Written Answers
War
Food Supplies
Potatoes (War Office Purchases)
asked the Prime Minister if he is aware that the President of the Board of Agriculture made a statement in early January that the crop of 1917 potatoes grown in Jersey should not be subject to fixed pricing or commandeering, and that on that promise the Jersey farmer, who pays rents of from £14 to £18 per acre, planted every available acre; that fertilisers are very expensive in Jersey, labour scarce and highly paid, and that a fair minimum price per acre potatoes f.o.b. transport is, including rent, about £70; if he is aware that the War Office sent an Army Service Corps colonel to Jersey to bargain with the Committee of the Defence of the Island for the taking of half the 1917 crop from 15th June (best or ware potatoes only) at £8 6s. 8d. per ton, and that at this rate the result must be bankruptcy for the farmer, as the only question is how much he must lose per acre, and that it would be financially better for the farmer even now to plough up his potato land and grow roots, etc., for his cattle; and if he is aware that this bargain was obtained by the Army Service Corps colonel on the statement to the committee that in the event of his getting the potatoes at his price Government would see to it that transport would be obtained for the remaining half of the crop, but that otherwise it would not be so, that this authoritative statement was in the nature of a threat, and that the bargain was thus obtained by means which should not have the sanction of the Government; and if, under the circumstances, he will have a more equitable contract arranged, or if he will take the whole crop at cost price plus a percentage, seeing that at the end of May, June, and early July there will be practically no other potatoes to be had in this country?
I have already answered the first part of my hon. Friend's question. The officer sent by the War Office was sent to purchase such quantity as he could on reasonable terms, and the amount acquired will probably be about one-third of the crop. He negotiated with the States Food Committee, who do not share my hon. Friend's opinion that the transaction would result in bankruptcy for the farmers, that it would be financially better to plough up his potato land or that the officer threatened the committee regarding transport. I am informed that a resolution ratifying the sale was recently submitted to a very large meeting of farmers, and that there were only four dissentients. At this meeting a statement which had previously been made that the transaction would involve a loss of £100,000 to the island was withdrawn.
Fish (Transit Facilities)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, in view of the rapidity with which fresh fish becomes useless for food, the present losses due to careless transit and delays in delivery and the probable greater losses on the approach of warm weather, whether the Ministry of Food will take immediate steps to institute speedy carriage of fresh fish from the Aran Isles, county Galway, to the English markets, prompt delivery, and either prompt return of empty boxes or an adequate supply of boxes in advance?
A conference was held between the Fish Food Committee and the Railway Executive Committee last week with a view, inter alia, to making arrangements for the more speedy transit of Irish fish. A circular is being sent from the Ministry of Food to retail fishmongers impressing upon them the urgent necessity for the prompt return of all fish boxes, and the question of their transport will be dealt with by the railway authorities.
asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that reports from the southern coast of Ireland now indicate that the fishing industry is yielding an abundant supply of fish, but that there are complaints about the wholly inadequate provision made for its carriage to Great Britain; and whether he will inquire into these complaints and take all necessary steps to see that arrangements will be made to secure immediate transit in order that the fish may reach the markets in a sound and fresh condition?
I understand that a large quantity of fish traffic has recently been sent from Ireland, and that occasionally the amounts offered have exceeded the available capacity of the cross-channel steamers. I fear that these difficulties are bound to occur under present conditions, but I will look further into the matter.
Potato Substitutes
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, in view of the reported approaching failure of the potato supply, he will indicate and make public in good time what suitable substitutes there are available and how they should be prepared in order to take the place of potatoes?
The principal substitutes for potatoes, so far as they are available under existing conditions, would appear to be:
Intoxicating Liquors (Manufacturing Materials)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the 2 ozs. of bread per meal he advises the people to forgo could be made up by the dilution of wheaten flour with the articles of food now being destroyed in the manufacture of intoxicating liquors.?
I did not advise people to forego 2 ozs. of bread per meal, but to limit their consumption to this amount. I cannot accept the suggestion that the whole food value of the raw materials of intoxicating liquors is destroyed in its manufacture. The malt so used could, as I have repeatedly stated, be employed to a certain extent for the dilution of wheaten flour, but its use would certainly not be an adequate alternative to the exercise of the general economy advocated in the speech to which the hon. Member refers.
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he has experienced any difficulty in persuading the people that there is or is likely to be a shortage of food; and, if so, will he take steps to ascertain whether this scepticism is due to the refusal of everyone to believe that the Government can have any anxiety on the subject while they continue to permit the destruction of the people's food in the manufacture of intoxicating drink?
The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The fact that intoxicating drink has been drastically reduced in output, with a resulting enormous increase in its price, ought, I think, to have made it apparent that the Government realise the need for conserving cereals.
Sugar
asked why the undertaking given in the House to supply the Enniscorthy District Asylum with sugar has not been carried out; and what instructions have been given by the Commissioners to the asylum contractor on the subject?
