asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the War Pensions (Special Grants) 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?

The Prime Minister receives regular Reports as to the progress and recommendations of the Special Grants Committee. There have been twelve sittings of the full Committe since the date of its appointment—1st September, 1917—and numerous meetings of the seven different sections to which special functions have been allotted. The personnel remains as originally constituted. The expenses of the Committee cannot at short notice be extracted from the general expenses of the Ministry of Pensions, of which they form part. The Committee is constituted by Statute, and it is accordingly for Parliament to determine its continuance.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendatins, if any, of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal; how many sittings this tribunal has held within the last six months; whether any changes have been made in its personnel during this period; what is the annual cost to the State of this tribunal, including salaries, rent, rates, taxes, printing, posting, and stationery; and whether it is proposed to continue this tribunal?

The Prime Minister receives regular Reports as to the progress and decisions of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. The first meeting of the tribunal was held on the 14th July, 1917, and there have been sixty-seven further meetings since that date. The estimated annual cost of the tribunal, including the items mentioned by the hon. Member, is, approximately, £1,000 During the six months of its existence it has given definite decisions in 222 cases, and a large number of cases are still waiting to be heard I know of no suggestion that its work should be interrupted. and I presume that it will continue so long as discharged men are anxious to appear before it.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the Naval Service Board of Invention and Research Central 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

I have been asked by the Prime Minister to reply to this question. Reports of progress and recommendations are received by the Board of Admiralty from time to time from the Central Committee of the Board of Invention and Research and are dealt with as necessary. During the period from July to December, 1917, the Central Committee held twenty-four sittings. Within the last fortnight Mr. C. H. Merz, the well known consulting electrical engineer, who has, as already announced, been appointed Director of Experiments and Research (unpaid) at the Admiralty to supervise all the executive arrangements in connection with the organisation of scientific research and experiments for the Navy, has been added to the Central Committee, and Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Peirse has ceased to be a member. The appointment referred to has been made as part of a considered scheme by which the scientific experts assisting the Admiralty will work in much closer co-operation than hitherto with the officers of the technical departments concerned. It is not possible without the expenditure of much clerical labour, which cannot be spared for the purpose at the present time, to give the details asked for by my hon. Friend in regard to the cost of the Committee, but I may state that none of the distinguished scientists who are assisting the Admiralty as members of the Committee are accepting any salary for their services. The details as to the salary of the President are as given in reply to the question of the hon. and learned Member for York on the 21st May last. The Admiralty certainly desire to continue to have the benefit of the valuable advice and assistance of the Committee, and the revised organisation and appointment of Mr. Merz has received the unqualified approval of the Central Committee.

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

The Department referred to by the hon. Member is one of the Departments of the Ministry of Munitions. The staff of this Department, like others in the Ministry, sits daily during office hours.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the Army Canteen Committee; how many sittings this Committee has held within the last six mouths; 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 proposed to be continued?

The Army Canteen Committee (now the Navy and Army Canteen Board) is an independent organisation controlled by the Army Council and is run as a commercial undertaking on the co-operative system for the benefit of the Navy and Army. The Board of Management meets at least once in every week; meetings of the full Board are held monthly; certain changes have recently been made in the personnel of the Board; these were necessitated by the change of the control of the organisation in the War Office. The organisation is self-supporting and there is no cost to the State. It is anticipated that the Board will be continued.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received a Report as to the progress and recommendations, if any, of the Civilian Internment Camps Committee; how many sittings this Committee has held within the last six months; whether any changes have been made in its personnel 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 he proposes to continue this Committee?

This Committee is engaged daily (with full meetings once a week or oftener if required) in organising and superintending on behalf of the Home Secretary the arrangements for the internment of alien enemies in this country. No changes in its personnel have been made during the last six months. No salaries are paid to the members of the Committee; its work is carried on in the Home Office, and the only expenses incurred, those for stationery, etc., form part of the general expenses of the Home Office. It is proposed to continue the Committee.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether there is within the Food Control Department a coordinating directorate which deals with the supplies of all essential foodstuffs and the distribution of the same?

