asked the Minister of Food the total amount still due to farmers in Scotland in respect of compensation for potatoes of the 1918 crop; when the claims will be paid; and what interest, if any, will be allowed?

It is estimated that the compensation payable under the claims from Scottish potato growers in respect of the 1918 crop which are still outstanding will not exceed £40,000. I anticipate that these claims, upon which it is not proposed to pay interest, will be settled within the next three weeks.

asked the Minister of Food what portion of the expenditure in connection with the control, grading, and slaughter of live stock is borne by the Exchequer and the public respectively; and what addition to the price of meat is due to this expenditure?

There is no charge on the Exchequer in connection with the control, grading, and slaughter of live stock. The necessary expenditure represents a charge to the consumer of slightly less than l¼d. per lb., of which 1d. is required to cover railage, auctioneers' commission, cost of slaughtering, and other expenses of a similar nature, which would be included in the cost of meat even if control were removed. Expenses of administration, and the fees paid to graders of stock, together with a proportion of the general costs of the rationing system, make up the remaining ¼d.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will state the number of persons employed in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, respectively, in connection with the control, grading, and slaughter of live stock, and the total annual expenditure, including travelling and other allowances, in connection therewith?

It has not been possible in the short time available to prepare the figures for which the hon. Member asks. I will, however, have a full statement sent to him as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Food whether, in view of the fact that the prices payable for stock to farmers and the prices at which meat is to be sold to the public are controlled, he will consider the desirability of discontinuing the grading system, and thereby effecting an immediate reduction in the price of meat?

The hon. Member would appear to be under a misapprehension. The system of grading was introduced after careful consideration as the only possible method of enforcing control and of estimating the price to be paid to the farmer for fat stock. I do not agree that its discontinuance would have the effect of reducing the price of meat, and I am not, therefore, able to accede to his suggestion.

asked the Minister of Food whether, while there is a Government rebate of 1s. per cwt. for transport charges under the butter and cheese transport scheme, wholesalers who avail themselves of the use of Government vehicles are charged 1s. 6d. per cwt. of go ds delivered?

I presume the hon. Baronet refers to the arrangement put into force during the recent strike. Traders have already been informed by a circular letter dated the 2nd October that in cases such as those described any reasonable claims for the difference between the cost of transport by Government lorry and the usual flat rate of 1s. per cwt. will be paid by the Butter and Cheese Imports Committee, 222, Strand, W.C.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that it is the custom in the county of Carmarthen to sell sheep by weight; and whether, in view of this custom, he will immediately take steps to amend the new Order whereby sheep are sold by estimated weight?

asked the Minister of Food whether his attention has been called to the action of farmers in several districts in Wales in refusing to allow their sheep to be sold except by weight; and whether, in view of the difficulty of correctly estimating weight, he will take steps to amend the recent Order so that the price of sheep shall be determined by dead weight?

I am aware that it has been the custom in certain parts of Wales to weigh sheep alive before valuation as a guide to estimating the probable yield to meat, and that in consequence of the recent prohibition of this practice Welsh farmers are in some cases withholding sheep from market. I am, however, clear that owing to the difficulty for allowing for the weight of the fleece this practice has resulted in unsatisfactory valuation, and I am not, therefore, prepared to accept the suggestion that it should again be brought into force. I may point out that if the producer is dissatisfed he has still the option of sale by dead weight.

asked the Minister of Food whether he can state the price of live hogs in Chicago during the month of June, 1919, also the price for the month of October?

The top price of live hogs in Chicago on 2nd June, 1919, was 20 dollars 60 cents per 100 lb. live weight, and on 30th June 21 dollars 50 cents. The price on 1st October was 16 dollars 90 cents, and on 27th October 13 dollars 10 cents. The prices of live hogs change from day to day; if the hon. Member should so desire I will have details of the daily variations for June and October sent to him.

asked the Minister of Food whether food prices showed an increase on 1st October, 1919, of 120 per cent over pre-war prices; whether this figure was an increase on September, 1.919; and what action he is taking to prevent this continual rise?

The figure for 1st October last is approximately as stated by the hon. Member. The corresponding figure for 1st September was 116 per cent. The increase in October as compared with September is due largely to seasonal increases in the cost of milk and eggs, and partly to the increased prices of produce in countries front which supplies are obtained. All steps are taken by the Ministry to make supplies available for the consumer at the lowest possible prices, as regards both foodstuffs purchased by the Department and those privately imported. In the latter case the closest supervision is exercised over the trades concerned.

asked the Minister of Food whether, before fixing the selling prices for jams, he consulted the jam prices advisory committee of the Fruit Preservers' Association; if the answer is in the negative, why this committee was not consulted; if the answer is in the affirmative, whether lie adopted the advice of this committee; and, if not, why not?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The recommendations of the Committee were not adopted because it was not considered that they had made out a sufficiently strong case for an increase in prices to the consumer. I may say, however, that in view of the variations in the price of fruit which have taken place, I have arranged that a further investigation into the costs of jam manufacture shall be made.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what steps are being taken to promote the growth of apples in England, and whether he will suggest to the railway companies the advisability of utilising spare ground along their lines by planting apple trees?

The Board are endeavouring to stimulate commercial apple growing on land suited for the purpose in connection with their general programme for developing horticulture, and they are being assisted in their efforts by horticultural committees which are being established in each county under the local authority responsible for agricultural education. The chief difficulties in connection with promoting the growth of apples is that the supply of trees for planting is likely to be very limited for the next three or four years, but the Board have arranged with the Wye College Fruit Experiment Station and the Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Long Ashton, for large supplies of stocks to be raised for distribution amongst nurserymen and others so that by rapid propogation a certain and large supply may be assured in a few years time. The Board propose to circulate railway companies in due course asking them to consider the question of planting fruit trees, but it would be inadvisable to do this until such time as stocks are adequate, and the needs of commercial growers and small-holders on land settlements have been satisfied.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if the ploughing scheme of the Food Production Department of the Board of Agriculture, of which the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries was at one time director, has been dropped; if such scheme was a success, or if over £900,000 was lost in connection with the scheme; and if he can say what action has been, or is being taken, in respect of the plant and staff concerned in the scheme?

The ploughing scheme of the Food Production Department was started in the early months of 1917, and resulted in a total increase in the tillage area of nearly a million and a half acres. Following on the Armistice it was decided that the scheme, so far as the use of Government tractors was concerned, should be brought to an end as soon as possible after the conclusion of the spring ploughing, and the Tractor Organisation has been in process of liquidation since May last. To avoid hardship to individual farmers who had entered into contracts with the Board a small proportion of the tractors were retained at work until the end of September when operations ceased. So far as the objects of the Tractor Organisation were to got the land cultivated and to produce food it was a great success but it was necessarily run at a loss, as already explained in the White Paper (Cmd. 304) issued in August last. The machinery and implements employed are being disposed on by the Board of Agriculture in conjunction with the Disposal Board. Already the greater part has been sold at favourable prices, and the money so received must be set off against the cost of the scheme. The staff has also been discharged with the exception of a small number engaged in the work of disposal and clearing up.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether, in view of the definite pledge given in this House, that the Equivalent Grant for Irish Education will vary according to the amount that may be paid for English education, it is proposed to increase the amount available for salaries of teachers in secondary schools in Ireland in the current year?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the questions asked on this subject by my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast University on the 12th May, and by my hon. Friend the Member for the Falls' Division of Belfast on the 26th May last, and to which I have nothing at present to add.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) at what figure the County Court Judge has assessed the damage done by the military during their recent riotous outbreak in Fermoy, county Cork; whether any of the officers or men concerned have been court-martialled, and, if so, with what result; if no court-martial had been held, why none has been held; and whether the local ratepayers are to be compelled to pay compensation for the damage done by the military;

(2) whether the ratepayers of Fermoy, county Cork, have been mulcted in large sums as compensation for the damage done during the recent riotous outbreak by the military stationed at Fermoy; and whether, as the damage was done by the soldiers, the cost of repairing the damage will be undertaken by the War Office?