The promised supply was, in fact, sent, and was intended to be supplementary to the sugar which the asylum authorities were entitled to obtain from the firm or firms who supplied them in 1915. Apparently for some reason the authorities of the asylum are not getting these supplies, but they had not previously brought this fact to the notice of the Royal Commission on the Sugar Supply. Instructions were issued last night for a week's emergency supply of sugar to be dispatched to the asylum authorities, who have been asked to send forthwith further details of the case to the Royal Commission. I must apologise for having in a previous answer confused the sugar requirements of the Enniscorthy Asylum with those of the Enniscorthy Union.
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his attention has been drawn to the complaints of several boards of guardians in Ireland, including the boards of guardians of the union of Balrothery, county Dublin, and of many small traders in the city of Dublin, that they are unable to obtain the necessary, and in some cases any, supply of sugar; and, if those complaints are well founded, whether the Food Controller will take immediate steps to secure such supplies without delay to those public bodies referred to and to the small dealers in question?
No complaint appears to have reached either the Food Controller or the Sugar Commission on the sugar supply from the Balrothery Board of Guardians. The Sugar Commission are always prepared to consider cases in which public authorities are unable to obtain sufficient sugar for institutions under their control, or cases in which private traders are unable to obtain supplies of sugar due to them under the rules governing the present system of distribution
Meal Restrictions
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food regarding the Order made last week forbidding the sale of tea-cakes and permitting the sale of buns, if he is aware that in many cases the two articles are in substance the same and in other cases the teacake is plainer food than the bun; that in Yorkshire and Lancashire mill-workers largely use the plain teacake as a convenient form of bread to be consumed at the meals which they carry with them to eat during the day when living far from their work; and whether he will at once cancel the prohibition of the sale of plain tea-cakes?
The proportions of flour and sugar permitted in the manufacture of buns are clearly defined in Article 3 of the Cake and Pastry Order, 1917. A plain teacake such as the hon. Member mentions would appear to conform to the conditions prescribed for the making of buns, and its manufacture would, therefore, be unobjectionable. The word "teacake" as used in Article 1 of the Order is then coupled with fancy bread, and the prohibition was intended to apply to fancy teacakes, and not to articles in the nature of buns, by whatever name they are called.
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he will take into consideration the advisability of prohibiting the sale of all bread, cakes, etc., between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., bearing in mind the fact that the tea restaurants could still remain open and that ladies entertaining friends or soldiers could take cakes, etc., for them?
The Food Controller is of opinion that the entire prohibition at present of the consumption of breadstuffs at afternoon tea would cause hardship to those who have become accustomed to take refreshment at this time of the day or who have been unable to take a meal at midday. Nor would such prohibition effect much economy, as all except the cheapest places of refreshment are now rationed as to the quantity of breadstuffs consumed on their premises.
Bread Prices (South Wales Co-Operative Society)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that the Taibach and Port Talbot Co-operative Society, Limited, who are catering for the needs of some 5,000 people in that district, have endeavoured throughout the War to supply their members with food commodities at the lowest possible price, and are at present selling a quartern loaf at 9d.; whether he knows that this society has been informed by Messrs. Weavers, millers, of Swansea, that unless they sell their bread at the same price as the bakers in the district, i.e., at Is. per quartern loaf, they will not be supplied with any more flour; whether this action has been taken at the instance of the Master Bakers' Association of the district; and whether he will cause immediate investigation to be made into all the circumstances of the case?
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that the Taibach and Port Talbot Co-operative Society have been refused supplies of flour by Messrs. Weavers, millers, Swansea, except on condition that the society sell their bread at is. per quartern loaf, the price charged by other bakers, instead of 9d. per quartern loaf; whether he is aware that the millers declare that they have been forced to withhold supplies by the Master Bakers' Association in the district; and whether any action can be taken to ensure that an organisation supplying a large number of people with bread shall not be penalised because it sells at a reasonable price?
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what steps he will take to deal with the action of the Master Bakers' Association of South Wales who have compelled Messrs. Weavers, millers, of Swansea, to withhold supplies of flour from the Taibach and Port Talbot Co-operative Society unless the society sold bread at the same price as the other bakers in the district, who are selling the bread at Is. per quartern loaf, whereas the co-operative society are selling the quartern loaf at 9d.?
The attention of the Food Controller has been called to this matter, and it is being investigated. He has recently investigated a similar complaint arising in another district in South Wales. In that case the local Master Bakers' Association expressly repudiated any boycott or threat, but admitted that they had endeavoured, with the aid of the local Millers' Association, to induce the firm alleged to be under-selling to come into line. The control by the Government of the larger mills under the recent Flour Mills Order will, it is hoped, put a stop to controversies of this character.
