asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that men employed in hay pressing by the Army Service Corps at King's Lynn are receiving only 1s. 5d. per hour instead of being paid in accordance with the transport workers' national agreement; and whether, seeing that previous agree- ments have been observed, he will take such steps as will induce the local representative of the Army Service Corps to put the matter in order.

It is not considered that, having regard to the conditions and nature of their employment, the employés in question have a good claim to be treated under the terms of the transport workers' agreement; nor would there appear to be good ground for the suggestion that the present action of the department is at variance with past practice. It has, however, been decided to increase the rate of pay to 1s. 6d. per hour, which is considered to be a fair rate, having regard to all the circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that R. Montgomery, late regimental quartermaster sergeant, 1st battalion, Manchester Regiment, has not been paid warrant officers' pension, to which he is entitled, for his service, with 14 years' colour service, under paragraph J, Army Book 472, nor has he been furnished with statements of personal accounts by the War Office since August, 1919; and under what authority the War Office repudiate this liability?

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

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can give an assurance as to the safety of the British forces stationed at Tekrit, Mesopotamia, in order, if possible, to relieve the anxiety of relatives, who have had no news for some time?

As I stated on Tuesday, in reply to the right hon. Member for South Molton, there is no reason for anxiety about the general safety of the garrison in Mesopotamia. This also includes Tekrit.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the claim of the Whalley Range Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club in respect of their ground at Alexandra Park, Manchester, has yet been settled; and what is the reason for the prolonged delay in this case?

No, sir, the terms of settlement of this claim for compensation are still under consideration. Delay has been caused owing to the necessity for deciding several legal points in connection with the case.

Asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many of the Royal Marine Force are now serving on shore in Ireland; and how many are serving on the Home station, afloat and ashore, exclusive of recruits under training and men serving in Ireland?

The number of Royal Marines serving on shore in Ireland, is—

The number of Royal Marines on home stations (ashore and afloat), exclusive of recruits under training, and men serving in Ireland, is—

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is the intention of the Government to pay the railway fares of Greenwich School boys proceeding to their homes for their holidays; and whether he is aware that the cost of these fares imposes considerable hardship on the mothers who are, in many cases, finding great difficulty in meeting the expenditure entailed?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply which I gave last Wednesday on the same subject to the hon. Members for Devonport (Sir C. Kinloch-Cooke) and Portsmouth Central (Sir T. Bramsdon).

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the suggestion which has been made whereby the costly Horrex's Hotel administration shall be abolished and administered by Earl Haig's Officers' Association, which would be also staffed by service and ex-service men?

The suggestion to which my hon. Friend refers has been discussed with the Officers' Association, and it was not considered practicable, either by the Association or by myself, that they should take over the work of the Appointments Department at the present time. By co-operation with the Association, however, we aim at securing that every effort may be concentrated and co-ordinated to the fullest possible extent to find openings for the men who have deserved so well of the nation. I may add that 99 per cent. of the male staff of the Department is composed of ex-service men.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can give the number of headquarters officers in the Civil Liabilities Department at Savoy Place, namely, those officers immediately under the Controller and above Commissioners; their respective duties and their salaries; whether one of their number was a Baptist minister before the War, and why he has not returned to his ministry; whether, seeing that all applicants for aid are quite properly urged by commissioners as far as possible to return to their pre-War occupations, this essential rule should also be applied to officials at headquarters; and, if this is not the case, whether he will state his reasons?

There are only two officers employed at headquarters of the Civil Liabilities Department immediately under the Controller and above Commissioners. Neither of these officers is or was a Baptist minister. Their respective salaries are £700 per annum, inclusive of war bonus, and their duties are to act as deputies for the Controller—one on the executive, and the other on the administrative side of the Department. There is, however, an examining officer, Captain T. E. Grout, who was a Baptist minister at the outbreak of War. Although 51 years of age, he enlisted in a combatant corps, and was present at the landing in Gallipoli, and was subsequently invalided.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, owing to the greatly reduced number of the claims to be dealt with by the Civil Liabilities Department, the time of the staff is largely occupied in the compilation of statistics; and whether, in view of the fact that economy is so essential, he will consider the propriety of keeping the ex-service officers employed on such necessary work as to keep them fully occupied, especially having regard to the high rate of pay?

The only statistical duties performed in the Civil Liabilities Department are on the essential work of watching progress to prevent accumulation of arrears and consequent delays. Not more than the full time of one officer is occupied by this work. The point raised in the second part of my hon. Friend's question does not therefore arise.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour what is the number of persons now employed, and in what capacity is each of such persons employed, in civil liabilities work in the counties of Sussex and Kent?

Under the old scheme there was a part-time Commissioner for Sussex, and two part-time Commissioners for Kent. The clerical staff for the two counties was four. The two counties have been combined under one Commissioner in the new scheme, assisted by two Investigating Officers, one shorthand-typist and three clerks.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry, of Labour what were the number of new applications and uncompleted cases handed over by the late civil liabilities commissioners for Sussex and Kent, respectively, when those officers were dismissed from their position; and what is the estimated annual cost of the salaries of the staff now engaged in the same work in these two counties?

The total number of new and uncompleted cases taken on the new district registers for the combined Counties of Kent and Sussex at the commencement of the new scheme was 291. As regards the last part of my hon. Friend's question, the present estimated annual cost of the staff employed in the two counties is £1,430, as against £2,200 for the preceding 12 months.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour what was the amount expended on civil liabilities in the Counties of Sussex and Kent during the two periods 1st January to 28th March, and from 28th March to 28th June of the present year?

