asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in addition to the War Vessels' Production Department in the Liver Buildings, Liverpool, there is also in the same building a department known as the Arming of Merchant Ships Department; and, if so, how many merchant ships have been armed during the past 12 months?

The Department referred to is the "Defensive Equipment of Merchant Ships" Department. Arming merchant ships ceased at the Armistice, but this Department since then has been, and is still, engaged in the reconditioning, where this is a Government liability, of the 4,300 merchant ships equipped with guns and paravanes during the War. It was, however, not considered necessary or expedient to rename this Department when the reconditioning work began. Every effort is being made to close down this Department, and the delay is due to difficulty in obtaining vessels for reconditioning from the owners, who are at present naturally reluctant to lay up ships for this purpose.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when the men of the Trawler Reserves are to receive their medals; and, in view of the fact that it was stated in 1916 that they should participate in prize money, if he will say to whom they should apply for it?

The medals for the men of the Trawler Reserves are now in course of preparation, but it is not practicable at present to state when they will be ready for issue. Public notice will be given when the distribution begins. The members of this section of the Royal Naval Reserve are eligible for Prize Money under the same conditions as apply to the Naval Services generally, i.e., in respect of service in ships of war at sea. Payment is now being made by registrars, Royal Naval Reserve, without application, notices to this effect having been published in the Press on 21st October and 12th June. In the earlier notice it was stated that should men of the Royal Naval Reserve not receive notification from their Registrars within one month of the Admiralty notices opening payment to men whose surnames covered their particular cases, they should apply to the Registrar, Royal Naval Reserve, nearest to their place of residence. Payment is now being made to those whose surnames begin with the letters A, B, C, E, F, G, L, M, N, O, P, S, T, U and V.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether his attention has been drawn to the case of the late Private C. J. Nottage, No. 272509, Royal West Surrey Regiment, who was discharged suffering from chronic gastritis, caused and aggravated by military service; whether he is aware that this man's pension was stopped on 2nd July last, as a result of the report of a medical board that the aggravation had passed away; that two independent doctors in attendance on this man have certified that he is still suffering from acute and chronic gastritis; that Mr. Nottage is at present desperately ill, with absolutely no means of support; and whether his Department is taking any steps to bring this distressing case to a head, in view of the low condition of Mr. Nottage's health?

This man was discharged in October, 1917, on account of chronic gastritis, and was awarded pension on the ground that his disability had been aggravated by service. The medical board which examined him in July, 1919, reported that the aggravation had passed away, and this finding was subsequently confirmed by a medical appeal board and by the medical advisers to the Ministry. An appeal against the consequent discontinuance of pension has been lodged with the Pensions Appeal Tribunal and will, I am informed, be heard on the 22nd November. My right hon. Friend regrets that until the decision of the tribunal has been received he is unable to take any further steps in the matter.

asked the Minister of Pensions what are the terms of reference to the proposed Departmental Committee of his Ministry in connection with the administration of pensions?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bridgeton (Mr. M. Scott) on the 28th October, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many engagement bars, silver British War Medals, and bronze Victory Medals, are required in connection with the European War; whether he will give the particulars of those already struck and engraved; how many soldiers and sailors, including the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve men are still waiting for the 1914–15 Star; and how many years are likely to elapse before the medal recipients get their awards?

The number of silver British War Medals and bronze Victory Medals required is approximately 9,000,000 and 5,500,000 respectively. No estimate of the number of battle clasps required can be given until the question of such award has received further consideration. The number of silver British War Medals struck is 2,994,500, and the number of bronze Victory Medals struck is 171,257; the number engraved is approximately 1,000,000. It is impossible to estimate the number of soldiers awaiting the 1914–15 Star until the final medal rolls have been submitted by officers in charge of records. As regards the last part of the question, it is hoped that the distribution of the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal will have been completed within four years.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the number of silver War Medals which have had to be scrapped through bad workmanship; whether he will give the number of bronze Victory Medals which were struck and engraved and subsequently called in owing to bad manufacture and melted up; whether he is aware that serious trouble has been experienced at Woolwich owing to bad bronzing, which turned black when exposed to the air, and that the temporary preventative to lacquer the surface now in use will wear off in time and turn the bronze finish black; and if he will consider the expediency of consulting expert medallists for advice regarding a permanent bronzing process?

