asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the impression conveyed by his speech in Paris that the operations on the Western Front have entailed casualties disproportionate to any success achieved, he will appoint a Committee of Inquiry as in the case of the Dardanelles and Mesopotamia?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can now make a statement as to the intention of the Government with regard to the suggested separation allowances for married officers; and whether, having regard to the position of many of these officers owing to the increased cost of living, he is prepared to make any such allowances retrospective, and, if so, from what date?

I can add nothing to my reply of yesterday to the hon. Member on this subject.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction existing throughout the country at the postponement of the Education Bill; and whether, under these circumstances, he can now fix an approximate date for resuming the consideration of this Bill?

I have already said that it is the intention of the Government to proceed with the Education Bill without any avoidable delay.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that speculation as to the financial stability of the country has been provoked by the statement made in the presence of the Prime Minister by Lord Leverhulme to the effect that the achievement of the Allies war aims would possibly raise the National Debt to £10,000,000,000, and that after the War revenue to the extent of £1,000,000,000 per annum might have to be provided; and whether this statement was made after consultation with the Prime Minister and had his consent?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, without disclosing names, he can say in how many cases the claims of the Inland Revenue Department against distillers, etc., in respect of sums realised by them upon realisation en bloc of stocks of wines and spirits at war prices, with a view to or simultaneously with retiral from business, have been compromised owing to the unsatisfactory nature of Inland Revenue Regulations for discrimination between profits represented as arising out of annual trade and those represented as being of the nature of capital; and whether he will, by legislation or otherwise, improve the Regulations in question?

No record is available of the number of cases in which claims for Excess Profits Duty as respects sales of distillers' stocks have arisen. The computation of liability in these cases rests not upon Regulations made by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue but upon revenue law. Obviously all taxing legislation must be general in character, and ad hoc legislation or Regulations directed to meet the precise circumstances of every individual case, such as my hon. Friend appears to have in mind, would be impracticable.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether when any other Government Department buys blocks of timber standing or felled from a landowner on a purely commercial basis without making any inquiry whatsoever as to whether the resulting profit, or any portion thereof, represents taxable gain his Department makes due inquiry, or whether it takes for granted that such transactions are of such a nature as to give rise to no taxable trade profit; whether his Department either does or has the power to ask a landowner to make a declaration on this point; if so, whether there have been cases where any Income Tax, Super-tax, or Excess Profits Duty has been paid upon the commercial profits of any such transactions; and whether any estimate has been formed of the extent to which landowners in various parts of the United Kingdom have been enabled by the weakness of the Inland Revenue Regulations to enjoy partial and accidental immunity from taxation, and thereby to retain tax-free sums of money, to the prejudice of other taxpayers in the country?

The Income Tax and Excess Profits Duty Acts already provide appropriate machinery for requiring returns and any other necessary parti- culars from the persons chargeable. The hon. Member may rest assured that there is no failure to meet the statutory requirements as regards the assessment and collection of the duties in these cases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the amount already paid in respect of separation or other allowances to the dependants or friends of interned aliens in these islands; and will he state the amounts for 1914, 1915, and 1916?

The allowances paid to the British-born wives and children of interned enemy aliens amounted approximately to 23,000 in 1914, £97,000 in 1915, and £139,000 in 1916.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he has seen a resolution, passed by the Wexford County Council, stating that, as the Wexford Harbour Commissioners had been severely hit by war conditions and consequently suffered financially, the Government should assist the Harbour Commissioners in dredging the harbour and quay berths; and whether the Government is prepared to do anything in the matter?

My hon. Friend has asked me to reply. I have received a copy of the resolution, and am making inquiries as to the question of dredging. The conditions referred to in the question are general, and special assistance can only be given for urgent reasons of present necessity.

asked the Patronage Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the Government announcement on 23rd November that the present moment is inopportune for discussions of a League of Nations to prevent war, it is intended to withdraw from circulation those leaflets of the War Aims Committee which, like President Wilson's speeches, refer to a League of Nations?

The answer is in the negative.

asked whether the War Aims Committee has published or intends to publish any literature defining and defending, the policy of this country in regard to the Jugo-Slavs?

The War Aims Committee has no present intention of publishing literature on the subject in question.

asked whether the War Aims Committee has published or intends to publish any literature defining and defending the policy of this country in regard to the Tcheco-Slovaks?

The War Aims Committee has no present intention of publishing literature on the subject in question.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the alleged waste of food essentials at the docks consequent on the lack of proper storage; whether the Government is taking any steps to provide scientific storage for wheat, oats, and cereals, especially, which would preserve them alike from the effects of damp and the ravages of vermin; and whether to this end disused sections of tube railways will be immediately adapted to and used for this purpose?

