asked the Secretary to the Treasury on which Department responsibility rests with regard to house property taken over by the Government in connection with the national shipyards at Beachley; and whether in some cases the properties to be taken over at the price agreed on in 1917 have not yet been paid for nor the rent subsequent to the transfer been paid?

I have been asked to reply. The Ministry of Shipping is respon- sible for house property taken over by the Government in connection with the national shipyards at Beachley. With reference to the latter part of the question, the Lands Directorate are dealing with certain properties yet to be taken over, and negotiations and payments have been completed in most cases. All rents have been paid for properties actually taken over in connection with the Beachley shipyard.

asked the Food Controller if he will state the quantity of hay, etc., dumped at Scrooby, near Doncaster, the number of men employed, and the total number of similar dumps and quantities dumped in the United Kingdom?

My right lion. Friend has asked me to reply. Including Scrooby, there are about sixty dumps of hay in all parts of England in the custody of the War Department. As regards the quantities of hay held by the Department, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to my reply on 29th October to the hon. Member for South Poplar. There are seventy-two men at present employed at Scrooby; they are only temporarily employed there and will probably be moved very shortly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether at the Naval Ordnance Office, Woolwich, male temporary clerks are being discharged, whilst single women temporary clerks are being retained; and whether this is contrary to Admiralty Weekly Order 3511, dated 25th October, 1919?

Reductions in the temporary clerical staff, male and female, are being effected as the state of the work permits. These reductions are being made in consultation with the Departmental Staff Sub-committees as directed in the Admiralty Orders, and every care is being taken to minimise the hardship involved. Single women are not being retained if it appears that they are living with parents who can for the time being maintain them.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any firm of shipowners have asked the Admiralty to contract to build liners for ocean traffic in the Portsmouth dockyard; and, if so, does he propose to accept the offer, so as to obviate the necessity for short time or the discharge of the workmen?

On the 6th November the Admiralty received an offer to build at Portsmouth two steamers for a commercial firm, and the matter is now under serious consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will have inquiries made into the case of Private Samuel Rowe, No. 15977, 2nd Com., King's Own, Bowerham Barracks, Lancaster, who joined the Army on the 16th September, 1919, when only seventeen years of age, and in consideration of the circumstances at his home, his father being sixty-one years of age, blind in one eye, and generally in a weak state of health which prevents him following his employment regularly, with a wife and another son, aged sixteen years, who is unable to work to support; and will he consider the advisability of granting his discharge from the Army at an early date?

Inquiries are being made, and I will inform the hon. Member of the result as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will grant the discharge from the Army of Driver Peter Unsworth, No. 299292, 13th Battery, 17th Brigade, A Subsection, Royal Field Artillery, Waterloo Barracks, Aldershot, who joined the Army and will not be eighteen years of age until 19th April, 1920; is he aware that his father was killed in the War, he is the only son, and the main support of his widowed mother and five sisters; that two sisters are working, one only part time owing to sickness; and will he consider this case on compassionate grounds as well as the extreme youth of Driver Unsworth, and grant his discharge at an early date?

The inquiries in this case are not yet complete, but steps have been taken to expedite the matter. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether Gunner J. G. Harkness, No. 227541, Royal Field Artillery, British Army on the Rhine, can now be released, seeing that he volunteered under the Derby scheme on or about 25th August, 1915, joined the Colours on 13th April, 1916, and has a father in very delicate health carrying on a one-man business, who has repeatedly applied for him?

This man's case has been reconsidered, but it is regretted that, under current instructions, he is not eligible for priority of release on compassionate grounds. He will, however, be dispatched for dispersal from his present I station not later than 1st February, 1920, I subject to the necessary transport being available.

asked the Secretary of State for War why Private H. A. Plowman, No. 26447, 2/7th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, whose demobilisation was ordered by the War Office on 21st September, 1919, and subsequently on 30th September cabled instructions were sent for his immediate release, is still in Russia; and when is he likely to be demobilised?

