asked the Under-Secretary of State for War, with regard to the case of Private R. Smith, No. 10035, 15th Lancashire Fusiliers, who was wounded in the attack on the 1st July, 1916, has a wife and nine children, and who was transferred to Class W, and whose case was brought to his notice three months ago, whether he is aware that Private Smith is still retained in Class W, and therefore receives no pension, yet he is incapable of any but very light work; and whether, in view of the unfairness that a man should be retained in Class W who is incapable of regular work while at the same time he is debarred from receiving either separation allowance or pension, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

I am informed that this man was transferred to Class P Army Reserve, with effect from 3rd November, 1916, and has recently been awarded a conditional pension of 6s. 3d. weekly for thirty-nine weeks by the Minister of Pensions.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that Mrs. Melly, of 56, Buck-land Street, Portsmouth, mother of Gunner Melly, No. 36379, Royal Garrison Artillery, receives no dependant's allowance, though her son allots her 3s. 6d. weekly, and was in the regular habit of allowing her 14s. per week before the War, and not dining in; and if he will see that Mrs. Melly's case is considered?

I will have inquiry made and inform my hon. and gallant Friend of the result.

asked the Pensions Minister if his Department will consider the granting of generous and special pensions to our blinded war heroes apart from what they may be able to earn by any work that they may be able to do; and if his Department will move on such lines that will ensure the future comfort of these blind heroes of war's mischance.

Soldiers and sailors who, as a result of injuries in the present War, have been left with no useful vision are granted pensions of 27s. 6d. a week, with a further grant up to 20s. a week for an attendant. These grants are apart from any earnings they may be able to get as a result of the careful and sympathetic training they are given at St. Dunstan's or at the affiliated Scottish National Institution at Newington House. During this training we support the men's families. After it their subsequent welfare is watched and assisted by the institutions I have named.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War (1) why the War Office, after requisitioning the whole of the pelts from sheep killed by butchers, reduced the price at which they were being sold from 4s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. per pelt, being a drop of 25 per cent.; if the War Office informed the farmers that they were to receive 15 per cent. more for their wool clip this year than last year, whilst the butcher is only receiving from the fell-monger the same price as last year, and if this means that he obtains 2d. per lb. less for his wool than the farmer gets for the same article; and whether, seeing that this together with the loss on the pelt is equivalent to 2s. 6d. per sheep skin, he will explain the reason for this difference of treatment; (2) if the maximum price for hide, sheep and lamb skins, and pelts has been arbitrarily fixed by the War Office; if the price of fat cattle has increased some 30 per cent. since March of last year; if no increase whatsoever has been made in the prices paid to the butcher for hides which are all taken by the Government for Army purposes; and, as butchers have to buy their hide or skins with the animals they purchase, if he will explain why a corresponding increase is not allowed in the price given for hides?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for East Nottingham.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that injustice is being done to master butchers by the Army Contracts Depart- ment in regard to the prices at which hides, pelts, and sheepskins are requisitioned; if he is aware that, whereas the price of fat cattle has increased by about 30 per cent. since March, 1916, no corresponding increase has been made in the price at which hides are taken for Government purposes; that as regards pelts the Army Contracts Department, after commandeering the whole of the pelts from sheep killed by the butchers, recently reduced the price by 25 per cent.; and that, although it has been announced that farmers are to receive for this year's wool clip 15 per cent. more than last year, the butchers are receiving from the fell-mongers the same price as last year, with the result that they obtain 2d. per lb. less for wool than the farmer obtains for the same article, which, taken in conjunction with the price of pelts, is equivalent to a loss of 2s. 6d. per sheepskin as compared with the prices paid to the farmer; and whether he will revise the scale of prices so as to remove the inequality complained of by butchers?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for East Nottingham.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if the War Office has considered the provision of body shields for soldiers; if any decision has been reached to provide each soldier with such a shield; if so, are the shields being provided now; and, if not, when is it expected they will be?

This question has been considered, but no decision has been reached. I am afraid that it would not be in the public interest to give the information asked for in the third and fourth parts of the question.

asked if there is an outbreak of spotted fever at Chisoldon Camp, Swindon; and whether any deaths have taken place from this cause?

