asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware of the distress caused to disabled men by the long intervals which elapse between the expiration of a period for which a pension is granted and their appearance before a medical board for further examination; that this distress is intensified by the delay in the re-issue of pension if such is recommended by the medical board and subsequently confirmed; and whether he will issue instructions that medical board should give the man in such cases written announcement of their finding upon which he shall be able to draw an advance of pension from his local committee?

It is the practice at present to arrange for medical re-examination of the men six or eight weeks in advance of the expiration of the current awards; and in any cases where the circumstances are such that a medical examination cannot be arranged in time to prevent an interruption of the pension arrangements are at once made to continue the expiring pension. Delay should not, therefore, occur. While I do not think that the proposal made by my hon. and gallant Friend in the last part of his question is advis- able, I am considering how best to meet any difficulty which may arise.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1) if, in the event of a schoolmaster, Royal Navy, being invalided after, say, 12 years' service, his pension will be the minimum of the scale, plus the additions as per scale, for each year's service in his rank; and observing that all warrant officers and commissioned officers from warrant rank may, by the permission of the Admiralty, be pensioned at their own request at 40 years of age, and that schoolmasters are to be pensioned according to their ranks on the scale for warrant officers and commissioned officers from warrant rank (except when invaliding after short service), would a schoolmaster, Royal Navy, so retiring be entitled to the full pension according to scale laid down for officers of his rank and seniority;

(2) how he reconciles the existence of separate scales of pensions for officers of the schoolmaster, Royal Navy, branch side by side with the statements that the following shall be the scale of pensions for commissioned warrant officers and warrant officers of all branches; and schoolmasters to be pensioned according to their relative ranks on the scale for commissioned warrant and warrant officers as above?

I regret that, owing to a misconception of the decisions arrived at as the result of the recommendations of the Officers' Pay Committee, the regulations regarding the retired pay of officers of the schoolmaster branch, printed on pages 2,268 and 2,269 of the Quarterly Navy List, are incorrect. I am forwarding a table which gives the correct information, and will, I think, be found, incidentally to answer the hon. Member's questions.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he has received representations from local pensions committees strongly urging that provision should be made in the War Pensions Bill to give a dependant the same right of appeal against refusal of pension on the grounds that the man's death is not due to or aggravated by service as is conceded to widows and children, and that Section 8 of the War Pensions (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1919, be extended to dependants; and whether, seeing that this concession, while throwing no undue pressure on the tribunal, would meet cases of considerable hardship which have been brought to the notice of the Council of the Association of Local War Pensions Committees, he will say what action he proposes to take in this direction?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The proposal in the second part of the question will come up for consideration on the War Pensions Bill, which stands referred to Committee. Perhaps my hon. Friend will await the discussion upon it.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether alternative pensions are allowed to officers and not to nurses; whether these pensions permit officers to be placed in the same financial position as they enjoyed before the War, plus an increase; if they are thereby benefited more than by the pensions ordinarily laid down, while nurses are not allowed to so benefit; and whether, in view of the feeling amongst nurses generally, he will reconsider the distinction, with a view to a change being made?

Alternative pensions have not hitherto been allowed for nurses by the Royal Pension Warrants. The question of extending the benefits of this class of pension to nurses is at present under consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make any announcement.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Lords of the Treasury still have under consideration the claim of the special sections men to the full civil pay and Army pay and allowances which were promised to them on enlistment?

I presume the hon. Member refers to the claim of these officials to war bonus and war gratuity, which the Departments concerned have hitherto been unable to regard as covered by the promise referred to. The matter is, however, again under consideration, and I hope that a decision will be reached shortly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether certain retired officers were during the War appointed recruiting officers for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines on a five-years' appointment determinable on their attaining the age of 58 years; whether these officers took up their appointments in the localities to which they were sent and incurred large expenses in moving from their homes; whether the appointments of some of these officers were terminated on six months' notice before their five years had expired and before they attained 58; and whether he will in such cases arrange that suitable compensation shall be given for the loss they have sustained?

The five-year appointments referred to were for five years subject to the pleasure of the Board of Admiralty. In a few instances the appointments were terminated at six months' notice, and applications for compensation in respect of removal expenses are under consideration. The reduction of Naval personnel after the War, of course necessitated a corresponding reduction in the Recruiting Service.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that P. Floyd, employed at the dockyard, Chatham, passed a medical examination for light work when he entered the Army Inspection Department, and when transferred to the Electrical Inspection Department in April, 1919, the Admiralty surgeon at the yard again certified him fit for light work; and whether, as a result of discharges taking place, he applied for a job which will be vacant at the end of this week in his old shop, the gun wharf, Naval Ordnance Section, and was refused, as he was invalided from the gun wharf as medically unfit, although since then he passed two medical examinations certifying his fitness for the job refused him?

