asked the Prime Minister whether it is the policy of the Government to postpone the normal development of all coal-fields in sight and in prospect until after the termination of the War; and, if so, how, in view of the number of coal miners already serving in His Majesty's Forces, face room for the employment of these is to be found on demobilisation if this policy is not reconsidered?

The policy is only to postpone the normal development of existing and prospective coal-fields in so far as necessities of the national interests in respect of man-power and the serious shortage of plant, machinery, and other material renders such a course necessary. It is not anticipated that upon demobilisation there will be any lack of face room in the pits, as shortage of labour has already compelled many collieries to reduce the number of men working at the coal face.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the Lighting of Factories and Workshops Committee; how many sittings this Committee has held within the last six months; whether any changes have been made in the personnel of this Committee during this period; what is the annual cost to the State of this Committee, including salaries, rent, rates, taxes, printing, posting, and stationery; and whether this Committee is to be continued?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The Committee referred to presented a First Report (which is published as a Parliamentary Paper, Cd. 8000) in May, 1915. Owing to the War the further inquiries in contemplation by the Committee have had to be suspended, and there have been no meetings of the Committee, no change in its personnel, and no expenses incurred in connection with it during the last two years. Good lighting in factories and workshops is of great importance to the health of the workers and for the prevention of accidents, and has also a considerable effect on output, and it is proposed that the inquiry shall be resumed as soon as circumstances permit.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the Textile Industries Central Advisory Committee; how many sittings this Committee has held within the last six months; whether any changes have been made in the personnel of this Committee within this period; what is the annual cost to the State of this Committee, including salaries, rent, rates, taxes, printing, posting and stationery; and whether this Committee is to be continued for the successful prosecution of the War?

The Prime Minister has asked me to answer this question. I presume the question relates to the Departmental Committee on the Textile Trades, which was one of a number of Committees appointed by the Board of Trade to consider the position of important branches of industry after the War. The Committee completed its Report in May last, and no meetings of the Committee have been held since. For the reasons stated in the answer to another question by the hon. Member yesterday, it is not possible to separate the expenditure in connection with this Committee from that for the whole group of Committees of which it formed a part.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether members of the legal profession whose incomes owing to the War are increased above the ordinary peace level pay excess tax on such incomes?

On reference to Section 39 ( c ) of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, the hon. Member will see that a profession, the profits of which are dependent mainly on the personal qualifications of the person by whom it is carried on, and in which little or no capital expenditure is required, is excluded from the scope of the Excess Profits Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that there are 130,000,000 gallons of spirits held up in bond in the United Kingdom according to the provisions of the Immature Spirits Act prohibiting the clearance of spirits less than three years old; and if he will, under existing circumstances, allow a limited proportion of this whisky to be freed, say at two years old, with a view to easing the situation and bringing immediate revenue to the Government?

The hon. Member appears to be misinformed as to the quantity of spirits which under the provisions of the Immature Spirits (Restriction) Act is at the moment ineligible for clearance. The supply of whisky in bond available for clearance is adequate to meet all current requirements.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state the number of lower-grade Civil servants in receipt of pensions less that £100 per annum, who through age, infirmity, or other valid reason are unable to supplement their at present inadequate annuity, with the view of granting them a temporary increase thereto during the period of the War, to enable them to procure at least the necessaries of life?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. and gallant Member for Christchurch on 6th June last, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will consider the desirability of taking such steps as may be necessary to direct public attention to the advisability of a reduction by, say, one-third or one-half of the consumption of milk by adults in order especially to add to the supply for young children which would thus be rendered available?

The public have already been urged, in connection with the voluntary rations, to restrict their consumption of milk as far as possible in order to reserve it for those to whom it is indispensable, and I shall be glad if hon. Members and the Press will give this appeal as wide a publicity as possible. Meanwhile local food control committees have full power to secure priority for children within their area and the best means of achieving the object the hon. Member has in mind would be for the public to insist upon the exercise of these powers locally.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food how many hundredweights of oats are at present being rationed to racehorses; whether he has recently received a request to raise the amount; and whether his reply was to the effect that he could not do so without the sanction of the War Cabinet.

The licences to ration racehorses to the extent of fifteen pounds a day during the flat racing season of 1917 automatically expired at the end of the season. There are, therefore, no horses now rationed specifically for racing. The question whether similar licences should be granted in respect of horses in training for winter racing has been referred by the Food Controller for the decision of the War Cabinet.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will explain the reasons for the census of stock taken on 2nd December; and whether it is intended to ration the feeding-stuffs of milking cows and cattle being fattened for market?

The object of the census of live-stock taken jointly by the Board of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food on the 2nd December was to bring the statistics of live-stock in the country up to date, and to provide a basis for the control of live-stock and meat distribution. It will also serve as a basis for the scheme of rationing feeding-stuffs with priority for milking cows, which it is hoped shortly to put into effect.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether he can state the total quantity of sugar and tea in bond at the 30th November in the years 1917 and 1916, respectively?

I have been asked to reply. The recorded quantities of sugar remaining in bonded warehouse or entered to be warehoused at the end of last month were 1,445,000 cwts. of refined and 3,352,000 cwts. of unrefined sugar, as compared with 764,000 and 2,244,000 cwts. respectively at the corresponding date of 1916. The figures for tea were 37,595,000 lbs. at the end of last month and 122,873,000 lbs. at the end of November, 1916.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he can state the quantity of sugar at present held by the brewing trade?