I have been asked to reply. I can add nothing to the answer given yesterday on this point to the hon. and gallant Member for the Ludlow Division, except to say that it is not proposed to utilise the disused ends of tube railways in the manner suggested. I may, however, repeat that it would be more helpful if, instead of making vague allegations, hon. Members would furnish me with definite particulars which could be made the subject of investigation.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he can explain the delay in issuing the Food Order controlling milk prices in Ireland; and when it will be issued?

The proposed Order raised several questions of difficulty, and careful consideration was necesary before the Order was finally made, so as to reduce to a minimum the possibility of having to amend it subsequently. The Order has, not been unduly delayed. 'It will be issued immediately, and will come into force on 10th December.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he is aware that for over a week there have been at Twining's shop in the Strand long queues of people waiting to buy tea; whether he is aware that similar scenes can be seen in various parts of London; what action he proposes to take in the matter; whether he is aware that such crowds require a number of police to regulate them; and whether he proposes now to deal scientifically with the whole tea problem?

The Food Controller is aware of the great difficulty that has been experienced by the public in obtaining tea. Owing to the small amount of tonnage made available, the supplies received for some months past have been very short, but the steps taken by the Food Controller to secure larger imports are now beginning to have effect. The arrivals in the last few weeks have been appreciably heavier, and as this tea passes into the shops the situation will steadily improve. Negotiations for the purchase of tea for the United Kingdom are nearly completed, and it is hoped to obtain a regular supply from India and Ceylon.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of food if he is aware that the Order fixing the maximum price of tea has in many cases caused considerable hardship; and if he will consider the desirability of adopting the same procedure as was taken in the case of flour?

The Food Controller is aware that in certain cases losses have been incurred by members of the tea trade as a result of the making of the Tea (Provisional Prices) Order, 1917. In cases in which he considered that course desirable he has already taken action somewhat similar to that adopted in respect of flour, and he is not prepared to go further at present.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he is aware that after the trade being in structed not to purchase Seville sour oranges for marmalade the Government buyers have purchased the crop and are making allotments of the same to manufacturers at the price of 45s. per cwt., as compared with the contract price last season of 16s. 6d. per case of 1 cwt. c.i.f.; and whether he is prepared to advise the Food Controller to discontinue the control of the prices of perishable fruits?

The Food Controller has arranged to supply the manufacturers with the bitter oranges purchased under his directions in Spain and Italy this season and required for the manufacture of marmalade for the Army and civilian population, at a provisional price of 45s. per cwt. of sound fruit delivered free on rail at the port of arrival. This figure will be subject to adjustment when the actual cost of deliveries has been ascertained. The corresponding price last season, so far as purchases for Army marmalade are concerned, was approximately 32s. 6d. per cwt. The difference is mainly due to the increase in freight and war insurance rates. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food (1) whether, in devising any scale of compulsory rations, the Food Controller will bear in mind the needs of those who abstain from the use of fish and flesh foods and include in the ration allotted to them extra supplies of vegetable foods equivalent in protein and fat-forming value to the meat and fish ration which may be fixed; (2) whether, in devising any scale of compulsory rations, the Food Controller will take into account the quantity of cereals used in the production of alcoholic liquors, and adjust matters so that the total amount of cereals allotted to each adult consumer shall be equalised, and for this purpose the quantity of cereals used in the production of the alcohol consumed by each individual shall be included in his or her total ration?

In devising any scale of compulsory rations the Food Controller will bear in mind the points raised by my hon. Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether his attention has been called to the deliveries of foodstuffs at Whitley Station, Surrey; whether he is aware that recently a consignment of one and a half tons of sugar arrived at Whitley Station for delivery to a private house; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the negative. I am having inquiries made, and will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that a rumour is abroad in different parts of the country that the Government intend at an early date to commandeer the whole stock of pigs and to issue an Order for the compulsory sale to butchers, at fixed prices, and that small private pig-keepers will not be allowed to retain their own pigs for the purpose of curing for home consumption; and, seeing that this rumour is having a detrimental effect upon the supply of pigs, as many people are hastening to kill and cure before the Order shall come into force, thus reducing the store by Wiling immature pigs, whether he can make some statement on the matter?

I have been asked to reply to this question. It does not appear necessary in present circumstances to commandeer the whole stock of pigs, and in any case it would not appear desirable to interfere with the practice of small pig-keepers curing their own pigs for home consumption. The killing of immature pigs is a most regrettable effect of a rumour for which no justification is known, and the Food Controller is glad to have an opportunity of contradicting it.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) how many horses have been purchased by his Department in connection. with food production; is he aware that £280,000 have been spent on horses alone in England and Wales; and what facilities are provided by his Department for supplying the labour shortage in tractors, men, and horses in Ireland?

