asked the President of the Board of Education if he has received communications from the St. Helen's Education Committee and the Reverend Father George, accompanied by plans for the extension of St. Vincent's schools, as far back as February of the present year, such plans having been passed and fully sanctioned by the local authorities; and, if so, in view of the present overcrowded state of the schools and the urgent necessity for the extension, whether he can see his way to take the necessary steps to complete the contemplated extension?

:It was not until 3rd May last that the Board received from the school correspondent the necessary declaration that the requirements of Section 18 of the Education Act, 1921, with regard to notice of the proposed enlargement of the school, had been fulfilled. I hope that the decision of the Board on the proposals of the managers may be given in the course of the next few days.

the President of the Board of Education whether the Departmental Committee, which is to inquire into the position of the training colleges maintained by local education authorities, has been set up; will he, pending the findings of this Committee, withdraw the application of Section 118 (2) of the Education Act of 1921, and restore the old system of grants; and whether he is aware that the application of this Section to the Caerleon Training College, Monmouthshire, will mean a reduction in the grants of more than £23 per student per annum?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, I may refer the hon. Member to the reply given on the 10th April last to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) and the Noble Lord the Member for South Nottingham (Lord Henry Cavendish-Bentinck).

asked the President of the Board of Education how many certificated teachers have been dispensed with in the infant schools of Great Britain during the years 1921 and 1922, and the number of uncertificated teachers appointed to the infant schools during the years 1921 and 1922?

:I do not possess any such detailed information as would enable me to answer the specific question addressed to me. I can only give the hon. Member some general figures based on quarterly returns received from local education authorities which do not distinguish between infants' departments and departments for older scholars, but which illustrate the course which the revision of school staffs has taken in 1922. The total number of certificated teachers employed on the 31st March, 1922, was 116,390. The total number of uncertificated teachers, supplementary teachers and other adult teachers was 45,263. In the nine months ended the 31st December, 1922, the total reduction in the number of certificated teachers employed was 700 and of uncertificated and supplementary and other adult teachers 2,617. There figures represent percentages of 0·6 and of 5·8 respectively. It will be seen that the reduction in the less qualified grades was not only absolutely but also relatively much greater than in the certificated.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many classes containing more than 40, 50, and 60 scholars, respectively, there were in the elementary schools of Great Britain in 1914, 1920, and 1922, respectively?

:The following are the figures: I regret that I do not possess the corresponding information for 1914. Inquiries relating to Scotland should be addressed to the Scottish Education Department.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many uncertificated teachers were engaged in the schools of Great Britain in 1914. 1918, and 1922, respectively?

:The figures for elementary schools in England and Wales, excluding special schools, are as follow:

Inquiries relating to Scotland should be addressed to the Scottish Education Department.

asked the President of the Board of Education if, as there were 6,047,503 children on the registers in 1913–14 and 5,820,422 in 1921–22, he will state why it is necessary to employ 8,567 additional teachers while there are 227,081 less children to be educated?

:The figures which I gave in my previous answer to the hon. Member for the year 1921–22 include some 3,400 unrecognised teachers, largely representing the residue of temporary teachers engaged during the War, many of whom have since been dispensed with. For this reason, among many others, the figures for 1913–14 and 1921–22 are not strictly comparable for the purpose of the inference my hon. Friend seeks to draw from them.

asked the President of the Board of Education what steps he proposes to take to close the dispute in Ossett, seeing that the concessions afforded by the teachers in order to secure the allocated scale as laid down by the National Burnham Agreement now only involves a sum of £95, or an average of 3d per week per teacher?

:I understand from a statement in the Press that a proposal was made on behalf of the teachers by which they might proceed from the Provisional Minimum Scale by stages of three equal annual instalments to Standard Scale III of the Burnham Committee's Report. I am afraid I am not able at the moment to confirm the calculation suggested in the question. The dispute is receiving my anxious consideration, but I am not in a position at present to make any further statement.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of cases brought before the House of Lords Tribunal, Cardiff, for the years 1921 and 1922; and the result of these cases?

:The figures for the years in respect of which information is asked are as follow:—

asked the Minister of Pensions the average number of appeals disallowed by the assessments appeals tribunals and the average number of appeals disallowed by Assessment Court No. 5(a)?

:The number of appeals heard by the assessment pensions appeal tribunals up to the end of March, 1923, was 22,207. Of these 11,918, or 63'6 per cent., were disallowed. During the same period No. 5(a) Tribunal heard 1,559 appeals, of which 1,451 were disallowed.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of appeals to the assessment appeals tribunals from the 1st January to 31st March this year, showing the number allowed by the tribunal and the number disallowed?