Brewers have been requested to make a return of the quantity of sugar held by them on 1st December. So soon as the figures are available I will inform the hon. Member what was the amount so held.

asked whether maltsters and brewers are entitled to purchase barley at current market prices in excess of the quantity which they are permitted to purchase at 5s. 3d. a quarter above the ordinary market price for their requirements during the current quarter?

There is no restriction as to the amount of barley which may be bought by any person at or below the authorised maximum price; but, except under licence, no barley, other than damaged barley, may be used for any purpose other than for seed or the milling of flour.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller in view of the small percentage of food ships officially stated to have been lost during the months of September and October what the cargoes on board the vessels lost during those months consisted of?

The statement I made on 6th December to which my right hon. Friend refers was that of the inward cargoes of wheat in September and October only 3.3 per cent. was lost in September and 0.7 per cent. in October. For the two months together the percentage of loss was as nearly as possible 2 per cent. I may add now that of all cargoes homeward bound in the same two months to the United Kingdom, whether in British or other vessels, the percentage lost was 3 per cent., of which 1 per cent. only was represented by food. With regard to the latter part of my right hon. Friend's question, of the British tonnage actually sunk in September and October, about one-eighth only consisted of ships carrying food, over one-third of ships carrying coal, and the remainder of ships carrying miscellaneous commodities or ships sailing outwards in ballast.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he will state the total number of pigs and also the number of sows in the United Kingdom at the most recent date for which figures are available, and the comparative figures for 1916, 1915, 1914, and 1913?

The numbers of pigs in the United Kingdom (including the Isle of Man and Channel Islands), as returned on the 4th June, 1917, 1916, 1915, 1914, and 1913, were as follows:

asked when first the Heed for an increase in the number of steam ploughing-tackle sets was pointed out to the Food Production Department, And by whom; when first that Department decided to place orders for such tackle; and when first such orders were placed?

The need for increasing the number of sets of steam tackle in the country was obvious to the Food Production Department from the moment of its formation. It was ascertained, however, that the manufacturers were already fully engaged upon orders placed by individual farmers. As no advantage from the point of view of food production would have been gained by the Department's order being given precedence over these private orders, arrangements were made with the Ministry of Munitions to assist manufacturers to complete the orders already in hand at the earliest possible date, and the Department sent to the Ministry on the 16th March and the 11th and 18th May orders for as many additional sets, sixty-seven in all, as could possibly be completed in time for use in connection with the 1918 programme.

asked whether he has any approximate figures as to the number of allotments, both old and new, throughout England and Wales; and, failing such statistics, whether he can see his way to grant a Return of all these allotments, giving such particulars as would be of value not only to his Board, but also to the associations that have already been formed?

There has been no complete return of allotments since 1895,

at which time there were reported to be 482,901 allotments in England and Wales (apart from cottage gardens). The only other figures available are as regards the allotments provided by local authorities,

which, according to the latest return (1914), numbered 130,526, and as regards allotments under the Cultivation of Lands Order, 1916, which show that 183,000 plots have been provided since that date in urban areas. It is impossible to estimate the increase since 1895 in the number of allotments provided by private enterprise, but it has been very considerable, especially during the last two years. It is, however, probably true to say that the total number of allotments at present is not far short of 1,000,000. To obtain a complete return would absorb much labour and occupy much time, which could more profitably be employed in other directions at the present time.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware of the unsatisfied demand for allotments in the big industrial centres; whether he is aware that in many cases land suitable for this purpose is situated at a considerable distance from the centre of the towns, and that it would be impossible for would-be allotment holders to spend both time and money in cultivating land several miles from the district in which they reside; and whether, under these circumstances he will consider the advisability of recommending that where the local authorities are willing to find the land for this purpose on the outskirts of the large urban areas, he will approach the Board of Trade with a view of obtaining the Grant of a free allotment holders' pass on the railways in cases where it is necessary in order to stimulate and assist the production of food during the forthcoming season?

The Department have already been in communication with the Board of Trade who alone are in a position to decide whether the desired facilities can be given. I can only refer the hon. Member to the reply which has been given him to-day by that Department to his earlier question, No. 27, on the same subject.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he can state the actual output of beer, including the quantity brewed under special licence and for the use of the Army, for each of the first three quarters of the year in standard and bulk barrels, respectively, and the estimated output for the last quarter of the present year?

The quantity of beer produced in the United Kingdom in each of the first three quarters of 1917 was:

The estimated output for the last quarter of the present year is 3,500,000 standard barrels.

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland if he is aware that the ordinary coal traffic from the Castlecomer Collieries, county Kilkenny, has been seriously impeded owing to the state of the roads; that the output of the collieries is being diminished in consequence of the limited facilities for transport; that thousands of tons of coal are lying at the pit's mouth; and what steps he has taken to deal with the situation?

I am aware of the difficulties of transit of coal from the Castlecomer collieries, and that the roads have deteriorated owing to the wear and tear caused by heavy motor traffic. I am told there are over 4,000 tons of coal awaiting distribution. The question of the possibility of improving the transit facilities is under discussion between the Irish Departments concerned and the Board of Trade.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, during the five months ending 1st December, 1917, a greater proportion of the total ships attacked by enemy submarines were sunk than during the five months ending 3rd June, 1917; and, if so, is he satisfied with the progress made by the Admiralty in counteracting the submarine danger?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. At the same time, the number of attacks delivered during the last five months was considerably less than during the five months ending the 3rd June, and the reduction in the number of ships sunk is satisfactory. As regards the last pant of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which the First Lord gave to the right hon. Member for South Molton on the 16th November last

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether a much larger proportion of the total ships sunk by enemy submarines in the neighbourhood of British and Irish ports are of those leaving port than of those arriving; if he has any information showing that this is due to the presence of spies in our ports, shipping offices, or Admiralty Departments who are able to communicate readily with enemy submarines; and if he is satisfied that every possible precaution has been taken to reduce this danger to a minimum?

