asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he can state the percentage of increase or decrease in the consumption of bread during the past six months and the increase or decrease in consumption as compared with the corresponding period of last year?

Returns are received every four weeks as to the amount of flour used in bread and other articles containing flour or sold retail from about 6,000 bakers and retailers in all parts of the United Kingdom. These include 25 to 30 per cent. of the consumption of the civil population and are believed to be typical of the whole. The results expressed as percentages of the amount used in May, 1917, are shown in the following table:

There is strong reason for supposing that the stock of flour held in private houses in the northern counties of England for baking bread at home was reduced to an unusually small quantity before the cheapening of flour on September 17th, and that it has been replenished since that date. If reasonable allowance is made for this the numbers for the four weeks ended September 15th and October 13th, 1917, become 92½ and 95½ instead of 90½ and 97½. When the returns for the four weeks ended November 10th are re-received the changes in consumption shown in the last periods of the table can be accounted for with greater accuracy than is possible at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if it is the policy of the Food Controller to refuse a licence to charge the best price for milk to owners of herds which are in perfect health and kept under perfect hygienic conditions unless the animals have been inoculated with tuberculin; and, if so, whether, in view of the doubt as to the value of this test, and of the fact that its effects are contradictory and sometimes dangerous, he will refrain from enforcing it upon owners who disbelieve in it and issue his licence to all whose herds are healthy and whose milk is pure?

The Food Controller is considering the advisability of granting licences for the sale and purchase of milk of higher hygienic quality than the ordinary supply, but a decision has not yet been reached. In view of the importance attached by many competent authorities to the tuberculin test as a means of determining whether cows are free from tuberculosis, the Food Controller has not thought it advisable to grant temporary licences for the month of October in respect of the milk from herds which have not been so tested.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has given consideration to the effects upon child life by the consumption of milk from cows suffering from tuberculosis and to the necessity for taking some preventive measures; whether he is aware that for more than a quarter of a century the milk delivered by the Copenhagen Milk Supply Company has been guaranteed to be free from tuberculosis as the result of the application of Professor Bang's method of rearing calves free from tuberculosis; and whether he will consider the advisability of bringing pressure to bear upon breeders of dairy cattle to adopt the method referred to in the interests of life and health?

As to the first part of the question, the machinery set up by the Milk and Dairies Consolidated Act, 1914, in conjunction with the Tuberculosis Order of the Board of Agriculture, was designed with the object of reducing as far as possible the production of milk from tuberculosis animals. The operation of these measures has been postponed until after the War in view of the impossibility of establishing the necessary staffs and organisation under war conditions. As to the second and third parts of the question, the Board are aware that considerable success has attended the methods adopted in Denmark for eradicating tuberculosis from cattle herds, but unfortunately similar preventive measures in this country cannot be contemplated at the present time.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received representations protesting against flax millowners retaining the tow; is he aware that one-third of all flax milled results in tow; will he suggest to the War Office that all tow should be taken over by them at a fair price or, in the alternative, make it an offence under the Defence of the Realm Act for flax millowners to withhold tow from flax growers?

I understand that representations have been made to the Flax Committee of the Department of Aeronautical Supplies protesting against the retention by millowners of tow left after scutching; that this has been a cause of dispute be- tween farmers and millowners for many years; and that it is not the intention of the Department to interfere in the dispute at the present time.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he has received any representations from Royal Irish Constabulary pensioners for some increase in their pensions, in order to meet the present cost of living; whether he is aware that these pensioners are finding their pensions inadequate to obtain the necessaries of life and are consequently in distress; and whether he will have their case Sympathetically considered with a view to some concession being granted?

I have received a considerable number of representations from Royal Irish Constabulary pensioners, asking for an increase in their pensions. The matter has been carefully considered, but, as I informed the hon. Member for the College Green Division of Dublin last Wednesday, the Government do not see their way to introduce the legislation which would be required for this purpose. I may add that a large number of the pensioners retired from the constabulary at their own request, in order to obtain other positions.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether in the regulations for general hospitals of the Territorial Force it is laid down that for each 520 beds there shall be, in addition to medical officers engaged in administrative duties, four lieutenant-colonels and eight majors selected from distinguished members of the medical profession; and will he give a detailed return showing how many beds there are at the present time in each of the five London general hospitals and how many lieutenant-colonels and majors selected from distinguished members of the civil medical profession are actually engaged at the present time in clinical duties at each of these hospitals?

The number of equipped beds in each of the general hospitals referred to, and the number of lieutenant-colonels and majors doing duty at present is as follows:

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will have inquiry made into the reason why Private F. Hunt, No. 45039, 263rd Company, Royal Defence Corps, has not been paid the sum of £2 4s. 3d. as deferred proficiency pay from the 30th March to the 26th May; and why he has not received any subsistence pay from the 16th April, 1915, to the 1st August, 1915?

I have called for a report and will let the hon. Member know the result.

asked the Home Secretary whether there has been any general prohibition of the holding of open-air public meetings in coastal districts on the North-East coast; whether the prohibition of certain meetings which were proposed to be held in Cleveland in August last took place by his authority; and, if not, under what authority, and whether the prohibition is still operative?

There has been no such general prohibition of open-air public meetings in coastal districts. I am informed that, in connection with a meeting which was proposed to be held at Carlin How in August last under the auspices of the Cleveland Federation of Independent Labour Party Branches, the Chief Constable of the North Riding expressed a strong opinion against holding open-air meetings near that part of the coast. He tells me that in the case of this particular meeting, if it had not been cancelled he would have applied for an Order of prohibition under No. 9A of the Defence of the Realm Regulations, but it proved unnecessary to make the application. The matter did not come before me, but I am satisfied that the Chief Constable acted rightly.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he proposes to put into effect, by legislation or otherwise, the recommendations of the Committee on the Blind?

The hon. Member will have gathered from the oral answer I have to-day given to the hon. Member for York that it is hoped it may be possible before long to give effect to the recommendations of the Committee.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that sanction was refused the Whitefield, Lancashire, Urban District Council to send their clerk and a member of the council to the housing conference convened by the Workmen's National Housing Council at Blackpool in September last; and whether, in view of the importance of local authorities giving consideration to the early preparation of housing schemes, he will give instructions that they may be allowed to exercise their discretion as to whether or not they shall be represented at conferences convened by the Workmen's National Housing Council or similar representative organisations?

In view of the necessity for restricting railway travelling and of ensuring strict economy in the expenditure of public funds at the present time I think that the practice of sending delegates to conferences at the public expense requires some control. Local authorities receive a considerable number of invitations to conferences at the present time, and in the particular case referred to the decision was given after careful consideration. I need hardly say that I am fully alive to the importance of local authorities taking practical steps for the preparation of post-war housing schemes, and I am glad to say that a large number of them are doing so in response to the request which I have addressed to them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the complaints being made by dealers in waste paper that the recent order of the Paper Commission establishing a new system of permits will introduce unnecessarily the use of middlemen and will cause much unnecessary traffic on the railways by the provision that the holder of a merchant's permit must show an average weekly return of five tons and upwards; whether the Commission have considered the representations made to them; and whether the order itself can be reconsidered?

I am informed that the new system of permit does not introduce new middlemen nor does it add to the traffic on the railways. The Paper Commission are already considering what steps can be taken to remedy the complaints of the small dealers that they have less facilities for selling waste paper direct to the paper mills.