WIDOW'S PENSION REFUSED (MRS. W. R. MUNRO).
asked the Minister of Pensions whether Mrs. Munro, widow of the late William Ross Munro, private, No. 11874, 5th Dragoon Guards, has been refused a pension in respect of her late husband; that the grounds of this refusal are that her late husband was removed from duty prior to the date of marriage; that her husband returned to duty at Dunbar Depot, and served there for six months after their marriage; that she drew wife's separation allowance for this period, and that later, when he was placed on pension, she was recognised as his wife by his having the statutory allowance of £1 for himself, 5s. for his wife, and 3s. 9d. for one child, making a total of £1 8s. 9d., which is the correct amount, and allowances for a 50 per cent, pension; that the decision of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal makes it appear that while Mrs. Munro is accepted as the wife of a serving soldier and pensioner, she is not to be accepted as the widow: and whether, in view of these facts, he will cause this case to be reopened?
I regret that, in view of the date of the marriage, Mrs. Munro is not eligible for pension from my Department. Neither she nor the children were entitled to the family allowances paid during the late soldier's lifetime, which were, in fact, awarded in error.
ASIA MINOR.
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the Greeks are strengthening their strategic position in Ionia by occupying posts evacuated by the Italians; and, seeing that such action is incompatible with the terms of the Armistice, have representations been made to the Greek Government in this behalf, in view of the recalcitrant attitude of the Greek Anatolian League for National Defence.
As the Armistice has not yet been concluded, the Greeks are not bound by its terms and are still entitled to take such military measures as they may consider desirable in Asia Minor. The last part of the question does not therefore arise.
RUSSIA (GERMAN CONTRACTS).
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether confirmation of the report in the "Pravda" has been received that a German firm is to undertake the reconstruction of Petrograd, to rebuild the waterworks, the tramways, the canal systems, and a number of buildings; and that in return for this the German firm will be given the right to export Russian timber and to exploit the large brickworks at Petrograd?
The answer is in the negative.
NAVY, ARMY AND AIR FORCE INSTITUTES.
asked the Secretary of State for War if he will furnish a statement showing the pay and emoluments received by Army officers who are employed on the board of management, or any other capacity, in the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes; whether such pay and emoluments are borne from the public funds; whether he will state the amount of such pay and emoluments paid by the public funds, and the amount paid by the Navy, Army, and Air Force institutes?
The only Army officer employed on the board of management of the: Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes is a lieut.-colonel (brevet colonel) of the Royal Army Service Corps. His annual emoluments are: £ s d. Regimental pay of rank, paid from Army funds 866 17 6 Allowances paid from Navy, Army and Air Force institute funds 453 4 2 £1,320 1 8
The vice-president of the council of the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes, who is an Army officer, and those officers who are nominated by the War Office as members of the council, receive no addition, in respect of these duties, to the emoluments of their Army appointments.
DISCHARGE PAPERS (CORPORAL J. B. O'MALLEY).
asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will direct the issue of discharge papers to Corporal J. Brancker O'Malley, No. 7,657,641, Royal Army Pay Corps, of 102, Shakespeare Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, who was discharged on 1st March from the military hospital, Devon-port; and if he will state whether this non-commissioned officer is entitled to claim 28 days' leave on demobilisation under Order 344/1920 on the facts submitted by him to the Army Pay Corps Record Office on the 9th March?
The discharge certificate of Corporal J. Brancker O'Malley was sent to him on 1st inst. He is not entitled to 28 days' leave on discharge.
ROYAL NAVY (CONDENSED MILK).
asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether anything in the contract regulations of his Department precludes the purchase of condensed milk from the United States of America, for consumption in the Royal Navy; and, if not, what quantities of condensed milk have been purchased during the past 12 months from American sources?
Supply from the United States of America is not specifically precluded in the conditions of Admiralty contracts, which, however, stipulate a standard of quality with which condensed milk produced in the United States of America does not ordinarily conform. No supplies have been purchased from American sources during the past 12 months.
PRISON OFFICERS, IRELAND (RETIREMENT).
asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether Irish prison officers who on the date of the passing of The Superannuation (Prison Officers) Act, 1919, were officers in a rank or class to which that Act applied, but who have since been promoted to a rank or class to which the Act does not apply, are still entitled to retire in accordance with the provisions of that Act?
The officers referred to would not be eligible for retirement at the age of 55, but each year in excess of twenty served in a rank or class to which the Act applies would be reckoned as two years in the computation of the retiring allowance.
ITALY AND TURKEY (AGREEMENT).
asked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government have any knowledge of a treaty having been concluded between the Italian and Turkish Governments; what are the terms of this treaty; whether His Majesty's Government were aware of the negotiations leading up to this treaty; and what steps are being taken to safeguard British commercial and trading rights in Turkish territory, in view of the separate French and Italian treaties with Turkey?
I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer which I gave on Wednesday last to a question by the hon. Member for the Scotland Division of Liverpool (Mr. T. P. O'Connor).