:During the period 1st January to 31st March, 1923, 10,237 appeals were heard by assessment pensions appeal tribunals. Of this number 5,261 were allowed and 4,976 disallowed.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether instructions are issued to the officers who prepare the précis submitted to the Assessment Appeal Tribunal that they are to call attention to any special point or circumstance which supports the Ministry's decision; and, if so, will he give instructions that emphasis shall also be given to any special point or circumstance that supports the man's appeal?

:The officers preparing the précis for the Appeal Tribunal are instructed to draw attention both to points supporting the Ministry's decision and also to the grounds of the man's appeal, and to the evidence in support of it. The précis is, moreover, accompanied by the original documents, including the man's written statement, and any evidence adduced by him in support of it. I may add that two copies of the précis are sent to the appellant some time before the hearing.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he has received an application from Mrs. Houghton, the widow of the late Peter Houghton, of Duke Street, St. Helens, Lancashire, a retail chemist, whose son was killed on active service during the War, and who was his father's assistant in his business, but for whom neither allotment or pension was allowed; | if he is aware that since her husband's I death Mrs. Houghton has been compelled to give up the business, and is now dependent entirely upon her own resources; and if, under the very depressing circumstances, he will consider favourably the granting of a widows pension in this case?

:This case has been carefully considered, but I regret that the applicant is not at present eligible, under the terms of the Royal Warrant, for a pension in respect of her deceased son.

asked the Minister of Pensions if his attention has been called to the case of Thomas Starrs, No. 1084, Royal Irish Fusiliers, and now residing at 10, Kingston Rows, Kilsyth; if he is aware that this man was discharged from the Army and granted a pension, and that his pension has now been stopped on the plea that his disablement has disappeared, although his disablement is still so serious that he is to be operated upon at Glasgow Royal Infirmary; and if the Ministry of Pensions will have this case reconsidered?

:This man received compensation for the aggravation by service of disabilities which were noted by the examining medical officer on enlistment. A medical board which examined him more than a year ago found very slight disablement and that the effects of service had then disappeared. There was, therefore, no ground for any further award, and on the man appealing to the tribunal, the decision of the Ministry was confirmed and thus made final. I regret, therefore, that no further compensation or treatment can be given by my Department.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the instructions to medical boards held in cases for final awards provide that the doctors shall estimate the man's physical condition at the end of two years and assess the degree of disablement on the then probable condition; whether these instructions apply in the cases of men suffering from tuberculosis; and, if so, in view of the nature of that disease, will he issue instructions that final awards shall only be given to men suffering from tuberculosis when the degree of disablement is 100 per cent.?

:There is no such instruction. The Regulations require that a man who has been on the pension list four years or more shall be considered for final award; and medical boards are instructed to furnish an assessment for the purpose of such final award unless the man is likely to get materially better or worse within a period not exceeding two years. The boards are advised that cases of tuberculosis will, generally speaking, be found unsuitable for final award, but that each case should be considered on its merits. As at present advised, I am not prepared to modify the instructions.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many final awards have been made in cases of men suffering from valvular disease of the heart; whether in any case the award was a final weekly allowance; whether he is aware that, in the opinion of cardiac specialists, the majority of cases of valvular disease of the heart are likely to become materially worse and that it is not possible to say what the pensioner's condition will be at the end of two years; and whether he will issue instructions that final awards shall not be made in cases diagnosed as valvular disease of the heart unless the degree of disablement is certified to be 100 per cent.?

:I regret that the form in which the records of my Department are kept do not enable me to distinguish readily between valvular disease of the heart and other forms of heart disease. The instructions relating to making of final awards recognise the probability that cases of valvular disease of the heart will deteriorate. Medical boards are, in fact, advised that cases of this nature will ordinarily be found unsuitable for final awards, but that each case should be considered on its merits.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the final awards regulations, made under the War Pensions Act, 1921, specially reserve to the Ministry the right to cancel awards; whether instructions have been issued that, on receipt of an appeal against a final award, a review of entitlement shall at once be made by the entitlement and audit sections and, if entitlement is cancelled, the appeal will become void?

:The regulations referred to reserve the Minister's power to review a pension granted in error or obtained by improper means. The instructions given for the purpose of carrying out these regulations provide for the review of entitlement in certain cases, but in any case where entitlement is questioned, the officer or man concerned would, of course, have the right of appeal to the Entitlement Appeal Tribunal. I have, however, more recently issued further instructions restricting very narrowly the review of past cases on the score of entitlement, and the particular instructions referred to by the hon. Member, which are already subject, to these restrictions, are themselves now under my consideration.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that ex-service pensioners now resident in the United States of America are medically examined when occasion arises by one officer only of the United States veterans' bureau, and that on this examination and report a decision and assessment is made by medical officers at Ottawa, who have no information with regard to the apellant saving the report of such officer of the United States veterans' bureau; and whether he will make more satisfactory arrangements for cases of this kind?

