asked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether he will cause the case of Private C Aykroyd, No. 160249, 2nd class, at present attached to the training brigade, Royal Air Force, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt, to be reconsidered in view of the representations that 'have already been made by this man's firm to secure his release, and the fact that he was recognised as a slip man by the Air Ministry, and that his commanding officer is willing to release him if the necessary authority be given by the Air Ministry; and whether, in view of the fact that since the authorities maintained this man in his employment until April, 1918,as being work of national importance, he will also consider the necessity of returning him now so that a number of persons who are waiting his release before they can themselves return to work may find employment and so cease to draw the unemployment donation?

Instructions have been sent to Egypt authorising the release of Air Mechanic Aykroyd as soon as Service exigencies will permit.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions if he will state the amount of compensation paid to each of the firms in the Silvertown area in consequence of loss and damage to property in connection with the recent explosion?

The names of the firms and the amounts paid in compensation are as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Education what steps are taken by the Board to train teachers for secondary schools; and in what way are such teachers examined as to their competence in teaching ability?

The Board recognise and aid with Grants courses of secondary school training, which may be taken either in university training departments or in training colleges or in secondary schools specially approved by the Board. The arrangements for these courses in all cases provide for a test of teaching ability. The great majority of the candidates take this test as part of an examination for a university diploma in education. The methods of conducting the test of teaching ability differ in the case of different universities. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Regulations.

asked the President of the Local Government Board what is the reason of the delay in providing Grants-in-Aid for the training, employment, and relief of the blind, as recommended in the Report of the Departmental Committee?

Subsequently to the Report of the Departmental Committee, the Advisory Committee set up by the President of the Local Government Board for the purpose proceeded to work out detailed schemes upon which it was proposed that Grants from the Exchequer should be payable, under the direction of the Board, in aid of various forms of assistance for the blind. These proposals are now under the immediate consideration of the Government, as has been intimated in reply to other questions, and I cannot yet make any further statement on the subject.

asked the President of the Local Government Board whether he will state the number of children boarded out within and beyond the union, respectively, on 1st January, 1919?

The number of children in England and Wales boarded out within and beyond the union on the 28th December, 1918, were 8,108 and 1,937 respectively.

asked the Secretary to the Local Government Board, as representing the National Health Insurance Commissioners, if he can state the amounts provided during the present financial year as extra remuneration in the nature of a war bonus or otherwise for medical practitioners on the panel, pharmacists on the panel, Civil servants and other officials in the employ of the Insurance Commission, and the agents and workers of the approved societies, respectively?

In so far as the question is intended to refer to moneys provided from Exchequer funds, no comparison of amounts is possible, because the numbers of individuals involved in the four categories differ very widely; and, further, only those in one of the four categories receive their whole remuneration solely from Government funds. In the case of the first category, the amount to be provided from the Exchequer during the present financial year for extra remuneration in the nature of a war bonus is £300,000, and in the case of the third category it is about £138,000. The increase of remuneration in the case of the second category cannot easily be separated from the total Drug Fund, of which it forms a part. The remuneration of the individuals in the fourth category is not met from Exhequer funds, except as regards the two-ninths contribution to the administrative expenditure of the approved societies who employ them and are solely concerned in fixing their remuneration; and the Commissioners have no information as regards extra remuneration by way of war bonus which approved societies have accorded to their officials

asked the Minister of Labour what were the special abilities and the special experience on the grounds of which Mr. Tyack has been appointed an Assistant Accountant-General at the Claims and Record Office, Kew; whether he is aware that the appointment is giving rise to strong feeling amongst the staff of the Ministry of Labour; and whether he was not able to find amongst the officials of the Ministry of Labour a suitable person to fill this post?

:Mr. Tyack is specially qualified for the post in question by his experience with the Post Office Savings Bank and the National Health Insurance Commission and by the ability he there displayed in accounting work. I have received protests from certain sections of my staff against Mr. Tyack's appointment. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of the 17th instant, in which I assured him that before Mr. Tyack was appointed the claims of other officers in the Ministry were carefully considered.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the employés of the paper-making industry work longer hours than those of any organised industry in this country; whether any steps to improve these conditions have been discussed by the Whitley Council concerned; and what action is going to be taken?

No representations have been made to me regarding excessive hours in this industry, for which no Joint Industrial Council has been set up. There has recently been formed, however, an Interim Reconstruction Committee to deal with reconstruction problems. I understand that the question of hours has not yet been considered by that body, but it has been under discussion throughout the trade.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Oversea Trade Department whether, in the case of passports issued to representatives of firms seeking contract abroad, it is possible to issue a circular passport covering more than one country; whether, if so, it is essential that the definite desti- nation in each country intended to be visited be entered on the passport; and whether, in view of the delay and correspondence caused by the present procedure, steps will be taken to permit of the issue of passports to trade representatives, authorising them to travel through any of a group of countries outside the military area without the actual destination being specified in each case?

:There is no objection to the inclusion of any number of countries in the destinations stated on a passport, and this can be done on application, provided that no circumstances exist which prohibit travelling to any of the countries concerned. It is not necessary to state on the passport the specific destination in each country, unless the regulations of the country concerned require it.

asked the-Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any Reports have yet been received from British official representatives in Poland regarding the recent pogroms carried out by Polish soldiers in Pinsk and Vilna; whether he will obtain and publish such Reports; whether the Polish Government has arrested and deported to some place unknown Dr. Lieb Jaffe, of Vilna, the president of the Lithuanian Zionist Organisation; what charge is being made against him; whether any steps can be taken to assure him a fair-trial and, in the event of his being acquitted, will he be allowed to go to England or to Palestine by the Polish Government if he so desires; whether members of the Entente Mission were in Pinsk when the leading members of the Jewish community of that town were shot without trial by General Listowski, and whether they endeavoured to intervene; and whether he can give the number of Jews and Poles, respectively, in the towns of Vilna and Pinsk, respectively, according to the most recent statistics, if possible 1913, in possession of the Foreign Office?

:As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to an answer I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, on the 2lst instant. As regards the second part, I will give my careful consideration to the question of publishing the reports which have been or may be received. As regards the third, fourth and fifth parts of the question as to the alleged arrest and deportation of Dr. Lieb Jaffe, of Vilna, His Majesty's Minister at Warsaw has reported, in response to an inquiry, that the gentleman in -question had been released by the Polish authorities. It is not known what charge was made against him.As regards facilities for Dr. Lieb Jaffe to proceed to this country or Palestine, there is no reason to suppose that, in view of the action which has been taken by the Polish authorities they would raise any -objection to his departure from Poland, if he is still in that country.