asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there were still about 200,000 Austrian prisoners in Siberia; if their camps had been visited by British representatives; whether Admiral Koltchak was taking any steps to repatriate these men; and whether every facility would be given him to do this by the Allies?

The answer to the first part of the question is that there are about 140,000 Austrian prisoners in Siberia at the present time. As regards the second part of the question, His Majesty's Government have no knowledge of the camps having been visited by British representatives. The answer to the third and fourth parts of the question is in the negative, but the Supreme Economic Council are dealing with the matter, and steps are being taken to repatriate enemy prisoners of war in Siberia, as soon as the Allied forces have been evacuated.

May I ask whether British representatives have been instructed to visit these camps, and whether the hon. and gallant Gentleman is aware of the very grave anxiety among the relatives of these prisoners as to the great death-rate reported in these camps?

A detailed question like that must be put down.

Would it not be possible to do something to stop these people dying at the rate at which they are dying now? Has the hon. and gallant Gentleman seen the official account of thousands of people dying of starvation in these camps, and the suggestion that they should be removed to Vladivostok?

The last part of my answer covered the ground so far as the Supreme Council are connected with the matter.

asked the Under-Secre tary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he had any official information showing that General Yudenitch had handed over the command of his forces to the Esthonian, General Laidoner; and, if so, whether it had been done under pressure of the Allied Governments in order to save General Yudenitch's forces from Intern ment by the Esthonians?

I have been asked to reply. According to the latest information, it appears that the Esthonian, General Tonnison, has taken command of the Russian North-West Army. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

Are these people being disarmed?

I must have notice of that.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any British subjects suffered casualties in the recent fighting between General Yudenitch and the Soviet Army; and, if so, what were these casualties?

So far as can be as certained no British subjects have suffered casualties in the recent fighting between General Yudenitch and the Bolsheviks.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Government had any information to the effect that the Bolshevists, having discovered the names of the officers who went over to Yudenitch, were murdering or had murdered the wives of 500 of these officers?

We have no in formation to that effect.

asked the Prime Minister which States and which de facto Governments will be invited to attend the proposed Inter national Conference on the Russian situation; who will be the British representatives at the Conference; and where and when it is proposed to hold the Conference?

As was said by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on Thursday last, this is to be a Conference of the Allied and Associated Powers, but I cannot make any further statement on the subject at present.

May I ask for an answer to the second part of the question?

The representatives will be from among those nations who were represented at the Peace Conference.

As regards the third part of the question, has it been decided yet where this Conference is to be held, and when?

No; neither place nor date has been definitely settled.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say definitely that it has not been decided by the British Government to invite two representatives of the Soviet Government to attend?

I am ready to state it. It has been stated very often already.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he was aware that affidavits presented to the Peace Conference at Paris by the Egyptian delegation, alleging outrages upon the Egyptian people, had been circulated throughout America; whether his attention had been called to an interview with Mr. Kyriakos Mikhail, formerly Coptic representative in this country, appearing in the "Labour Leader" of 13th November, 1919, in which quotations from the American Press were given stating, among other things, that on Sunday, 30th March, 1919, at the village of Chobak, soldiers had buried alive to their waists the following five persons and then shot them: Sheikh Abdel Ghani Ibrahim Tolba; his brother, Abdel Return Ibrahim Tolba; his son, Said Abdel Ghani Tolba; and two others, Khafgi Marzouk and Abdel Samad el Okbi; and whether he would cause an immediate investigation to be made into this assertion as well as the similar specific allegations which have been reproduced in the "Egyptian Circular," edited by Mr. Mikhail, of 15th November, 1919?

I am aware that allegations of outrages committed by British troops have been circulated by the Egyptian Nationalists both in America and in this country. These allegations have already been the subject of thorough investigation in Egypt, and have received the personal attention of the Commander-in-Chief. In no case do the facts correspond with those set forth in such publications as the "Egyptian Circular."

asked the Under secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention had been called to the fact that on the 19th instant two Belgian trawlers that were at Milford Haven during the War came to that port to land their cargoes; that the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union officials there refused to allow them to land, stating that the fishermen, who were all members of their union, would strike: that after a consultation between trawler owners, fish merchants, and the Labourers' Union (the latter having agreed to support the National Sailors'and Firomoivs Union), it was agreed to allow the two ships to land As well as thirteen other ships that were due to arrive at the port, but that after landing they would only be supplied with ice and coal, and would not again be allowed to land fish at that port; that a committee had been appointed to confer on the matter with a view to the same action being taken at all ports; and, as international considerations were involved, what action His Majesty's Government proposed to take in the matter?

I have been asked to reply to this question. Inquiries are being made into the matter. Meanwhile, I understand that the executive of the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union are in communication with their local representatives on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any arrangements would now be made to give help to the old Crimean and Indian Mutiny veterans, now all over eighty years of age, some of them ninety years of age, by granting them an increase to their pension of Is. 1d. a day?

All such veterans, unless disqualified by means, are entitled to old age pension and to the benefit of the special campaign pensions granted under Article 1,170 of the Pay Warrant. I think my hon. and gallant Friend will find that the very least income so provided is 12s. 9d. a week. As I have stated on former occasions, it has been decided not to alter the scale of campaign pensions.

asked the Pensions Minister it' he is now in a position to announce that half-fare vouchers will be issued to discharged men undergoing treatment to enable them to return home on leave?

