asked the Prime Minister whether he has received from the forestry societies and other bodies resolutions advocating the immediate appointment of a forest authority in order to make the necessary preparation for after-war planting; and when a decision is likely to be announced on this matter?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; in regard to the second part of the question, the whole matter is now receiving the consideration of the War Cabinet, and it is hoped that a decision may be reached at an early date.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury what was the amount actually paid during the last financial year as salaries to Members of Parliament other than those in the Government?

The amount paid in respect of orders issued for salaries of Members of the House of Commons not in receipt of salaries as Ministers, Officers of the House, or Officers of His Majesty's Household during the last financial year is £199,140.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what steps are being taken to ensure that at least a percentage of the new China tea crop shall come to this country; and whether the China market conditions permit this being done under unique conditions, both as regards quality and price?

Of the 3,000,000 lbs. of China tea which it is intended to purchase if sufficient tonnage is available, all, except a small proportion, will be obtained from the new crop. It is hoped that purchases will be satisfactory in regard to price, but the advices at present received indicate that the crop generally is of poor average quality.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food what percantage of the normal consumption of China tea is represented by the 3,000,000 lbs. already ordered; and whether, in order to allow of transport being spread over a period, he will consider the purchase of a further 3,000,000 lbs. of the new crop?

I would refer the horn and gallant Member to the reply given on this subject on the 5th February, 1918. The 3,000,000 lbs. which may be purchased if tonnage is available have not yet been bought and shipped, and no further purchases have been sanctioned.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, in view of the depletion of the labour supply of farms by the recent call up of farm labourers, all further orders for the ploughing up of grass lands on the difficult clay lands, such as those of the Weald of Sussex, can be suspended, so that farmers may concentrate their resources on cleaning those lands already compulsorily ploughed up?

Apart from the unfavourable effect on food production which would result from the issue of a general instruction, it would be unfortunate if those farmers who have not complied with the orders of agricultural executive committees were placed in a more favourable position than those who have done so. Where farmers have not complied with ploughing orders war executive committees will be instructed not to proceed unless they are satisfied that sufficient skilled labour can be provided to cultivate as well as to plough.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War what is the procedure which a woman who has joined the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps must adopt who desires to be transferred to a recruiting office to do clerical work for which she is more fitted than for the duties she is engaged upon at present?

The correct procedure in such a case is for the woman to apply for her discharge from the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, stating the grounds on which the application is made. All such cases are considered on their merits.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that until 25th March of this year the Transportation Branch of the Royal Engineers working at 19, Tavistock Square had been drawing, in the case of married men, a daily lodging allowance of 9d. and a ration allowance of 1s. 9d., making a total of 17s. 6d. per week, and that since that date the amount has been reduced to 1s. per day or 7s. per week; whether he is aware that the men, owing to housing facilities not being available near the office, have been instructed to live at home; and whether, in view of the impossibility of their paying their fares backwards and forwards to and from their work and providing themselves also with the necessary meals on the 7s. allowed, he will look into this matter and see whether the alteration has been made under a misconception?

These men were not instructed to live at home, but to make their own arrangements. They lived at home, of their own choice, but omitted to report the fact, and consequently they and their wives drew the allowances appropriate to men not living at home, instead of the "family allowance" of men living at home. The amounts overdrawn are being adjusted by small weekly deductions in accordance with the regulations for such cases.

asked the Minister of National Service whether the concessions made to special constables in Grades 2 and 3, or their equivalent classification, apply to provincial special constables as well as to those in the Metropolis?

No, Sir; special constables in the provinces are recruited under a different arrangement from that in force in London. The whole question of the recruitment of special constables in the provinces is at present under the joint consideration of the Home Office and the Ministry of National Service.

asked the Minister of National Service (1) whether the Committee appointed by the Ministry of National Service to review the staff of military age in the Inland Revenue Department will consider the cases of the men under twenty-five years of age in that Department, or is it to be understood that all fit men under twenty-five have been released for military service; and, if they are not yet released, will he reconcile the position with the undertaking that no fit men under twenty-five should be retained in the Civil Service; and(2) Whether, having due regard to the necessity of providing an adequate staff to raise war revenue, the services of non-expert men of military age who have had less than three years' experience in the Department are considered indispensable to the Board of Inland Revenue; if so, will he say what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that these men are the best available; have all the men appointed to the tax surveying staff since January, 1916, special qualifications such as to justify their appointment in preference to older men who have served many years in the Department, and who have necessarily had great experience of the particular kind of administrative work requiring attention; and is he aware that in many cases the older clerks are fulfilling all of the functions of the surveyors with the exception of purely legal obligations?