I have called for a report on the points raised in these questions, and I will communicate with th3 hon. Member as soon as I am in a position to give him the desired information.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can state the total number of Government motor-cars now in Ireland?

There are 100 cars in Ireland in use at the present moment.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give an assurance that the power vested in an officer commanding-in-chief to secure passages on board any of His Majesty's ships at the public expense is in no case exercised in favour of the particular general's own family, and that the privilege is only accorded to such persons whose visit to husband or relative is a matter of urgency and who are not possessed of the large pay or private means to defray the cost of the journey in a passenger ship?

I have been asked to answer this question. As stated in my reply to my hon. arid gallant Friend's question of 13th August, passages for the wives of officers and men in His Majesty's ships are only granted with the prior approval of the Admiralty, or if circumstances prevent reference thereto, with the approval of the Commander-in-Chief on the spot, that is to say, the naval Commander-in-Chief. There is, therefore, no power vested in a general officer of the Army to secure such passages for his own family or that of any other officer. Such passages are only granted infrequently, and in every instance the discretion of the Admiralty or the Commander-in-Chief is exercised with reference to the particular circumstances of each case.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the numbers of men in the naval forces will be reduced in view of the fact that during the recent strikes it has been found possible to dispense with the services of so many men from naval duties?

No, Sir. The strength of the naval personnel will continue to be fixed with reference to the numbers required, in the opinion of the Admiralty, for the manning of the Fleet.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a number of senior officers of the Navy are wearing Allied war medal ribbons and victory medal ribbons, for wearing which up to date authority has not been given; and when he proposes to give the necessary authority, in view of the fact that the Army Council has long since authorised the wearing of the like ribbons by Army officers?

The conditions under which these ribbons should be worn in the case of the Royal Navy have not yet been finally settled. It is hoped, however, to make an announcement on the subject shortly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if Royal Fleet Reserve pensioners are eligible for the increased pensions awarded under Admiral Jerram's Report, Section 51, seeing that they are pensioners now on rolls; and, if so, will he take immediate steps to extend to them the increased payments?

Long service pensioners belonging to Class A of the Royal Fleet Reserve are entitled to the revised scales of pension referred to in Decision 51 of the Jerram Committee Recommendations (Command Paper 149), provided that they have served during the War. This recommendation does not apply to Royal Fleet Reserve pensioners in Class B, who are granted a special flat rate of £12 per annum. It should be understood that these men have not served the full period of twenty-two years.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many motor launches are at present in commission; how many officers and other ratings are employed on them, and what is their annual cost; and what work these boats are being used for?

The number of motor launches in commission is being rapidly reduced day by day. At present there are about seventy in commission, in which are serving about 120 officers and 550 men, excluding those recently employed on mine clearance duties in home waters' which are now in the process of being paid off. Of the seventy launches mentioned some are employed on mine clearance duties abroad, some on special and temporary patrol duties at home and abroad, and some on miscellaneous duties in connection with transport and other duties at home and in the Mediterranean. Owing to the varied duties and amount of steaming carried out by these vessels, it is impossible to estimate the annual cost of running and maintenance, but this will be reduced materially within the next few months.

asked the First Lord of the. Admiralty how many men were borne on the books of Devon-port Dockyard on 1st August, 1914; how many were borne at the date of the Armistice; how many have been discharged since the Armistice to date; and what further discharges are contemplated before Christmas?

The figures asked for by my hon. Friend are as follows:

Numbers of workpeople borne:
At 1st August, 1914	14,108
At the date of the Armistice	18,334
Numbers of workpeople discharged since the date of the Armistice to the present date, approximately	1,700
The net reduction in numbers between these dates is	1,528
It is contemplated that the further discharges to be carried out at this yard by Christmas will be, approximately	2,200

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that many soldiers are now being classed as conscripts and retained in the Army on the grounds that they did not attest under the Derby scheme; whether lie is aware that many of these men offered themselves several times under the Derby scheme but were rejected as being unfit for military service; and whether, seeing that these men did all possible to join the Army as volunteers, he will now place them in the same position, so far as demobilisation is concerned, as the men who were passed fit for military service at the time of attestation under the Derby scheme‡

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wrexham on the 27th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for War when soldiers serving in Mesopotamia will be brought home and demobilised and why soldiers removed from Mesopotamia to India with a view to being brought to England are still retained in India, and when will they be brought back and demobilised?

Orders have been issued that men serving in Mesopotamia are to be sent home, and their despatch is to be completed by the 1st April, 1920, subject to the necessary transport being available. With regard to the latter part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. and gallant Member for Torquay, on Tuesday last.

asked the Secretary of State for War if Cyclist A. Chapman, No. 533335, 1/9th Hampshire Regiment, when last heard of was in North Russia, although a 1914 man and not a volunteer; and, seeing that on 19th September, 1919, a written document was sent stating that Cyclist Chapman left Omsk between the 3rd and 12th August, can he now state the reason of his prolonged stay in Russia?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Private R. Fields, No. 11456, of the 1st Beds and Herts Regiment, Brocton Camp, is under the age of eighteen years; that the youth is detained against his wish, and no parent's consent has ever been given; is he aware that the commanding officer refuses to liberate him although a birth certificate has been sent; and what steps will he take to immediately release the soldier?

Inquiries arc being made, and the hon. Member will be informed of the result in due course?

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office how many officers and soldiers, respectively, are at present in Russia as instructors, assistants, or in any other capacity with the armies under the command of General Koltchak, General Denikin, General Yudenitch, or of generals of other armies operating against the Soviets; whether the pay and expenses of these officers and men will fall on the British Government or the Russian or other Governments which are being assisted; and whether the time served and services rendered under foreign generals count for pensions payable by the War Office?

With regard to the first part of the question, a similar question was asked orally by the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull on the 28th October. I regret that the figures given in reply to that question were not quite correct, the members of the Royal Air Force with General Denikin in South Russia, amounting to eighty-two officers and 273 men, having by inadvertence been included twice over. The correct particulars are therefore as follows:

• Siberia.
  • 190 officers, 341 other ranks.
  • This Mission is in process of being reduced to about 100 all ranks.
• South Russia.
  • 274 officers, 829 men (including 82 officers and 273 men of the Royal Air Force)
• Baltic States.
• (I) Mission (soon to be largely reduced)—44 officers, 45 other ranks.
• (II) A detachment of the Tank Corps attached to the Mission, engaged in instructing Russians—22 officers, 29 other ranks. The withdrawal of this detachment has been ordered.

