asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can see his way to introduce before the Adjournment his promised legislation increasing the taxation of dogs, at all events those kept in large towns?

When I referred to this question in the House on the 3rd May, it was my intention to deal with it partly by administration and partly by taxation, and, as I then explained, I approached it solely from the point of view of the general food question and not of revenue. Since I spoke the various Departments concerned have been in constant communication with the following results: The Food Controller has issued an Order prohibiting the use for dog feed of bread or flour. Maize meal is also now controlled by the Royal Commission on Wheat Supplies. Orders have been issued under the Defence of the Realm. Act strengthening the administrative machinery in respect of stray dogs, and prohibiting dog shows. The Departments responsible for the administration of the laws relating to dogs have issued directions to all authorities through the United Kingdom pointing out the importance of the strict exercise of their powers in respect of unlicensed and stray dogs and dogs exempt from taxation as farm dogs. The Pood Controller has been in constant communication with the various associations of breeders and other people interested in dogs and has found them ready to fall in with his views and effect economies in the food supply. He has informed me that the steps taken by the Kennel Club, supplemented by the voluntary action of the breeders, has resulted in a considerable reduction in kennels; that this reduction is increasing and that after 8th September no puppies will be registered by the club for the period of the War except those bred under a special licence from the club; and that foxhounds have been reduced voluntarily by 40 per cent. to 50 per cent. I hope that, in view of the action taken by the Government and the voluntary response by dog owners generally, it will not prove necessary to resort to increased taxation, and, as at present advised, it is not my intention to propose it.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that, contrary to the proper procedure, a certain district Inland Revenue office, in a letter dated 26th June, 1917, made a demand upon a holder of registered Government Stock in Scotland to the effect that a certificate by the Bank of England proving deduction of tax should be produced, and that, although the surveyor in question has been informed that the Bank of England does not furnish such certificates because they are unnecessary in connection with reclaims of tax, he persists in the demand; and whether the demand is in order?

I am having inquiry made into the matter referred to, as my hon. Friend has been good enough to furnish me with the requisite particulars. I will communicate the result to him as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what are the prices allowed to be charged for flour of all descriptions in England, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively?

The price of Government Regulation Flour varies in different localities from 58s. to 65s. per sack of 280 lbs., according to the cost of production and transport.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether there is a compulsory limit to the percentage of moisture in flour; if so, what is the limit; whether an undue amount of moisture in flour delivered to bakers is found to be an inducement to the latter to add moisture to the bread to make up for the loss thus entailed; whether he is aware that war bread, properly baked and stored, will keep perfectly sound for over a week, and that, in the opinion of experts, the quality is actually improved from a health point of view if it is kept in store for some days; whether 1 per cent. of moisture added to bread has the effect of greatly increasing the annual amount of a baker's profit; and whether such increase of profit may be as high as 20 per cent. on the capital employed?

There is no compulsory limit to the percentage of moisture in flour, but a miller cannot convert grain into flour if the amount of moisture is excessive, especially in view of the rule as to increased extraction. The baker is bound to add sufficient water to make a satisfactory dough, but a great portion of the moisture so induced evaporates in the process of baking. Additional moisture means, within limits, additional profits; if the limits are exceeded the bread goes bad, and there are no profits at all. War bread, properly baked and stored, will keep in good condition for a week.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he is aware of the manner in which the practice of some shopkeepers of issuing sugar by tickets prejudices women who are engaged in monition works and can market only at a late hour; and are there any Regulations in force or in contemplation for securing fairer treatment for persons so situated?

The whole question of sugar distribution is engaging the careful consideration of the Food Controller with a view to securing that it is made available to all sections of the community in as equitable a manner as possible.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether a claim has been received by the Rebellion (Victims) Committee on behalf of a Mrs. Teresa Hickey, North King Street; and when it is expected that the award will be made in this case?

