asked the Chief Secretary how many houses have been erected in Ireland under the provisions of the Discharged Soldiers and Sailors Act, 1919; how many are in course of erection; what accommodation do these houses provide and at what rents are they let; are these houses being built under the direct control of the Housing Committee of Ireland or has the local authority any control; what progress has been made in the building of the 174 houses allocated to Belfast and district; and will he undertake to speed up the erection of these houses, so as to relieve the great demand for houses by discharged soldiers and sailors and at the same time provide work for the unemployed?

I regret that I have not yet received the information asked for, but I will send it to my hon. Friend as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of ex-officers and men of the Navy, Army, and Air Force, respectively, who are totally paralysed through wounds received in action and who are so helpless as to necessitate their remaining in hospital; in how many of these cases the paralysis is permanent, and what is the number of ex-officers and men of the Navy, Army, and Air Force who are blind as a result of wounds received in action?

There are 253 totally paralysed officers and men in hospital, but I am unable to say how many of them cannot be expected to recover. There are 1,453 officers and men who are totally blind as the result of their War service. Of these 739 were blinded by wounds received in action.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the Controller of the Appointments Department is discharging a large number of ex-officers from that Department and closing down numerous offices dealing with finding employment for ex-officers and soldiers, and that this action is most detrimental to the interests of unemployed men who have fought for their country; and whether he will put a stop to further curtailment of staff until the whole question of the future of the Department has been discussed in this House or laid before Parliament?

I am aware that the services of a certain number of ex-officers are being terminated, and also that certain offices of the Appointments Department are being closed down. This action has been due to the fact that the work of the Appointments Department has been steadily decreasing during recent months, and my hon. and gallant Friend will agree that I should not be justified in retaining staff which is not fully employed. If I cannot find, within the Ministry, an alternative post for an ex-service man temporarily employed in the Ministry of Labour when notice has to be given to him of termination of his existing appointment, his case is invariably submitted to the Joint Substitution Board, unless he expresses a desire to the contrary. So far as the future work of the Appointments Department is concerned, I propose, as I have already informed my hon. and gallant Friend, to discuss this question at an early date with the Standing Joint Committee of the Officers' Association and of the Ministry of Labour; and my hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that every care will be taken to secure that due provision is made for the requirements of the class of ex-service men to whom he refers. I shall be glad to give my hon. Friend full information on the point at a later date.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) whether he is aware that Mr. Montague Fordham, who has been engaged at the Ministry of Labour since 1919 on the organisation of canteens and hostels throughout England, is under notice of discharge from his post, the notice expiring on the 1st July next, on the sole ground that he is a non-ex-service man, and has been refused certain documents relating to the ruling necessary for the investigation of his case; that this gentleman, having been refused on offering to enlist in the Army as a private in 1914, after serving in various capacities in England, served in France as a paid orderly in a British Red Cross unit, and also directly under the Royal Army Medical Corps, and was subsequently attached under a special permit from the War Office to the French army serving as an infermier and ambulancier in a French military hospital, nursing wounded from Verdun and the Somme, from which hospital he was discharged in 1916 suffering from blood poisoning, and that he is entitled to wear the 1914–15 star and ribbon, the British war medal, and the Allied victory medal, and has received the special thanks of the French authorities for his services; and whether, having regard to the statement of the Secretary of State for War, that men who served with His Majesty's forces overseas are ex-service men for substitution purposes, and in view of the fact that the British military authorities in France treated him as a service man, the Ministry of Munitions accepted him as an ex-service man on his appointment in that Ministry in 1916, and that the Appointments Department of the Ministry of Labour has classed him as an ex-service man, and that the decision arrived at affects large numbers of men who served in the British Red Cross and under the Royal Army Medical Corps, and with the forces of the Allies under permits from the War Office, he will direct that a special inquiry should be made into the circumstances of the case and the position of men with similar service qualifications, and that pending such inquiry no action to remove the official in question be taken?

(2) whether he is aware that Mr. Montague Fordham, now an official in the Ministry of Labour, was only not classed as an ex-service man owing to his coming direct from the Ministry of Munitions to the Ministry of Labour without having his service qualifications registered by the Appointments Department, and that he was therefore recently given notice to leave the Ministry on the 1st July next on the ground that he was a non-ex-service man; that, on reference being made by Mr. Fordham, the error was rectified and that he has been classed as an ex-service man, but that, notwithstanding the correction of the error, the notice of dismissal has not been withdrawn; and whether, under these circumstances, he will take steps to order the withdrawal of the notice pending inquiry into the case?

