asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the Treasury have granted to the staff of the Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dundrum, county Dublin, the same rates of pay and war bonus as are in force in the English criminal lunatic asylums as from the 18th September, 1918; whether any of this increased rate of pay and war bonus has been paid to the staff; and, if not, will he take immediate steps to have this amount of arrears made up?

The Treasury have recently granted to the staff of the Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dundrum, the same rates of pay and war bonus as are in force in the English criminal lunatic asylums as from the 18th September, 1918. None of the increased rates of pay or war bonus have yet been paid to the staff, as the details regarding the application of the new scales of pay are being settled. It is anticipated, however, that the arrears will be fully paid up by the end of the present month.

asked the Minister of Health whether the National Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill is to be applied to Ireland?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary for Scotland if steps are being taken to force crofters to buy their crofts and threatened, if they do not do so, that they will be sold over their heads?

Cases have come under my notice in which small holdings held under the Statutory tenure of the Small Landholders Acts have been offered for sale. There is nothing in law to prevent such transactions. But the occupiers of such holdings are protected by the Landholders Acts, for the purchaser cannot enter into personal occupation of the holding unless he obtains an Order from the Land Court authorising resumption of the land for that purpose.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether upwards of 1,400 acres of land in the neighbourhood of Gretna and belonging to the State have been advertised for summer grazing; if so, whether this has been done by agreement with the Scottish Board of Agriculture; whether it will delay the establishment of small holdings upon the land so let until next year, as no steps in this direction can be taken until November, 1920; and whether, in view of the large demand for small holdings in the vicinity of Gretna, he will make special arrangements with the graziers so that the land can be resumed when required?

I have been asked to reply. The 1,400 acres of summer grazing advertised are within the factory fence at Gretna, and are in any case therefore excluded from any land offered to the Scottish Board of Agriculture. Such letting will not in any way delay the establishment of small holdings upon the land available at Gretna, the land over which the grazings are to be let being retained by the Ministry of Munitions, and excluded from any suggested sale to the Scottish Board of Agriculture.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the service of coastal steamers between England and Scotland has been much reduced since the War; if vessels in ports in Scotland or England suffer undue delay in discharging cargoes; whether he can state, after consultation with the Ministry of Shipping, what number of voyages ships engaged in a regular service can undertake in one month at the present time compared with the time occupied before the War; and if ho can give the reasons for this falling off in efficiency?

I have been asked to reply. Assuming that the question refers to general cargo liners, the coastal tonnage engaged on the services between England and Scotland has beer reduced during but not since the War, this being accounted for by steamers sunk owing to enemy action which have not yet been replaced. With regard to the voyages now undertaken compared with time occupied before the War, it is not possible to give any exact statement, but it is estimated that the loss of efficiency is in the neighbourhood of 30 per cent., the reason being delay in ports.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, in consultation with the Board of Trade, he can give the figures of tons of general cargo carried in vessels sailing between Scottish and English ports in the month of January, 1913, 1914, 1918, 1919, and 1920; whether representations have been made to him for the need to encourage sea-borne transport; and what, besides the shortage of tonnage, are the causes that at present restrict this trade?

I have been asked to reply. No statistics are available which show the tons weight of cargo carried coastwise or which distinguish the trade between England and Scotland from the general coasting trade. The desirability of increasing sea-borne transport is fully appreciated by the Government, and in August last the Government Coastal Subsidy Scheme was introduced with a view to encouraging traders to make all possible use of coastal transit. So far as can be seen, there is no greater falling off in the coastal traffic between England and Scotland, than in the coastal trade generally, and the main causes of this falling-off have been dealt with in the reply to the previous question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping what tonnage is at present engaged in regular sailings between English and Scottish ports; and how does that figure compare with that of 1913–18?

Returns of tonnage engaged on regular coasting lines are not now procured by the Shipping Controller from the companies maintaining the services. I regret, therefore, that exact figures are not available. The tonnage is less than that engaged in 1913 14 owing to losses arising out of the War, which have not yet been replaced.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping if his attention has been called to the difficulty that Walthamstow and other Metropolitan borough and urban councils are experiencing in obtaining granite kerb and other granite from the Channel Islands for public work, owing to the contractors being unable to secure suitable steamers in consequence of the abnormal rates of freightage now obtainable for the transport of other material; whether the present freightage for coal cargoes from Newcastle-on-Tyne to Northern France and South of England ports is from 50s. to 55s. per ton, and that while such rates are obtainable steamship owners are refusing to accept stone cargoes at the rates offered by the quarry owners; if he is aware that steamers, after discharging coal cargoes at Guernsey, leave in ballast rather than take granite as heretofore; and if he will take steps to request steamship owners to accept granite cargoes from Guernsey at such rates as will enable local authorities to maintain their public highways which, in many cases, are badly in need of repair?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on March 1st to the hon. Member for Islington East (Mr. Raper). The Shipping Controller is aware of the difficulty which has been experienced in getting granite shipped, and has been able to arrange for some suitable steamers to load stone from Guernsey.

asked the Minister of Transport how many orders for wagons have been placed by the Great Western Railway Company with private firms this year; what are the prices at which such orders have been placed; and whether such orders were placed with the approval of the Ministry of Transport?