This matter is still under consideration.

asked the Pensions Minister if he will have inquiry made into the claim of Mrs. Williams, of 44, Kingsway, Waterloo, Liverpool, the widowed mother of the late Flight-Cadet H. W. Williams, Royal Air Force, to parent's pension; whether this man was killed in August, 1918, and that an application for parents' pension was made by the local committee in December of last year; and if he will have inquiry made into the reason for this delay, and make strong representations to the proper quarters?

I have to express great regret that there has been such delay in this case. It is being expedited. Difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the necessary evidence. An interim award of 5s. a week has now been made, with arrears from the date of cessation of separation allowance, and this award will be increased when the inquiry is completed, if the circumstances are found to justify it.

Was this due to any delay on the part of the Air Ministry?

I do not think any good purpose would be served by trying to apportion the blame. I have expressed great regret that there has been delay, and I am trying to get it settled as soon as possible.

asked the Pensions Minister if he will take steps to see that proper waiting-room accommodation is provided for the men attending the offices of the local pensions sub-committee, Lambeth (B), situated at 121, Kennington Road; if he is aware that the Office of Works has recently provided a tent to be used as a waiting-room without any heating whatever; and whether, considering that a number of the applicants are suffering from wounds or other illness, he can take immediate action to secure proper heating?

The provision of accommodation for the sub-committees in the London area has been undertaken by His Majesty's Office of Works. The tent in the garden of 121, Kennington Road is provided by that Department purely as a temporary measure to supplement the present accommodation of the sub-committee Additional premises have already been secured and are in course of preparation. Two stoves have now been provided to warm the tent.

asked the prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that disability pensions are similar in nature to payments made under the Workmen's Compensation Act; the Government proposes to take stops to free such pensions from liability to forfeiture on the recipient being convicted of a serious offence?

I have been asked to reply to this question. Under the For feiture for Felony Act, 1870, a disability pension ceases to be payable in cases of treason or felony if the pensioner is sentenced to penal servitude or to imprisonment for a period exceeding twelve months or with hard labour An Amendment of the Act is not contemplated. I would, however, remind my hon. and gallant Friend that by the joint effect of the Pensions and Yeomanry Pay Act, 1884, and Article 1214 of the Pay Warrant of 1914, a soldier's disability pension, although forfeited under the Act of 1870, may be subsequently restored.

May I ask why the civilian is favoured as compared with the ex-Service man, in view of the fact that a civilian, if he is convicted of a felony, continues to receive payment under the Work men's Compensation Act, spread over a period, whereas a soldier, if he is convicted of a felony, loses his disability pension under law, and it is only a matter of favour if he gets it?

As a matter of fact, this is a very old Regulation under the Act of 1870; it is not a new draft in connection with the Royal Warrants. I cannot under stand how there is any differentiation between the Workmen's Compensation Act and our practice, but on the other hand we are granting a renewal of the pension when we are satisfied that the pensioner has shown himself to be of good behaviour.

Is he aware that the ex-Service man thinks it a great grievance that there should be this differentiation?

May I ask my hon. Friend whether he will not represent to the Government that a man, having been sentenced, has paid the penalty of his crime, and that to forfeit his pension, which is not part of his sentence, is a grave act of injustice?

I am quite prepared to mention the matter to my right hon. Friend. I hope my hon. and gallant Friend will understand that this raises a matter of policy. My right hon. Friend is laid up unfortunately, at the moment but as soon as he returns to duty I will bring this matter before him, to see if something can be done.

asked the Secretary of State for War why the Scots Greys had been excused foreign service?

Owing to a reduction in the number of British Cavalry regiments required for the garrison of India, a reduction which may be of a temporary nature only, it was necessary to cancel the orders for the dispatch of the Royal Scots Greys to India. I may say that, apart from ordinary considerations governing the movement of Cavalry regiments, I have to attach certain weight to the fact that the Scots Greys are the only Scots Cavalry regiment which in any way resembles a regiment of guards Cavalry in Scotland.

Has the position of the Scots Greys been altered on the roster for foreign service?

It has not been altered yet. It is under consideration to treat this regiment as a home service regiment in the same way as the Household Cavalry are treated.

Are they to be constantly stationed at Edinburgh?

I cannot say that. I think it would be a disadvantage if they were permanently in one situation, but it is obvious that their grey horses would disappear if they went on foreign service, and one of the most historic regiments of the whole of the British Army would lose its essential characteristic.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that a Cavalry regiment which does nothing but stay at home costs a great deal of money? Would it not be as well to disband the regiment?

I think that would be very foolish. A certain amount of Cavalry have to remain in this country, and it might be possible so to arrange the disposition of the various regiments as to give satisfaction to national sentiment

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in the opinion of the militay advisers of all the Allied Governments, the value attaching to the use of heavy machine guns in modern war had been amply established; whether the specialist training and recruitment of the Machine Gun Corps when first formed was welcomed by all British commanders in the field; whether, at the conclusion of hostilities, the discipline, morale, and efficiency of the Machine Gun Corps stood very high; whether the opinion of the General Staff Committee that had this matter under consideration was in favour of its definite retention under peace conditions; whether it had now been decided that the Machine Gun Corps would cease to exist early next year; and whether, if this decision had been come to, steps would be taken to consider whether the Machine Gun Corps would become incorporated in two British Infantry regiments specially qualified by history and recruiting conditions to assume this new role?