Mr. Montague Fordham's claim to be regarded as an ex-service man was considered by the Joint Substitution Board in October, 1920, when it was decided that an officer who has served overseas with the Red Cross Society or with other organisations affiliated to, but not forming part of His Majesty's forces, could not be regarded as an ex-service man, for the purposes of the Substitution Scheme. Mr. Fordham appealed against this ruling partly on the ground of his service with the French Army to which he was for a time attached. Particulars of his service were forwarded to the War Office who confirmed the decision taken. Apart from this, however, the decision that Mr. Fordham should be substituted by an ex-service man, redundant from another Department of the Ministry, was based to a considerable extent on information as to his private circumstances supplied by him to the Department. In view of the considerable numbers of ex-members of His Majesty's forces, without any other means of subsistence whatever, who are registered with us for employment, I cannot see my way to vary the decision in this case.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the free postage facilities granted to soldiers serving abroad have been withdrawn except in the case of the forces in Mesopotamia; if so, the reasons for this step; and why a distinction is drawn in favour of the Mesopotamian troops as against those serving in Palestine, Silesia, and elsewhere abroad?

The special free postage facilities granted to soldiers serving in Mesopotamia have been withdrawn as from 1st July.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Dover Corporation, despite numerous attempts spread over a very long period, have failed to obtain the adjustment of their claims against the War Office for electric current and water supplied; and why these matters are being dealt with in what would seem to be a very perfunctory manner?

Instructions have already been issued to effect a settlement for the electric current supplied by the Dover Corporation, and the hon. Member was informed of this on the 7th instant. As regards the water supplied, the matter has only recently been referred to the War Office. Further information is being obtained from the local military authorities as to the liability of the Department for the amount claimed, and a decision will be communicated as speedily as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of British officers in the Army of the Rhine who since the commencement of the occupation have married German women; whether before such marriages the consent of their commanding officer or other military authority was obtained; and whether it is the policy of the War Office to encourage such marriages?

Returns of such marriages are received half-yearly from the military authorities in Germany. The last return, which contains particulars up to the end of 1920, shows that seven British officers serving with the Army on the Rhine had married German women since the commencement of the occupation. It is the custom of the service for an officer to inform his commanding officer before getting married, and the regulations for the Rhine Army made by arrangement with the German Government require that an officer proposing to marry a German woman should furnish his commanding officer with a copy of his birth certificate and a statutory declaration as to his legal capacity to marry, for the purpose of being forwarded to the Competent German Registrar. It is not the policy of the War Office to encourage such marriages, but the War Office has no power to prevent them.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that the wife of a soldier under 26 years of age is not entitled to marriage allowance but must depend upon any allotment made to her by her husband, and in view of the, hardship which this involves, he is prepared to place the wives of all soldiers on an equal financial footing?

The grant a marriage allowance to the Regular soldier in time of peace was a great concession. The Government fixed the conditions for the three Services after very full consideration, and I regret I can hold out no hope that these will be changed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that the claim made by Mrs. Gearing, of 13, Queen's Place, Shoreham-on-Sea, in respect of a gratuity of £50 to her late husband, G. W. Gearing, Royal Fleet Reservist, has been refused on the ground that he had not attained the age of 40 at the time of his death, although he had completed the 20 years' service necessary to qualify for the gratuity; and whether any decision has yet been reached with regard to the proposal to grant a portion of the Reserve gratuity to meet this and similar cases?

The facts are as stated, the qualifications for the award of the gratuity being, under present Regulations, the completion of a minimum period of 20 years' service and the attainment of the age of 40. Gearing was 38½ years of age at the date of his death. The question as to whether a portion of the Reserve gratuity should be allowed in cases of death, with retrospective effect, is still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether Lance-Corporal Harold Hawkins, No. 36,156, who joined the Army at the age of 18 in 1916, and was three times wounded during the War in the same arm, is entitled to some pension for his partial disablement; and will he have this case inquired into, as the man has been unable to obtain employment since his discharge in March last as medically unfit?

