asked the Prime Minister in how many cases have railway officials of high standing employed by Government Departments during the War continued to receive emoluments from railway funds in place of payments from the Departments in which they have served; whether this practice has been approved by the Treasury; whether it was considered and recommended by the Law Officers of the Crown and by the Controller and Auditor-General; and whether the Public Accounts Committee has recognised this form of payment?

So far as it has been possible to ascertain, there are upwards of thirty railway officials of the rank of district officers and above who have been loaned by railway companies to Government Departments and continue to receive remuneration from railway funds instead of being paid from public funds. I am not aware that the matter has come before the Treasury, the Law Officers, the Comptroller and Auditor-General or the Public Accounts Committee.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has received notice of the result of the plebiscite taken at Clyde-bank on 14th August which resulted in 8,207 votes being cast in favour of the prohibition of the sale of all intoxicating liquors during the War and the period of demobilisation, and in only 1,861 votes being cast against; and whether the Government is now prepared to give effect to the declared wishes of the great majority of the people of Scotland, representing all classes and sections of opinion, in favour of wartime prohibition?

I am informed that the facts are as stated in the first' part of the question. As regards the second part, I cannot add anything to the answers which I have previously given in the House on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to the practice of the New Issues Committee in refusing to sanction dealings in shares which have been issued during the War in payment for properties purchased before the War; whether he is aware that the effect of such refusal is to render un-negotiable shares which have been issued in discharge of contractual obligations and in many cases in exchange for shares which were already negotiable; and whether, in cases where the issue of fully-paid shares involves no appeal to the investing public for fresh capital, he will take steps to procure the withdrawal of restrictions which deprive the vendors of properties of the opportunity of investing in Government securities, and are, consequently, repugnant to public policy?

It is not the general practice of the Committee to refuse sanction for issues in the circumstances described in the question; but if my hon. Friend will give me particulars of any case that he has in mind, I will cause inquiries to be made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that Income Tax has been claimed by the authorities from captains in respect of awards made to them for meritorious services in beating off or escaping from enemy submarines; and, seeing that the action of the authorities in treating men who have rendered signal services to the country in this manner is not calculated to assist in the common effort to overcome the submarine menace; whether he will reconsider the charge for Income Tax in respect of such award?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I am informed that the awards in question cannot be exempted from Income Tax without legislation, but I am making further inquiries on this point.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number and amount of £l War Savings Certificates sold in England and Wales, in Scotland, and in Ireland, respectively, and in the aggregate, from the first issue of those certificates in February, 1916, to the latest date up to which statistics are available; and what is the aggregate amount of War Savings Certificates of all values, including those of £1, which have been sold during that period?

The number of £l War Savings Certificates sold in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, respectively, and the cash received in respect of such certificates from February, 1916, to the 11th instant is as follows:

asked the First Lord of the Treasury whether before any Second Division examination is held consideration will be given to wounded Civil servants discharged from the Navy or Army who volunteered for service, and thereby sacrificed opportunities for qualifying for that examination; and whether the last list of qualified candidates can be made immediately available for the appointment of wounded Civil servants?

No examination for Second Division clerkships has been held since September, 1914, and consequently no opportunity of competing for such appointments has been lost owing to military service undertaken since that date. Examinations for Second Division clerkships are competitive. Unsuccessful candidates at the competition of September, 1914, cannot be given appointments on the ground either that they are already Civil servants or that they have been wounded. Having regard to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Civil Service appointments, it cannot be taken as certain that further competitions for Second Division clerkships will be held.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will state the cost of advertising the food production campaign in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales up to 31st March, 1917, separating the cost of newspaper advertising from other forms of publicity, such as posters and leaflets?