Since 1st January orders have been placed by the Great Western Railway Company with the approval of the Ministry of Transport, for the construction of 700 open goods wagons. I think my hon. Friend will realise that there are objections to stating publicly the prices at which commercial contracts are placed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions how many railway, wagons have been delivered by Woolwich Arsenal to the North Eastern Railway Company and the Great Western Railway Company, respectively; and what is the cost of such wagons?

Delivery of 19 wagons has been made to the North Eastern Railway Company, but none of the Great Western Railway type have yet been completed. The wagons for the North Eastern Railway are being manufactured at a price of £170, certain materials and components being supplied by the company. The price agreed upon for the Great Western wagons is £297.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, seeing that the work of commercial travellers is such that they are continuously using the railways in the interests of the general trade of the country, that such trade adds enormously to the carriage of goods and increases considerably the revenue of the railways, and in view of the fact that they cannot be regarded as ordinary members of the travelling public, ho will reconsider the decision which increases the charge for the deposit of their luggage in railway cloak rooms; and, if not, is it intended to increase such charges to the other users of railway cloak rooms?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question by the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Sir J. D. Rees) on the 18th February. As then stated, the withdrawal of the 1d. cloakroom fee is not confined to commercial travellers, but applies to all classes of travellers. The minimum charge of 2d. was imposed on the recommendation of the Rates Advisory Committee.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture if he is aware that allotment holders did not last season grow' as many potatoes as during the War; if they are this season proposing to devote still less land to potato culture; if the need of potatoes and food is likely to be very great this year; and if an Order or condition can be made on allotment holders that they must devote at least one-half of their land to the growing of potatoes for this season?

The Ministry are aware that the potato crop for 1919 was smaller than that of 1918, but there is no indication that allotment holders are likely to plant a less area with potatoes this year than in 1919. An increase in the area under the potato crop in 1920 is desirable, but an Order such as that suggested would, if introduced at this late date, impose serious inconvenience and some hardship on allotment holders who have, in most cases, made arrangements for the season's cropping.

asked the Minister of Food what steps, if any, have been taken by the Ministry of Food to prevent profiteering in potatoes during the coming season?

As I have already stated, it is proposed to issue immediately an Order proscribing maximum prices for potatoes of the 1919 crop.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that when a farmer sells a heifer for which he receives £30 16s. 4d., the Minister of Food adds a charge of £6 9s. 9d. before the animal reaches the butcher; and whether the Government will reconsider this charge with a view to cheapening the food of the people?

I have been asked to reply. As the Noble Lord has not stated the weight or grade of the animal referred to, it has been impossible to check the accuracy of his calculation. As I have frequently explained, the charges added by the Ministry of Food to the price paid to the farmer for cattle are required to cover the various expenses in connection with the conversion of live-stock into dead meat. These expenses include railage from the farm to the market and thence to the butcher, grading, lairage, and feeding charges, auctioncer's commission, market tolls, weighing and slaughtering charges, insurance against tuberculosis in the case of certain grades of rattle, together with the general expenses of administration. This procedure is an essential part of the scheme for the control of live stock, and cannot therefore be discontinued so long as guaranteed prices for cattle remain in operation.

asked the Minister of Food whether he has recently received from the Scottish Federation of Master Grocers detailed tables showing the conditions under which Scottish retailers are selling bacon at the present time; whether a reply was sent to the effect that the existing system accorded a fair profit; whether he is aware that in many cases Scottish retailers are compelled to sell this commodity at a loss and in other cases under conditions which penalise the poorer consumers in different localities, and that this is the cause of widespread dissatisfaction among retailers and their customers; and whether, having regard to these facts, he will accept the detailed evidence submitted by the Federation and fix a fair price for this article?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The tables in question are being examined and a reply was recently sent to the Federation to the effect that so far as the investigation had then proceeded the existing system appeared to afford a fair profit to Scottish retailers. The investigation has now been practically completed, and I propose to send an official to Scotland at an early date in order that he may discuss the situation in the light of its results.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that many men engaged on dangerous work in connection with munitions during the war suflered grievous injuries as a result of explosions or were killed, leaving dependants; that the compensation in these cases is only on the scale laid down under the Workmen's Compensation Acts; and whether, in view of the dangerous work for which these men volunteered, he will arrange for them or their dependants being paid compensation on the same scale as that for soldiers and their dependants?

I cannot admit that the cases of men who are killed or suffer injury in the course of a peaceful occupation should be dealt with in the matter of compensation under the special rules prescribed for the armed forces of the Crown.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions when it is expected that the expenditure of money on the Cippenham motor depot on capital account will cease; what will be the capital cost of the depot when completed according to the present estimate; when any Report will be issued showing the financial results of the working of the depot; and what period the Report will cover?

