asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office if he is aware that the gas stoves which were installed in the married quarters in Artillery Place, Woolwich, when these dwellings were handed over to munitions workers in 1915 were removed when they were reoccupied by soldiers' families in 1920; that considerable inconvenience is caused to the occupants by the absence of such stoves, and moreover that considerable feeling exists among them owing to the fact that apparently what was considered necessary for munitions workers can be dispensed with in the case of married non-commissioned officers and men; and if he will consider having the stoves replaced?

I am informed that the Ministry of Munitions installed gas stoves in the quarters referred to, with a penny-in-the-slot meter for each stove. These fittings were removed by the Ministry when the quarters were handed back to the War Office. Gas stoves are not an authorized supply for military quarters, as ordinary ranges and grates are installed and fuel is issued (or an allowance paid in lieu).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, (1) if there are still Egyptian lab our corps employed with the British Army in Palestine and Egypt, and who pays for them;

(2) if there are Egyptian military police still employed in Egypt and Palestine, and who pays for them?

Egyptian military police and. Egyptian lab our corps are still being employed with the British Army in Palestine and Egypt, and are being paid for through War Office Votes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the mining depot at Cromarty Firth is still employing over 100 men; whether their main task is looking after a large number of obsolete deep-sea mines; and whether this staff could be more rapidly reduced?

The number of workers employed at Dalmore Mining Depot on 31st March was 103. Their main task is to carry out upkeep work on mines and on the depot itself. The mines in question are not obsolete. Every effort is being made to reduce the staff consistently with keeping the mines and depot in an efficient condition.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is now able to give an answer as to the revised scale of fees for Admiralty surgeons?

The revised scales of fees have now been promulgated in a Fleet Order, with the exception of those for medical examinations, which are still under discussion. I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy of the Order in question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, when there is a reduction of the number of artisans employed in the Royal Dockyards, a corresponding reduction of the clerical and supervising staffs is made?

It is not always possible to make immediate reductions of clerical and supervising staffs as the result of discharge of artisans, but such reductions are made as and when all the circumstances, including the numbers of workmen employed, enable this to be done.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether Richard Carmen, A.B., Fort Blockhouse, Submarine Base, was placed under arrest at Portsmouth on Saturday last without any charge being made against him; whether Carmen was arrested because of certain expressions of sympathy with the workers in the present dispute made by him in the mess; if not, the reason for the arrest; and whether any charge is to be made against him?

Able seaman Carmen was placed under arrest on Saturday last, not for the reason stated by the hon. Member, but on the report of a petty officer that he had committed an act to the prejudice of good order and naval discipline by handing to him a seditious pamphlet. This charge was at once investigated and dismissed, and Carmen was released from arrest. He was under arrest for less than two hours.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Admiralty intend to recognize the services rendered by salvage parties of dockyard workmen in the earlier stages of the War prior to the issuing of the Order C. Sec. P. L. 1550/17/318; in what manner the £4,610 awarded to the Admiralty for the salvage of the ss. "Valacia" at Plymouth has been distributed, and who determined the method of distribution; and whether it is the intention of the Admiralty to recognize the services of the dockyard workmen employed in the salvage of the ss. "Valacia" at Plymouth on the 2nd of April, 1917, and following days, especially in view of the fact that the workmen were employed under dangerous conditions and in very inclement weather, and that salvage money has been paid to the naval officers and men, and officers and men of the tugs involved in the salvage of this vessel, although their services would have been of no use but for the work done on the damaged vessel by the workmen from the dockyard 'employed thereon under the above conditions?

With regard to the first part of the question, the services rendered by salvage parties have been recognized, although it has not been possible in all cases to supplement the special rates of remuneration by shares in salvage awards. As regards the rest of the question, the Admiralty authorized a claim by all those who took part in the salvage operations of the ss. "Valacia." Investigations are being made whether the work performed by the dockyard salvage party can properly be regarded as part of the salvage operation, and when these are completed I will inform the hon. Member of the result.

asked the Secretary of State for India, whether, subsequent to the exercise of martial-law in the Punjab, Colonel Frank Johnson, one of those censured in connection therewith, was granted a concession in connection with oil in either India or Burma; and, if so, on whose responsibility such a step was taken?