I am not in a position to speak as regards our Allies, but, so far as the British Army is concerned, I may say that for a war of the magnitude of the last one the value of heavy machine guns was amply established. The answers to the second and third parts of the question are also in the affirmative. With regard to the remainder of the question, no decision has yet been reached, and my hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that there is no danger of the value of the machine gun being lost sight of in the reorganisation now being considered. All the points he raises have already been discussed, and will be fully considered before a final decision is taken.

May it be assumed that no decision will be taken until a joint General Staff has been formed capable of forming an opinion as to the best means of practising economy?

If I were to take up the position that no decision about the future organisation of the Army is to be taken until some organisation of a joint General Staff is completed, the Army Council not yet having approved of its being called into being, it would obviously preclude any advance being made towards settling the Estimates of next year.

Will the opinion of the General Staff be carried out by the Army Council before this important branch of the Service, the Machine Gun Corps, is abolished?

The matter must be settled by the Army Council, the supreme authority dealing with the Army. They will have before them the advice of the joint General Staff and any other military opinions they wish. It will be settled on their initiative with my approval

asked the Secretary of State for War whether men of the l/5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment had recently been transferred to the Regular New Army; whether the authority for the transfer stated that they were compulsorily transferred and that the transfers were permanent; what was the meaning of compulsory permanent transfers to the Regular New Army; and whether, in order to re move tile misunderstanding that had arisen in this case, he would issue instructions to make it clear that no man who had not volunteered for the Regular Now Army could be kept in the Army after the lapse of the Naval, Military, and Air Force Service Act?

I am not aware of any such transfers. If the hon. and gallant Member has a particular case in mind and will furnish particulars, I shall be happy to have further inquiries made.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that I sent him particulars over a month ago, giving him the names of live men who have been compulsorily transferred, and that this question is put down as a result?

In that event I must apologise to my hon. and gallant Friend. Perhaps he will discuss it with me after wards. I was not connecting this particular answer with the question he now puts. I will have the matter looked up.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a statement was made on behalf of the War Office that no men under twenty years of age should be sent further than the Rhine; and had he nevertheless been sending boys of eighteen and nineteen to Memel and Dantzig?

No undertaking of the nature suggested by my hon. Friend has been given. As I stated on Wednesday last, in reply to the hon. and gailant Member for Bury St. Edmunds, no moves of units have yet actually taken place.

asked the Secretary of State for War where Private H. W. Davis, No. 56028, 52nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, British Army of the Rhine, a boy of nineteen, now was?

I am informed that Private Davis was admitted to No. 36 Casualty Clearing Station, Cologne, on the 4th November. The battalion is among the troops to be moved to Upper Silesia, but Private Davis will not accompany the battalion unless he is considered medically fit by the competent medical authority.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether he was aware that many members of the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, who had served in France for considerable periods were being paid the sum of £2 to cover the whole of their expenses during the period of twenty-eight days' demobilisation furlough; whether such a payment was adequate in the special circumstances of to day; whether he would cause this matter to be reviewed?

(2) whether he was aware that the women in the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps alleged that great delay occurred in the payment of the balance of pay due on demobilisation, and that as much as three months' delay was occur ring; and whether he would take immediate steps to remove such a ground for complaint?

The £2 to which the hon. Member refers is of course only an advance, and it has been customary for members to receive payments in excess of their normal pay prior to their departure from overseas, which has the effect of reducing the amounts due to them on final discharge. I do not think there is ground for the suggestion that delay in the payment of balances of pay due on demobilisation is general, but if the hon. Member has information of any particular cases to the contrary, and would let me have details, I shall be glad to have them investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the reasons which prompted the authorities to differentiate between the men and women in the matter of the bonus for retention of machinery of demobilisation for the Army of Occupation; and whether, in view of the important work on which the women telegraphists attached to the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps are engaged, he will consider the payment of a bonus of 10s. 6d. weekly?

The great majority of the men concerned were soldiers compulsorily retained with the Colours while other soldiers doing similar duties were released. There was nothing in any way similar to this in the case of any of the women, and I am afraid I can hold out no hope of any further bonus for them.

asked the Secretary of State for war 0n what grounds the conviction of Captain Sir Derrick Julius Wernher upon a charge of conspiracy to allow goods to be carried on Government lorries to be sold for the benefit of himself and a civilian was quashed?

The accused was found guilty on both of two charges which were in substance alternative, one of which alleged that he was interested in the profits of the sale of the goods which were carried, while the other contained no such allegation. The Court acquitted the accused on another charge which alleged that he had actually received certain sums in respect of the carriage of these goods. As apart from the alleged receipt of these sums there was no evidence that the accused was interested in the profits of the sale of the goods, it was considered that the conviction on that charge alone should be allowed to stand which did not allege such an interest. Before the conviction on the one charge was quashed the Attorney-General as well as the Judge Advocate-General were consulted, who both concurred in advising to the above effect.