There are no members of the Royal Air Force with the Missions in Siberia or the Baltic States.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give any information as to what has been done with the clothes, shoes, and other stores left in Russia subsequent to the British troops evacuating that country; and whether he can give an estimate of the value of goods left behind?

All clothing, stores, and supplies which were surplus to our requirements were, on the embarkation of our troops, handed over to the North Russian Government as part of the evacuation movement. It is not possible at present to give the monetary value of the stores and supplies so transferred, but records have been kept and an estimate is being prepared.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the number of motor cars for official use at the War Office is now six times in excess of that in use for similar purposes in 1914?

From a War Department point of view, mechanical transport was more or less in its infancy in 1914. Rapid strides have since been made, and it has been found, in the interests of efficiency, that a greater number of cars have to be used. As stated in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member on 27th October, reductions of staff in the War Office have allowed large reductions to be made in the number of motor cars required, and, as further reductions of staff take place, even the present number will be further reduced.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Percy Morley, No. 2415, 4th Northern Company, Non-Combatant Corps, and Arthur Fountain, No. 1911, of the same company, were court-martialled and sentenced to six months imprisonment in August last; whether these men are still in prison; and, if so, whether he will explain the reason for their continued imprisonment in view of his statement that all conscientious objectors were to be released from gaol?

The two men to whom my hon. Friend refers had served in the same company of the Non-Combatant Corps without giving any trouble for just over three years, when on the 22nd July last they both suddenly objected to military service on conscientious grounds. It is, I think, quite clear that their objection was due to a desire for early demobilisation which they could not otherwise secure. They were tried by court-martial, as my hon. Friend states, and are still in prison, but their sentences were mitigated to 112 days' imprisonment with hard labour. At the time when the statement quoted in the last part of the question was made these men were not in prison.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the total cost of the recent visit of the Secretary of State for War to the Army of Occupation on the Rhine; whether the expenditure falls on the British Treasury or on the German Government as part of the cost of the Army of Occupation; how many persons were included in the suite and party of the Secretary of State of this visit; and whether any ladies were included?

The visit referred to was the official inspection of the Army of the Rhine by the Army Council, which was represented by the Secretary of State, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Adjutant-General, Deputy Adjutant-General, and Military Secretary. No estimate can be given of the cost involved, which was very small. Mrs. Churchill and Lady Chetwode were the guests of Sir William Robertson during this visit.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to an open letter sent out by the central bureau of the Committee for National Defence in the Far East, at Omsk, stating that the intervention of the Allies in the internal affairs of Russia humiliates their patriotic feelings, violates their national rights of property, and disorganises Russian finance; and whether, in view of the feeling of even anti-Bolshevik Russians towards our intervention, he will immediately recall the British Military Mission from Siberia?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Nothing is known at the War Office regarding the committee referred to. Regarding the last part of the question, the retention of a small Military Mission in Siberia is consistent with the policy of the Allied and Associated Powers and the suggestion that the moral support which its presence gives is not welcomed by the Omsk Government and the majority of the Siberian people is without foundation.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the military authorities in Monmouthshire recently secured the services of the chief constable in that district, to obtain for them the names and addresses of the secretaries of trade union branches in the area; and whether he will explain the object of securing this information?

I am not aware of this, but a report is being obtained, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it will now be possible to remove German prisoners from the occupation of private houses where, in some cases, they are doing considerable damage and increasing the congestion in housing accommodation?

I think my hon. Friend is referring to the occupation of private houses by small bodies of prisoners of war who are employed on agricultural work. It is anticipated that repatriation will have so far progressed that these parties of prisoners will all be withdrawn to main camps by the end of next week.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the uncertainty and delay as regards the sanction of the permanent establishment for the Army educational training scheme is resulting in the loss to the Army of the services of valuable teachers; and whether a decision on this important matter may be expected in the near futures?

I regret to say the situation is as described, but hon. Members will realise that it is a matter of extreme difficulty to come to a decision on any individual part of Army expenditure in advance of the final consideration of the whole. I am anxious, however, to give permanent effect at the earliest possible date to the decision I announced to the House on 5th August in reply to the horn, Member for Kincardine and Western, namely, that education was henceforward to be ragarded as an integral part of Army training. In the meantime, pending the final educational establishment, education is being carried on by temporary means with as little break in its continuity as possible. Hon. Members may rest assured that I fully realise its importance both to the Army and to the country.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many motor lorries were in the possession of the War Department at the date of the Armistice, and how many have since been sold?

The number of motor lorries in possession of the War Department at the time of the Armistice was 51,950. Sales of surplus lorries are carried out by the Disposal Board of the Ministry of Munitions, and the latter part of the question should, therefore, be addressed to that Department. The number of lorries reported to the Ministry of Munitions for disposal to date is 33,201.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the present strength of the rank and file of the Territorial Force; how many officers on full pay have been appointed to the command and staff of Territorial divisions and mounted brigades; what duties these officers are performing; and whether, in view of the fact that a promise was given that the terms of service and obligations of this new Territorial Force should be notified by 1st November, he can now state what these are?

Under the Military Service Acts, soldiers of the Territorial Force have been accounted for as belonging to the general strength of the Army, and not as constituting a separate force, and in Territorial Force units both Regular and Territorial Force soldiers have been and still are serving side by side. To furnish the figures asked for in the first part of the question would consequently involve much time, labour and expense, as it would entail examination of all soldiers' documents in all record offices. Fourteen divisional commanders have been appointed; no brigade commanders. The duties which the divisional commanders are performing were given on Monday last in reply to a question asked by the hon. and gallant Member for Abingdon, and I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to that reply. With regard to the last part of the question, it was hoped that recruiting for the reconstituted Territorial Force would begin on the 1st November, but the financial situation has necessitated a most careful revision of our commitments and consequently of the composition of the after-war Army, and I regret that as a result the reconstitution of the Territorial Force has been unavoidably delayed

asked the Secretary of State for War how many motor cars are now on the strength of the British Force in France and Flanders and the Army of the Rhine?

At the dates of the last returns received, 20th October and 23rd October respectively, there were 2,858 motor cars on the strength of the British Army in France and 795 on the strength of the Army of the Rhine. Of these, 1,723 which had been or were about to be declared surplus to Army requirements were awaiting disposal in France, and sixty-five of those on the Rhine have also already been earmarked for disposal.

asked the Secretary of State fur War whether he is aware of the widespread feeling among the relatives of men who died in France and elsewhere over the refusal to issue free passes to visit their graves; whether, in view of the fact that the issue of such passes was practically promised, he is prepared to reconsider the decision; whether, if the issue of free warrants cannot be made, he is prepared to consider a proposal to issue warrants at a reduced rate or free of charge where family circumstances are necessitous; and, if not, whether he can hold out any hope of this matter being reconsidered in the near future?

I must refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday to the hon. Member for Aberdare.

asked the Secretary of state for War whether the detailed arrangements have yet been made with regard to the removal of the bodies of soldiers and sailors who died as prisoners of war and were buried in Germany, and whose bodies the relatives of the deceased soldiers and sailors desire should be removed to this country?

Detailed arrangements have not yet been made, but I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that the matter is receiving attention, and it is hoped that it be possible to make a definite announcement on the subject before long.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will accelerate promotion in the Regular Army by immediately placing on retired pay all field officers who have never commanded a battalion in the field, never been overseas, been sent back from expeditionary forces with adverse reports, and have not had twelve months' active service since 1914?

