asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the Army Estimates of the United States, Britain, France, and Japan in 1913–14 and 1920–21, respectively?

The information is as follows:

Note.—Figures for France and Japan include Air Force. Figures for United States include Air Force and Pensions

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office why civilian subordinates, such as barrack warders, employed in the Channel Islands are not given the same rate of pay as elsewhere in the Home Command?

In general, the wages of War Department employés are regulated by the Fair Wages Resolution of this House of 10th March, 1909, and accordingly are not uniform throughout the various military stations. Barrack wardens in Great Britain and Ireland are in receipt of the Civil Service bonus in addition to their basic rates of pay, but this bonus is based upon the United Kingdom cost of living figure, which is not regarded as appropriate to the Channel Islands. The question whether any modification is called for in the bonus allowed in the Channel Islands is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he can give a list of the new corps and schools that now form part of the Army, but which did not exist in 1913–14, and the cost of each?

The new corps are the Welsh Guards, the Royal Corps of Signals, the Tank Corps, the Army Dental Corps, the Corps of Military Accountants, the Army Education Corps, and, temporarily, two remaining units of the Machine Gun Corps. The Royal Corps of Signals includes the Signal personnel formerly part of the Royal Engineers. The Army Education Corps supplants the old Corps of Army Schoolmasters. The new schools included in Army Estimates, 1921–22 are (1) the Senior Officers' School; (2) the Central Gas School; (3) the Air Defence Schools; (4) the Tank Schools; (5) the Machine Gun School; (6) the School of Farriery; (7) the Command Schools of Sanitation; (8) the Royal Army Ordnance School of Instruction; (9) the School of Pharmacy; (10) the Central Trade School for Boys; and (11) the Schools for Training Educational Instructors at New-market and Shorncliffe. Three other schools are developments of pre-War organisations, namely, the Physical Training School, the Royal Army Service Corps College, and the School of Military Administration. The estimated cost of each of these schools is set out in subheads A and B of Head III of Army Estimates, 1921–22. The cost of the Royal Corps of Signals, the Machine Gun Corps, the Tank Corps, and the Corps of Military Accountants will be found on pages 9 and 11 of the Estimates, and of the Army Education Corps on page 48. The cost of the Army Dental Corps is included with that of the Royal Army Medical Corps on page 11 of the Estimates; its separate cost is estimated at £117,000 a year. The cost of the Welsh Guards is estimated at £182,000 a year.

asked the Chief Secretary whether a certain officer at present employed in the stores on clerical duty in Mountjoy prison was promoted storekeeper in the year 1888; whether he was again promoted Class 2 warder in 1916, and further promoted Class 1 warder in 1918; whether he has now been degraded to the rank of clerk and schoolmaster, involving a big loss in pay and bonus and seriously affecting his pension without any sufficient cause being assigned; and whether he will take the necessary steps to have this officer placed in the rank of clerk to which he is entitled?

Cases which do not readily fall within the general assimilation scheme are bound to arise and these have to be dealt with on their merits. The case of the officer to whom the hon. Member apparently refers is one of these, and it is now being specially considered together with four others where the circumstances are similar.

asked the Chief Secretary whether, seeing that the rank of schoolmaster, as apart from clerk and schoolmaster, exists in the larger English prisons, he will arrange, in accordance with the sanctioned principle of general assimilation, that the same rank be immediately established in the larger Irish prisons; and, seeing that an officer is paid in the English prisons service for interpreting the Irish language, will he now see that the officer performing the same duty in the Irish prisons service is similarly paid?

The matters raised in the question are of a character suitable for discussion between the General Prisons Board and the Irish Prison Officers' Representative Council, which is set up expressly "to represent the officers in matters connected with their conditions of service and general welfare." Although conferences have recently been held on the assimilation of the Irish prison service with the English prison service, neither of these points were raised.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has received a resolution from the urban district councils association declaring that the 176,000 houses to be built by local authorities under the Government's revised scheme are totally inadequate to meet the housing needs as hitherto declared by responsible Ministers; and what steps His Majesty's Government propose to take to ensure a more adequate supply of houses?

I have been asked to reply to this question. I have received a copy of the resolution referred to, but I am afraid the Government cannot, for the present, go beyond the limitations laid down in the statement I made on the 14th July. Future housing policy will, of course, depend on the financial and other circumstances, but it may be pointed out that the limitations referred to will not, in view of the amount of work in hand, affect the building of houses in the immediate future.

asked the Minister of Health if he will consider the desirability of encouraging local builders throughout the country to continue the erection of working men's dwelling-houses by initiating a system of advancing two-thirds of the cost of the land and buildings by way of temporary loans to be repayable with interest in a short period or on sale of the houses, thus encouraging the housing of the working classes without imposing any burdens on taxpayers or ratepayers?