P.C. Floyd was invalided from the gun wharf in August, 1916, with a gratuity. He was entered in the dockyard from the Army Inspection Department in April, 1919, being found on medical examination to be fit for bench work only. His present discharge from the Electrical Department is on account of the necessity for reducing numbers, and his transfer to the gun wharf was refused not on account of his previous invalidity, but because no entries are being made in view of the necessity for reducing numbers also in the gun wharf.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will issue instructions to extend the award of the Industrial Court (180), Engineering and Foundry Trades to the wheelwrights and smiths employed in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps Depot, His Majesty's Gunwharf, Devonport?

Instructions have been issued under which this award will be extended to the workmen in question.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the decision to grant to commissioned medical men a medal for war service, even when such service was given at home and for half time, he will consider the advisability of recognising in a like manner the services of civilian medical men who, while too old for commissions, have examined many thousands of recruits, as, for instance, such a one who has examined over 100,000 over a period of two years at depots in various parts of the country upon terms which barely exceeded personal and travelling expenses?

As I stated on Monday last in answer to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Chelsea (Sir S. Hoare), no decision has yet been reached to grant a medal to those who rendered service at home in connection with the War.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has received any confirmaton of the reported attack of Sheriffian Arabs in Mesopotamia wherein a couple of British officers were killed and a number of men were killed and wounded; if the facts are as stated; whether the Arabs who made the attack were isolated tribesmen or men who owe allegiance to the rulers we or the India Office have been subsidising; and what steps he proposes to take to vindicate British authority and to secure order for the immediate future?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply on Tuesday last to the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Ormsby-Gore). The term "Sheriffian" has been applied to the officers who led the attack on Tel Afar, but this expression may not be strictly accurate. Emir Feisal, the son of the Sherif of Mecca, has given repeated assurances that any officers of the Sheriffian Army who took part in these raids would be repudiated by him. It seems more probable that the anti-British hostility of the Arabs on the Euphrates is inspired rather by the Young Arab party at Damascus than by the representatives of the Sheriffian family, who at least profess their desire to retain the friendship of His Majesty's Government. As regards the last part of the question, a punitive column is now operating in the Tel Afar district and the General Officer Commanding in Mesopotamia is taking the necessary action to secure the restoration of order.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what rate of pay an officer in the Royal Air Force received who formerly held a commission as flight sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service with seniority as from May, 1916, was transferred to the Royal Air Force when formed, and in August, 1919, received a permanent commission as flying officer; and was he entitled to 25s. per day from that date as he had served more than two years with equivalent rank of lieutenant?

A flight sub-lieutenant of the Royal Naval Air Service transferred to the Royal Air Force on the 1st April, 1918, would have been entitled to pay as a lieutenant of the flying branch at the rate of 12s. a day from that date (13s. from the 1st April, 1919) and, in addition, to flying pay of 8s. a day while engaged on duty which involved flying. Under the regulations then in force his service as a flight sub-lieutenant did not reckon for increase of pay as a lieutenant of the Royal Air Force. Under the new scheme of pay brought into effect from the 1st August, 1919, an officer's service as flight sub-lieutenant, R.N.A.S., and lieutenant, R.A.F., would be counted towards increments of pay as flying officer, and on receiving a permanent commission as such he would therefore be eligible for pay as flying officer "over two years," namely 25s. a day, if he had served for more than two years in the ranks named.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what permanent positions in the Government service are open to ex-officers and soldiers between 27 and 30 years of age, of good secondary education, who relinquished their civilian jobs in 1914 to join His Majesty's Forces and who, owing to age, are now unable to secure re-employment in commercial life?

The permanent appointments in the Civil Service which remain to be filled exclusively by ex-service men of about the age in question under the reconstruction system of appointment are stated below. I am sending the hon. and gallant Member copies of the respective Regulations, which indicate the standard of education for each class of appointment.

Class I group (Home Civil Service, Eastern Cadetships, Indian Civil Service).

Foreign Office Clerkships and Diplomatic Service.

General Consular Service.

In addition, large numbers of ex-service men are at present temporarily employed in Government Departments, and special opportunities are being given to such men to compete for permanent vacancies.