This claim has come before the Committee, and I hope will soon be decided.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the recent amendments to the Irish prisons new scheme include, amongst other things, the placing of chief warders on the same pay as chief warders of the same class in England, ordinary warders on the same pay as ordinary warders in England, which means putting them on the pay they would have had they entered the service at 24s. per week, and female officers on the pay they would have had they entered at 19s. per week; whether he is aware that if this is not being done the dissatisfaction in the Irish prisons service will be largely increased owing to the promise given on the 11th April, 1916, not having been fulfilled; if he is aware that, of all Civil servants, the Irish prison warders are about the only body that have not been officially notified of or been paid the recent war bonus award; and will he now take steps to see that it is paid immediately?

As I stated in reply to a question on the 28th June last, I think the new scale of pay has been amended so as to remove every reasonable grievance. The statement in the latter portion of the question is not correct.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland (1) what steps the Government intend to take for the develop- ment of the coal and iron mines at Arigna; and whether they are in a position now to state when they will construct the line of railway from Arigna to Colooney; and (2) the President of the Board of Trade whether the coal and iron mines at Arigna were recently inspected by a representative of the Controller of Mines; if he will indicate the nature of the Report received on the result of this inspection; and what steps the Government propose to take to work the minerals at Arigna?

The Controller of Coal Mines has obtained a report by an expert upon the mines at Arigna, and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is at present in consultation with the Chief Secretary thereon.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the total figures of all British casualties for the twelve months ending 30th June, 1917, have been published by adding all the numbers found in the daily returns and that, owing to no account being taken of duplicate entries or of men returned to duty and for other reasons, these figures are calculated to give an exaggerated account of our losses in man-power; and whether he will now consider the renewal of the practice of issuing corrected and full monthly statements of all British casualties.

With regard to the first part of this question—it is true that the published lists of casualties, owing to the fact that they include men wounded more than once, do not represent the actual number of men who have become casualties in the course of the year. In all other respects, however, they are strictly accurate. Moreover, when it is remembered that these lists do not include casualties from sickness, the exaggeration in the total figures, if there is any at all, must be very small; and they cannot therefore be said to give an exaggerated account of our losses. They do not represent our losses in man-power as a high proportion of the wounded recover completely, and all wounds, even the slightest, are included as casualties. With regard to the second part of the question; it is not considered desirable to issue monthly statements of casualties.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether he has any information which may without objection be communicated to the House regarding the evacuation by the Russians of Khanikin and Kasr-i-Shirin?

I am not in a position to add anything to what has been published in the Russian official communiqués.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has now received the Report of the case of James Brightmore, Shane Camp, Cleethorpes; and what action has been taken in respect thereto?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made yesterday about this case.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that men who have seen overseas service with the Expeditionary Forces, both in France and in Salonika, having volunteered early in the War, and who have been sent home in consequence of wounds or disease, are refused the right of re-examination by medical boards before being sent again on active service, while conscripts who have not seen active service have a right of re-examination; and whether he will ensure that such first-mentioned men shall in future, if they require it, have a right of re-examination by a medical board before being again sent oversea?

I think my hon. and learned Friend is hardly correct in comparing the re-examination of a rejected recruit by a recruiting medical board with the medical examination of a serving soldier as to his fitness for active service. Serving soldiers cannot claim to appear before a medical board before being returned to an Expeditionary Force. It would not be practicable to arrange for this under present circumstances, and it is not considered necessary as the rejections overseas are very few indeed. I would remind my hon. and learned Friend that soldiers invalided home are, after their discharge from hospital, under constant medical supervision.

asked whether a person who has been exempted from the Military Service Acts, on the ground of being a theological student preparing for ordination, becomes an exception to the Acts, as a minister of religion, on ordination and appointment to a ministerial charge?