Whilst the construction of the buildings is practically finished, the completion of the Cippenham Motor Depôt has been delayed by the moulders' strike. It is, however, anticipated that, provided deliveries of power plant are made according to promise, the expenditure on capital account will cease in about three months' time. The estimated capital cost, excluding land purchase which has not yet been determined, is £1,950,000. Accounts showing the financial results of the working of the depôt and covering the period from the beginning of repair operations at the depôt to the end of the present financial year will be completed about the end of June next.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions the number of bulk gallons of beer, spirits, and wines sold by retail by the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) in the city of Carlisle during the years 1917, 1918, and 1919, respectively; the average alcoholic strength of such liquors during each of the said years; the total sums received in respect of such retail sales of intoxicating liquors in each of the said years: and the estimated population resorting to licensed premises in the city of Carlisle during 1917, 1918, and 1919, respectively?

I regret I have nothing to add to the answer given to my hon. Friend on the 3rd March.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions if by the investing of State money and the appointments of directors to companies such as the British Cellulose Company, Limited, his Contracts Department will be induced to give preference to the placing of contracts to such firms; and has he any reason to apprehend unwillingness of other competitive firms to tender in opposition to such State-supported firms?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions the number of contractors to whom the Government have advanced money, as in the case of the British Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing Company, Limited, for the purpose of ensuring an adequate supply of materials which were vitally necessary for war purposes; and in how many cases the Government have accepted shares in lieu of the security obtained, and in so doing relinquished securities in favour of other or future creditors?

The number of contractors to whom money was advanced for the purpose of the general supply of materials is approximately 350; but there are innumerable other cases where the Ministry advanced various sums for the purpose of financing particular contracts. In no cases other than the British Cellulose Company has the Ministry accepted shares in lieu of other security; but the Government, during the course of the War, have become shareholders in various other companies, such as the British Dye Stuffs Corporation, Ltd., the Anglo-Persian Oil Co., Ltd., and the British Potash Co., Ltd.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions what number of persons are now employed at Gretna factory; and how many of these are women and ex-service men?

The total staff employed at H.M. Factory, Gretna, is 1,074, of whom 156 are women and 318 ex-service men. Of the 156 women, 18 are engaged on technical work such as nursing, 63 on typing and routine clerical duties, and the remaining 75 are engaged on cleaning. The total of 318 ex-service men is equivalent to 35 per cent. of the total male employés.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether, prior to the sale of the 666 Thorneycroft lorries at Cologne to Messrs. Maudsley Motor Company for £400 each, the Treasury had received an authenticated offer for the whole of the lorries at the Aachener and Bickendorf aerodromes, including these lorries, at an all-round price of £425 each; and why the Thorneycroft lorries were sold at a lower rate?

The price of £400 each, at which the 666 Thorneycroft lorries at Cologne were sold to Messrs. Maudsley Motor Company, was the highest offer received for these vehicles. The lorries were sold in situ, the purchasers bearing ail expenses in connection with removal, custody, transport, etc. An offer was received through the Société Commerciale Franco-Britannique to purchase 1,626, including the Thorneycroft lorries, at an average of £375 per lorry, delivered f.o.b. Antwerp. The price offered in this case was obviously too low, and could not be accepted. After the Thorneycroft lorries had been sold a communication was received from Mr. Gaunter, of Messrs. Baxter & Gaunter, a firm who state that the Société Commercial Franco-Britannique constitute a branch of theirs, covering an offer from Mr. Williams, of A. L. Williams & Co. This offer was to purchase the Thorneycroft lorries at £425 each on condition that the firm should be permitted to take the remainder of the lorries at Cologne at a valuation. The terms of this offer was unacceptable to the Board. I may add that information having reached the Disposal Board that Mr. Gaunter had offered presents and advantages, including a case of whisky, to members of its staff, it was decided to have no further dealings with the firm of Baxter & Gaunter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether the present system of selling surplus Government stores of clothing in bulk renders it impossible for ex-service men to compete with the big dealers; whether the Prime Minister recently stated, when addressing deputations from ex-service men's organisations, that the Government was most anxious to help in every way; and whether, as a commencement, he is prepared to sell £500 of clothing to the headquarters of the Comrades of the Great War, £400 to their association in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and £100 to the Shropshire Comrades?

With regard to the first part of the question, I am unable to add anything to the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member on the 25th february. The whole of the stocks of surplus clothing have now been sold.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office how many millions of medals are required for ex-service men in connection with the European War; whether he can give the total number produced up to the end of February last and the weekly production at Woolwich Arsenal; and if, in view of the number of unemployed ex-service men in North London, he can see his way to utilise the Enfield Small Arms Factory for a similar purpose?

The total number of War medals required for award to serving and non-effective personnel of the Army is, approximately, 14,500,000. The last two parts of the question should be addressed to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will make a statement as to the present position of the anti-Soviet forces under General Denikin; and what steps have been taken to facilitate the safe withdrawal of the British military mission still with General Denikin?

