asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can release Worker D. I. Ogden, No. 18781, Women's Army Auxuliary Corps, attached to the Army Pay Corps, Wimereux, France; and, seeing that this woman's husband is a discharged soldier and is in such a position that it is imperative that she should be home to attend to him, will he expedite her release?

Orders have already been issued for Mrs. Ogden to return to this country to be discharged from, the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. She should arrive within the next few days.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider favourably the claims of non-commissioned officers who re-enlisted at the outbreak of war, but who were kept in England to assist in training the men of the New Armies, to receive the 1914 Star, seeing that they would have accompanied their battalions overseas but for their compulsory detention for the purpose named?

The 1914 Star was granted in recognition of services rendered under the command of Lord French in France and Belgium during the earlier phase of the War in 1914. It is not proposed to extend the conditions governing the award of the Star.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether Section 42 of the Army Act is intended to constitute the Army Council a Court of Appeal for the hearing of grievances of officers; whether in practice such intention is rendered nugatory by the custom by which such cases are heard by a single member of the Army Council without any thorough sifting of the facts of the case; and whether,. in order to provide an effective Court of Appeal for hearing complaints of injustice inflicted upon officers, he will issue orders that all such cases shall be heard by not less than three members of the Army Council, before whom aggrieved officers may appear by counsel if they so desire?

Every complaint made under Section 42 of the Army Act is referred to three members of the Army Council, and the whole of the facts are carefully sifted and reviewed by them before a submission is made to His Majesty the King.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a public statement as to why a gratuity granted to nurses is withheld from nurses who were not paid from Army-funds, especially in the case of the Volunteer Aid Detachment's masseuses and the Roehampton staff, all of whom admittedly worked in hospitals where men were tended who were suffering from wounds or the effects of wounds?

:Gratuities from public funds arc limited to those employed and paid by the public. In saying this, I shall not be thought to fail to appreciate the admirable service rendered by all sorts and conditions of workers without charge to the Exchequer.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Mr. F. Russell, formerly private, No. 481163, 547th Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, who was demobilised on l9th December, 1918, has not yet received any money payment in lieu of clothing, although he first made application for it as long ago as 24th March; and whether, in view of the fact that this man is in very bad circumstances, he will give instructions for the payment to be made immediately?

I will investigate the matter, and inform my Noble Friend of the result.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Sapper Walter Williams, No. 127997, Royal Engineers, prior to his proceeding abroad in April, 1918, left an allotment to his wife, and that, notwithstanding repeated applications to the regimental paymaster at Chatham, arrears in connection with this allotment have not been paid; that the Paymaster-General gives as an excuse that it is necessary to ascertain the state of the soldier's account prior to making the payment to the wife, and also obtain the soldier's authority to make the payment; that the soldier re-submitted his application for the allotment to be paid in November, 1918, and in June, 1919, but without result; and whether immediate steps will be taken for these arrears to be paid to Mrs. Williams, who has to carry on her home while her husband is serving his country?

Inquiry will be made, and I will inform my hon. Friend of the result in due course.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, why control has been taken off British wool?

:The Government decided that in view of the great reduction in military demands, the purchase of the 1919 British clip was not practicable without the consent of the large majority of growers. This consent was not forthcoming. The Government would not be justified in continuing a control which was a war emergency measure and would have been in the nature of a trading venture.

asked the Postmaster-General if he can state what remuneration was received by the sub-postmistress at Kew Green post office who resigned in March of the present year?

The remuneration was approximately £313 including war bonus and various temporary payments. This figure is considerably in excess of the amount warranted by the present work.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will explain the cause of the delay in laying a telephone service through many towns in county Tyrone, promised before the War and agreed to be considered since the Armistice, in face of the many mechanics who are available at present for employment and who are receiving out-of-work donation?

I am making inquiry, and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware of the inconvenience caused by the present postal service of Melness and district (Sutherland); and when he proposes to restore this to at least its pre-war efficiency?

:The pre-war frequency of the service on the route between Lairg and Tongue was restored on the 28th of July, and will be maintained, at any rate, until the end of September. The question of restoring the frequency of the service between Tongue and Melness is under consideration.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) when it is proposed to restore the pre-war postal arrangements between Wick and Berriedale;(2) When it is hoped to restore the prewar daily post to Aukengill, Caithness?

The pre-war frequency of delivery at Aukengill, Caithness, and in the district between Wick and Berriedale was restored on the 21st July.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that dissatisfaction exists, and has existed for a considerable time, with the postal arrangements in Lochinver from Lairg; whether the Lochinver Motor Company have offered to enter into a contract for the daily conveyance of His Majesty's mails from Invershin to Lochinver at the pre-war rate of payment; and, if so, what reasons exist for his refusal to enter into an engagement with this motor company?

The pre-war frequency of the service between Lairg and Lochinver was restored on the 28th July, and will be maintained at any rate until the end of September, when the contracts for this and other road services in the Lairg district will expire. Tenders are about to be invited for fresh contracts for the performance of the services after that date, and any offer from the Lochinver Motor Company will be duly considered.

asked the Minister for Labour whether he has received a resolution from the Carmarthenshire Agricultural Executive Committee calling his attention to the shortage of labour in the county for the hay and corn harvests, whereby the successful gathering of the crops is gravely endangered; and whether he will represent to the military authorities the urgent importance of granting adequate periods of harvest furlough to agriculturists now with the Colours?

:My Department has not received from the Carmarthenshire Agricultural Executive Committee the resolution which is referred to in the hon. Member's question. I understand that the suggestion made at the end of the question is engaging the attention of the Board of Agriculture.

asked the Minister for Labour if he will state, as far as he is able, the average or prevailing wages or income in 1913–14 and at the present time of persons employed in the following industries, trades, and callings, giving specific branches where he is unable to state the average for the whole: coal, transport, docks, boot and shoe, cotton, woollen, hosiery and underwear, clothing, food production, distributive, clerical, and teaching?

There are no statistics available as to the average wages or income in 1913–14 or at the present time for these industries as a whole. Such information as is available, however, as to the wages of the principal classes of workpeople in the coal-mining, transport, dock labour, boot and shoe, and food production industries is given below:

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the

My Department and the Ministry of Food were in touch with the parties yesterday, and negotiations are still being continued.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller if he is aware that the Committee inaugurated by the Royal Agricultural Society of England for relief of Allies are unable to get any facilities for the shipping of cattle, sheep, and pigs to Serbia, and sheep and pigs to France, to enable those gifts from the agriculturists of England to be sent to the farmers who have suffered so much in the devastated area of the above countries; and, as they are urgently required, whether facilities will be given?

As regards the cattle, sheep and pigs for Serbia, arrangments are now under consideration for the provision of tonnage to convey these animals. Immediate steps were taken to meet the needs of the Agricultural Relief Committee as regards the shipment of live stock to France, and shipping was placed at their disposal as soon as their request was received. Three shipments have been made from England to France in the transport "Italian Prince" during June and July. The South Eastern and Chatham Railway, who are carrying out this service for the Government, state that all the requests for shipment have been complied with.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if he can state what steps he proposes to take to comply with the request of the ex soldiers, sailors, and crofters of Melness, Sutherland, that Mel-ness farm be made available as crofts?

I am informed that the farm is held under lease until 1926. It would, therefore, be very expensive to proceed with a scheme under existing legislation, but the Board of Agriculture for Scotland is considering the matter in view of applications received by them which, I may say, are of recent date.