No horses have been purchased by the Department of Agriculture in connection with the food production scheme, except those required on their own farms. The Department have no information as to the amount expended on the purchase of horses for this purpose in England and Wales. During last spring farmers in Ireland who required horses were placed in communication with dealers who had horses for sale, and arrangements were made with the military authorities to allow Army horses to be lent to farmers for short periods. Any further similar action which may be considered necessary will be duly taken. At present there is an Order in force prohibiting the export of horses from Ireland, except under licence, so as to secure that a sufficient supply of agricultural horses shall be available for the requirements of the extra tillage. As regards agricultural labour, the Department of Agriculture made arrangements in the early spring for the supply of agricultural labourers from the migratory districts, and this work has been continued by the Irish National Service Department. The Department have facilitated, as far as possible, the bringing of tractors into Ireland, and for a period they took over the responsibility for their distribution, with a view to ensuring that they were used to the best advantage. I believe over 300 tractors are now at work in Ireland. Loans have been made for the purchase of tractors, and special courses of instruction for tractor drivers and ploughmen have been provided.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the large firm of potato suppliers on the Irish Advisory Potato Committee are only paying the farmers £5 15s. per ton for loose loads delivered into their stores, instead of the Food Controller's then minimum price, £6, in this manner depriving the farmers of the 5s. per ton which the War Office allows them for services rendered, at the same time receiving this 5s. per ton from the War Office, thus securing for themselves a margin of 10s. per ton between the price they pay to the farmer and what they charge the War Office; whether this 10s. per ton is 2s. 6d. in excess of the Food Controller's allowance of 7s. 6d. per ton for this work; and what action, if any, he proposes to take in the matter?

No, Sir; I am not aware that this is the case. If the hon. Member will furnish me with further details in support of his suggestion, I will have the matter investigated.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he will state the number of tons of potatoes offered to the War Office during the month of October and the present month by firms outside the Irish Advisory Potato Committee; the price at which these potatoes were offered per ton; and whether he will state what price the War Office was paying the Advisory Potato Committee at the same date.

Two offers have been made by a firm who were removed from the Irish Advisory Potato Committee on account of their unsatisfactory transactions. As this firm has broken practically all the regulations of the Committee by which they had agreed to abide and had been removed for that reason, it was not considered advisable to place any further orders in their hands.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he can give any definite information as to the progress, if any, made in this country in the manufacture of beet sugar?

During the years 1912 –1915 a privately-owned factory at Cantley, in Norfolk, manufactured approximately 8,700 tons of sugar; but this enterprise ceased in 1916. With regard to the future, I may refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for West Cavan, on the 12th instant.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, under the Defence of the Realm Act, he has power to make Regulations whereby tenants may shoot pheasants found upon their land; and, if so, whether, in view of the damage done by pheasants to newly-sown wheat and other food crops, he will bring such Regulations into force at the earliest opportunity?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. An Order was made by the Board on 24th May last under which agricultural executive committees can authorise any tenant of land to shoot the pheasants on his holding if the committee are satisfied that the pheasants have not been so reduced as to prevent substantial injury to the crops.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that a claim for 490 moulds and 136 plates was made to the Property Losses Committee by Mr. F. M. O'Reilly, national school teacher, whose property was destroyed during the rebellion in Ireland, and that the amount of the award given was only 2s. per page, and on what basis this award was made; if he is aware that, as a result of the award, Mr. O'Reilly has had to let his books go out of print; if it is proposed to have this matter reconsidered; and, if not, if he will facilitate Mr. O'Reilly in bringing his case before a judicial tribunal?

A claim was made as stated in the question, and the amount of compensation awarded was £50. The basis was, as I understand the decision of the Property Losses Committee, as to actual loss. I am not in a position to review the decision of the committee. As to the last part of the question, the payment here authorised is an ex gratia payment, and I have no control over this exercise by His Majesty's subjects of any legal rights they may have.

asked The Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Under-Secretary, Dublin Castle, has received a copy of an affidavit made by one Matthew M'Cabe, of Ardloher, county Cavan, stating that he bought a farm from one Eva Knox, at Killyfassy, for £1,305, and paid a deposit on the same, but that the landlord, Colonel H. E. Maxwell, refused to accept the new tenant, alleging he was a Sinn Feiner, whereas Matthew M'Cabe was not a Sinn Feiner or Hibernian; whether he is aware that the objection to M'Cabe by the landlord is due to the fact that M'Cabe is a Catholic; and if he will, with a view of preventing possible trouble likely to be caused in the district, have representation made to Colonel Maxwell by the War Office or other Department likely to have influence in this particular quarter without delay?