The advance of the Soviet armies during the past four months has separated General Denikin's forces into three groups. The withdrawal of the left group is continuing slowly towards the Polish and Roumanian frontiers, the centre group is holding the approaches to the Crimea, to all appearance successfully, while the eastern group, after holding the Don and Manich Rivers successfully for a month, has now retired and is holding a line running roughly parallel to and just north of the railway from Rostov to Petrovsk. A disinclination to fight was recently shown by the Kuban Cossacks, but, on account of the atrocities committed by the Soviet armies on their families, they are now returning to the front, and Denikin's troops appear now to be fighting well along the whole front. The British Military Mission with General Denikin, which was independent under General Holman, has now been put under the command of General Sir George Milne, who has orders to bring the Mission away when he considers it necessary, and to take all requisite measures to secure its safety.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, which at the beginning of last week accepted messages for transmission to Moscow, now decline to accept such messages; whether this is in consequence of the issue of instructions by the Government; and, if so, on what ground those instructions have been issued?

The Marconi Company for a long time past have been instructed to refrain from communicating with Russian Bolshevik stations except upon the instructions of a Government Department. The matter is at present under consideration by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for War when it is expected that he will be able to announce the new rates of pay to Army chaplains?

The new scales of pay and pension have now been settled and the Royal Warrant embodying them is being prepared for issue.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of soldiers who are still serving sentences of imprisonment or penal servitude inflicted by courts-martial for offences during the War and since the Armistice, respectively; and whether he can hold out any hope of a revision of such sentences?

As already stated, I am having figures prepared to show the number of men now undergoing penal servitude, imprisonment, or detention for military offences committed between the outbreak of War and the Armistice.With regard to the last part of the question, as I have previously explained, all such sentences have been, and are being, constantly reviewed. In this connection I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on the 10th December last to the hon. Member for Whitechapel (Mr. Kiley).

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can now sec his way clear to release the military prisoners who deserted after the Armistice; and if he will consider whether the men have suffered sufficiently through being deprived of their gratuities?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply on the 18th February to the hon. Member for Silver-town (Mr. J. Jones).

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of men serving during the recent War who were made prisoners by the Turks; what percentage of these men have been reported dead or missing; and how that percentage compares with the men who were made prisoners of war by other enemy countries?

The numbers of Regular and Territorial Forces, Colonials, Royal Naval Division, and Indian natives, exclusive of officers, captured by the enemy, and the percentages of deaths are as follow:—

Total number of men captured.	Percentage reported dead or still unaccounted for.
Turkey:
15,720	38·4 per cent.
Germany:
168,718	8·4 per cent.
Austria:
250	5·2 per cent.
Bulgaria:
1,238	10·01 per cent.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office whether G. H. Wright, C.S.M., No. 345,846, 32 Edgehill Road, Bournemouth, has been refused a service pension after having served 16 years 52 days continuously; and whether the refusal is in accordance with Regulations, this noncommissioned officer having been discharged as medically unfit for further service?

Company-Sergeant-Major Wright had loss than 18 years' service, and unless he has been awarded a permanent disablement pension on the lowest scale under the Ministry of Pension Warrant of 29th March, 191Y, he cannot be awarded a Long Service Pension by the Commissioners of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, under Army Order 330 of 1918.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will reconsider the decision not to award the 1915 star to the dependants of the men of the 7th Royal Scots and others who were killed or disabled in the Gretna railway disaster on the 22nd May, 1915, and also-to those who, being in that train and about to embark for active service, did not subsequently go overseas until 1916 owing to the accident referred to?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the replies to similar questions asked by the hon. and gallant Member for Leith (Capt. W. Benn) on the 13th February, 1919, and 18th August, 1919.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether 2nd Corporal James Munro Selbie, No. W.R. 288,177, Railway Operating Division, Royal Engineers, who died in the Military Hospital, Devonport, on 8th February, 1920, embarked at Alexandria on H.M.T. "Czaritza" on 25th January; whether ho reported sick on 29th January and was admitted to the ship's hospital; whether he was found to have a temperature of 102, and what, if any, treatment did he receive; whether on the arrival of the ship at Gibraltar on 1st February his temperature was 1034; whether approximately 100 soldiers were taken off the ship at Gibraltar and sent to hospital for treatment; whether Corporal Selbie died of double pneumonia following influenza; and what does his medical chart disclose from the time he was admitted to the ship's hospital till he was disembarked at Devonport?

I have no details regarding this case, but inquiries are being made, and I will write to my hon. and gallant Friend as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any decision has yet been reached on the question of officers' expenses in respect of provision of uniform and otherwise?

Yea, Sir; the principle of an outfit grant for future officers on first commission is accepted, and was notified in Army Order 324 of 1919. The actual amount of the grant, however, has not yet been determined.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the present cost of complete outfit of pre-war uniform of an officer of the regiments of Foot Guards is estimated to be not less than £300; and whether, in the event of it being finally decided to revert to pre-war uniforms in the ease of these regiments, it is proposed to make a grant to officers sufficient to cover the cost of providing all necessary items?