The Army Council have already under consideration the war records of Regular field officers, and all those who have shown themselves to be unfitted for the duties of their rank are being called upon to resign their commissions or to retire.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements are made for the sport and amusement of those of our troops who are detained in Marseilles owing to the lack of railway accommodation?

A report is being obtained from France, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as it is received.

asked the Secretary of State for War Low many British troops are now detained at Marseilles owing to the lack of trains to bring them here; and why they could not have been brought by boat?

The numbers waiting in Marseilles for conveyance to the United Kingdom on October 28th were as follows:—

Officers	95
Other ranks	2,154

These should have left Marseilles by November 2nd. The possibility of bringing troops held up at Marseilles to the United Kingdom by sea, was considered and carried out as far as shipping permitted, fifty-four officers and 1,454 other ranks being taken by transport. No further shipping was available without dislocating moves of other units in the Mediterranean. One shipload of troops was diverted from Marseilles to another port, so as to ease the congestion. The holding up of the troops at Marseilles was due to the railway strike at home.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether officers who have held acting rank receive the same gratuities as officers who have held temporary rank; and whether the responsibilities in both cases are the same?

The conditions under which acting rank counts for assessment of gratuities are given in Army Order 117 of 1919, of which I will send my hon. and gallant Friend a copy. An officer who has held temporary rank counts it for assessment of gratuities if he was drawing the pay of that rank on the termination of his war service or on 11th November, 1918, whichever date is more advantageous. The responsibilities are the same in both cases.

asked the Secretary of State for War why no gratuity has been granted to military masseuses who were employed throughout the War in military hospitals on their demobilisation, while substantial gratuities were paid to Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses, whose work was in many ways less exacting; and whether a like recognition can be made to this valuable branch of the military nursing service?

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether war gratuities have been granted to all hospital workers and by the Red Cross to their masseuses; whether military masseuses have been refused a war gratuity; and, if so, whether, owing to the work done by these masseuses, he will take steps to reverse this decision?

As I stated yesterday, in answer to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Central Wandsworth, I am looking into this question, but I must not be understood to make any promise to alter the decision already announced.

asked the Secretary of State for War if the Non-Combatant Corps men are receiving the same rate of pay as those retained in the Army of Occupation; if not, can he state the reasons why they are being differently treated in this respect; and can he foresee the immediate release of these men?

Men of the Non-combatant Corps are eligible for the new rates of pay recently promulgated with retrospective effect from 1st July last, under the same conditions as other soldiers. They are now being demobilised in their turn, according to their age and service.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the distressing circumstances of the 1902 retired Army schoolmistresses, whose pensions still remain at the pre-war standard, 2s. per day; and whether in view of the fact that there are only about 114 of these ladies still living, he could see his way to recommend an increase of pension to meet the increased cost of living?

I regret that it is not possible to except these ladies from the general decision of the Government as to increase of past service pensions. They are not, I fear, the only class on whom present conditions bear hardly.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the compensation, stated in English money, payable to a Chinese coolie employed in the native labour corps, who have lost both arms, both legs, or both eyes; and what is the compensation payable to the family of a coolie who has lost his life?

If the injury was due to enemy action, the award is 180 dollars, or £33 at the present rate of exchange. The award for total disablement attributable to service, but not due to enemy action, is 120 dollars, or £22. The award to the family in case of death attributable to service is 180 dollars, or £33.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it has been brought to his notice that there are two void hostels, situated near the works of the Austin Motor Company, Birmingham (South), which accommodated 1,200 female munition workers during the War; whether he is aware that the Austin Motor Company have made an offer to the responsible Government Department to purchase those hostels for the purpose of accommodating some 1,500 male workers whom they desire to employ, and that the opportunity, of purchase is refused; and whether, seeing that such refusal is responsible alike for promoting unemployment and aggravating the housing shortage, and that there are large void military hutments in Sutton Park, Birmingham (North), which could be more advantageously used as industrial training centres for disabled soldiers than those near the Austin works which are to be used for that purpose, he will reconsider this decision?

I have been asked to answer this question. I understand that the facts are as stated in the first and second parts of the question. The two hostels referred to have been transferred to the Ministry of Pensions for use as a centre for the curative training and treatment of disabled ex-Service men. The last part of the question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Pensions.

asked the Pensions Minister whether he is aware that Mr. J. W. Fox, 45, Villiers Street, Sunderland, forwarded pension forms and marriage certificate in connection with his claim for wife's allowance, and that the Pension Issue Office now state that they are unable to trace these documents and that Mr. Fox must send another certificate; whether complaints of this character are a regular occurrence; and whether further inquiry can be made with regard to the missing papers?

If the hon. Member will furnish regimental particulars, without which the case cannot be identified, I will have inquiries made.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the gratuity to Mrs. Bridgeman, of 151, Waterloo Road, S.E., the widow of the. late Rifleman H. Bridge- man, 8th Battalion Rifle Brigade (S 12,607), who died in hospital from wounds received in action on 23rd September, 1916, has not yet been paid, although many letters have been written on the subject to the War Office?

This gratuity is in course of payment.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he can recommend an increase in the service pension of ex-Drum-Major W. M. Cocking, of Matlock, who after thirty-one years in the Army was discharged from the 1st Wilts Regiment on the 5th June, 1883, with a pension of 2s. 3d. a day; whether he is aware that the total income of this man, who is now seventy-seven yeas of age, is the pension above mentioned with 10s. a week allowance from his late employers and 2s. 6d. a week pension from the Corps of Commissionaires, out of which he has to maintain a wife and invalid son; and whether, if it is not possible to increase his pension, there is any fund from which he could obtain a grant or allowance?

My right hon. Friend Las asked me to answer this question. I am afraid it is not possible to increase this man's pension, nor do I know of any Government fund from which he could obtain assistance.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what is the present staff employed at the aerodromes at Tadcaster and Sherburn-in-Elmet, respectively; what has been the average monthly cost of these aerodromes during the past three months; what useful purpose they have fulfilled; and what is the policy of the Government as to their continued existence?

At the 30th September, 1919 (the latest date for which returns are available), the number of staff employed at these stations was as follows:

Tadcaster	242
Sherburn-in-Elmet	89

The average monthly cost during the last three months (July to September) has been £5,700 and £1,700 respectively. This has been greatly reduced during the present month. These stations are being utilised as headquarters for the storaged standard aeroplanes, and can be used for civil aviation purposes. They are to be closed down when the valuable stock now stored there has been evacuated.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air for what purpose the air station at Polegate is still being retained; when the airships were removed; how many men and women were employed there in June last; and how many are employed there at the present time?

As the responsibility for lighter-than-air craft has now been transferred to the Air Ministry, my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty has asked me to reply to this question. The airship station at Pole-gate is being closed down. At the moment it is used for the storage of small airships and stores which are in course of transfer to the Disposal Board. As soon as these have been disposed of the station will be evacuated. The strength at the dates mentioned by my hon. Friend was as follows:

	30th June, 1919.	25th Oct., 1919.
Royal Air Force—
Officers	5	2
Other ranks	24	22
W.R.A.F.	15	—
	44	24

Four of the personnel (at the 28th October) are employed on meteorological duties at Beachy Head.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air who are the officers making inquiry into the recent losses on the Egypt route, and if evidence is being taken on oath?

