schools in England and Wales on 31st January, 1914, 1915, and 1916 respectively were:

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware of the complaints being made by the female prison staffs as to the low temperature in the buildings and the general want of fires; and whether he will make inquiries into the matter and give instructions that economy is not to be carried to the extent of imposing great personal discomfort on the women?

Some complaints of the kind made at one or two prisons over a year ago were investigated, and where any reason for complaint was found the matter was put right. I am not aware of any recent complaints or of any necessity for instructions as suggested by my right hon. Friend.