Inquiries are already being made in this case, and my hon. and gallant Friend will be informed of the result as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War what the future organisation of the Machine Gun Corps is to be?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the written reply which I gave on Wednesday last to the hon. and gallant Member for St. Mary-Icbone.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will, in full- ment of an assurance given in July last, give renewed orders for the removal of the Anti-Aircraft Station at Shipbourne, Sevenoaks, and thus enable the villagers to resume the use of the village green for their customary sports?

There was both a light and a gun station at Shipbourne. The former was handed over to the Disposal Board on the 31st October, and the latter has been cleared of anti-aircraft equipment, and is in process of being handed over to the Board. Only huts remain to be moved, and this is a matter for the Disposal Board.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will state the areas to which British troops are liable to be sent under the plebiscite provisions of the Peace Treaty; and what categories of troops are liable for this duty?

I stated the proposed location of British troops in plebiscite areas in answer to a question by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds on Wednesday last. All troops eligible for duty with the Army of the Rhine are equally eligible for duty in these areas.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the nursing sisters in Mesopotamia are paid at consolidated gold rate; and, if so, why the exchange compensation rate has not been accredited to them?

The Nursing Service in Mesopotamia have their emoluments fixed in sterling. The whole of their board and washing allowance and field allowance, together with 10 per cent, of their pay, is issued at 1s. 4d. to the rupee with effect from 1st April last.

asked the Secretary of State for War what the average cost of a Household Cavalry regiment compared to that of a Line Cavalry regiment serving at home was prior to the War; and what was the establishment in each case?

The figures are as follow:

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that Staff-Sergeant W. Rollins, No. 6555, 2nd Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, died at Poona, India, on 17th December, 1918; whether this soldier executed a will; whether the accounts in respect of his estate have not yet been received from the Committee of Adjustment; what is the cause of the delay; and what action he proposes to take to effect a settlement?

As my hon, and gallant Friend was informed on the 18th instant, the accounts in this case have not yet been received from the Committee of Adjustment in India. Further information has since been received, and it appears that the delay is due to difficulty in realising the investments in Indian War Loan made by the deceased. A request has now been sent to India by telegraph for the will to be sent at once to the War Office.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions when the medical instruments bought from the Disposal Board at Bristol by Dr. Sedgwick, of Tetbury, on 21st October will be delivered or the money paid be returned?

The medical instruments purchased by Dr. Sedgwick will be handed over to him by the officer in charge at the Bristol depot, upon presentation of the command paymaster's receipt.

asked the Postmaster-General when he proposes to allay the discontent in the Liverpool Post Office by requiring that those supervising officials who are now over sixty years of age should retire on pension?

There are at present fourteen supervising officers at Liverpool who have reached the age of sixty, and it is proposed that these officers shall retire either this year or in the course of next year. It is not the general practice to enforce retirement at precisely sixty years of age in the case of officers whose efficiency, health, and conduct are satisfactory.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller how many Government ships and of what tonnage were sold to Lord Inch-cape and at what price; and what the ships so sold are now worth on the market?

Forty ships of 343,788 tons dead-weight were sold at £25 per ton, less depreciation at 7 per cent, per annum, to Lord Inchcape for distribution. In addition the contracts for 156 ships under construction (of about 1,000,000 tons dead-weight when completed) were transferred, the instalments paid to the builders being refunded. I regret that I am unable to reply to the latter part of the question, as it is not possible to form any estimate as to the terms on which transactions of similar magnitude could be effected at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller how many standard ships, and of what gross tonnage, and at what cost, were contracted for by the Shipping Controller; how much of tins tonnage has been sold out to private shipowners, British or foreign, and at what profit, giving details for each ship?

The number of standard ships contracted for by the Shipping Controller was 682, of approximately 3,000,000 gross tonnage. In addition, a large quantity of tonnage was contracted for abroad. Practically the whole of these have now been disposed of, and as soon as the transactions are complete, I will furnish the hon. Member with the detailed Return for which he asks.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Sir George Clerk represents His Majesty's Government alone in Budapest or whether he is acting on behalf of any other Allied or Associated Powers; and, if the latter, is there any exclusively British representative at Budapest who reports direct to the Foreign Office in London?

Sir George Clerk is the Special Envoy of the Supreme Council in Paris. There is no exclusive representative of His Majesty's Government at Budapest.