For the month of November it happens that, as regards overseas trade, an equal proportion of inward and outward vessels were sunk. Every precaution is taken to reduce to a minimum the danger to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is possible to provide a large number of new slips for shipbuilding in the existing yards; and whether, as the national shipyards cannot be productive for at least a year, the resources of these yards will in the meantime be fully utilised?

"We will not use the national yards until the existing yards are worked to their full economic capacity."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what powers will be given to the Shipbuilding Council that has lately been created; and whether, as the expert representatives of the shipbuilding and engineering trades now form a minority of the Council, he intends to increase the membership so as to secure a full representation of expert opinion?

The Shipbuilding Council is responsible for giving advice on questions placed before them by the Controller of the Admiralty, who is the Chairman of the Council, and for keeping him informed with regard to the shipbuilding centres represented. Members of the Council have power to bring to the notice of the Controller any business which they think should be considered by the Council. The Council is, with very few exceptions, composed of experts in shipbuilding and engineering, and it is incorrect to suggest that experts are, or are likely to be, in a minority. These gentlemen meet on equal terms with the Departmental officers whose business is under discussion, and it is not anticipated that the representatives will ever form a minority of the Council in the sense suggested. At present there is no intention of increasing the membership, but this course will be adopted if it is found to be necessary or desirable. I gave the names of the advisers to the Controller in the carrying out of the details of the Cabinet policy of establishing shipyards in an answer on the 14th November. The names of the gentlemen comprising the Shipbuilding Council were announced in the Press on the 24th November.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether soldiers over forty-one years of age who have completed their time, including an extra year, are entitled to claim their discharge?

The reply is in the affirmative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the present arrangement of his Department is that medical students who have put in two or more years of their medical studies and who have, since the outbreak of war, joined the Colours, are now permitted to resume their studies if they apply for and get permission to do so; is he aware that many students have applied and have had their applications hung up indefinitely by his Department; and is the War Office aware that the medical session in most universities is rapidly passing, so that a year's time in the getting of degrees seems likely to be lost?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I am not aware that there is delay in the War Office, and if my hon. Friend can give me any specific case I shall be glad to take the matter up.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Class B 2 men, practically non-combatant, who have been taken from food-producing callings or from produce distributing as middlemen, will be returned to their former work as more useful in the national interest?

Any representations on this matter made to the War Office by my hon. Friend the Minister of National Service will receive every consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, when an officer resigns his commission at the request of the military authorities on the ground of his health having broken down and having contracted neurasthenia (shell shock) when on active service, the War Office hold themselves entitled to hold such officer liable for further military service under any of the three Military Service Acts; and, if so, which one?

An officer who had relinquished his commission on account of ill-health might be required to present himself for medical examination under the Military Service (Review of Exceptions) Act, 1917, and subsequently for service, but if he relinquished his commission in consequence of neurasthenia, certified by a special medical board to be the result of military service in the present War, he would be excepted from the provisions of the Military Service Acts, 1916 and 1917, by proviso ( b ) to Section 1 of the Military Service (Review of Exceptions) Act, 1917.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that some tribunals are compelling C 3 men who have been granted conditional exemption to sign B Form, which means that they must put in fourteen drills per month, route march, and do full duty; if he is aware that many of these men are working long hours and are in a poor state of health; and whether, seeing that these men are only required for sedentary work at home, he will take steps to relieve these men from the conditions attached to B Form?

I have been asked to answer this question. For Section B of the Volunteer Force men must be up to the standard of medical category A, B1, or C1 (or Grade 1 or 2). A man, therefore, who is in category C 3 should not be required to join Section B of the Volunteer Force. It is open to any man who is aggrieved by a condition attached to a certificate of exemption to apply to the appropriate tribunal for a variation of the certificate.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of R. J. E. Milon, of 66, Heald Grove, Manchester, a French subject, who came to reside in England in July, 1913, and has since married a British-born woman and made his home in England; whether he is aware that M. Milon went to France on the outbreak of the War and offered his services but was rejected, and that he has since tried to enlist in the British Army but was refused; whether M. Milon will now be treated as Private Le Roux and other Frenchmen who have enlisted in the British Army; and whether he will direct that no police action be taken against him and will allow him to enlist in the British Army if the military authorities will accept him?

As this man appears to be liable to serve in the British Army under the convention with the French. Government, he will not be compelled to return to France against his will.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will cause inquiries to be made into the treatment of Private1 John Murphy, No. 1200, B Company, 1st Home-service Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers, Prees Heath Camp, Whit-church; if he is aware that this man is an invalid pensioner, having served in the South African War and at the outbreak of the present War sold his business in Dublin and enlisted for home service; if he is aware that this man has since been warned for foreign service, and when he protested to Major Thoreburn he called him filthy names and abused him and placed him in the guard-room, and subsequently sentenced him to twenty-eight days' No. 2 field punishment and refused to grant him a court-martial; and if he will transfer this soldier to another regiment?