The statement in the first part of the hon. and gallant Member's question is substantially correct. As regards the latter part, a proposal to re-introduce pre-war uniform, with certain modifications which will reduce its cost, is under consideration. While the making of a grant for uniform to officers on entry is accepted in principle, the amount and conditions of the grant cannot yet be announced.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether full regimental messes have been established for battalions of the regiments of Foot Guards stationed in London; and whether, with a view to diminishing the expenditure necessarily incurred by officers, rations will be issued to the messes, as was done during the War, in respect of unmarried officers?

Owing to the general use always made of the Guards' Club, mess accommodation for Foot Guards Officers has never been provided on a full scale, but only for the small numbers taking their meals in barracks. There is at present mess accommodation as follows —Chelsea Barracks, dining accommodation for 14 officers.Wellington Barracks, dining accommodation for 16 officers.Tower of London Barracks, dining accommodation for 18 officers.Wimbledon Temporary Hutments. A hutted mess for each Battalion in occupation.With regard to the second part of the question, rations in kind or allowances in lieu are issuable to all officers serving at home or abroad for each day in respect of which full pay is drawn, and if officers' messes elect to draw in kind there is nothing to prevent them doing so, provided, of course, that the allowances in lieu and in kind are not drawn concurrently in respect of the same officer.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Charles Burke, No. 53,713, 2nd East Lancashire Regiment, who enlisted in July, 1919; whether he is aware that this boy was only 16 years of age when he joined without the consent of his parent, and was the sole support of his widowed mother; that his birth certificate was forwarded to his commanding officer, but no replies have been received to various communications; and whether he will have inquiry made into this case?

If the facts are as stated by the hon. Member, this soldier will be discharged as soon as the statements have been verified. Instructions have been issued for the ease to be dealt with at once.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the possibility of allowing naval schoolmasters to receive the pay of the rank they hold, seeing that while they enter with warrant rank their position in this respect is analagous to that of instructor lieutenants and surgeon lieutenants who enter with the rank of lieutenant, Royal Navy, and receive the pay of that rank on entry, although they do not serve successively as cadet, midshipman, and sub-lieutenant as do other officers?

The matter is already under consideration.

asked the Minister of Pensions the present position as regards the pensions of officers, officers' widows, non-commissioned officers, and men (and their widows) wounded in previous wars?

This question was dealt with in paragraphs 62 and 63 of the Second Report of the Select Committee, and the present position is stated in the last paragraph of the answer announcing the decisions of the Government on that Report, as shown in columns 596–605 of the OFFICIAL REPORT of the 4th instant.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, under the Education Act, 1918, it has been ruled that a local education authority is bound to meet the total cost of sending school children to holiday or school camps; that school journeys have been conducted for nearly 20 years by the voluntary efforts of the teachers, in some cases the parents of the children bearing the expense, and in others the cost being defrayed from funds raised from concerts, bazaars, subscriptions, &c.; whether he is aware that in consequence of this ruling the number of children to be taken on school journeys in the London area is to be limited to a very low percentage, although there are funds collected for the purpose of sending many more children, and in a great many other cases parents are willing to pay; and whether ho can take any action which will enable the work of former years to continue at least for this year?

The Board of Education are not responsible for any such ruling as is referred to. The principle of Section 26 of the Act is that all children attending Public Elementary Schools, whatever their parents' means, should have equal opportunity of enjoying the educational advantages afforded by the schools. The Section prohibits the making of charges on the parents for these advantages, but it does not appear to my right hon. Friend to prohibit the collection of funds in the various ways suggested and their application to augment the funds which the Local Education Authority is willing to provide out of the rates for special purposes. My right hon. Friend hopes most sincerely that the good work which has been done in London will not be restricted, but he has no authority either to interpret the Act or to override its provisions.

asked the Minister of Health, whether it has been found in practice that the duty imposed under Section of the Local Education Authorities (Medical Treatment) Act, 1909, of recovering a charge for treatment deters parents from obtaining such treatment for their children; whether in certain areas the Act has become a dead-letter; whether, in view of this fact, it is the intention to amend or repeal the Act; and, if it is not the intention to amend or repeal the Act at an early date, what action should be taken by an authority which is anxious to comply with the Section, but finds that the making of any charge which will justify the cost of collection has a tendency to deter parents from obtaining the necessary treatment for their children?

I have received no representations of the nature referred to in the first part of the question; in any case, any Amendment affecting the principle of the Act could only properly be considered in close connection with the general question of the organisation of public health services, on which, as I have before indicated, I am not yet in a position to make any statement.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will consider the expediency of relieving teachers who enlisted in the Army as A I men, and received wounds on service, from medical examination and from having to pay a fee for such examination, in order to place them at no disadvantage to non-serving teachers in respect of the death gratuity under the School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1918?

