asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Isle of Man is contributing only £10,000 per annum, as fixed in 1865, to our revenue, and that while this sum then formed one-fourth of the Customs revenue it is now only one-thirteenth of the Customs revenue; whether he is aware that a large part of the Isle of Man revenue is raised by taxing the British Government's imports of beer, spirits, tea, and tobacco for the alien camps and their guards; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made with a view to a contribution to the War by the introduction of an Income Tax, or the assimilation of Isle of Man taxation to our own through annexation to Lancashire?

In addition to the normal annual contribution of £10,000 to the Exchequer the island, apart from the special expenditure on the Volunteer Force, has made since the outbreak of war a non-recurrent grant of £10,000 towards the cost of the War. The facts with regard to the revenue from the camps are as stated. As regards the third part of the question, I am informed that an Income Tax Bill is already under the consideration of the House of Keys.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether in the case of businesses liable to Excess Profits Duty which were in the habit in pre-war years of half-yearly balancing, they can now substitute there for annual balancing accounts?

A change of practice of the character described cannot be sanctioned for purposes of Excess Profits Duty in those cases where it would have the effect of defeating the true incidence of the duty.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether, on the same day that the fine of £25 was imposed on Mr. A. Blomfield, J.P., for the alleged offence of feeding pigs with barley as a protest against its use in brewing, the chairman of the bench of magistrates declared that he personally should be very sorry to lose Mr. Blomfield's services from the Halstead Food Control Committee on account of what, after all, was only a technical and not a criminal offence; and whether, in view of this statement, the responsible Department will take steps to redress this matter?

I have been unable to obtain any confirmation of the suggestion that this statement was made by the bench of magistrates. Should any application be made by the appointing authority or by the local food control committee for the removal of the disqualification which the conviction entails, the Ministry will be prepared to investigate the facts and take the case into consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food of whom the committee consists which fixes the price of wheat sold in the county of Sussex, and by whom is such committee appointed; and, seeing that in most cases wheat is sold by a farmer to a corn dealer who sells to a miller, what steps are taken to ensure that the wheat adjudicated upon is that sold by the farmer, and what, if any, steps are taken to see that farmers are represented on the committee?

I know of no committee which fixes the price of wheat sold in the county of Sussex. The minimum price for home-grown wheat is fixed by the Corn Production Act, 1917, and the maximum prices are fixed by the Grain (Prices) Order, 1917.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he will state how many potato growers in each of the four provinces of Ireland applied for and are allowed payment under the potato guarantee price for 1917; and what is the total amount paid, or to be paid, in each province?

Four thousand eight hundred and nine claims for compensation under the Potatoes Order No. 2, 1917, have been submitted by the Irish potato growers for the period ending 31st December last. Three thousand of these have been paid, the total payments amounting to £44,450. The amount that will be paid in respect of the 1,809 claims outstanding cannot be stated until after such claims have been fully examined. Separate figures for the four provinces cannot be given at present.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) who was consulted in fixing the price of potatoes to Irish producers; and why a discrimination has been made between Irish and English prices?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given by the Ministry of Food and the Chief Secretary to questions on this subject by the hon. Member for North Dublin on the 18th February.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether that Department advised the Food Controller, or any other head of any other Department of the Government, that a guaranteed price ought not to be paid to producers of potatoes in Ireland for the production of potatoes in the year 1918?

The conditions under which potato prices for 1918 were arrived at were fully stated by the representative of the Ministry of Food on 18th February in answer to the hon. and learned Member. It is not in the public interest that the advice of the various Departments who are consulted before the decisions of the Food Controller are arrived at should be published either in answer to questions or otherwise.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether the Food Controller intends to enforce the Order universally as to the purchase of cattle by dead-weight instead of by live-weight; whether he is aware that there is a general objection amongst farmers to this Order; whether he has received resolutions from butchers to the effect that the Order is likely to assist the formation of a meat trust; and whether he will consider the advisability of permitting in Leicestershire the sale of cattle by live-weight, provided there is more scientific grading?