The Secretary's Department of the Ministry of Food deals with all questions of general policy affecting the control of supplies, prices, and distribution of food, and the co-ordination of the work of all other Departments of the Ministry.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether hi; attention has been called to a report of a meeting of cow keepers held in the town of Drogheda to protest against the intended export of over 100 tons of turnips; and whether he will take steps to prevent the export of such essential food for milch cows as well as all other milk-producing foods?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The Department of Agriculture have no power to prohibit the export from Ireland of turnips, or other foods suitable for cattle.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that British prisoners of war in Germany have practically no food beyond the supplies sent from this country; if he will have inquiries instituted as to whether food is now being wasted in the British internment camps; and what is the present daily ration allowed to prisoners of war in those camps?

The food supplied in Germany is very low in sustaining qualities and is distasteful to our men, the majority of whom live on supplies sent from this country. Every endeavour is made to check waste in British internment camps, and all byproducts are used. The present ration hardly permits of waste. I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the ration.

The following are the details referred to:
Rations for Prisoners of War.
Bread	9	ozs.
Broken biscuit	4	ozs.
Meat (five days a week; pickled beef will be issued on one of these days)	6	ozs.
Salt-cured herrings (two days a week)	10	ozs.
Tea	¼	oz.
or
Coffee	½	oz.
Sugar	1	oz.
Salt	½	oz.
Potatoes	20	ozs.
Other fresh vegetables	4	ozs.
Split peas or beans	2	ozs.
Rice	1	oz.
Margarine	1	oz.
Oatmeal (if full ration be not obtainable, an equal quantity of rice may be issued in lieu)	1	oz.
Jam	1	oz.
Cheese	2	ozs.
Pepper	1/72	oz.
Maize meal	½	oz.

When men are not employed on work, the following deductions will be made, unless the medical officer advises to the contrary in any particular case:

Bread	4	ozs.
Oatmeal or rice	1	oz.
Cheese	1	oz.
Maize meal	½	oz.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture if there is a supply of sugar-beet seed in the country sufficient to enable allotment holders and persons with gardens to grow it for the purpose of crushing and boiling down into a sweet syrup which can be used for the manufacture of jams and for cooking; and if supplies can be made available and instructions issued for its cultivation?

There are no stocks of sugar-beet seed in the country which would be available for growing beet for this purpose on any considerable scale, even if it were established that a syrup suitable for jam-making and cooking could be obtained from the beet in the way suggested.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture what is the daily cost at the present rates of feeding stuffs to feed a cow in full milk; and, making a fair allowance for labour at the increased rates of wages and depreciation, at the enhanced price of cattle, and taking the present daily production of an average herd of cattle, whether he can state what is the cost per gallon of producing milk?

It is not possible to give any trustworthy figure to represent the present daily cost of feeding a dairy cow, which will depend, among other factors, upon the proportion the food produced upon the farm bears to the purchased feeding stuffs. The hon. Member will find in the journal of the Board for November last a number of estimates of the cost of producing milk under various conditions. No general figure or percentage can be given which will represent the additional costs at the present time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, even after travelling distances of fifty miles and upwards, the relatives of wounded soldiers in hospital are often refused an interview by the hospital attendants; and will he give instructions that, as a general rule, an interview shall be immediately- allowed where it can be shown that a special journey of at least twenty miles has been made for the purpose?

I am not aware that interviews are being refused generally under the circumstances to which my hon. Friend refers, but if he will give me specific instances I shall be happy to look into the matter, and see whether any special instructions are desirable.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether, on account of Messrs. Easton, Gibbs 'and Company, for the reason that Sir Alexander Gibbs having been appointed chief civil engineer to the Board of Admiralty, having had their existing contracts with the Admiralty cancelled, it will entail expenditure in excess of the original contract prices or conditions being incurred?