If this man has been wronged or considers himself aggrieved, his remedies lie in Section 43 of the Army Act.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the desirability of issuing a medal or other distinction to the survivors of the British Forces which took part in the China Expedition which ended in the capture of Tsingtau-Kiachou in November, 1914?

The services of all those who have taken part in all operations against the enemy during the present War will be considered and will receive suitable recognition in due course.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he can state, approximately, the number of officers and men who will be entitled to the Mons star?

The approximate number is 360,000. I may add that this decoration will be known as the "1914 Star."

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will have inquiry made at once into the complaints from the Knowsley Park Camp, Prescot, 2nd Western Command Depot, where the men allege that the food is bad and insufficient; that last week for three days they had no potatoes for dinner, no butter for tea, dry bread, tea like water, and no sugar; will he inquire into the conduct of the officer of C Company, a youth of about nineteen years of age, who has never seen active service, who treats the men who have served up to three years abroad in this War in a contemptuous and dictatorial manner, and inflicts minor punishment on the slightest pretext; and, in view of the state of discontent amongst the men in this camp, will he try to have the cause of these complaints speedily removed?

Inquiry is being made into the matters brought to notice by my hon. Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether home-leave is being granted to men who have been at Salonika for two years and more; and, if not, whether he proposes to make arrangements so that these men may visit their families?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 22nd October to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for York, to which I can add nothing. Since then I have been in personal communication with the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief. He is doing everything that is possible but, as I stated before, the difficulties of transport are very great.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that, contrary to the Army Council Instruction, leave is being denied to men in the Training Depot C, Royal Engineers, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot; and will he have the Order withdrawn and instruct the officer commanding to obey the Instruction of the Army Council in regard to these men?

No, Sir, I am not aware that any leave, so far as military exigencies permit, is denied to the men in question. Perhaps my hon. Friend will give me any information which he may possess to the contrary. My information is that men entitled to leave with free warrants have never been refused, so far as can be ascertained.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state the visiting regulations at Dublin Castle Hospital, the hours of outdoor exercise allowed to wounded soldiers both morning and afternoon; if he will give the same information about London hospitals; and if the regulations are the same in Great Britain and Ireland?

I have no reason to suppose that there has been any departure in Ireland from the general rules governing hospitals. I gather that the hon. Member has some complaint in the matter. If he will give me details, I will have inquiry made.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if vaccination, which is voluntary for privates, is compulsory on cadets before receiving their commissions; and whether it is intended to refuse commissions to young men otherwise fully qualified in all other respects solely on the ground that they refuse vaccination or inoculation?

Officer cadets are treated with regard to liability for vaccination and inoculation in precisely the same manner as private soldiers. The only special orders in force with regard to the vaccination or inoculation of cadets are those which ensure vaccination or inoculation being carried out at such times as will not interfere with the cadet's course of training in the officer cadet unit.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if his attention has been called to the inadequate provision of food at Rugeley Camp, Staffordshire; is he aware that many of the young recruits posted to the Leicesters are unable to keep themselves physically fit without having regular supplies of food from their parents; whether he will cause inquiry to be made; and, if he finds that there is cause for the complaint, will he have the matter remedied and censure those who are responsible for the shortage of food?

My attention has not previously been called to this matter, but an inquiry will be made and the result communicated to my hon. Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War why it is that officers of the Volunteer, Territorial, and Yeomanry Forces who retired in time of peace were granted on leaving the Service an honorary step in rank after fifteen years' service, which in practice often meant only about twelve weeks' soldiering, whereas officers who have served in the Regular Forces during the present War and who have had to resign their commissions through ill-health or for other similar reasons are denied the above privilege and retain only the rank, or sometimes even a lower one, than that they actually held while serving with the Colours?

The grant of a step in rank on retirement from the Territorial Force was abolished in 1908.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any and, if so, what instructions were issued by the War Office to the Headquarter Staff in India as to the modified treatment as to the limit of training drill or work which should be observed in relation to battalions sent out to India for garrison duty to replace troops removed from there for active service at the front, having regard to many being over military age or suffering from physical infirmities, rendering them unsuited for the ordinary routine of physical drills, field training, night marches, and manœuvres, etc., usually required either from native or seasoned European troops in India?

The information which I have is that the Commander-in-Chief in India has issued instructions that, generally speaking, the training of these troops should be confined to musketry and company training and such physical training as the men were capable of undergoing.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the Committee which was appointed to Report to the War Office on the distribution of medical officers with the British Army in France has yet reported; whether his attention has been called to the distribution of medical officers as between ambulance convoys and field ambulances respectively; and whether any steps are being taken with a view to securing a better distribution of medical officers generally.

The Report has not yet been received, and I think that the consideration of such matters as my hon. Friend suggests had better wait until the Report is received.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that about June last over 100,000 pairs of boots were destroyed by burning in Egypt; why they could not have been repaired in the boot salvage factory there, and on what grounds the officer in charge advised their destruction; whether the Secretary of State for War is aware that in Egypt there is still a good deal of destruction by fire of stores worn out or no longer required and that a large destructor has been constantly in use there since the beginning of 1916; and whether he will arrange that expert advice as to the economical disposal of such stores shall be furnished to the authorities in Egypt to avoid such destruction in future?

I have no knowledge of the particular lot of boots referred to in the question. A special directorate has just been formed by the Surveyor-General of Supply, to deal exclusively with all questions of salvage from the War areas and in the Home Commands. Local organisations are being established which will provide the best advice as to the economical disposal of used and discarded stores.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that flying officers wounded in the air who succeed in getting their machines back safely to the aerodromes are only allowed three months' flying pay, while officers who crash their machines are allowed flying pay up to six months; and whether he will have this anomaly rectified?