No Order has at present been issued requiring that cattle shall be sold by dead instead of by live-weight, but I am aware that in certain districts farmers object to this method of sale. No resolutions of the character described have been received from butchers, and the hon. Member may rest assured that the Food Controller will not tolerate the formation of any meat trust. It would be invidious to differentiate between Leicestershire and other parts of the country, but it is hoped, with the assistance of the Agricultural Organisation Society and other agricultural bodies, to devise a satisfactory solution of the present difficulties.

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether a sufficient number of sheep are being retained in Ireland to supply the food wants of the population and to continue the normal flocks for breeding purposes; and whether he can give an approximate estimate of the position as compared with pre-war conditions in view of the increased exports?

In order to maintain the flocks of sheep in Ireland the Department of Agriculture put into operation the Maintenance of Live Stock (Breeding Ewes) (Ireland) Order of 1918, which prohibits the slaughter of any in-lamb ewes in Ireland, the person permitting the slaughter as well a, the seller for slaughter of any such animal being held responsible. It is anticipated that this Order will go far towards securing a sufficient supply of sheep for the country's needs. The Department will continue to watch the situation carefully, and will be prepared to take any further action which may be considered necessary.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any reduction has taken place during the last six months in the rations supplied to officers' messes of the regiments at home in the United Kingdom; whether these messes at home still have six or seven-course dinners; and whether the courses provided are of the same size or weight as was given before the present shortage of food arose?

The rations to officers at home have been reduced during the last six months in the same way as for the rest of the Army; and it is now the same for all ranks. As regards the number of courses at mess the officer is in the same position as the civilian. The number of courses for the latter is not restricted by the Food Controller, and there appears to be no reason why the officer should be treated differently. The actual number of courses served varies, of course, in the different units, and it is impossible to give a definite figure, but the courses made up of such articles as are rationed by the Food Controller would naturally have beer; reduced in those items.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether soldiers proceeding on leave to this country are now provided with ration cards covering the period of such leave; and, if not, whether arrangements will be made enabling soldiers on leave to purchase rationed foods with the minimum of delay and formality?

As I informed my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Rotherhithe on the 28th February, in answer to a similar question, the arrangements for the issue of meat tickets were devised by the Food Controller. Special tickets will be issued to officers and men returning from overseas to enable them to obtain meat meals during the journey on their way home and on return. The possibility of extending this system to cover the whole or greater part of the leave spent by officers and men is now being discussed with the Food Controller.

asked the Home Secretary if he will introduce legislation to permit seagulls' eggs to be gathered for edible purposes?

Arrangements for the collection and marketing for food purposes of the edible varieties of gulls' eggs have been under consideration and are now being pushed forward by the Departments concerned. No legislation is required, but in places where Orders prohibiting the taking of such eggs were in force under the Wild Birds Protection Acts, and where the eggs are likely to be found in any considerable quantity, the Orders have been suspended with the concurrence of the local authorities until June.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether 6,614,258 lbs. of tea were exported to Sweden from the United Kingdom in 1916 as against 245,660 lbs. in 1913; and whether, in view of the shortage of tea, steps have been taken to prohibit entirely such exports to neutral countries in future?

The facts as stated in the first paragraph of the question are correct. The export of tea was prohibited to certain neutral European destinations, including Sweden, on the 28th June, 1916, and almost the whole of the quantity alluded to was exported in the months before the prohibition was imposed. The export of tea was prohibited to all destinations on l9th February, 1917. Perhaps I should add that the question of what amounts of tea, if any, ought to be allowed to be exported from this country in view of shortage of stocks here is not a matter for the Foreign Office or Ministry of Blockade to decide. All questions of that kind should be addressee) to the Board of Trade or Ministry of Food.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food if he is aware that in parts of Ireland outside Dublin distillers and wholesale whisky dealers are making efforts to dispose of their stocks at high prices to buyers other than their 1916 customers; if he is aware that this attempt to rob licensed traders of their average, based on 1916, supplies is resented, and will bring ruin to many traders if allowed to pass unchecked; and if, when appointing the Whisky Committee, he will see that the small licensed traders of the districts affected shall receive adequate direct representation on the Committee?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. It has not yet been decided to set up a Whisky Committee, but the Department is in close touch with the trade, and is doing everything possible to help the small licensed traders of the districts affected.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will state on what instructions Mr. J. S. Lewis, pension officer for the Milford station, county Donegal, acted when he recommended that an old age pension of 3s. per week be granted to Mrs. Catherine Barker, Rameltown, county Donegal, a widow with no means, simply because she was receiving an Army allowance of 8s. per week on account of a son serving at the front; whether the Local Government Board have issued instructions to pension committees not to take Army allowances into consideration in fixing old age pensions and whether instructions of a different nature have been issued to pension officers; and whether the pension officer will be asked to reconsider his recommendation in this case or will this widow be penalised for having a son defending his country at the front?