It is anticipated that no extra cost will be entailed in completing the contracts. I may remark that the Admiralty will obtain the advantage of taking over at a valuation plant which is urgently required on other Admiralty works, to be departmentally carried out, when the work in question is completed. It must be recognised that in the present. position as to raw materials and labour, the advantages of placing contracts for work are very much reduced, as the supply of these essentials is a matter which has to be arranged and secured by the Department which places the contract.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any steps have been taken in consequence of a conference held before Christmas between the War Office and certain alienists and other medical men, in which the latter brought forward proposals for the retention under military control up to the time of complete recovery of all cases of transitory uncertifiable loss of balance due to the strain of battle; whether it is intended to provide new institutions for the treatment of such soldiers, while they remain in the Army, which shall be mainly under the charge or supervision of lunacy experts; if so, how many men are to be accommodated in each institution; and what provision will be made in order that, if unfit for military service, they may he speedily discharged to the Disablement Department of the Pensions Ministry and afforded facilities, with as little risk of delay and detriment as possible for their return to self-supporting industrial life?

Steps are being taken to find suitable premises for the purpose indicated. The institutions w ill be provided with staffs of neurological experts.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the charge of cribbing against Lieutenant-Colonel Monteagle-Browne eighteen years ago was denied, and that General Abadie, after seeing Lieutenant-Colonel M. Browne and hearing his explanation, said that he understood all about it and that nothing more would be heard of it, and that as to the charge of the dishonoured cheques twelve years ago that it was only not known to have been honoured in time to prevent all the trouble because a telegram was. delayed, and that the colonel of the regiment stated that he considered Lieutenant-Colonel M. Browne had no dishonourable intentions, and that Lieutenant-Colonel M. Browne was about twenty-five months in the fighting line, besides six months on transport service in France, and that the War Office must have known who Lieutenant-Colonel Monteagle-Browne was, as he was gazetted on 30th April. 1914, as late Princess Victoria's Irish Fusiliers, he can see his way either to have a full inquiry into this case or have this officer reinstated?

The answer to my hon. and gallant Friend's question in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether men placed on draft for the East are usually given four clear days' draft leave; whether he is aware that all the leave granted to the men in the Royal Engineers, Wireless Section. at Hitchin, is forty-eight hours; whether this leave was granted before the men were placed on draft, and was in all cases quite inadequate; and whether he will see that proper draft leave is granted to all the men concerned?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 10th. December to my hon. Friend the Member for Haggerston. If my hon. Friend will give me the details of any case he has in mind, I shall be happy to make inquiries.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether a Return showing the number of all ranks granted leave home from the Salonika Force can be furnished on lines similar to the Return issued by General Headquarters in France; whether he can state the number of all ranks granted leave home from the French Salonika Force in 1917 as compared with the number granted leave home in the British Salonika Force; whether the system of interchange of Staff officers of properly qualified regimental officers is applicable to the Salonika Force and is in operation there; whether a system of granting six months' service in home units to officers who have performed regimental duty for prolonged periods overseas is now in operation; and, if so, if he will state to what extent the principle can be acted up to in the Salonika Force?

The information for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks is not available at the War Office, but I am in personal communication with the General Officer Commanding on the subject of leave generally. It is believed that the interchange of Staff officers and properly qualified regimental officers is in operation in the Salonika Force as far as circumstances permit, but appointments to the Staff of an Expeditionary Force is a matter for the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief concerned.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is permissible to use the disguise of Army officers' uniforms for the purposes of police detective work; and whether, in view of its derogatory nature, he will cause a cessation of the practice?

I am not prepared to interfere with the discretion of the police authorities in the use of any disguise which may lead to the speedier suppression of crime.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the Order of the British Empire list published on 8th January, 1918, as a Supplement to the "London Gazette" of 7th January, is a final recognition of the services performed in all the administrative and other branches of the Army in the task of mobilising and transporting the Expeditionary Force, and in the task of raising, clothing, equipping, and housing of the New Armies, and other additions to the British Forces in the United Kingdom during the first year of the War?