This question is already under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the men in the inland waterways and docks, Royal Engineers, engaged in erecting huts at Bulford, have to work long hours and seven days per week; that these men are in a low category; that many of them are of middle age; and that the long hours worked are detrimental to the men's health; and whether, with the object of preventing discontent, he will arrange for these men having one day's rest in seven?

The men work normally eight hours per day. Sunday work has been resorted to only in exceptional circumstances, and the men so employed were subsequently given a half day's rest in lieu. The rule is that Sunday work is not to be adopted except when imperatively necessary, and instructions will be given that in such cases the men will be given time off so as to ensure that they have one day's rest in seven.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will recommend to the Government the desirability of placing men incapacitated on war work on the same level for pension with soldiers incapacitated in the War; and if he is aware that in the Dublin remount depot quite recently a man was totally incapacitated, and is so for life, and is awarded the sum of 17s. per week to provide the necessaries of life for himself, wife, and four children?

In the case of civilian workmen, compensation for injuries is fixed under Statute.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office how many tents have been supplied to the order of the War Office by the firm of Waring and Gillow, Limited?

I think it undesirable to publish the figures in this case, though. I am quite willing to give them to my hon. Friend privately.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether men transferred from the Navy to the Army will have the same advantages in every way extended to them as men to be transferred in future from the Army to the Air Board; and, if not, what is the difference in the conditions?

I understand that my hon. and gallant Friend is attempting to compare the casual interchange of men between the old established Naval and Military Services with the special arrangements made on the division of the Air Service from the Army. The circumstances are entirely different, but if he will indicate to me more precisely the case he has in view I may be able to give him a more specific answer.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that Army cooks are ordered to dry and save used tea leaves, for which 3d per pound is credited to the regimental funds; and, if so, for what purposes these used tea leaves are saved and who are the purchasers?

The conservation of dried used tea leaves was undertaken as an experiment for the purpose of extracting caffeine, but the process was not found practicable on a satisfactory commercial scale, and the sale of dried used tea leaves is not now authorised.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury why no decision has been arrived at on the appeal claim for separation allowance by Mrs. Simpson, of Blackburn, on account of her son, Private R. Simpson, No. 126474, 3rd Battalion, machine gun company, such appeal having been before the authorities since the 27th August last; and will he take steps to have the matter settled at once?

I am sorry that the appeal stated to have been made in August last cannot be traced. It is open to Mrs. Simpson to make a fresh application.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether, in view of the fact that the delay which often takes place in the payment of the dependant's separation allowance is a legitimate cause of complaint, he will make arrangements so that dependants' separation allowances shall be paid without delay and date invariably from the time when the soldier's allotment is made?

The investigation of these claims necessarily takes some time. Every possible effort to shorten it is being made by the Customs authorities. Payment as from date of allotment is already the rule.

asked whether the separation allowance is paid for a boy or girl who is just turned sixteen years of age and who is attending a secondary or high-grade school?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is the practice of his Department to deprive of all allowances while the punishment lasts the wives and children of soldiers who have been court-martialled and sentenced to field punishment or other penalty; and, if so, will any arrangement be made to alter this?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on the 20th June last to the hon. Member for Bolton.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether his attention has been called to the case of Private F. S. Mallarvy, No. 8555, West Yorkshire Regiment, who claims a total disablement pension at the rate of 25s. per week, instead of at the rate of 20s. per week, for the period from 29th March, 1916, to 3rd April, 1917; whether this claim is well founded; and, if so, why the arrears have not been paid?

The disability which caused the discharge of Private Mallarvy was certified to be aggravated by but not due to his service. He was awarded the maximum pension in these circumstances under the Warrant then in force. His pension was raised to the maximum as from the 3rd April last under the new Warrant, which abolished the previous distinction between total disability aggravated by and total disability due to military service.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that girls working at the Army Remount Depot, Wembley, have not received their war bonus; and whether there are any other depots which have been paid their war bonus?

The rates of wages of the women at the Wembley Remount Depot have recently been reviewed and are now being increased. I am looking into the question of the girls' wages. The rates of wages of women at other depots are dealt with in accordance with local rates of wages.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that complaints are being made by the members of the Transport Workers Battalions working on the docks and shipyards on the Clyde of the discrepancies in pay among men who have worked the same hours at the same work on the same vessel; who derives the benefit in the case of underpaying any of these workers; and can any system of auditing there be set up by his Department?

I am not aware of any complaints. Provision is made for the investigation of complaints and for the auditing of the accounts, but I will make inquiries.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the Reports of the Netherlands minister at Berlin on the various prisoners' camps in Germany will be published, so that their contents may be communicated to the relatives of our prisoners of war in these camps and other persons interested?

The question of publishing these reports has often been considered, and it is thought advisable to treat them as confidential.

asked the Minister of Munitions if he is aware that the employés of the firm of S. D. Harrison, dealers in old iron and paper, of Queen's Road, Great Yarmouth, applied for a reasonable advance of wages; that the firm state they are willing to give the advances asked but that the prices of materials fixed by the Ministry are too low to permit increased wages to the employés; whether the firm have applied to the Department; and if he will take action in the matter.