I would refer the hon. Member to the administrative concessions in the White Paper (Cd. 8320) for particulars of the concessions made to old age pensioners who are receiving Army separation allowances. Such concessions apply to pensioners only, not to persons claiming pensions. The case referred to in the question has not come before the Local Government Board.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is meant by the words "teacher recognised by the Board" in the. Rules laid upon the Table for the distribution of the new Grant of £50,000 for secondary education in Ireland?

For the distribution of the Parliamentary Grant for intermediate education in Ireland for the financial year 1917–18 "recognised teacher" is defined in Rule 7 (b) of the Rules presented to Parliament. The permanent conditions upon which the Intermediate Education Board will recognise teachers have not yet been prescribed.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the anxiety experienced by the families of the crews of the steam drifters employed on outpost duty in the neighbourhood of the Channel; if they could be accompanied by armed ships when on night duty; and, in the alternative, if faster and more powerfully armed vessels could be employed on this night duty and the losses of these fishing boats be minimised?

My hon. Friend's question doubtless refers especially to the drifter patrol which was recently raided by the enemy's destroyers. The Board of Admiralty sympathises deeply with the families of the men employed in these steam drifters, no less with those of other officers and men of His Majesty's ships. The Board is, however, satisfied that adequate arrangements are made for the support of these vessels, but my hon. Friend will easily realise that it would not be in the public interest to give detailed information as to the nature and disposition of the vessels which constitute the supporting force. My right hon. Friend the first Lord will deal further with this matter in his statement on Tuesday.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can state the number of decorations for war services awarded to officers and other ranks, respectively, of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, exclusive of the Royal Naval Division, since the outbreak of hostilities?

The following is the list of the war decorations awarded to the officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines—exclusive of the Royal Naval Division—since the outbreak of hostilities: 28 Victoria Crosses, 1 Order of Merit, 4 Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, 1 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, 26 Knight Commanders of the Order of the Bath, 17 Knight Commanders of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, 161 Companions of the Order of the Bath, 82 Companions of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, 433 Companions of the Distinguished Service Order, 27 Bars to the Distinguished Service Order, 853 Distinguished Service Crosses, 48 Bars to the Distinguished Service Cross, 57 Conspicuous Gallantry Medals, 2,490 Distinguished Service Medals, and 33 bars to the Distinguished Service Medal.

asked the Secretary to the Admiralty whether Royal Army Corps officers previously attached to the Royal Flying Corps have now been transferred to the Air Force in this country; and, if not, why this has not been done?

Royal Army Medical Corps officers are not under the Admiralty. If my hon. and gallant Friend means Royal Naval medical officers previously attached to the Royal Naval Air Service, the answer is that they have not been transferred to the Air Force. On the completion of the medical arrangements for the Air Force, the necessary Royal Naval medical officers will be lent to that force as circumstances demand.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War whether an officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps serving on a one-year agreement is entitled to refuse to renew that agreement, and, if serving abroad, can insist on his being sent home at the end of his term; is he aware that officers serving in France are informed that, if they refuse to renew their agreements, they will not be sent home, but will come under the operation of the Military Service Act as soon as they reach the base; and whether medical officers who have given one, two, or three years' service have an equal right to have their cases considered by the medical committees or by the tribunals with those who have never served at all?

All officers serving on a yearly contract have a right to refuse to renew that contract until they have had an opportunity of exercising their right of appeal to a tribunal. Nothing is known at the War Office of the procedure in France referred to.

asked the Undersecretary of State for War if he is aware that the Director-General of the Army Medical Service has, within the last few days, stated in writing that the number of qualified dental surgeons now serving in the ranks of the Army is in excess of the number likely to be required as Army dental officers; and whether this represents the policy of the War Office in regard to retaining qualified dental surgeons in the ranks instead of employing them as dental officers?