I am informed that since 1st April last twelve cases have occurred in this camp, and of these three have died.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War under what circumstances the number of Belgian engines now standing at Rouen are held back from use during the War, and why British engineers who have been sent to repair them have been refused permission to do so, and have been compelled to send locomotives from England whilst the Belgian engines are lying idle and unused?

I understand that a considerable number of Belgian locomotives has been at the disposal of the British Armies in France for many months past. My hon. Friend is under a misapprehension in suggesting that the assistance of British engineers has been refused by the Belgian Railway administration. On the contrary, I am informed that their help has been gratefully accepted.

asked he Under-Secretary of State for War who has charge of the buying of timber for the Government in Scotland; and if he acts under the orders of the buyer of timber for England?

I presume that my hon. Friend refers to the home-grown timber. The buying in Scotland is in the charge of Mr. Hugh Murray, an Assistant Director under the Director of Timber Supplies. The answer to the latter part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether his attention has been called to the fact that by the terms of the Royal Warrant of 1st December, 1914, 208 A, the pay of a lieutenant and second-lieutenant commissioned from the ranks in the Cavalry of the Line is 11s. a day, and that by the terms of the Army Council Instruction, 1914, Article 207, the pay of a lieutenant and second-lieutenant commissioned from the ranks in the Yeomanry is only 9s. 6d. and 8s. 6d. respectively, although he may be doing precisely the same duty as an officer of the same rank in the Cavalry; whether he will state what reason, if any, exists for this inequality of treatment; and whether he will take steps to remove this inequality?

The higher rates of pay are issuable only to officers holding permanent combatant commissions in the Regular Army who before being commissioned were serving as warrant officers or non-commissioned officers on ordinary peace attestations in the Regular Army. The rates were specially fixed for the benefit of a particular class, namely, the pre-war soldier with considerable service, and they were approved at a time when the situation rendered it very necessary to offer special inducements to secure the services of these experienced warrant and non-commissiond officers in commissioned capacity. These considerations do not apply in the Territorial Force.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he has yet completed his inquiry into the case of Driver M'Kay, No. 309119, Royal Garrison Artillery; and, if so, with what result?

I regret that a settlement of this case has not been reached, but inquiry is still proceeding, and I will inform my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why, when submitting claims on A.F.O. 1628 for officers' field allowance, a commanding officer is required to copy in his own handwriting a long certificate which is already printed on the form; whether it is considered that commanding officers cannot be trusted for the accuracy of printed certificates which they sign; and whether he will explain why this duplication of work is really necessary in time of War?

The avoidance of errors and double charges in connection with field allowance depends in a special degree on the literal accuracy of the claims certified by commanding officers; and experience has shown that especially under the stress of war conditions, printed certificates are liable to be signed without full realisation of their significance and importance.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that there are complaints that the official issue of socks and boots allowed to be sent to the British prisoners of war in Germany is inadequate; and whether he will take steps to authorise an increased supply to be sent?

I am informed by the military authorities that the issue of socks to prisoners of war in Germany is about to be increased to three pairs every six months. No specific complaint in regard to boots has been received since it was decided to send only new boots to our prisoners.

asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether any and, if so, how many, English and Turkish prisoners have yet been exchanged; and whether all the Turkish camps where English prisoners are interned have yet been visited by any representative of a neutral Power?

With respect to the first part of the question, I regret that the position is still as stated in my reply to my hon. Friend on the 19th of April. We have recently again pressed the Turkish Government for a reply. With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer to the Report of the Swiss delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the camps visited by them. Copies of this Report may be obtained on application to the British Red Cross Society. We are asking the Netherland Minister at Constantinople for further reports on the camps in question.

asked what is the qualification for exchange in the case of English and German prisoners now interned in Switzerland; when the first batch of English prisoners will be repatriated and to what number; and whether in the future such prisoners will be repatriated and at what intervals?

The reply to the first part of the question is that the qualification for exchange is the same standard of physical disability as that demanded in the case of prisoners repatriated direct from this country or from Germany. A certain number of prisoners, both British and German, have already been repatriated. With regard to the third part of the question, it is hoped to effect a monthly transfer of incapacitated prisoners, but it must be remembered that the standard of disability is a high one, and it is not considered likely that many prisoners will come within its limits.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service whether he is in a position to state the number of enrolments for National Service in Wales and Monmouthshire; and whether he will give the figures for each of the Sub-Commissioners' areas?