I will certainly consider the suggestion made by the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the desirability of abolishing the compulsion to submit to vaccination, seeing that the number of cases of small-pox and the number of vaccinations during the last 10 years have been, respectively, the lowest ever recorded, while vaccination has been four times as fatal as small-pox to children under five years of age?

I am aware of the facts stated in the first part of the question, but conclusions as to the efficacy of vaccination cannot properly be drawn from them without taking into account other facts which are not stated. I am not prepared to take the action suggested in view of the danger to the health of the community which would be involved in it.

asked the Minister of Health whether about 2,000,000 insured people, entitled to medical benefit under the Health Insurance Acts, do not appear at all on doctors' lists, from which the inference is drawn that they pay their own doctors; and the type of workers mainly represented by the 2,000,000 and their annual aggregate payments under the Acts?

No, Sir. I fear that the hon. Member has been misinformed. There are, of course, always at any given moment certain insured persons who have not yet taken steps to select a doctor, but the number, of which no close estimate can be made, would be at any rate only a fraction of the 2,000,000 mentioned in the question, and the inference to be drawn is not that such persons pay their own doctors, but that they too often delay selecting a doctor until they require treatment.

asked the Minister of Health why, upon the receipt of a request from the father of an ex-service man of the Royal Air Force, at present in Banstead Asylum, requesting to have his name substituted for that of the patient's wife, as next-of-kin, on the ground that she is at present living with another man and is therefore unfit to act in this capacity, the matter was referred to the Ministry of Pensions, and Dr. Forward was sent to interview the patient; and whether any actions of the patient's next-of-kin can in any way affect his pension rights?

I am informed that this man's wife with her two children is living with her own father, and there is no ground for the statement upon which the application is based. In these circumstances there is no justification for relieving the wife of the duties imposed upon her by the Lunacy Acts. The father's application was not referred to the Ministry of Pensions, but the medical officer who visited the patient on behalf of the Pensions Board was asked to report on the patient's mental condition. He formed the opinion that this man was unfit for discharge, and advised that he should remain under institutional control. The question of the patient's pension rights is not within my jurisdiction.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he has any authority to intervene in any way in the cases of ex-service men, under the Lunacy Acts, who have the statue of private patients?

I have no authority to intervene in matters coming within the scope of the Lunacy Acts; but in all other questions affecting service patients I have the same powers as ,in the case of other pensioners. I may, however, say that by the courtesy of the Board of Control a medical officer attached to Ministry headquarters now visits, in conjunction with the Commissioners of the Board of Control, mental institutions in which ex-service men are under treatment as private patients.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether, seeing that the original appointments of medical referees were made before the completion of medical demobilisation, these appointments will now again be declared vacant and re-advertised, or whether the original appointments are to be considered the permanent appointments of the present holders?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Guest) on the 16th June, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Home Secretary whether a large number of hotel and restaurant employés at present work over seventy hours a week for wages varying from 5s. to 15s. a week; and whether, in view of the proposed extension of hours, he will appoint a small committee of men and women to take evidence to report on the hours and conditions of these employés before the Report stage of the Licensing (No. 2) Bill, so that, if necessary, protective action may be taken?

I do not think this matter can conveniently be dealt with in the present Licensing Bill.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will consider the question of issuing to the police force white helmet covers for use during the hot weather?

I am advised by the Commissioner of Police that it is not desirable to issue helmet covers, as they would add to the weight of the helmet and interfere with its ventilation. A lighter pattern of helmet for summer use has been on trial, and is now being issued to the force.

asked the Home Secretary what is the total staff of the Public Trustee; whether such includes any, and, if so, how many, lawyers; and whether additional legal advice is obtained?

The total clerical staff of the Public Trustee is 834, of whom 70 are lawyers. With regard to the last part of the question, the Public Trustee in the administration of trusts utilises the ser- vices of practising solicitors and counsel in very much the same manner as a private trustee.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is prepared to issue instructions whereby draughtsmen who held protection certificates during the War and were debarred by the nature of their employment from joining His Majesty's forces, can be classed as ex-service men in connection with the arrangements for substitution in the drawing offices of his Department?

The rule as regards service has been strictly maintained in all cases, and I regret I cannot agree to any exceptional treatment being accorded to the draughtsmen referred to by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many members of the Pensions Ministry staff are in receipt of salary, including bonus, in excess of the salary of the Minister (£2,000)?