Yes, Sir: I am informed that the dental needs of the Army are not such that all qualified dentists serving can be used for their professional work.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that Mr. H G. Twilley, who before the War was superintendent of a Sunday school in Leicester, has been sentenced four times, the last sentence being one of two years' hard labour, for being a conscientious objector; and what is the present intention of the War Office regarding such men?

I should be glad if my hon. Friend would let me have details as to regiment and number, to enable me to consider the case.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is in a position yet to inform the House whether conscientious objectors undergoing sentences of penal servitude are to have the benefit of the recent concessions announced with respect to those undergoing sentences of hard labour?

I am in communication with the War Office upon this subject.

asked the Home Secretary if a conscientious objector named W. J. Greene, late of the Works Centre, Wakefield, has been arrested and taken back to the Army; if Mr. Greene, prior to his first arrest under the Military Service Act, was an assistant organiser of the Bakers' Union in South Wales; if his arrest is due to a letter which he wrote three weeks ago to his general secretary, and which is considered by the Home Office to contravene Rule 12 regarding public propaganda; if this is the only reason for Mr. Greene's arrest, will he explain how this letter can come within the rule referred to; whether Mr. Greene's conduct during the fifteen months he has been at Wakefield has been exemplary; and whether this case will be immediately reconsidered with a view to his return to the Home Office scheme?

W. J. Greene has been arrested. His occupation was stated in prison as that of a baker, but there is nothing to show that he was an assistant organiser of the Bakers' Union. His conduct has been good, but the letter in respect of which his recall was recommended showed that he had broken the rule against taking part in public propaganda and made it impossible for the Committee to retain him in their employment.

asked how many conscientious objectors were confined in Shrewsbury Prison in January, 1918; whether A. Horton died there as a conscientious objector; and how many conscientious objectors have been released from Shrewsbury Prison since 1st January, 1918?

There were eighty-one prisoners of the class known as "conscientious objectors" in Shrewsbury Prison during January last. A. Horton was one of them. Six others of them have been released since the 1st January.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Board of Inland Revenue has issued instructions releasing all clerks to surveyors of the requisite medical fitness up to the age of twenty-six years for military service; whether it is now proposed to release all such clerks up to the age of twenty-eight years; whether all surveyors and assistant surveyors of taxes are retained and exempted from military service; and, if so, whether, in view of the fact that there are a number of recent entrants of surveyors and assistant surveyors into the Department, he will issue instructions that all such surveyors and assistant surveyors, equally with tax clerks, shall be liable to release for military service if they were not previously employed by the Department before the outbreak of hostilities?

The Board of Inland Revenue have gone much further in the matter of releasing their star for military service than the hon. and gallant Member suggests. In addition to releasing clerks in surveyors' offices up to the age of twenty-eight, the Board have released from their headquarters establishments a somewhat parallel grade of clerk up to the age of thirty-five, and clerks belonging to a grade superior to that of clerks in sur- veyors' offices up to the age of thirty-one. Most of the professional valuation staff up to the age of thirty-five has also been released. The retention in their civil employment of surveyors of taxes is essential if the minimum machinery needed to secure the vast war revenue imposed by this House is to be maintained.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will cause inquiries to be made into the conscripting of James Brennan, of 10, Nixon Street, Dublin; if he is aware that this boy is under nineteen years of age, and was sent by the Dublin Labour Exchange to Great Britain on 12th January, 1918; if he is aware that the Labour Exchange paid his fare to Manchester and the position only lasted a few weeks, and on seeking other employment was arrested and handed over to the military authorities to be dealt with by the Manchester County Police Court magistrate; and if he will see that this man is discharged, and that the Exemption Clauses of the Military Service Act are respected?

My hon. Friend has asked me to reply. Inquiries are being made into the matter, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Minister of Labour why the Army doctors have not yet been superseded by civilian doctors on the medical recruiting boards, as promised; and will he say particularly why Major Muir, a Royal Army Medical Corps officer, is still the superintendent of the Camberwell Medical Board?