I will call attention to this matter on a future occasion.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any decision has been arrived at in regard to the proposal to grant Regular commissions to selected officers of the Territorial Force and the New Army who have served overseas; and, if so, how many commissions will be granted?

The policy of the Army Council in this matter was very fully explained in reply to questions asked by the hon. and gallant Members for Abingdon and Dulwich on the 23rd October and 11th November respectively. I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to those replies.

asked the Secretary of State for War if the Army Order No. 324 of 13th September, 1919, retired pay of officers, is to apply to those officers who, owing to the age limit laid down in Article 495, Royal Warrant, namely, sixty-five years, or to feeble health, were prevented from serving in the War; and if, considering that there are many officers on retired pay who are in considerable want owing to the cost of living, the Order in question can be made to apply to all officers on retired pay?

No, Sir. I am afraid ray hon. Friend's suggestion cannot be adopted.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will state what is the approximte cost per month of the British Military Missions in Russia, Siberia, Finland, Poland, and the Baltic States?

The approximate cost per month of these Military Missions at the present time is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give any adequate reason why officers and civilians of the lands branch should not participate in the increased rates of subsistence allowances now given to other officers; and whether the nature of the work involves more travelling than falls to the lot of ordinary officers?

The question is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the estimated period for which the British troops will be required at Memel, Dantzig, and Silesia, respectively; whether the conscript troops will be relieved by volunteers, and, if so, when; whether it is intended to relieve the young soldiers under the ages of nineteen and twenty, respectively; and whether other Allied troops are being sent on this service or only British troops?

It is not possible to give with any accuracy the period for which the troops will be needed as it depends on the time required to organise local forces for the maintenance of order in Dantzig and Memel, and to settle the question of government after the declaration of the Plebiscite in the case of Silesia. It has, I understand, been suggested at the Supreme Council in Paris that twelve months will suffice for Memel and Dantzig and anything from eight to twenty months for Silesia. All conscript troops will be relieved by volunteers in sufficient time to admit of their dispatch homo for release in accordance with the programme laid down in Army Order 365 of October last. Young soldiers under the ages of nineteen and twenty who are conscript troops are included among those who will be relieved by volunteers. As I have already stated, Allied troops are being sent as well as British.

May I ask whether the retirement of the German delegates from Paris will postpone the arrival at and the sending of British troops to these places if they have not already gone?

How should I know?

Have they left for Memel and Dantzig?

I have already stated that no troops have actually started.

asked the Secretary of State for War what decision has now been arrived at with reference to the payment of gratuities to officer-interpreters?

It has been decided to grant a gratuity to these gentlemen. An Army Order announcing the full conditions is in course of being issued.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he contemplates in the near future any reform whereby promotion from the ranks of the Army to commissioned rank is facilitated and accelerated?

The matter is receiving careful consideration, and schemes are being prepared. I would, however, remind my hon. and gallant Friend that at the present time there is an excess of Regular officers, so that the number of vacancies to be filled through this channel must, at the outset, be somewhat limited.

May I ask if the right hon. Gentleman is prepared to consider a Memorandum prepared by the party of which I am a member, and will he receive a deputation on this subject?

I shall be very glad to receive the Memorandum, and, having studied it, I will inform my hon. Friend whether there will be any immediate advantage in receiving a deputation.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he contemplates in the near future any material reform in the method of Army promotion, and more particularly of the regimental system of promotion by seniority rather than by merit?

I am afraid I can add nothing to the reply which was given to a similar question asked by the hon. and gallant Member on the 20th May last, explaining the present system of promotion, which it is not considered advisable to change.

Is the right hon. Gentle man aware that there is a considerable number of officers who have been reported on adversely and sent home from overseas and who are still in the Army blocking promotion?

There may be some cases, and I certainly consider that they deserve to be reconsidered by the Board of Selection, but at the present time there is great pressure on behalf of officers of most distinguished record in the front line who, owing to not receiving permanent commissions, are being forced, in many cases much against their will, to return to civil life.

Will they be considered solely on war records, and not on any new records which they have created at home?

Is it not the fact that promotion by merit in peace time usually leads in the long run to promotion by influence?

I think that could be better discussed on the Vote than by question and answer. I think it will be found in the long run that a system of promotion by seniority, tempered by rejection in individual cases, must form the basis of a Regular Army in times of peace.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that on 16th June, 1915, a circular letter was issued to all General Officers, Commanding - in - Chief, Home Forces, Reference No. 24/, General No. /3952 (F2), and sent out granting: payment to medical practitioners at Voluntary Aid Detachment hospitals at a certain amount per diem per patient under treatment, and that at the close of this circular it was stated that the authority was not published far general in formation; and whether he will explain why, although payment would be made if asked for, doctors who were rendering service, sometimes at financial loss to themselves, were not to be informed of the provisions of this Order?

This question, now more than four years old, has been fully-dealt with in the House some two and a half years ago; but I may say, briefly, that the circular did not grant payment for services generally, but only instructed the local military authorities as to the limits within which they might remunerate doctors who were no longer prepared to tend the sick and wounded in Voluntary Aid Hospitals without payment. I gladly recognise the fact that the majority of members of the medical profession other than those called upon to give whole-time service, did not ask for payment.

