asked the Chief Secretary if facilities may be afforded to enable the honorary secretary of the Howard League for Penal Reform to visit detention barracks, internment camps, and prisons in Ireland, with the especial object of inquiring into the condition of women prisoners?

I have been in communication with the honorary secretary in this matter, but I regret that in the present disturbed condition in Ireland I do not see my way to comply with this request. I may add that there are no women in internment camps in Ireland. No woman is confined in any place of detention other than a prison except occasionally for a few days pending the arrangement of an escort to the nearest prison. All prisons in Ireland, as in England, are periodically visited by the Visiting Commissioners provided by Statute, and every complaint, which are few in number, is at once investigated. The total number of women prisoners charged with or convicted of ordinary offences amounts to 152, of which 137 are convicted prisoners and 15 are awaiting trial. In addition there are 14 women prisoners arrested in connection with offences arising out of the disturbed state of the country. Of these 8 are convicted prisoners and 6 are at present in prison untried. The majority of the 137 convicted prisoners are prostitutes from Belfast or Dublin undergoing sentences for breaches of the Curfew Order.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, in connection with the loss sustained by Mr. Doran owing to damage to his artificial leg by members of the Royal Air Force on the 6th May last, he has now ascertained whether inquiries are being made by the Royal Air Force or other military body; and, if so, whether he will give instructions that this question of compensation shall be inquired into by civil servants of the Crown, and not by people who may have been implicated in the affair?

There is some doubt as to whether the damage done to Mr. Doran's artificial leg was caused by a bullet. I intend, however, to give him the benefit of the doubt and to pay for the damage to his leg.

asked the Chief Secretary whether several houses, including that of Mr. John Etchingham, Member for North Wexford, were destroyed at Gorey by members of the Crown forces on 23rd and 24th May; whether this was an official reprisal for the ambush of police at Inch, a place several miles away; by whom it was ordered; and whether there was any proof that the owners had knowledge of the ambush?

I am informed by the Commander-in-Chief that, following various outrages in the Gorey district, which culminated in the murder of a constable on 7th May, four houses, including that of Mr. Etchingham, were destroyed by order of the military governor. The circumstances in which the houses are destroyed as an official punishment were stated by me in a written reply to the hon. Member for Harrow (Mr. Mosley) on 9th June.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the shop of Mr. E. P. Foley, a Sinn Fein member of Wexford County Council, was destroyed on 20th May; whether this was an official reprisal; by whom ordered; and for what reason?

I am informed by the Commander-in-Chief that the origin of this fire is unknown and that the Crown forces were not responsible either as an official reprisal or otherwise. They rendered assistance in fighting the fire.

asked the Chief Secretary whether the use of all bicycles, except by doctors, has been prohibited in the district of Gorey, County Wexford; and, if so, by whom has this order been issued?

I am informed by the Commander-in-Chief that the answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The order was issued by the local Military Governor.

asked the Chief Secretary if the military, by whom Laurence Looby, of Cashel, was shot on 19th December, were dressed in mufti; and what is the reason for soldiers, as distinct from police, carrying out their duties while so attired?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. The second part, therefore, does not arise. This man made a determined attempt to escape. A few days previous to his arrest he, with others, had made an armed attack on Clonulty Barracks. He, with others, also attempted to murder a witness who was in a position to identify him.

asked the Chief Secretary whether James Looby and William Delany, of Cashel, were shot on 18th December, while being carried as hostages on a military lorry?

The Commander-in-Chief informs me that these men were not being carried as hostages. They were being conveyed under escort from Tipperary to Cashel, and were shot in an attempt to escape during a breakdown of the cars. The Court of Inquiry found that no blame attached to the Crown forces.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that in numerous cases German exporters to this country are demanding prepayment in full for their merchandise; whether, in such cases, the proceeds of the duty levied by His Majesty's Customs on the arrival of the goods are to be credited to the German Government; and, if so, whether it is intended to credit the German Government with the extra 9 per cent. duty which automatically becomes payable to His Majesty's Customs by British importers in consequence of this refusal of German subjects to send goods except under prepayment?

I have been asked to reply. I am informed that this course is being adopted by exporters in certain cases, though as the German Government has undertaken to refund to them the equivalent in German currency of the amount collected under the Act, there is no pretext for such a demand. The amount payable to the Customs is in all cases 26/74ths of the amount paid in cash to the German exporter, and the whole amount paid to the Customs under the Act is credited to the German Government as part of the reparation payment.

asked the Prime Minister whether the policy of His Majesty's Government, in adhering to the arrangements whereby the 26 per cent. German reparation duty is collected by His Majesty's Customs in this country, is due to any misgiving as to the effectiveness of the arrangements of the German Government for collecting it as an export duty before the goods leave Germany; and, if so, whether he is aware that in practice it is resulting in British importers having to pay in numerous cases an equivalent of 35 per cent. Customs duty, and that this is particularly serious in so far as it affects the price of raw material for our own manufacturers?

I have been asked to reply. As regards the first part of the question, I can only repeat that His Majesty's Government propose to continue the German Separation (Recovery) Act in operation until the exact effect of the arrangements to be made by the German Government is known. At present we have no information as to the nature of the arrangements for collecting the export levy which they propose I have dealt with the second part of the hon. Member's question in the reply which I have just given him.

asked the Prime Minister approximately the cost to date of collecting the German reparations levy in this country?

The general work of collecting the German reparations levy is merged in the ordinary duties of the Customs and Excise staff, and it is impossible to separate the cost of this one item of work from the rest. The permanent staff has not been increased since the work began, but some temporary clerical and legal assistance has been required, and has cost to date approximately £1,000.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the serious delay in dealing with cases by the Royal Commission for Awards to Inventors; whether certain individuals who believe their claims to be well founded are penniless; whether it is the fact that the Commission only sits on one day in the week; and whether arrangements could be made for more frequent sittings?