I have ascertained that the officer named has not received a concession in Baluchistan or Assam. I have not yet heard as to the Punjab or Burma, but will let the hon. and gallant Member know.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has received a cable from the Burmese associations protesting against a new policy of repression in Burma; in what this new policy consists, and what are the reasons for any such policy?

I have received a telegram of the nature indicated. It doss not state what are the acts against which it protests.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the possession of Bolshevik gold, in like manner with the possession of rouble notes, is illegal in India under the operation of Act XXX. of 1920?

The Act does not affect the possession of Bolshevik gold. I assume my hon. Friend to refer to gold obtained by the present Russian Govern ment from its predecessor or private institutions in Russia. There is, I understand, no prohibition on the importation of gold from Russia into this country.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether in the forthcoming census the Indians in other parts of Asia than India, in Africa, and elsewhere will be counted; and whether due regard will be paid to the necessity for a comparative consideration of the economic conditions and cost of living in India, compared with the like conditions and cost in other Oriental and also in Occidental countries?

The Indian Census has already been taken. Arrangements were made for collecting statistics of Indians in other parts of the British Empire, but not in foreign countries. Information regarding cost of living or economic conditions, except as regards occupations, was not collected at the census, and I do not think it would have been practicable to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether any subsidy is now being paid to the Amir of Afghanistan; and, if so, whether the dispatch of a delegation to Berlin, Poland, and Latvia to announce the accession of the new Amir and the complete independence of Afghanistan is compatible with the conditions under which such subsidy is paid?

No subsidy is now being paid to the Amir of Afghanistan.

asked the Secretary of State for India how many Indian native regiments remain in Mesopotamia and Palestine; how many more have returned to India from service overseas; and what is the total number of units, both cavalry and infantry, that have been demobilized in India?

At present there are 36 battalions of Indian infantry and five regiments of Indian cavalry in Mesopotamia and Persia, and five battalions of infantry and three regiments of cavalry in Palestine. Since 1st January, 22 infantry battalions and seven cavalry regiments have returned to India from overseas. The total numbers of units of which the demobilization in India has been reported to me are four regiments of Indian cavalry and four additional squadrons, and 53 battalions of infantry. All these are temporary units raised during the War, and the demobilization of such units is still in progress.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the Madras corporation has by a majority of one, and against general protest, given 22 acres of a public park in one of the most crowded districts of the city to a local dramatic society for the purposes of a theatre; and whether the Government has any power left to make representations against such a course?

I have not previously heard of this matter. It is a matter within the discretion of the Government of Madras.

asked the Home Secretary whether Sean McGraith, an Irishman resident in England, has been arrested in England and deported without trial and without any charge being made against him; whether the same has been done in the case of other Irishmen resident in England; and, if so, how many cases and under what statute such arrests and deportations are made

Mr. McGraith was arrested in London and has been interned in Ireland in pursuance of Regulation 14B of the Regulations made under the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act. He is interned as a person who is suspected of acting, having acted, and being about to act in a manner prejudicial to the restoration and maintenance of order in Ireland. I have made orders for the internment of a total of 13 other persons on the same grounds.

asked the Chief Secretary the result of the official inquiry into the murders of William Loughnane and Laurence Hinckley and the attempted murder on the same occasion of men named Regan, Griffin, Leahy, and Lupton, all of Thurles?

The finding of the Military Court of Inquiry in lieu of inquest into the deaths of Lawrence Hickey and William Loughnane was that they were wilfully murdered by persons unknown. The police have up to the present been unable to obtain any evidence leading to the identification of the person by whom these murders were committed or of the persons by whom the houses of the other persons mentioned in the question were raided on the same night.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if it is the intention of the Government to levy the 50 per cent, reparation duty on goods imported into the United Kingdom from neutral countries when such goods were bought from Germany and paid for in full by firms in neutral countries before the 8th March, and now lying in neutral countries?