I am informed that there is no trace at the Ministry of an application for pension having been made by a soldier corresponding to the particulars supplied by my hon. Friend. I would suggest that the man be advised to communicate with his Local War Pensions Committee, who will assist him in making his claim.

asked the Minister of Pensions why the disability pension of 12s. 10d. per week to Sergeant Ambrose Cook, King's Royal Rifle Corps, residing at 4, Anton Road, Andover, was withheld from 20th April, 1920, to 28th January, 1921; is he aware that this man was suffering from malaria, debility, and anæmia, all three disabilities having been admitted by the Ministry to be attributable to military service; that a certificate has been given by a well-known local medical practitioner that the man was under treatment by him during the whole of the period named; and, having regard to this definite medical evidence, will he issue instructions for payment of the pension withheld?

When Sergeant Cook was first medically examined his disablement was assessed at less than 20 per cent. and a final weekly allowance of 7s. 6d., expiring on the 20th April, 1920, was granted. As no further application was received from him until the 21st January, 1921, the present award of 12s. 10d. a week has effect from that date only. The medical evidence referred to has been considered, but it has not been found possible to grant arrears.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that Driver Thomas George Blackwell, T.2/S.R./03,094, Royal Army Service Corps, received Form M.P.M.S.D. 62 from the Ministry of Pensions stating that the medical board by whom he was examined at Aylesbury on the 9th May, 1921, had found that his degree of disability was 100 per cent. and that this assessment represented an average for 12 months beginning on the 6th July, 1921; how does he explain the fact that this man has received a further letter, reference No. 11/M./75,357, dated 22nd June, 1921, in which he is informed that the Minister of Pensions has decided to continue his pension at the rate of 8s., plus 2s. for wife, weekly; and will he have inquiries made into this case and the pension made up to the amount representing 100 per cent. disability?

Disablement was assessed at 100 per cent., as stated, but, unfortunately, an error was made in communicating that figure to the man, as only 20 per cent. was in respect of the disability accepted by the Ministry as connected with service. The award made is, therefore, correct; but if the man still considers that the second disability is due to service, he has a right of appeal to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal against the decision of the Ministry.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is yet in a position to make an announcement with regard to the issue of separation allowance to the wives and children of naval officers; and, if not, whether he will be in a position to do so before the end of the Session?

No, Sir, but I hope to make a statement upon the subject before the end of the Session.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Mr. W. Tate, stationmaster, Carrigaline, who at a court-martial held at Fort Camden, Crosshaven, on 16th June, was ordered to pay a fine of £25 within 14 days for failure to report the presence of armed raiders; and whether he will arrange a remission of this heavy fine, in view of the fact that there are no military or police barracks at Carrigaline and that, as the telephone wires were cut and the station thus isolated, the stationmaster reported the facts to his general manager by the first train next morning, which was the earliest possible means?

I have not yet received a full report of the facts in this case, but I understand that the military governor has remitted £20 of the fine of £25 imposed on Mr. Tate.

asked the Chief Secretary for what period of years the Irish hospitals or some, and which, of them have been receiving out of public funds the sum of £16,000 per annum or what other sum; and whether during that period any equivalent grant has been made out of such funds to Scottish or English hospitals?

The grants to Dublin hospitals from the Imperial Exchequer originate in a clause of the Act of Union which bound the Parliament of the United Kingdom to continue certain grants made by the Irish Parliament for the maintenance of institutions for charitable purposes. These grants had been paid by the Irish Parliament to the following hospitals which are still in existence, namely, Hospital for Incurables, House of Industry, Westmorland and the Meath Hospitals. The Irish Parliament had also contributed generously to the construction of the Rotunda Hospital. The United Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland was bound to continue these grants for a period of 20 years, but taking a wide view of the contract has, in fact, continued and extended the number of the grants to the present day. The amounts paid to each hospital have varied from time to time, but were finally fixed at their present figures by the Select Committee on Irish Estimates, 1854, as modified by the Report of the Royal Commission of 1855. So far as I am aware neither English nor Scottish hospitals have directly received similar grants, nor have any Irish hospitals outside of Dublin received them.

asked the Chief Secretary if any arrests have been made in connection with the assassination of Constable H. Gabbie, who was killed by Sinn Feiners whilst on duty in Newry, County Down, on the evening of 30th June?

Yes, Sir, The police report that two men have been arrested on suspicion in connection with this murder.

asked the Chief Secretary if he is in a position to give any particulars with regard to the murders of Richard Pearson, 23, and Abraham Pearson, 20, farmer's sons, at Coolacrease, King's County, on 30th June?

I have asked for a report in this case and will communicate with the hon. and gallant Gentleman as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the conduct of the B class special constables in Lisbellaw on Sunday morning last; whether members of this force visited the Catholic houses in the village, brought out a number of Catholic men, paraded them up and down the street at 3 o'clock in the morning, and threatened them that if anything happened in the village they would be shot; whether the total Catholic population of Lisbellaw is about 40 out of a population of nearly 400; and what explanation He has to offer on the matter?