The Military Service Committee appointed for the purpose will review all exemptions held by men of military age employed in the Board of Inland Revenue. I understand that all men under twenty-five who are placed in Grade 1 or its equivalent category have already been released with the exception of a certain number of surveyors and assistant-surveyors of taxes. In view of the specially technical nature of the duties performed by these officers my right hon. Friend the Minister of National Service, at the instance of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, agreed to the postponement of their release for military service in order that they might be medically regraded, and that thereafter the question should be considered as a whole and with due regard to the exigencies of the public service. The medical examination has now been completed, and my right hon. Friend has requested the Military Service Committee to make a special Report to him on the whole position as regards these officers, in order that it may be finally decided whether they can be made available for military service without detriment to the vital interests of the Revenue.

asked the Minister of National Service whether he has received representations from both the federations of boot and shoe manufacturers and the boot and shoe operatives' trade union as to the effect of the new Order, Ministry of National Service Regulation 53; whether he has been asked to set up a trade panel; and whether he is prepared to receive a deputation from the two organisations representing both masters and men?

As I have informed the House, a conference was held with the representatives of the Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' Association and the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives on Thursday last, when a satisfactory agreement was arrived at. Arrangements have been made for setting up trade advisory committees of the kind suggested in the question.

asked the Home Secretary if the Wakefield City Council has reported to him on the subject of the attacks on conscientious objectors employed at the Wakefield work centre; and, if so, whether ha will state the substance of the Report so far as it relates to the conduct of the conscientious objectors?

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and myself recently discussed this matter with a deputation from the city council. The discussion turned chiefly upon the precautions to be taken to prevent a recurrence of the disturbance and only incidentally upon the causes which led to it. I was satisfied that, while in some individual cases the conduct of the conscientious objectors after their working hours had not been all that could be desired, the main cause of the outburst at Wakefield was popular indignation at the unpatriotic attitude adopted by these men in the present crisis. The measures of precaution which have been taken are dictated solely with the view of preserving the peace, and not as the result of any adverse report on the behaviour of the men.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that the relatives of Mr. Scott Duckers believe his health to be steadily declining; if any inquiry has been made; and what steps are being taken?

Inquiry has been made and the medical officer reports that the prisoner is in good health, bodily and mental. There is no ground for any intervention in the case.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the difference in the price of rent and other commodities between the London area and the districts like Brentford, Hounslow, and Twickenham immediately outside that area have, during the War, entirely disappeared; and, if so, whether the Army Council will consider the question of extending the 3s. 6d. per week London area benefit, at least to the Metropolitan police district?

The supplementary rent allowances issued by local war pensions committees take account of the difference in the War Office grants, and it is not proposed to alter in any way the area of the present London allowance.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that several non-commissioned officers on the old staff of the Army Pay Department, whose medical category is A 1, have submitted applications under Army Council Orders for transfer to a Cadet unit with a view to commissions in the fighting forces, but were refused because they were indispensable to the Pay Department; and, if so, why are they penalised because of their good work?

It is a soldier's duty to serve in whatever capacity is most advantageous not to himself, but to the Army as a whole. I am, however, most anxious to place at the disposal of the military authorities for combatant work anyone who can be spared from clerical duty, and I will have the cases in question brought up for further consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office, whether a number of men of the Army Pay Corps at Nottingham have been punished, and one court-martialled, for not wearing puttees; whether the Order making the wearing of puttees by men engaged in sedentary occupations compulsory prevails throughout the Kingdom; and what is the total cost involved in supplying such men with puttees which, from the nature of their occupation, are entirely useless and unsuitable?

I am making inquiries and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Munitions whether the firm of Messrs. Jonas and Colver, of Sheffield, have been supplying steel for aero engines; and whether there have been any complaints in regard to defective steel supplied by that firm?