I trust that other employers will realise their obligations to men who left civil employment in 1914, as it is impossible for the Government, with its relatively small number of vacancies, to absorb more than a portion of the ex-service men in the country.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether the undertakings given by the Prime Minister with reference to the discharges of ex-service men in the Royal Arsenal are being complied with; and whether any ex-service men have been discharged without reference to the Ex-Service Men's Joint Committee?

The Prime Minister's undertaking, as understood by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Munitions, has been strictly observed; but I understand that a question has arisen as to the definition of ex-service men, and that a number of men who had served in the Army before the Great War, but gave no Army service during that War, and who were regarded as being outside the undertaking, have been discharged in the ordinary course. I will inquire into the matter.

asked the Minister of Pensions what are the yearly rents or the estimated annual value of the premises used by the Government in connection with the Department?

The annual value of such premises in London is £133,300. I regret I am unable to-day to give a figure for the premises so used in the Provinces, but I will communicate with the hon. Member in regard to these.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the rent of the offices occupied by his Department at Bradford amounts to £230 per annum besides rates, making altogether about £400 per annum, or about £28 10s. per office room for each of the fourteen persons employed there; and, in view of this high cost and the great scarcity of offices in Bradford for real business purposes, can he release these offices?

The figures given in the first part of the question are approximately correct. I am fully aware of the high costs and the great difficulty of securing suitable office accommodation under present conditions. In the case of the office required for the enlarged Bradford district under the new arrangements, negotiations are still proceeding, and I am unable at present to say definitely in what building the office will be located. As to the relative importance of the work to be done in Food Offices and in those utilised for "real business purposes," I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given him by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry on the 9th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it would be possible to remove the accumulation of anti-aircraft material now lying in a corner of Fremings Hall Farm, Ingatestone, Essex, the property of Wadham College, Oxford, as the wire fences protecting the material have become decayed and the tenant's cattle have repeatedly escaped through the gaps and injured themselves among the deserted material; and whether the compensation promised to the tenant for the commandeering of this corner of his farm will ever be paid, none having been received up to date?

I am informed that some anti-aircraft searchlight plant is stored in brick sheds at this farm, and that certain other stores, including some searchlight platforms, are lying outside the sheds. Steps have been taken by the Eastern Command to remove the other stores, but the Disposal Board has yet to sell the plant and platforms. The tenant has not yet made a claim for compensation, but it is understood that he proposes to do so in the course of a few days.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can take immediate steps to have the ground of the training camp at Fort Matilda, Greenock, cleared of huts, etc., in order that it may be prepared for use as a, school playing field, for which purpose it has now been feued?

Inquiries are being made, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a protest concerning atrocities committed by the Polish White Guards against the Ukranian population has been received from M. Chicherin or any other Russian source; and whether a report on the subject has been called for from British representatives in Poland?

The Soviet Government have addressed a protest to the Allied Governments on account of atrocities alleged to have been committed by the Polish troops; and the Polish Government have, incidentally, reported that Bolshevik cavalry recently massacred sick and wounded and medical staffs in hospitals at Berdichev. With reference to the last portion of the question, it has not been thought necessary to call for such a report.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a protest concerning atrocities committed by the Polish White Guards against the Ukranian population has been received from M. Chicherin, or any other Russian source; and whether a Report on the subject has been called for from British representatives in Poland?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The protest was addressed also to the Governments of the United States, France and Italy. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Prime Minister whether the shortage of transport, especially locomotives, in Russia will make it difficult to obtain any quantity of sup- plies in exchange for articles exported from this country under arrangements made between the Government and M. Krassin; and what proposals have been made by M. Krassin to overcome this situation, which may stultify the result of all the present negotiations?

The great importance of transport as a condition of the re-opening of trade with Russia has not been lost sight of in the negotiations with the Russian Trade Delegation.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the judgments of the Court of Appeal, and particularly to the observations of Lord Justice Scrutton in the case of the "Porto Alexandre," upon the subject of the immunity of arrest of vessels belonging to sovereign independent States, notwithstanding their employment in ordinary trading voyages carrying privately owned cargoes; and whether any conversations have taken place with foreign Powers with a view to a modification of the rule at present decreed by international comity?

This matter is being carefully considered by His Majesty's Government, and an inter-Departmental Committee is at present enquiring into the practice observed by all foreign Governments whose territories include a maritime seaboard. A further communication cannot be made until the result of these enquiries has been considered by the competent Departments concerned.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount received for Income Tax (not including Super-tax) on all incomes exceeding £1,000 in the year 1918–19, the aggregate amount of net income (after all deductions and allowances had been made) chargeable for tax of all tax payers with incomes exceeding £1,000 in the same year, and the total number of such taxpayers?