Shortly after midnight on 2nd/3rd July a patrol of B special constabulary was fired on in the village of Lisbellaw. The patrol returned the fire, but there were no casualties. Reinforcements were provided from the regular force and the locality was searched. I am informed that in order to provide against further attack the police compelled three prominent Sinn Feiners to accompany the patrol from 1.30 a.m. to 3.30 a.m., after which they were permitted to return home.

asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to the action of the Crown forces in Ballinaglera, County Leitrim, on Sunday, 5th June; whether the auxiliary forces entered the Catholic church during the service and proceeded to drag members of the congregation off their knees and out of the church; whether the chief of these forces afterwards drove the priest off the altar and out of the church at the point of the revolver; whether other members of the force then raided the church and sacristy, behaving in a very disorderly manner; whether he will take immediate steps to have this officer removed; and what action he proposes to take to safeguard Catholics from such treatment during their religious service?

If the hon. Member will be good enough to refer to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for the Scotland Division (Mr. T. P. O'Connor) on 27th June, he will see that these allegations are unfounded.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to make an early revision of the bonuses paid on the wages of the higher ranks of the Civil Service?

My right hon. Friend proposes to make a statement on the subject of the Civil Service bonus when the Treasury Vote is taken.

asked the Secretary of State for War what steps the War Office are taking to ensure that officers in record offices are being treated fairly as regards their retention or otherwise; whether in any reduction of staff preference will be given to married men; and whether their War services and the fact that they are disabled will be taken into consideration in any such reduction of staff?

The termination of employment of assistant officers in record offices is subject in each case to confirmation by the War Office. Before recommending the discharge of an officer, officers in charge of records take into consideration all attendant circumstances, including War service and disablement; but aptitude for the work must necessarily be the primary consideration for further retention. Other things being equal, preference is given to disabled Regular and ex-Regular officers and, after them, to disabled non-Regular officers.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the travelling inspectors employed by the Ministry are granted first-class travelling fares and expenses; what exactly are their duties; and whether their work is already covered by the inspectors of local authorities?

I presume that the hon. Member refers to the engineering inspectors attached to the Roads Department of the Ministry. These officers receive actual travelling expenses on the scale laid down for the Civil Service as a whole. Their duties, which in no case are covered by the inspectors of local authorities, include:

( a ) The examination of estimates of cost of road and bridge works towards which grants and loans are made from the Road Fund.

( b ) The inspection of works in progress.

( c ) The holding of statutory and local inquiries connected with the administration of various Acts of Parliament, e.g., the sanctioning of loans, speed limits, omnibus routes, inquiries into appeals to the Minister under the Roads Act, 1920, and earlier Acts.

( d ) The investigation of serious accidents to road vehicles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what employment the 36 inspectors of the Food Department of the Board of Trade were engaged in before the War; what class they travel; and what their wages and allowances cost the country per annum?

I will send the hon. Member a statement showing the occupations of the inspectors before the War. The class they travel depends upon their rate of pay, but in most cases is second where that class exists and otherwise third. Their cost is at the annual rate of, approximately, £13,000.

asked the President of the Board of Education if the day continuation schools of the London County Council domestic servants are taught dancing, stencilling, and Russian literature; and, if so, would he consider the advisability of making the education vocational rather than general?

I am aware that dancing in connection with physical training is not infrequently included in the curriculum of day continuation schools in London, and stencilling, where the course includes art subjects, may be practised. I am not aware that Russian literature is taught in the day continuation schools. I am of opinion that when the full four years' course is in operation some vocational education may properly be given, particularly during the latter years of the course. I am fully alive to the advantages of vocational instruction, but, generally speaking, and apart from con- siderations of expense, I have little doubt that for boys and girls of 14 years of age who have just left their elementary schools, whether they are employed in domestic service or not, a course of general education is more suitable.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he has received a communication from the higher education committee of West Ham embodying a Resolution, passed at a recent meeting of the council, to the effect that the education committee lay the present position of the day continuation schools before him, that a Report be prepared on the possibility of turning these schools into voluntary ones, and that instructions be given to the attendance officers to abstain from threatening prosecutions; and whether 1,000 people would be involved if proceedings were taken?