I would refer my hon and gallant Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for South Kensington (Sir W. Davison) on the 2nd ultimo. These claims usually involve questions of great difficulty and complexity and require lengthy investigation. I am satisfied that it is impracticable for the Commission to sit more frequently in view of the preparatory work to be done by the Departments concerned and the other claims upon the time of the members of the Commission. If the hon. Member will communicate with me or with the Secretary to the Commission as to any particular case which he has in mind, an endeavour will be made to expedite the hearing, if this can be done without unfairness to other claimants.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the great importance attaching to the accuracy of the cost-of-living index figures as affecting sliding scales, determining wages, and the general industrial position, he will appoint a small Standing Committee, composed of consumers and suppliers, under the chairmanship of a Member of this or the other House, who will have power to appoint at least two other Members of this House to assist him, in order to fix from time to time such index figures?

I have been asked to reply. The official figures relating to the cost of living, which are prepared by the Ministry of Labour, are arrived at by means of a careful statistical computation, based on information collected each month from some thousands of shopkeepers distributed throughout the United Kingdom. I am sending my hon. Friend a reprint from the "Labour Gazette" for February last, giving a detailed account of the methods adopted, from which he will see that the regular collection and compilation of these statistics would hardly be an appropriate task for a committee such as he suggests.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in connection with the cost of living index figures, the Board of Trade are responsible for compiling the wholesale figures and the Ministry of Labour for compiling the retail figures and, in view of the fact that rates of wages are being determined on sliding scales by the aid of these figures, will he say which Department is responsible for the figures which are utilised to determine, for example, the remuneration of civil servants and the railwaymen's wages; and will he consider the advisability of having them all compiled by one Department?

The index numbers in relation to which wages have been fixed are based upon the retail price figures compiled by the Ministry of Labour, and not the wholesale price figures compiled by the Board of Trade. This is in particular the case with the bonus to civil servants and the wages of railwaymen. The last part of the question would not therefore arise.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the advisability of reducing the payment of Members of this House proportionately with the general fall in wages throughout the country?

No, Sir. As the payment of Members has not been raised since it was first instituted, it is not now-proposed to reduce it.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, if, in view of the coming Imperial Conference and for the information of the public, he will state what exactly the objections of China are to the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Alliance in its present form?

As the whole question of the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Agreement is now under immediate consideration, I would prefer to abstain from making any statement as to the attitude of different parties or Governments towards it.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will instruct the British representatives in the Far East to inquire into the truth of the reports now current in this country to the effect that, owing to Chinese objections to aspects of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, whose renewal is under consideration, there may be instituted a boycott of British imports in China; and whether, in view of the serious result of any such boycott to the Lancashire cotton trade, he will, as soon as possible, publish the information he may receive?

I am not in a position to make any statement on the question of the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance until it has been discussed at the forthcoming Imperial Conference, but, I should add, I do not think that the difficulties referred to in the question will arise.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many villages were destroyed and how many people shot and burned alive during the Serbian invasion of the Albanian districts of Dibra and Ljuma which took place in August and September, 1920?

I must refer my hon. Friend to my reply to his two questions on this subject on the 21st March. I have no further information and no reason to suppose that my hon. Friend's allegation in the question as to Albanians having been burnt alive is true.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many Government Departments have publicity organisations; what is the approximate cost of these services; and whether, in view of the general demand for economy in expenditure, he will consider the advisability of disbanding these operations?

The number of Departments in which a publicity organisation exists (apart from those in which such publicity work as may arise is performed by permanent officers as a part of their normal duties) is 10. The cost in salaries, including all clerical labour, is approximately £20,000 per annum. These organisations are kept constantly under review, in order that they may be dispensed with as soon as the necessity for them terminates.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the general dissatisfaction caused by the grading of the women's work in the various Departments employing women, he will arrange for the work of both the men's and women's branches to be examined by an independent committee so as to ensure that work of the same kind shall be graded the same irrespective of sex?

The re-grading of the work in the various Government Departments is carried out after very careful investigation and consideration, and the revised complements are only fixed after consultation with the staffs concerned on the Departmental Whitley Councils. There is no foundation for the suggestion that work is re-graded differently according to the sex of the officers who perform it, and I am therefore unable to accept the proposal that the question should be further reviewed by a committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of civil servants in receipt of salaries of £500 and upwards who have, in the course of the last 12 months, received war bonuses on their salaries, distinguishing those in receipt of salaries from £500 to £1,000, from £1,000 to £1,500, from £1,500 to £2,000, and over £2,000, respectively, and the respective average amounts of such war bonuses?

The number of civil servants on salaries from £500 to £1,000 a year, inclusive, is estimated at 5,435, or about l.8 per cent. of the total number of employés in receipt of Civil Service bonus, and under 1 per cent. of the total number of Government employés, and the average amount paid as bonus to this class in respect of the financial year 1920–21 at £420; the number on salaries exceeding £1,000 but not exceeding £1,500 is estimated at 474, and the average amount paid as bonus at £675; the number on salaries exceeding £1,500 but not exceeding £2,000 is estimated at 40, and the average amount paid as bonus at £750; and the number with salaries exceeding £2,000 is estimated at 59, and the average amount paid as bonus at £535.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if any suggestions have been made for the increase of all State pensions by 100 per cent.; how many people in that case would be affected and how much it would cost the nation annually; and will the House of Commons be given an opportunity of discussing the question before anything definite is decided upon?

I am not aware of any proposal to increase all State pensions by 100 per cent. It would appear, therefore, that the latter parts of the question do not arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of senior civil servants who have retired in each of the last four periods of six months; and whether more than usual are taking their pensions at the earliest possible date so as to avoid the effect of the fall of the bonus?