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, under the Irish Land Acts, a landlord can refuse to accept a purchaser as tenant on the ground that the purchaser and tenant is a Catholic; if this is not so, will he inquire into the case of Mathew M'Cabe, of Arlegher, county Cavan, who purchased a farm at Kilfassy, county Cavan, by auction on 21st October last; that Colonel Maxwell refuses to accept Mr. M'Cabe as tenant, alleging as reasonable ground that Mr. M'Cabe is a member of a society called Sinn Fein; and seeing that Mr. M'Cabe has sworn a statutory declaration that he is not a member of Sinn Fein, nor an Hibernian, nor of any other society, political or otherwise, and that there is good reason to believe that the landlord's objection is to the fact that Mr. M'Cabe is a Catholic, what action he will take in the matter?

Under the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881, Section 1 (6), where the tenancy is sold to some other person than the landlord, the landlord may within the prescribed period refuse on reasonable grounds to accept the purchaser as tenant. In case of dispute, the reasonableness of the landlord's refusal shall be decided by the Court. I am aware of the facts as to the case mentioned in the question. The landlord refuses to accept the proposed purchaser, and, assuming that he should persist in his refusal, the question becomes one of determination by the Court under the Statute.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the Remount Department propose to commandeer about forty acres within the burgh of Ayr, and that in consequence the farmers who have long been accustomed for their cattle to rest there for a day or two before sale will have their stock seriously depreciated and the price of meat decreased; and, as there is plenty of land equally suitable for remount purposes, will he have fuller inquiries made?

No land has been commandeered in the borough of Ayr or neighbourhood for the Remount Department. Inquiry is being made as to the hiring of land suitable for grazing horses in the spring, in consultation with the Board of Agriculture and the Food Production Committee.

asked what progress has been made with the organisation of medical volunteer corps and field ambulances; in how many counties in England and Wales such corps have been formed; and what organisation it is proposed to set up in the case of the county of London?

Sixteen county medical volunteer corps have been formed or are in process of formation. The total number of field ambulances provided by these corps is twenty-nine. No medical volunteer corps has yet been formed for the county of London, but it may be possible to utilise the services of certain personnel in the county of London, if developments, which are under consideration, mature.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the hon. Member for East Glamorgan has submitted to the competent military authority the evidence upon which he bases his charge that dishonourable money from enemy sources has been freely distributed in the South Wales coal-field, and that men previously earning £3 a week have been treating their workmates to the extent of from £15 to £40 a week; and whether it is intended to hold official inquiry and issue a Report, or what action it is proposed to take?

I understand that my hon. and learned Friend the Member for East Glamorgan has very kindly given the proper military authorities certain useful information, though not directly concerning the amounts earned and spent. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is now in a position to state who the German, dressed in naval officer's uniform, travelling on the Midland Railway last Monday is?

The person referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend is prisoner of war, Lieutenant Spindler, who was, I am informed, brought under escort on the 19th November from the Prisoners of War Camp, at Kegworth, Derbyshire, to attend a Prize Court in London. He was allowed to breakfast on the railway train in a compartment where there were no other passengers. During the meal the escort remained with him, and immediately afterwards took him to an ordinary compartment.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether members of the Canadian Forces of the Crown possess the same rights in regard to vaccination and inoculation as soldiers in the British Forces; if not, whether, after once submitting to these operations, Canadian soldiers can be forced to submit to them again; if so, how often; and whether refusal to comply with such order, after having submitted once, will render the soldier liable to prosecution under the Army Act?

I am making certain inquiries with regard to this matter, and will communicate with my hon. Friend later.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that on the date when he expressed the opinion that it was not desirable to modify the rule that no alien should be enrolled in the Volunteer Force, the Military Service (Convention with Allied States) Act, 1917, had not then been passed; whether the passing of such Act materially alters the circumstances; and, if so, whether he will reconsider the position in which Russian subjects are placed who are ordered by tribunals to join the Volunteer Force?

I do not think that the passing of the Act referred to alters the situation, as far as the Volunteers are concerned. As I pointed out, the difference between the Volunteer and the full-time soldier is that the former is only subject to military supervision during actual drill or training. Discrimination between aliens would be difficult, and it is therefore thought better to exclude them all. I understand that my right hon. Friend the President of the Local Government Board is about to call the .attention of tribunals to the fact that aliens are not eligible for the Volunteer Force.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether there are insuperable difficulties, and, if so, what are they, in the way of obtaining a census of the men in Scottish regiments who desire after the War to be established on small holdings in Scotland?

The census suggested by my hon. Friend would be incomplete unless applied to the whole of the Army and Navy, as many Scotsmen are serving in non-Scottish units. It would not be reliable, owing to future casualties and to change of mind on the part of the men. If such a census were permitted it would have to be applied generally, and the claims of other occupations could not be ignored. The project would impose an undue amount of labour on the staffs in the various theatres of war, and I am afraid, therefore, my hon. Friend's suggestion cannot be regarded as practicable.

asked whether the authorities are contemplating the releasing of medical students who are engaged in non-medical work in the Army in order that they may qualify for medical work?