The members of the Committee of Inquiry referred to by my hon. Friend are as follows:

• President: Air Vice-Marshal E. L. Ellington, C.B., C.M. G., C.B. E., Director-General of Supply and Research, Air Ministry.
• Mr. G. B. Cockburn, O.B.E., Head of the Accidents Branch of the Department of the Controller-General of Civil Aviation, Air Ministry.
• Air Commodore H. R. M. Brooke-Popham, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., A.F.C., Director of Research, Ministry of Munitions.
• Air Commodore A. R. Borton, C.M.G., D. S.O., A.F.C.

The last-named officer has had great experience of the work to be investigated by the Committee. He has flown in a Handley-Page machine over the route to India and has surveyed part of the route on to Australia. The Committee is not taking evidence on oath.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether he is aware that the Ordnance Factories' Supervisory Staff Association has been in communication with the Department for the last ten months with regard to the scale of payment of foremen and assistant foremen; that although a special investigation was promised, the association cannot get any information on the matter; whether he is also aware that the position of foremen and assistant foremen as compared with other grades of workmen has deteriorated during the War; that, for instance, an assistant foreman before the War received 12s. per week more than the piece-work engineer and now receives 5s. per week less; and whether he will have consideration of this matter expedited, or have it referred to the Arbitration and Conciliation Board for decision?

I am informed that the temporary foremen and assistant foremen in question are in the main receiving pay in excess of the pre-war rates of their grades, plus the full war bonuses awarded by the appropriate arbitrating bodies and the 12½ per cent. bonus. Their claim appears to be for permanent increases of 20s. a week for foremen and 15s. for assistant foremen in addition to their present pay and bonuses, and to be based to some extent upon the present high earnings of mechanics paid by results. On completion of the special investigation, which is now taking place, into the relative position of various grades at Woolwich, I hope to be better able to judge the merits of the claim and the somewhat analogous claims made by other classes. I regret the delay, but my right hon. Friend will appreciate that the question is complex and presents special difficulties at the present time.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is proposing to prohibit throughout West Africa the export of raw material to any but British manufacturers; and, if so, by what statutory authority such powers will be exercised?

At the suggestion of the Food Controller, and in order to ensure adequate supplies of the raw material for producing margarine, the Governments of the West African Colonies have been invited to control the exportation of palm kernels, copra, and ground nuts for the next few months. Exporters are to be required to ship to destinations within the British Empire, and will be given licences allowing them to ship to any destination, to which such shipment is otherwise lawful, certain proportions of these three commodities based upon the amount shipped to the United Kingdom. These proportions are: Palm kernels, one-ninth; ground-nuts, one-fifth; and copra an equal amount.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the proposed imposition of a protective duty on palm kernels shipped from West Africa to other than British ports has been withdrawn; and, if so, whether any means of safeguarding the interests of British manufacturers has been substituted?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second therefore does not arise.

asked the President of the Board of Education what are now the minimum rates of salaries for uncertificated teachers in public elementary schools?

The Board's Minute of the 14th January, 1918, provided that the minimum rate of salary for an uncertificated teacher employed in a public elementary school should be £65 per annum. This Minute has not yet been modified, but the average of the salaries actually paid to uncertificated teachers is considerably higher than this minimum.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that dissatisfaction exists amongst public library authorities concerning the proposal to transfer the administration of public libraries from the present constituted committees to sub-committees of the local education committees; and whether he will allow the present public libraries committees to continue still the work they are doing, in which they take an interest, instead of checking that interest under a sub-committee that is naturally more interested in another form of public work?

I am aware that certain proposals made in the Third Interim Report of the Adult Education Committee on this matter have evoked some criticism. The Government are not committed to their adoption, which would require legislation, and if it is decided to legislate there will be ample opportunities of discussing the matter in Parliament.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether any steps have been taken to appoint the promised Royal Commission on the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge?

I am glad to be able to inform the hon. Member that the arrangements for the appointment of the Royal Commission arc now practically complete, and that I hope that an announcement will be made very shortly.

asked the Minister of Health if it has now been decided to increase the administration allowance made to approved societies by 1s. per member per annum?

There is actuarially no margin on the present health insurance contributions which would allow of the al-ministration allowance being increased so long as the contributions remain at their present figure. The question of increasing the scale of sickness and disablement benefits with a corresponding increase in the contributions which would allow of some increase in the allowance for administration, is still under consideration, and I am not at present in a position to give any definite undertaking.

asked the Minister of Health whether the type of cottage he has requested the Alton Rural District Council to build is estimated to cost £690, although the council has put forward a much cheaper design; whether he has informed the council that they are expected to charge an economic rent on two-thirds of the cost of the house, i.e., £460; and, if so, whether it is the policy of the Government that Hampshire labourers' cottages should be rented at 18s. a week?

The Alton Rural District Council have not been requested to build cottages estimated to cost £690 in preference to others of a cheaper design. They have been informed that the types of cottages which were submitted by their own architects, and which were estimated to cost, approximately, £690 were types which the Ministry generally approved, but that if they submitted designs for a bungalow of a cheaper type these would be accepted, subject to certain modifications. The question of the rents to be charged in rural districts is one of special difficulty, and I have appointed a Committee of the Housing Advisory Council to report on this question. It would, of course, be impracticable to fix the initial rents for agricultural cottages on two-thirds of the present cost, and I have never suggested that this should be done either at Alton or elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will state the total number of interned enemy aliens, distinguishing between Germans and other enemy aliens, whose cases were considered this year by Mr. Justice Younger's Committee and the number of these persons who were recommended by that Committee for exemption from deportation; and how many of the persons so recommended for exemption had been interned on the recommendation of Mr. Justice Sankey's Committee in 1918?

The figures asked for in the first part of the question are 4,300, of whom 3,250 were Germans, and 3,890, of whom 3,030 were Gentians. It is not possible to state the particular occasions at which these men were severally interned.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the distressing conditions to which ex-police pensioners who retired previous to the new scale of pensions have been reduced owing to the increased cost of living; and whether any allowance can be granted to them to restore their pensions to the pre-war value?

I would refer the Noble Lord to the replies given to the hon. and gallant Members for Dulwich and Yeovil on the 10th and 22nd July, respectively, to the hon. Member for Canterbury on the 7th August, and to the hon. and gallant Member for Holborn on the 30th instant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can furnish the names of the personnel of the Alien Shipmasters' and Officers' Committee.?

I have been asked to answer this question. The Committee consists of two naval officers, a member of the Legal Branch of the Admiralty, and a representative of the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the fact that workmen's compensation was based upon pre-war wages, that the maximum allowed was 20s. per week, that during the War this was increased by 25 per cent., making a maximum total of 25s. per week, and that corresponding payments for fatal accidents are still made on the pre-war wage basis, the Government are contemplating any amendment of the law in this respect in order to make compensation payments correspond more fairly with prevailing conditions of wages and prices?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. As stated in the answer given on Monday last to a question by the hon. Member for the Ogmore Division, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary hopes to be able to introduce very shortly a Bill to increase the amount payable under the Workmen's Compensation (War Addition) Act, 1917. The question of the permanent revision of the scales of compensation both in fatal and non-fatal cases must await the Report of the Departmental Committee on Workmen's Compensation, which is conducting a careful and thorough inquiry into the whole subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the term, "a trade competitor," used in the Board of Trade official circular, dated 9th September, 1919, dealing with local committees and appeal tribunals to be set up under the Profiteering Act, 1919, is intended to include a member of a cooperative society; and whether he is aware that local authorities are being delayed in the setting up of their committees owing to a doubt as to the interpretation of this term?