A communication has been received from the West Ham education committee, and I am receiving a deputation of the committee to discuss the present position of the day continuation schools in the borough.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the total amount of grants made from the Government to continuation schools and what is the estimated total cost of such schools; and whether any economy is likely to be effected in regard to them?

The Board's grants to local education authorities for continuation schools are not calculated separately but are included in the general grant calculated at 50 per cent. of the expenditure of the authorities on higher education generally. That expenditure is ascertained after the close of the financial year. The Board's Estimates for 1921–22 were framed upon the expectation that the expenditure of local education authorities in 1921–22 on statutory day continuation schools might amount to £700,000. The situation has changed since those Estimates were framed. It is not possible to say now what the effect will be on that expenditure, but I certainly see no reason to expect that it will be exceeded.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government intend to assist in the development of wireless telephony by instructing the Post Office to grant licences on reasonable terms and not exclude the employment of wireless telephony as endangering the Post Office telephone monopoly?

I have been asked to answer this question. Experimental licences for wireless telephony are granted by the Post Office on suitable conditions as regards possible interference with Government and commercial wireless. The use of wireless telephony for ordinary business purposes within the United Kingdom would at present be impracticable by reason of the unavoidable mutual interference between the various stations. This objection, however, would not apply to the same extent to the use of wireless in place of cable telephony between this country and places abroad; and the question of issuing licences for such communication subject to such safeguards as the interests of the State may require is under consideration.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is yet in a position to state the result of his consideration of the postal workers' suggestions in regard to the system of deferred telegrams at half rates?

I have asked the Advisory Council for a report on the finance of the telegraph service and the question of deferred telegrams will no doubt be one of the matters to which they will give attention.

asked the Postmaster-General whether a youth who, owing to attending a higher elementary school, is over 15 years of age cannot obtain employment on the clerical staff of the Post Office; and, if so, whether, seeing that such a regulation is calculated to prevent lads of good educational attainments from joining the clerical staff, he will take any action in the matter?

The clerical staff of the Post Office will be recruited to a con- siderable extent by open competition with age limits of 16–17. The fear expressed by the hon. and gallant Member is not therefore well founded.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the total sum obtained under the recent Motor Tax from vehicles licensed to carry passengers; what restrictions are there to prevent motor lorries or motor trucks normally used for the conveyance of goods being used on occasion for the conveyance of passengers; and why is it not considered necessary to insist upon special licences to drive being obtained by those persons who are entrusted with the driving of motor passenger-carrying vehicles, who are often called upon to drive over strange roads altogether unsuited to such a class of vehicle?

From 1st January to the 31st May last, the latest date for which figures are available, the sum obtained from the taxation of vehicles licensed to carry passengers was approximately £1,576,400. The answer to the second part of the question is that action such as that described renders the owner of the vehicle liable to prosecution if he has not paid the appropriate duty. As regards the third part of the question, the hon. and gallant Member is aware that such a question requires legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that at present there is no compulsion upon owners of motor vehicles licensed to carry passengers reporting accidents where passengers are injured to the Ministry of Transport or to any other Government Department, whether he will consult with the Home and Scottish Offices as to the need for such reports to be made, as is now the case where passengers are injured in accidents upon the railways?

I am in consultation with the Home and Scottish Offices on the question of the compulsory notification of serious accidents, and the matter is also engaging the attention of the Departmental Committee. My hon. and gallant Friend will understand that any action in the direction he desires will require fresh legislation.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will, in the interest of public safety, obtain powers to insist that all motor vehicles licensed to carry-passengers shall fulfil the following requirements, respectively, the driver shall be seated in a separate compartment to the passengers and made inaccessible to them, that an attendant or guard shall have a seat at the rear of the vehicle and by signal be able to communicate with the driver to warn him of overtaking traffic or the need to stop, that the length of these vehicles shall be strictly limited in order to facilitate turning, and that in no case shall the full loaded weight be too great for the capacity of the brakes?

This is a matter which requires legislation, and I cannot forecast what will be done when Parliament reassembles.

asked the Minister of Transport if the results of the census of the staff employed on the railways in the United Kingdom which was arranged for the week ended 19th March last have been tabulated; and if he can now supply detailed particulars of the numbers of persons employed in the various grades by each railway company on the 19th March in similar form to the statement submitted in evidence by the Railway Department of the Board of Trade to the Royal Commission on Railways in 1914?