I am afraid I can add nothing to the answer given on the 15th instant by my hon. Friend the Minister for National Service to my hon. Friend the Member for Mayo East.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that men claiming to be over military age are being ordered by the military representatives to produce their birth certificates; that in a number of cases copies of the certificates have to be obtained from the registrar at a cost of 3s. 7d.; and whether, in view of the fact that the production of the birth certificate is a military and not a personal requirement, arrangements will be made for the certificates to be supplied free of cost.

My hon. Friend has asked me to reply. In view of the hardship and expense imposed upon certain men called upon to produce birth certificates for the purpose of verifying their age in questions of liability to military service, instructions were issued in September, 1917, that where a man claims to be excepted from military service on the ground of age and is required to produce a birth certificate to prove his claim, the cost of the certificate is to be refunded by the recruiting officer if the man proves that he is in fact excepted from liability on account of his age. This applies to all such cases except where a man has given such information on registration as, if correct, would bring him within the scope of the Military Service Acts, or where the man is required to produce evidence of the date of his birth in order that he may be posted to a particular corps of his own choice, or where the birth certificate had not to be procured by the man especially for recruiting purposes.

asked how many men have been dealt with in Ireland under Army Council Instruction No. 817, of the 19th May, 1917, for the years 1914, 1915, 1916, and to date?

We have no information on this point. The Instruction relates purely to procedure in the cases of absentees who have proceeded to Ireland, and action is taken in appropriate cases by recruiting authorities in the various localities. To secure the figures asked for would involve a considerable expenditure of time and labour and therefore of money without, I think, compensating advantages. The hon. Member may rest assured that the question will not be lost sight of.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received a unanimous representation from the Dartmoor settlement concerning the circumstances connected with the recall to the Army of two men named Nicolson and Williamson, and the reduction of twenty-five other men to low grades of pay, accompanied with con- finement to quarters; whether he is aware that there have been continual complaints concerning the conduct of Warders Coombes and Williams, who were responsible for making the charges in this case; and whether he will consent to the independent inquiry which has been petitioned for on this occasion?

I understand that the Committee on Employment of Conscientious Objectors have received representations in this matter from certain of the men employed under them at Princetown. Before deciding on the action referred to the Committee made very careful inquiry, and had before them the representations of the men concerned. They are satisfied that there is no justification for the complaints which have been made by some of the men against the two officers named by the hon. Member. I can see no ground for further inquiry into the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the time of men serving in the Army transferring to the Navy is counted either for proficiency pay, pension, or promotion; and, if not, whether the Government will bring in a measure to do away with this condition?

In the case of a man transferred from the Navy to the Army previous service in the Navy does not count for proficiency pay, but would count for pension. Promotion does not depend on length of service, but on efficiency and capacity. Such transfers are rare, and I do not think that legislation is necessary.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he can state to the House the average cost per man of Army hutments erected; and the average cost per man of furnishing them?

The average cost of the hutments erected is about £22 11s. 7d. per man. This includes ali[...] provision for officers, for stabling of horses, and for the r[...]ads, drains, and other external services. The average cost of furnishing; including kitchens, latrines, and other commons offices, is about £3 5s. per man.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he will state the name of the contractor for the erection of the hutments for miners in Cleveland, the terms of the contract, and the number of miners now resident in the hutments?

Before answering this question I desire to take the opportunity of correcting answers which I gave to supplementary questions on this subject on the 26th inst. I then said that I thought a number of miners had been billeted in the Cleveland huts,, and that they had contributed to the increase in output of iron ore which had been secured. When I spoke I had in mind what had been done in another part of the North-Eastern iron-ore fields. The miners brought into the Cleveland district were brought back from the Colours and returned to their own homes. The answer to the question on the Paper is that the contractors for the huts were Messrs. Robert McAlpine and Sons, 2, Central Buildings, Westminster, S.W. The contract was let on a time and materials basis, with a basis of profit based on cost, part of which was 4 per cent. and part 3 per cent. No miners are yet resident in the hutments, but it is hoped shortly to commence drafting in men. Arrangements have been made for surplus accommodation to be loaned to the War Office.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether, as the difference in regard to wages paid in 1914 as between Woolwich and Dublin ordnance workers was only 4s., and as the cost of living to both employés is practically the same and as there is now 13s. difference between the same employés, and that Woolwich employés have overtime weekly to augment their wages while Dublin has practically none, he will give instructions for the difference to be paid to the Dublin employés, so as to make conditions equal as to pre-war pay rates?

I can add nothing to the reply which I gave the hon. Member yesterday.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that recently another all-round advance has been granted to Dublin employés; if he will say on what grounds his Department refused to grant the Army Ordnance Department labourers an increase, which would make them equal to Dublin pay rates; and if he will state what firms in Dublin his Department selected for comparison as to wage conditions?