The term "trade competitor" used in the Board of Trade Circular referred to by my hon. Friend was not intended to exclude a member of a co-operative society from being a member of a local committee under the Profiteering Act, unless he is directly concerned with the management of a cooperative society. My attention has not been called to any delay in the appointment of committees through uncertainty as to the interpretation of the term.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the whole of the quinine (chinchona) production of the world, apart from the small quantity produced by the Government of India for local use, has lately been made the subject of a monopoly of the Dutch and British producers; whether he is aware that this monopoly is fortified, so far as this country is concerned, by an equally firm monopoly of the wholesale chemists of the United Kingdom; whether he realises that the consumer is now being charged 3s. 6d. per ounce, as compared with 1s., or even less, pre-war; and what steps he proposes to take to enable this commodity to be obtained without profiteering?

The answer to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative. The whole question of the prices and supply of quinine sulphate to this country is being investigated under Section 3 of the Profiteering Act, and I hope that the findings of the investigators will be ready for publication before the end of this week or, at latest, next week.

asked the Minister of Transport how many new railway trucks have been constructed since the Armistice; how many are under construction at the present time; how many old trucks are being repaired weekly; and is this number greater or less than those falling out of repair?

Figures bringing out the rolling stock position are in the course of compilation, and I shall be glad to give the information when it is available, but some weeks will, I fear, necessarily elapse.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the system of allocation of traffic at present in force is causing considerable loss to traders who have railway facilities near their works; whether his attention has been called to the great inconvenience caused to the Raleigh Cycle Company, Limited, of Nottingham, who have two Midland Railway stations close to their works, but whose traffic has been allotted to other railways which have no near station and which involves the carting of their goods. for a distance of over two miles; and is he prepared to direct that traffic shall be handled with some regard to the convenience of traders and especially those who have works adjacent to railway sidings or stations?

The scheme for allocating traffic to specific routes was introduced as a means of securing the best use of the railway facilities available, and it is in the general interest, though it may in a few instances cause inconvenience to individual traders in the matter of cartage. I can, however, assure the hon. Member that regard is paid to traders' interests as a whole. The case referred to in the-question is being inquired into, and the result will be communicated to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that grain wheat is the only raw material which bears the same rate for carriage as the manufactured article, he will endeavour to arrange when the new railway rates come into force that a lower charge be made for carrying the raw material, wheat, than the manufactured article, flour?

Many points of classification will have to be considered when the systematic revision of railway rates is undertaken. I will see that a copy of the hon. Member's question is laid before the Rates Advisory Committee.

asked the Prime-Minister whether the joint control of the railway systems of this country by the State and those working on the railways has been, or is shortly to be, discussed by the Government and leaders of organised labour; and, if so, if the owners of the properties involved will be consulted' before a decision is arrived at?

The National Union of Railwaymen put forward a proposal which the Prime Minister described in reply as involving nationalisation and joint management and which therefore is impossible during the two years of Government control which is provided for in the Ministry of Transport Bill. The Government have, however, decided that it is necessary to have a Railway Committee to take the place of the present Executive Committee for the purpose of giving advice to the Government on matters affecting the interests of the railway and the State in relation to the railways, and the Government will be glad to see one or two railway workers appointed members of this Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the shortage of cattle trucks in country districts and to the consequent loss occasioned to flock masters and others and to the unnecessary suffering caused to animals; what he proposes to do in the matter; and if at the fair at Rhayader 5,000 sheep were penned and no trucks were provided for their removal?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The Ministry of Transport has had no complaints regarding shortage of cattle trucks in country districts, nor has any report been received relating to the alleged inadequacy of trucks for the sheep fair at Rhayader.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can state the total number of Service volunteers employed in the railway strike, and the total cost of the remuneration involved?

So far as I am able to ascertain, about 6,000 Service volunteers were actually employed on the railways during the recent strike. I am not in a position to state the total cost of their remuneration.

asked the Minister of Transport whether free passes on the railway have been issued to persons who worked as volunteers during the recent railway strike; whether this action has been taken by the railway companies or on the initiative of the Government; and, in the former case, whether the value of these passes will be deducted from the amount payable to the companies under the railway agreement?

Inquiry has been made of the principal railway companies, and from the replies so far received I find that duty passes were issued or equivalent arrangements were made in order to enable volunteers during the strike to travel to and from their homes. In certain cases volunteers who refused payment for their services were given a complimentary pass. In this matter the companies exercised their own discretion and no question of financial adjustment arises.

asked the Minister of Transport when the Bill for the control and development of the waterways of the country for industrial purposes is to be introduced; and what progress has been made up to the present time in increasing the tonnage conveyed by water?

The question of increasing the tonnage conveyed on inland waterways is engaging the attention of the Minister. No Bill is in course of preparation as yet.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is a fact, as stated by the late chairman of the Road Board, that an expenditure of £7,000,000 is required to strengthen road bridges in order to carry modern commercial road traffic; and, if so, what steps he is taking to ensure that this work should be carried out at the earliest possible moment?

The late chairman of the Road Board made the statement referred to in 1917. It was based upon a general estimate of the cost of reconstruction of bridges at that time. This question, as part of the whole question of expenditure on roads, is engaging the attention of the Ministry.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to improve access to and egress from the London docks, and to relieve the congestion therein, which forms at present so great an obstacle to reviving trade?

The question of the improvement of the access to and egress from London Docks will be considered by the Advisory Committee which is being appointed to advise and assist the Ministry of Transport in connection with London baffle. All possible steps are being taken to maintain the flow of traffic through the London Docks, and no doubt the hon. Member is aware of the arrangement under which Government-owned lorries are now working at those docks in order to relieve congestion.

asked the Minister of Labour why, in relation to the Government training scheme for ex-officers and men, grants for the training of accountants are confined to the Institute of Chartered Accountants or the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors; and whether, as these two branches have no monopoly of the profession, he will consider the advisability of including other reputable societies for this purpose?

I would refer the hen. and gallant Member to an answer given to the hon. Member for South Paddington on 10th July last, in which it was stated that the Government Training Scheme for ex-officers and men of similar education was intended to restore the supply of men of higher professional and business attainments. It is necessary therefore that the nature of the professional qualifications which will result from the expenditure of public monies under the scheme should be subjected to close scrutiny. As the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors have in the past been recognised by Parliamentary Committees as conferring the highest qualifications within die profession of Accountancy, these are the only institutions whose examinations are recognised for the purpose of grants for training in accountancy. The Ministry as at present advised do not consider it desirable to alter this decision.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, consequent upon the Report of the Committee appointed to consider the administration of the out-of-work donation, he has made and promulgated any Amendments of the Regulations governing the payment of the donations as paragraph 42 of the Final Report; what are the Amendments so made; whether, in consequence, any material diminution of the cases in winch the donation has been fraudulently or improperly obtained has taken place or may reasonably be expected; and, in the latter case, upon what does he base his view?

