asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the annual cost to the State of the increase in naval officers' pay?

If my hon. Friend will refer to Command Paper 270, page 9, he will find that the increases in pay of naval officers therein announced, based on the number of permanent officers in the Navy on the 1st April, 1919, will cost annually £1,250,000; and that the annual cost of the improvements made during the War, including the ad interim increase of 1st February, based on the number of permanent officers in the Navy on the 1st April, is £1,263,000. It will be observed that the additional immediate cost of the increases of pay for the demobilisable officers in the Navy on the 1st May, and for antedating the new scales for all concerned to 1st February, is £698,000. This, however, is a non-recurring charge. My hon. Friend will realise that the above figures relate to increases of full pay only.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that, under the new arrangement, the pay of submarine officers with less than six years' seniority as lieutenant, is considerably reduced, the command allowance (pay and bonus) being reduced; from 4s. 9d. per day to 3s., the submarine allowance for lieutenants from 6s. to 4s., and the sub-lieu- tenants (pay and bonus) from 4s. to 2s.; and whether he is aware that these changes are causing great discontent in the Navy?

The comparison is as follows:

—	Old Rates.		New Rates.
	a	day.	a	day.
Lieutenant under four years' seniority—	s.	d.	s.	d.
Full pay	12	0	17	0
Bonus	4	6	—
Command money	4	9	3	0
Submarine allowance	6	0	4	0
	27	3	24	0
Lieutenant, four to six years' seniority—
Full pay	13	6	20	0
Bonus	4	6	—
Command money	4	9	3	0
Submarine allowance	6	0	4	0
	28	9	27	0
Lieutenant of six years' seniority—
Full pay	13	6	24	0
Bonus	4	6	—
Command money	4	9	3	0
Submarine allowance	6	0	4	0
	28	9	31	0

A lieutenant-commander in command of a submarine benefits from the new scale by a sum ranging from 5s. 3d. to 7s 3d a day, according to seniority. The submarine allowance for sub-lieutenants has been reduced from 4s. to 2s. a day as stated. I would remind my hon. Friend that the new scales of pay and allowances must be viewed as a whole, and that one period of service during which the future emoluments of an officer may be less than heretofore should not be dealt with without taking into consideration the benefits accruing during the remainder of his service. Further, I would draw attention to the Regulation laid down in the White Paper, No. 40, which prevents any immediate reduction in the total emoluments of which an officer may at present be in receipt.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what annual amount is estimated to accrue to the Treasury by the changing of naval officers to full civilian rates of Income Tax?

On the present basis of taxation and present numbers, it is estimated that additional revenue to the amount of approximately £275,000 will accrue to the Exchequer as the result of charging naval officers with Income Tax at civilian rates.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether men who attested under the Derby scheme will be regarded as having a prior claim to release over those men of the same age who were called up under the Military Service Acts; and whether he will say how soon he hopes to be able to make his promised statement?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Memorandum published on 17th July, which explains how we hope to release men who enlisted under the Derby scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many units of the Royal Army Medical Corps are being retained in Egypt; and whether it is proposed to send any of these home at an early date?

There are fifty-one units of the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt, including field ambulances, hospitals, sanitary sections, depots, etc. As these units become surplus to requirements they are disbanded in Egypt, and the personnel, if available for demobilisation, is sent to this country for dispersal. Those who are not eligible for demobilsation are utilised for reinforcements.

asked the Secretary of State for War why time-expired men who rejoined the Army in 1914–15 and have served overseas in France and at the other European fronts have been sent to India towards the closing months of the War and are still being detained there, while men who joined the Army subsequently, and even under the compulsion of the Military Service Acts, have been either finally demobilised or placed on garrison or base duties in England; and whether he will insist, as far as possible, upon equality of treatment, and so prevent grievances arising, and, with that in view, direct the release of these men and their speedy demobilisation?

