asked the Secretary to the Treasury what position Major Stenson Cooke holds in His Majesty's Stationery Office; what is the nature of the work performed by him; what is the salary attaching to the post; whether he has seen active service during the War; whether he is now unfit for active service; and whether there is no established Civil servant in the Department of lower rank than a chief inspector who has seen active service and been discharged from the Army who is competent to perform the duties upon which Major Stenson Cooke is employed?

The position held by Major Stenson Cooke in His Majesty's Stationery Office is that of head of the inspectorate staff. The nature of the works performed by him is that of the supervision of the use of accounting, tabulating, and calculating machines, typewriters, dictaphones, duplicators, etc., supplied to Government Departments by the Stationery Office. The duties also include the inspection of office systems in the various Departments with a view to suggesting rearrangements to effect economy in the consumption of paper and other supplies, The salary attaching to his present post is £600 per annum. Major Stenson Cooke has not seen active service during the War. There is no established Civil servant in His Majesty's Stationery Office of lower rank than the chief inspector who has seen active service and been discharged from the Army who is competent to perform the duties upon which Major Stenson Cooke is employed. Major Stenson Cooke is forty-three and a half years of age. He formerly held a commission in the London Rifle Brigade, from which he retired in 1902. He volunteered for active service in 1914 and was gazetted to the 8th Essex Regiment. He was selected for Staff duties at the War Office early in 1915, and was transferred to the Ministry of National Service in September, 1917, as Controller of Supplies in connection with recruiting. He was subsequently transferred to His Majesty's Stationery Office, with the assent of the Minister of National Service and the approval of the Treasury. Owing to the early date at which Major Cooke was selected by the War Office for Staff duties he has not been medically examined as to his fitness for active service.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if an increase in the rates of overtime and Sunday pay has been sanctioned for the watchers and deck hands in the Customs Department; whether this increase applies to the extra men who perform these duties identical with the permanent staff; and, if not, if he will see that this concession is extended to that class?

An increase in the rate of overtime and holiday pay has been sanctioned for watchers and deckhands who are quasi-permanent employés employed at rates which are uniform throughout the United Kingdom. The increase does not apply to extra men who are temporary employé engaged by the day at varying rates which are fixed by reference to local conditions at amounts sufficient to secure suitable men. I see no reason to give any general increase to extra men.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that the Local Government Boards in Great Britain have urged on the Treasury the necessity of relaxing the regulation prohibiting expenditure of the unexpended balance of the Capital Grant under the National Health Insurance Act, 1911, so that certain local authorities should be provided with their share for erecting and equipping institutions for the treatment of tuberculosis; whether he is aware that, as the result, the money has been made available in Great Britain; that the Irish Local Government Board represented that there was no necessity for relaxing the regulation mentioned, and consequently Ireland is deprived of the unexpended balance of her share of the capital grant, amounting to £120,000; and, seeing that in Ireland the necessity for urgent accommodation is greater than in Great Britain, as evidenced by the fact that, owing to the want of proper institutional accommodation for advanced cases, such cases are admitted to sanatoria where early eases are under treatment, and, owing to the increasing demand for accommodation for advanced cases in consequence of the War, civilian eases in the early stages of tuberculosis cannot secure beds in sanatoria, and are thereby a source of infection in their homes, and as evidenced by the Returns of the death rates from tuberculosis of the Registrar-Generals, will he say what action he proposes to take?

A proposal for relaxing the regulation indicated, so far as may be necessary to provide accommodation in Great Britain for tuberculous men discharged from the Army and Navy, is under consideration. As regards the second and third parts of the question, the hon. Member is misinformed. Any action to be taken in Ireland will be governed by the decision of His Majesty's Government on the general question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he will inquire into the reason why no discharge papers have been sent to John Nurse, 42, Heyes Lane, Livesey, Blackburn, who was called to join the Army on the 3rd January last, and was sent to Whit-church, where he was temporarily attached to the 49th Training Reserve Battalion, no Army number, where he was recommended by a posting board for discharge, and was sent home on the 19th of the same month; and if he will see that the discharge papers are sent to the man at. once?