Effect has been given to all the recommendations in the Report, with the exception of that which suggests that the weekly rate of donation for civilian workers should, after thirteen weeks, be reduced to 15s. for men and 12s. for women. After careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that, on Lie whole, the balance of advantage was against reducing the rates of donation during the comparatively short time that the existing scheme of donation for civilian workers has yet to run. The details of the Amendments are not a suitable subject for explanation by way of question and answer, but their nature can be readily seen by reference to the Report itself. I may add that since the end of May there has been a marked decrease in the number of frauds reported to this office in connection with donation. I think I may fairly attribute this to the reforms which have been introduced from time to time on the recommendation of the Committee and otherwise.

asked the Minister of Labour what number of cases have been reported to his Department of fradulent or improper claims to out-of-work donation, and the aggregate sum paid in respect thereof; in how many of such cases have prosecutions been directed; and what is the aggregate of the sums wrongfully obtained in such cases?

Prosecutions have been instituted in Great Britain in 882 cases of apparent fraud in connection with out-of-work donation, and 648 further cases are under consideration. Corresponding figures for Ireland are being obtained, and I will send them to the hon. Member in the course of a few days. Information is not available as regards the aggregate amounts of donation paid in these eases. The term "improper claim," as distinct from fraudulent claims, is too indefinite to enable any statistics to be furnished. I may mention that up to the middle of October some 200,000 claims had been disallowed by the Courts of Referees in Great Britain, but in the great majority of these there was genuine to receive donation, and in some the decision of the Court of Referees was subsequently reversed by the Umpire on appeal.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in connection with the present economic condition, he will state the period during which the payment of unemployment donation has been in operation; what has been the monthly and total amounts of payment; and whether he can now assign a definite date for the termination of the donation?

The out-of-work donation scheme has been in operation since 25th November, 1918. The total amounts paid monthly to the end of September, 1919, are approximately as follows:

	£
December, 1918	761,000
January, 1919	3,070,000
February, 1919	4,128,000
March, 1919	4,928,000
April, 1919	5,604,000
May, 1919	6,517,000
June, 1919	3,496,000
July, 1919	3,629,000
August, 1919	2,769,000
September, 1919	2,076,000

The total amount paid up to and including the week ended the 17th October, 1919, is approximately £39,000,000. With regard to the last part of the question, I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Keighley on 22nd October, and the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 29th October.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that in consequence of the recent railway strike workpeople at Messrs. Craven's rope works, Sunderland, were thrown out of employment; that a number of married women workers were refused donation benefit, although such women had been deserted by their husbands for many years and had received no income except by their earnings at the ropery works; that young unmarried women, formerly employed at the same works and without family responsibilities, received the benefit; and if he will have inquiry made with a view to amending the decision of the, local Labour Exchange authorities?

In the difficult circumstances arising out of the recent railway strike it was necessary to introduce an emergency donation scheme on the simplest possible lines, in order that it should be administratively workable. Among other things, this necessitated the exclusion of married women from the emergency donation, because any other decision would in the circumstances have opened a wide door to abuse. The ordinary scheme, under which married women as such are not disqualified, was reinstated at the earliest practicable date, namely, the 16th October. While regretting that the special emergency rule should have caused hardship in some individual cases, the Ministry cannot see their way to reconsidering it.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the minutes of evidence given before the Committee appointed to consider the administration of the out-of-work donation, and in particular the evidence of Mr. H. C. A. Bingley, one of the Metropolitan stipendiary magistrates, giving particulars not only of cases investigated by him but also of cases dealt with by several of his colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Courts?

The evidence given before the Committee by Mr. Bingley and by other witnesses has been carefully considered by my Department, in conjuntion with the recommendations which the Committee made after themselves considering that evidence. The specific cases quoted by Mr. Bingley have also been investigated. I may add that arrangements are being made to have the evidence laid as a Command Paper in the course of the next few days.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the dispute between the firm of R. and T. Gibson, provision merchants, Princes Street, Edinburgh, which enjoys Royal patronage, and its staff, numbering eighty-eight men and women; whether he is aware that the staff, after repeated applications for better remuneration, are now on strike; that public meetings of representative citizens in Edinburgh, addressed by leading clergymen and others, have described the wages offered, after many years of service in many instances, as utterly inadequate; that the National Union of Shop Assistants, acting for the staff, has offered arbitration with a view to settlement, and that this proposal has been pressed upon the firm by many public men in Edinburgh; that the firm refuses to recognise the union or to proceed to arbitration; and what steps he proposes to take to induce this firm to adopt the usual methods of reaching a settlement in practice among the great majority of employers in this country?

The Ministry of Labour has endeavoured to bring about a settlement of this dispute but the firm has up to the present declined to enter into negotiations with representatives of the trade union. The Department is, however, closely watching the case and will use every effort to end the dispute at the earliest possible moment, but as the hon. Member is aware the Department has no power to compel the firm to recognise the union or to go to arbitration on the matter in dispute.

asked the Minister of Labour it he is aware that a dispute has been in progress for some weeks between the firm of Hollins and Company, Limited, and their workpeople at Pleasley and Nottingham, owing to the firm refusing to discuss the workpeople's petition submitted in February of this year; whether his Department has intervened with a view to bringing about a settlement, and with what result; whether he is aware that the war wages paid by this firm are 50 per cent. below the war-time advance conceded by employers for similar classes of work in Lancashire; whether he will state what steps his Department have taken to bring about a settlement; and if the Department are still in negotiation with the parties concerned?

The Department's local Conciliation Officer at Birmingham is endeavouring to bring about a settlement of this dispute, but the firm declines to enter into negotiations with the union. The efforts of the Department to secure an early termination of the dispute will be continued.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that in June last the National Union of General Workers applied to His Majesty's Office of Works on behalf of masons and masons' labourers employed at Harlech Castle for the building trade rates of pay as laid down by the North-Western Area Joint Council for the building trades; that an objection was raised that such rates did not apply to Merionethshire, and the Ministry of Labour refused to endorse the rates; if he will state the reason for such refusal, seeing that the rates apply at Carnarvon, which is only fifty miles away from Harlech; and what action he will take in the matter?

At. the time the application referred to was made Harlech was not included in the area of the North-Western Area Joint Council, but upon representations being made the case of Harlech was brought before the National Board of Conciliation, when it was arranged to place it under the jurisdiction of the North-Western Area Joint Council, which decided what rates of wages should apply. The rates applicable to Carnarvon were accordingly paid, and the National Union of General Workers w is so informed in. July last.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any action is being taken to assist ex-Service men or other persons who desire to emigrate to British Dominions?

Direct financial assistance from Government funds is confined to the free passages given to approved ex-Service men and women who intend to settle overseas within the British Empire. The conditions under which these passages are granted were stated in the announcement which I read in the House on 8th April last. All intending settlers, however, can obtain the best available information, advice, and assistance of a like character from the Overseas Settlement Office, whose address is 59, Victoria Street.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a money order for £10, No. 1,404, Series No. 6, was purchased at Vineuil, St. Firmin, on the 29th September last, received in England on the 3rd instant, and presented at the Ealing Broadway Post Office for payment on the 6th instant; that the payee was informed that the money had not come through, and that although repeated applications were made it was not cashed until the 20th instant, and then only for £9 17s. 8d.; whether he is aware that since the Armistice the delay in cashing these money orders has been increasing; and whether this undue delay is attributable to an inadequate staff or created to take advantage of the rate of exchange?