Fruit Preserving
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (1) whether any further guarantee can be given as to the sugar to be supplied to jam manufacturers for this year's crop; whether in the event of sugar not being forthcoming the Government has taken any steps to encourage fruit preservers to pulp home-grown fruit pending the arrival of sugar; if so, will he announce them; whether the Government has taken any steps to provide labour for harvesting the fruit crops; if so, will he state them, particularly with regard to the fruit-growing districts of Perthshire and Scotland generally; and (2) whether his Department regards preserved home-grown fruit as an essential food product; and, if so, what steps have been taken to ensure the efficient conduct of the fruit-preserving Industry in the present abnormal circumstances of sugar and labour shortage?
The Food Controller is alive to the importance of preserving the home-grown fruit crop, and, as I have stated in reply to previous questions, an assurance has already been given by the Royal Commission on the Sugar Supply to jam maunfacturers that, so far as circumstances allow, the same arrangements as were in operation last year will be made for supplying them with the sugar which they require. These arrangements include provision for the pulping of a portion of the fruit crop. As regards the question of labour, I will communicate with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour.
Wheat
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that through having control of shipping the Government has been able to compel Australian farmers to accept 39s. per quarter for the wheat purchased from them on which the freight charge to England is 15s. per quarter; and why, under these circumstances, the Government has not compelled British farmers to sell wheat at less than the maximum price which has been fixed of 78s. per quarter?
The figures given in the question are inaccurate; I may add that there is no relation between the price agreed to be paid for Australian wheat under a contract made several months ago and the price at which farmers are now compelled to sell home-grown wheat.
Malt Liquors (Stocks)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, what stocks of beer and other malt liquor exist in this country; and how long these stocks would last at the present rate of consumption in the event of brewing being suspended?
It is impossible to give the figures asked for with any certainty, but I am informed that the stocks of beer probably represent two to three weeks' supply. Most of the beer now made leaves the breweries within forty-eight hours from the time when it is casked, and is consumed within a week thereafter.
Government Employes Ireland (Wages)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if his attention has been drawn to the published Returns of the Board of Trade for April; if he is aware that paragraph 1, page 130, discloses the fact that the cost of living has increased 94 per cent, since the outbreak of the War; if he is aware that the Irish Lights Commissioners pay their labourers 23s. per week to keep large families; if he is aware that in Government employment in Ireland wages have not been increased more than from 10 per cent, to 20 per cent.; if he is aware that, in employments such as the Board of Works, postal, national teachers, and Army offices dissension is growing rapidly owing to the inadequate wages paid; if he will cause inquiries to be made into the wages paid in these and other departments in which the Government have any control; and if be will consider the advisability of setting up a board to fix a wage that would enable the workers to purchase the necessaries of life and live in decent, comfortable surroundings?
The increase mentioned in the "Board of Trade Labour Gazette" is an increase in food prices only. I am not ablt to hold out hopes of a general increase of wages such as the hon. Member suggests.
Interned Pole (Ireland)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in view of the engagements of both groups of belligerents to concur in the re-establishment of an undivided Polish State and the correlative fact that Poles, as such, are not interned in this country, he will say why Leon Opielinski, a Pole, who has been a resident in the United Kingdom these twenty-four years, and is married to an Irish wife, is now interned in Ireland; if there be any charge against him, other than marrying an Irish wife, whether he will be tried under the ordinary law; if not, whether he will be released; and. if not, what provision is made for the maintenance of his wife and young family deprived of their breadwinner?
I am informed that Mr. Opielinski is interned, but the internment was made by the military authorities, and not at the instance of the Irish Executive.
Irish Rebellion (Compensation Claims)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland when the rebellion victims' dependants may expect to be paid the compensation awarded to them two months ago; and what is the cause of the delay?
I am informed that there has been no avoidable delay in the payment of approved awards to dependants of persons killed in the rebellion. In cases -of awards for the benefit of widows and minors it has sometimes been necessary to apportion the sums approved between the parties concerned and to arrange for lodgment in Court of the shares of minors. Speaking generally, payment has followed within a short time of the award.
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, as a year has elapsed since the shooting of Messrs. Dickson and M'Intyre (along with Mr. S. Skeffington), something will be done for the families of these two men who are in poor circumstances?
The Report of the Rebellion (Victims) Committee on the claims made on behalf of the dependants of Messrs. Dickson and M'Intyre is at present under consideration.
National Schools, Ireland (Bilingual Programme)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will state the names Of the schools in the districts where Irish is the home language which have not yet got the bilingual programme, and also the reasons for its non-introduction in each of them?
The Commissioners of National Education inform me that precise information cannot be supplied as to schools, if any, in Irish-speaking districts in which the bilingual programme has not been adopted. In cases in which the question of introducing this programme is brought under notice, either through the officers of the Board of National Education (who are expected to call attention to instances of this kind) or through representations made by persons or organisations not connected with the Board, the matter is investigated and the programme is adopted if the conditions contained in the Rules of the Board are satisfied.