As I have frequently explained, demobilisation in India is temporarily suspended owing to the conditions prevailing there, but, as stated in the Memorandum published on the 17th July, all 1914, 1915 men, and all Derby men who joined the Colours before 1st July, 1916, who are in India, will have started for homo by 1st December, provided that no unexpected trouble occurs in that country. There is no record that any of the men referred to in the question were sent to India, as suggested, although it is quite possible that some were sent. Any such men, however, will be amongst the first to be sent home under the arrangements which I have mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether soldiers who have been demobilised in Mesopotamia are being compulsorily detained in India; and, if so, when they will be released?

Yes, Sir; as I have already stated, all men arriving in India from Mesopotamia were, owing to the conditions existing there, temporarily retained. When demobilisation recommences in that country, they will be among the first to be released. With regard to the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the Memorandum recently published, in which it is stated that all 1814–1915 men, and all Derby men who joined the Colours before 1916, who are in India, will have started for home by the 1st December, if not released earlier, provided always that no unexpected trouble occurs in that country.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will order the immediate release on compassinate grounds of Gunner T. Murdock, No. 338556, B Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, Frenchman's Point, South Shields, whose wife is bedridden and cannot afford to engage anyone to look after herself and her six children, all under twelve years, and who has good employment awaiting him?

There is no trace of any application on behalf of Gunner Murdoch having been received by the War Office. If, however, this man's case falls within any of the categories prescribed in the instructions governing releases on compassionate grounds, and my Noble Friend will submit a statement certified as required by the instructions, the case will be considered.

asked the Secretary of State for war whether he has considered the claims of those who joined the Volunteers during the War to some form of recognition?

As already stated, the question of giving a badge or other recognition to the Volunteers is under consideration, and I am not yet in a position to make an announcement on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any rewards are being given for recruiting work done under the Derby scheme, particularly since the men then acting under official orders and instructions have not received any recognition of any sort; and whether he will consider any specific cases if laid before him?

A number of rewards have already been conferred in respect of services rendered in connection with recruiting under the Derby scheme. Any specific cases which may be brought to notice and are duly recommended by the responsible military authorities concerned would be considered by the War Office. I would add that since the work of recruiting was transferred to the Ministry of National Service, that Department has been responsible for initiating recommendations for rewards for such services.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether soldiers who have served overseas for over three years without leave are entitled to one week's pay and allowances for every six months of such service in compensation; and, if not, whether any compensation or allowance is granted?

This question has been very fully considered, and I regret to say that we have found it impracticable to adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether a man who is forcibly detained in the Army after March last and is serving in India will receive the 100 rupees or part thereof, the same amount that is given to men who joined up for one year from that date?

The bounty in question was given only to those who voluntarily extended their service for a year.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Mr. Percy C. Carter, of 46, Station Road, Aldershot, late Private, No. 6426, 23rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, who was demobilised on 28th February last, has been unable to obtain the civilian suit of clothes to which he was entitled upon discharge; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the matter?

No demand for a suit of clothes was received in this case until late in June. The necessary inquiries having been made, a suit of clothes is now being issued to Mr. Carter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions from what sources motor vehicles will be obtained to engage fully the repairing capacity of the Cippenham depot when the existing arrears have been cleared off; and whether the estimate of the repairing capacity at 100 a day is largely in excess of any probable requirements by Government Departments on a peace footing?

The motor transport repair depot is being utilised for the repair of the motor vehicles surplus to the requirements of the Army, which it is estimated will number about 80,000. These vehicles when repaired are sold by public auction or tender. The depot is not confined to the repair of vehicles for use by Government Departments.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been drawn to the tenders obtained by the Leeds Corporation for the erection of forty-seven houses on the Hawksworth estate which amount to £42,750, being over £909 per house, exclusive of land and street making; and if he will decline to sanction the erection of houses at such a price, as being quite out of reach of those for whom they are intended, and must inevitably entail a heavy loss to the taxpayer?

The tenders received in connection with the scheme referred to have not yet been submitted to the Ministry of Health, but the question of cost will, of course, receive very careful consideration.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that on Saturday, the 26th ultimo, the Bridgend magistrates issued an ejectment order against Thomas Ashman, Pencoed; that Mr. Ashman and his four sons, all living at home, are miners; that every effort has been made by Mr. Ashman to obtain another house, but without success; and that there is not a vacant house in the district; and whether he will take steps to prevent this order being enforced, and also to prevent any further ejectment orders being issued until suitable housing accommodation is available?