The advice of the money under referred to by the hon. Member was not received from the French office of issue in due course; and when the order was presented at the Ealing branch office, it was necessary to suspend payment and to obtain a duplicate advice from France. The duplicate was received in the Money Order Department, and dispatched to the office of payment on the 18th instant. The amount of the order was 340 francs, and the amount paid was the equivalent of this sum at the rate of conversion in force on the 2nd of October, the date on which the advice should in due course have been received in London. The proportion of money orders from France, of which the relative advices do not reach this country in due course, is very small, and does not appear to be increasing. There is no ground for the hon. Member's suggestions as regards the cause of the delay in payment. It was open to the payee to clear the order at once through a. bank; and the amount which would then have been paid would have been the equivalent of 340 francs at the rate of conversion in force on the date of presentaion by the bank.

asked the Postmaster-General if the Sub-post Office at Kew Green is now closed; and, if so, whether he has made, or is making, arrangements to provide the customary postal facilities for the residents in the vicinity?

The Sub-post Office at Kew Green was closed on the 1st October. It is hoped shortly to open a fresh office in the immediate neighbourhood.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the dis- content prevailing amongst the inhabitants of the village of Clipton, near Market Harborough, owing to the inconvenience of having to travel a mile to post their letters; seeing that the removal of the post office from its original place was done without consulting the inhabitants, is he prepared to put a pillar box up in the village for the requirements of the people; has he received a petition from them; and, if so, is he prepared to favourably consider it?

I am having inquiry made, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has refused to permit the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association to represent caretaker-operators who are members of that society; whether, despite his action, a considerable number of caretaker-operators have joined that trade union; whether, on the 9th July, he stated that the allowance, excluding war bonus is more than 10s. per week in many cases and that a free living accommodation is provided in all cases; whether he is aware that at Barmouth the allowance is 5s. 6d. and a bonus of 6s., out of which the caretaker-operator has to pay the post office 6s. rent; whether on 6th July he stated that personal attendance is not required and caretaker-operators to make their own arrangements with the staff whom they employ; and whether, having regard to the extremely low wages paid by the post office, it is possible for the caretaker-operators to make a proper payment for any assistance which is received?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on the 13th August, 1919, regarding the claim of the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association to represent caretaker-operators. I am not aware of any change in the circumstances. I am making inquiry as to the remuneration of the night telephone attendant at Barmouth, to whom I assume the hon. Member refers. The statements in the replies of the 7th and 9th July did not apply to the class of night telephone attendants, who are paid on a somewhat different, basis from caretaker-operators.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters from Montreal and other near Canadian points. often take twenty and generally fourteen days to reach London; and whether he will take steps in conference with the Canadian and United States authorities for the conveyance of letters by the fastest trans-Atlantic steamers?

I am having inquiries made in the matter, and will communicate with the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Postmaster-General whether it is intended to permit the telephone system provided for the Admiralty along the county Antrim coast road, connecting up the towns of Larne, Glenarm, Carnlough, and Cushendall, to remain after the system is no longer exclusively required by the Admiralty as a means of improving public communication in these districts

The possibility of utilising the circuit in question for an extension of the public telephone system is under consideration, and, pending a decision, the wires will not be disturbed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he can state the acreage of potatoes in Lancashire in the respective years 1917, 1918, 1919?

The area under potatoes in Lancashire (excluding allotments) was returned at 47,652 acres in 1917, 53,943 acres in 1918, and 45,458 acres in 1919.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if the 30th November has been fixed as the final date for the demobilisation of the Women's Land Army; if any women are being retained after this date; and, if so, of what rank and for what purpose?

30th November has been fixed as the date of the final demobilisation of the Land Army. A further month will be given to wind up the organisation and ensure that the facilities offered to women by the Government for land settlement and for free passages to the Dominions shall be secured. For this purpose the county organising secretary and such junior staff as is necessary in the county offices, together with the staff at headquarters, will be retained until 31st December. It is estimated that at least 60 per cent. of the women will after demobilisation remain as ordinary employâs of the farmers.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether, in the case of a farm sold on 23rd July last, and the tenant having received since then notice to quit in March next from the vendor, whether the tenant will be compelled to give up the tenancy in accordance with the notice; and, if so, whether the legislation promised by the Prime Minister to the agriculturists is intended to be retrospective so As to cover such a case as this?

The notice referred to, having been given after the date of the contract for sale, is not affected by the Agricultural Land Sales (Restriction of Notices to Quit) Act. I am not prepared to state whether the proposed land legislation will be retrospective.

asked tie Parliamentary 'Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether grants have been made from public funds to the Agricultural Organisations Society; if so, in what years, to what extent, and whether ear-marked for any special purposes?

Grants to the Agricultural Organisations Society have been made from public funds every year since and including the year 1909. If my right hon. Friend so desires, I shall be happy to furnish him with full particulars, but it will perhaps be sufficient if I say that last year the following grants were made to the society: £7,000 from Food Production Department funds for organising co-operation among allotment holders, £4,000 from the small holdings account for organising co-operation amongst smallholders and allotment holders, and £18,794 from the Development Fund for the general work of organising co-operation amongst farmers. In addition, the board repaid expenses incurred by the society to the amount of £1,683, in the special work of organising co-operative milk depots, which was undertaken by the society at the Board's request.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether it is intended to continue the existence or the women's branch of the Food Production Department; and, if so, at what cost in salaries, and what will be the work of the officials drawing such salaries?

The whole matter contained in the question of my hon. and gallant Friend is under the consideration of the Board at the present moment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state the number of German prisoners at present engaged in agriculture?

The total number of German prisoners engaged in agriculture on 29th October was, as nearly as can be ascertained, 9,325, and is being reduced as rapidly as circumstances permit. The withdrawal of these men and their repatriation was seriously delayed by the railway strike.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture what sum of money was expended in connection with the Crown Colony for ex-Service men at Pembrey, South Wales, for the period ending 29th September last for the purchase of land, improvement of land and erection of buildings, purchase, of stock and implements, and rates, wages, and all other items; what income has been received for the same period; and what is the present value of the stock, implements, etc.?

The total payments in connection with the farm settlement at Pembrey from the date of acquisition up to the 29th September last amounted to £56,229, including £30,960, the cost of acquisition. The receipts during the same period amounted to £2,198. As regards the present value of the stock, implements, etc., an independent valuer is at present making a valuation of the live and dead stock at this settlement for the purposes of the annual accounts, which will be published in the Report of Proceedings under the Small Bolding Colonies Acts for the year 1919. Until the valuer's report is received the information desired by the hon. Member cannot be given, but the live stock at present on this settlement consists of twenty horses, 369 cattle, 1,016 sheep, and sixty-two pigs.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if lie will state the number of farms acquired for small holdings and settlements in 1917, 1918, and 1919; the number of badly cultivated farms taken over in the same period; and what proportion of them had been adapted for small holdings and settlements?