asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the recent grant of allowances to assist the needs of the children of officers of the military service of the Crown will apply to those not upon active service or service abroad; and, if so, whether the children of the civil officers of the Crown of equivalent pay will be similarly assisted?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second part in the negative. Children's allowances would not be appropriate in the case of civil officers, whose rates of remuneration are fixed on an entirely different basis from that of military officers.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will have inquiry made into the case of the delay in paying the separation allowance to the mother of Private H. Barlow, No. 61240, 5th Platoon, B Company, 36th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, as this soldier enlisted on the 20th August last, and immediately made an allotment of 3s. 6d. a week.

Inquiry is being made into this case, and the hon. Member will be informed in due- course.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has satisfied himself that a sufficiency of seed is available for spring sowing on lands previously under the plough and also on those formerly under grass which it has been required to plough up, or is it anticipated that any substantial area of the former grasslands now ploughed up will not be sown for lack of seed or otherwise, thus resulting in a reduction of the hay crop or grazing area without a fully compensating increase of cereal crops?

The Board have made provision for conserving and supplementing the supply of seed for spring sowing, and they see no reason to expect that any newly-broken land will not be planted because the necessary supply of seed is unobtainable.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether any food is being specially allotted to persons engaged in the business of poultry keeping; and, if so, in what manner allotments are made?

A scheme to deal with the allocation of available poultry food among those keepers of poultry who maintain the best utility stock of birds is under consideration by the Ministry of Food and the Board of Agriculture. The details of the scheme will be announced as soon as possible.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what were the net additions to the man-power of the private shipyards for mercantile shipbuilding for the months of October, November, December, January, and the first two weeks of February?

Detailed labour returns have been obtained in the past from all private shipyards and marine engineering works once every two months. The net increases shown by these returns since the 30th September, 1917, are as under:During two months, October and November, 5,998.During two months, December and January, 3,000 (approx.).The returns for December and January are not yet quite complete. As was stated in my reply to a question asked by my right hon. Friend on the 23rd January, firms have been asked to render weekly demands of the classes of labour they require, with a statement showing how the demands of the previous week have been met. The returns for the first and second weeks in February show net increases of 1,070 and 1,295, respectively.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty if his attention has been directed to the fact that on the 13th June the fishing boat "Pearl" was in collision with H.M.T. "Elise," and to the loss suffered by the fishermen thereby; and whether, in view of the fact that independent witnesses established that the "Elise" might have avoided the collision, the Admiralty will ex gratia consider the question of some reasonable compensation to the fishermen who have lost so much?

The Admiralty are of opinion that the "Pearl" was to blame for the collision, and the circumstances are not considered to warrant an ex gratia payment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether his attention has been called to the hardships suffered by retailers of alcoholic liquors through the uneven distribution of supplies arising from the closing down of certain marketing and distilling businesses; and whether he will take steps to ensure that such supplies as are from time to time available shall be fairly apportioned among all those who depend on their retailing for their livelihood and the payment of rents, rates, and other expenses?

I have been asked to reply. I am endeavouring, in consultation with the trade, to make such arrangements as will secure the more equitable distribution of supplies of alcoholic liquors.

asked the Pensions Minister whether he is aware that representatives of his Department are seeking to employ in Dublin a qualified tailor's cutter to teach disabled soldiers; if he is aware that this teacher is proposed to be employed for thirty-five hours per week, and that the remuneration offered is £3 3s. per quarter or at the rate of l⅔d. per hour; if for this sum the teacher is asked to provide accommodation, pay rent, provide material for experimental purposes, etc.; and whether this remuneration, which was to be offered to a teacher of a highly technical and scientific branch of the tailoring trade, had received the sanction of his Department

No such arrangement as is referred to in the hon. Member's question has been proposed. The Ministry's representative is negotiating with the proprietor of a tailors' cutting school in Dublin to train men who before enlistment were tailors as tailors' cutters. The fee proposed by the school was £12 12s. per man for three to twelve months. Instead of a fee of £12 12s. the Ministry recommended that a fee of 7s. 6d. per week per man be paid, being the same fee that is paid for similar training in London. The negotiations are still proceeding.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that Mr. Emmanuel Shinwell applied to the Glasgow Tribunal for exemption from military service, that his application was rejected, that he received a calling-up notice, and that such notice was not in order, with the result that he had to appear before the tribunal again; if he is aware that he is a conscientious objector; whether instructions were sent to the tribunal that the case was not to be proceeded with; if so, were such instructions sent with his sanction; whether any information can be given as to the total number of cases in Glasgow where similar instructions have been sent; and why steps were taken to protect this person against military service?