The Board of Agriculture, who are responsible for the production of food in England and Wales, have made no expenditure of the kind referred to in the question. A number of leaflets have been issued with the object not of advertising the campaign but of giving instruction in the production of food. With reference to Scotland and Ireland, I must refer my hon. Friend to the Departments of Agriculture for those countries.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, in connection with the official figures relating to the supply of maize to Cork city and county, why the statement was made that the Cork importers had recently informed the Royal Commission that there was no reason for complaint concerning the allocation of cargoes of maize to Cork; whether he has seen the public contradiction of this allegation in a signed letter by the Cork importers; why the export of maize meal and flour is freely permitted from Liverpool when the export of maize is prevented; if he will inquire whether this is causing injury to Irish millers; and whether mills have been obliged to shut down time after time for want of material so that food for swine has often been unprocurable in consequence?

The official figures given in my answer of the 9th instant were perfectly correct. The difference between them and the figures quoted by my hon. Friend last Thursday is due to the fact that the quoted figures omitted while the official figures included a cargo which, according to official advices, arrived at Cork on the 31st July, and also a sailing vessel which arrived on the 12th May. The Royal Commission allocate and control maize to Liverpool merchants and millers, but do not exercise control over the manufactured article. In view of the fact that Ireland has received more than her pre-war percentage of the maize shipments to the United Kingdom, it is not considered desirable that the meagre stocks in Liverpool should be encroached upon for transhipment to Cork. I may add that in one recent instance where a parcel of maize was allocated to Cork from the Bristol Channel to meet a period of temporary stress, delivery was not taken, but the parcel was resold at the port of shipment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he can state the total quantity of beer at present authorised to be produced during the present year; the quantity of malt required to produce the same; the total quantity of malt at present in the hands of the brewers and which is calculated to last until the end of November; and the additional amount of malt which it is intended to provide in September in order to produce the beer to be brewed from the beginning of October until the end of the year?

The balance of the beer authorised to be brewed from the present date to the 30th September, is about 1,900,000 standard barrels. The beer authorised to be brewed during the quarter ending 31st December is 2,800,000 standard barrels. The malt required for these quantities is about 1,000,000 quarters. The existing stock of malt is estimated at 890,000 quarters. It will, therefore, be necessary to provide about 110,000 quarters of malt to produce the quantity of beer at present authorised to the end of the year.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, having regard to the fact that many farmers throughout the country will be compelled to thrash a portion of their wheat at the earliest possible opportunity to provide straw for thatching and for providing chaff for horses and cattle, any facilities, and, if so, what, will be granted by the Food Controller for the immediate sale of the corn so thrashed, which, owing to the unsettled condition of the weather, would probably rapidly deteriorate by storing?

The temporary restrictions imposed by the 1917 Crop (Restriction) Order were revoked by the Grain (Prices) Order of the 14th August, 1917. There now exist no restrictions on dealings in grain except as to the price at which it may be sold and the use to which it may be put.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if, in view of the hardships inflicted upon muffin bakers by the present restrictions, it is proposed to modify the restrictions in the coming autumn so as to allow of the baking of plain muffins where sugar and lard are not used?

The point with regard to the hardships inflicted will be considered by the Food Controller, but it is not now clear that this restriction can be relaxed without many other difficulties arising.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that in August, 1914, the Irish National Volunteers received permission from the Foreign Office and the Belgian Government to bring rifles from Belgium to Ireland; whether the rifles in question were actually imported; and whether they are now in the possession of the Irish National Volunteers?

As regards the first part of this question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given him to-day by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. I have no knowledge as to whether the rifles were imported or as to their present whereabouts, if they exist.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the War Office propose to curtail or stop the contracts running for the manufacture of handmade shoes for horses; if he is aware that machine-made shoes are simply pressed, whilst the hand-made are hammered and last far longer, although dearer; and whether, before taking action, the claims of the men making the shoes, who are mostly men over military age, will be considered, as they will all be thrown out of work in places where no other work is obtainable.