Coal (Loughrea)
asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether the attention of his Department has been directed to the discovery on the Persse estate, Roxburgh, Loughrea, of a seam of coal; whether samples of the coal have been received by the Department for examination; and whether he will bring the matter to the notice of the Commission at present engaged in Ireland in investigating the mineral resources of the country?
Yes, Sir. Arrangements have been made for a mineral expert to inspect the district early next week and to report to the Department of Agriculture on the matter. In the concluding portion of the question I presume the hon. Member refers to a branch of the Ministry of Munitions recently established to deal with the examination and development of mineral properties likely to be of special value for the purpose of war. If so, I am informed that coal and iron are excluded from its purview.
Afforestation (Ireland)
asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he is in a position to publish the Report of the Committee on Irish Afforestation; and whether he is prepared to appoint Irish representatives, other than officials, on the Committee to carry out the recommendations and scheme outlined in the Report?
The Report of the Departmental Committee on Irish Forestry has been published as is available as a Parliamentary Paper.
Freiburg (Air Raid)
asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he is now able to give any further details of the result of the reprisal bombardment of Freiburg on 14th April; if he can state how many women and children were killed; and if he intends to repeat reprisals of this kind as a means of safeguarding hospital ships?
No details are known beyond those already published in the German Press. I am not in a position to answer the second part of the question.
German Prisoners (Food Rations)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what is the present scale of food rations of German prisoners of war in this country; whether it is intended shortly to diminish it; and, if so, to what extent?
supplied the following particulars:
| RATIONS—PRISONERS OF WAR. | |||
| Ozs. | |||
| Bread | … | … | 13 |
| Meat | … | … | 6* |
| Salt-cured herrings | … | … | 10† |
| Tea | … | … | ⅜ |
| or | |||
| Coffee | … | … | ¾ |
| Sugar | … | … | 1 |
| Salt | … | … | ½ |
| Swedes or turnips | … | … | 2 |
| Split peas or beans | … | … | 2 |
| Rice | … | … | 4 |
| Margarine | … | … | 1 |
| Oatmeal | … | … | 2 |
| Jam | … | … | 1 |
| Cheese | … | … | 2 |
| Pepper | … | … | 1/72 |
| Maize meal | … | … | 1½ |
| * On 5 days a week. | † On 2 days a week. | ||
| Ozs. | ||||
| Bread | … | … | … | 4 |
| Cheese | … | … | … | 1 |
| Maize meal | … | … | … | 1½ |
Indian Army (Officers' Promotion)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that the Secretary of State for India with the concurrence of the Army Council has approved of a timetable for substantive promotion of officers in the Indian Army under which a captain of fifteen years becomes a major and a lieutenant of four years becomes a captain, he will consider the case of those officers of the Regular Cavalry in the British Army who are still captains with fifteen years' service?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 19th April, 1916, by my right hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the hon. and gallant Member for the Melton Division.
Militaky Service
Medical Classification (Heart Disease)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is in accordance with War Office instructions that men suffering from valvular disease of the heart are passed for service in medical category C1, and how long have these instructions been in force?
My hon. Friend is, I am afraid, under a misapprehension. No such instructions have been issued.
Sub-Postmasters
asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that sub-postmasters of important and busy sub-post-offices have been required to join the Volunteer Training Corps as a condition of exemption from military service and that in many cases these men have no leisure to attend the drills and parades owing to their hours and the work that they have now; and will he take steps to get the Local Government Board to advise the military service tribunals that such conditions should not be attached to the exemption of this class of public servants?
I have no knowledge of the cases to which the hon. Member refers, but if he will give me particulars I will have inquiry made.
Motor Transport Drivers
asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if men belonging to the mechanical transport section of the Army who have joined since the 10th November, 1915, and who were signed on at 6s. per day, have now been informed that the rate will be altered, and that they will have to sign new forms redicing the rate to 2s. 4d. a day; and if he will take steps at once to prevent the Army authorities for committing such a breach of contract?
Recruiting for mechanical transport drivers at 6s. per diem closed on 10th November, 1915, and all men enlisted after that date are only entitled to ordinary rates of pay. A number of men enlisted after that date have been paid 6s. per diem erroneously, and in these cases the 6s. has been allowed up to the date on which the error was discovered, no recovery being made from the men of the past erroneous issue of the special rate. In future these men will be held to serve at the ordinary rates of pay, which they should have drawn from the commencement.
Reserve Of Officers (Uniform)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that those placed on the reserve of officers and subsequently serving in the Pay Office are regarded as not serving in a military capacity and denied the privilege of wearing uniform; and will he consider whether the regulations may be altered and this privilege conferred?
Officers of the reserve of officers recalled for service in the Army Pay Department wear military uniform. Retired officers and ex-officers who are employed in pay offices in a civil capacity are not permitted to wear uniform.