The tabulation will be completed shortly, and I propose to issue the particulars for which the hon. Member asks as a White Paper.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, (1) if his attention has been called to the fact that some hundreds of men have been discharged by the underground railway systems operating in and around the Metropolis; that great numbers of others have been put on short time and that wages have been considerably reduced during the last few weeks; that, while the service of trains has been greatly curtailed, no intimation has been given to the community that fares will be corre- spondingly reduced; what action he proposes to take to secure to the traveling public a proportionate share of these economies;

(2) if his attention has been called to the fact that the curtailment of early and late trains by the management of the underground railways of the Metropolis is having a serious effect on the employment of workpeople who have to leave their homes before six o'clock in the morning or who return home after midnight; and that such reduction constitutes a very serious hardship on hundreds of people?

I have been asked to reply. The underground railway services now commence at 6 a.m., and close at midnight. I am informed that the withdrawal of the earlier trains has not given rise to serious complaint, while the later trains were not sufficiently used by the public to justify their continuance. The 8-hour day has shortened the working hours except for a small number of passengers of particular classes, and has at the same time greatly increased the cost of keeping these railways open for long hours. The companies will be willing to consider any reasonable proposals for the removal of any hardships; but in so far as traffic decreases they must reduce their expenditure, and curtailment of services is not in itself a reason for reducing fares. On the general question of a revision of fares on the London electric railways, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stratford (Mr. Lyle) on the 29th June, a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it has been arranged with Austria that the British administrator shall collect debts due to Austrian nationals and that the Austrian administrator shall collect debts due to British nationals; whether, owing to the present rate of exchange, the Austrian administrator is unable to comply with his part of the agreement; whether, in spite of this, British nationals are being called upon by the British administrator to pay moneys due to Austrian subjects and in some cases are being threatened; if so, whether the officials are authorised in such cases to employ threats against the British nationals concerned; and whether the Government will take steps to rectify this state of affairs?

It is the duty of the British administrator to take all proper steps to collect debts due by British nationals to Austrian nationals for the purpose of meeting in part the claims of British creditors of Austrians in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Peace. The Austrian Government is under obligation to provide the means to meet the balance of such claims, but is not, I fear, at present in a position to fulfil its obligations in full.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that claims submitted to the Reparation Claims Department in the case of Mrs. Black, widow of the late James Joseph Black, who was drowned in the sinking of the "Lusitania," have not yet been settled; and whether, in view of the fact that this casualty took place more than six years ago, he will explain why the examination of these claims has not been concluded?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; and with regard to the second part, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. and gallant Member for Leith (Captain W. Benn) on the 20th June. Mrs. Black's claim has been examined with a view to submission to the special Commission referred to in that answer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the cost of certificates of origin under Clause 4 of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill will be borne by the trader or the Government?

Under the Bill certificates of origin will have to be obtained by the exporter, who will be required to pay the fee to the Consular Officer concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what course is open to traders who are unable to find in the district from which they import goods a Consular officer who can supply a satisfactory certificate of origin?

I do not anticipate that the exporter, on whom will fall the onus of procuring any certificate of origin that may be required, will find any great difficulty in ascertaining the nearest town in which a Consular officer resides.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has formed any estimate of the cost of the Committee to be set up under Clause 4 of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill?

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Leith (Captain W. Benn) on 4th July.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, under Clause 2 of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill, employment in any industry is held by the Board to mean in any industry complaining of the dumping of foreign goods; or whether the Board will hold that it includes any industry interested in the import of foreign articles at the lowest price?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, but as I have already stated in reply to the hon. Member for West Middlesbrough (Mr. T. Thomson), I am proposing to make a statement when the Bill comes up on report as to the questions which will be referred to the Committees to be set up under the Bill.

asked the President of the Board of Trade on what grounds the Board of Trade will decide, under Clause 1 of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill, whether the person complaining that articles have been improperly included or excluded from the Schedule is, in fact, a person interested?

I do not anticipate any difficulty in ascertaining whether a person is interested in securing that duty shall or shall not be levied on goods of any particular description.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the maximum duty that can be levied on any article under the provisions of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill, the German Reparation (Recovery) Act, and the existing tariff?

No duty is leviable under the German Reparation (Recovery) Act. Part of the cost of the goods is payable to the Customs, but this sum is recoverable by the exporter from the German Government. On the passage of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill the maximum duty leviable on any article will be 66⅔ per cent. or 33⅓ per cent, in addition to the existing specific duties, whichever may be the higher. It is not possible to say what may be the maximum ad valorem equivalent of existing specific duties.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when and under what circumstances our commercial treaty of 28th February, 1882, with France was denounced?