Considerable labour would be involved in obtaining the information for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks, and as civil servants are entitled in any case to retire at the age of 60, if they desire to do so, I do not feel justified, in view of the need for economy of labour, in having the in- formation prepared. I have no reason to suppose that more senior civil servants than usual are retiring for the purpose suggested.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, without undue burden to the Departments concerned, he will have prepared for the information of the House a statement relating to the estimated expenditure for the current year under the following heads: The present cost of pre-War services; the cost of new ordinary services resulting from new legislation since July, 1914, including the extension and development of pre-War services; the cost of new permanent services arising out of the War, such as war pensions, interest on war debt, etc.; and the cost of temporary services arising out of the War?

I would refer the hon. Member to Command Paper 1304 of 1921, which gives the substance of the information which the hon. Member requires.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that serious hardship is resulting in many cases from the delay in the payment of rebate in respect of overpaid Income Tax; and whether he will take steps to have this grievance remedied?

Claims for repayment of Income Tax are not spread evenly over the whole year, but are received in very large numbers during the weeks immediately following the close of the fiscal year, which ends on the 5th April. It is estimated that the number of claims lodged during the month of April represents about one-fifth of the total number for the whole year, and, in the circumstances, some delay is inevitable during the resultant period of pressure. I can assure my hon. Friend, however, that every effort is being made by the Revenue authorities to accelerate repayment, and in cases where hardship may be involved special steps are taken to secure that an immediate refund is made. I may add that if my hon. Friend has in mind, and will let me have, particulars of any specific cases to which he would like to draw my attention, I shall be happy to have inquiry made into such cases, and will communicate to him the result.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a university lecturer, who is invited by another university to correct a set of examination papers and who receives a fee for so doing, is required to include such fee for Income Tax purposes, or is this a casual profit and not liable to Income Tax?

The fee in question is liable to Income Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the amount of capital invested by the Government in the Beet-Sugar Company; what dividend has been received on the amount invested in the company for the year 1920; how many directors have the Government appointed to the board of directors; and what is the remuneration of a director of the company?

As regards the first part of the question, I beg to refer to my reply to the hon. Member for the Hulme Division (Lieut.-Colonel Nail) on the 13th ultimo. No dividend has been received on the Government investment for the year 1920. A financial representative of the Ministry of Agriculture has been appointed to the board of directors, who receives remuneration at the rate of £300 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Lance-corporal A. K. Bell, No. 82,869, who served in the military police until the 5th April, 1921, and was then given 28 days' leave pending discharge, was recalled on 9th April and sent away from Aldershot on 7th June without any leave, formal discharge, or gratuity of any kind; and whether he will at once look into this and similar cases, and see that Lance-corporal A. K. Bell, and other men in the same position, are at once given a period of leave or a gratuity at the expiration of their service?

I am not aware of this case, but inquiries are being made. Instructions have been issued that soldiers recalled to, or retained with, the Colours during the present emergency shall be granted full benefits in respect of any furlough which they forfeited owing to their recall or retention.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a number of men in the country are still posted as deserters from the Army; whether he is prepared to consider the granting of an amnesty to all such men; and whether he is prepared to issue a notice to that effect?

There are a certain number of men who served on duration of war engagements, and who are still in a state of desertion. It is not proposed to grant a general amnesty to all such men, and in this connection I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Leith (Captain W. Benn) on 18th February last. If any man who is in a state of desertion desires to make a confession to that effect, he should write to the officer in charge of his records, or, if he does not know who that officer is, to the War Office, expressing a desire to surrender himself as a deserter. If he does so, his case will be dealt with on its merits, in accordance with King's Regulations and the Army Act, and any extenuating circumstances which he puts forward will be considered.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that in the engineering trades 250,231 operatives are out of employment, and that in the Devonport district approximately 450 engineering employés are out of work, of whom 218 are ex-service men; whether, under these circumstances, he is aware of the grave dissatisfaction existing among employed and unemployed workmen at the proposal of the Devon and Cornwall Training Committee to enter some 60 ex-service men in His Majesty's dockyard for training in the engineering trades and 30 for training in the electrical trades; and whether he will discontinue the expenditure on this training, which is unwarranted at the present, time?

Proposals of the nature referred to in the-second part of the question were made by the Training Committee, but the Admiral Superintendent informed the committee that it was regretted they could not be entertained. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the figures quoted, in the question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether during the War the sum of over £4,000,000 was spent by the Naval Air Department upon American motor launches at a cost of over £8,000 each, for which purchasers are now vainly sought, at £100; whether any inquiry has been, or will be, made as to the circumstances of the contract and the price paid for these launches; and who was the director of the Department at the time?

No American motor launches were purchased specially for the Naval Air Department during the War. The remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, since the reply was given to Class Request No. 287, in Admiralty Monthly Order 2359/1920, a paymaster-lieutenant or paymaster-lieutenant-commander has been added to the complements of the three Royal Naval Depots for duty in the Commodore's office?

The answer is in the affirmative. This addition was made as experience had indicated the necessity of a second commissioned officer to whom the Commodore's secretary could delegate part of his duties and to act as his deputy in the event of his absence from any cause. The responsibilites of the senior chief writers in the Commodores' offices remain unaltered, and do not at present justify their relief by warrant writers.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the reply given to Class Request No. 275 in Admiralty Monthly Order 2359/1920, it is likely that in the near future first writers will be promoted to warrant rank?

The claims of all qualified candidates on the list will be duly considered when the next promotions are made, but it is unlikely that any first writers will then be chosen, owing to the number of chief writers on the list who are fully qualified and recommended for promotion, and whose claims on account of seniority are greater.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Sergeant James Cassidy, No. 37,082, Royal Garrison Artillery, was killed on 1st November, 1919, at Novorossisk, Russia, where he was on duty with the British military mission; that this man enlisted prior to the War; that his mother has not received any gratuity for her son's War service and has been refused a pension; and whether he can explain why no gratuity has been paid?

I am making inquiries, and will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether a lump sum, in lieu of a permanent disability pension of 9s. 4d. weekly could be awarded to ex-Sergeant H. E. Raw, Durham Light Infantry, to enable him to carry on the, small business that he opened on his discharge from the Army, which has been financially seriously affected by the miners' strike; and whether he could receive an advance of pension to assist him in his present difficulties if a lump sum in lieu of pension is not obtainable?