A letter from this firm addressed to the Ministry of Labour has been forwarded to the Ministry of Munitions. Inquiry is being made into the relation between the prices fixed for materials and the wages of the employés. I will communicate the result to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether he has considered the wages of the clerical staff in controlled establishments in relation to the rise in the cost of living; whether he is aware that clerks and similar workers in controlled establishments are frequently left out of any increase in wages or war bonus; and whether he will make investigation into this matter with a view to improvement?

Proposals for increases in the wages of clerical staffs in controlled establishments are constantly being submitted to and sanctioned by the Ministry. The procedure is for the staff to make application to their employers, and if an agreement is arrived at it is forwarded to the Ministry for consideration.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether any decision has been reached as to a general advance in wages to women munition workers; and whether he is now in a position to make a statement on this matter?

This matter has been considered by the Special Arbitration Tribunal; but their final recommendations have not yet been received. I hope, however, to issue a decision at an early date.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in view of the shortage of oils and the results which have been attained by recent experiments by the Research Committee of the Ministry of Munitions in the treatment of a seam of cannel in a Midland county, whether it has been decided to proceed with the development of that seam or to continue the policy of refusing consent to any development of seams of cannel however prolific in oil, and compelling the above and any petroleum committee that may be set up by future legislation to confine their attentions to the shales of Scotland or elsewhere?

I should be glad if my hon. Friend will tell me which is the seam of cannel coal to which he refers. It is the intention of the Government to deal with every seam of cannel coal which offers sufficient facilities for development, as soon as suitable retorts are available for the extraction of the oil.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction whether he has appointed a. Sub-committee to consider and report upon steps to be taken to ensure the better co-ordination of public assistance in England and Wales and upon other matters affecting the system of local government as may from time to time be referred to it; if so, whether any member of the Association of the Poor Law Unions in England and Wales has been appointed to such Sub-committee; and, if not, whether, considering that such association represents by direct election 556 unions and over 34,000,000 of people, he will take steps to place on the Sub-committee a member of this association?

I have nothing to add to the statement made in reply to similar questions yesterday, of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the case of Miss Roberts, a teacher at the Holy Trinity Boys' School, Chester, and the only support of a widowed mother, who, as a result of her refusal to give special war lessons based on a Navy League pamphlet, was told by the school managers to seek employment other than teaching after 30th November; and whether this action was sanctioned by the Board of Education?

My attention has been called to this case. The matter is one for the managers of the school and the local education authority, and I have no authority to sanction or refuse to sanction the action taken.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the various statistics relating to child life, education, and employment are being collected by his Department in full detail during the War, and particularly the statistics relating to the new problems in relation to child life caused by the War?

Owing to the serious depletion of the staffs of the Board and of the local education authorities the collection and tabulation of the statistics in question has had to be very largely suspended.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the British Museum Library is being kept up to date with war literature, comprehensive, and in different languages; and whether it is arranged as a special section of the library?

The British Museum is making a comprehensive collection of war literature in all languages. It is classified on the shelves of the library, and forms a special section in the Subject Index of Accessions.

asked the Home Secretary in view of his statement that books and documents seized under Regulation 51 will, if found to be innocuous, be returned to their owners, whether he intends to return or retain "On Liberty," by John Stuart Mill, and Lord Shaw's Judgment on the Zadig Case, which were seized during the raid on the National Council for Civil Liberties?

I am informed that these publications, which were included by mistake with a large number of documents seized at the same time, have been returned.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that printers' premises in Glasgow were raided in the last week of November and paper and type carried off; whether such action was taken by his order or with his sanction; was the object of such raids on printers' premises to stop bookmakers' football coupons; was this method considered by his Department the best way of attaining such object; and, if so, is he aware that the shipbuilding, engineering, and munitions workers in that district are largely interested in these football competitions and that their suppression at this time is likely to increase the present unrest there?

On 26th November the premises of six printers in Glasgow were searched by the police, on the instructions of the Procurator Fiscal (under the Defence of the Realm Regulations), with a view to prosecution for contraventions of the Paper Restriction (Posters and Circulars) Consolidation Order, 1917, and large quantities of football coupons were found and seized. I am unable to assent to the suggestion in the last part of my hon. and learned Friend's question, and I am satisfied that the action taken by the Procurator Fiscal was necessary, in order to enforce in the public interest the provisions of the Order referred to; and I propose to institute at once proceedings against the printers concerned.

asked the Home Secretary on what date the internment of M. de Lazlo will be reviewed; and will the Military Intelligence Department of the War Office be invited to give evidence?

In accordance with the desire of the Advisory Committee, I have referred the case to them for any further consideration which they may deem necessary, and I understand that it will probably come before them at a meeting within the next fortnight. It is open to the Committee to obtain any evidence which they consider necessary.

asked the Home Secretary(1) whether George Tchitcherine, the Russian Ambassador, now interned in Brixton Prison, will be allowed, either under escort or on parole, to visit his friends at Christmas; (2) whether he has received any resolution of protest against the continued internment of George Tchiecherine, the Russian Ambasador, and Peter Petroff, whose release has been requested by a large section of the Russian people; and (3) whether he will state the conditions under which interned persons are allowed or are refused the permission to send or receive telegrams?

I do not propose to give any answer to these questions, except to refer the hon. Member to what my right hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said on the 6th instant with regard to a series of questions standing in the hon. Member's name.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the patients belonging to the military convalescent hospital, Saltash, are paying the original third-class double fare plus the 50 per cent. increase on the journey to and from Plymouth, whereas the men of His Majesty's Navy and the Royal Naval Division, some of whom are patients at the hospital, are paying only the original third-class single fare for the return journey, the difference being 1s. as to 4d. to Plymouth and back; and, if so, whether he will have the fares of soldiers reduced to the lower rate?