Two officers are at present in receipt of a salary, including bonus, in excess of £2,000 per annum. The number will, however, be reduced to one on the 1st September next, in consequence of the decrease in the amount of bonus payable.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the regrading scheme for his Department has been submitted to the Departmental Whitley Council and discussed by them; whether it has now been agreed to by them; and, if so, when it will be ratified by the Treasury?

The proposed re-organisation and regrading scheme of the headquarters of the Ministry of Labour has not yet been submitted to the Depart mental Whitley Council, although a number of informal discussions with representatives of the staff side of that body have taken place. The ratification of any scheme by the Treasury will not be applied for until a formal discussion has taken place. The regrading and re-organisation of the out-station offices of the Employment and Insurance Depart- ment of the Ministry of Labour have, however, been undertaken. This scheme has been discussed and agreed with the Departmental Whitley Council, and the ratification of the Treasury has been obtained. Further discussion of the organisation of the staff of the Chief Inspector of the Employment and Insurance Department has taken place with the Departmental Whitley Council, but ratification has not yet been obtained in this case.

asked the Lord Privy Seal when a bound volume of the Acts of Parliament passed in the last Session will be issued to Members?

The bound volume of Acts of Parliament passed in the 1920 Session was issued in February last. Direct distribution to hon. Members is not made by the Stationery Office, and application should be made to the Vote Office.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that he is asking the House to pass a Supplementary Estimate for £1,600 to defray the cost of free railway passes for Members between London and their constituencies, he will ensure that the House of Commons is consulted before this expenditure is incurred and allowed by vote to give or withhold its consent?

If the hon. and gallant Member will consult the Supplementary Estimate presented (House of Commons Paper 172), he will see that it is to defray expenditure incurred in the period between the announcement of the concession (9th May) and the rejection of the Supplementary Estimate to provide there-for in Committee of Supply on the 1st June, when the concession was immediately withdrawn.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if it is the intention of the Government to introduce and pass this Session the promised Industrial Insurance Bill?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. I hope it will be possible to make a statement on this subject in a few days time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can make any statement with regard to the intention of the Government to deal this Session with his promised Bill regarding auditing of banks; and whether he is aware that since he made the promise of such legislation there have been further events which have demonstrated the necessity of such a Measure?

I regret that it is impossible to deal with this question in the present Session.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the men of the Mercantile Marine who served in the Dardanelles during the War have been awarded the special clasp in recognition of their services which was promised them?

No, Sir. The issue of these clasps is one of the schemes involving fresh expenditure which have had to remain in abeyance.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider an arrangement whereby the British administrator collecting debts due to Austrian nationals should estimate from the figures, which presumably are in his possession, what amount of dividend will be available for distribution to British creditors after the collection of amounts due from British debtors; and whether he will give instructions that British debtors be allowed to retain, pending final settle- ment, an amount equivalent to the dividend which would be due to them as creditors?

I regret that it is not possible at present to form any reliable estimate as to the dividend that it will be possible to pay when realisation has been effected of the property in our hands belonging to persons who have remained Austrians.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can, in detail, state the reasons, apart from the low rate of exchange, which explain the present prosperous condition of German trade?

I am afraid that my hon. Friend's inquiry raises issues which cannot be satisfactorily dealt with within the scope of a Parliamentary answer. But I think he would be interested to see the last Annual General Report on the Industrial and Economic situation in Germany, prepared by the Commercial Secretary to His Majesty's Embassy, a copy of which I will send him.

asked the Lord President of the Council if there are yet a sufficient number of ratifications to ensure the setting up of the Court of International Justice; and, if not, if any steps can be taken by the Council of the League to bring the matter before the nations which have not yet ratified?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. With regard to the second part of the question, the Council of the League of Nations have impressed upon the States the desirability of obtaining the required number of ratifications before the next meeting of the Assembly.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Republics of Honduras, Sal- vador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica have jointly decided to form one unitary State or Federation; what is to be the name of the new State, what will be its capital; whether one British diplomatic representative will in future be accredited instead of the existing five; and whether the constituent States will lose their separate representation on the Assembly of the League of Nations?

The Pact of Union was originally signed by the States mentioned, with the exception of Nicaragua, which latter has since signified its desire to adhere. The various Republics have, however, not yet given up their separate and independent status. The name of the new State is to be "Federation of Central America"; its capital is to be decided on by a constituent national assembly; the question of His Majesty's diplomatic representatives cannot be settled until the final form of the Federation is known. I would, however, point out that there is only one British Minister accredited to the four Republics of Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Salvador, and one to Cost Rica and Panama. The last part of the question is one for decision by the League itself.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, seeing that the best way of verifying the relative numbers of the supporters in Egypt of the present Ministry and its opponents would be to hold an election free from martial law, he will take an opportunity of urging that course on His Excellency Adly Pasha, the Prime Minister?