In pursuance of an Order made by the Board of Trade on April 7th, the Reparation levy is waived in respect of articles imported into the United Kingdom prior to 15th May, which are proved to the satisfaction of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise to have been purchased under a contract entered into before 8th March, and to have passed into the physical possession and property of some person other than a German national before that date.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether exception will be made with regard to fruit in demanding certificates of origin, having regard to the fact that such certificates under such circumstances would be an unnecessary restriction and an expense?

Instructions have already been issued by the Board of Customs and Excise to their officers that, in connection with the administration of the German Reparation (Recovery) Act, certificates of origin may be dispensed with in respect of certain articles, including raw fruit and green vegetables, in the absence of any ground for suspecting German origin.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the London Coal Committee have failed to carry out their promise to distribute the 1,000 tons of coal given by Messrs. S. In stone and Company, As kern Colliery, to the London unemployed, with the result that a considerable part of the gift has not reached the persons to whom the coal has been allocated; the reason of their failure; and if he proposes to take any steps whereby the coal-will reach the persons to whom it has been promised?

When Messrs. In stone offered this coal, the Department lent its good offices to arrange a practicable scheme of distribution. As a result, the London Coal Committee (which is a trade organization) agreed with the mayors of the boroughs concerned to distribute the coal free of charge, and after distributing some of the coal they withdrew from the arrangement on the ground that the coal supplied was unsuitable for domestic use. Apart from the merchants' organization the Department has no means of distributing the coal, but would be glad to assist in any way that it could.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if any coal has been exported from this country to Russia since the trade agreement was made between this nation and Russia; and, if the answer is in the affirmative, can he state the quantity, the port of shipment, and the price f. o. b.?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he is aware that one of the sphinxes at the base of Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment, has been for some years, and still is, perforated in consequence of enemy attack; and whether he intends to take any steps to protect this statue against subsequent damage through the entry of water, and when?

The monument in question is under the control of the London County Council.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the grave situation in East Africa owing to the currency question; and if anything can be done to assist the planters?

I am informed that many of the planters in East Africa are in serious difficulties, but it is a matter of opinion how far those difficulties are due to the currency questions which have arisen. I am advised that no arrangement for assisting planters is practicable short of a revival of world-trade, and the consequent increase of the prices obtainable for raw materials.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information as to when the Canadian Government, or the Government of any other of His Majesty's Dominions, is likely to pass reciprocal legislation to the Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Act, 1920?

The Newfoundland Government stated in February last that they proposed to introduce legislation in the coming Session. I am unable at present to say when legislation will be passed in the other self-governing dominions. Legislation has already been passed in some of the colonies, and I anticipate that legislation will shortly be passed in the remainder. I understand that a Bill has been introduced into the Council of State in India.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is able to furnish a summary of the recommendations contained in the Report of the South African Commission on the position of Indians in the territory of the Union; whether the Union Government have indicated what action they propose to take thereon; and whether the views of the Government of India have yet been expressed on proposals so seriously affecting the interests of large numbers of Indians?

I will place a copy of the Report, which contains a summary of the recommendations, in the Library of the House. The Union Government have decided to postpone legislation until the next Session of the Union Parliament. I understand that the Report has not yet been considered by the Government of India. Any views which they may express will be communicated to the Union Government.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a board of investigation has yet been appointed to inquire into the system of mui tsai existing in Hong Kong; what is the composition of the board; and whether, in view of the fact that complaints in regard to this system mostly refer to girls who are sold into other households, women are included on the board of investigation?

I am not aware of the appointment of any such board. I am informed that a committee of Chinese ladies is being formed to assist in this particular the Po Leung Kuk, a Chinese society of high standing, which is of the greatest assistance to the Colonial Government in all matters connected with the protection of women and girls.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received information as to protests made by the Indian community in Uganda against the inadequacy of the representation allotted to them in the legislative council; and whether such allocation will be reconsidered in view of the widespread dissatisfaction which exists in the community on this subject?