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

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the official memorandum recently issued to employers and trade union organisations in Great Britain in connection with the Whitley Report, advocating the promotion of joint industrial advisory councils, and promising the assistance and co-operation of the Government in the formation of such councils, has been sent to employers and trade unions in Ireland; and, if so, with what result?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. The circular letter referred to was addressed to employers' organisations and trade unions connected with industries which appeared to possess a sufficient degree of organisation to make the proposals of the Whitley Report applicable to them. In most cases the employers' associations and trade unions which received the circular are national bodies, covering the whole United Kingdom, particularly in the case of the trade unions. Copies of the circular were addressed to two Irish employers' organisations connected with the building trade, but not to any exclusively Irish trade union. I shall, however, be happy to send copies to any bodies which desire to consider it; and I may add that the letter, together with the Whitley Report, will be on sale shortly in pamphlet form at the cost of one penny.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the inconvenience which the travelling public, especially women and children, is experiencing at the railway termini owing to the unsettled dispute between the railway companies and drivers of taxi-cabs over the payment of the fee for entering these stations; and whether he can assist the public, in circumstances already difficult enough, by obtaining a settlement of the matter, and so improving the chances of a supply of taxi-cabs at these stations?

I am making further inquiries into this matter, but I fear that I cannot at present add to previous replies on this subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the great loss and inconvenience caused in Norfolk villages through the shortage in the supply and the high price of paraffin; and whether steps will be taken whereby a fair share of the available paraffin in the country will be allocated for the use of residents in rural districts?

There has lately been a shortage in the supply of paraffin, in parts of the country, but more paraffin is now available, and the shortage in districts supplied from London, which includes Norfolk, has been alleviated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the export of Belfast mineral waters to neutral countries outside of Europe is now restricted in the case of sweetened waters to 25 per cent. of the exports of the five years preceding 1917, and in the case of unsweetened waters to 50 per cent. of the exports of the same period; if he is aware that these percentages are based on aggregate exports, which, owing to the War, are 50 per cent. lower than the exports of a period of five normal years; if he is aware that consignors have had no difficulty in getting shipping companies to agree to carry such goods; if he is aware that, while only 25 per cent. of the prewar quantity of sugar used by this mineral water industry is allowed the industry by the Sugar Commission by reason of the use of sugar substitutes, the industry is enabled to increase its output of sweetened waters; and, seeing that by costly advertising efforts throughout the past fifty years the industry has built up a valuable trade in friendly foreign countries and in our Colonies, and that there is now a much larger demand for its products through the displacement of waters formerly obtained from enemy countries, and that if permitted to do so manufacturers can continue to supply these markets to a much greater extent than is permissible under the restrictions in question, representations will be made to the War Trade Department with a view to the withdrawal of the restriction on unsweetened waters and to the authorisation of larger exports of sweetened waters?

The answer to the first and third parts of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I find that there was a considerable expansion in the exports in the years 1911, 1912, and 1913, and the hon. Member will observe that two of these years are included in the five years preceding 1917. I have no information as to the extent to which sugar substitutes have been employed in manufacture, but as regards unsweetened mineral waters I have been in communication with the Director of the War Trade Department, who informs me that, on further consideration, he is about to authorise the issue of licences for the export of an amount practically equivalent to the average trade of the five years referred to.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller what was the nature of the machinery derangement which compelled the steamer "La Blanca" to put into Plymouth prior to her being sunk?

The "La Blanca," while in convoy, developed leaking boiler tubes. She was, therefore, individually escorted to Plymouth as an alternative to slowing down the entire convoy.

asked the Minister of Labour when he expects to provide wages boards for Irish workers outside the operation of agricultual wages boards?

Without further legislation, the Minister of Labour has no power immediately to establish wages boards in trades to which the Trade Boards Act does not at present apply. As soon as Parliamentary exigencies allow, my right hon. Friend hopes to introduce a Bill which, if passed, will greatly facilitate the establishment of trade boards in badly paid industries.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will request engineering and electrical firms in Dublin to issue a return showing the wages and bonuses paid to boys and apprentices; if he is aware that it has been brought to the notice of the Member for the Harbour Division that firms holding Government contracts and engaged on Government work were not paying the awards issued by the Committee of Production to apprentices; and if he is aware that the firms all belong to the Engineering Employers' Federation?

As intimated to the hon. Member on 6th December, if he will bring to the notice of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Munitions, any specific instance where apprentices employed by members of the Engineering Employers' Federation holding Government contracts have not received the advances of wages to which they are entitled under awards of the Committee on Production, investigation will be made.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, owing to the claims made on the owners of woods and plantations for damage caused to roads by the removal of timber, and in view of the fact that the woods have contributed to the upkeep of roads during the whole period of the growth of timber, he will take steps to remove the risk of these demands, seeing that they have a prejudicial influence on the renewal of our timber supply?

This question, which is a very difficult one, is receiving the careful consideration of the Departments concerned, and no decision has yet been arrived at in regard to it. Perhaps my Noble Friend may wish to put a question down later on to the Board of Trade, whose Timber Supplies Department are the authority at present mainly concerned.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury on what basis women clerks have been selected for training in the Inland Revenue and Customs Department in Ireland; have the vacancies been advertised; and is the selection and examination to be conducted by the Civil Service Commissioners or are the posts to be filled by nomination?