Twelve months' notice of denunciation of this Treaty was given by the French Government on 10th September, 1918, but by agreement between the two countries it remains in operation subject to three months' notice on either side. The hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware that the Treaty does not require the parties to accord most-favoured-nation treatment to each other in regard to Customs duties on their respective produce and manufactures.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he will be able to give the information as to the imports from Germany for a period prior to and since the enforcement of the German Reparation (Recovery) Act?

I hope that the information may be available in about a fortnight.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the statement of the Comptroller and Auditor-General in his Report on trading accounts that a sum of £28,451 14s. has been overpaid to the Canadian Government in respect of timber cutting; whether the sum was paid to the Canadian Government owing to the failure of the Board of Trade officials to discover that overhead charges had been charged twice in the account; whether this sum has been repaid by the Canadian Government; and, if not, what steps are being taken for its recovery?

My attention has been called to the statement in the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General regarding a sum of £28,451 apparently overpaid to the Canadian Government. The claim presented by that Government was, however, reduced on general grounds by about £65,000 after discussions with their officers. Although the detailed particulars were submitted to the Timber Department for criticisms before the discussions took place, the wrongful inclusion of overhead charges twice was not discovered at the time. The Canadian Government have been asked to recon-eider the settlement with a view to refunding the £28,451.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the names of the two Government directors on the board of the British Cellulose and Chemical Manufacturing Company, in which the Government holds 1,450,000 preference shares; what salaries they have in addition to the £500 per annum as directors; what qualifications they have for the manufacture of the products of this company; whether they sanctioned the issue of £3,000,000 preference shares last year; whether the issue was made on the promise that nine tons of artificial silk would be made per day; whether this promise has been fulfilled; whether these two Government directors have sanctioned the borrowing of a further sum of £250,000 from the bank and for what purpose; whether all the machinery is working; whether he will inquire from the two Government directors if it is the intention of the company to ask the public for more money and for what purpose; whether it is the intention of the Government that these two directors should continue drawing £500 per annum each when no dividends are available; whether this is the company which sold its 6d. shares to the public for £14 each; if he can arrange for three Members of the House to visit these works; and from whom the present stock for manufacturing purposes was purchased, the total value on date of purchase, and the value at 1st July, 1921?

The two directors of the British Cellulose Company, Limited, representing the Government are Sir William Alexander and Sir Philip Henriques. The first of these gentlemen has wide commercial experience and is also a trained chemist, and the second formerly acted as an Assistant Financial Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions. The Government were cognisant of the proposed issue of shares and took no exception thereto. With regard to the output of the company, nine tons per day will ultimately be made when market conditions permit. The borrowing of the additional sum mentioned in the question was agreed to by the Government directors in common with their colleagues on the board, and was effected for the general purposes of the company. The plant is not working to full capacity, but many other commercial undertakings are in the same position at present. The question of further issues is, of course, a matter which rests with the board of directors generally, but at present there is no suggestion of this arising. The fees of the two directors payable by the company are payable into the Exchequer, and the only salary they receive, namely, £500 each, is paid direct by the Government. The question as to 6d. shares does not apply to this company. I am advised that it is thought the company would welcome a visit from three Members of the House, provided, of course, that the visitors have no direct or indirect competitive interests in the trade. I have no information on the points raised in the last two lines of the question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what Supple- mentary Estimates are required in connection with the coal dispute, the railway agreements, the Agriculture Act Repeal Bill, and any other matters; what is the amount of each Estimate; which of such Estimates have been presented to Parliament; and when the others will be presented?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday last to the hon. and gallant Member for Henley (Captain Terrell).

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can give any indication regarding a reduction in the price of bread at an early date; and what action, if any, he proposes to take during the approaching world harvest to prevent anything in the way of the cornering of wheat and flour?

I have been asked to reply. In answer to the first part of the question, no indication can be given as to the possible fluctuations in the price of bread. As regards the second part I do not anticipate that it will be necessary for the Government to take any action.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of any contract made between the Phosphate Commissioners and Mr. G. V. Parker, of the Slag Phosphate Company, Limited, Newport (Mon.); the full terms and details of such contract, and the reasons for placing the whole allocation of Nauru phosphates with Mr. G. V. Parker; whether His Majesty's Government is in any way interested in the Slag Phosphate Company, Limited, and, if so, in what manner and to what extent; whether the text and tenor of this company's advertisements are calculated to mislead agriculturalists to believe the substance offered is a high grade basic slag; whether these Nauru phosphates differ in chemical composition from the rock phosphates of Northern Africa, and, if so, the nature and extent of such difference, and whether the price of 3s. per unit charged by this company is excessive and exorbitant for rock phos- phates, having regard to the disastrous position which agriculture now finds itself in; and whether the price of 3s. per unit is based upon cost or otherwise?