It was intended that the new Legislative Council of Uganda should contain three nominated unofficial members of whom two should be Europeans and one an Indian, but the Indian community have refused to avail themselves of this representation. Until they show themselves willing to co-operate in the work of the Council on the lines laid down, I am advised that it would not be desirable to increase their representation, and that such increase would not be justified on a comparison of the European and Indian interests involved.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has recently been called to the fact that officers and others with the forces in Ireland have sent sums of money by registered letters to friends in this country: that the letters have been Opened and the money appropriated, the letters being afterwards delivered to the relatives; that although claims have been made in several cases the Post Office has repudiated liability for compensation; and whether this is the policy adopted by his Department in the case of such letters?

I understand the hon. Member to suggest that the Post Office has upon some special ground repudiated liability in respect of money stolen out of registered letters while in course of transmission by post from Ireland to Great Britain. I am not aware that this is so, and I shall be glad if the hon. Member will supply me with particulars of the claims which he has in mind.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the total amount of the debt owing by local authorities in Scotland?

The total outstanding debt of local authorities in Scotland at the close of the year 1916–17, the latest year for which local taxation returns have been issued, was £62,873,064.

asked the Minister of Health the total amount of the debt owing by local authorities in England and Wales?

On 31st March, 1919, (the latest date for which complete particulars are at present available) the total of the gross outstanding loan debts of the local authorities in England and Wales was £543,500,000.

asked the Home Secretary if the inquiry into the unrest at Dart moor prison among the staff and prisoners was an impartial one; if the deputy governor was permitted to select officers and others to give evidence on his behalf, and the staff were refused a like privilege; whether a complaint from a meeting of the staff was sent to the Commissioners relating to the deputy governor and militarism, and not from a few officers; and whether he will consider the advisability of abandoning what is known as the rule of silence in prisons where it is applied rigorously or with moderation?

The inquiry was conducted by two of the Directors of Convict Prisons, and was strictly impartial. Full opportunity was given to any member of the staff to come forward and give evidence. No complaint from a meeting of the staff reached the Directors, previous to the inquiry, but at the inquiry certain resolutions, passed at a meeting of some of the staff, were submitted to the tribunal, which arrived at the conclusion that the allegations made against the deputy governor could not be sustained. Promiscuous and unrestrained conversation between prisoners would not be consistent with good order and discipline. The regulations now permit of reasonable opportunity for talking' under prescribed conditions.

asked the Home Secretary whether, seeing that, by the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, in- dustrial assurance policies of £25 face value and under, if such policies had been in force for two complete years before the declaration of war, do not lapse unless they have been discharged by a claim there under or a surrender value being paid thereon, is he aware that the societies and other associations liable under these policies have tried to evade the Emergency Powers Act and have served lapse notices on the policy holders, and causing them to believe that their policies have lapsed; and whether, failing his having these companies prosecuted for a fraudulent practice, he will have a Return made of such policies and intimation made to the holders, who are in many cases the families of soldiers and sailors, that their policies are not lapsed, and so secure them the benefits of the Act and prevent the accomplishment of a fraud?

Complaints of the nature to which my hon. Friend refers were made in evidence before Lord Par moor's Committee, and provision for a proper intimation to policy-holders will be made in the Bill which is to be introduced to carry out that Committee's recommendations.

asked the Home Secretary whether on 23rd February a drawing-room meeting was held at Burnaby Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth, with the Vicar of St. Stephen's Church, Bournemouth, in the chair, to hear an address by Mr. R. C. Grey, an Irishman and a distinguished ex-civil servant, on conditions in Ireland; whether on the 28th February the house was visited by a detective, who made inquiries regarding the nature of the meeting, and visited the Vicar of St. Stephen's; and whether he will take steps to advise the police authorities against unnecessary inquiries of this kind?

The incident referred to has not previously been brought to my notice, and it does not appear from the statements in the question that the police did anything beyond asking for information. But if the hon. Member has any serious complaint to make I will have inquiry made in regard to it.

asked the Home Secretary on what basis foremen of works, new grade clerks, chief wardresses, and matrons, classes 1, 2, and 3, are allotted to the different prisons in England?