The hon. Member sent me a list of firms selected by himself in September last, and the wages now paid are adequate, in view of that information. I have not been informed of any further all-round advance.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether pensioner warrant officers and non-commissioned officers of the Army who have been granted temporary commissions during the War and who will be compulsorily retired on the conclusion of hostilities will receive the same rate of pension as has been granted under Marine Orders 295 and 1838 of 1917 to warrant officers and non-commissioned officers of the Royal Marines in similar circumstances?

No, Sir. The arrangements for the Army officers referred to are those stated in Article 497 of the Pay Warrant.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that dissatisfaction exists at Beachley Camp among the men in the J, W, and D Battalions of the Royal Engineers who are erecting huts owing to the promise to give these men an increase of pay after sixty days' service not being kept; and whether he will give instructions that these men must be paid the advance promised them as from the time the sixty days of their service expired?

Inquiries are now being made, and the hon. Member will be informed of the result in due course.

asked whether, since the War Office was unable at the last moment to follow its usual practice of lending tents to the public secondary schools cadet camp at Marlborough, and that this led to an expenditure of £270, exclusive of transport, and also that the continuation of this camp, the schools attending which have supplied many officers for the Army, is now in doubt owing to a deficit on the year's working of £250, the War Office will make a grant towards the cost of tents?

The War Office lends tents when it can, but cannot undertake to supply them or to make grants in lieu.

asked if, under the proposed new Regulations relating to pay and separation allowance for soldiers, a soldier who has allotted 3s. 6d. a week to his parents but has failed to obtain Government separation allowance will be relieved from the necessity of paying the allotment, as other soldiers will be who have succeeded in obtaining Government separation allowance?

I would ask the hon. Member to await the Royal Warrant which is about to be issued.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, having regard to the hardship that will fall upon the dependants of soldiers, pensioners, and dependants of deceased soldiers if special arrangements are not made to pay their allowances for Chrismas week in advance, on account of the closing of money order offices on Christmas Day and Boxing Day under the Bank Holidays Act, he will take action with the object of arranging for all allowances and pensions due during Christmas week to be paid a week in advance, as was done last year?

It has been already arranged that Army allowances due on the 24th and 25th and pensions due on the 26th December will be payable a week in advance.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether he is aware that the firm of T. Ellison, Premier Cabinet Works, Manchester, have had a strike on with their workpeople for the past eleven weeks; whether he is aware that the above firm have a. contract with the War Office for 50,000 boxes; is he aware that the above firm have arranged with the Labour Exchange Department in Manchester to have a number of women to take the place of the strikers; and, if so, what steps he intends taking to compel the firm to effect a settlement with the workpeople's trade union?

This matter was brought to the attention of the Ministry on 20th November, and inquiries are proceeding.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he has received repeated letters from Mr. M. P. Donnellan, of West Carren, Falkirk, complaining that Messrs. Dobbie, Forbes and Company, of Larbert, have refused to pay him part of a week's wages earned and, further, that he has not been paid subsistence allowance as an Army Reserve munition worker; and will immediate attention be given to both these complaints?

I have received complaints from Mr. Donnellan to the effect that Messrs. Dobbie, Forbes and Company, of Larbert, have refused to pay him part of a week's wages, and his claim is being dealt with. His present employers were authorised to pay him subsistence allowance on 16th November.

asked the Minister of National Service whether he is aware that, owing to the restrictions on the consumption of cotton, a large number of cotton operatives are row out of work; and whether he is taking steps for their employment on work of national importance?

The whole question of the unemployment in Lancashire, due to the restrictions of the import of raw cotton, has been under the consideration of the various Departments concerned. Representatives of these Departments have visited Lancashire with a view to making arrangements for the manufacture of aeroplanes and aeroplane parts in some of the cotton factories, in order to employ on the spot the local labour thrown out of work and to avoid the necessity for the construction of other factories for this purpose. The matter is not finally settled, but I am happy to be able to say that, in the opinion of those qualified to speak, the proposal would appear to be a practicable one. Every effort will be made to meet the situation in this way or on parallel lines.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, in view of the increases granted to old age pensioners and workmen in receipt of compensation for total disablement, he will favourably consider the possibility of extending powers to local authorities to grant some increase to their superannuated servants, many of whom, being in receipt of small pensions only, are in straitened circumstances through the increased cost of living?

Superannuation allowances are only payable to certain retired officials of local authorities and are governed by various Statutes, some of general and some of local operation, which determine the scale of pension. In many cases the officials are not pensionable on retirement. Legislation would be required to enable local authorities to make payments to retired officials who are not now pensionable or increased payments to those who are.

asked the President of the-Board of Trade what action is being taken with regard to the strike of taxi-cab drivers in London which has arisen through a dispute as to the payment for petrol and railway station tolls?