The lists published in the "Gazette" of 7th January are not a final recognition of the services to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers. Further lists will be published from time to time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Brigadier-General Eliott has yet been restored to a command equal to that from which he was removed; and, if not, when he will be?

I would refer my lion. Friend to the answer given yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Grimsby.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists in Liverpool in reference to the Cambrai affair and the absence of some official explanation of what took place; that the friends and relatives of men in certain battalions of the King's Liverpool Regiment and the South Lancashire Regiment resent the suggestions that the officers and men behaved otherwise than with bravery on that occasion; and that a public inquiry or, in the first place at all events, a frank statement is now needed to allay the feeling which exists; and if he will say what action he proposes to take?

I am afraid that I am not in a position to add anything to what I said in the House last night.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will name the date at which the last concerted offensive movement of the Russian Army against the Austro-German forces took place; and whether he has any information showing that the state of disorganisation of the Russian Army at that, time was mainly or largely the cause of the collapse of that offensive?

The last concerted offensive movement of the Russian Army against the Austro-German forces took place between the 1st and 13th July, 1917. The substance of the many telegrams received during the above period from the British military representatives with the Russian Armies proves conclusively that the disorganisation of the Russian Army prevented any exploitation of initial successes and was the cause of the cessation of the offensive.

asked who is now responsible for the defences of London against enemy aircraft attack?

Major-General E. B. Ashmore, under the orders of Field-Marshal Lord French.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any and, if so, what Army Order has been issued regarding the grant of Indian rates of pay to British Army officers serving outside India; and, if so, whether he will cause such Order to be printed and circulated with the OFFICIAL REPORT for the information of hon. Members?

My hon. Friend, no doubt, refers to a special Army Order issued on 26th December last. Copies were sent to the. Library for the information of Members, in accordance with the usual practice. I will let my lion. Friend have a copy.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether -he is aware that, while Article 361 of the Royal Pay Warrant, 1914, provides for the issue of charge pay to officers in charge of a general or other hospital, or of a division of a general hospital, the War Office letter 48/A.M.C./895 (A.M.D. 1) of 21st November, 1917, limits the issue of charge pay to the officers in charge of the surgical and medical divisions only of certain hospitals; whether he is aware that the medical officer in charge of the mental division of 1,000 beds in the Lord Derby War Hospital, Warrington, has been refused charge pay, although the medical officers in charge of the medical and surgical divisions in the same hospital of 462 and 1,538 beds, respectively, are recognised as eligible for charge pay if drawing full Army pay; and whether he will take immediate steps to amend the interpretation which the War Office appears to have placed on Article 361 of the Royal Pay Warrant, 1914, so as to permit of the issue of charge pay to the medical officer in charge of any division of a recognised general hospital possessing the requisite number of equipped beds?

The letter in. question merely explained the provisions of the Royal Warrant governing the issue of charge pay. The Warrant allows charge pay for the divisions of a general hospital, and these hospitals are invariably organised into two divisions—medical and surgical—the former including all cases that are not surgical in character, and it is not proposed in this case to alter the practice of the service. The mental cases in the Lord Derby War Hospital are treated in the mental section of the medical division.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether a decision has not yet been arrived at as to bonus and payment to the chemists and dispensers at the military hospitals?

I much regret that a decision has riot been arrived at as to the pay of the dispensers at Woolwich. I hope that a decision will be reached shortly, and I will see that some retrospective effect is given.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that there is a constant and serious waste of the iron or emergency rations supplied to our soldiers at the front, and that this waste is mainly due to the method of packing now adopted, as the bully beef, tea and sugar are packed in tins which are only partially sealed and the biscuits are in a calico bag and turn green and mouldy in a few days when not eaten by rats; and whether he will arrange for the ration to be packed in tin cases so that it cannot be spoiled by rain, vermin, or damp?