Foremen of works are appointed to selected large prisons where the work is held to be of such importance as to justify an officer of that rank. New grade clerks are allotted to prisons according to the clerical requirements of each prison. There are only three prisons to which a chief wardress is appointed. The population of the other prisons does not justify such an appointment. The establishment of matrons allows of a certain number of matrons, classes 1 and 2. These are allotted to the various prisons where a lady superintendent is not employed, class 1 to the larger class, 2 to the smaller.

asked the Home Secretary whether under the existing Licensing Act, there is an appeal in the case of a county borough where a licence has been referred for compensation to any outside authority on the ground of redundancy; and whether, in that case, he will consider the advisability of granting in the coming Licensing Bill an appeal to Quarter Sessions in such cases?

I understand that the words "an appeal" in the first part of the question should read "no appeal" and that the question refers to the fact that in a county borough both the renewal authority, which refers licences for compensation, and the compensation authority, which finally decides what licences are to be extinguished, are composed of borough Justices. I doubt, as at present advised, the desirability of the suggestion that the final decision as to the licences which ought to be extinguished with compensation in a county borough should be taken out of the hands of the borough Justices and given to county Justices.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the present censorship of plays is being held up to ridicule, and of the widespread opinion that under the present system good plays are sometimes banned whilst plays exceeding the limits of propriety are allowed, steps will be taken to review the present system and to invite suggestions from representative people as to a more effective method of exercising control over stage performances?

The Prime Minister has asked me to reply to this question. As the hon. Member is aware, the Lord Chamberlain is responsible for the censorship of stage plays. Neither he nor I have any information supporting the statements in the question, and I am not prepared to take any action in the matter.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will inform the House of the several amounts paid in fees to the four Counsel appearing for the Crown in the prosecution which took place at the recent Cardiff Assizes relating to the scuttling of the ss. "Glendalough"; and why, having regard to the fact that the Government are curtailing their expenditure in essential matters such as education, the expense of employing the Solicitor-General, a King's Counsel, and two junior Counsel was incurred for the purpose of such prosecution?

I have been asked to answer this question. No fees have yet been paid to Counsel for the prosecution. As to the second part of the question, the case was one of a wholly exceptional character, and involved very considerable preparation. It was described by the learned Judge who tried it as of "supreme importance" He stated that it was essential that in a community which is dependent for its very existence upon its mercantile marine the strictest investigation should be made wherever an allegation of impropriety or of a criminal offence is made against those who have the management or care of vessels. The case occupied 16 days at the police-court and five days at the trial. One case was tried out, and both defendants were convicted; in the second case, after it had been opened, the defendant pleaded guilty. The depositions and exhibits were very voluminous and amounted to some 4,000 folios of written matter. The case was the outcome of an inquiry which lasted for 20 days before a Court of Inquiry sitting at the instance of the Board of Trade. It was undertaken by the Director of Public Prosecutions as being the most important case of its kind for many years, and was undertaken to a large extent in the interests of merchant seamen. It was thought that a Law Officer should bear the responsibility of conducting the prosecution, and it is the invariable practice for a King's Counsel of the Circuit to be instructed with him. Apart from this practice, the case was of such an exceptionally heavy character that the employment of four Counsel would have been amply justified. I may add that the whole of the expenses will not fall upon the Imperial Exchequer, as in law a considerable part of the costs of a prosecution is borne by the locality in which it is undertaken.

asked the Prime Minister whether Great Britain is to be considered at war with the Turkish nationalist forces?

Until a Treaty of Peace has been ratified, a technical state of war persists. But with regard to the present Graeco-Turkish hostilities, the attitude of His Majesty's Government is one of neutrality.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether a person sustaining personal injury through enemy air raids during the War was entitled to compensation under any scheme approved by the Government?

Compensation is paid to civilians, not otherwise provided for, who sustained personal injuries in the United. Kingdom from enemy air raids, in accordance with a scheme announced in this House on the 28th June, 1917, by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer.

asked the Lord Privy Seal to which Department should questions concerning the administration, trade, and development of the Sudan be addressed; what is the status of Government officials in the Sudan; whether they hold their appointments irrespective of the future administration of Egypt; and whether the policy of the Government is to encourage the development of trade and industry in the Sudan on such a basis as ensuring security under British administration for the future?