My right hon. Friend is afraid that he is debarred from adopting the hon. Member's suggestion by the provisions of Section 3 (1) of the Act. Teachers who served with the Forces are not in a position different from that of other teachers as regards medical examination and the payment of the fee for such examination.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what reasons led the Treasury to differentiate between the Admiralty staff and the rest of the Civil Service in the matter of war bonus whilst on active service; and whether, in view of the dissatisfaction at this inequality of treatment, he will have the whole matter reconsidered?

I would refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Clitheroe (Mr. Alfred Davies) on the 25th February last.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the Post Office trade union has raised no objection to the employment of discharged and disabled soldiers in the Post Office, but has, on the contrary, fought for every discharged man to receive the full wages proper to the class of work on which he is employed; whether 15,615 disabled men were so employed on 1st February, 1920; whether the Government proposal to assess the disability of each ex-soldier employed with a view to reducing his wages has been the subject of determined opposition on the part of the union; whether the staff representatives on the Post Office Whitley Council have been denied the right to discuss the principle underlying these assessments because the authorities were unable to make any concession; whether, whilst the number of cases where reduced wages are paid is at present small it is the policy of the Government to continue this economy; and whether, having regard to the professions of sympathy with disabled men, he will consider the possibility of paying all disabled soldiers in the employ of the Government the full wages of the job on which they are employed?

The principle of assessing the wages of those disabled men, who cannot perform the full duties of their posts, in accordance with the value of their work was adopted on the recommendation of a Committee which included representatives of the Staff Unions. I am aware that although those representatives signed the Report, the recommendations have been opposed by some of the Unions concerned. Every effort is made to assign disabled men to posts the full duties of which they are able to perform, but if this is impracticable, it appears to me reasonable that the man's wages should be graduated in accordance with the work which he is actually capable of undertaking. The matter has already been discussed on the Post Office Whitley Council, but I am unable to agree to refer it to a Sub-Committee.

asked the Prime Minister whether or not his attention has been called to the training of soldiers blinded in the War as telephone operators and shorthand typists; and if he has yet issued instructions that will bring about the substitution of these men in Government Departments for women employed in these occupations?

Soldiers blinded in the War are trained as telephone operators and shorthand-typists by St. Dunstan's. No difficulty has been found in placing these men, with the assistance of the Ministry of Labour Employment Exchanges. The question of the employment of disabled ex-Service men in Government Departments recently received exhaustive consideration, and an extensive substitution of disabled ex-Service men for women was carried out. It was, however, not considered necessary to apply the scheme to shorthand-typists, as the demand for skilled operators is generally greater than the supply of either sex, and there is no difficulty in placing the limited numbers of trained ex-Service men. As regards telephone operating, the Postmaster-General was advised from St. Dunstan's that the employment of blinded soldiers should be restricted to boards with not more than 30 extensions. The only exchanges where such small boards are in use are certain private branch Exchanges on private premises, and the subscribers have been informed of the probability of the work being suitable for a blinded soldier and of the fact that St. Dunstan's can supply such men already trained for the work.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in connection with the provision of wagon building and locomotive work at Woolwich Arsenal, the Union of Wagon Builders caused a clause to be inserted in a contract at Horbury that discharged men were not to be taken back into employment unless the Government stopped building wagons at Woolwich; whether he can give particulars of such contract, including the text of the clause before referred to; and whether he can also state the present position of the matter?

I presume that the hon. Member refers to the agreement for the introduction of ex-Service men into the Railway Wagon and Repairing Industry. This agreement was the result of conferences arranged by my Department in consequence of a dispute at the works of Charles Roberts & Company, Ltd., Railway Wagon and Wheel Works, Horbury Junction, Wakefield. Employment of ex-soldiers by the firm led to a dispute which lasted from April to September, 1919. My Department intervened, and on the 18th September a conference was held of representatives of the railway companies, of the chief wagon building and wagon repairing firms, and of the unions concerned. Further conferences took place, in the course of which negotiations were entrusted by the other trade unions to the Amalgamated Society of Railway Vehicle Builders, Wheelwrights, Carpenters and Mechanics, as the trade union primarily concerned. Ultimately an agreement between this trade union on the one hand and the Wagon Builders' Association and the Wagon Repairing Association on the other was arrived at on the 17th December, 1919. This agreement set forth the conditions on which unskilled ex-service men should be eligible for admission as trainees into railway wagon building and repairing shops. Ex-service men up to the age of 23 years who had not acquired a skilled trade before joining His Majesty's Forces were to be admitted under the scheme, preference being given to younger men as far as possible. The period of training was to be for three years, and the agreement laid down the rates of pay and working conditions for the trainees. The Clause to which the hon. Member refers reads as follows:

"That we only agree to the above on condition that the Government cease to do our work at any of their Departments and give the work to our men who are ready to perform the same."