The hon. Member is quite mistaken if he thinks I have any power to prevent the owners of houses from taking such steps as the law allows them for recovering possession of their property. That right has been much restricted by recent legislation, and, in fact, the tenant of a house of moderate value cannot be ejected unless sufficient cause for doing so has been shown, e.g., that the house has been condemned as unfit to live in or that the landlord himself has no other house to live in. The law provides means for appealing against ejectment orders made without sufficient reason, but I have no authority to intervene in such matters.

asked the Home Secretary if it is possible to allow the new scale of police pensions to be post-dated to 1st January, 1919, instead of 1st April?

I do not see my way to recommend such a proposal for adoption.

asked the Home Secretary why the Standing Joint Committees of counties were not consulted with regard to the proposed new scale of police pay?

Any new scale of pay for a county police force can only be adopted by a Resolution of the Standing Joint Committee. The rates recommended by the Desborough Committee for adoption were settled by them after hearing much evidence from Standing Joint Committees and other police authorities.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the percentage of absenteeism among coal-miners in each of the years 1910 to 1918?

It is regretted that the figures of absenteeism among coal mines are not available prior to the year 1913. The figures for the years 1913 to 1918 are shown in Table 1 of the Appendices to the recently issued White Paper on the subject of the increase in the price of coal by 6s. per ton, which has been circulated to all hon. Members.The figures are as follows:

1913 (six months)				10.7
1914	…	…	…	10.3
1915	…	…	…	9.9
1916	…	…	…	9.7
1917	…	…	…	8.9
1918	…	…	…	11.0

The increased loss of attendance in 1918 was partly due to the influenza epidemic.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give comparative tables showing the retail price at some convenient centre of a representative kind of coal from each coalfield in 1913 and 1918, respectively, and the items of cost which make up the price?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the written reply which I gave to a question put by the right hon. Member for South Molton (Mr. E. Lambert) on the 14th July. The colliery price quoted in that reply relates to coal from the Derbyshire coalfield, and may be taken as typical of prices of standard qualities of coal in most districts, save in the case of South Wales, the Forest of Dean, and South Staffordshire, in which districts the increases of prices since the War exceed by 2s. 6d. per ton the increases in other districts.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will indicate the principal countries to which British coal is exported and the chief imports which are received here from those countries?

The principal countries to which British coal is being exported at the present time, and the chief exports which are being obtained from those countries are the following:

• France.—Wines and spirits, silk manufactures, wood, leather, chemical manufactures, fancy goods.
• Italy.—Hemp, silk fabrics, fruits and vegetables.
• Spain.—Iron-ore, lead, copper, fruit and vegetables.
• Sweden.—Timber, wood pulp, iron, paper, iron-ore.
• Norway.—Wood pulp, timber, paper, fish.
• Denmark.—Eggs, butter, bacon.
• Egypt.—Cotton, cotton seed, onions, eggs.
• Algeria—Iron-ore, Zinc-ore, vegetable fibres for paper-making.
• Argentine.—Grain, meat, hides, butter, linseed, dyeing and tanning materials and extracts.

Coal sent to Gibraltar and Malta for bunkering purposes brings those places into the list of the more important destinations of British coal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the f.o.b. prices for coal at each of the principal British ports; and what are the freights from those ports to the principal foreign ports to which British coal is exported?

The schedules of minimum f.o.b. prices of coal for export are contained in the Directions of the Board of Trade as to the Sale of Coal, a copy of which I have forwarded to the hon. and gallant Member. The open market prices at present prevailing are, in general, several shillings per ton above the minima, and information as to the fluctuation of these prices is given in the trade Press, to which I would also refer the hon. and gallant Member as to the prevailing rates of freight.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the customary number of shifts worked in each coalfield in Great Britain?

The shifts worked by the different classes of men engaged in the mining industry vary considerably, but the customary number for hewers on the day shift in the following districts may be:

• Scotland—10 to 11 a fortnight.
• Northumberland and Durham—11 a fort-night.
• North Wales, Lancashire and the Midlands and South Wales—12 a fortnight.