Questions of the construction of the Military Service Acts, 1916, are matters for the Court to decide and matters which the War Office cannot properly determine. It is not, however, considered that a man who has been ordained or admitted to the Ministry subsequently to the date upon which, under the Military Service Acts, 1916, he was deemed to have been enlisted and transferred to the reserve for the duration of the War is excepted from the liability to-military service by reason of the provisions of paragraph 4 of the First Schedule-to the Military Service Act, 1916, and in the only case which has so far come before a Civil Court the Court decided that the man in question was not excepted from the liability to military service.

asked whether a Return is being prepared for the Army Council giving the names and qualifications of non-commissioned officers and privates in medical categories lower than A who were schoolmasters in civil life and are considered fit for temporary employment as teachers in Army schools; if so, whether this action is being taken because of a shortage of teachers in Army schools; and, if not, for what purpose the Return is being prepared?

I think my hon. Friend is probably referring to a Return requested by the local military authorities; with a view to supplying assistant teachers for schools attended by young recruits under eighteen years eight months. There are not sufficient Army schoolmasters to meet the demand for these schools.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will inquire into the case of Mrs. Annie G. Hicks, of 15, Giesbach Road, Upper Holloway, London, N., whose son joined up on 11th April, 1917, and who has not yet received her military allowance; is he aware of the many cases of distress which come before the local pensions committees owing to the delays in investigating claims and assessing and paying allowances, and of the imperfect success of the measures taken to remedy the hardship imposed on the dependants of soldiers; and will he endeavour to improve them by accelerating the work of the investigation offices?

If my hon. Friend will let me know the soldier's regiment and regimental number, I will inquire into this particular case. As regards the question of delays generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to my hon. Friend the Member for Paddington South on the 16th instant.

asked the1 President of the Board of Education what are the conditions under which Grants are made to the Workers' Education Association; and what are the amounts of the Grants made for the years 1914, 1915, and 1916?

The conditions of the Grants to university tutorial classes in connection with the Workers' Educational Association are contained in Part III. of the Regulations for Technical Schools, Schools of Art, etc., of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy. The total Grants paid in respect of such classes for the years 1913–14, 1914–15, and 1915–16 were £4,042, £4,326, and £3,643, respectively. The decrease in the year 1915–16 was due to a diminution in the number of the classes in consequence of war conditions. The Workers' Educational Association are responsible for the conduct of a number of other evening classes, for which Grants are payable under Chapter 2 of Part I. of the Regulations for Technical Schools, etc. The Grants paid in respect of these classes, excluding those for which a local education authority was financially responsible, were:

The decrease in 1915–16 was due to the same causes as in the case of the university tutorial classes.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he-proposes to take any steps to meet the objections of the Catholic community to Articles 23 and 24 of the Regulations for secondary schools as being prejudicial to denominational schools and a bar to progress in Catholic secondary education by discouraging the provision of new secondary schools?

I am afraid that I could not deal with this matter Without departing from the principle, in which I believe there is general concurrence, that denominational issues should not be raised during the War, and that no attempt should be made to alter the present position in respect of those issues.

asked the Home Secretary what increased pay, whether by way of salary or bonus, has been given to the London Metropolitan Police since the outbreak of war?

The pay of the Metropolitan Police was increased from the 31st August, 1914, by 3s., 4s., or 5s. a week, according to length of service. A war bonus of 3s. a week was granted to all ranks from 15th March, 1915. This has been increased to 8s. a week from 4th June, 1917. A bonus of 1s. a week for each child under the age of fifteen living at home and not in any paid employment was granted in October, 1916, to constables and sergeants whose pay and allowances did not exceed 63s. a week. This bonus was increased to 1s. 6d. in February, 1917, and was extended to all officers below the rank of chief inspector in April, 1917. A bonus of 1s. a week was granted to married constables and sergeants in February, 1917, but this is now merged in the general bonus of 8s. a week above mentioned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in his capacity as chairman of the Railway Executive Committee, his attention has been drawn to the fact that railway locomotive men and guards throughout the country, and particularly on the Great Western system, are experiencing hardship when booked off duty away from home, owing to the difficulty under prevailing conditions of obtaining lodgings and food; that a number of Great Western goods guards, after on several occasions walking about for hours at night seeking lodgings and food in vain, and in one case having to proceed to the workhouse for accommodation, are now refusing to be booked off for rest away from home when unprovided with food, and in consequence are being punished by the railway company, which action threatens to bring the whole system into a state of revolt; and whether, therefore, he will at once consult with the Railway Executive Committee and endeavour to find a remedy, either by placing the responsibility of providing food and lodgings in all such cases upon the railway companies or by such other means as may be found practicable?