Air Services Aeroplanes (Allocation)
asked the Parliamentary representative to the Air Board' whether the Royal Flying Corps have a prior claim to the Royal Naval Air Service to all the latest types of aeroplane at present under construction in this country; and whether it is proposed that all such machines of high efficiency now on order for the Royal Naval Air Service shall be transferred to the Royal Flying Corps?
The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative. Every endeavour is made to meet the requirements of both the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps. Where these requirements cannot be met in full the supply available is allocated by the Air Board after full consideration of the respective needs of the two Services.
National Service
Agricultubal Volunteers
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service if he will state the duties, salaries, and total number of agricultural commissioners appointed under his Department and how many national service agricultural substitutes they have available to place on the land and how many they have placed, apart from soldiers, who have been placed by direct negotiation between the War Office and the Board of Agriculture?
Particulars of the numbers of agricultural commissioners and sub-commissioners and their duties and salaries were given in the answer to the hon. Member for Newington West on the 2nd instant, to which answer I would refer my hon Friend. The number of agricultural volunteers available cannot at present be given, as the placing of these men by the agricultural commissioners is supplementary to the work of the Employment Exchanges. The scrutiny and classification of enrolments for agricultural purposes is, however, proceeding, whilst the military labour to which my hon. Friend refers is still on the land. Up to the 13th April, in addition to the volunteers interviewed and classified by the Exchanges, 489 skilled agriculturists in England, and over 700 in Scotland, had been offered to the National Service Department by corporations and others. To that date there had been placed 124 men in England and over 200 in Scotland.
Artificial Limbs (Prices)
asked the Pensions Minister whether the prevailing price of an artificial limb for limbless soldiers is £15; whether several artficial limbs have sometimes to be made in succession for the same man; whether over 6,000 limbs have already been made; and whether he has taken any steps to ascertain if such limbs can be produced, consistent with the utmost efficiency, for about £5 each, if made under the direction of the Ministry of Munitions?
As explained in my reply to the hon. Member on the 19th instant, the cost of artificial limbs varies considerably. It is the case that occasionally the first limb supplied proves unsatisfactory, and has to be replaced, and also that over 6,000 limbs have been supplied since the commencement of the War. It might be possible to reduce the price (though whether by so much as the hon. Member suggests I have no means of judging) by undertaking wholesale manufacture, but the stage for that has not yet been reached. Improvements are being effected daily in the various types of limbs required, and it would not be expedient to standardise them at present.
Naval And Military Pensions And Grants
asked the Pensions Minister if. there is any fixed minimum gratuity for men not eligible for pension; and, if so, what is the amount?
I have nothing to add to the answer given to my hon. Friend on the 27th March.
Disabled Soldiers (Training)
asked the Pensions Minister what steps, if any, have been taken to stimulate action between local war pensions committees for the purpose of training disabled soldiers and sailors?
My colleague the Parliamentary Secretary and myself have held meetings of representatives of local war pensions committees and heads of training institutions in various parts of the United Kingdom and have received most satisfactory promises of co-operation in schemes for making available the best training facilities in large areas to all the local committees working in those areas. We are now in consultation with the Statutory Committee, adopting their inspection organisation to ensure early practical effect being given to those schemes.
French Subject (Deportation)
asked the Secretary of State for India whether he signed an order of deportation to France in respect of M. Joanny Justin Boquet, a French subject resident for ten years in this country; whether such order was made at the request of the French Government; is M. Boquet known to be connected with any political organisation; and how is it that such order was signed by the Secretary of State for India?
My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The answer to the first and second parts of the question is in the affirmative; to the third in the negative. As regards the fourth point, it has been arranged that during the illness of the Home Secretary the Secretary of State for India should exercise his statutory powers on his behalf.
Joseph Szebenyei (Internment)
asked the Home Secretary whether he has concuded his inquiries into the case of Joseph Szebenyei?
My right hon. Friend completed his inquiries in this case some weeks ago, and after a review of all the circumstances decided that Szebenyei should be interned. This decision was carried into effect on 28th March.
Ministry Of Health
asked the Secretary to the Local Government Board whether it is proposed to establish a Ministry of Health; and, if so, whether he will be in a position to make a full statement at an early date as to the character and extent of the work which will be undertaken by the new Ministry?
Proposls of this character are under consideration. I cannot, however, promise any definite date for a statement on the subject.
Birkenhead Eisteddfod (Railway Facilities)
asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether any concession is being granted by the railway companies to persons wishing to travel to the National Eisteddfod to be held in Birkenhead?
I fear that in existing circumstances it is impossible to grant any concession to persons desiring to attend the Eisteddfod or similar gatherings.