I regret that this application cannot be granted. It has been refused in accordance with the practice of my Department, as to which I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I gave on the 10th March last to a question put to me by the hon. and gallant Member for Central Wandsworth (Sir J. Norton-Griffiths).

asked the Minister of Pensions whether ex-service men suffering from nerve strain uncertifiable in character are still obliged to become inmates of mental institutions under threat of the loss of half their allowance should they refuse?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Mr. Myers) on the 14th December last, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that chief foremen of the Cheshire Lines Committee, Great Western Railway, and London and North Western Railway are graded 1, while the chief foreman of the Great Central Railway, Birkenhead, is graded 3; and could he furnish the tonnage handled by these respective companies in order to explain this apparent anomaly?

I am not aware of the circumstances referred to in this question, but I would point out that if the chief foremen, as I assume they do, come within the scope of an agreement entered into by the railway companies and the railwaymen's unions in April, 1920, as to male supervisory staff, that agreement provided machinery for dealing with appeals from men dissatisfied with their classification.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware of the local inquiry to be commenced to-morrow, Tuesday the 14th June, by the Electricity Commissioners in reference to their provisional determination of the London and Home Counties electricity district; that this inquiry is likely to occupy very many weeks and to involve heavy expense and cause local authorities and other corporations and persons interested to incur very heavy expense; and whether he will consider the advisability, in the interests of economy, of causing the inquiry to be discontinued until such time as legislation may render it necessary or may justify the cost of such inquiry?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply, of which I am sending him a copy, given on the 1st June, to the hon. and gallant Member for Buckingham (Captain Bowyer). I am satisfied that the inquiry is necessary, and see no reason for postponing it.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Burton and Ashby Light Railway, which is controlled by the Midland Railway Company, is entitled to any financial guarantee from the Government; whether he is aware that the men employed on this railway have not had the benefit of the National Wages Board and other awards; and why they are not conceded the same wages and conditions of employment as those prevailing generally in the railway service?

This light railway is the property of the Midland Railway Company, whose net receipts are at present guaranteed by the Government. It is, however, regarded as a tramway, and not as a railway undertaking, and the railway awards referred to have not been applied to the men working on it. I understand, however, that the wages and conditions of employment of these men were agreed between their representatives and the Midland Railway Company.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will explain the reasons which have given rise to the increase in the expenditure of the Board of Education from £14,369,000 in the financial year 1913–14 to £51,014,000 in the current year; and whether he will indicate to what extent this increase is due to the increase in school attendance, the increase in the number of teachers, the increase in the standard of teachers' pay, and the amount of war bonus being paid to teachers?

I do not think it possible to deal satisfactorily with this matter by means of question and answer. I would refer the hon. Member to the printed notes on pages 18 to 24 of the Estimates for 1921–22, Class IV, Vote 1, and to the OFFICIAL REPORT of the Debate on these Estimates on 12th April. Further information relating to the financial year 1920–21, will be found in the White Paper, Expenditure on Education, Cmd. 931 of 1920.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is considering the claim of the uncertificated and supplementary school teachers to a more adequate share in the Government grant in view of their alleged grievance and the rate of salaries they at present receive?

I do not understand the suggestion which the hon. and gallant Member wishes to make. The Government grant in aid of elementary education is not apportioned for the payment of certificated, uncertificated, or supplementary teachers, but is calculated on a formula which takes into account the total expenditure of local education authorities on teachers' salaries. The relation between the rates of salary for certificated teachers and for uncertificated teachers, respectively, was carefully considered by the Standing Joint Committee on Teachers' Salaries before making the recommendations contained in their Report on Standard Scales which is now under review. The payment of supplementary teachers is not dealt with in that Report.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state the amount of the loans sanctioned for providing schools in England and Wales in each of the years from 1912 to 1920; and, if possible, the amounts spent in each of these years by the local education authorities on land and buildings from loan account and current account?

The amount of loans sanctioned by the Local Government Board (or the Ministry of Health) for purposes of education in England and Wales (excluding London*) in the years named is as follows: £ 1911–12 2,691,723 1912–13 2,390,742 1913–14 2,349,722 1914–15 2,038,547 1915–16 239,749 1916–17 116,375 1917–18 17,992 1918–19 32,620 1919–20 816,866

* To provide funds for their capital expenditure (including expenditure on educational premises) the London County Council are empowered to issue Consolidated Stock by the London County Council (Finance Consolidation) Act, 1912. Power to expend the money is conferred annually by a Money Act.

The collection by the Board of Education of statistics of the expenditure of focal education authorities was largely suspended during the War. The expenditure of local education authorities out of loans can therefore only be given for the following years: £ 1912–13 3,133,647 1914–15 2,718,404 1918–19 109,425

Complete figures showing the amount spent on land and buildings from current account cannot be given. The amount spent from current account on land and buildings for elementary education in 1912–13 was £237,797.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to the number of local education authorities budgeting this year for a reduction of their education rate; and whether, in answer to a question or by means of a Return, he can give the House any figures showing the number and amount of these reductions?

I have observed that certain local education authorities have budgeted on a reduced education rate for the current year, whether in consequence of increased revenue (by reason of re- assessment or otherwise) or of decreased expenditure. I will see whether I can furnish the hon. Member with the information he desires.

asked the President of the Board of Education which is the appointed Jay for Section 26 of the Education Act, 1918; what is the total amount already paid to managers of schools under the second Sub-section; how much more money does he expect to pay to them before the liability is discharged; and, if the schools are transferred to the local authorities, will the payments cease or be continued to the authority taking over the school?