The answer to the first part of the question is Yes, Sir. There have been some complaints, but the number is not exceptional. Aero-engine alloy-steel have to meet difficult and stringent specifications. They are a comparatively new product, and the usual troubles have attended the early stages of development. The Department retains at the works of the firm a technical steel maker to advise and assist them in producing steel of the requisite qualities.

asked the Pensions Minister if he will state the names, salaries, and qualifications of the inspectors whom he has appointed to superintend the work of the local war pensions committees?

I am forwarding to the hon. Member a printed list showing the names, headquarters, addresses, and areas of the superintending inspectors, assistant superintending inpectors, and inspectors. With the exception of Mr. Cozens-Hardy, who is a voluntary worker, the superintending inspectors are paid on a scale of £400 to £500 per annum and the inspectors £300 to £400. As I have explained in reply to former questions on this subject, the majority of these inspectors have served in the War, and those who have not are men with previous experience of pensions administration. The selection from a very large number of applicants was made after a personal interview and an examination into the certificates, testimonials, and other papers forwarded by each candidate. Their qualifications were judged with reference to those of other applicants, and I cannot, I regret, now give the particular ones which led to the selection in each case.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a list of all members in and employés of his Department who are of enemy origin or birth; and, in cases where their names have been changed, will he state their name at birth, and also, if naturalised, the date upon which they were naturalised?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to a question which he addressed to him on Wednesday last.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a list of all Members in and employés of his Department who are of enemy origin or birth; and, in cases where their names have been changed, will he state their name at birth, and also, if naturalised, the date upon which they were naturalised?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the question by the hon. Member for the East Herts Division on 26th June.

asked the Minister of Reconstruction whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a list of all members in and employés of his Department who are of enemy birth or origin; and, in cases where their names have been changed, will he state their names at birth, and also, if naturalised, the date upon which they were naturalised?

I have nothing to add to the reply given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to similar questions by the hon. Member on 26th June.

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a list of all members in and employés of his Department who are of enemy origin or birth; and, in cases where their names have been changed, will he state their name at birth, and also, if naturalised, the date upon which they were naturalised?

I can add nothing to the answer given to similar questions on the 26th June by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Home Secretary whether the condition of an uninterned enemy alien named Wohlgemuth, of Church Crescent, Muswell Hill, N., who was recently shot by his wife, is now such that he can give some account of himself; whether such account shows that he came to England in 1887, is a qualified doctor, and is besides a sausage-skin manufacturer and an experimental chemist carrying out Government work; and, having regard to the evidence of his love of country given by his wife, should he be still alive and recover is it intended to allow him to continue his manufacturing and experimental work in an internment camp and not at Muswell Hill?

The person named is not an alien enemy. He is a British subject, having been granted naturalisation in 1897. I am informed that he came to this country in 1887, that he holds the honorary degree of Doctor of Science at University College, that he is a partner in a firm of sausage-skin dealers, and that he has had contracts with the Admiralty for gold-beaters' skin. He still lies in hospital in a serious condition. Before he is discharged from hospital full inquiry will be made as to the foundation, if any, for the accusations of disloyalty to this country made against him by his wife, who is charged with shooting him, and any action that may be called for in the public interest will be taken.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any German firm, naturalised or unnaturalised, is interested in Government wool contracts?

As far as I am aware, the answer is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the Department contemplates making any further restrictions in railway travelling?

No fresh Regulations for restricting railway travelling are at present contemplated, but I cannot say what steps it may not be necessary to take in the future.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any instructions have been issued by the Railway Executive Committee to the companies to vary the conditions under which season tickets are held; when were any such instructions issued; what was the reason for departing from the long-established practice of permitting a holder to give his name and address if unable from inadvertence to produce his ticket when called upon; upon what principle do the Railway Executive Committee insist upon a second payment of the fare and refuse to refund it on the subsequent production of the season ticket; and why should the official standard, when subject to Government control, be less equitable than that in force during the private management by the companies?