All Army doctors have been superseded by civilian doctors on the National Service Medical Boards. Dr Muir, who is chairman of the Camberwell National Service Medical Board, is not an officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He retired some years ago from the Royal Army Medical Corps and was subsequently for many years in general practice at Plymouth and held the appointment of honorary surgeon to the Plymouth Infirmary.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if his attention has been directed to the case of Mrs. Firth, Castle Farm, Stromness, a lady paying a rent of £91 a year, supplying milk to a very large number of persons and also to the Bellay Hospital; if he is aware that two of her sons are already serving the Government, and that, if her two boys who are working the farm are taken by the military) she will be forced to abandon the farm as no outside labour is available; and, in view of the fact that a distinct pledge was given that no further inroads on agricultural labour would be made, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The case of David Firth, one of the two sons referred to, is under consideration by the Board of Agriculture upon a question raised by the Director of National Service, Scottish Region. That of the other son will be considered by the Board if and when any proposal is made to call him up for military service.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is prepared to abolish the distinctions between Regular and New Army officers now engaged by the Ministry of Pensions as regards their promotion and pay or, if this course is impracticable, whether he will take steps to discharge all temporary officers in order that they may have the same opportunity of promotion and in-increased pay as Civil servants?

Temporarily unfit officers attached to a Government Department normally draw Army pay and allowances, but if they fill special posts may be given the civil pay of the post instead. This applies equally to all officers. Permanently unfit officers relinquish their commissions whatever branch of the Service they belong to, and are dealt with as civilians. I understand that New Army officers permanently employed under the Ministry of Pensions relinquish their commissions.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether subaltern officers extra-regimentally employed and being paid at the regimental rate of 9s. 6d. per day are entitled to the increased pay and allowances for children granted to subaltern officers as from 1st October, 1917, by the late Royal Warrant; and whether this back pay, on being paid in a lump sum, is subject to Income Tax?

I am not able to identify the officers referred too, and should be glad to have further particulars. Arrear payments are subject to Income Tax.

asked the Under Secretary of State for War whether officers in the Reserve who rejoined at the commencement of the War and have since been promoted are entitled to draw the same rate of pay as officers of the New Army of the corresponding rank; and, if not, why there is this difference?

Generally, the answer is in the affirmative. If the hon. Member knows of a case which appears to him to require explanation, I shall be glad to hear from him.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether it is intended to place Cavalry captains under the same rules for promotion which holds good in the Infantry—namely, that they shall be promoted major on attaining fifteen years' service?

This question has been discussed several times, and the decision has been that Cavalry captains are not to be given time promotion to the rank of major.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to state the number of Staff officers at General Headquarters Army Corps and Divisional Headquarters who have not had any experience of regimental service during the last two years?

I regret that the information asked for is not available at the War Office, and I hesitate to ask the authorities in France to procure it for me at present, when they are overburdened with difficult work.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the Report on the Cambrai battle which is about to be published is the original Report from the Commander-in-Chief; and whether omissions from or additions to its original form have been made?

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

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether New Army tunics with regimental buttons are now being issued to German prisoners of war; if so, why this is being done; and whether, if there are large stocks of this cloth, it could be dyed a different colour in order to save the feelings of our men who have fought against these prisoners and who hate to see them wearing our uniform?

A certain amount of peace-pattern clothing for which there was no other outlet, has, from motives of economy, been issued for the use of German prisoners of war. Before such issue the regimental buttons and all distinctive trimmings are removed and the garments are all dyed except such as are already plain dark blue. These will not take any colour except blue and black.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that discontent exists among the men at the front with regard to the question of leave; whether officers at corps headquarters receive a period of leave once in every three months and officers up the line leave once in five months, whilst the average for the rank and file is well over twelve months; whether he is aware that in the French Army the leave for officers and men is given on the same basis; and whether he will consider the possibility of more equal treatment, especially in the case of those men who have been with the forces since 1914?

I have ascertained from General Headquarters in France that Staff and regimental officers receive leave every three or five months, according to the tactical situation. Men are now averaging less than ten months. Clerks average six months, which is necessary for health. The situation is not comparable to that of the French, as shipping is a ruling factor with us. I am informed that no discontent exists among the men on the leave question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what progress has been made with the organisation of Volunteer Field Ambulances for the County of London and what appointments have been made?