Arising out of that unsatisfactory reply, I beg to give notice, with your permission. Sir, that I will draw the attention of the House to this matter on the Motion for the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will cause inquiries to be made with a view to the early release of Private S. Waywell, No. 68082, 3rd Lancashire Fusiliers, stationed at Marne Barracks, Blackdown, Aldershot, who enlisted on the 10th February, 1919, at the age of seventeen years and four months, and for whose release the parents have applied; whether he is aware that his birth certificate was for warded on request to his commanding officer in April, who, it is stated, promised his release in a few days early in June; and whether he can see his way to ordering the immediate release of this soldier?

I am not aware of this case, but inquiries are being made and I will inform my hon. and gallant Friend of the result in due course. I would, however, remind him that the discharge of a soldier who is over seventeen years of age is only authorised as a concession under certain circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Government contemplate assisting the industry engaged in civil aviation by any of the suggested methods contained in Section III. of the Air Ministry's Synopsis of Progress of Work in the Department of Civil Aviation (Cmd. 418)?

Indirect assistance by the provision of key aerodrome and shed accommodation, the collation and issue of information and the provision of communications is being afforded to civil aviation. The question whether any further action is necessary is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is still the intention of the Government to set up a joint staff representative of the Navy, Army, and Air Force to consider and advise upon all questions of defence and the organisation, establishment, etc., of the armed forces of the Crown; and whether all such questions will be subject to review by such a staff on its formation?

I am afraid I can add nothing to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House to a similar question put by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Fareham on the 27th October.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many railway trucks belonging to this country are still in France; at what rate per week are they being shipped back; if the Rich-borough ferry is being employed to its maximum capacity; and if ships are also employed to transport these trucks which are so urgently needed in this country?

There are at present in France nearly 19,000 wagons which were lent to the War Department by British railway companies. Until the railway strike the train ferries were used to their full capacity upon the transport of railway trucks from France, and an average of 520 trucks were carried weekly. Owing to the strike preference was given to motor transport, but preference has now again been given to railway trucks, and 486 were returned last week. I understand that arrangements are being made to in crease the number as far as possible. No other ships art: employed to transport these trucks.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is one of these ferries at Southampton and that it has been six months rotting there and has never been used?

I think that is a point which is being considered.

Would the right hon. Gentleman see that the officer who is responsible for leaving that thing there use less for the past six or eight months makes a report and explains why?

I will certainly ask for a report.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this ferry at Southampton would carry fifty trucks on one journey?

Certainly.

May I ask whether these ferries come under the War Office or the Admiralty?

They have been under the War Office.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the constitution of the executive committee of the United Services Fund has now been decided, and whether representatives of the three ex-Service men's organisations are to be included?

The constitution of the Committee of this organisation is at present the subject of consideration with a view to the restriction of its responsibilities to care for the interests of the ex-Service officers and other ranks and their dependants, the Army Council and Air Council administering such portions of the fund as may be earmarked for the benefit of the serving soldiers and airmen respectively. This involves withdrawal from the Committee of the members still serving in the Army and Air Force.

General Lord Byng has worked throughout in close touch with the bodies named by the hon. and gallant Member, which have been from the first represented on the Committee, and will continue to be after the changes now under consideration. The Committee is to be incorporated by Royal Charter which is being drafted and will shortly be made public.

The Navy has not been represented, as it does not at present belong to the Fund.

Does that mean that that portion of the Fund which is devoted to ex-Service men shall not be reviewed in any form on any Estimate of the War Office?

It is not proposed to put it under the War Office. It is not finally settled how it is to go, but a very strong desire, as the hon. Member is no doubt aware, has been expressed by the ex-soldiers to be free from War Office control altogether; and the idea is at present to give this fund over to a body administered under Royal Charter, and to have it answered for in this House, either by someone representing the Prime Minister, or, if he should so decide, some other neutral Department of the State.

So we may take it that there will be some method by which this House can, from time to time, either ask questions or control the administration of the Fund?

The maintenance of effective Parliamentary responsibility is indispensable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the position in the public service occupied by Sir Basil Thompson; what is the work upon which Sir Basil Thompson is engaged; what is the staff at present employed in the branch of which Sir Basil Thompson is the head; and how many of the persons receiving payments from or through this branch are persons other than full-time employés of the Crown?

Sir Basil Thompson is one of the Assistant Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police. His staff consists of 136 police officers of various ranks, and a certain number of temporary officers engaged for the most part in clerical duties. These are all full-time employés. I can give no information about persons who occasionally assist the police by furnishing information.

asked the Home Secretary whether his Department or any ad ministrative authority under his control, including the police force, is engaged, or has been engaged, in the compilation of a register of persons willing to carry on industries and services voluntarily in the case of a strike; and, if so, under what authority and by what methods is this work being done?

The Home Office has taken its share in the arrangements made by the Government some months ago for the purpose of maintaining during a strike the supplies of food and other things essential to life. The police force were not used for this purpose. The authority is the primary duty of the Government to preserve the life of the community by all means in its power. These arrangements are still being maintained so far as possible.

Are they going to maintain the coal supplies of the country, in view of a strike, by voluntary service in the mines?