This Clause is at variance with the views expressed by the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress at a deputation received by the Prime Minister on December 8th, 1919 (nine days before the date of the agreement), when they urged that Government establishments, such as Woolwich, should be utilised for the production of railway wagons, &c. On the 24th December, 1919, and again on the 17th February, 1920, the attention of the Secretaries of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress was drawn to the inconsistency of the trade unions in this matter, and to the necessity of a reconsideration of this Clause in view of the great necessity for accelerating the repair and production of railway wagons. I understand that the Parliamentary Committee are in communication with the trade union concerned, but I have not been informed of the result of their intervention.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that ex-service men who have qualified as sanitary inspectors are not likely to be appointed until two months after their qualification; and whether, in view of the hardship involved, he will arrange that such qualified inspectors should, during the waiting period, be attached for practical instruction to local authorities?

I am not aware that sanitary inspectors who have qualified are likely to be unable to obtain employment for any specific period after qualification. I understand that vacancies for such inspectors occur at irregular intervals, irrespective of the dates upon which suitable candidates may become qualified. I shall inquire to what extent it may be feasible to have such men attached for practical instruction to local authorities in any waiting period which supervenes upon their training, but it must be kept in mind that such men would not be eligible for any further grants-in-aid under the Government training scheme, in view of the fact that they are already qualified men.

asked the Minister of Labour why the National Union of Ex-Service Men, as the second largest organisation of ex-service men in Great Britain, was not invited to attend the conference on 1st March between himself and three of the other associations of discharged soldiers with reference to the employment of ex-service men in organised trades?

The three associations of ex-service men invited to attend this conference are those who have from time to time presented the case for the discharged men to the Government, and are, I believe, fully representative of those who have served in the Forces of the Crown. I am not aware that the National Union of Ex-Service Men is the second largest organisation of ex-service men in Great Britain.

asked the Minister of Labour if negotiations have been proceeding between the Operative Plumbers' Association and the Federated Employers in Glasgow to induce the latter to agree to the Government training scheme for demobilised apprentices which have culminated in the Federated Employers locking out the members of the Plumbers' Association; whether it is the fact that that association has consistently assisted in all schemes for helping apprentices returning from the Forces; and whether the Labour Department will use its good offices in the direction of inducing the employers to agree to a scheme which will secure fair play for the apprentices and protect the members of the trade union from being locked out as a result of their efforts on behalf of the returned apprentices?

I regret that an unfortunate dispute has arisen between the parties mentioned by my right hon. Friend. A deputation from the National Joint Industrial Council of the Building Industry is now in Glasgow and in touch with both parties to the dispute. This deputation has already seen the employers and the operatives separately, and has summoned a joint meeting for to-day (Monday), when it is hoped a settlement will be reached. Representatives of the Ministry of Labour have been present at all meetings, and are using every effort to secure the adoption of the apprenticeship scheme.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state, in respect of the committees on cotton petrol, tobacco, soap, and building materials, the names of the members of the committees, their occupations, and whether any member of any committee is directly interested in the production of the commodity the subject of inquiry?

The subcommittees referred to in the question were or are constituted as follows:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is now in a position to supply the House with any definite statement by the oil importing companies to justify the increased cost of petrol by 8d. per gallon?

The Shell Marketing Company published a statement in the Press on the 4th February giving figures under various heads of cost with a view to justifying the increase in price. I have seen no later statement of the kind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Wishaw (Scotland) Co-operative Society has been inadequately supplied with household coal as per the registered number of consumers; that for the three months of November and December, 1919, and January, 1020, they were 261 tons short of the amount due to them; and if he will take immediate steps to remove this anomaly at once, which is a hardship upon the 900 small consumers?

I am aware of the position at Wishaw. Steps have already been taken to send emergency coal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the shortage of household coal in the Bletchley district; whether the merchants have no coal in stock and that many of the schools are being closed; whether he will cause some emergency coal to be sent down forthwith to relieve the shortage; and/or whether he will cause an inspector to visit the locality?

I am aware of the position as regards coal supplies at Bletchley, and efforts are being made to improve the position.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters are not delivered in Chesham Place until after 8.30 a.m.; and what is the reason of this?

The morning delivery of letters at Chesham Place, unless the post is exceptionally heavy, is completed by 8.45 a.m., the time fixed generally for the town districts in London. It is not practicable to arrange for an earlier delivery.

asked the Postmaster-General whether a specific promise was given to the deputation from the Bournemouth National Association of Temporary Postal Employees by letter to the executive of that association that the temporary postal staff of Bournemouth should have full unemployment pay through the labour exchanges in lieu of a gratuity; whether, failing unemployment pay, a gratuity would be given equal to about six months' pay; and, if so, whether he will take steps to see that this promise is carried out?

