asked the President of the Board of Education what steps he proposes to take to remedy and redress the evils of delay in his Department in reference to grants to those ex-officers and other military students who, already having reported to the principal of the Manchester University that their poverty did not allow them to meet the expenses of the next term, were informed they would have to leave at once, and accordingly did so the same day; and if he is aware that for three months these students have paid their own expenses?

The delay in this matter, which I greatly regret, is due partly to the very large number of applications— over 10,000 in all—which has reached the Board, many of them quite recently, and partly to the great difficulty in obtaining sufficient office staff and accommodation to deal with this and other branches of the Board's work. I have lately been able to increase the staff and am still increasing it. Ninety-seven grants to students at Manchester University and College of Technology have already been announced. All grants when made are retrospective, so that students who have been living on their own resources will be reimbursed. The hon. Member may reply upon me to do my utmost to accelerate the award and payment of grants.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Sergeant Bicknell, No. 7497, 5th Battalion Wilts Regiment, was killed in Mesopotamia on 5th December, 1917, and that the war gratuity earned by him has not yet been paid to his relatives in spite of repeated applications; and if he can expedite the payment?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave on the 8th July to the hon. and gallant Member for Holborn and to the notice which appeared in the Press on the 25th ultimo, regarding the issue of war gratuities due to the estates of deceased soldiers.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will consider the possibility of reopening the Alms School, Cornsay, in the county of Durham, which has been closed for about twenty years, seeing that many children have to walk two and three miles to school every morning; if he is aware that there was an annual endowment of over £300 for the assistance of poor scholars in Cornsay; and what has become of the said money?

The premises in which this school was formerly conducted are quite unsuitable for the purposes of a school, and the school was closed on this account in 1899. If a school near the almshouses is considered necessary, it is open to the local education authority or other persons to make proposals for providing it; the Board cannot themselves do so. The total income of the Charity of William Russell is about £300 a year, of which only some £52 a year is applicable to educational purposes. The income of the educational foundation is now accumulating pending the establishment of a scheme. No application for such a scheme has yet been received.

asked the Secretary of State for India what progress, if any, has been made with regard to the revision of the rates of pay for British officers of the Indian Army?

:I hope to be in possession of the Government of India's proposals for a permanent revision within a fortnight, and I will do all that is in my power to expedite a final decision when they reach me. Pending that decision the Government of India are making recommendations, which I expect to receive and consider within the next few days, for a scale of temporary allowances to hold good until the new permanent scales are introduced.

asked the Postmaster-General if, on 24th July, a telegram was sent from Southampton Row to Durham, at 4.29 p.m., and was not delivered that night, but sent by post the next morning to Durham City; and if he will see that in future, when telegrams are handed in, they are delivered that night?

I am having inquiry made and will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the telephonists who have been admitted to be performing duties proper to the class of skilled workmen will be paid the wages proper to that work; and whether he will state what considerations led him to decide that the wages of a telephonist were appropriate to the performance of such skilled work?

The work performed by the telephonists in question forms only a minor portion of the duties covered by the scale of a skilled workman, and I think that it is adequately remunerated by the pay of telephonists, which rises in London to 31s. a week, plus 21s. 2d. war bonus.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that men who are locked out in the coal industry through the miners' strike, and who have had compulsory deductions from their wages for unemployed benefits, are being refused such benefits; and whether he will issue instructions to the Labour Exchange officials that these men should be paid benefits for which they have contributed?

Under the provision of the National Insurance (Unemployment) Acts, workmen who are out of work owing to a dispute at the establishment at which they are employed are not entitled to benefit, and I have no power to issue instructions such as my hon. Friend suggests. In this connection I may refer him to the reply given on the 24th July to his previous question on this subject.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour the reason why Mr. G. Terry, of 4, Broad Cottages, Hellingly, Sussex, has not been paid the five weeks' arrears of out-of-work donation due to him, seeing that his Department informed the hon. Member for Eastbourne three weeks ago that payment would be made to Mr. Terry forthwith?

The hon. Member has not quite correctly quoted the information given him by the Ministry of Labour. That information was to the effect that instructions had been given for the admission of Mr. Terry's claim to donation, retrospectively as from the first day of his unemployment, upon, production of the usual evidence of unemployment. This evidence has now been received, and the branch employment officer has been authorised to pay Mr. Terry the donation due to him on his original out-of-work donation policy. Further payment of donation to Mr. Terry will be determined by the result of the review of his case by the local employment committee in accordance with the standing Reigulations governing the issue of extended policies. This review will be arranged as quickly as possible.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the clerical staff of the Essex County Council are receiving war bonus at the rate of 14s. per week only, which sum was awarded to the Civil Service in December, 1917; whether he is aware that notwithstanding the representations made by the Ministry, and previously by the Local Government Board, either for the adoption of subsequent Civil Service awards or for the differences to be settled by arbitration, the council still refuse to increase the rate of bonus or to go to arbitration; and whether, in view of the attitude of the county council, which is causing unrest amongst the staff, he will take steps to bring about a satisfactory settlement?

The Department has been in communication with the parties to the difference, and a proposal has been, made that the matter should be referred to arbitration. This proposal is at present under consideration by the county council.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the increases in remuneration due to the tem- porary clerks in the Employment Exchanges have not yet been issued; and if he can state when payment will be made?

:Certain increases in the remuneration of the staff referred to by the hon. Member have recently been agreed upon before the Civil Service Arbitration Board, with effect from 1st April, 1919. Payment will be made as soon as the detailed arrangements can be settled.