I said arrangements are being maintained as far as possible.

asked the Home Secretary whether his Department or any administrative authority under his control, including the police force, is engaged in the collection of information concerning the position of trade unionism in this country or abroad; what is the purpose of collecting such information; and what use is being made, or is intended to be made, of it?

The answer to the first question is in the negative, and the other questions, therefore, do not arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that certain Russians who refused to fight for this country in the War and who left this country during the War have now returned to this country; whether these men have received any permission from the Home Office to return here; whether any of these men have been brought before a magistrate for landing without a permit, and have been fined and allowed to remain here; and whether he will take immediate steps to deport all such persons?

I am aware that a few Russians of the kind mentioned in the question have succeeded in evading the rule against their return to this country. The number is small. No Home Office permits have teen given to such persons. Any such person who is discovered is prosecuted, but there is difficulty in regard to deportation due to the lack of shipping facilities.

Will he see that these men are sent back by the ships that bring them here to the port from which they came?

That is not always possible; where it is possible it is done.

Are not the shipping companies which brought them here responsible for taking them back?

Possibly, but it is not always possible to get shipping facilities for Russia.

asked the Home Secretary whether there is any in formation, official or semi-official, in his Department showing that interned enemy aliens during the War procured or facilitated their repatriation or attempted to do so by means of money payments?

No, Sir; I have no such information.

asked the Homo Secretary whether he can state the enemy aliens with whom Miss Lillian Scott Troy was alleged to be in close association; whether they were at liberty during the period of war or in internment camps; and whether he can state the reason she was permitted to remain at liberty in this country until five months after the Armistice, when she was deported?

I regret that I am not prepared to add anything to the answers which I have already given the hon. Member in this case.

Cannot the right hon. Gentleman tell this House why it is that an American citizen who has been described as an undesirable alien has been allowed to remain in the country during the whole period of the War and for five months after the War, and then you make out that she is so undesirable and dangerous that you must deport her?

I have already told the House, and the hon. Member, that it was her association with dangerous aliens that necessitated her deportation.

I should like to ask the right hon. Gentleman, was not her association with these aliens during the whole period of the War and the five months after the War during which she was allowed to remain in this country only permitted by permits from the Home Office?

No.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the use of public funds by the Agricultural Organisation Society promoting a private trading concern, as indicated in No. 3 of the Guides to Smallholders issued by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, he will cause an inquiry to be made into the methods of that organisation in order to ascertain how far the moneys voted by Parliament are being devoted to the purposes for which they were granted?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answers which I gave yesterday both to himself and to the hon. Members for the Hamilton Division of Lanark and the Spenny Moor Division of Durham. The methods of the Agricultural Organisation Society and its expenditure of the moneys granted to it from public funds are kept under close review by the Board. It is not proposed to institute any special inquiry.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state what was the number of shop stewards who during the War received payment directly or in directly from any Government Department, and what was the total amount of disbursement under this head; how many shop stewards are receiving such payment at the present time; and whether he will give an estimate of the expenditure contemplated during the present financial year upon this head?

I have been asked to answer this question. So far as the Ministry of Munitions is concerned, neither during the War nor at present have any shop stewards been employed in any capacity other than that of employés of the works to which they are attached.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that owing to the refusal of certain Irish Members of Parliament to take their seats a large number of Irish electors are deprived of any opportunity of having their grievances voiced in Parliament, whilst many Irish electors are without Parliamentary representation; and what steps, if any, the Government proposes to take to remedy this state of affairs?

I am not in a position to make any statement on this subject.

Would the right hon. Gentleman reconsider a suggestion I made some time ago that ho should move for a count of the House, in order that recalcitrant Members may be brought up, in accordance with Parliamentary law, in the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms?

I cannot see any prospect of gain either to the nation or the Government by such a process.

Is it not a fact that these people have voted deliberately for these Members because of the indifference of the Government to put into force the Home Rule Act now on the Statute Book?

I do not think so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can now give the House some definite information regarding the extradition of the Kaiser from Holland in order that he may stand his trial; and whether the Allied Council is satisfied that adequate steps are being taken to prevent his escape?

I can add nothing to the answers already given on this subject.

May I have a reply to the last part of my question? In view of the fact that there is great danger of what is everybody's business being nobody's business, is there not considerable risk of the Kaiser adopting a scuttling policy?

That has been answered in previous questions. It has not been overlooked.

Has the right hon. Gentleman considered the advisability of clothing him in the garb of the Royal Irish Constabulary and sending him to Ireland?

It would not be the first German who has gone there.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government is making itself in any way responsible for the War Exhibition at the Crystal Palace; whether any Government Department is taking part in the preparations for the proposed exhibition; if so, which Department or Departments; whether any public money is being spent directly or indirectly on the exhibition; and, if so, what amount, who authorised such expenditure, and under what Vote will it come before the House?

It has been arranged to house the exhibits of the Imperial War Museum, which has been formed by the Government during the War as a permanent record of the War, in the Crystal Palace. My Department, according to the usual practice, is responsible for providing the accommodation, and, with Treasury approval, a tenancy agreement was entered into for four years from the 1st April next, at a rent of £25,000 per annum, inclusive of the cost of repairs, heating, lighting, attendance, and police. The exhibits are being arranged by the Museum staff. The expenditure for the current year has been voted under Supplementary Estimates, Class I., Vote 10, and Class IV., Vote 7.

asked the Prime Minister whether the new housing proposals will apply to Ireland?