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, the reason being that the supply of machine-made horse shoes is now more than equal to the total demand. The machine-made shoe is not pressed but drop-forged and requires a much smaller expenditure of labour, and is also cheaper than a hand-made shoe. As the average life of an Army shoe is from three to four weeks only, any saving from the possible better wearing properties of a hand-made shoe is problematical. From information in the possession of the Department it appears that the majority of the men affected are of military age. It is believed that there is no lack of work in other directions for this type of labour.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War, whether Corporal A. T. Kemp, of the 8th City of London Rifles, now employed in connection with the Royal Engineers postal section, General Post Office, is not being allowed to undertake duties normal to his rank; and why a man who has undertaken duty in combatant service and who has equal efficiency on postal matters should be penalised in favour of stay-at-home soldiers on his return through injuries received in France?

Corporal A. T. Kemp of the 8th (Reserve) Battalion City of London Regiment took duty at the Home Depot on the 18th April last as art attached man. He was surplus to the requirements of the Home Depot as a corporal, and he was given the option of re turning to his unit or remaining for work as a sapper. He elected to remain. The-work of the Home Depot is essentially different to the work of a civil post office, and Corporal Kemp had had no training in Army postal work. He was, and is, quite unsuitable for the supervision of at body of men employed on work with which he is only partly familiar. Corporal Kemp in civil life is a very junior sorter and is only twenty-two years of age, while the men he would have to supervise are, with the exception of a few of low medical category, men over military age with several years' experience of Army postal work, many have served both overseas and at home. Corporal Kemp has been given the highest work which he is capable of performing, and he has received the working pay proper to his rank.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether he is prepared to favourably consider the possibility of granting a month's leave to all men who enlisted in 1914 and have been on active service for a period of three years?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I made in Debate on Friday last on this subject.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the engineering staff at the Army Ordnance depot at Weedon have received the recent advance in wages awarded by the Committee on Production to the engineering trades; and, if not, will he take immediate steps to see that this award is paid to the men concerned without further delay?

Inquiry is being made, and I will inform my hon. Friend of the result.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what help is usually given financially to public schools camps by the War Office; whether he is aware that at the recent camp at Marlborough, where 1,500 cadets were assembled for training as potential officers, no help of any sort was given, and even the tents, which were to have been supplied, had to be hired at a cost of £270; and whether such treatment will be considered with a view to encouraging the holding of such camps in future?

I am making inquiries into this matter, and will communicate further with my hon. Friend as soon as I am in a position to do. so.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that there is still indignation felt as to the reduction of officers' ranks, especially in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force; whether he is aware that in some cases officers who have served abroad for a year and more have been reduced from captains to second lieutenants, whilst those who have remained at Home have retained their captaincies, and that in some cases where promotion has been from the ranks officers have actually been reduced to a lower rank than that which they were given when they left the ranks, namely, to be second lieutenants instead of lieutenants; and whether, in connection with the changes to be made consequent on the acceptance of the main recommendations of the Report on promotion of officers, such grievances will be remedied and retrospective consideration given?

My hon. Friend no doubt refers to the new system of promotion in the Territorial Force, which follows the same lines as in the Regulars. In order to bring the new system into operation all temporary rank had to disappear, and while officers so affected doubtless felt the loss of rank, it must be remembered that this rank was only temporary, and had been enjoyed under conditions that never applied to Regular officers. It is considered that the new system is fairer to all concerned than the old, and this will be realised when it has got into working order.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Private G. M'Taggart, No. 14,313, 217th Infantry Battalion, has suffered from cerebral meningitis, from which, he is still more or less incapacitated; whether, in view of his medical history, he will issue such order as may be necessary to prevent him being sent to Egypt or other hot climate; and whether he can also arrange for him to appear before a special medical board to report whether his incapacity is such as to make it unlikely that he will again become an. efficient soldier?