With regard to other classes of workmen engaged on afternoon and night shifts, the general practice is to work five shifts per week.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the principal uses to which the chief kinds of coal produced in each coalfield are put?

Generally speaking, coal produced in all coalfields can be used for most purposes, but certain of the fields produce coal more suitable for specific purposes. For example, Durhamcoal is largely consumed by gas works, and South Wales coal for steam raising.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the f.o.b. prices for coal at each of the principal United States ports; and whether he can give the freights from those ports to foreign ports to which British coal is also exported?

The f.o.b. price for Pocahontas and New River coal is about $5.25 per gross ton at Norfolk and Newport News. The following are representative rates of freight from these ports for coal per gross ton:

Bordeaux and Havre		$22.50
Antwerp and Rotterdam	…	$22.50
Stockholm	…	$28.00
Christiania	…	$27.00
Copenhagen	…	$27.00
Marseilles	…	$26.00
Spanish Mediterranean ports	…	$26.00
Genoa	…	$26.50
Alexandria	…	$31.00
Buenos Ayres	…	$16.00

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that it is now the general practice of railway companies to refuse to accept for return to machine-tool manufacturers empty cases in which their machines have been packed, and that as a consequence men are being employed in making cases who should be engaged in other work, and, in addition to the waste of wood, there is also the question of the carriage of the new cases which would not be needed if firms could recover those that had left their workshops; and if he will take steps to remedy this grievance?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer, of which I am sending him a copy, given on the 21st July to a question asked by the hon. and gallant Member for Westbury (Brigadier-General Palmer).

asked the President of the Board of Trade if the Railway Executive will take into consideration the delay which takes place in the transport of goods and merchandise, particularly in the conveyance of empty packages, in view of its effect upon businesses and of the fact that it is not altogether due to the shortage of labour and coal; and if they will see if anything can be done to remove this grievance?

The Railway Executive Committee are fully alive to this matter and are taking such steps as are possible to improve the situation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the number of railway wagons ordered since the Armistice either by the Railway Executive Committee or by instructions of the Ministry of Ways and Communications?

The formation of a Ministry of Ways and Communications has not yet been authorised by law, and the Railway Executive Committee has no responsibility for ordering wagons. I have no figures to show the numbers of wagons ordered by the various companies, but know generally that it is considerable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that many British rail makers will shortly not have enough work to keep their mills running at their full capacity; and if he can do anything to facilitate the placing of orders by home railways, as these orders are apparently being withheld for some reason?

I understand that British rail makers are very busy at present, but I am drawing the attention of the Railway Executive Committee to the hon. Gentleman's point.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether fishing certificates are being granted to aliens; and whether it is intended to continue granting these certificates?

Certificates entitling the holder to act as skipper or second hand of fishing vessels are being granted, and have been granted throughout the War, to candidates who comply with the rules governing the grant of these certificates, and pass the necessary examination. At the beginning of the War a rule was made that no enemy alien should be allowed to be examined for these certificates, and this, rule is still in force. The Board of Trade do not propose to alter the present rules governing the issue of these certifi- cates under which aliens, except enemy aliens, are entitled on compliance with the necessary conditions to be examined for these certificates.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is yet in a, position to state if it is his intention to introduce a Suspensory Act, as suggested to him by a deputation of Welsh Members of Parliament on the 5th June last, to prevent industrial concerns, at the expense of the community, obtaining control of the water resources of Wales until the whole question can be carefully considered and brought in under the reconstruction scheme which the Government have in view to develop the water resources of the country generally; and whether the Aluminium Corporation, Limited, have still the power to dam up Lake Cowlyd, which authority was given to them in order to increase the output of aluminium for the purposes of the War?

I am considering the question of introducing legislation of an interim character providing for the control of water-power developments. The answer to the latter part of the question is that the Aluminium Corporation have applied to the Board of Trade for an Order, under the Special Acts (Extension of Time) Act, 1915, to extend for one year the period of three years fixed by the Conway and Colwyn Bay Joint Water Supply Board Act, 1916, for the completion of the dam of Lake Cowlyd. Notice of this application has been advertised, and objections to it should be sent to the Board of Trade on or before 2nd August.