The scheme for the raising of Volunteer Field Ambulances does not, so far, include the formation of any in London, as it is necessary to raise these units at, or as near as possible to, their emergency stations. Volunteer Field Ambulances will only be raised in London if the existing arrangements for raising them in more suitable localities from an emergency standpoint fall through in any respect.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if the dependants of women in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps are entitled to dependency allowances?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why a reduction of 5s. in the dependency separation allowance of Mrs. Peters, the mother of Private J. Peters, No. 84,076, Machine Gun Corps, has been made; if this deduction is-because her son was admitted to the general hospital, at Boulogne, suffering from appendicitis; and, if so, whether it is the practice of the War Office to leave the dependants of soldiers without maintenance allowance in such circumstances?

No, Sir. The deduction was made not because of the soldier's admission to hospital, but on account of his having forfeited ten days' pay. I may add that as soldiers have since been relieved from payment of allotments in such cases, with retrospective effect from 29th September last, the 5s. has been refunded to Mrs. Peters.

asked the Pensions Minister what provision is made in the way of pension or gratuity for the next-of-kin of officers or men who meet with death either by accident or through illness while engaged on Home Service; and what provision is made for officers and men who are wounded while engaged at home?

I fear it would be quite impossible for me to give the information asked for in the form of a reply to a question, but, broadly speaking, the pensions and gratuities which may be paid to the family or dependants of officers or men depend on whether death was attributable to military service, and this term includes service at home during the present War as well as service at the front. I will have copies of the principal Warrants sent to the hon. Member.

asked the Pensions Minister whether a man who has signed Army Form No. 3,529 will be at any disadvantage in regard to pension as compared with a man who did not sign it?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Under-secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether he is aware of instructions to steel works not to execute orders placed by merchants, though such orders are accompanied by priority 1 certificates, until consumers' orders with certificates of the same priority have been executed; whether he is aware of the delay to the production of aeroplanes thereby occasioned; and whether he will take steps to remove this discrimination against merchants' orders when accompanied by priority certificates?

In order to obtain closer control over the distribution of the special steels referred to and in order to regulate the stocks held by consumers, an order has been given to the makers of these steels to supply consumers only.

asked the Minister of Munitions under what conditions and within what limits of salary the bonus of 12½ percent. conceded by the Government to workmen engaged on munitions is received by clerical employés in controlled establishments?

There is no power under the Munitions of War Acts to make an Order granting a bonus to employés remunerated by a weekly salary. Favourable consideration is, however, given to proposals by individual establishments for the payment of a bonus to the lower-paid male clerks of twenty-one years of age and over.

asked the Minister of National Service whether the work of recruiting women for the Army Services has hitherto been, and is still being, done by the Employment Exchanges; whether it is contemplated to transfer this work to the Ministry of National Service; whether the Ministry has staffs as widely experienced in this precise work; whether the sanction of the Treasury has been sought for the Ministry's proposed arrangement; and whether such sanction has been given or withheld?

It is proposed that the Employment Exchanges shall continue to recruit women for the Army Services, and no proposal has ever been made that they should cease to do so. The Ministry of National Service is responsible for controlling the recruiting of women, and certain proposals have been submitted to the Treasury and other Departments concerned for co-ordinating and securing economy in this matter. The Treasury have made certain criticisms on these proposals, which have accordingly been amended, and, as I stated in my reply to a question by the hon. Member for Tamworth on the 28th February, are now under consideration.

asked the Home Secretary whether any decision has been arrived at by the Government as to the advisability of preventing any person not of British birth addressing public meetings in this country for the duration of the War?

An Order in Council giving power to the Secretary of State to prohibit an alien from addressing or taking part in meetings or engaging in propaganda has been passed to-day.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in fixing the commencement of summer-time, he takes into account the inconvenience of an early date to workers who have to get up and go to work before sunrise; and whether he can fix the date so that the sun shall have risen before the commencement of work in factories, etc.?

I would refer the hon. Member to the statement on this subject which I made in the House in reply to a question of the hon. Member for Dulwich on the 20th February. As appears from that statement, the consideration which the hon. Member mentions was fully taken into account. I hope that the dates which have been fixed will not cause serious inconvenience to any class, and that those who may suffer some inconvenience for a few weeks may be willing to put up with it in view of the great public benefit resulting from the change.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether instructions have been issued to pensions officers to the effect that in assessing the income which a claimant for an old age pension possesses account is to be taken of the value of any board and lodging which such claimant receives from any other person, including the children of the claimant; and whether he will consider the cases of claimants who can only be granted a small pension because such items are taken into account, and cases in which hard-working sons are and have been for years main- taining their parents and who, when the time comes, are penalised by instructing old age pension officers to omit such items?