Railway Arrangements (Dublin)
asked the Postmaster-General whether he is now in a position to make any communication on the subject of the dissatisfaction and inconvenience which have been caused by the alteration in the timing of the morning mail trains from Amiens Street and Kings-bridge, Dublin; whether he is aware that that inconvenience has of late been intensified and that since the 1st instant passengers have been detained in Dublin sometimes nearly an hour, and on the average about forty-five minutes; whether amongst the complainants are a large number of soldiers; whether there is any real necessity for those delays; and whether they will be put an end to by reverting to the old arrangments?
The object of the present arrangements is to fix a time of starting which shall not change according to the time of arrival of the mails from Holyhead viâ Kingstown, but which shall as nearly as possible correspond with what is the average actual time of starting attainable under the conditions produced by the War. In my opinion the advantages of these arrangements are greater than their disadvantages, and I do not propose to reconsider them so long as war conditions obtain. As regards the hon. Member's figures—which I must not be understood as accepting—no useful guide to what is attainable as a normal arrangement can be secured from figures for so short a period as three weeks.
Irish Postal Employes (Remuneration)
asked the Postmaster-General if any decision has been made with reference to the war bonus and wages to be paid to Irish postal employés; and why the wages, bonuses, and salaries paid to British workers should not be paid to Irish employés doing similar work?
I would refer the hon. Member to the answers to his questions of the 12th and 15th ultimo. The-Arbitration Board have not yet given their decision on the matter.
Wool (Resale)
asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Government have resold at a profit part of the 1916 clip of wool which they requisitioned from the farmers at the Government's own price; if so, will he state the amount of wool so sold at a profit, the rate per pound, and the total amount of the profit so obtained; and will he give the grounds of his justification for the State so making a profit at the expense of the individual farmer?
Approximately 15 per cent, of the British clip has been sold for non-military purposes at market prices. Until the first year's accounts are completed it is impossible to say what was the average price per pound realised by such sales or what was the total profit obtained. As regards the last part of the question, I would point out to my hon. Friend that the purchase of the clip as a whole was necessary in order to conserve supplies for military purposes.
Curragh Camp (Road Mainten Ance)
asked the hon. Member for Worcestershire (Bewdley Division) whether the attention of the Road Board has been or will be drawn to the necessity of that body making a grant towards the repair of the main road leading from the Curragh Camp to Dublin; whether he is aware that the road in question has been seriously damaged by heavy military traffic; whether its condition is such that the military authorities have required it to be steam-rolled; whether, as regards the portion of the road running through the county of Dublin, the local road authority have applied for a grant from the Road Board for the re-surfacing of that portion, and that, although it offered to contribute a share of the cost, the application has been refused; and, if so, whether the Road Board will now reconsider its decision?
The Road Board received an application, dated 4th July, 1916, from the Dublin County Council for a grant of £1,152 towards the total cost, estimated at £2,202, of re-surfacing a section of road between Dublin and Curragh Camp. Damage by heavy military traffic was not assigned as one of the grounds of the application, and no requisition in respect of the road has been received by the Road Board from the military authorities. The county council were informed that the Board did not expect to be in a-position to accede to the application during the financial year 1916-17. The application has not been renewed, but, if renewed, it will be duly considered in consultation with the military authorities.
Central Prisoners Of War Committee
asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) if he will state the names of the members originally appointed to the Central Prisoners of War Committee; the names of any members since appointed to-the Committee, if any, with the dates of such appointments; and the names of any members who have resigned from the Committee, if any, with the dates of such resignations?
The names of the original members of the Central Prisoners of War-Committee are as follows:—
- The Right Hon. Sir Starr Jameson,. Bart., OB.
- Sir John Hewett, G.C.S.I.
- Sir William Garstin, G.C.M.G.
- The Hon. W H. Goschen.
- Mr. N. E. Waterhouse.
- Major A. Y. G. Campbell, C.I.E
- Mr. Rowland Berkeley.
- The hon. and learned Member for Bassetlaw.
Enemy-Made Goods
asked the First Commissioner of Works whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Office of Works, in connection with a contract dating from 1st April, called for tenders of certain articles which are manufactured only in enemy countries, notably Jena chimneys; and whether he will give instructions that in future no tenders will be invited for enemy-made goods?
No tenders for articles which are manufactured only in enemy countries have been called for in my Department. The term "Jena" chimneys is a trade term describing a well-known type of fire-resisting glass, whatever may be its country of manufacture. This was fully understood by the successful tenderers who quoted for chimneys of this type, none of which were manufactured in enemy countries. It is, therefore unnecessary for me to give instructions such as are indicated in the hon. Member's question.