The information is given in Command Paper No. 224. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that the Board of Inland Revenue demands payment of Income Tax on amounts satisfied by credits to uncalled liability on shares of no marketable value; and if such payments of Income Tax should be deferred until such shares have an ascertainable market value and then be paid on such ascertained value, and not on the nominal amount credited to the uncalled liability?

In the absence of the full facts in a specific case I am unable to express an opinion upon the point raised by my hon. Friend. If he will furnish me with the necessary particulars I will look into the matter and communicate with him as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give any estimate of the amount of income which is below the Income Tax limit and therefore not subject to tax?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on the 3rd instant to the hon. and gallant Member for Newcastle East (Major Barnes). I will send him a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in cases of payment of Excess Profits Duty in war securities, he will make a provision that all issues of such securities without distinction shall, in the case of original subscribers, be accepted at issue price?

No, Sir. I am not prepared to vary the terms on which, as provided in the various prospectuses, certain war securities are accepted in payment of Excess Profits Duty, or to give such privileges to securities which are not so accepted.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware of the difficulty, expense, and delay caused to Liverpool traders and other Liverpool people by the inadequacy of the present stamping facilities at Liverpool, causing constantly larger quantities of documents and forms to be sent to Manchester, and often by special messenger, such as bills of lading, marine and fire insurance policies, dividend warrants, letters of allotment, contracts, conveyances, etc.; and whether the Department will make suitable arrangements to remedy what is complained of?

I am not aware that any ground for complaint exists, but if my hon. Friend will be good enough to furnish particulars of any specific case of delay or difficulty, I will at once have the matter inquired into.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in cases where the Charity Commissioners are satisfied that the sale of lands belonging to a charity and vested in trustees for the charity will be advantageous to the charity, the Commissioners have any statutory or other powers to insist, against the wishes of the trustees of the charity, that the proceeds of sales shall be paid to the official trustees of charity lands, instead of being paid to the trustees of the charity for investment; and whether the Commissioners have power to refuse to sanction an advantageous sale of charity lands except on terms that the proceeds of the sale shall be paid to the official trustees of charity lands?

I beg to refer the hon. and learned Member to Section 24 of the Charitable Trusts Act, 1853, which expressly empowers the Charity Commissioners, when authorising the sale of charity land, to give such directions in relation thereto, and for securing the due investment of the money arising from any such sale for the benefit of the charity, as they may think fit. In the exercise of the statutory discretion conferred upon them by that Section, it is the practice of the Commissioners, in the absence of special circumstances justifying a departure from the rule, to require that the proceeds of sale shall be invested in the name of the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether any potatoes have been imported this year from Germany, France, Holland, or Belgium; and, if so, can he give the weights?

I have been asked to reply. The registered imports into the United Kingdom, during the first five months of the current year, of potatoes consigned from the countries named were as follows:— cwts. Consigned from Germany … 28 Consigned from France … 156,794 Consigned from Netherlands … 134,166 Consigned from Belgium … 850,669

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been called to evidence given at Aldershot on 14th June by a quartermaster-sergeant of the Royal Army Service Corps, when it was stated that beef was bought for the Army at 9d. per pound whereas the general public is charged 1s. 6d. a pound; whether it is possible, after consultation with the Secretary of State for War, to buy beef so that the price to the public may be greatly reduced; and whether he will instruct the departments concerned with a view to reducing the price of beef?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The bulk of the imported beef available for civilian consumption at the present time is not purchased by any Government Department but is brought into this country by importers in the trade. This beef is, however, controlled both as to wholesale and retail price. The wholesale prices are 8d. per lb. for forequarters and 1s. per lb. for hindquarters, equivalent to 10d. per lb. for the whole body. The retail prices are scheduled according to the joint and range from 5d. per lb. for leg of beef up to 1s. 11d. per lb. for fillet steak; the average price for all joints being approximately between 1s. and 1s. 1d. per lb. I may add that these prices are lower than the world market value of the meat at the present time.

asked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information of the alleged attempt by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, through its representative in New Zealand, to secure the whole of the output of cheese and butter in New Zealand for the forthcoming season; whether, having regard to the fact that this dominion is the chief source of supply of cheese for British consumption during certain periods of the year, the output being calculated at about 60,000 tons of cheese and about 18,000 tons of butter, and as such form an important part of the public supplies of Great Britain, he will make representations to the Dominion Government, or take other steps to prevent the Co-operative Wholesale Society becoming monopolists of these articles to the exclusion of other traders, and such as will ensure the supply of essential foodstuffs being distributed among traders, and not allowed to be in the hands of any one trading organisation?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply given yesterday to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for the Sevenoaks Division (Mr. Bennett).

asked the Minister of Food if he can make any statement as to the import of Danish bacon; what quantities have been imported through the port of Leith; what quantities have been held up in transport; whether any has deteriorated through the delay; and, if so, what was approximately the amount of the loss involved?