In estimating the means of a claimant for old age pension purposes the yearly value of any benefit enjoyed by the claimant in the way of free board and lodging must be taken into account in accordance with Section 2 (1) (d) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1911. This is a statutory requirement, and I cannot authorise any departure from it.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he is aware that, in consequence of an old age pensioner not being allowed to augment the old age pension over and above 7s. 6d. per week in addition to the pension, the country is deprived of the services of a number of able-bodied men, especially in the form of farm labourers who, if the law allowed, would willingly take work and well earn their money as farm hands; and whether he will consider the advisability of this provision being suspended during the War?

The hon. Member is, I think, under a misapprehension. Old age pensioners are not deprived of their pensions if they resume work, provided that their wages do not exceed 20s. a week in rural districts or 30s. a week in urban districts, and that they have no appreciable means in addition to their earnings. This concession is fully set out in White Paper 8320.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether an Order in Council has been issued with a view to the preparation of a new register of voters; and whether the date has been fixed for the coming into force of this register?

It is hoped that an Order in Council will be issued at an early date. As stated in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for the West Newington Division on the 27th February, the new register will come into force on the 1st October next.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether a man who is entitled, under Section 1 (1, b) of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, to be registered as a Parliamentary elector in the Skipton Division will be disqualified for any period of time upon removing to another constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire or to a constituency in the East Riding, the North Riding, Westmorland, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire?

A man is entitled to be registered as a Parliamentary elector if he has during the whole of the qualifying period resided in premises in the same constituency, or in another constituency within the same Parliamentary county, or within a Parliamentary county contiguous to that county. The East and North Ridings, Westmorland, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and the parts of Lindsey, are all Parliamentary counties contiguous to the West Riding.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will endeavour to obtain from the Admiralty, the Army Council, and the Air Council the necessary information as to the death of all English, Scottish, and Welsh members of the Forces under their respective commands since the coming into operation of the National Registration Act, 1915; and whether, with a view of facilitating the compilation of the new register under the Representation of the People Act, and in order to make as complete and accurate a register as possible, he will arrange to place such information at the disposal of the authorities in charge of the National Register in the respective areas of England, Scotland, and Wales?

Men in the naval and military forces were expressly excluded from the operation of the National Registration Act, 1915, and the forms relating to men registered under the Act who subsequently joined the forces have been removed from the register. It does not, therefore, appear that any useful purpose would be served by collecting and placing at the disposal of the local registration authorities the information referred to in the question.

asked the Secretary for Scotland what date has been fixed for the first qualifying period for voters under the Representation of the People Act; whether he can also state on what date the first register of voters under the Act will be in force; and are these to be 15th April and 1st October, respectively, as in England and Wales?

The dates fixed for Scotland, as well as for England and Wales, are those mentioned by my hon. and learned Friend.

asked the Minister for Labour whether he proposes to introduce the Trades Boards Bill with a view to its early passage?

My right hon. Friend proposes to introduce a Bill to amend the Trades Boards Act as soon as Parliamentary exigencies allow.

Mr. MORRELL asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour whether his attention has been called to the grievances of life assurance agents who are employed in administering the National Health Insurance Act; whether he is aware of the Report made by the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the causes of industrial unrest to the effect that the Government ought to compel an inquiry to be made into these men's case; and whether the Government are proposing to take any action in the matter?

This matter has been under consideration for some time and a Committee of Inquiry has been appointed as I have already informed the House in reply to questions. It has already held several sittings at which the assurance agents have made their representations.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether he is aware that skilled artisans are being employed on house repairs and numerous other works throughout the country not immediately urgent; and whether he will take steps to make it an offence for any person or firm to employ skilled workmen on any work not connected directly or indirectly with the war needs of the country, in order to force such, skilled artisans to apply for employment at shipyards and other national works?