Mr. Emmanuel Shinwell was granted conditional exemption by the Glasgow Local Tribunal in July, 1916. The case was reviewed in December, 1916, and exemption continued. This decision was upheld on appeal by the Appeal Tribunal. In September, 191V, this case was again reviewed by the National Service representative, but application was, in error, made. to the Appeal Tribunal instead of to the local tribunal as provided by the Regulations governing tribunal procedure. The case was accordingly remitted to the local tribunal by the Appeal Tribunal after a decision had been given withdrawing his exemption, and on the 12th October, 1917, the local tribunal heard the case and continued the exemption granted to Mr. Shinwell. Against this decision the National Service representative appealed, but on instructions from the National Service Department the appeal was withdrawn. No instructions were sent to the tribunal. The appeal was withdrawn on the representation of the Shipping Controller and the Admiralty that Shinwell was doing important work in connection with the engagement and supervision of crews for merchant ships, both requisitioned and unrequisitioned, and that in the opinion of those Departments it was desirable in the national interests that his exemption should continue. The Minister of National Service is not aware that Shinwell is a conscientious objector.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if his attention has been called to the case of a kelp burner in Orkney who, after toiling for months dragging seaweed beyond reach of high tide, is now likely to lose all his time and labour and to be prevented reaping his harvest; and whether, in view of the value of kelp, the Board of Agriculture will obtain exemption until the early summer?

The Secretary for Scotland's attention has been called to this case. The Board of Agriculture are making inquiries into the matter, and my hon. Friend will be informed of the result.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state the quantity of wine retained for consumption during the calendar year 1917?

During the calendar year 1917 the quantity of wine entered for home consumption in the United Kingdom was 7,160,095 gallons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what saving in railway tonnage and wagon space would be effected by the suspension of the brewing industry during the War; and (2) if he can state in tons the total quantity of beer and stout and also of cereals and other materials required for the brewing industry conveyed by the various railways in the United Kingdom for each month during the past year or the period for which a complete record is available; and the amount of wagon space allocated for such purposes?

Information is not available as to the proportion of the output of breweries which is conveyed by rail to the localities in which it is consumed, or as to the quantities of materials transported by rail to breweries. Since the outbreak of war the compilation of many of the details of railway traffic has been suspended, and it is impossible to judge, from data relating to 1913, what may be the present position, since the reduction in the quantity of beer produced, and the changes in its strength, may be expected to have had a considerable effect on the distribution of the supply available and the sources of the material used.

asked the Minister for Labour if the Committee appointed to deal with the demands of the South Wales assurance agents' war bonus have yet come to any decision; if so, what their findings are; and, if not, if he will press the Committee to deal at once with the case?

The Committee of Inquiry is considering the representations of all assurance agents. They have not yet reported, but the matter is being dealt with with all possible speed.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the restrictions upon the export of cotton goods and yarn to Switzerland and other neutral countries is affecting the cotton industry of Lancashire; and when these restrictions will be removed or modified?

I am fully alive to the effect of the restrictions in question on the Lancashire cotton industry. They form part of a general policy necessitated by the interests of the blockade, and the date of their removal or modification must depend upon the results of negotiations now in progress between His Majesty's Government and their co-belligerents on the one hand and the several neutral Governments on the other hand.Prison Rules (Writing Materials).

asked the Home Secretary how long the Regulation prohibiting prisoners from the use of writing materials has been in force; and whether it is now possible to modify it in any way?

The prohibition, which applies to short-sentence prisoners only, has existed for many years, and I do not propose to modify it at the present time.