I am glad to be able to state that the import of Danish bacon has now been resumed, the strikes which had prevented the Danish shippers from carrying out their contracts having been settled. Since the resumption of shipments early in May the arrivals of Danish bacon have been approximately 9,000 tons, of which some 360 tons have been imported through the port of Leith. So far as my information goes, about 3,000 tons of bacon were held up in Denmark owing to the strikes, but the whole of this quantity had now reached this country and been sold. Some deterioration was caused by this delay, but the loss, which is estimated at from £8,000 to £9,000, falls on the Danish shippers and not on the Ministry of Food.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when the Government propose to take the Second Reading of the Milk and Dairies Bill?

It is hoped to take this at an early opportunity.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether Colonel Murray White, competent military authority for the county of Clare, was recently attacked by a disorderly crowd in the streets of Ennis and seriously injured; whether this officer is still in hospital in England as a result of the assault; and whether there is reason to believe that he is permanently incapacitated for further duty?

I regret to say that Colonel Murray White was recently attacked by a disorderly crowd and seriously injured, as stated in the hon. and gallant Member's question. He is not in hospital, but is on sick leave recommended by a medical board. I am informed that there is no reason to believe that Colonel Murray White is permanently incapacitated for further duty.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether on the 13th instant the house of the district inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary, stationed in County Cork, was entered by Sinn Feiners, who carried away suits of uniform and other effects; if so, whether any special protection is now given to the houses of the inspectors of the Royal Irish Constabulary; and, if not, whether, in view of the special dangers to which they are exposed, he will cause special measures to be taken for their effective protection?

About noon on 13th instant, the lodgings of District Inspector Oates, Royal Irish Constabulary, Castletown Bere, were entered by about twenty armed and disguised men, who broke the locks of two portmanteaus and three trunks, and took away two suits of uniform and some plain clothes. Protection will be given to the houses of the police, as far as practicable.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the number of appeals made during the past year by pension officers against decisions of old age pension sub-committees and the proportion of such appeals upheld by the Local Government Board?

5,960 appeals were lodged by pension officers against decisions of old age pension committees and sub-committees in the year ended 31st March, 1920. The information asked for in the latter part of the question could not be given without a minute examination of all the circumstances of each case during the period mentioned. It would take some time to prepare, and its public utility would not be at all commensurate with the expense, labour, and loss of official time in its preparation.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he will introduce legislation to secure that constables and others in receipt of a pension for pre-War service in the Royal Irish Constabulary, who have served in the military forces during the War, can be reassessed for the new rates of the Royal Irish Constabulary pension on their pre-War service in the same way as old soldiers are re-assessed on the new rates?

The new pension terms recently granted to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary by statutory order under the Constabulary and Police (Ireland) Act, 1919, do not apply, and cannot be made applicable to persons who retired from the force before 1st April, 1919. But pre-War pensioners of the force, including those superannuated since the beginning of the War on the pre-War scale, will be eligible for increases of pension on the same lines, and subject to the same conditions as other pre-War State pensioners.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that a hut fitted up as a recreation hall for the local branch of the Comrades of the Great War, adjoining the town of Midleton, was burned down and destroyed, with its contents, on Sunday night, the 6th June; and what steps he proposes to take to protect the clubs and premises generally belonging to the Comrads of the Great War and other ex-service men's organisations in Ireland?

Between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the 6th instant, the club, premises of the Comrades of the Great War at Midleton were destroyed by fire, which was apparently caused maliciously. There does not appear to have been any political or party element in the case.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether he is aware that on the 6th instant an Army officer, when cycling from Limerick, stopped to examine Drombane Sinn Fein hall, recently vacated by the police; that on taking down a notice he was attacked by some 10 men armed with revolvers; and that he received a bullet wound in the thigh and his motor bicycle was destroyed; whether this gallant officer is now recovering from his wounds; and whether one of his assailants, whom he wounded when he fired in self-defence, has been arrested by the police or military?