Russian Subjects (Prosecution)
asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that four Russian subjects, Chaim Sharf, Abraham Weisbaum, Albert Sindovsky, and Calet Roisen, were charged at Bow Street Police Court on 30th November, 1916, with making a false declaration, and that the prosecution was made by the Public Prosecutor; whether the Attorney-General considered the case and personally approved the prosecution; on how many occasions was the case adjourned, and on what date was the case last heard; for how many days after the arrest of these four men were they in custody, and for how many days were they on bail; whether he is aware that proceedings arising out of this case were taken in the High Court, and that counsel for the Crown appeared in such High Court proceedings; on what dates and what counsel were briefed by the Crown; whether he is aware that on or about 5th April, 1917, the charge against these men was withdrawn; was it withdrawn owing to lack of evidence or doubt as to the probability of securing a conviction, or if for other causes for what reason; what are the total costs, if any, to the Crown arising out of this case and the High Court proceedings connected with it; and whether, in view of the long detention suffered by these men and the complete breakdown of the prosecution, it is intended to offer these friendly aliens any apology or compensation?
I am generally aware of the case referred to above, but the prosecution in question was not sanctioned by myself or by any Department for which I am responsible. I am not able, in the existing pressure of public work, to make the inquiries necessary to give the hon. Member the. information for which he asks. I became, however, sufficiently familiar with the case to be satisfied that the prosecution was one proper to be undertaken, and that there is no case for apology or compensation. The reason for its abandonment will probably be conjectured by the hon. Member.
Aran Island Fisheries
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the amount paid within the last twelve months towards the Aran Island fisheries out of the Treasury Grant for promotion of fisheries; the amount which the Congested Districts Board propose to spend on the development of the Aran Island fisheries this season; and the time and manner of its expenditure, seeing that the best fishing season is now current?
The question of assisting the fisheries of the Aran Islands is a matter coming within the province of the Congested Districts Board, who, as stated in answer to the hon. Member on 17th April, have expended £3,818 in connection with four motor boats at Kilronan since July, 1913. I am informed that the Board have recently agreed to make a loan of £400 in respect of the Aran fisheries, but I am not in a position to give any further information as to the expenditure to be incurred in the financial year now beginning.
Prison Service, Ireland (Pay)
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland with reference to his promise to make, during the Easter Recess, inquiries into the pay and allowances of Irish prison warders, what steps he proposes to take towards making a substantial improvement in the remuneration of the warders, especially the married warders?
My inquiries in regard to this matter are not yet completed.
Metropolitan Police Constables (Treatment)
asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that seven constables of the Metropolitan Police stationed at His Majesty's dockyards, who had been found in possession of a quantity of goods taken from a ship, have been permitted to resign, which enables them to claim the superannuation deductions made from their pay, whereas the constables who attended in plain clothes a prohibited meeting of the Police Union have been dismissed, thus forfeiting all claim to these deductions, amounting in some cases to £30; and whether he proposes to take any action in regard to this difference in treatment in the interests of the service?
The answer is in the negative. A claim for the return of superannuation deductions made by an officer permitted to resign on account of conduct involving moral turpitude would not be entertained.
Greenside Mine, Glenridding-On-Ullswater
asked the Home Secretary (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the conditions under which lead mining is carried on at the Greenside mine, Glenridding-on-Ullswater; whether he can state the mortality from miners' phthisis at this mine compared with other Cumberland and Westmorland lead mines and with the rate for phthisis amongst all males in the United Kingdom; whether any provision is made for men employed underground to wash before meals; (2) whether the mother rock of the Greenside mine, Glenridding-on-Ullswater. is quartz; whether this produces silica (quartz) dust and is a cause of miners' phthisis; whether this mine in this respect differs from any neighbouring lead mines; whether any appliances are provided to safeguard the men from the evil effect of the silica (quartz) dust generated by boring and blasting; if so, are they in addition to those provided in neighbouring mines; and whether blasting is allowed whilst the men are still at work in the mine?
The Home Office recently directed a special investigation to be made into the conditions at this mine by the mines inspector for the Division and one of the medical inspectors of factories. As a result of their inquiries the inspectors came to the conclusion that the mortality at this mine from miners' phthisis was considerably in excess of the death-rate from this cause for all other males in the United Kingdom, and also of the rate at other neighbouring lead mines, and that this was due to the character of the rock and the amount of dust from the machine drills which was allowed to-escape into the air. At the Greenside mine the rock in which the lead-bearing veins are found in quartzite, and this produces a silica dust, the inhalation of which is liable to cause fibroid phthisis, whereas at neighbouring lead mines the rock is either slate or limestone and the dust is not injurious. Following on this-Report, special rules were drafted to deal with the danger, embodying the precautions recommended by the Royal Commission on Metalliferous Mines and Quarries. These rules have been accepted by the owners of the mine, and are, I am informed, now observed at the mine. They impose special requirements (not in force at the neighbouring mines) in regard to boring and blasting with a view to preventing as far as possible the production of dust in boring and the exposure of men to the dust after blasting. Blasting is not prohibited while men are in the mine, but is mainly done at the end of the shift. I am informed that washing facilities are not provided, and that they are not necessary for the prevention of miners phthisis.