I am making inquiries about this man, and will communicate with my hon. and gallant Friend as soon as I can.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in certain places where men are re-examined for service only two brown Army blankets are provided for the use of twenty or more men who, when stripped, use them one after the other; whether he will consider the desirability on the grounds of health and cleanliness of providing a clean towel for each man similar to the method employed at Turkish baths; is he aware that bad accommodation is provided where there is ample room and facility for providing decent and sanitary conditions; and whether expert medical practitioners engaged in connection with such examinations have made representations in favour of more sanitary surroundings?

I shall be glad to make inquiries if my hon. Friend will give me a specific case.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that the warders of Parkhurst Prison who are shortly to join up for active service are-still being refused leave on the grounds that they have had sick leave; if the leave temporarily forfeited through sickness is in many cases being restored on the recommendation of the medical officer of the prison; why this leave is not granted in accordance with the Regulation; and if Parkhurst Prison is the only prison where leave difficulties have arisen?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave to his question on the 24th July. It is not known that any leave difficulties have arisen at Parkhurst; no complaint has been received by the directors.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that at present all soldiers and sailors admitted into asylums are treated as pauper patients on admittance; and whether he will arrange with the Board of Control that they shall on admission be treated as Service patients until it can be shown that they are disqualified under the Regulation of the Board of Control as having been inmates of asylums before enlistment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second part that I am endeavouring to make the arrangement therein suggested.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he has reveived a communication with enclosures, dated 30th July, 1917, from the solicitors acting for the landlords and tenants at Salterforth, Yorks, relative to compensation being paid to those persons for land taken to erect munition sheds thereon; whether he is aware that it is now over two years since the land was taken, and that the tenants are only poor farmers and require the money for use in their trade; whether one of them has become bankrupt since the land was taken; whether compensation was paid to the receiver in this case and, if so, why the compensation agreed upon has not been paid to the other farmers; and whether two crops of hay has been won from the land in question and sold by the Government for over £800?

The delay in settling these claims is regretted. As I have already explained to my hon. and gallant Friend in answer to previous questions, arrangements have now been completed for dealing with claims of this kind without reference to the Defence of the Realm Losses Commission. During the negotiations which led to these arrangements being made a large number of cases accumulated, and these are now being dealt with as rapidly as possible. I hope that, with two or three exceptions which must be referred to the Defence of the Realm Losses Commission, the particular cases to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers will be settled within a fortnight.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will make inquiries as to the sanitary condition of Acceptance Camp, Coventry Tawk, Bengal, India, in view of the fact that it is stated to be very unhealthy?

I have been unable to identify the camp mentioned, but I will make inquiry.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if it is in order for the Royal London Insurance Society to threaten one of their agents, namely, Mr. H. North, of 23, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe, Bradford, for which book Mr. North paid the sum of £120, because he is working six and a half hours a day as a tramcar driver during the present crisis in addition to collecting his book, and notwithstanding the fact that his collecting work has been done to the declared satisfaction of his local manager; and, if not, whether he will take steps to protect Mr. North in the circumstances mentioned?

I have no information on this subject, and it is not one in which I have any authority to interfere.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Mr. Nobbs, of the Station Hotel, Attleborough, is using or letting on hire to the Farmers' Union motor cars for the purpose of inducing men to take the place of men to be locked out at Fakenham, Honington and Euston, in Suffolk; whether he is aware that assisting in this way in breaking a trade dispute, and so keeping down the wages of agricultural workers, is not work of urgent national importance; whether there is now such a plentiful supply of petrol that it can freely be used in this way; and, seeing that this action is causing misgiving to the farm workers in the district, whether he will take such steps, knowing the scarcity of petrol, to end this misuse of a petrol licence?

I am not aware of the specific purpose for which Mr. Nobbs, of the Station Hotel, Attleborough, uses his motor cars. He holds a petrol licence entitling him to obtain 26 gallons of petrol monthly for two motor cars which he is permitted to let on hire for business purposes, public duties, and station work. I do not think that the quantity of petrol allowed is excessive, and I have no evidence that the petrol licence has been misused.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether any steps can be taken to prevent during the War the ejection of a tenant of a small holding except on permission of a Court a good case is proved, and thus extend to small holders the benefits enjoyed by householders under the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act?