On 6th instant 2nd Lieutenant R. R. Gillespie, 12th Field Company, Royal Engineers, motor-cycled from Limerick and visited Drombane Hall, not knowing that the police had vacated it. Proceeding on his journey about 20 shots were fired at him by 10 or 12 men armed with revolvers. He fired back, and wounded one or more of them. One bullet entered the fleshy portion of his left thigh. The officer is progressing favourably. One of his assailants is believed to have been wounded. He has not been arrested.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether two ex-military officers have been appointed deputy-governors of Mountjoy and Maryborough prisons, respectively; if so, the respective ages of these two officers, the experience they have of prison work, and the qualifications they possess to enable them to fill these positions; and whether the claims of prison warders are taken into consideration in filling these positions as they become vacant?

Two ex-military officers, Captain H. C. Burke and Mr. W. A. Barrows, were recently appointed to the post of deputy-governor in the Irish prisons service, and have been allocated to the prisons at Mountjoy, Dublin, and Maryborough, respectively. Captain Burke is 35 years of age, and Mr. Barrows is 28 years. Both these gentlemen joined the Army after the outbreak of the War, and served with distinction at the front. Captain Burke obtained a commission in the Royal Irish Regiment in July, 1915, was subsequently promoted to the rank of staff captain, mentioned in despatches, and has been thanked for his services by the American Government. Mr. Barrows enlisted in the Queen's Westminster Rifles in August, 1914, and was wounded in France in March, 1915. He subsequently received a commission in the Royal Irish Rifles, and served as Intelligence Officer in East Africa. The General Prisons Board regard these gentlemen as highly qualified for the posts to which they have been appointed. They are accustomed to responsible work and the handling of men. The claims of prison warders regarded as eligible for promotion are invariably considered by the Board when making recommendations to the Government as to filling positions on the superior prison staff.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether one of the conditions of service under which the officers at Maryborough Convict Prison accepted service at this prison was that they would receive the £10 allowance which has been withdrawn; whether the circular issued by the General Prisons Board on 9th December, 1916, particularly ratifies the payment of this allowance; and whether he is aware that many officers at present at Maryborough have done their whole service at this prison and have been relying on the word of the Government to pay this allowance, which is paid in all convict prisons excepting those in Ireland?

Prison officers in Ireland are appointed for general service, and no option of accepting service at particular prisons exists, or has existed. The withdrawal of the allowance at Maryborough Prison was one of the conditions on which new scales of pay were sanctioned in April, 1919. The special allowance was continued in England owing to the remote situation of the convict prisons, a factor which cannot be held to apply to Mary-borough in contrast to Irish local prisons.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that there is at present unrest in the Scottish Police Force on account of the great delay in giving effect to many of the recommendations of the Desborough Committee; whether in some of the forces the men are in receipt of the scales of pay, rent aid, other allowances, really unpensionable pay, which have been recommended, while in other forces the scales of pay only, with no other allowances, have been granted; whether Scottish policemen are still at a great disadvantage compared with those in England through their not being able to retire till after they have completed 34 years' service as against 26 years in England; and what steps are being taken by the Scottish Office to deal with these and other grievances which have been intimated by the members of many of the Scottish forces during the recent inspection?

The recommendations of the Desborough Committee with regard to rent and other allowances have been adopted by the great majority of County Police Authorities and a certain number of Burgh Police Authorities in Scotland. Evidence of dissatisfaction among the members of forces in which the allowances are not in operation has been brought to the notice of my right hon. Friend, who proposes to issue a communication to the police authorities concerned. As regards pensions the Desborough Committee recommend a single scale for all forces in Great Britain. This cannot be carried into effect without amending legislation which will be introduced at the earliest opportunity.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will draw the attention of the Scottish Ministry of Health to the fact that recent outbreaks of smallpox in London, Liverpool and other English towns have been limited to a few persons through the energetic action of the health officials of those towns; and whether he will suggest to the Scottish Board of Health that they should make representations to the health officials of the city of Glasgow to the effect that the methods so advantageously adopted in English cities should be followed in Glasgow at the present time, and in any future outbreak, in order that such outbreaks may not spread as the present outbreak has been allowed to spread?

My right hon. Friend is not aware that the measures taken in English towns for the control of outbreaks of smallpox have been more efficient than those taken in Glasgow. The Scottish Board of Health have from the beginning of the outbreak been in daily touch with the public health officials of Glasgow, and are satisfied with the measures taken to deal with the outbreak and to prevent the further spread of the disease later in the season. Adequate arrangements have been made from the start for the hospital accommodation of cases, for the isolation of contracts, and for the free vaccination of the general public.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to a demonstration in Manchester of tenants of business premises, at which a resolution was passed protesting against the action of many landlords in giving their tenants notice to quit without the option of paying an increased rent, or in demanding an unreasonable rent for the premises, and urging the Government to take immediate action to secure the tenants of business premises in their hold-holdings and to restrain the landlords from exacting extortionate rents and whether, in view of the growing agitation on this matter, and of the fact that many notices to quit expire on the 24th of June, he will reconsider his decision and take prompt action to protect these tenants of business premises?