Records of the grants made are not kept by counties. To make such records would involve an increase of staff. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to supply the information asked for by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour how many ex-members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Women's Royal Naval Service are receiving unemployed donation; and how many of these were in employment before they joined the forces?

The total number of ex-service women claiming out-of-work donation at 9th July was 848. Details with regard to the Corps in which these women served cannot be given without special inquiry. As, however, the payment of donation to women is limited to those who enrolled for the duration of the War in a mobile corps attached to the Admiralty, War Office, or Air Ministry, it may be assumed that the great majority of those now on donation belonged to the largest of these corps, namely, the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps, and that most of the others belonged to the Women's Royal Naval Service or the Women's Royal Air Force. It is not a condition of donation that an ex-service woman should have been in employment before she joined the Forces. She must, however, be prepared to accept suitable employment, and donation is stopped if an offer of suitable employment is refused.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, when Admiralty trawlers commissioned by the Government commenced to fish, ex-service fishermen were unable to obtain berths in privately-owned vessels in any of the ports from which these Admiralty trawlers fished; who reported this unemployment; whether it was corroborated by any of the fishing vessel owners of the Association of Fishermen's Unions; and whether he received a statement from the British Trawlers' Federation in November, 1919, that ex-service men could be absorbed?

I have been asked to answer this question. Numerous appeals for assistance were made by ex-service fishermen to this Ministry's representatives on the coast, but I am not aware of any intimation from members of the Association named in the third part of the question. As regards the last part of the question, I am informed by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Labour, that he cannot trace the receipt of the statement from the British Trawlers' Federation referred to in the question.

asked the Minister of Food the total amount of claims allowed by the Claims Committee of the Ministry of Food on account of bad or defective quality bacon and ham owned by the Ministry of Food since 1st January last?

The greater part of the claims which have been allowed by the various Claims Committees since 1st January last on account of bad or defective quality bacon and hams, relates to goods which fell under the Requisition Order of last year. The allocation of these claims as between the Ministry and the packers concerned, is at the present time the subject of negotiation, and it would be obviously undesirable to publish any figures of the nature asked for by the hon. Member while the negotiations are continuing.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether he is aware that allotment holders in large numbers continue to receive notices to quit; that in many oases the notice is so short as seven and 14 days; that the evictions of allotment holders will involve the loss of a considerable amount of food; and whether, in the public interest and in view of the need for increased production of food, he will take steps to remove the anxiety now existing among allotment holders by securing an Amendment of the legal provisions and the regulations under the Defence of the Realm Act to provide that no notice shall be valid which purports to terminate tenancies of allotments at less than six months, or some other reasonable period?

I am aware that a certain number of allotment holders receive notices to quit from time to time, and that when, as is usually the case, the land is immediately required for housing or building the notice to quit is necessarily short, as every effort is made to retain the land under cultivation until the latest possible date. Although the need for increased food production is still urgent, I am of opinion that in the general public interest the retention of land as allotments cannot be permitted to restrict the development of a town or to prevent the erection of houses, factories, works, etc. For this reason I regret that it is not possible to adopt the suggestion contained in the last paragraph of my hon. Friend's question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether he is aware of dissatisfaction, especially in the Lake district and Cardiff and district, regarding the operation of the Wart Disease of Potatoes Order as it affects allotments; whether it is proposed to make any amendment of that order granting to allotment holders concessions which have been already afforded to farmers; whether he will consider the advisability of creating local committees to represent all interests, including allotment holders, to discuss the scheduling of any area before the Ministry makes a definite decision; and whether, with a view to relieving the hardship entailed on allotment holders in consequence of the order, he will announce any alteration of the order?

Representations have been made to the Ministry by the National Union of Allotment Holders on behalf of allotment holders in the districts named in the question and the Ministry has carefully considered them and replied to them in detail. In reply to the second part of the question, the concession as to the planting of varieties of first early potatoes which are susceptible to Wart Disease in infected areas which was made to market gardeners during last season is being extended, for the planting season 1921, to all growers of potatoes in infected areas, so that there will for that year be no discrimination between allotment holders and large growers. In reply to the third part of the question, the Ministry sees no reason to create local committees to advise in the matter of scheduling areas. The decision is one which must be made upon its own responsibility, frequently in the face of local opposition, and after review of the circumstances from a national standpoint. To assist with advice in such a case the Ministry has the help of the Potato Advisory Committee, now being reconstituted, to which the National Union of Allotment Holders have already been asked to nominate a representative. The Ministry regrets that it does not see its way to make any alteration in the provisions of the Orders other than those indicated above in relation to the planting of first early varieties in 1921.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture the number of small holdings, namely, agricultural holdings exceeding one acre and not exceeding 50 acres, existing in England and Wales in the year 1907 and in each succeeding year since that date?

Number of agricultural holdings exceeding 1 and not exceeding 50 acres in England and Wales in 1907, and in each succeeding year since that date:

asked the Secretary for Scotland in reference to the Glasgow small-pox outbreak, whether any of the small-pox cases or deaths given in the return to 12th July, 1920, as unvaccinated had been vaccinated at any time either before the development of the disease or during the course of the disease; and, if so, will he give particulars?

In the return mentioned, the classification of "unvaccinated" and "vaccinated" is determined by the condition at the date of exposure to infection. Of the 88 cases included under the heading "unvaccinated," 15 were vaccinated between exposure to infection and the development of the disease, 14 successfully and one unsuccessfully. Of these 15 cases, two died. One was a child aged two months who had been successfully vaccinated, and the other was a child aged six years who was unsuccessfully vaccinated four days before the disease developed.