My right hon. Friend sympathises with the railway locomotive men and guards in the difficulty which they are experiencing in obtaining lodging and food when booked off duty away from home. He very much regrets this difficulty, and he is asking the Railway Executive Committee to see whether some means cannot be found to provide a remedy. I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman will agree that it may not be altogether easy to find a remedy that will meet every case.

asked the Postmaster-General if it is contemplated to withdraw the daily postal delivery in the Killena, Gorey, postal district and reduce it to three days a week; and, considering that one of the deliveries covers a radius of over fifteen miles in a thickly-populated country and the inconvenience that such curtailment would cause to the people of the district, he will see that the postal delivery is not reduced, as a great many of the people of the district get letters daily which have to be answered by return?

The alteration at Killena, to which the hon. Member refers, has already been made in the interests of economy. Similar restrictions have been made at other places of not less importance; and I should not be justified in making an exception in favour of Killena.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Report of the Sub-committee on Forestry forwarded to the Reconstruction Committee in May last may be published for the information of the House?

The recommendations of this Sub-committee are now under consideration. I am sorry I cannot make any definite statement at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that British officer prisoners of war are, or were recently, confined at Schwarmfelt in cells 9 ft. by 6 ft.; and whether he will take immediate steps to have these prisoners visited?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and I should be much obliged if my hon. and gallant Friend would communicate to me the information on which Ms question is based. The Netherland Legation at Berlin were recently requested by telegram to expedite their inspection of the camp at Schwarmstedt. All cases of reprisals such as are suggested in the question will, we confidently trust, be satisfactorily dealt with should The Hague agreement be ratified.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland how many grazing farms, the property of the late deceased Alicia Martin, are there in the parish of Dromard, county Sligo, with the number of acres in each holding; have the Congested Districts Board made any offer for the purchase of those farms to have them divided amongst the small landholders in the district; who is responsible for the tillage of those farms under the Compulsory Tillage Regulations, 1917, and how many acres are tilled on each farm; and will the Board of Agriculture take over those farms and let them in conacre to the people who live on the mountains and seaboard, with small patches of arable land not fit to support themselves and their families one month in the year, while those farms alongside of their holdings are given over to bullocks and sheep?

The Congested Districts Board have no information as to the farms owned by the late Alicia Martin in Dromore parish, and they have not made an offer for the purchase of any of the farms, nor have any of the farms been offered to them. The particulars required by the Department of Agriculture in connection with the Tillage Regulations have not yet been received, and the lands have been listed for inspection at an early date.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the grazing farm of Mullaghfin, on the Mulhall estate, situated near Ballintogher, Cullooney, county Sligo, was in January last purchased from a man named Scanlan by the Reverend Mr. Meehan with the object of having the same used for the enlargement of uneconomic holdings; whether the landlord, Mr. John Mulhall, refused to sanction the sale; and, if so, on what grounds; and whether, in view of these facts and of the peaceable state of the district, he will consider the advisability of having this farm taken over at once by the Congested Districts Board for the purpose of having the uneconomic holdings on the Mulhall estate enlarged?

The Congested Districts Board have been informed that the surrounding tenants agreed to purchase Mr. Michael Scanlan's interest in Mullaghfin farm on the Mulhall estate, but they have no information as to the alleged refusal of Mr. Mulhall to sanction the sale. Negotiations for the purchase of further estates have been suspended, and the Board cannot at present take any action with a view to acquiring this property.