Preserved meat is packed in hermetically sealed tins; tea and sugar are wrapped in waterproof paper and packed in a tin which is not hermetically sealed. The biscuit is sent to theatres of war in hermetically sealed tins and is issued to the troops as required. To prevent deterioration, the biscuit portion of the ration is turned over as often as is necessary by issue instead of bread. The question of packing biscuit as well as other component portions of the iron ration in hermetically sealed tins, has been taken up with the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, France but after careful consideration it has been decided that the size of the tin would make an issue of the biscuit in such a packet, impracticable, and it has been stated that waste of biscuit as issued in the present form can with care practically be eliminated

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will state the weekly amount of the free issue of tobacco and cigarettes to the troops in France?

The ration is 2 ozs. weekly.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any European soldiers accepting post-war employment in India will none the less be guaranteed free repatriation when desired?

I cannot undertake that soldiers discharged in India, and remaining there for their own purposes as private individuals, shall retain a right to be brought away at any subsequent date chosen by themselves.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that each soldier on leave receives £2 on his arrival in London, 24s. 6d. of which represents his pay for the period of his fortnight's leave and 15s. 6d. of which is deducted from his pay; and whether he will consider the possibility of not making any claim in respect of this latter sum, in which case the soldier will receive the £2 free for the period mentioned, without any claim or deduction on either side?

My hon. Friend is under a misapprehension. The pay and ration allowance of a private soldier for his fourteen days' furlough amounts to £2 5s. 6d. He is given an advance of £2 on reaching England if he asks for it, and the balance is credited to his account.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that the premises No. 43, Carrington-street, Nottingham, were required by the military authorities in June, 1917; that a claim made by the lessee, Mr. L. E. Sutherland, in respect of loss and damage was settled by the War Office valuer at £205 16s. 6d.; that after repeated applications for payment the lessee was informed by the Comptroller of Lands, on 16th January, 1918, that a payment of £50 had been sanctioned; and whether he will take steps to pay without further delay the total sum awarded by the War Office valuer?

It is not correct to say that this claim was settled by the War Office valuer. It is a matter for determination by the Royal Commission on Losses, before whom the case is now pending. The payment of £50 is a payment on account made with the sanction of the Commission.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in cases where relatives and friends of sick or wounded soldiers who have been sent a free pass to enable them to see men who are seriously and dangerously ill, and who are unable from lack of means to maintain themselves, he will authorise hospital authorities to make arrangements for providing board and lodging at the public expense for such limited period as may seem to be desirable?

This duty has been discharged, I am glad to say, by voluntary agencies both in France and in this country, and I should be sorry to see such agencies replaced by the necessarily rigid machinery of a public Department disbursing public funds.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the increase of payment to private soldiers brought into force on 29th September, 1917, was granted to members of the Non-Combatant Corps; whether it has recently been discontinued and orders issued that the amount already paid in excess of the previous pay must be refunded by the recipients; if so, whether this action is in accordance with the Regulations laying down the conditions of service in this corps; and whether steps will be taken to rectify the position?

As regards the general question of eligibility, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16th instant to the lion. Member for Blackburn. With regard to the particular point now raised, it appears that certain members of the Non-Combatant Corps were, owing to a misapprehension, erroneously paid ac rates to which they were not entitled, and in accordance with the usual procedure in such cases the amount overpaid is being recovered by stoppages from current issues of pay.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will reconsider the weekly allowances to parents whose sons were apprentices or receiving small wages at the commencement of war, and who, if peace had been maintained, would now be receiving substantial wages, yet small allowances or no allowances are being granted in consequence of so-called pre-war dependence, which, by contrast with others, causes much bitterness?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Edinburgh on the 12th December, when I endeavoured to make clear the considerable extent to which a recent modification in the Regulations of the Special Grants. Committee enabled them to go beyond pre-war dependants in the grant of weekly allowances to the parents of such sons as. are referred to in the question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that many dependants in Scotland of soldiers have to walk long distances. every week, often in the winter months in trying weather, in order to get payment of the War Office allowances at the post office; that, in particular, eight dependants in Gask, some of them with young children and one of them of seventy years of age, have to walk sixteen miles to Auchterarder Post Office every week; is he aware that in these cases the postman daily does the round and could easily do the work if he was requisitioned so to do by his Department; and will he take steps to have this done wherever distances are excessive?