The appointed day for Section 26 of the Education Act, 1918, was 1st April, 1919. The total amount already paid under the Section is £27,865. It is estimated that a further sum of £41,000 will be payable before the liability-is discharged. I am of opinion that the liability to pay would cease on the transfer of a school to the local education authority.

asked the Secretary of State for India what sum the assets of the Madras Military Fund amounted to when taken over by the Government in 1862, when the fund was closed to future entrants; and whether the increased interest now being obtained on that sum is sufficiently high to warrant an increase of 25 per cent. to all remaining annuitants on that fund, the same as has already been granted to pensioners under the Indian Military Service Family Pension Fund?

The Madras Military Fund, although closed to future entrants in 1862, was not transferred to Government until 1866, when the assets of the Fund amounted to £1,211,611. This amount, with interest thereon, was exhausted many years ago in making good the excess of payments in respect of pensions over receipts from subscribers; and this excess already averaged over £140,000 a year before the recent increase of 25 per cent. was granted as an act of grace in the lower rates of pension. I cannot see my way to authorise any further concession at the expense of Indian revenues.

asked the Secretary of State for India what is the pay per mensem of a police constable in the various provinces of India; whether that pay is considered sufficient by the Governments concerned to maintain a loyal and contended police service; what is the pay of the village watchmen in the different provinces; and whether any steps have been taken of late years to improve their position?

The monthly pay of police constables varies in the different provinces between extreme limits of Rs. 13 and Rs. 24, and account has in addition to be taken of a number of allowances of different kinds. I shall be glad to send the hon. and gallant Member a statement compiled from the most recent information with the Government of India. The rates were recently revised in almost every province with reference to present-day conditions and in accordance with recommendations from local Governments for raising pay to the level required to maintain the police in an efficient and contented condition. As regards village watchmen, they are paid by different authorities in the several parts of India. In some, for instance—Madras and the United Provinces—they are paid by the Government. In Madras last year there were over 35,400 of them, and they cost Rs. 16,82,000, which indicates a pay of not more than Rs. 4 a month. In the United Provinces there are nearly 88,000. They receive only Rs. 3 a month, but even so they cost 32 lakhs a year. In that province the numbers are to be reduced and small improvements in pay are being made at an additional cost of 3 lakhs a year. In other provinces, for instance—Bengal and Bihar—village watchmen are paid from a special cess levied for the express purpose by local bodies, and any increase in their pay involves an addition to the assessments made by these bodies. Such an addition is necessarily unpopular, and there is a provision in the law limiting the rates of pay to a maximum of Rs. 6 a month. But both these Governments have the matter under consideration.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the new week-end postal arrangements will interfere with letters posted on Saturday being obtainable on demand at provincial head post offices on Sunday; whether the special Sunday collection of letters with late fee at certain London post offices for delivery in the country by the first post on Monday will be discontinued; and whether he is aware that if these facilities are discontinued it will involve a serious increase in postal telegraphic work on Sunday?

I regret it will not be practicable to provide a delivery to callers on Sundays, inasmuch as in many cases the mails will not be conveyed to the local offices, and if conveyed they will not be opened or sorted. The special Sunday collections from certain offices in London, of which very little use is made, have also been discontinued. In order to meet urgent requirements, special arrangements have been made for the acceptance on Sunday of express letters between certain offices in London and some of the largest provincial towns. I doubt if there will be any material increase in telegraphic work on Sundays.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the inconvenience caused by the suspension of the collection and dispatch of mails from Edinburgh to London on Sunday; and whether he will consider the retention of the dispatch by the 6.20 p.m. train from Edinburgh to the South in order to permit the collection of letters from Edinburgh and Leith post offices, omitting pillar boxes, for delivery in London at 7 a.m. on Monday?

I regret that I am not in a position to make any exception to the rule that there shall be no general dispatch of mails on Sundays. Under the special arrangements which have already been announced in the Press, urgent letters will be accepted at the General Post Office, Edinburgh, for express dispatch to London on Sundays, upon payment of a special fee of 1s. for each letter.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that all the proposals to increase certain of the postal rates as from 13th June will inflict financial hardship upon friendly and approved societies in all parts of the country; that the proposed increased charges will cost some of the friendly and approved societies several thousand pounds per annum; and if he is in a position to make modifications in regard to the proposed rates?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to a similar question put by the hon. Member for Frome (Mr. Hurd) on the 9th June.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that international postal coupons are being freely purchased in France for 30 centimes each, which are, under the existing Regulations, exchanged at English post offices for postage stamps at the rate of 2½d. in stamps for each coupon, such postage stamps being in turn changed into cash by the English Post Office officials at a small discount; and whether he will, in view of the present rate of exchange between England and France, take immediate steps to stop this traffic in international coupons in this country, and so avoid the loss to the Post Office which it entails?

The French Post Office ceased to issue Reply Coupons on the 30th of April, 1920. The latter part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Postmaster-General if a telegraph or telephone line is being, or has been, erected at Herne Bay along the Reculver Road to a point near Bishopstone Lodge; how many subscribers were secured before this line was undertaken; if there are two public telephone call offices in Beltinge which offer facilities to the same residents who will be served by the new line; what the cost will amount to of erecting the new line for nearly two miles; whether he has received any protests from the locality against the unnecessary expenditure on the installation; and what public demand persuaded him to undertake the extension?

The line in question is required in order to provide telephone service for a doctor, and it would be used for any other telephone circuits which may in future be required in the locality. The cost is estimated at £85. There are two telephone call offices in Beltinge, about a mile from the doctor's premises. Objection has been raised to the erection of poles on the ground that they will be unsightly, and it is claimed that some of the sites proposed for the poles are on private property, and not part of the public road. The matter is being investigated.

asked the Postmaster-General if Mr. J. H. Smith, now residing in Tankerton, Kent, who retired from the service of the Post Office on the 1st February, 1916, after more than 40 years' service, was officially notified by the Accountant-General's Department of the Post Office in November, 1920, that his pension had been increased by £46 a year under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920, being at the same time provided with a receipt form enabling him to obtain payment of arrears as from the 1st April, 1920; whether this pensioned ex-civil servant has now been informed that the Government Department made a mistake in so increasing his pension, which should only have been increased by £34 10s. instead of £46, Mr. Smith being a widower, and that the amount overpaid by the Department will have to be refunded by Mr. Smith either in a lump sum or by instalments; whether such a demand is one very difficult to meet for a person dependent on so small an income as Mr. Smith's pension; and whether he will give instructions that the amount be made good by the Department responsible for the error or by the individual official who made the mistake?

