asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the war-time restrictions against the sale of liquor still in force in East Suffolk, although the same restrictions are not in force in West Suffolk; whether he is aware that in East Suffolk the hotel proprietors pay the same licensing duty as those in West Suffolk though for a shorter number of hours; that in East Suffolk they are not allowed to supply spirits for consumption off the premises in smaller quantities than a bottle and not at all on Saturdays and Sundays, although there are no such restrictions in West Suffolk; that in East Suffolk cash has to be paid in advance for any wines or spirits purchased from a wine merchant although no such restrictions apply in West Suffolk; and that in East Suffolk no price list can be sent out with any particular recommendations and canvassing for orders is not permitted, while in West Suffolk such restrictions do not apply; whether he is aware that these different conditions apply even in the same village on different sides of the street; and whether he can see his way to put an end to these discriminating restrictions?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Attorney-General in the Debate which took place on Friday last. I may also add that hotel proprietors do not now obtain any reduction of Excise Licence Duty in respect of restrictions on hours of sale of intoxicating liquor imposed by the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic).

asked the Chief Secretary whether Mr. S. McSwiney, brother of the late Lord Mayor of Cork, is imprisoned; what is his state of health; and whether he will be allowed the usual communication with relatives?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The prisoner is in good health, and is allowed the usual communication.

asked the Chief Secretary whether he is now in a position to communicate the result of the court-martial on two soldiers stated to have acted in a disgraceful manner towards a woman resident of Thurles?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a question by the hon. Member for the Spennymoor Division (Mr. Galbraith) on the 14th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that great hardship has been caused in Porton and the neighbourhood by the arbitrary closing of the district roads over the Porton experimental ground; and whether, in view of the hardship and inconvenience which is caused to the residents in that district, he will take steps to have the matter reconsidered?

I regret that in the national interest and also owing to the danger to the public it is not possible to permit any road crossing the experimental ground at Porton to be used as a thoroughfare. In view, however, of the hardship and inconvenience to local residents, the matter is being reconsidered to determine whether it is practicable to make any concessions.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the fact that payment of unemployment benefit is in some cases made at public-houses; whether in consequence charges have been made of supplying drink during closing hours; and whether, in any case, having regard to the obvious objections to the practice, he will take steps to prevent payments being made on licensed premises?

Licensed premises are not used by the Department for the payment of unemployment benefit. As regards the payment of State unemployment benefit by associations which have made arrangements for this purpose under Section 17 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, it is still the practice in some cases for such payment to be made on licensed premises, but it is the policy of the Department to discourage the practice.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the fact that men disabled in former wars, and particularly in the Boer War, have within recent years found it impossible to continue in their usual callings on account of ill-health or partial breakdown arising from their disablement; and whether, in view of the fact that the number of such men is comparatively small and that they have suffered great hardship, he will take steps to secure for such cases as are suitable the training for another trade or occupation which is accorded to men disabled in the late War and under conditions similar to those which govern that training?

I am informed that one or two applications of this sort have been received We have no power to provide training for such men and in view of the difficulty of providing training for the substantial number of men disabled in the late War who yet remain to be trained, I regret I do not see my way to accepting my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the committee presided over by the Earl of Lytton has yet given consideration to the question of initial salary rates to be offered ex-service men appointed to permanent posts in the Civil Service by virtue of their having successfully attained the competitive standard, or reached a qualifying standard, in the special examinations held during November and December, 1920; whether he is aware that the Civil Service Commissioners have intimated to the candidates that a commencing salary of £80, plus bonus, will be paid irrespective of the age and responsibilities of the individual, although this figure is the appropriate rate for a boy of 18 years only; whether it is a fact that certain Civil Service organisations gave evidence before the Lytton Committee in favour of payment at entry according to age and the corresponding salary under the scale of the clerical class up to the efficiency bar of £180 normally attainable at the age of 29 years; whether, in view of the announcement of results of the examinations and the probability of early appointments being made from the lists, he will arrange to inform the House whether the committee has made any definite recommendations on this question to the Government; if so, whether he will publish the nature of the recommendations and the Government's view of the proposals; and, if no recommendations have yet been presented by the committee, will he consider the desirability of making known the policy of the Government as to the initial rates of pay to be applicable to the men over 18 years of age who secure permanent posts through the examinations referred to?

I understand that the question of the point at which ex-service men who passed the recent limited competition for the clerical class shall be placed upon the scale of that class is engaging the attention of Lord Lytton's Committee, and will be dealt with in their next Report. Pending formulation and consideration of the Committee's recommendations, successful candidates must, in accordance with rule, enter at the minimum of the scale, which is £80 a year, plus bonus, or £212 a year in all at present for entrants over 18, but I should assume that retrospective effect to the date of entry would be given to any more favourable terms which may be approved after consideration of the Committee's Report.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the modifications in the rules regarding the relations of public servants with press and platform will be made available for the perusal of hon. Members?

Yes, Sir. I will have a copy of the Resolution of the Government of India, with the amended rules appended to it, placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a Clause will be inserted in the Draft Mandate for Mesopotamia to safeguard the interests of non-riparian states in the Tigris waterways, as requested in the Persian representations before the Barcelona Transit Conference?