Of the completed silver War Medals, practically none have been scrapped. Approximately 650 bronze Victory Medals were engraved and subse- quently called in, and approximately 550,000 have been melted up owing to a change of design which it was found necessary to carry out. I cannot accept the hon. and gallant Member's statement that the lacquering will wear off in the course of time and turn the bronze finish black. The process of lacquering now in use has been subjected to severe tests and it is confidently expected that it will prove satisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the monopoly exercised by the War Office of practically the whole of the river front at Woolwich, extending to Erith, which makes the whole of the business community dependent upon Government work; and what work, if any, he can allocate to Woolwich?

I am aware that Woolwich Arsenal extends along the river front to a considerable extent. The War Office are very willing to consider any suggestions for the establishment of private undertakings on suitable parts of the river front at Woolwich. As many War Office orders as possible are already allocated to Woolwich, but the hon. Member will appreciate that these will not now afford very much work for an arsenal of the size of Woolwich.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether he is aware that in the neighbourhood of Wareham there is a large shed with a double-span roof which has been erected since the Armistice as a shelter for tanks; whether this shed has ever been used at all; and what steps have been taken to dispose of the material and to free the land for other purposes?

I have been asked to answer this question. No such building has been erected at Wareham by the War Office since the Armistice. The hon. and gallant Member apparently refers to the tank repair bay which was completed about February, 1918. It was extensively used during 1918 for storing tanks and for training purposes, and has been similarly used since the Armistice, although training was not so heavy during 1919 and 1920. The building will be required for storing tanks which will be used by new tank units now in process of being raised and trained.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men in the Indian Army who enlisted for the period of the Great War are now being detained in Mesopotamia and Northern Persia?

The General Officer Commanding Mesopotamia has already been asked by cable to furnish this information, and I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as a reply is received.

asked the Postmaster General whether, considering that sorters have been working overtime for a considerable priod in the London district, more vacancies can now be offered to the large number of ex-soldiers registered and waiting for this employment?

The overtime worked by sorters in the London postal service is always high during the summer, on account of absences on annual leave. With the end of the leave session it is now decreasing steadily. Some of the overtime is caused by fluctuation of work, which cannot otherwise be provided for; but additional force is employed where justified, and as many ex-service men as possible are being engaged. A large number of new appointments for sorters has already been created during the current year.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider the suggestion that all ex-service men at present serving as temporary Civil servants and who have been successful at one of the reconstruction examinations be absorbed into the permanent clerical class, or, failing that, that all ex-service men appointed to the Civil Service in a temporary capacity as clerks as a result of the recent Substitution Board should be allowed to sit at the coming examination?

The question of the method of appointment of ex-service men temporarily employed in Government Departments to permanent posts in the Civil Service is at present being considered by Lord Lytton's Committee.

asked the Attorney-General whether a petition of right asking for his fiat on behalf of certain members of the special sections of the Royal Engineers was lodged at the Home Office in June last; whether the delay is due to the Treasury, to the Postmaster-General, or to the Law Officers of the Crown; and whether, having regard to the very considerable lapse of time, he will give an assurance that the reply to the petition shall be expedited as much as possible?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. The reply to the first paragraph of the question is in the affirmative. I have to-day submitted the Petition to His Majesty with a recommendation that His fiat should be granted. I regret that owing to the fact that legal questions of some intricacy were involved it has not been possible to deal with the matter more speedily.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to a paragraph on page 93 in the Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops for 1919 to the effect that the Factories and Workshops Act should be extended to cover workshops and factories not carried on for direct gain; whether, in view of the instances quoted therein, to the effect that certain women were employed for 74½ hours a week, including Sunday, for four consecutive weeks, the extension of the Factories and Workshops Act to cover such instances is a most pressing and urgent matter; and consequently will he undertake to urge upon the Government to grant facilities for such an Act before the close of the present Session?

Yes, Sir, the case was brought to my notice at the time, and the point has been noted for consideration in connection with the amending factory legislation which the Government hope to introduce in the near future. Cases of the kind are not numerous, and I cannot promise immediate legislation.

asked the Home Secretary how many graves of German combatants and German civilians who died in the War are in this country; whether in any case the remains are being reinterred in Germany; and what arrangements are being made for the proper care and maintenance of the graves?

The approximate number of German combatants and civilians buried in this country is 2,500. Under the Peace Treaty the British Government is bound to give facilities for the transport of bodies of German combatants to Germany, but no official request to this effect has been brought to the notice of the Imperial War Graves Commission. The care of the graves in question has recently been for the time being entrusted to my Department and arrangements are now being made for a complete survey.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the present monthly cost of the Army of Occupation in Germany?