The circumstances are as stated. I am in correspondence with the Treasury as to the course to be followed in cases of the kind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if, in view of the preclusion of sales of dyes to users in China except through their agents there, he will say who are the agents; and whether the price that the British makers' agents sell at in the China market is less than that to our home users?

The agents in China of the British Dyestuffs Corporation (to whom I presume the question refers) are Messrs. Brunner Mond (China) Limited, Shanghai. As regards the second part of the question, I have already informed the hon. and gallant Member that the Government is not responsible for the management of the corporation, and I cannot undertake to answer questions regarding their operations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Charing Cross Bank, which went into liquidation in 1910, has paid no dividend since 1913, when a dividend of 8d. in the £ was paid, making 1s. 8d. in the £ in all; that these two dividends amounted together to £235,575; that the costs to that time amounted to £36,479 13s., out of which sum the trustees' remuneration amounted to £19,578; that these amounts are out of all proportion to the amount distributed; and that the shareholders have had no communication since June, 1917, from the trustees, although considerable assets still remain; and will he take steps to see that the costs of realising the estate are reduced and that the shareholders shall have early and full information of the prospects of realising the remaining assets of the company?

The figures quoted appear to be correct. With regard to

— 1913. 1915. 1918. 1919. £ £ £ £ Imports into Great Britain from Ireland 71,758,000 84,198,000 152,372,000 174,005,000 Exports from Great Britain to Ireland 57,135,000 70,483,000 110,984,000 132,374,000

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider, as a means to allay the present industrial unrest and to restore stability to trading conditions, the advisability of introducing legislation on the

the costs of administration, where, as in this case, the creditors appoint their own trustees and committee of inspection, it is for them to determine the general course of administration. The control of the Board of Trade is practically confined to satisfying themselves at the periodical audits (as has been done) that the expenditure is in accordance with the requirements of the Bankruptcy Act and Rules and is duly vouched. The hon. Member's question will, however, be brought to the notice of the trustees. With regard to the trustees' remuneration in particular, this was fixed by the committee of inspection under authority of the creditors, and is at the rate of 5 per cent. on assets realised and 4 per cent. on dividend. The obstacle in the way of bringing the matter to a close is the difficulty that has been encountered in disposing of the Canadian Railway interests.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can make a return showing the total trade between Great Britain and Ireland in the years 1913, 1915, 1918, and 1920, respectively?

Particulars respecting the trade between Great Britain and Ireland during the year 1920 are not yet available. The values for the years 1913, 1915, 1918 and 1919, as ascertained by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, were as follow:—

principle of the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, 1907, as amended in 1910 and 1918, of the Dominion of Canada?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on this subject to the hon. and gallant Member for Clackmannan (Major Glynn) on 9th June, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the prolongation of the coal strike, his Department will now decide to give adequate protection for the employment of all necessary safety men in the coal pits; whether at present only the men actually working the pumps are allowed to enter the colliery workings by the trade union pickets, and the pits are picketed against the entering of workers who are necessary to keep the roofs and roads in good order; and that, through these men being kept out of the pits, very serious damage is being done and the chances of an early resumption to full production when the strike is over are being seriously jeopardized?

I believe sufficient protection has been given when occasion has arisen, and that safety men generally have no difficulty in getting to their work.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the pit ponies are still kept in the mines; and will he take steps to have them brought up and kept above ground while the mines are not being worked?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer that I gave on the 26th May to a similar question by the hon. Member for Wigan (Mr. Allen Parkinson).

asked the Secretary for Mines if he is aware that the executive committee of the London Coal Exporters' Association strongly disapprove of the action of his Department in appointing four firms sole agents for the Government to import coals during the present crisis in the coal industry, thereby creating a monopoly; and will he state the principle upon which these four firms were selected and take steps in the immediate future to throw the import market open to free competition?

I have received a communication regarding this matter from the London Coal Exporters' Association. When the Government decided that it was necessary to arrange for the importation of coal into this country in order to provide for services essential to the life of the community, the method to be followed was very carefully considered, and it was found essential to keep the Government business in the fewest possible hands. No monopoly has been created, since it has always been open to any merchant to import privately, and in fact, very considerable quantities of coal have been so imported.

asked the Secretary for Mines if he is aware of the fact that a certain gas company in a Midland area has recently declined an order for fuel in the form of coke from a local manufacturing firm whose works can only remain in operation so long as such supplies are available; that the same company is delivering quantities of coke to firms in the same district whose works have been for some time past and are still closed, owing to the present dispute, probably in order to accumulate stocks for use immediately the said dispute is settled; whether such gas companies possess any statutory powers enabling them to differentiate between one manufacturing firm and another; if so, by whose authority such power is exercised; and, if not, can he see his way to inquire into the specific case indicated, with the view to enabling the firm to have satisfaction of its requirements, and thus prevent any further unemployment in the area concerned?

I am not aware of the circumstances to which the hon. Member calls attention, but, if he will furnish me with the name of the gas company, the names of the manufacturing firms, and brief particulars of the transactions in coke to which he refers, I will arrange for prompt inquiries to be made.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as Chairman of the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic), whether he can give the number of convictions for drunkenness in the scheduled areas of England and Wales during the past quarter of the current year; and the decrease on the figures for the corresponding quarter of 1920?