The best method of dealing with the matter in Ireland is now under consideration.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether an early decision will be announced?

I hope my right hon. Friend the Secretary for Ireland will be able to make an announcement very shortly.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware of the need for dwelling houses for district nurses in the island of Lewis; and whether the Scottish Board of Health have made any progress in the direction of providing these houses?

I am aware of the need for dwelling houses for district nurses in Lewis, and the Scottish Board of Health are at present in communication with the Lewis District Committee on the subject. The Board are prepared to give assistance where required from the Highlands and Islands (Medical Service) Fund towards the provision of nurses' houses.

What amount of assistance?

I must ask for notice of that question. I will tell my hon. Friend that the Board are in communication with the district committee, and have offered to send representatives to Lewis to confer with them upon the subject.

They have been doing so for two years.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the arrangement made with the United States Government with reference to the postponed payment of interest on the debt due to that Government?

Final arrangements have not yet been arrived at, but the British and United States Governments are engaged in discussion of the details of a plan under which interest on the advances made by the British and United States Governments to the Allied Governments during the War (including advances made by the United States Government to the British Government) would be postponed for a period of three years.

When the right hon. Gentleman was drawing up the balance-sheet for the normal year, did he take into account the interest payable to the United States?

If the hon. and gallant Gentleman will look at the White Paper, he will see that the interest pay able on our debt to America, and the interest receivable by us on the Allied debt to us, were excluded from the figures. That was set out in a footnote.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the decision of the Government to allow the unrestricted sale of whisky, they intend to abolish the present maximum price or to reduce it?

I have been asked to reply. It is not considered desirable to alter or abolish the existing maximum prices at present. The removal of restrictions will, however, in due course lead to competition between individual traders, which should result in lower prices. This will, it is expected, in turn render the maintenance of controlled prices unnecessary.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the present whisky being sold is thirty under proof? Can he do anything for that?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether a number of armament companies have not yet paid Excess Profits Tax in respect of the years up to 1918 owing to delay in adjusting accounts; if so, what is the estimated amount so outstanding in respect of these armament companies;

(2) what is the estimated total amount outstanding of unpaid Excess Profits Tax for the years preceding 1918; whether interest is charged on the Excess Profits Tax which has not been paid promptly owing to the difficulties of adjusting accounts; and, if not, whether he will consider the advisabiblity of charging interest on un paid Excess Profits Tax, from the continued possession of which certain companies derive considerable profit?

The estimated amount of Excess Profits Duty and Munitions Levy in assessment, but unpaid, in respect of accounting periods ending prior to the 1st January, 1918, is £58,000,000. Payment of a considerable portion of this amount is, however, suspended pending the settlement of appeals arid other questions which cannot yet be determined, and it may be anticipated that upon the final adjustment of liabilities the total figure in assessment will be substantially reduced. A separate figure for armament firms is not available. Interest is not chargeable upon Excese Profits Duty in arrear, but in this connection I would refer to my statement in the course of the-Debate on the financial position on the 29th October.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to the fact that transfers of property designed to defeat the objects of the graduated Income Tax are largely on the increase; and if he will consider the advisability of introducing legislation calculated to defeat this method of defrauding the Exchequer?

The matter referred to has been brought to the notice of the Royal Commission on the Income Tax, whose Report is expected to be issued early next year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if compensation was paid to the French Government by His Majesty's Government for all disturbance of the soil in France; if so, at what rate; and what was the total amount so paid?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. The answer to the first part of the question is the negative; the other parts do not arise.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Con- troiler if he will state the number of ship building berths completed at the Beachley and Chepstow national shipyards; the number of berths partly completed; the number of keels laid down at present; how much material and plant is at present in these yards that could be used for ship construction; is material still coming in; how many cantilever cranes are erected complete; how many are in course of erection; how many workmen's dwelling-houses are erected complete; how many are in course of erection; how many officials and workmen are at present employed in these yards; what are they employed at at present; what is the total cost of these yards up to the present time; and what is the future policy of the Government with regard to these shipyards?

There are two berths completed with launching ways and two berths completed without launching ways at Beach-leyy, and four berths completed at Chep-stow. Two berths are partly completed at Beachley, and two partly completed at Chepstow. Four keels are laid down at Chepstow, and three in Finch's yard. There is sufficient material and plant to euip Chepstow and Beachley, as self-contained yards. Ship's material is still coining in, and a small amount of shipyard machinery. Eight cantilever cranes are completed, and five are partly erected. Two hundred and nine cottages are completed, and two hundred and fifty-three are in course of erection. There are 1,328, including administrative and industrial staff, employed on shipbuilding, and 1,985, including administrative and industrial staff, employed on house construction, clearing site, and stacking materials ready for disposal, and also on maintenance. The expenditure on the construction of the yards, including the property of the Standard Shipbuilding Company, housing, plant, machinery, stores, etc., is approximately £5,000,000. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to my previous statements on this subject.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller if the ss. "Acquitania," of the Cunard Steamship Company, recently ran ashore; if so, whether he can state the volume and nature of the damage caused;

(2). whether he can state if the ss. "Acquitania," of the Cunard Steamship Company, is now considered seaworthy; whether the customary certificate has been issued;

(3). whether the Government have made any payment to the Cunard Steamship Company for the reconditioning of the steamship "Acquitania"; whether such sum includes the payment to meet the repairs of the damage the ship recently suffered in running ashore; and. If , what was the amount paid?