I am inquiring into the matter, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster General why Donald M'Caskill, a boy messenger, who was given a temporary appointment as postman at South Tottenham at 12s. a week and who was killed in action while serving with the Post Office Rifles, was not granted his appointment as an established postman before lie went to France. considering he was over twenty years of age and had previous to the outbreak of the War passed all necessary examinations and was fully entitled to his appointment at the age of nineteen; and what amount the father is now receiving?

Boy messengers are not appointed postmen while in the Army. M'Caskill's age at the date of enlistment was seventeen. The father is not now receiving any pay from the Post Office in respect of his son.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether the price allowed to the Lee Arrow Shell Factory, Cork, has been recently reduced to ls. 6d. per shell, with the result that the management announce the closing down of the works and the consequent dismissal of between sixty and seventy hands; and whether, in view of the fact that the works in question were started with a view of assisting in the production of munitions and in the belief that the prices originally offered would be continued, and that there has been no corresponding reduction in the cost of materials, he will reconsider the action which has been taken?

The price of 18-pounder high-explosive shells has been generally reduced by 1s. 6d. per shell, as from 1st January. It is considered that the reduced price is a fair one, and no difficulty has been experienced in securing sufficient supplies at that price. There appears to be no adequate reason for offering more favourable terms to the Lee Arrow Company than those offered to other contractors. I hope the employés will be able to obtain other employment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary of the Air Council what principle is adopted in dealing with flying men who, after being thoroughly trained, are found to be unfit for further flying; and are they still kept in the force and, although not flying, allowed to draw flying pay in addition to their ordinary Pay?

Pending the formation of the Air Force, this matter is determined by the Admiralty as regards the Royal Naval Air Service and by the War Office as regards the Royal Flying Corps. The practice is, as I am informed, in both Services, that officers who are found unfit for further flying cease to draw flying pay. As far as possible those whose unfitness is due to long and efficient service or to wounds or injuries are given other employment.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, in existing conditions in China, the obligations undertaken by the Government of that country when the Government of India relinquished the opium trade are being observed, or whether there are indications that poppy cultivation flourishes, the profits now being reaped by great landholders and officials in China instead of by small landowners and the general population of India?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The answer is in the affirmative. The last six provinces remaining open to the introduction of Indian certificated opium under the terms of the agreement of 191I have just been jointly inspected by Chinese Commissioners and British Consular Officers appointed for the purpose and have been reported to be free from poppy cultivation.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can make any statement regarding the position of the Calcutta Hides Committee and the participation of persons of German origin in the trade in hides?

The matter is still the subject of communication with the Government of India, and no statement can at present be made.

asked the Home Secretary whether any representations have yet been made to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge on the subject of granting degrees to women who would otherwise be qualified to vote; and, if so, whether such a concession could be made retrospective?

I understand that my right hon. Friend the President of the Local Government Board has been in communication with the universities on this subject, but no definite statement can yet be made.

asked the Home Secretary whether a war bonus can be granted in addition to their present pay to the police pensioners who are doing police duty for the duration of the War?

I regret that I cannot add anything to the written reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth on the 4th July last.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that a number of ejectment orders are being obtained against tenants who come within the scope of the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (War Restrictions) Act, 1915, and then the purchaser claiming possession to occupy; and will the Government take action to prevent this evasion of the Act of 1915?

I am aware that cases of the kind referred to have occurred, though I cannot say in how many cases the proceedings can be said to have constituted an evasion of the Act of 1915. I am not in a position to promise legislation on the subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether, under the authority of his Board, there is being paid 12s. 6d. for the wife and 2s. 6d. for each child of several thousands of Russian subjects who have recently elected to be repatriated; is it intended that this money shall b recovered from any responsible authority in Russia; and, if not, for how long will the ratepayers be responsible for the charge?