I am making inquiries, and will let my hon. Friend know the result as soon as possible.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will inquire into the reason why Private Crossan, No. 28627, Royal Irish Fusiliers, who joined the Army in September, 1914, as an old soldier, having left the Army on the termination of the South African War with the rank of sergeant, has been paid only at the rate of 1s. 3d. per day as a private although entitled to proficiency pay at the rate of 6d. per day; and if he will take steps to see that the arrears of this proficiency pay are paid to him?

Inquiry is being made, and the hon. Member will be informed of the result.

asked the Minister of National Service if Lord Beaverbrook is thirty-eight years of age; if he holds an exemption from military service and, if so, on what grounds the exemption has been given; to what tribunal did Lord Beaverbrook apply for exemption; did he appeal against any decision of a local tribunal, and was the exemption, if any, total, or for a specified period; if Lord Beaverbrook has been medically examined and, if so, what is his medical category; if he holds any exemption certificate, has this been given since his recent Government appointment; and, if so, under what arrangement was he. exempted prior to that date?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, Lord Beaverbrook having been born in 1879. Lord Beaverbrook has held a temporary commission in His Majesty's Forces since 6th January, 1915, and his name appears on page 1910 of the current issue of the Army List. Lord Beaverbrook has seen service in France during the present War. The questions as to exemption do not, therefore, arise. Lord Beaverbrook has been medically examined from time to time by the military authorities, and found unfit for service. On his appointment to the Ministry of Information, Lord Beaverbrook instructed that the staff should be re-examined, and he at once submitted himself for re-examination, when he was again found by a medical board to be unfit for service.

asked the Minister of National Service what is the position of the Army W Reserve men under the new Military Service Act?

The position of men in Army Reserve W remains unaltered by the recent legislation.

asked the Home Secretary whether a statement has been received from James Murray, lately No. 2969, of the works centre, Princetown, explaining the circumstances under which he was ordered by the agent to clear out of the settlement because he declined to change his religion as a Roman Catholic at the bidding of the agent; whether this man had nine months' service with the Committee without complaint against him; whether the Home Office have now reported the man to the Army to be recalled; and whether he will give further consideration to the case?

It is untrue that any suggestion was made to this or to any other man employed by the Committee on Employment of Conscientious Objectors that he should change his religion, nor has the man so alleged in any communication made by him to the Committee. On the contrary, in pursuance of the Committee's decision to transfer all Roman Catholics from Princetown to places where better facilities existed for the practice of their religion, Murray was included in a party of men who were being sent to Newark for employment in the manufacture of fertilisers. He objected to this employment, and absconded en route. The Ministry of National Service have been requested to recall him to his unit. I see no ground for any further inquiry into the matter.

asked the Home Secretary if he will have inquiry made into the state of health of George Hefford, a conscientious objector in the Princetown settlement, and whether, in view of his condition, he can see his way to have the man released so that he can receive proper medical attention?

The medical officer at Princetown informs me that this man has recently had some teeth extracted but is otherwise in good health. It does not appear to be a case for release.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he will make inquiries into the reason why the mother of W. R. Sapper J. Whitwood, No. 305213, I.W.D.R.C., Hut 22, Train Ferry Section, Western Esplanade Camp, Southampton, has not received separation allowance on her son's account; and if he will take steps to see that this is paid?

Inquiry will be made, and the hon. Member informed of the result in due course.

asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry if he will give a return showing the number of towns where flax markets were held up to 31st March, 1918, for the 1917 crop; the number of markets held in such towns; the amount of flax bought; the total price paid; and the average price per stone?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The following statement gives the information desired:Towns where flax markets were held up to 31st March, 1918, for the 1917 crop, showing the number of markets held in each:

asked the Minister of Munitions whether the work at the new coprolite workings is being carried on by the Department direct or under a contract; if the latter, the date and nature of the contract, what the weekly expenditure on the said works is, and the average weekly amount of coprolite gained; and whether his attention has been called to the serious effect of the present conduct of the work upon the local conditions of labour?