It is understood that the Phosphate Commissioners have entered into a contract with the South Wales Basic Slag Company, Limited, for the supply of Nauru and Ocean Island Phosphates available for shipment from Nauru and Ocean Island to the United Kingdom between March, 1921, and the end of 1922, with a minimum of 125,000 to 215,000 tons, and that the Commissioners have also provisionally entered into a contract with the Slag Phosphate Company, Limited, for the supply of the phosphate available for shipment during the five years 1923 to 1927, with a minimum of 100,000 to 150,000 tons per annum. In each case the selling price to these two companies is the cost price as laid down in the Nauru Island agreement, and the price at which these companies may dispose of the material is the cost price plus an agreed profit, which is a moderate one, so that agriculture will receive the fullest possible benefit from the arrangements made. Both of the companies men-

The price of 3s. per unit which is being charged for the mixture of basic slag and ground phosphate is, as I have already stated, understood to be based upon cost price plus a limited profit, and compares favourably with the current prices of superphosphate and basic slag.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the acreage under wheat and what is the acreage under oats for the present year in Great Britain?

tioned are, I understand, represented by Mr. G. V. Parker.

The information I have supplied has been furnished by the Phosphate Commissioners, with whom, as I explained on the 22nd June last to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Ormsby-Gore) lies the entire responsibility for making sales of this phosphate, and I am not in a position to give any further information as to the terms and details of the contracts made between the Commissioners and the two companies concerned, in which His Majesty's Government are in no way interested.

I am informed that the advertisements issued by the Slag Phosphate Company, Limited, describe the mixture they are placing on the market as Slag Phosphate, and state that it is composed of about one-half of basic slag and the remainder of phosphates from Nauru and Ocean Island. I therefore see no reason to suppose that agriculturists are likely to be misled into a belief that the material offered is high grade basic slag.

An average analysis of Nauru and North African phosphates is as follows: the figures as to Nauru have been supplied by the Phosphate Commissioners:

The returns due on the 4th June last of the acreage under the various crops in England and Wales have not all been received, but it is hoped that the tabulation of the returns will be completed early in August.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the introduction of legislation with the view to effecting economy in connection with the audit of the accounts of Poor Law unions, rural districts, and parishes, by holding yearly audits instead of half-yearly audits as at present conducted?

I am already considering whether any substantial economy could be effected by the substitution of yearly for half-yearly audits in the case of the accounts mentioned.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the case of a carpenter and joiner who in December 1919, during a period of slack trade, started work on his own account and, having been advised by the secretary of his local friendly society to pay his own insurance stamps in full, continued to do so until recently, when he again returned to work under an employer; whether he is aware that he is now informed that he is not entitled to any benefits from the National Insurance and will have to contribute for two years to National Insurance before he will be entitled to full benefit; and, in view of this injustice, whether he can state how the position of this insured person can be regularised?

I have had inquiries made into the case to which the hon. and gallant Member refers, and I find that there has been some misunderstanding owing to the insured person having given inconsistent replies to questions addressed to him. I have now, however, approached the approved society of which he is a member with a view to his insurance being made continuous, so that he will not have to requalify for benefits as a new entrant into insurance.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether in Switzerland there is an Unemployment Act similar to that in this country; and whether all contributors under the Act, without reference to nationality, are eligible to receive unemployment benefit or whether a British subject is not eligible while other foreigners in Switzerland are?

There is no Unemployment Insurance Act in Switzerland similar to the British Act. The existing Swiss scheme is a purely emergency measure under which no contributions are required from the workers. It is to be replaced as soon as possible by a Federal Unemployment Insurance Act. We are discussing with the Foreign Office whether or not we should be justified, in consideration of our Unemployment Insurance Act practice, in asking for reciprocal action if necessary.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has been successful in obtaining the formal or informal approval of the Dominion Prime Ministers to the necessary amendment of the law to secure British nationality for the children of foreign-born British subjects; and when he expects to be in a position to introduce the necessary legislation in the matter?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on Thursday last in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for South-East St. Pancras (Mr. Hopkins).