The allowances referred to are being paid to the necessitous dependants of Russians who returned to Russia. in compliance with the terms of the Anglo-Russian Military Service Convention. His Majesty's Government have agreed to provide the necessary funds on the understanding that the sums expended will be recovered from Russia at a later date. In the meantime the whole cost will be charged to the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction who are the persons whom he is employing to prepare and advise upon schemes for rural reconstruction after the War; and what is the extent of their practical knowledge of agriculture and other rural industries during the past forty years?

The assistant secretary is Mr. Douglas Newton, who is acting in an honorary capacity and who is a practical agriculturist with extensive farming experience. He is assisted in the office by three officers, one of whom, Mr. Salmon, was formerly a land agent with farming experience; the second, Captain Reiss, is a recognised expert in rural housing, and the third, Mr. A. Rogers, is an official of the Board of Agriculture acting as liaison officer with my Department. The Advisory Section of the Council dealing with rural matters includes the hon. Member for the Exchange Division of Liverpool, as chairman, Mr. Charles Adeane, Mr. Duncan of the Scottish Farm Servants Union, Sir Charles Fielding, Mr. Edward Strutt, and Professor T. B. Wood whose competence in agricultural matters is, I think, sufficiently known and appreciated. The hon. Member for the Newport Division of Shropshire represents agriculture on the Committee appointed to advise upon the disposal of war stores.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction whether he has considered recommending the adoption in this country of a system of grading and pasteurising the milk supply, similar to that instituted under the Department of Health, New York City, United States of America; whether he has considered' the establishment of infant milk kitchens in connection with the system of milk control, as have been established in New York City; whether he has considered the benefit to health that would result from the institution of some such system and the consequent saving of our annual wastage of some 20,000 gallons of milk: and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The points mentioned' in the first part of the question have been referred to in the Second Interim Report of the Committee on the Production and Distribution of Milk, who are, I understand, still considering them. I will bring the other points mentioned to the notice of this Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the restrictions upon the export of footballs and other sports equipment are still in operation; and, if so, whether he can see ins way to relax or suspend them?

It is regretted that it is necessary to continue the restriction on the export of footballs, owing to the shortage and military importance of the materials of which they are made. The same considerations apply to other sports equipment, but if my hon. Friend has further particular instances in mind, I should be obliged for his suggestions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the restrictions upon the export of fireclay sanitary fittings to Scandinavian countries and to Holland are still in operation; and, if so, whether it is proposed to relax or suspend them in the near future?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, as soon as political conditions permit of any relaxation of the restrictions on exports to Scandinavia and Holland, the export trade in articles mentioned will receive every consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can give the main points of the programme of foreign and domestic policy by which the Bolshevik party sought to win the support of the Russian people; whether peace for Russia was from the first included in that programme; and when the programme was first publicly stated in Russia after the revolution?

I would refer the hon. Member to the telegrams which appeared in the "Times" of the 9th and 10th of November and the 6th of December last, which will give him all the information desired.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether large quantities of gin are being shipped from Holland and France to this country and transshipped for export to West Africa and other countries inhabited by coloured native races; and whether the Shipping Controller has sanctioned the use of tonnage for this purpose?

A certain amount of gin and other spirits come from Holland to the United Kingdom for transshipment to foreign destinations. It is brought by Dutch vessels, and there is therefore no question of the Shipping Controller allocating tonnage for the purpose. There is a similar trade from France, but the conditions of the trade between the United Kingdom and France are not such as to warrant interference by the Shipping Controller.

asked the Postmaster-General why a telegram dispatched from Dakar on or before 7th January was not delivered to the addressee at Liverpool until noon of 18th January, seeing it only contained the two words, "Left, Williams"; when this telegram was received in Liverpool, and who was responsible for the delay in delivery; and whether he is aware that a telegram of a similar nature handed in at Dakar on the afternoon of 20th January was delivered to the addressee at Liverpool on the early morning of 22nd January?