The latest number of enrolments from Wales and Monmouthshire is 17,437, but these are not, for the purposes of the National Service Department, classified according to Sub-Commissioners' districts, and I am afraid that to arrange them in these districts would involve a disproportionate amount of labour on the part of the Department's statistical officers.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Local Government Board for Ireland have ceased to trace the ages of applicants for old age pensions in the Census returns and now disallow indiscriminately the claims of all who cannot be so traced; whether the injustice which this would have caused at the beginning of these pensions would still result; and, seeing that the Louisburgh Pension Sub-Committee certify Michael Malley as entitled to an old age pension and that the Board produce no evidence to the contrary, whether the pension will now be given?

There is no foundation for the suggestion in the first part of the question. The fact that a pension committee certifies that a claimant is entitled to an old age pension does not constitute any reason for granting one on appeal unless there is satisfactory evidence that the claimant fulfils the statutory conditions. The claim of Michael Malley, Louisburgh, is at present being investigated by the Local Government Board.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will say who were the persons whom Mr. M'Lean asked to tender for the purchase of the Coastguard station and residence at Cahirciveen besides the two buyers to whom they were awarded for half their value; will the Congested Districts Board, on receiving a firm offer of double the price paid by Messrs. Shuel and Sheehan, agree to move the Court to set aside the sale as fraudulent; have the Board inquired whether Mr. M'Lean is a member of the same secret society as Mr. Shuel; will he say what was the object of the Board in acquiring the premises from the Admiralty; and what public benefit has been secured by taking the sale out of the hands of the Admiralty, who invariably put up to public competition whatever is not required for His Majesty's service?

In addition to the two purchasers, three other persons were asked to tender for the Coastguard houses at Cahirciveen, namely, Mr. J. P. O'Shea, Mr. T. Garvey, and the sergeant of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The Congested Districts Board were satisfied with the prices obtained, which were in excess of what they paid for the premises, and they cannot entertain any further offer as they are not in a position to set aside the sale. The purchasers are at liberty to accept the prices mentioned in the question if offered to them. The Congested Districts Board have not inquired as to whether Mr. M'Lean was a member of any society. He has eighteen years' service, and has discharged his duties to the Board's satisfaction. The premises at Cahirciveen were purchased as part of the Trinity College estate, and the Admiralty were tenants of the Congested Districts Board from year to year. The superior lease having expired and the Congested Districts Board having accepted six months' notice of the surrender of the tenancy, the Admiralty had no saleable interest in the premises. The premises would not have been purchased if the owners had offered to exclude them from the sale of the estate, and the Board were quite satisfied to recover the price they had to pay to Trinity College, as it was not a portion of the property which could have been utilised in any way for the relief of congestion.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware of the discontent that exists at Londonderry Prison owing to the manner in which escort duty is distributed amongst the staff; if he is aware that a number of warders at this prison have, in consequence of their treatment in this respect, requested the General Prisons Board to transfer them to other prisons; that the action of the immediate authorities in passing over certain warders for escort duty is deliberate, and that as a result of unequal treatment certain well-conducted officers are handicapped and their welfare in the service jeopardised by not becoming acquainted with escort as well as other duties; if he is aware that while engaged in escort duty prison officers receive personal allowances under certain circumstances; whether he will take steps, in view of the present high cost of living and of the fact that certain warders are in receipt of small pay and receive no special allowance, to prevent their being deprived of this means of adding to their salaries; and if the General Prisons Board will inquire into this matter and see that every officer is at least afforded facilities for becoming acquainted with duties he may in the course of his service be called on to perform?