Leaving aside other considerations, I do not think that the present would be a suitable moment to hold an election in Egypt in view of the fact that the principal members of the Egyptian Government are engaged in negotiations with His Majesty's Government in this country.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, on the day of the departure from Alexandria of the official delegation to enter into negotiations with His Majesty's Government, a number of the inhabitants were imprisoned or tem- porarily deported and soldiers with armoured cars and machine guns were called out; and can he give the numbers in each ease?

The hon. Member appears to have been misinformed. No. incident occurred on the day when the Egyptian Delegation left Alexandria. The Delegation drove to the quay unescorted and held a reception there, several hundred representative persons from all parts of Egypt having assembled to bid them good-bye.

asked the President of the Board of Education if, under the grant Regulations of the Education Act of 1918, whereby a grant of some £16 to £25 is made in respect of each child of the age of two years and upwards residing in a home hospital for physically defective children, a certificated teacher must be employed in the training of such children; and if in some cases certificated teachers from £200 a year are employed in such homes for teaching about a dozen children for a few hours a day for five days a week despite the fact that before the Act came into force adequate teaching was given to such young children free of charge by voluntary helpers; and will he consider whether a more economical method could be employed?

The grants payable to certified voluntary boarding special schools which provide maintenance and treatment as well as instruction are, under Grant Regulations No. 19, approximately as stated. The qualifications required in the teaching staff of these schools are set out in Appendix B of the Regulations, and have not been raised since the passing of the Act of 1918. Proposals for economy in the staffing of individual schools are and will be considered by the Board on their merits.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, whilst properly postponing those sections of the Education Act which, though necessary, mean financial support not at once available, he will press forward all sections of such Act which have as their object the fuller support and opportunity of the education and training of defective children upon both urban, municipal, and county authorities?

I would refer the hon. Member to the Board's circular 1190 (of which I am sending him a copy), particularly paragraph 16.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if the officers and men employed on His Majesty's telegraph ships were employed on war work during the late War; whether they acted under direct Admiralty control; if it is now contended that they were not employed on work other than that forming their ordinary civil duties; and what would have been their position had they been captured whilst cutting enemy cables?

These vessels were employed on work of military importance by arrangement between the Admiralty and the General Post Office. They were not under Admiralty control, but the Admiralty took special steps in every case to ensure their safety while at sea. In the unlikely case of their being captured while cutting enemy cables, the position of the crews would be that of civilians taking part in hostilities.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether on the decontrol of railways some provision can be made with the railway companies so as to secure concessions being made to offiecrs and men of the Royal Navy so that they may be able to obtain reasonable reductions in fares?

I hope it will be found possible to make provision as suggested by the hon. Member. I might point out that there are arrangements in force at present under which officers and men proceeding on leave may, in certain circumstances, obtain tickets at concession fares.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, on the occasion of the golf competition recently held at Formby, the Post Office followed the usual practice of calculating the cost of the special staff at the mean rate of pay exclusive of war bonus; whether it is the Post Office practice to divide the receipts between Press and ordinary telegrams at special events in the proportion of one-third Press and one-fifth ordinary forwarded telegrams, having regard to the cost of handling at Formby and during the remainder of the period of transmission; whether the receipts at Formby balanced the expenditure, reckoning the full wages, war bonus. and travelling expenses of the staffs, when that cost had been fixed at an artificially low figure by the exclusion of the war bonus and by taking the mean instead of the maximum of the scale; whether, in these circumstances, he will give the actual cost of the special telegraph and engineering staffs who performed the telegraph work at Formby, together with the total receipts for Press and ordinary telegrams. and also the proportional receipts on the one-third and one-fifth basis referred to: and whether, in view of the loss on Press telegrams, he is prepared to increase the Press rates, proportionate to the ordinary telegrams, and so avoid the subsidising of the Press at the State expense?

The usual practice is to assess the cost of staff at the mean of the scale, inclusive of war bonus. The proportions of one-third and one-fifth to which the hon. Member refers are applicable only to cases where a guarantee is taken. The sum of £35 which I quoted on the 9th June represents the actual additional expense incurred in dealing with the work at Formby. The rates for Press telegrams were raised on the 1st January. 1920, and I do not propose at present to initiate legislation for a further increase.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the great reductions which have taken place in their employés' wages bills, it is intended by the railway companies to make corresponding reduction in the fares demanded from ordinary passengers?