The Board of Agriculture possess no powers to extend to small holders the benfits enjoyed by householders under the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act. To confer those powers would require legislation, and such legislation is not contemplated at the present time.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are a large number of Italian steamers which have been lying in Italian ports and have for various reasons been unemployed for considerable periods; and whether steps can be taken to induce Italian shipowners to make full use of the Italian steamers that are available, and thus release the corresponding number of British vessels now employed in the trade to and from Italy?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The shipping representative of the Italian Government have discussed the position of their national tonnage very frankly with the Ministry of Shipping, and I think my hon. Friend may feel assured that there is an anxiety on the part of all concerned to secure that the available tonnage is used to the best advantage in the national interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) if inquiry will be made of the French Government whether they intend, as has been stated, to preclude the embarkation at French ports, in other than French steamers, of emigrants proceeding from Eastern and Northern Europe to North and South America; and whether he can give an assurance that before the close of the War such steps as may be necessary will be taken to enable British steamship lines to embark passengers of all classes at any Allied Foreign port under conditions not more onerous than those governing embarkations by foreign steamship lines at any port in the British Empire; and (2) whether the British steamship lines interested in the emigration traffic from Northern and Eastern Europe to North and South Atlantic ports have made representations to the Foreign Office as to the desirability of immediate diplomatic action being taken with the representatives of the Allied nations so that it may be agreed before the war is concluded that the system of enemy control stations shall be abolished; and, if so, whether he can see his way to take up this matter?

The hon. Member will be aware that this difficult and important matter of emigration traffic has been engaging the close attention of His Majesty's Government, and that they recently came to the conclusion that it would be advisable to postpone any diplomatic representations till a later date. The British steamship companies dissent from this view, and are urging immediate action. The Departments concerned are accordingly giving renewed consideration to the matter, and I can assure the hon. Member, in reply to his two questions on the subject, that His Majesty's Government will do their utmost to obtain for British steamship companies the facilities which they desire.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of National Service whether employés in low medical classes, such as B3 or C3 or R.R., are prevented by the Defence of the Realm Act from changing their employers, and thus from seeking to improve their positions; whether employers are subject to reciprocal restrictions; and, if not, whether, in order to avoid the suggestion of industrial conscription, the regulations in regard to employés will be reasonably relaxed?

In the Order referred to by the hon. Member nothing prevents a man from leaving his employment or from entering any trade or occupation not mentioned in the Schedule to the Order. The Order has been administered in a very elastic manner, and has been suspended in respect of a number of trades in which trade committees have been set up for the provision of substitution Volunteers. I may also point out that the Order does not apply to sailors and soldiers who have been discharged from the naval or military services of the Crown in consequence of disablement or ill-health. As regards men in low medical categories, permits are freely issued in cases in which a man's physical disability is such as would make it unlikely that he would be of use for work of national importance.

asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether two representatives of care committees of prisoners of war have recently been added to the central committee; if so, will he state the names of these representatives, the care committees they represent, and the number of prisoners for which each of such care committees is responsible, also the means to select these representatives and who nominated them for the position; and whether it is proposed to add any representatives from infantry regimental care committees?

I am informed that the following representatives of care committees and associations have recently been elected by the Central Prisoners of War Committee as members of the Central Committee, after consultation with the Red Cross Society:

1. Lady Gwendolen Guinness, Royal Naval Division Comforts Fund, responsible for 798 prisoners of war.

2. Mrs. Bromley Davenport, Invalids Comforts Fund, which is responsible for sending medical comforts and drugs to all camps in Germany in which British prisoners are confined.

3. Mr. David Erskine, City of Dundee Prisoners of War Fund Care Committee for the 4th and 5th Black Watch, responsible for ninety-nine prisoners.