I have received representations from tenants of business premises in Manchester, to the general effect stated in the question. As my right hon. Friend is no doubt aware, a provision for the protection of tenants of business premises within the rental limits applicable to dwelling houses has been inserted in the Increase of Rent and Mortgage Interest (Restrictions) Bill by the Standing Committee.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the Committee to consider the prevention of blindness is not to be composed entirely of experts, he will arrange for a representative of the National League of the Blind to serve on the Committee, in view of the knowledge as to working-class conditions such representative could bring to the deliberations of the Committee?

I am anxious not to increase the number of this Committee unnecessarily. Its deliberations will extend to various kinds of industrial occupations, and it will no doubt seek the assistance of those competent to speak as regards the conditions obtaining in these occupations, so far as they come within the scope of the inquiry, and I have already decided to ask a representative of the Trade Unions to serve on the Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) whether discontent is being caused among teachers in secondary schools owing to the fact that new appointments are being made at salaries higher than those which old members of the staffs are receiving;

(2) whether his attention has been called to a statement by the Chairman of the Stoke-on-Trent Education Committee on 5th May of this year that secondary school teachers were very migratory; whether this migratory tendency is due to the fact that the secondary school teachers are gravely dissatisfied with the conditions of pay;

(3) whether, in many cases, old members of the staff of secondary schools are not receiving salaries to which their qualifications entitle them in accordance with the latest grades of pay?

I have not seen the statement of the Chairman of the Stoke Education Committee to which the hon. and gallant Member refers. I must admit that the salary arrangements adopted for secondary schools by local education authorities and governing bodies in different parts of the country show considerable diversity and some incoherence. A Standing Joint Committee of representatives of local education authorities on the one side, and associations of teachers on the other, under the chairmanship of Lord Burnham, to secure by agreement, on a national basis, the orderly and progressive solution of the salary problem in secondary schools maintained by local education authorities, or secondary schools in which local education authorities accept responsibility for the salary scale, is now sitting, and I hope that its labours will shortly result in a great improvement of the present position.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether grants to universities will be made in the current year to the amount of £1,000,000, and is it intended that in future years the grants shall not fall below this figure; whether the allocation of these sums will be controlled by the Chancellor of the Exchequer or by the President of the Board of Education; and whether universities in receipt of aid from rates raised by local authorities will receive grants in accordance with the principle stated by the Prime Minister on the 14th August, 1918, to a deputation from the University of Wales?

The permanent State grant to universities was raised in 1919–20 from £468,500 to £1,000,000. The same sum is being provided in the present financial year, in addition to certain non-recurrent grants, and will be continued in future years. The responsibility for the distribution of the money rests with the Treasury, which has always adopted the advice of the University Grants Committee. As regards the last part of the question, the doubling of the Treasury grant was decided on some months after the deputation to which the hon. Member refers. The grant to the University of Wales and its constituent colleges is determined by the £ for £ principle, this being in substitution for and not additional to increased grants on the lines of those given to English, Scotch, and Irish universities.

asked the Postmaster-General what progress has been made toward the completion of the underground cables to improve the telephone communications between Hull and London and Hull and other towns; and whether the approximate date of completion can yet be given?

Extensive schemes of underground cables are in hand and the work is proceeding. I regret that it is not possible to give the hon. and gallant Gentleman an approximate date for the completion of this work.

asked the Postmaster-General whether No. 25 on the staff list of 49 men at Taunton was recently promoted to the position of overseer; whether this officer had been exempted from military service whilst six of his seniors had seen service with the colours, with the result that their abilities and qualifications were not known to their official chief who was a newcomer to the office; whether the man promoted had never performed any work in a controlling capacity; and whether he will give an assurance that the men passed over will be specially considered for any future vacancies?

The promotion referred to was made twelve months ago. The officer promoted was exempted from military service on medical grounds. Before the promotion was authorised the claims of all the men who had been on military service were carefully reviewed, and the Postmaster obtained the opinion of supervising officers who were fully acquainted with their qualifications. At the time of his promotion the officer had not had practical controlling experience, but there was no doubt whatever of his ability to control if required. The claims and qualifications of the men passed over will continue to be carefully reviewed when further vacancies arise.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the delay in delivery of telegrams in the London area; and will he issue orders to the telegraph department to take steps to prevent this delay in the future?