The General Prisons Board report t that they are not aware of any grounds for discontent as to the manner in which escort duty is distributed. Escort duty at Assizes and Quarter Sessions is carried out by officers chosen with due regard to the responsible nature of the duty. Two officers have asked for a transfer, and neither of them has been sent on Assize and Quarter Sessions duty to Courts at a distance from Londonderry. As occasion offers officers are sent to local Courts, where they are under immediate supervision, in order to give them experience. All the other warders on the staff are sent on escort duty in turn, except two, who asked to be exempted. This has been done when it was practicable. Officers absent from prisons on escort or Court duty are granted personal allowances to cover the expense for meals entailed by such absence. Such allowances are intended to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses involved by the special duty, and are not paid as supplemental salary.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he will state the total sum expended in Ireland on elementary education in 1915–16 or the latest available year; and what was the average number in attendance in such year and the percentage of increase or decrease in the cost of elementary education and in numbers, and the same particulars with regard to intermediate secondary education?

The total expenditure from the Vote for primary education in Ireland, in the financial year ended 31st March, 1916, amounted to £1,784,357, an increase of 0.92 per cent. on the expenditure for the preceding financial year. The average daily attendance of pupils at national schools in Ireland during the year ended 31st December, 1915, was 499,983, a decrease of 1.66 per cent. as compared with the average attendance during the year ended 31st December, 1914. The sums expended by the Intermediate Education Board for Ireland were £124,572 in 1916, and £123,270 in the previous year. The numbers of pupils in attendance at the secondary schools under the Intermediate Board were approximately 21,150 in October, 1915, and 21,680 in October, 1916. I am unable to give the average number of attendances.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty why the crews of the "Whale" class of His Majesty's boats receive the same amount per diem (7½d.) as hard-lying money, as do the crews of the destroyers, when the crews of trawlers are paid double this amount; and whether he will give this matter his consideration with a view to the improvement in pay of the classes mentioned above?

The rate of hard-lying money payable is governed by the standard of accommodation. The accommodation in the "Whale" class is superior to that in the trawlers and approximates to that in destroyers. It is not, therefore, proposed to make any change in the respective rates of hard-lying money at present allowed.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will state the net Excise Revenue of India for the years 1913–14, 1914–15, and 1915–16, respec- tively; and what was the recorded consumption of country spirits in each of these years in Bengal, Madras, Bombay (including Sind), Behar, and Orissa, the United Provinces, the Punjab, and the Central Provinces and Berar, respectively?

The following statement gives the information asked for:

(a) These figures do not cover out-still areas, for which statistics of consumption are not available. Out-still areas are being steadily reduced.

(b) Revised figures.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he can state the number of applications for certificates for licensed premises which were refused and the number of licensed premises in respect of which no fresh application was made at the recent Licensing Courts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen, respectively?

The figures are as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour whether the Board of Trade complied with the mandatory provisions of Section 89 (1) of the National Insurance Act, 1911, in regard to the appointment of insurance officers; whether, in pursuance of those provisions, insurance officers were appointed for Ireland; whether he will give the names of the officers appointed; whether such officers have, under the authority of the Section referred to, exercised in Ireland the functions specified for insurance officers by Section 88 of the Act; and whether he will state the authority by virtue of which another officer having his office in another district proposes to exercise jurisdiction in regard to claims to unemployment benefit made by workmen in Ireland?

Mr. C. J. Hanretté was appointed Insurance Officer for Ireland; and, with the assistance of subordinate officers, has exercised the functions specified in Section 88 of the National Insurance Act, 1911. Certain officers have now been authorised to perform these functions for the whole of the United Kingdom, and the authority for this is contained in Section 89 (1) of the Act.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the desirability of taking such steps as may be necessary to render compulsory the adoption of numbers for houses, instead of or in conjunction with names, in order to facilitate the delivery of letters and telegrams where it is considered an advantage to make such change; if he will consider the desirability of taking such steps as may be necessary to have the names of streets clearly indicated on lamp-posts; and if he will bear in mind also the convenience which would be provided were there some carefully considered plan brought into use at an early date by which there should be some uniformity of practice in all districts where such changes would be advantageous to the postal service and to the public?

I should welcome all these measures as facilitating the handling and delivery of letters, telegrams, and other postal packets. Especially I should welcome the general use of numbers instead of names for designating houses in all districts of an urban character. The Post Office does what it can in this direction by advice and exhortation to the public and by communication with local authorities. It is upon them and upon the Local Government Board, and not upon the Post Office, that any statutory powers on such matters have been conferred.