The employment of women clerks in the Customs and Excise Department in Ireland is on a purely temporary basis, and the clerical duties on which they are engaged do not require special training. Vacancies are few and occur at irregular intervals, and are not advertised, a sufficient supply of suitable candidates being obtained through the local Employment Exchanges.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the Reports made by his inspectors upon individual State-aided schools are available to the public or are regarded as confidential?

Reports of the Board's inspectors are sent to the local education authorities and governing bodies and managers of schools for their information and assistance. They are not usually written with a view to publication though there is no rule against publication. It is obvious, however, that persons unfamiliar with the circumstances of the schools and the standard of criticism adopted might easily form false impres- sions from reading them, and, in fairness to the teachers and to the other bodies and persons concerned, it does not seem desirable that they should be published without careful consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he can state the present approximate number of orphans of school age in this country?

I have no information on the subject.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the State-aided secondary schools are, in the majority of cases, overcrowded or full and are obliged to refuse many applicants for admission; and whether he will consider the possibility of taking action to meet the deficiency of places?

The State-aided secondary schools are nearly all very full and in some cases overcrowded; but I see no possibility of effective action being taken to meet the deficiency of places during the continuance of the War

asked the President of the Board of Education how many local education authorities receive no Supplementary Grant in aid of elementary education under the new Regulation; whether the effect of Regulation No. 7 is to make the calculation of the Grant always two years behindhand, and thus to deprive such authorities for a period of two years of the State's contribution of three-fifths in respect of all past increases of teachers' salaries since the close of the financial year 1915–16, and also of such future expenditure which they are now asked to undertake to make the remuneration of teachers more adequate; whether these are favourable circumstances in which the revision of teachers' salaries will be considered; and whether such administration is either satisfactory to the local education authorities or equitable to the ratepayers who would have to bear the State's share as well as their own in the increased expenditure for two years?

The number of local education authorities which receive no Supplementary Grant during the current financial year is fourteen. The effect of Article 7 of the Regulations is generally as stated in the question. It would have been impossible to pay Supplementary Grant this year unless this method of calculating it had been adopted. With regard to the last part of the question, I am considering whether it is possible to arrange for the payment of the Grant concurrently or more nearly concurrently with the expenditure of the local education authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for India if the Tuckenhay Paper Factory, Cornworthy, near Totnes, has contracts with the Government of India for paper; if so, whether inquiries were made before placing the contracts into the wages paid by this firm; if not, will such inquiries be made now into the allegation that ordinary labourers are paid 20s. a week, with a war bonus of 2s. 6d., for fifty-eight hours a week, and female workers, for a forty-four-hour week, a wage of 9s. and no bonus; and, if these allegations are found to be, true, does the Government of India consider such wages are a fulfilment of the Fair-Wages Clause?

Messrs. A. Millbourn and Co., of Tuckenhay Paper Mills, Totnes, hold two contracts with the India Office for the supply of paper. The contracts were placed without previous inquiry as to the wages paid by the firm, but they are subject to the usual Fair-Wages Clause. I will have inquiries made into the allegations referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Home Secretary if he has received a petition praying for the remission of the sentence on John Patten, who was sentenced to one month's imprisonment at Hawarden Sessions on 30th November; and whether, in view of the man's previous good character, he will accede to the prayer of the petition?

I received the petition, but regret that it did not show any sufficient cause for a reduction of the sentence.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the effect of the recent Minute of the Scottish Education Department will be that Catholic teachers in eighteen-penny areas whose average salary throughout Scotland is £81 per annum, will be raised to £93 per annum, whereas the school board teacher in the same area will be raised to a minimum of £112 per annum; and, if so, will he explain this differentiation of treatment and have the matter put on a fair basis?

Grants to all school boards and managers for the improvement of teachers' salaries have been calculated in accordance with the Minute of 11th July, 1917, which was fully discussed in this House during the Debate on the Scottish Estimates. I would refer my hon. Friend to my statement on this subject at the conclusion of the Debate. I am not prepared to make any alteration in the basis of distribution.

asked whether the allocation of the sums granted for the increase of teachers' salaries in Scotland has now been approved; and when payment will be made of the increase in salaries in the case of teachers serving under the school boards and also in the case of teachers in voluntary schools?

The allocation of the sum granted for the increase of teachers' salaries in Scotland was intimated to all school boards and managers in September last. When payment will be made depends upon the date of submission by managers of proposals for the application of the increased sums available, and the time necessary for their consideration. It is hoped to authorise a considerable number of payments at an early date, including payments to managers of voluntary schools.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he has considered the findings of the Committee on school teachers' salaries with regard to the inadequate salaries at present paid to teachers in voluntary schools; and whether he proposes to take any steps to remove the hardship arising in these cases by bringing the salaries of the teachers in these schools up to a reasonable minimum standard?

The Report of the Committee in question is receiving my careful consideration. I am not, however, prepared to deal with the question of inadequate salaries in the class of schools referred to apart from the general question.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many local authorities in Scotland have responded to his circular asking them what action they were prepared to take in relation to the providing of housing accommodation for the working classes; what was the effect of such replies; and when it is proposed to take action in the way of starting the building operations?

I understand that twenty-eight local authorities have schemes in course of preparation and that 100 other local authorities are willing to prepare and execute schemes with adequate financial assistance from the Government. As regards the last part of the question, the matter is not sufficiently ripe for me to give any undertaking.