The returns of the Central Control Board are compiled weekly. The most accurate information therefore which I can give my hon. Friend is contained in the returns for the first complete 13 weeks of the year. They are as follow: 1920 23,993 1921 19,854

Decrease in 1921 as compared with 1920, 4,139.

asked the Home Secretary upon what grounds Mr. G. W. Frengley was convicted on 20th May at Portsmouth; and if he is aware that this man did excellent work of a very highly-skilled nature during the late. War and is not connected with any political organisation?

Frengley was convicted of unlawfully attempting to cause disaffection among His Majesty's naval and military forces. I have no information as to his previous employment or connections, political or otherwise. They would have no bearing on the conviction.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the recent murderous attacks upon individuals and raids by armed miscreants, with a view of damaging public property or setting fire to buildings or property in the neighbourhood of certain large towns, he will introduce legislation, or make use of the Emergency Powers Act, in order to enforce the penalty of flogging to be added to any sentence that may be passed in the case of any person convicted of taking any part in an armed raid, either for the purpose of destroying property, arson, or intimidation of persons, and also increase the maximum penalty to penal servitude for life for these crimes when committed in England, Scotland, and Wales?

The Emergency Powers Act cannot be used in the case of the crimes mentioned in the question, as the maximum punishment under that Act is three months' imprisonment, and I could not recommend Parliament to authorise the infliction of flogging as likely to be effective for the prevention of these crimes; but the destruction of property and arson are already punishable with penal servitude, and in the worst cases with penal servitude for life. Attempt to commit murder is also punishable with penal servitude for life, and under the Firearms Act of last Session the possession of firearms, with intent to endanger life or to cause serious injury to property, is punishable, whether injury is actually caused or not, with penal servitude for 20 years.

asked the Home Secretary under what circumstances 14s. is being stopped from the pension which is now being paid to Mr. Thomas Biggs, late of the police force, who now lives at 3, Old Road, Linslade, Bucks; and whether, in view of all the circumstances, this case can be reconsidered?

14s. a week is deducted from the pension, and paid to the pensioner's wife, from whom he is living apart, under Section 7 (3) of the Police Act, 1890. I have no reason to think that too high a proportion is paid to Mrs. Biggs.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the British South Africa Company has sold for cash 4,500,000 acres of land in Southern Rhodesia; and whether under the Royal Charter he is entitled to ask for information as to the total amount realised by the sales?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the affirmative. The information has, of course, already been supplied in connection with the proceedings of Lord Cave's Commission.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the British South Africa Company had sold land, to the date of 31st March, 1918, totalling 2,298,000 acres, for which no payment has yet been received; and whether the title to these lands will revert to the Crown, or whether it is proposed to take any steps to secure payment for these lands in order to reduce the liability of Lord Cave's award?

I can only refer to my reply to a similar question by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Colonel Wedgwood) on the 25th May. There is no question of the title to lands held on grants from the company reverting to the Crown.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the first intimation of the chartered company's valuation of Rhodesian land is to be found in Sir Starr Jameson's Victoria agreement of 1893, wherein the company suggested repurchasing the grants made to the invaders of Matabeleland at £3 per morgen; whether at this date, or soon afterwards, alienation of land, either to the company or to others, took place for considerations other than cash of some of the best lands of Rhodesia; and whether the company's estimated value of the land grants made in 1893 will be taken into consideration in fixing the deductions to be made from the Cave award?

The purpose of the Clause in the Victoria agreement referred to would seem to have been to enable the company to repurchase farms in the event of minerals being discovered, and it does not appear to me that it affords any indication of the value of the land in Southern Rhodesia in 1893. As regards the general question of accounting for the lands alienated by the company for considerations other than cash, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Colonel Wedgwood) on 25th May.

asked the Minister of Health whether the register prepared under the Representation of the People Act for the year 1920–21 cost the Wolstanton Urban District Council £647 5s. 3d.; whether Newcastle-under-Lyme and Audley Urban District Council also paid similar sums; the average cost in a complete constituency of preparing a register; and whether he has any plans for reducing such expenditure in future?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply to this question. I am informed by the Wolstanton Urban District Council that payments amounting to the sum stated in the question were made during the year ended 31st March, 1921, towards the cost of two registers, but it is not quite clear to what registers the payments relate. The total cost of the two registers for 1920 for the constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme was £1,748, of which sum one-half would fall to be borne by the three local authorities concerned. Certain changes were introduced last year which have reduced the total annual cost of registration by over £500,000. The full effect of these changes was not apparent until the Autumn Register, 1920. The average cost of this register worked out at approximately £836 per constituency, of which a half is borne by the Exchequer. Efforts will continue to be made to secure further savings wherever practicable.

asked the Minister of Health why the payments to William Stroud, of Silchester Common, Hampshire, an insured patient with the Prudential Assurance Company, have been stopped for the past eight weeks; is he aware that this man has been certified by a local medical practitioner as incapable of work by reason of cardiac disease, and that a second doctor has examined him and has given small hope of his ever being fit again for work; whether the stoppage of payments is owing to some misunderstanding between the local medical practitioner and the regional medical officer; and whether he will order the payments to be continued to the patient pending settlement of the misunderstanding referred to?

I have communicated with the approved society of which Mr. Stroud is a member and am informed that the payment of benefit to him is being authorised from the date on which it had been suspended, and that arrangements are again being made for the insured person to be examined by a regional medical officer, as the examination previously arranged could not be held by reason of the absence of the insured person from the locality.

asked the Minister of Health whether an insured person going into a hospital loses his sick pay; whether the medical officer of the hospital receives any remuneration from the Government for attending him; whether an insured person going into the union infirmary for treatment loses his sick pay; and, if so, whether the amounts so saved can be paid to the hospitals and other institutions whilst they are maintaining the insured person?