My hon. Friend has asked me to reply. It is not considered practicable to adopt the course suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend. He will be aware that the increasing restrictions of the use of material for private work, coupled with the provisions for licensing private work on any considerable scale, reduce all work of an unnecessary character to a minimum.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what are the necessary qualifications of inspectors of weights and measures in England and Ireland and the amount of the salaries paid to these officers in the case of each country; what is the amount of the fees received and of the surplus lodged to the deposit account as fees for verification of weights and measures in Ireland in each financial year since 1911 and the amount paid to inspectors in respect of this work; what special expenses are chargeable to this account; if he is aware that a falling off in fees does not relieve an inspector from any of his duties; and if it is intended to safeguard the interests of the inspectors by giving them a fixed salary or by applying all the fees solely for their benefit in the manner intended by Section 19 (2) of the Weights and Measures Act of 1889?

Inspectors of weights and measures must obtain certificates of qualification from the Board of Trade after examination. The qualification is the same throughout the United Kingdom. I have no information as to the remuneration in England, where the salaries of inspectors are fixed by the local authorities who employ them; but in Ireland, where, as a rule, the Royal Irish Constabulary act as ex-officio inspectors of weights and measures, rewards are granted annually out of a Reward Fund. The amounts of fees collected since 1911, the surplus amounts transferred to the Reward Fund, and the sum paid as rewards to ex-officio inspectors, are as follows:—

asked the Home Secretary if he will state the death-rate of prisoners in prison for each year in the last available period of five years?

The death-rate from natural causes in prisons has been as follows for each of the past five years:

Year ending 31st March.		Number of Deaths.	Daily Average Population.	Rate per 1,000 of the Population.
1912–13	…	81	18,410	4.4
1913–14	…	113	17,056	6.6
1914–15	…	74	14,641	5.4
1915–16	…	80	10,406	7.7
1916–17	…	58	9,206	6.3

asked the Secretary for Scotland what amount, local rate and State Grant, was spent upon secondary education in Scotland for the years ending March, 1917 and 1918; and what amount is proposed to be spent in the year ending March, 1919?

I regret that the statistics asked for by my hon. Friend are not available. In Scotland primary and secondary education are both administered by the same authority, and certain Grants are given to school boards in respect of their expenditure as a whole, irrespective of the form of education given. The rate raised by school boards is for all purposes, and no part of it is specifically for primary education. It is, therefore, impossible to allocate either the Grants or the contribution from rates with anything like precision between primary and secondary education.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the amount of the State Grant for secondary education for England and Wales, respectively, in the years ending March, 1917, 1918, and 1919?

The sums appearing in the Estimates for Grants under the Board's Regulations for secondary schools and for Grants in Aid of Welsh intermediate schools in the years ending 31st March, 1917, and 31st March, 1918, respectively, were:

(a) For schools in England	…	£729,140
(b) For schools in Wales	…	£118,360
in 1916–17; and
(a) For schools in England	…	£1,141,200
(b) For schools in Wales in 1917–18.	…	£167,450

As regards the financial year 1918–19, I would refer the hon. Member to the Estimates, copies of which will, I understand, shortly be circulated.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the average salary paid to principals and assistants, male and female, respectively, in secondary schools in Wales under public control; and the total number of such schools, of teachers, and of students?

The latest available figures as to the salaries and numbers of teachers in secondary schools in Wales which are in receipt of Grants from the Board of Education relate to the 31st January, 1914, when there were 1,014 full-time teachers and 278 part-time teachers in those schools. The average salaries of head masters and head mistresses on that date were £379 and £311, respectively; and of full-time assistant masters and mistresses £158 and £125, respectively. The number of schools in receipt of Grants from the Board on 1st October, 1917, was 118, and the number of pupils in those schools on that date 21,538.

asked the Secretary for Scotland on what date the last appointment of a senator of the College of Justice in Scotland was made and does-salary run from the date of appointment; and on what date the Courts of Justice rose in that year for the Long Vacation and for how long that Vacation lasted?

This appointment was made on the 21st July, 1917. The salary in such cases runs from the date of appointment. The Court rose on the 20th July and resumed on the 16th October. As stated in the reply given to the hon. Member for East Edinburgh on the 16th October last, it was hoped, when the preliminary steps were taken, to make the appointment, that the new judge would be installed before the Court rose.