The telegram in question was not received in this country until the 18th January. It was not forwarded over British cables, and I am unable to say to what cause its delay was. due.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will take steps to endeavour to secure more regular receipt of letters from Palestine; and if he is aware that friends of men who fought in the battle of 3rd December have received no letters since that date?

All means of communication are being used for the conveyance of mails sent from His Majesty's Forces in Palestine to this country, and by arrangements which have recently become available it is hoped substantially to expedite the transmission of these mails. As regards the second part of the question, I have no reason to think that the Conditions described by the hon. Member can he regarded as due to the fault of the Postal Service.

asked the Comptroller of the Household, as representing the National Health Insurance 'Commissioners if certain small manufacturers in rural districts in Ireland, which were specially excluded from the unemployment part of the National Insurance Act, are now held liable for unemployment contributions as from September, 1916; and, if so, whether, in view of the fact that these small industries were deliberately excluded for good reasons from the unemployment clauses of the original Act by arrangement with the then Government and that the employés in these small industries can obtain no benefit from the unemployment provisions of the Act, the Government will take immediate steps to fulfil the undertaking given by their predecessors in this matter?

I have been asked to reply to this question. Neither in the National Insurance Act, 1911, as regards Unemployment Insurance, nor in the Act of 1916 extending unemployment insurance to fresh trades, are there any provisions which specifically relate to trade in Ireland as distinct from other parts of the country. If the hon. Baronet would supply me with specific cases to which he refers I should be glad to inform him more fully as to the position.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the working-pay system, for the performance of special duties under the Irish prisons new scheme, is working unsatisfactorily and is causing dissatisfaction throughout the service generally; that in some cases warders have been paid working-pay for Sundays since its inception, but were compelled to refund that Sunday pay at the end of last year, thereby causing them hardship; that warders in receipt of working-pay are invariably permitted to earn double working-pay by being detailed to relieve working-pay posts, thereby depriving Class 3 warders, not in receipt of any allowance, of the opportunity of earning something extra; that in a number of cases Class 2 warders are per forming the duties of posts which, according to the official circular promulgating the new scheme, were to be filled by Class 3 warders with a working pay allowance; that in other cases posts which, according to the same circular, should be filled by Class 2 warders are not so filled; that in at least two such cases a fixed yearly allowance of £10 is being given to Class 3 warders for performing the duties, entirely contrary to any provision of the new scheme; that no uniform system of paying or distributing working-pay exists, each governor being left to interpret the circulars as he likes; as he has stated on a former occasion that the Irish new scheme is based on the Scottish system, will lie now consider the advisability of making the Irish working pay system identical with that which obtains in Scotland, namely, a fixed yearly rate of from £5 to £10 per year; and will he inquire into the different details contained in this question with a view to removing the confusion and dissatisfaction which at present exists in the Irish prison service in regard to this matter?

The General Prisons Board inform me that the new system is meeting the requirements of the prisons service, and that while some adjustments have been made in cases of overpayment no case of hardship arises. The statement that warders are permitted to earn double working-pay is not correct. Where Class 2 warders are performing special duties they are remunerated by their superior rank and better pay more highly than the Class 3 warders. In such cases no question arises as to the duties being assignable to Class 3 warders with working-pay. In cases where posts which should be filled by Class 2 warders are not so filled, or a fixed yearly allowance is given to Class 3 warders for performing the duties, the arrangements are temporary. The governors are not left to interpret the circulars as suggested, but considerable discretion is left to them. The Prisons Board do not recommend any change in the system.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any distinctive badge, such as the silver badge, can be granted to those men who have previously served their country in the South African War or other campaigns and have been invalided out of the Army?

All the men to whom my hon. Friend refers would be in possession of war medals, which with the ribands may be worn on plain clothes. I do not think that any further distinctive badge is necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India contemplates the early establishment, of a council of ruling chiefs with specified functions and clearly-defined powers?

As the hon. Member is aware, the whole question of Indian constitutional evolution is now under the consideration of the Secretary of State and the Government of India. It would be premature to make any statement regarding particular measures which may or may not be in contemplation.