The present monthly cost of the British Army of Occupation on the Rhine is £300,000.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps the Government is taking to defend the interests of English Government officials and civil servants in Egypt under the new scheme of self-government for that country; and if they intend to see that those who may be forced to leave Egypt because of the altered regime are offered similar work in other British possessions?

In any alterations that may be introduced into the Government of Egypt adequate measures will be adopted to protect the interests of British civil servants, who will have an opportunity of expressing their views before a decision affecting their future is taken.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether the action of the police in Tralee in holding up all business in that place in order to induce the inhabitants to give up two policemen taken prisoner by the Irish Volunteers was taken with the consent and knowledge of the county inspector of police at Tralee; if so, what disciplinary measures have been taken against him; and, if not, whether the county inspector has been, or will be, replaced by an officer who will enforce the provisions of British law?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his similar question on this subject asked on the 11th instant, from which he will see that the question of disciplinary action in this case does not arise.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland who is the competent military authority under whose order the arrest of Mrs. Annan Bryce was made?

The competent military authority under whose orders Mrs. Annan Bryce was arrested is the General Officer Commanding the Dublin District.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the Board of Education has ruled that years of service, as mentioned in the Burnham Report on Salaries of Teachers, means service in England, Scotland, and Wales, but not service in Ireland?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is awara that Professor Ludwig Becker has now re-commenced lecturing to students at Glasgow University; and why he continues to be employed there in view of the resolution of the University Court last July that he should be retired?

I am aware of the fact stated in the first part of the question. The resolution of the University Court of the 10th June last was duly submitted to His Majesty in Council for approval. The conditions, however, on which the Court proposed to effect Professor Becker's retirement were considered to be ultra vires of that body, and the resolution could not therefore be approved unless the conditions of retirement were amended. The University Court have been so informed, and further action rests with them.

asked the Secretary of State for India what provision has been made for the adjustment of the retired pay of those officers of the Indian Army who were retained in the Army during the War beyond the date on which they became eligible for retirement, similar to the rules already issued by which officers of the British service have been treated as retired and called-up officers from the date when such retirement was due, and paid accordingly with retrospective effect?

I am in correspondence with the War Office on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will consult the Viceroy as to the advisability of introducing a rule in elections for Imperial and provincial legislative councils in India requiring a deposit from each candidate for election, to be returned if the candidate secures a prescribed number of votes, but otherwise to be forfeited, similar to the rule in force in the United Kingdom and to the rule lately introduced in the new constitution for Malta?

As I informed my hon. and gallant Friend in replying to a previous question, the Government of India have already considered this pro- posal and advised against its adoption at present.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the British Government has approved of the agreement between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and other British oil companies and the French group headed by Sir Basil Zaharoff; and whether the British Government proposes to invest any sums in the French company in consequence of this agreement?

I cannot add anything to the reply given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for Springburn (Mr. Macquisten) on the 8th instant. In regard to the second part of the question, the answer is "No, Sir!"

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use has been made up to the present by British traders of the export credit system financed by the Government; and whether he has considered the desirability of its extension?

I have been asked to reply. The advances sanctioned up to date amount to £473,049; the advances actually made amount to £98,186. As regards the last part of the question, I may refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on the 25th October to the hon. Member for Buckingham Division (Captain Bowyer), in which the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade explained the measures recently adopted to facilitate the utilisation of the scheme. I may add that since that date there has been a very marked increase in the number of applications received by the Export Credits Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether large quantities of baskets and of cane and willow furniture are being imported into this country from Germany, Holland, Denmark, and France, and numbers of these articles sold as English manufacture; and whether he will have inquiries made into the matter?

Certain quantities of baskets and basketware are being imported from Germany, Holland, and France; but the total imports of these articles into this country are probably not in excess of the pre-war imports. As regards the second part of the question, the Merchandise Marks Act, 1887, prohibits the sale in this country of goods to which a false trade description within the meaning of the Act is applied, and if the hon. Member can furnish particulars of cases in which such imported basketware has been marked as English and sold under that description, I shall be happy to consider the possibility of instituting a prosecution under the Act.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the average weekly value of goods imported into Great Britain each week from Ireland; what proportion of these imports are foodstuffs; and how far it is anticipated that the threatened stoppage of the Irish railways will affect the sale of foodstuffs in this country?

The Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland has furnished the following information:—

IMPORTS INTO GREAT BRITAIN FROM IRELAND.
Year.	Average Weekly Value.
	Total.	Of which Food (exclusive of Drink) and Food Animals.
	£	£
1918	2,930,000	1,317,000
1919	3,348,000	1,445,000

No later figures can be given, as values are only computed for a whole year. It is, however, believed that the present average weekly value of the imports of food into Great Britain from Ireland is greater than the average of 1919. A stoppage of Irish railways would naturally be followed by the cessation of exports of foodstuffs from the districts affected.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Rates Advisory Committee is open to receive objections, in special cases involving hardship, to the recent increase in the cheap early train fares; if this be so, what procedure should be adopted by those wishing to obtain redress; whether the Rates Advisory Committee have considered the fact that, in view of the enormous unemployment in the London docks, this increase involves great hardship to those workers who have to travel by train to seek work with but little hope of finding work at the end of the journey, and who, if they do not find work, have to return during the day when the fares are at the ordinary passenger rate, and therefore in addition waste the return journey or their early cheap train ticket; and, if consideration has not been taken of this fact, will he immediately take steps to inform the Committee of this position, which is at present causing widespread unrest at the docks?

The Rates Advisory Committee held a public inquiry into the question of cheap early train fares, of which due notice was given, so recently as July last; representatives of various public bodies gave evidence and before making their report the Committee gave very careful consideration to all the facts submitted.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller whether the transport "Meteor," originally built for the Hamburg-America line for work in the Norwegian fjords, is now being run in the Mediterranean as a first-class passenger vessel under conditions for which it is not fitted; and whether there are general complaints as to the accommodation and catering, which in neither case is up to first-class standard, although the prices charged are on the first-class scale?

This vessel, which has been mainly used as a military transport, was recently employed for a voyage between Marseilles and Egypt with the object of assisting the return to Egypt of large numbers of first-class passengers who could not obtain accommodation in the ordinary liners. Some of the accommodation in the "Meteor" is not up to the standard of first-class passenger liners, and for this accommodation a specially reduced rate was charged. Some complaints regarding accommoda- tion and catering have been received, but I would point out that this vessel was specially put on to deal with an emergency and to meet the convenience of the public.

asked the Minister of Food whether in re-controlling bacon in August, 1919, his predecessor followed closely the advice of his Advisory Committee; and, if so, why he has refrained from contradicting the public statements on this subject by members of that Advisory Committee?

Before bacon was re-controlled in August, 1919, competent advice was taken by my predecessor from trade experts. I have not had the advantage of seeing the public statements referred to by the hon. Member, but if he will be good enough to let me have these statements, and the names of the persons who have made them, I shall be glad to investigate the matter.

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that when British manufacturers using sugar in their productions were compelled to pay 160s. per cwt. for the same sugar that was distributed, through the wholesale grocers, to the public at 112s. per cwt. they were informed that it was the world's price; and, now that the same price of 96s. is paid both by manufacturers and wholesale grocers under the rationing arrangement, and as he is alleged to have stated that sugar will probably be decontrolled early in the new year, whether he will now allow manufacturers forthwith to make their own purchases, independent of the Royal Commission on Sugar, for immediate and prospective needs, so that the retail price of their commodities can be stabilised and violent fluctuations avoided, and thus manufacturers can use their own intelligence as to the course of the market?

The prices named by the hon. Member as charged to manufacturers, namely, 160s. and 96s. per cwt., did in fact approximate to the level of prices in the world market at the beginning of the respective four-weekly periods for which they were fixed. I hope to be in a position in a few days to make a statement of policy regarding the removal of restrictions on the import and sale of sugar.

askèd the Minister of Food whether for about two months at the beginning of the season Government butter was not taken up by the distributors, as the new home butter could be bought more cheaply, a large proportion that ought to have gone into consumption was retained in Government stores, and therefore deteriorated, thus causing waste; whether a careful estimate has been prepared for the new season in order to absorb all the stored butter before the new season's supply is to hand; and whether it is proposed to increase the amount of ration and thus avoid a repetition of last year's inconvenience and loss?

The hon. Member presumably refers to the months of May and June last, when allotments of Government butter were declined by traders to the extent of about 3,800 tons, or approximately 25 per cent, of the allotments. The saving of supplies thus effected enabled the Ministry to maintain issues of Government butter at the rate of 1½ ozs. per head per week of the population for three weeks longer than would otherwise have been possible. No financial loss was incurred in respect of the supplies referred to by deterioration. The stocks of butter held by the Ministry have been depleted considerably during the last two months and are not unduly large at the present time. Shipments of new Australasian supplies, however, have now commenced, and the rate of distribution will be increased to 1½ ozs. per head per week with the distribution beginning on the 22nd instant, and available for consumption on the 29th instant.