As the hon. Member is aware, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport is not in a position to state what proposals the railways may have in mind after the period of control, but I would refer him to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stratford (Mr. Lyle) on 11th July, and to the supplementary question arising there from, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary for Mines the names of the collieries in which work has not been resumed since the recent stoppage in the coal mines?

I have been asked to reply. I regret that I have not at present the information necessary to enable me to furnish an exact list, but I have called for a report, and will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary for Mines what parts of the Coal Mines Act, 1920, have been put into operation; what powers have been exercised and schemes adopted; what is the present position of the welfare fund; and what remaining benefits of the Act depend on the cooperation of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain?

I have been asked to reply. I presume the hon. Baronet is referring to the Mining Industry Act, 1920. The only parts of that Act on which action has been suspended pending the co-operation of the Miners' Federation are Section 4, in so far as it relates to coal and the coalmining industry, and Part II. I hope that it will now be possible to put these into effect with the co-operation of all concerned. Section 3 of the Act was repealed by the Coal Mines (Decontrol) Act, 1921. With these exceptions, the mining industry Act is now operative, though this does not, of course, mean that all the powers given to the Board of Trade by that Act have already been actually exercised. As regards the present position of the Welfare Fund, I would refer the hon. Baronet to the answers given to the hon. Members for Pontypridd (Mr. T. A. Lewis) and Wallsend (Mr. Simm) on the 13th July.

asked the Minister of Labour if trainees who have completed their training are debarred from receiving the efficiency bonus if they obtain employment other than that for which they have been trained till such time as there are vacancies in the particular trade?

No trainee who satisfactorily completes his full period of training is debarred from receiving efficiency bonus, on the grounds that he has obtained employment other than that for which he has been trained, and in cases where a man is unable to secure an improvership vacancy immediately upon leaving a training institution, in the trade for which he has been trained, arrangements are made for efficiency bonus to be paid to him in respect of his period of institutional training.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a large number of ex-service men, including over 100 in the Manchester area, are being discharged from the Government instructional factories without the faintest hope of getting situations as improvers; and whether he will suspend these discharges pending an inquiry into the whole scheme of training by a representative committee?

A certain number of ex-service men have been discharged from training without, I regret to say, having found or having been found improverships. The number up to the end of June was 616, all of whom had had at least six months' extension of their normal training centre period. About 600 more have since been discharged, all of whom have had at least five months' extension. Improverships have since been found for some of these men, and as trade improves no effort will be left untried to find further vacancies. Indeed, I am already increasing our placing activities. I am considering whether any immediate action can be taken to mitigate the position, but I doubt whether an inquiry by a committee would be helpful. Meantime, I venture to direct the attention of employers generally to the case of these men whose craftsmanship has made so excellent a start.

asked the Minister of Labour if the manager of the labour exchange at Falkirk, Scotland, has decided to withdraw State benefit from the members of the National Union of General Workers during the holiday period; if the members in question were out of work before the holidays commenced and were out of work after the holidays were over; if he can give any reasons why the benefit has been cut away from the members in question; and if he will take action in the matter?

It has been ruled by the Umpire, who is the statutory authority, that persons who are suspended or working short time are not, in general, entitled to benefit for recognised customary holidays. Where, however, a person is off work for a period comprising more than 12 consecutive working days, exclusive of holidays (whether the days occur before or after, or partly before or partly after the holidays) benefit may be paid for the whole period, including the holidays, subject to the deduction of the waiting period if necessary. Benefit has been allowed to applicants at Falkirk in accordance with this ruling. Certain of the applicants, however, did not fulfil the required conditions and their claims have been disallowed. Such applicants have the usual right of appeal to the Court of Referees against the disallowance.

asked the Prime Minister whether, before extending the Welsh Sunday Closing Act to Monmouthshire, he will test the opinion of the county by means of a referendum or await evidence that the change is desired by the people of that county?

The Bill is now before a Committee of the House, who will doubtless consider this and other suggestions.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that a banquet was held in the Parliament House in Edinburgh on the 16th instant, at which there were present the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the Judges of the Supreme Court of Scotland, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor-General for Scotland, and members of the Scottish Bar, including Members of this House; and whether, in view of the fact that the wine was supplied on credit, it is proposed to have these gentlemen prosecuted for breaches of the Liquor Control Regulations?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The wine was not supplied on credit. It was bought and paid for in advance, and there is no ground for the suggested prosecution for breach of the Liquor Control Regulations.