I am not aware that any such promise was made. I have arranged that not less than a month's notice should be given to the remaining members of the temporary war staff, but I am unable to accede to the claim for a gratuity on discharge.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the civil pay of a Post Office servant is composed of wages and war bonus; whether there are any exceptions to the recent decisions at Exeter; and, if not, whether the claim of the men of the special sections that the term full civil pay includes war bonus which they would have received had they not voluntarily enlisted will be reconsidered?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply to the question asked by the hon. Member for Pontypool (Mr. Griffiths) on the 12th of February.

asked the Postmaster-General what body is considering the possibility of improving the remuneration of caretaker operators; whether this is a matter which should be dealt with under the Whitley scheme; and if he will refer the whole question of caretaker operators' pay and conditions to the Post Office Whitley Council with a view to an early decision?

The question of improving the method of fixing the remuneration of caretaker operators is being considered by my Department. There is at present no association which can be regarded as representative of the class of caretaker operators; and the Whitley machinery is therefore hardly appropriate to the ease.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, apart from advertising circulars, the volume of propaganda matter, pamphlets, and other literature constitutes a very considerable portion of the postal distribution; and whether, as the extension of these are of less consequence than letters, he will arrange that these should bear any addition, of the postal charges which it may be necessary to impose for the purpose of additional revenue?

Packets of printed matter—if exceeding 2 oz. in weight and not consisting of copies of newspapers registered for transmission at the Inland newspaper rate—do not now enjoy the benefit of a special rate. They are, if light, sent at letter rate, and, if heavy, at parcel rate. As they are not, therefore, sent in open covers, I have no exact data, but I doubt whether matter such as the hon. Member describes forms any considerable portion of postal trafile.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the anxiety that was caused to the relatives of passengers and crew on the liner "Bohemian" by the telegraphic report that 184 persons on board had been drowned, he will endeavour to find out who was responsible for the dissemination of the report, with a view to preventing a repetition of similar unfounded alarms?

I understand that the report was received by Reuter s from their correspondent in New York, and that an error, "drowned" for "grounded," occurred in the course of its telephonic transmission by the sender to the Western Union Telegraph Company's Office in New York.

asked the Minister of Labour if dissatisfaction exists in those industries that have established Industrial Councils when decisions and agreements arrived at are ignored or set at defiance by those employers who are not parties to those agreements or members of employers' associations; and whether he will consider the advisability of making the decisions and agreements upon wages, conditions, and hours of employment arrived at by all Industrial Councils binding upon the whole of the respective industries when they represent two-thirds of the workers and their employers concerned, so as to prevent employers underselling those who are helping to establish industrial peace?

I propose to answer this question in some detail because the principle involved is one to which public attention ought to be given. I should say, in the first place, that while it is the fact that several Joint Industrial Councils have asked for powers to make their agreements compulsory on the whole trade, it is far from being the case that this demand is universal. This division of opinion was to be expected in view of the controversial history of this and the allied question, from which it is difficult to dissocate it, of making awards of Courts of Arbitration compulsory. In 1913, the Industrial Council, a body consisting or representatives of employers' associations and trade unions, under the. chairmanship of Sir George (now Lord) Askwith, reported that, subject to certain conditions to which I need not allude, an agreement entered into by associations of employers and workmen, representing a substantial body of those in the trade or district, should be made applicable to the whole of the trade or district concerned. The matter was then considered by the Trade Union Congress, at which the proposal was rejected by a large majority. The Trade Union Congress had previously rejected the idea in 1912, and the Labour party adopted the same attitude in 1913. The hon. Member's proposal was the subject of one of the recommendations of the Provisional Joint Committee of the National Industrial Conference. I endeavoured to secure the opinion of the Trade Union Congress in September of last year, but I understand that the Parliamentary Committee was unable to bring the matter before the main body. I made a further attempt to ascertain the reception which the proposal would meet from workpeople's organisations at the time when I was introducing the Industrial Courts Act. At that time, however, it was rejected by the trade union organisations largely on the ground that it was proposed, and I think justly proposed, to make compulsion two-sided, penalties for breach being provided equally against employers and employed. Under the Trade Union Act of 1871 and the Trade Disputes Act, 1906, not only is it impossible to enforce legally an agreement made between employers' associations and workers' associations, but it is also impossible to bring an action against either such association for inducing or assisting its members to break the contract to which it has itself been a party. Contracts between employers and workmen's associations rest, therefore, only upon the good faith of the parties to-them, and, unless the law is altered in this respect, it is difficult to see how it is possible to make them legally binding upon persons who are not themselves, parties to the agreement. The difficulty of making compulsion apply equally is perhaps not greater than the practical difficulties which would be involved in making agreements of joint industrial councils compulsory on the whole trade. Not only would complicated questions of demarcation and trade definition inevitably arise, but the question of the extent to which any given group of employers or employed represented a large majority of the trade would require close examination. There is the further difficulty that certain wage settlements affect an industry, while others affect a craft extending through a number of industries. For these reasons it is clear that the matter is not one which can be settled without a great deal of further discussion and examination. In saying this, however, I am not averse from giving further consideration to this matter, but unless a substantial agreement of opinion exists among employers and workpeople I should not be prepared to introduce the necessary legislation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will introduce a Bill authorising local authorities to ration housing accommodation within their areas?

No, Sir. I do not think that the proposal is a practicable one.