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland the percentage of decline in the acreage of wheat in Ireland for 1920 as compared with 1919; and can he give any explanation of the decline?

Although from 1919 to 1920, the area under corn in Ireland decreased by only 6·4 per cent., the decrease in the small area under wheat was 28·7 per cent., a loss of only 19,963 acres. Wheat and barley are often competing crops in Ireland, and as the Irish farmers found barley more profitable than wheat in 1919 they increased their area under barley in 1920 by 21,090 acres or 11·3 per cent, at the expense of the wheat area.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether he is aware that the allotments in Bingley to which his attention has been drawn were not let temporarily, but were subject to the usual condition of 12 months' notice, and that the local authority do not propose to provide suitable alternative land for the allotment holders and have taken no action beyond giving the holders notice in order to convert the allotments into a bowling-green; and whether, in view of all the circumstances, he will exercise his influence with the local authority to prevent the destruction which will be involved by their present policy?

As I stated in the reply which I gave to the hon. Member with regard to this case on the 4th inst., the land in question was purchased for the purpose of a public park and was let temporarily in allotments on agreements providing for twelve months' notice. Notices to quit were given in accordance with the agreements with the allotment holders expiring on the 1st March next. As regards the question of alternative land, the Ministry's Commissioner for the district has been informed by the Clerk to the urban district council that it is intended to provide suitable land at Crossflats, on part of the Ryshworth Hall Estate.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that the continuance of the Excess Profits Duty at 60 per cent, is not in accordance with his statement when introducing the same, he is aware that great losses have accrued to traders who entered into contracts on such basis of reduction; and what remedy does he propose as equity in the matter?

I am sorry to say that I do not understand the first part of the question. I cannot agree with the second, and I have nothing to add to my previous statements in respect of the third.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the High Court has decided in the case of Gillette Safety Razor v. Inland Revenue Commissioners that the Regulation made by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue whereby Section 31 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, was made applicable to Excess Profits Duty is invalid; will imported German goods be liable to Excess Profits Duty, arising on the judgment of the Courts; and will he take steps to make such profits liable to Excess Profits Duty or otherwise to contribute towards the national revenue?

In the case to which my hon. Friend refers it was held that the American company was not carrying on business in this country, and was therefore not liable to Excess Profits Duty. In the course of his decision the learned Judge indicated that the provisions of the Section referred to could not be applied to the Excess Profits Duty, so as to extend the charge to cases of this character. Where, however, a foreign concern carries on business in this country through a branch or agent, the profits arising in this country are within the charge to Excess Profits Duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the officials in the Income Tax and Estate Duty Offices have been requested to proffer suggestions as to alternative taxes which might be levied if Excess Profits Duty was abolished; whether the suggestions made in answer to such request have been accepted by him or refused; and will he publish the same if he intends to accept them, so that the commercial community may consider their merits?

In the ordinary course of their duty the Board of Inland Revenue are considering possible alterations in taxation, and I am, as always, in close communication with them. I understand that they have invited suggestions from members of their staff, but I am certainly not in a position to put forward any proposals at the present time, even if I thought it desirable to depart from the ordinary course of reserving taxing proposals for the Budget statement.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if it is a fact that the established branch of the Inland Revenue have not yet been paid out the advances in wages due to the men concerned under Award 81A of the Civil Service Arbitration Board; whether this agreement is now nearly three months old; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the matter with a view to the award being put into operation?

The calculation of the sums under the Award in question was a complicated process and necessarily occupied some time. All payments due have, however, now been made.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has consulted the Association of Poor Law Unions regarding the proposed transfer of their hospitals to the county councils, under Clause 11 of the Ministry of Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill; how many beds are provided in Poor Law hospitals and infirmaries, in workhouses, and in separate institutions; how many of these beds were vacant on the 1st of March and the 1st of September, 1920, respectively; and whether accommodation will be reserved for the boards of guardians' needs in any hospitals or infirmaries to be transferred to the control or administration of the county councils?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. With regard to the second part of the question, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT such information as I have as to beds in Poor Law institutions. With regard to the last part of the question, a transfer would clearly not be approved if, as a result, persons who at present can obtain hospital treatment would suffer.