asked the Secretary to the Treasury why the war bonus of 4s. a week to men and 3s. a week to women, payable from the 1st January last, has not been paid to the temporary clerical staff engaged in munition bonds and stores; and whether he will see that this bonus with arrears is paid as soon as possible?

The war bonus referred to by the hon. Member is presumably that awarded by the Conciliation and Arbitration Board for Government employés under date 21st May, 1917 (Award No. 5). That award, which was the result of a claim by the Civil Service Federation, has not been regarded as applicable to the staffs of the new national factories, stores and bonds, where salaries or wages are in general regulated by local conditions and are not based on, or restricted within the limits of, the definite scales obtaining in Government Departments or other permanent establishments. In such cases claims to advances of wages on account of war conditions are considered on their merits. If the hon. Member will bring to my notice any cases at munitions stores and bonds in which increased remuneration appears to be called for, I shall be glad to make inquiries.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his statement that he did not see how the elimination of private interests in the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquor would tend to promote food economy is to be taken as representing the policy of the Government with regard to State purchase of the liquor traffic?

The statement is only to be taken as meaning that the same quantity of materials is required to brew a given quantity of beer whether the beer is brewed and sold by private individuals or by the Government. The maximum permitted barrelage was determined by reference, not to private interests, but to public needs.

asked what proportion of the total quantities of grain and sugar used in the manufacture of alcoholic liquor during the year 1916 was employed in making non-potable spirit?

There are no figures available which enable me to say what proportion of the total quantities of grain and sugar used in the manufacture of alcoholic liquor during the year 1916 was employed in making non-potable spirit.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that work in the destroyed area in Dublin is held up at present for want of sufficient timber; and whether, seeing that at the present time 700,000 tons of timber which is being commandeered by the Government is lying in the premises of the Merchants' Warehouse and Company and that many of the property holders wish to proceed with the building of their premises, he will recommend that some of this timber should be released for work in the destroyed area?

I am in communication with the Controller of Timber supplies with a view to securing as good a supply as possible for the purpose of rebuilding, to which the fullest practicable priority is being given.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will authorise the salaries of the British control officers at Tornea to be paid in English money or Finnish marks instead of in roubles, as at present?

The officer in question receives his pay in sterling, and it is not proposed to alter this. I will consider the question of the currency in which his allowances should be paid.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether the umpire appointed to assess the compensation payable by the Government in respect of the acquisition of the Brighton Shoreham Aerodrome has yet made his award; if so, what was the amount awarded; and what was the amount claimed by the owners?

An award has been made by Mr. Edwin Fox, the umpire appointed to assess the compensation payable by the Government to the Brighton Shoreham Aerodrome, Limited. The sum of£25,765 was awarded as against a total claim of£191,000.

asked the Pensions Minister whether a man discharged time expired after the outbreak of the present War, and subsequently rejected for further military service on medical grounds, is entitled to a gratuity under Article 7 (2) of the Royal Warrant and Order in Council of the 29th March last, his medical unfitness being certified as neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service; if not, whether he proposes that provision should be made for such a case; whether such a man has the right of appeal to the Pension Appeals Tribunal against the decision that his unfitness s neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service; and, if not, whether he proposes to give such a man the right of appeal?

Unless a man has been discharged on medical grounds he has no claim to pension or gratuity, nor has he the right of appeal to the Pensions Appeals Tribunal. He has a right, however, to represent his case to the Pensions Ministry for consideration under Article 9 of the Royal Warrant, and if he can prove his present disability to have arisen out of his service he will be admitted to pension in the same way as a man duly invalided. Further provision in the matter does not seem to me to be necessary.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the restoration of week-end and other leave to soldiers on home service, he will consider the advisability of restoring leave to conscientious objectors employed by the Home Office Committee detained at Dartmoor, Wake field, and other work centres, as many of these men have not seen their families for many months?

The answer is in the negative. The Committee are, however, making arrangements whereby men with one year's record of exemplary industry and conduct may be permitted to take up work under the Committee but away from work centres or camps, and in such cases they propose to allow the men, before taking up the new employment, to pay a short visit to their homes if they so desire. I hope shortly to be able to lay upon the Table Rules indicating the new arrangements in detail.

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he is aware that boys of 13 and 14, who have been released from school for the express purpose of working on farms, are being employed by the Road Board at 22s. 6d. a week on roads at Larkhill and Rolleston Camps, in Wiltshire, and, although ceasing work every Saturday between 11 and 12, are kept in employment on Sundays; and whether this has the authority and sanction of his Department?

The Road Board are informed by the engineer in charge of the work on the roads at Larkhill and Rolle- ston Camps that no boys under the age of 14 who have been released from school for the express purpose of working on farms are employed there A boy was engaged on 22nd August who stated at the time of his engagement that he was 15 years of age, and had not previously been employed in agriculture. It was subsequently ascertained that he had made an incorrect statement as to his age, and he has been discharged. He did no Sunday work. On the 7th September last the Board instructed their engineers in charge of work not to employ any applicants who had been formerly employed in agriculture.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction whether he is aware that the Local Government Sub-committee of the Reconstruction Committee, appointed to consider and report upon the steps to be taken to secure the better co-ordination of public assistance in England and Wales and upon such other matters affecting the system of local government as may from time to time be referred to it, includes gentlemen connected with county councils and municipal corporations but no one connected with an urban district council; whether he received representations from the Urban District Councils' Association three months ago urging the addition to the Sub-committee of a gentleman connected with an urban district council; whether the Sub-committee are considering any subject affecting the system of local government apart from the administration of the Poor Law; and whether, in view of the duties and responsibilities of urban district councils in regard to local government, public health, and national services in urban districts containing a population of 8,000,000 people, he will reconsider his decision and take steps to secure the addition to the Sub-committee of a gentleman connected with an urban district council?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a similar question on the 24th July last by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when it was explained that the members of the Committee were chosen for their personal qualifications rather than in a representative capacity. As regards the third part of the question, the hon. Member will observe that the terms of reference do not exclude from the purview of the Committee matters other than those relating to the administration of the Poor Law. The reply to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. Having regard to the progress which has, I understand, already been made with the work of the Committee, I am afraid it may not serve any useful purpose to add further to their numbers, but I will consult my right hon. Friend, the chairman, on the point.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that certain writers appointed as such before 19th August, 1871, and employed in the Customs Statistical Office, were, upon promotion to the establishment, allowed to count the whole of their unestablished service for pension, he is aware that certain writers or copyists appointed as such after 19th August, 1871, and employed in the Customs Statistical Office, were engaged upon precisely similar duties as the former; that this fact was recognised in 1899 by the grant of a special rate of pay as an ad-interim arrangement pending the promotion of these men to an established class; that when promoted to the new established class they continued to perform precisely the same duties that they performed before establishment; and whether, in view of these facts, he will reconsider the decision to allow only one-half the unestablished service to count for pension purposes, seeing that on the 26th April, 1912, it was stated that it is the general practice throughout the Civil Service to count for pension under Section 3 of the Superannuation Act, 1887, so much of temporary service as is similar in character to the established service following, due regard being had to the conditions of each class of employment?

I fear that I cannot usefully add anything to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on the 31st ultimo, and that I can hold out no hope that this question will be reconsidered.