My right. hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the replies which I gave to questions on this subject by the hon. and gallant Member for the Enfield Division and the hon. Member for the Ecclesall Division of Sheffield on the 15th and 26th November, respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the shortage of matches amongst retail shopkeepers in London is still increasing while the quality deteriorates; and whether he will take steps to secure that retailers shall obtain without delay the 50 per cent. of their total purchases last year and be compelled to sell them at a reasonable profit?

As the production of matches in this country is slightly under 50 per cent. of the total supplies in 1915, the datum year, and about one-third of this output is allotted for War requirements, it is not possible at present to ensure to retailers a full 50 per cent. of their 1915 purchases. Deliveries are being made as expeditiously as possible. A schedule of prices has been issued by the Tobacco and Matches Control Board which allows a reasonable profit to all branches of the trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether seeing that the Reports of the various Committees appointed by the Board of Trade to inquire into questions of trade policy after the War contain valuable findings quite apart from controverted fiscal matters, he can see his way to publish such Reports, at all events in so far as they do not raise questions at present undesirable to be raised from an international point of view?

It has been decided to publish extracts from these Reports in the "Board of Trade Journal" for the information of those interested.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that letters written in Ireland to soldier prisoners at Giessen appear to be stopped in transit, though letters from England are regularly delivered in this camp; and if he will make inquiries on the subject?

My right hon. Friend's attention was recently drawn to a complaint that letters from Ireland for Irish prisoners of war at Giessen were being stopped in transit, and the inquiry which was instituted as a result of this complaint made it clear that the correspondence is not being delayed or detained in this country. An examination of the correspondence for prisoners of war abroad was made on a recent date when a number of letters from Ireland for prisoners of war at Giessen were observed in course of transmission, from this country. We are, however, making further inquiry in the matter.

asked the hon. Member for Sheffield (Central Division) whether any British prisoners have yet arrived in Holland under The Hague agreement, and, if not, how soon they are expected; also, whether British prisoners have been sent to Switzerland to replace those recently repatriated; and, if not, whether such prisoners have yet been chosen by the medical commission, and when they may be expected to reach Switzerland?

Eighty-one British officers and 331 other ranks arrived in Switzerland from Germany on Tuesday. I regret to say that, so far as we know, none have yet arrived in Holland. A difficulty has arisen as to the order of transportation of various classes of prisoners, and negotiations on the point are proceeding.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any reports from the British Ambassador in Paris on the various political scandals and trials now proceeding in France; whether he will ask for reports if he has not received any; and whether, in view of the censorship operating on telegrams from Paris, he will communicate the contents of the reports when received to Parliament?

The answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative and to the last part in the negative.

asked the Coal Controller if he has seen a statement by the Wexford Trades and Labour Council that, according to him, the price of coal at the pit should not exceed pre-war prices by more than 7s. or 8s. per ton, whereas the people of Wexford have to pay 30s. per ton more; whether he can explain the cause of these prices; and, in view of the fears of distress amongst the poor, can he hold out any hope that the price of coal in Wexford will be reduced?

An inquiry has been made into the position as regards retail coal prices in Wexford, in accordance with a promise which the President of the Board of Trade made in a reply which he gave to a similar question asked by the hon. Member on the 29th October. The increase over pre-war prices is about 29s. per ton. The coal is obtained from collieries in Monmouthshire and South Wales, and the increase in the pit price permitted under the Price of Coal (Limitation) Act is accordingly 9s. per ton. The increase in freights is about 17s. per ton, and the remaining 2s. is accounted for by increased costs of handling and distribution. As my right hon. Friend has already stated, the question of freights on coastwise traffic is receiving the attention of the Shipping Controller.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he has seen a resolution, passed by the New Ross Urban District Council, referring to the fact that the council, having introduced technical education in New Ross, finds that the scheme is hampered by the want of sufficient funds, and expressing a hope that the Treasury will grant the full demand of the Department of Agriculture; and whether he can hold out any hope that the demand will be complied with?

I have been asked to reply. I have seen a copy of the resolution referred to, but I cannot add anything to the written answer I gave on Monday to a question by the hon. Member for Cork City.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what was unsatisfactory during the year from 13th March, 1905, to 13th March, 1906, in the work or conduct of Mr. Newell, late inspector of national schools, that led to his annual increment of £15, accruing due on the latter date, not being awarded then or ever afterwards; if there was nothing definitely unsatisfactory, will he say why the certificate was not given, as said to be required by Order in Council of 29th November, 1898, which states specifically that increment depends on work and conduct of the preceding year; and if he is aware that Mr. Newell's salary during the next four or five years and his pension afterwards have been materially lessened by the stoppage or non-payment in question?