Boys' Country Work Society
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a boy named C. A. Cooper, aged 16, being employed at a bakery where he had to work eighteen hours per day, applied to the Lewisham Labour Exchange to procure him better employment in regard to hours; that he was told he should join the Navy, which he declined to do; that after an interval of six weeks he was put into communication with a society called the Boys' Country Work Society, whose chairman is Lord St. Levan; that Cooper was induced to sign a document agreeing to work until he was 18 for a farmer named Parsons, Bray Farm, Hessenford, St. Germans, Cornwall; that this agreement contains clauses to the effect that the boy will not give notice to his master but will ask the Hon. Mr. Hamilton, Trevean, Truro, Cornwall, to give notice for him, that he will not find a fresh situation or leave his situation without the knowledge of the honorary secretary, and that this document professes to be witnessed by a person named F. Schwager; whether he will state who the Hon. Mr. Hamilton and F. Schwager are; whether he is aware that Cooper paid for the whole of his clothing and -outfit except his boots, the cost of which was to be deducted from his wages; that his wages were 5s. per week; that this boy was kept at work by Parsons from 5.30 a.m. till 10 to 10.30 p.m., with the result that on 28th March the boy ran away and began to walk to London; whether he was discovered in a state of exhaustion near Dartmoor Prison by -one of the conscientious objectors interned there, and a collection was raised in Dartmoor Prison to send the boy back to his home in London; whether he will undertake that the Labour Exchanges will be instructed to have nothing further to do with the Boys' Country Work Society or any similar body; and whether steps will be taken to limit the hours of work of boys of this age, in view of the state of facts disclosed in this case?
My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. C. A. Cooper was employed at the bakery of Messrs. Sanders, Lee Green, S.E. The ordinary day at the bakehouse is one of eight hours. Occasional overtime; not exceeding two hours, and specially paid, is worked. The boy's mother has stated that he was not overworked and never complained of overwork in that establishment. The allegation that the boy was told by the employés of the Lewisham Employment Exchange to go into the Navy is incorrect. He applied at that Exchange on 28th February. On 1st March the Juvenile Advisory Committee approached the Boys' Country Work Society, of which Lord St. Levan is chairman. The society suggested to the boy that he should apply for employment in the Navy, and a member of the Juvenile Advisory Committee accompanied him to the nearest recruiting office, but his educational qualifications proved insufficient. The society then attempted to obtain employment for him on a farm, and on the 14th March intimated that they were prepared to place him on the 16th March, and he actually left for Mr. Parson's farm on the 20th March. Mr. Parsons is stated to bear an excellent reputation and had already employed another boy introduced by the Boys' Country Work Society, from April, 1915, to October, 1916. It is a rule of this society that all boys placed by them should execute an agreement with their local honorary secretary that until the age of eighteen is reached, they will not leave their situations without the knowledge of the local honorary secretary. This agreement contains no condition that the boy shall continue to work for the same employer until he is eighteen. In the present case the local honorary secretary is the Hon. Mrs. Hamilton. Mr. Schwager, who witnessed the agreement, is the honorary secretary of the Care Committee of the Lewisham, Juvenile Advisory Committee. The other conditions of the agreement are as stated in the question. The boys clothes were pro- vided by his parent or himself. By arrangement made by the secretary of | the Boys' Country Work Society he was provided by the farmer with a pair of hobnailed boots, the cost to be deducted from his wages which were 5s. a week, in addition to board, lodging, washing and mending. The statement that the boy Cooper was kept at work by the farmer from 5.30 a.m. to 10 or 10.30 p.m. is denied. It is stated that the boy rose at 6.30 in the morning and did not work after 6 o'clock in the evening. Of the boy's movements after he ran away from the farm on the morning of the 28th March the Ministry has no information. The facts elicited would not justify the issue of instructions to the Employment Department to cease relations with the Boys' Country Work Society. The regulation of the hours of labour falls within the province of the Home Office.
Education (Scotland)
asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he can assure the public of Scotland that any proposals for educational reform in Scotland will be at least as substantial as those put forward by the President of the Board of Education?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the full statement which I made yesterday in answer to a question by the hon. Member for East Edinburgh.
Members' Votes
I desire to ask you, Mr. Speaker, a question relating to the Orders of the Day, namely, whether hon. Members who are landowners or farmers growing wheat or oats are entitled, under the Standing Orders of the House, to take part in the Division on the Corn Production Bill, in view of the financial benefit which will accrue to them under the provisions of the Bill; and whether, if they are precluded from voting for the Bill, they may vote against it? I put the question as I am myself in the position described in the question.
I think the hon. Member will be quite safe in voting either for or against the Bill. This is a Bill which is drawn in the national interests; it is not drawn with a view of financially assisting any particular Member of this House, and the benefits are really so problematical and so uncertain that I think the hon. Member is quite entitled to vote.