So far as I can ascertain, the steamship "Acquitania" has not recently been ashore. She is now being reconditioned in Liverpool, and her passenger certificate, which is a matter for the Board of Trade, will presumably not be issued until the work is completed. A payment in respect of the reconditioning has been agreed upon between the Ministry of Shipping and the Cunard Company.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us the amount that has been paid?

Yes, Sir. A lump sum was accepted by the Cunard Company which the Treasury think entirely satisfactory. The actual sum is £87,500, plus five and a half mouths' hire.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether political agents are supplied with a free copy of the prepared list of electors; whether he is aware that the registration officer for Glasgow refuses to supply political agents with a free copy of the complete register; and whether he will state if the political agents of candidates for Parliament are entitled, under the Representation of the People Act, to receive such free copies; and, if so, will he issue instructions to the registration officer to supply such copies if re quested?

With the concurrence of the Treasury, registration officers have been authorised to supply political agents with a certain number of free copies of the electors' lists. This course was taken to enable these agents to assist registration officers to make the registers as complete and accurate as possible. The arrangement does not extend to the supply of free copies of the register, and the registration officer for Glasgow is, therefore, entitled to refuse to supply such free copies.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House why he gives free copies of the register when it is being made up and incomplete, and not the complete register to the political agents of the candidates?

I think my answer covered that point. I have said that a free copy of the electors' lists is given to enable the register to be made up as complete as possible. So far as the full register is concerned there is no very good reason for doing it.

Would it not facilitate the preparation of the next register if political agents were supplied with copies of the existing register?

I will consider that point of view, but I really do not think it is necessary. The arrangement I have suggested is an economical arrangement, and the House desires economy!

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether it has been the custom hitherto in publishing the lists of voters in Glasgow to state the occupation of the elector; whether in the forms sent to electors they are asked to state their occupation; whether he is aware that the registration officer for Glasgow has issued the autumn register without this statement of occupation despite the protests of several political agents; and whether he will give instructions that the custom be pursued in the issue of future registers to publish the occupation of electors, and thereby secure their proper identification?

The answer to the first three parts of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the last part I have recently had under consideration the whole question of the retention of the occupation column. The column is not required by Statute, and is not in use in England and Wales, and urgent representations were made to me by the Stationery Office and the Treasury that in the interests of economy it should be omitted. After careful consideration, and notwithstanding the arguments advanced on the other side, I came to the conclusion that I could not justifiably resist the proposal that the occupation column should be omitted, and I have now issued instructions to registration officers accordingly.

Is not this a departure from use and wont to the make-up of the Scottish registers? Can the right hon. Gentleman inform us whether it is due to this economy panic that is going over the country; and how much is the saving owing to the deletion of the "occupation" column from the registers?

I think I am right in saying that something like £6,000 per annum will be saved in this way, and I appeal to the hon. Gentleman to support not only economy in the abstract, but ill those concrete cases in which the Government endeavour to do it.

Is it necessary to put forward a saving of £6,000 over the whole of Scotland as a saving that is likely to bring this country out of its financial difficulties? Can the right hon. Gentleman not see his way to have the "occupation" column put back again on the registers? [Hon. MEMBERS: "No, no!"]—I am asking the right hon. Gentleman—[HON MEMBERS: "Hear, hear!"]—whether ho can see his way to have the "occupation" column put back for the purpose of the identification of the electors in the various constituencies?

I have already stated that there is no statutory obligation to have this column, and that it is not used in England and Wales, and that I cannot, there fore, believe it is necessary in Scotland.

For what purpose, then, was it used previously?

For a certain purpose. The question now is whether it has served its purpose to such an extent as to justify this expenditure, I think it has not.

asked whether any changes are contemplated in the personnel of the Board of Agriculture?

I regret that I am not in a position at present to make any statement in regard to this matter.

asked the Food Controller whether he is aware that butchers are being pressed by local distributors for payments for meat which has been condemned as unfit for human food and destroyed; and what steps are being taken to punish those responsible for the distribution of bad meat?

The Ministry of Food does not require payment for any meat which may be condemned within forty-eight hours of delivery to the retailer, but it does not and cannot be expected to accept liability for meat condemned after longer periods. All meat is subject to careful inspection and only meat fit for human consumption is issued; although it occasionally happens that delay in transport or other causes lead to deterioration before delivery. There is no ground for the hon. and gallant Member's implication that the Ministry's agents are responsible for the distribution of unsound meat.

When does the forty-eight hours count from— from the time it leaves London or the time it arrives at the local station?

The forty-eight hours counts from the time the meat is delivered to the retailer.

asked the Food Controller if he will consider the advisability of a special investigation into the question of controlled prices of all food stuffs, including milk, in consequence of the grave misunderstanding that is constantly arising?