Questions concerning the administration and development of the Sudan should be addressed to the Foreign Office, whilst those of a purely commercial nature should be addressed to the Department of Overseas Trade. Members of the Civil Service are selected and appointed by the Sudan Government. The answer to the last part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he is aware that the great crowd of objects and glass cases in Courts Nos. 41, 42, 44, and 45 in the Victoria and Albert Museum prevent visitors and students from obtaining as advantageous views of the magnificent permanent collections of carpets and tapestries hung on the walls of these courts as those secured in respect of the tapestries on loan spaciously set out in the North Court and Courts 38 and 39; that the carpets and tapestries in Courts 41, 42, 44, and 45 form an educational series of successive types of carpet and tapestry design of distinctive national value; and that, with the exception of at most three or four specimens in the present loan collection from France, the vast temporary collection of tapestries in the North Court and Courts 38 and 39 exhibit no important types beyond those already exemplified in the permanent collections of the museum; and, if so, will he give directions that more attention shall be given to the better exhibition of our national collections rather than taking space for loan exhibitions, which do not add to the educational value of the museum, which is the reason for which the museum is publicly maintained?

The congestion, which I much regret, in the Courts referred to in the first part of the question is due to the fact that the repair and re-decoration of that part of the museum which was occupied by the staff of the Board of Education during the War has not yet been completed. I am quite alive to the educational value of the carpets and tapestries, and the Board have done, and are still doing, their best to exhibit them as advantageously as possible. I am not clear what the hon. Member means by the word "types," and I repudiate the suggestion that the exhibition which the French Government so generously placed at our disposal has not been of the very greatest value to students, designers and the general public. The exhibition, for the loan of which I am sure the Nation is most grateful, was rendered possible by the fact that the galleries which it occupies had been recently vacated by the Board's staff, and could not be immediately put to their normal uses. I cannot accept the suggestion that such loan exhibitions do not add to the educational value of the museum.

asked the Minister of Lab our the present position of the proposal to establish a trade board for the optical trade; whether the proposal was first made in June, 1920; the reason for the delay; whether the delay is due to objections on the part of certain employers; whether he has agreed to a proposal that the mass production workers should have a separate board apart from the prescription workers; whether he is aware of the independence of both branches of the trade; and whether he will take early steps to establish one board of the whole Ministry?

The question of the establishment of a trade board for the optical trade was under discussion between the trade and the Department in June, 1920. The delay which has ensued has been due to the complexities of the trade and the difficulty of deciding whether one trade board would appropriately cover the two main sections to which my hon. Friend refers. After full consideration I have come to the conclusion that if the Acts were to be applied to the trade, two boards would have to be established, but I am still awaiting further information as to the conditions in the trade before reaching a decision.

asked the Minister of Lab our whether he will favorably consider means by which members of authenticated societies of consumers may be represented upon trade boards, in order that the standpoint of the public may be considered?

The Trade Boards Acts do not provide for the representation of societies of consumers upon a trade board, but the general machinery of trade board administration, and especially the opportunity given during the two months period fixed by the Acts for lodging objections after a proposal for fixing rates has been issued, would appear to give all interests an opportunity of having their point of view considered.

asked the Home Secretary how many miners were convicted for acts of violence against the person and for damage to property during the miners' national strike in 1912 and the miners' national strike in 1920, and also during the present stoppage in the mining industry

The information for which the hon. Member asks is not available as regards the strikes of 1912 and 1920, and any proceedings I have heard of in connection with the present strike are still pending.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of ex-service men, non-ex-service men, and women employed in the Air Ministry on 1st January, 1921, and 1st April, 1921, respectively?

On the 1st January, 1921, the headquarters staff employed at the Air Ministry consisted of 1,303 ex-service men, 550 non-ex-service men, and 538 women. 'On the 1st April, 1921, the numbers were—1,285 ex-service men, 448 non-ex-service men, and 423 women. This information is embodied in Returns presented to Parliament each month as Command Papers.