I would refer the hon. Member to Articles 11 and 12 of the Draft Mandate for Mesopotamia, which safeguards the interests of all States members of the League of Nations.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether his attention has been called to the remuneration for the assessor proposed to be appointed by the town council of Montrose; is he aware that the salary is to be £205 per annum; that his duties consist of the preparation, twice a year, of the register of voters for Parliamentary, town council, parish council, and educational authority elections, and the making up of a valuation roll of the lands and heritages in the burgh; whether the assessor would be entitled to receive £105 for the making up of the voters' roll; and whether, in view of the fact that this town council will be paying the assessor only £100 per year for all his other duties, he has any power to prevent a town council from such underpayment of a public official?

My attention has not been called to this matter otherwise than by the hon. Member's question. I have no information as to the salary which the town council of Montrose propose to pay to their assessor, whose duties are as stated in the question. The appointment of an assessor and the amount of the salary to be paid to him rest with the town council, and I have no jurisdiction to intervene in the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, having regard to the important work done by the dissemination of scientific journals and the fact that the cost to the Post Office of carrying such journals is no greater than the cost of carrying newspapers of equal weight, he will make a change in the postal Regulations so that scientific journals published fortnightly or monthly should in future be allowed to be registered as newspapers and so be subject to the lower postal charges made in the case of newspapers?

This and similar suggestions have often been considered and rejected. The newspaper rate is already unremunerative, and I do not feel justified in proposing to Parliament a measure which would considerably increase the existing loss by extending its scope. Such an extension could not, of course, be restricted to scientific journals, and would have to include magazines and other periodicals.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he recognises the new land-line and wireless service instituted by the Marconi Company and the Compagnie Generale de Telegraphic Sans Fil which is being operated under licences from the British and French Government cable service between London and Paris; whether this new service has already secured a large portion of the work hitherto carried by the cable; whether he is aware that this new development is contrary to the recommendations of the Imperial Wireless Committee; and whether the extension of the Marconi system through its new Continental communications will enable the company to sap the Imperial monopoly which it was the definite intention of the Wireless Committee to reserve to the State?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given yesterday to questions on the subject by the hon. Members for Pontypool (Mr. Griffiths) and Spen Valley (Mr. Myers). As regards the second part of the question, the action taken by the Government will not prejudice the State ownership of Imperial wireless communications, on which the Imperial Wireless Telegraphy Committee laid stress.

asked the Postmaster-General whether number 38 on a seniority list of 150 sorting clerks and telegraphists at Leeds has recently been promoted to the rank of overseer over the heads of officers senior in the service and qualified for the position; whether such appointments are causing considerable unrest among the staff; and will he give an assurance that juniors shall not be promoted where there are officers higher on the list equally well qualified?

Proposals for filling vacancies for overseers at Leeds are under consideration, but no promotion has actually been made. The hon. and gallant Member may be assured that junior officers will not be selected in preference to senior officers who are equally well qualified.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, seeing that certain agreements were come to in August, 1919, between the Ministry of Transport and the railway unions (Railway Clerks' Association and National Union of Railwaymen) respecting the conditions, salaries, etc., of the railway clerical and supervising staff, the terms of which were that the staff were to be classified according to the importance of their duties; that it was also agreed that if the members of the staff were dissatisfied with their grading they were to be allowed to appeal against same; and that the whole of the railways, except the Midland, Great Western, and London and North Western, have completed their appeals, will he take steps, in view of the great dissatisfaction which prevails at the delay in publishing the results, to have those results that are complete published without delay?

It is hoped that all companies will have completed the hearing of the appeals from their clerical and supervisory staff in the near future, and an early announcement of the results of the appeals may therefore be expected by the persons affected.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the staff of Trinity House have been informed that they are not to be regarded as civil servants; whether this statement can be justified in view of the fact that the General Lighthouse Fund is subject to the statutory powers of the Board of Trade, and that a Civil Service reorganisation scheme is being prepared for the Trinity House service; and whether he will take steps for the issuing of an Order in Council bringing the employés coming under the General Lighthouse Fund and the Pilotage Fund within the Civil Service?

The staff of Trinity House, who are not paid out of moneys provided by Parliament, cannot be regarded as being civil servants; but the principles laid down for the Civil Service are in practice applied, so far as is possible, to the staff which comes within the scope of the statutory powers of the Board of Trade, and these principles are being followed in dealing with the reorganisation scheme prepared by the Trinity House for the lighthouse service.

asked the hon. Member for the Pollok Division of Glasgow, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he will give an undertaking that when deciding upon the removal of temporary buildings he will give priority to the demolition of those which now destroy the amenities of the parks rather than to the huts which merely disfigure the view from the windows of a certain political club?

I regret that it is impossible to give any such undertaking. The huts to which the hon. and gallant Member presumably refers deprive the public of the enjoyment of gardens which were requisitioned from the London County Council. The gardens in question were of the greatest value to large numbers of the public.