The principal objects of the instructions referred to, which were issued in December, 1916, were explained in a reply given on the subject to the hon. Member for Peterborough on the 5th December last, of which I am sending the hon. and learned Gentleman a copy.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland if he is aware that married men in the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police receive no allowance for fuel and light; that married men are unable to purchase a reasonable supply of coal, along with the bare necessaries of life, out of their weekly pay of 30s. per week; and whether he will grant an allowance of £1 per month to these men?

Married men of the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police receive no allowance for fuel and light. I am not aware that such an allowance is granted to married members of other police forces. In no instance is the pay of married members of the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police so low as 30s. a week.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will reconsider the petitions of the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Dublin Metropolitan Police for an increase in pay and pensions; whether he is aware that since 1914 these men have received only an addition of 3s. per week in their pensionable pay; that the Grant of a non-pensionable war bonus, temporary and non-pensionable subsistence allowance to married men, and a small increase in the non-pensionable fuel allowance to sergeants in charge of stations does not relieve acute financial distress in both forces; that the standard height for recruits in the Royal Irish Constabulary has been lowered since the commencement of the War; that the standard chest measurement has been now reduced to 36 ins. for all men; that recruits coming forward are below the usual high standard of the Royal Irish Constabulary; that young constables and men of long service have resigned since last year owing to the inadequacy of pay; and that all men entitled to full pensions are anxious to retire; and what action will be taken to meet growing discontent?

The question of increased remuneration for the Royal Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police is at present under consideration. The standard height for recruits of the Royal Irish Constabulary was reduced from 5 ft. 9 ins. to 5 ft. 8 in. on 10th August, 1914. On 23rd May, 1918, recruits of 5 ft. 11 ins. and upwards were required to have a mean chest measurement of 36 ins. instead of 37 ins., as it was found that men of the above height rapidly developed their chest measurement under physical training; but no reduction was made in the chest measurement required for candidates under 5 ft. 11 ins., which remains at 36 ins. It is not a fact that recruits coming forward are below the usual high standard of the Royal Irish Constabulary. A few men who resigned recently have stated as their reasons for such resignations that their pay was inadequate. Many members of the force who are entitled to full pension would like to retire, as men in that position were entitled to do before the War, but retirements on pension are prohibited during the War by the Police (Emergency Provisions) Act, 1915.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that the cycling allowance paid to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary is inadequate, that the Regulations provide that no man can claim cycling allowance on duty unless he cycles to a place 8 miles from his barrack, and that he cannot draw in a year more than 15s. per month in summer and 17s. 6d. per month in winter, total £9 12s. 6d., even though employed constantly on cycling duties and actually earning double that fixed sum; if he is aware that the system of overholding even a small excess in each man's monthly claim for a period of six months and depriving a man of his actual earning has created discontent, and that the making of supplementary cycling claims at the end of each summer and winter period creates unnecessary office work, that the Royal Irish Constabulary provide and maintain their own bicycles free of cost to the State, that bicycles are used on all duties at present, effecting great economies in car hire, and that efficiency of the police force depends much on their mobility; and whether he will now allow 3d. per mile in summer and 4d. per mile in winter, abolish the limit fixed for cycling allowance, fix a general station allowance, and pay expenses incurred when cycling on duty?

I am not aware that the cycling allowance paid to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary is inadequate. Cycling allowance is not paid for a distance of less than 8 miles, because no locomotion expenses are payable under the Constabulary Regulations within a radius of 8 miles. The maximum payment for cycling duties per month is correctly stated. At the end of the summer and winter periods men are allowed to put forward supplementary claims if, during either period, they earned more than the maximum payment in some months but less than the limit in other months. This arrangement works for the benefit of the men concerned. The men provide and maintain their own bicycles, but are not under any obligation to use them on the public service. The cycling allowance is paid in substitution for marching allowance or train fare in the great majority of cases; but when the employment of special cars is avoided by use of a bicycle a saving to the public accrues. It is not proposed to alter the present cycling allowances paid to members of the force.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the number of registered clubs in existence in England and Wales on 1st January in each of the years 1916, 1917, and 1918?

Clubs registered under the Licensing (Consolidation) Act, 1910, in England and Wales numbered 8,520 on 1st January, 1916, and 8,167 on 1st January, 1917. The figures for 1st January, 1918, have not yet been verified, but are, approximately, 7,980.