There have in the past been cases of delay in the delivery of telegrams in London, due mainly to difficulty in obtaining messengers; but this difficulty has been largely overcome; and I am not aware of any recent cases of the kind. The whole question of the arrangements for delivering telegrams in London is, however, now being considered, with a view to improvements in the system.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the greatly increased cost of sporting cartridges; whether the sale of these cartridges is now entirely controlled by a combine of firms; and whether, in view of the great need of a supply of cheap cartridges for the purpose of killing rabbits and vermin and protection of crops, he will inquire into the present charges by the combine?

I am aware that sporting cartridges have increased in price, and I understand that the principal makers are now included in Explosives Trades, Limited. I am calling the attention of the Central Committee under the Profiteering Act to the suggestion made by my hon. and gallant Friend in the concluding paragraph of the question.

asked the Minister of Labour whether Miss Morgan, 60, Beatrice Road, Bermondsey, S.E., is receiving training in millinery at the training centre established by the Ministry of Labour at Shepherd's Bush, with a maintenance allowance of £1; whether she has applied for a maintenance allowance of 25s. per week, in view of the fact that she is living alone and is entirely dependent upon her own earnings; whether this application has been refused; and, if so, his reason for this refusal?

Dr. MACNAMARA: The facts are as represented in the first and second parts of my hon. Friend's question. Miss Morgan's application for an increase in her maintenance grant was, in the first instance, refused by the Women's Sub-Committee of the Local Employment Committee, but in view of the special circumstances of the case the Sub-Committee were recently requested to reconsider the case. I am hastening a decision, and will communicate with my hon. Friend at once when a decision is reached.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will obtain a return of the floggings in the prisons of the East African Protectorate, with the number of strokes inflicted; and under what authority and supervision such floggings were administered?

Detailed returns have been received half-yearly from the Protectorate for many years, and are scrutinised in the Colonial Office. They can only be inflicted by a sentence of the court or by the award of a visiting justice or the superintendent of the prison in every case in the presence of a medical officer. Any sentence in excess of 12 strokes requires the confirmation of the Governor.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in the Straits Settlements, the old penal code still exists under which a man, having been banished from the Colony, is sentenced to penal servitude for life if he should return; whether there have been several of such sentences recently; whether the judge passing them called attention to the fact that he had no option in the matter; and whether it is time that such a penal code was revised?

Under the Straits Settlements Banishment Ordinance men who return from banishment may either be forthwith removed from the Colony or proceeded against under a Section of the Penal Code which provides for penal servitude for life. A proposal to curtail the term of imprisonment was brought forward by the Government of the Colony in 1914 and dropped owing to the unanimous opposition of the members of the Legislative Council. As a matter of practice such sentences have been reviewed every three years by the Governor. I have no information as to the sentences to which the hon. Member refers, but inquiry will be made.

asked the Home Secretary whether, seeing that the compensation payable under the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906, has been considerably increased, he will reconsider the scale of fees prescribed for and payable to medical referees and assessors appointed by the Secretary of State for services rendered under the Act, having regard to the fact that such fees when prescribed were upon an exceedingly low scale, the responsibility of the work, and especially in view of the present increased awards to applicants and the reduced value of the fees, and taking into consideration that the medical fees under the National Insurance Act have been augmented consequent upon the increased cost of living?

This question will be considered with due regard to all relevant circumstances after the Departmental Committee which has been inquiring into the working of the Workmen's Compensation Act has reported.

asked the Attorney-General whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Indemnity Bill contains no provision giving to the subject the rights and privileges of resort to the courts in cases where it is shown that the War Losses Commission have misdirected themselves ( i.e., directed themselves contrary to the principles to be contained in the Bill as promised to be amended); whether it is the intention of the Government that such rights and privileges should be afforded in any of the following cases, namely, where the Commissioners refused to adjudicate; where on adjudication no damages or damages on a part only of de claim were awarded; and where the claimant was practically bound to accept such damages as may have been awarded owing to the Crown having insisted that the claimant should waive any right he might have to resort to the court as a condition precedent to the Crown entertaining the claim at all?

The Amendments proposed for the purpose of carrying into effect the undertakings given upon the Second Reading of the Indemnity Bill are set out in a White Paper, and contain a provision enabling a claimant to appeal to the Courts by case stated from the Tribunal, which will be presided over by a Judge of the High Court. The question how far, if at all, any Amendments proposed to the Bill are to have a retrospective operation is now being considered by the Select Committee.