I am in communication with the Commissioners of National Education on this subject.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that in December, 1902, the local senior inspector of national schools in Limerick complained to the Education Office that Mr. Newell, local district inspector, would not carry out a particular order of his; that the senior inspector in question had no authority whatever to direct Mr. Newell to do as mentioned and that, if Mr. Newell had done so, he would have been breaking the Board's own regulations and leaving himself open to serious censure; that, notwithstanding this, the resident Commissioner suspended Mr. Newell without going through even the formality of consulting any of the other nineteen Commissioners or returning to Mr. Newell in the regular way the complaint in question for his observations; that at an inquiry subsequently held by the two chief inspectors Mr. Newell was proved to have been right and the senior inspector wrong; whether he is aware that the resident Commissioner's action was entirely due to personal animosity on his part, owing to a near relative of Mr. Newell's having shortly before protested in the public Press against an address delivered by Mr. Starkie in Belfast in September, 1902; and whether any action will be taken in the matter?

I am in communication with the Commissioners of National Education on this subject.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will state the number of paper-promoted Irish national teachers who have retired on pension with arrears of grade salary or good service salary still withheld from them; what amount of their earned wages has been withheld; by how much have their pensions been diminished in consequence; on what grounds such withholding of salaries and diminution of pensions has taken place; and whether, seeing the need of both teachers and pensioned teachers in the present circumstances, he will take steps to have arrears of salaries and pensions paid and to have the latter raised to the stipulated figures?

The particulars asked for could only be ascertained by an expenditure of much time and money, and I am not prepared to ask the Commissioners of National Education to undertake the laborious investigations which would be necessary. As to the general question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for West Cork on the 13th November.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether it is possible to supply pure breeds of poultry, including turkeys, geese, and ducks, to the North-West Agricultural School from the Albert Agricultural College or the Munster Dairying School; will he give immediate instructions to have this done, so that a practical training in poultry-keeping may be offered to the students; and whether he has any official information showing that the inadequate equipment of this school is one of the chief causes of the slack attendance?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to his question on the 22nd inst. The Department of Agriculture propose to keep at this school only those breeds of poultry which are considered suitable for giving the practical training in poultry-keeping which can be acquired in a short course of six or eight weeks. The Department are not aware that the equipment of the school has anything to do with the number of applications for places. During the War it has been found difficult to maintain the attendance at the school, and the whole question of the lines on which the institution may be most advantageously developed will be carefully considered after the War.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether the Department are making any experiments regarding the growth of flax for seed and the best method of treating it for seed; if so, where are these experiments being conducted; and is it intended to conduct any such experiments at the North-West Agricultural School, which is situated in the heart of one of the principal flax-growing districts in Ulster?

The Department of Agriculture have been making experiments in the growing of flax for seed for years past. The experiments are carried on in county Derry, in the Albert Agricultural College, Glasnevin, and at Ballinacurra, county Cork. Facilities for conducting the experiments do not exist in the North-West school, and it is not considered necessary to extend the experiments as suggested.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that in the Colony of Sierra Leone two Government schools received a Grant of £6,560, with an average attendance of about 250 pupils, while all the other denominational schools receive only the sum of £4,160, with an average attendance of 8,000 pupils; whether the Government in that Colony favour Mahomedanism, paying Mahomedan teachers a salary while they refuse to pay Christian teachers any salary, and if they have notified the latter that their bonuses will be discontinued; whether the Bo School in Sierra Leone is a non-Christian school where no Christian doctrine is taught; whether this school receives a larger Grant than all the other schools put together, seeing that the Vote for the Bo School in 1917 was £4,400, and all other schools £4,160; and if he will explain why pupils of the Bo non-Christian school receive nearly £40 per head and the Government model school, 75 per cent. of which is Mahomedan, £20 per head, while the Christian schools receive only about 10s. per head on the average?

The information in my possession does not enable me to give a complete reply to the hon. Member, and I am asking the Governor of Sierra Leone for a report on the matter.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that the public health committee of the Birmingham City Council, following a report adopted by the Association of Municipal Corporations, is of opinion that much could be done for the saving of infant life and for the improvement of the health of young children if the proper local authorities in England and Wales were given the same powers as are bestowed upon Scotch and Irish local authorities by the Notification of Births (Extension) Act, 1915; and whether he will introduce a Bill immediately to grant them these powers?

I have not received information as to the action taken by the public health committee of the Birmingham City Council, but the associations representing local authorities in England and Wales have expressed the view that if these local authorities were given the same powers as those conferred upon the Scotch and Irish local authorities by the Notification of Births (Extension), Act, 1915, the result would be a diminution in the infant mortality rate, and have pressed for the powers referred to. In this view I concur, and, as I have already stated, I am anxious to introduce a Bill conferring these powers on local authorities as soon as circumstances permit.