The work is being carried on direct by the Mineral Re-sources Department of the Ministry of Munitions, who have entrusted the actual excavation work to sub-contractors by contracts dated 6th August, 1917, and 11th December, 1917, on a footage basis at the rate of 8d. per cubic yard for excavation and washing. The average output anticipated is 600 tons rising to 1,200 tons of clean coprolites per week, and de- liveries are expected to commence at the end of this month. The Department has made every endeavour to instal mechanical appliances to save encroaching on the labour supply of the country. Great care has been taken not to employ any agricultural labourers or any local labour. All the men employed are foreign to the district and imported by the subcontractors, and are in receipt of wages, settled under an arbitration award of the Ministry of Labour.

asked the Pensions Minister what will be the approximate annual cost of the increases announced by him in the pensions granted in respect of former wars?

The initial yearly cost of the increase in the widows' pension may be stated as approximately £25,000. With, regard to the men the conditions upon which the increases are given are such as to make an accurate forecast impossible. It can only be said, and that with diffidence, that the initial yearly cost should not exceed £400,000.

asked the Home Secretary whether a Russian subject of the name of Percy B. Sieff has been forcibly deported from this country; if so, for what reason; whether a sum of £8, which had been collected by his. friends and given to him, was forcibly taken from him on shipboard for the payment of his passage money; whether it is the practice to compel persons who were unwillingly deported to pay their own passage; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I made a deportation order in this case because I was satisfied that it was undesirable that the alien should be allowed to remain any longer in this country He had been twice convicted, and had on several occasions expressed a desire to return to Russia. In requiring him to pay his own fare the usual practice was followed, and he was left with between £7 and £8. No occasion for any action on ray part arises.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the Petrol Control Committee are granting a much larger allowance of petrol in the case of cars which were licensed to ply for hire by a local authority prior to May, 1917, and are still so licensed, than to the cars which have been so licensed after that date?

Prior to May, 1917, the allowance of motor spirit granted in the case of motor cabs which were licensed to ply for hire by a police or local authority was larger than that granted for hire cars, in view of the local control and the greater public service rendered by the cabs. Since that date many owners of private hire cars have arranged for their vehicles to be licensed to ply for hire in order to avoid the restrictions imposed upon hire cars. I regret that, in view of the shortage of motor spirit, the allowance of petrol for cars, the character of which has been so changed, cannot be increased beyond the quantity which they would have received had their character remained unaltered.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the contemplated curtailment of the train service between Dublin and Wexford; and, as such a change would disarrange business over the whole of South Wexford and leave practically no time for dealing with the English mail, whether he will look into the matter with a view to seeing that the present service is retained?

The conditions affecting the production and distribution of coal have made it necessary to introduce a severe curtailment in the train services throughout the country, and the British and Irish Railway Executive Committees have been asked to make arrangements accordingly. The attention of the latter Committee has, however, been called to the particular case to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction if the Bill to sot up a Ministry of Health is in print; and whether any Member of this House has been favoured with an advance copy?

Under the authority given me, a draft of a proposed Bill was discussed with representatives of the different interests with whom I conducted negotiations. My right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, acted as the Chairman of the representatives of Insurance Committees and Approved Societies, and was the only Member of Parliament who participated in the proceedings.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction if he has considered the position of the medical profession in relation to the proposed Ministry of Health; what decision he has arrived at with regard to the suggestion of a State medical service; and whether it is proposed to decide these matters whilst so many doctors are away serving with the forces?

The matter referred to in the second part of the question would not have been relevant to the conferences in regard to the establishment of a Ministry of Health, which I have held, among others, with representatives of the medical profession.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture what was the-total hay crop of the United Kingdom for 1917, and the separate tonnages for England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland?

The total hay crops produced from meadows and arable land in the United Kingdom for 1917 amounted to 13,162,527 tons, the crop for England being 6,805,897 tons; Wales, 753,606 tons; Scotland, 901,082 tons; and Ireland,, 4,701,942 tons.