The answer to the first and third questions is, that under the Insurance Acts sickness or disablement benefit is not payable to an insured person while he is an inmate of a hospital or similar institution, but the whole or part of the benefit is paid to his dependants, if any, or may be applied towards meeting any expenses for which the insured person may be liable otherwise than to the hospital or, with his consent, may be paid to the hospital if it is not maintained out of public funds. So far as the money is not used in any of these ways, it becomes payable to the insured person on leaving the hospital. The answer to the second question is in the negative. My hon. and gallant Friend will see that there is no part of the sickness benefit available for use in the way which is suggested in the fourth question.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Government subsidy of £250 to individuals building houses of a certain type is being abused and is not serving its intended purpose of reducing the accommodation shortage, and that persons are building houses and drawing the subsidy and then holding the houses for sale at high prices, refusing to let them even at reproductive rentals; and can he devise some means by which those builders who have drawn the subsidy may be compelled to make available for occupation the houses built with the help of the subsidy?

I have received a few complaints that builders under the subsidy scheme have refused to let houses as suggested, but I have no evidence that the practice has been in any way extensive, and I would point out that the present falling prices are unfavourable to its adoption. With regard to the last part of the question, I doubt whether it would be practicable to impose conditions as to the letting of these houses which would not have the effect of discouraging building under the scheme, but if the hon. and gallant Member has any suggestion to make, I will consider it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture upon what basis his Department have instructed the county land agent for Bedfordshire to increase the rents of smallholder tenants under that county council; whether the amount of increase is left to the discretion of that official; if he is aware that the increases suggested so far are calculated to drive many of the small cultivators off the land or reduce them to a condition of abject poverty; and, in view of the understanding when many of the men took up their holdings under the Small Holdings Act of 1908, that so long as their rent was regularly paid they would enjoy peaceful possession, he will cause an impartial inquiry to be held into the whole of the circumstances at the Shire Hall, Bedford, with a view to preventing many of these tenants being ruined?

The rents of some of the pre-War small holdings in Bedfordshire are being revised by the Small Holdings Sub-committee of the County Agricultural Committee, who are presumably being advised in the matter by their technical officer, the county land agent. I am sending the hon. Member an extract from the circular letter which was isued by the Ministry at the end of 1919, which explains the circumstances under which the rents of pre-War holdings are being reviewed. The Ministry is informed that it has been clearly explained to every tenant that he has the right to submit his case to arbitration if he is not satisfied that his new rent, as fixed by the sub-committee, is reasonable, and in these circumstances I do not consider that an inquiry of the kind suggested by the hon. Member is necessary or desirable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to the protests from practically all the old smallholders in the county of Bedford against the proposed increases in their rents; whether he is aware that the county land agent has increased rents of the smallholders of Broom Garden Field, Biggleswade, by £2 10s. per acre, and if any tenant objects he has the right of appeal to an arbitrator, but is expected to pay the costs of same; and will he direct that, in view of falling prices and the decrease in the capital value of agricultural land, that this scheme for increased rents be cancelled, and thus stop the spread of discontent in the rural districts referred to?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that in the county of Bedford smallholder tenants of the county council, upon protesting against increases in their rents of 50s. and over per acre, are asked by the county land agent to agree to the matter going to arbitration, and, in cases where they accept this suggestion, they are informed that they will have to bear the expenses of such arbitration or, as an alternative, be governed by the conditions laid down in the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1908; and, since this rent-raising is understood to be in accordance with the direct instructions of his Ministry, will he instruct that the costs of arbitration in all such cases shall be defrayed by his Department?

I have received representations in the matter on behalf of some of the smallholders referred to, but I am informed that the Bedfordshire County Council do not propose to increase the rents of all of their pre-War small holdings, and that in some other cases the tenants have agreed to the proposed increases. The arbitration referred to is presumably an arbitration under the procedure of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1908, the costs of which are within the discretion of the arbitrator. Any costs directed by the arbitrator to be paid by the council will be treated as expenses of the council in respect of which the council are entitled to claim against the Ministry under the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919. Having regard to the increased cost of management and repairs and the increased value of tithe rent charge, I do not consider that the council are acting unreasonably in asking that the rents of their small holdings shall be reviewed when they consider the holdings to be under-rented.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that no appointment has yet been made of a horticultural instructor for the county of Bedford; whether he is aware that the demand for horticultural education and instruction is greater to-day in that county than ever before, largely owing to the expansion of the allotment movement and the settlement of ex-service men on small holdings; and whether, in view of the serious delay in this matter, he will now press for the subject to be dealt with immediately?

The appointment of a horticultural organiser in Bedfordshire is a matter primarily for the county council, who have decided on financial grounds not to make such an appointment at present. In common with other Departments, the Ministry of Agriculture is bound by the instructions of the Government to refrain from pressing local authorities to undertake expenditure which would involve an additional charge on the rates and indirectly on the Exchequer.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that less than 3 per cent. of the members, who are supposed to be the representatives of labour, on the Agricultural Wages Boards, are, or have at any time been, agricultural workers; and whether he will take steps to abolish the present methods of secret election, and to give to the persons engaged in the industry the right to elect their representatives by ballot in a way similar to the method now adopted in elections to other administrative bodies?

The hon. and gallant Member is under a misapprehension. On the Agricultural Wages Board there are 16 representatives of labour, of whom 9 ( i.e., 56 per cent.) are, or have been, agricultural workers. With regard to the District Wages Committees, as I informed the hon. Member on the 30th ultimo, I cannot, without extended inquiry, give particulars of the 320 representatives of workers, but I understand that the large majority are, or have been, employed as agricultural workers. Under present circumstances I do not propose to make any alteration in the Regulations governing the constitution of the Wages Board or the Wages Committees.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is proposed to increase the wages of laundry women; and, if so, what is the reason for doing so at a time when wages are falling in other employments and when it will create further unemployed when there are already some 50,000 laundry workers out of work?

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to the rates of wages paid by the Laundry Trade Board. No advances on the rates which became operative on 30th May are under contemplation by the Board. My hon. and gallant Friend is, I think, misinformed as to the state of employment in the laundry trade. Out of over 90,000 workers engaged in laundry work there were on 6th May 5,923 of all ages registered as unemployed.