4. Major Foster, D.S.O., R.A., Prisoners of War Fund of the Royal Artillery, responsible for 603 prisoners.

The Central Committee do not at present propose to add any more representatives.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Local Government Board for Ireland take any steps or any precautions to see that dispensary medical officers keep in good health and fit for the discharge of their duties; whether deafness unfits some of them for careful examination of the chest, the heart, and the symptoms of consumption; what powers are possessed by the Local Government Board when a case of this kind exists; what provision can be made for a medical officer who has become thus unfit; and whether, in the interests of the public health, it is proposed to do anything in these matters?

The dispensary medical officers are under the control and supervision of the boards of guardians in Ireland and are visited annually and their work inspected by the medical inspectors of the Local Government Board. Should a doctor develop any physical ailment, such as deafness, to an extent to render him unfit to perform his duties, the fact would come quickly to the knowledge of the guardians and they should report the matter to the Board with a view to the doctor being required to resign. The medical inspector when the fact came to his personal knowledge would, as a matter of duty, be bound to report it to the Board; and, furthermore, any person resident in the dispensary district or interested in the sick poor could complain either to the guardians or to the Board. The Board, on its being shown to their satisfaction that the doctor had become physically unfit for office, would require him to resign. The guardians are empowered, at their discretion, to grant, with the consent of the Local Government Board, a superannuation allowance to a medical officer who resigns on the ground that he had become incapable of discharging the duties of his office with efficiency by reason of permanent infirmity of mind or body. The above provisions seem sufficient to meet any case that might arise.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if his attention has been directed to the claim of the staffs of asylums in Ireland to shorter hours and increased salaries; and whether it is proposed to take any steps in the matter?

These matters are under the control of the local committee of management in each case by Sections 9 and 84 of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898. I am told that there has been no general claim on behalf of the staffs of asylums in Ireland to shorter hours, and that such a claim could not be acceded to without imposing an increased burden on the ratepayers, who are already heavily taxed for the upkeep of asylums. As regards salaries, the great majority of the staffs have applied for and been granted a war bonus.

asked the Lord Advocate whether consideration has been given to the request submitted to him in April last that workmen subpoenaed to attend inquiries into fatal accidents, and who at present receive a maximum allowance of 4s. 6d. with railway fare in certain cases, should be paid the equivalent of the value of the day's wages so lost; and, if so, will he state the result of such consideration?

I regret that I cannot consent to make any alteration at the present time. I have, however, agreed with my right hon. Friend the Lord Advocate that after the termination of the War, until which time it cannot be properly constituted, an inquiry shall be held into the existing scale of allowances to witnesses at criminal trials, precognitions, and fatal accident inquiries.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether it has been found necessary, contrary to the provisions of the Children Act, to commit juvenile delinquents in Scotland to prison owing to the lack of accommodation in reformatories; and, seeing that there is the same lack of accommodation in England, whether he will take steps, in consultation with the Home Department, for temporarily converting some institution for use as a reformatory?

I am making inquiry into the case which I think my hon. Friend has in mind. The general question of the shortage of accommodation in reformatories at the present time is receiving my consideration in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the shortage of accommodation in reformatory schools in England, with the result that juvenile delinquents have to be detained for long periods in remand homes; whether he is aware that there is a similar shortage of accommodation in Scotland; and whether he will take steps, in consultation with the Department of the Secretary for Scotland, as to the possibility of joint action, with a view to converting some existing institution for use as a reformatory or otherwise supplying the necessary accommodation?

I am aware that, owing to the increase in the number of committals, difficulty has been experienced in finding accommodation for cases in reformatory schools. The situation has been eased recently by allowing to some of the schools a small increase in the number of cases which they are authorised to admit and by the opening of a new school for boys in London and two schools for girls. It is hoped that two other schools will be ready for use before long. I understand that the circumstances in Scotland are similar, and I will consult with the Secretary for Scotland on the subject.