:By the courtesy of the Governments concerned, the medical examination of Imperial pensioners resident in the United States is undertaken by the veterans' bureau (the Department administering the war pensions of the American forces) on instructions from the Department of Soldiers' Civil Re-Establishment in Ottawa. It is the general practice of the bureau to have the examination made by one doctor, and to call in specialists in those cases where the disability is one on which only a specialist could furnish a satisfactory report. The hon. Member will readily understand that it is impracticable, having regard to the comparatively small number of pensioners involved, fully to instruct the local medical officers of the bureau in all the regulations affecting Imperial pensions. In order, therefore, to prevent any injustice to pensioners, and secure as far as possible uniformity of treatment, the recommendations of the examining medical officer are reviewed by medical officers in Ottawa, who are fully acquainted with British regulations, due weight being accorded to the opinions expressed in the examining officer's report. In the circumstances, I am not disposed to consider any departure from the present practice.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Committee which is considering the question of the Lytton entrants will have the power to consider the desirability as to whether new applicants should be accepted for the Civil Service until all ex-service temporary civil servants who have proved their efficiency have been absorbed in permanent appointments?

:As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer informed the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Sir W. de Frece) on the 19th April, it will be open to this Committee, if they find that difficulties have arisen in the application of the recommendations of the Lytton Committee, to suggest what amendments or modifications are desirable in order to give full effect to the policy of preferential treatment of ex-service men which the Lytton Committee recommended.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War why Private E. Henry, who is an ex-service patient at Banstead Mental Hospital, cannot be repatriated to Jamaica, which is his native country; is he aware that Mr. Henry has no recollection of ever having refused an offer of repatriation; and, under these circumstances, will he arrange for him to go out to Jamaica as soon as possible?

:Private Henry was originally entitled to be repatriated and accommodation was duly provided for him accordingly on the Steamship "Bahia Castillo" in December, 1920. Owing, however, to circumstances for which the Department was not responsible, and of which it had no warning, Private Henry did not sail. His berth was consequently unoccupied and had to be paid for. In these circumstances, Henry has forfeited his right to repatriation at the public expense, but I hope that it may be possible to provide for him during the forthcoming trooping season an indulgence passage for which lie would only be charged messing expenses at the rate of 2s. a day.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the postponing of granting establishment to W. A. Poynter, a Post Office employé at the Holloway Instructional Factory, is due to j the fact of his having served in His; Majesty's forces during the Great War; whether the said W. A. Poynter has performed, since July, 1920, to the present time, his duties as efficiently and dili- gently as before joining up for war service; whether any employés of similar grade to Mr. Poynter who were rejected as unfit for military service were accepted for establishment two years ago; whether, in such cases, the question of future effective service was as carefully considered as in the case of W. A. Poynter; and is he aware that, although this employé was called upon to undergo his examinations two years ago and expend money on the same, his record both in the Army and Civil Service being unblemished, establishment for him is still being postponed?

:Mr. Poynter was invalided from the Army in March, 1919, and was on sick leave from the Post Office continuously from that time up to July, 1920. His performance of duty has since been satisfactory except during the few months immediately after his resumption. The question of physical fitness for establishment is a matter for the Civil Service Commissioners, who have power to relax the ordinary standards in favour of men disabled in the War. The Civil Service Commissioners were unable to certify Mr. Poynter as fit for establishment even under the modified Regulations applicable to disabled men, but they granted him a "Special Recommendation," under which he may be employed in an unestablished capacity for a specified period, at the end of which the question of establishment will be further considered. During the period of the "Special Recommendation" Mr. Poynter is entitled generally to the privileges accorded to an established officer except as regards sick pay. One employé of similar grade to Mr. Poynter, who was originally rejected for military service, but was subsequently graded 3b, was accepted by the Civil Service Commissioners for establishment two years ago.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the operating causes by which the mails to and from the United States of America are delayed so as to take several days longer than in pre-War days: and whether he will enter into negotiations with the American Government for the general betterment of conditions?

:The mail service from this country to the United States is not inferior to that in operation before the War. The only difference is that if on any occasion one of the fast Cunard or White Star mail packets has to be withdrawn the choice of fast alternative steamers is not so wide. For instance, the packets of the North German Lloyd and the Hamburg-American lines are no longer available. As I explained on the 1st instant, in answer to the hon. Member for Richmond (Mr. Becker), the selection of the steamers for the conveyance of the mails from the United States is entirely a matter for the American Postal Department.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the cost of salaries and wages in the Post Office in 1913–14; and what is the estimated cost for 1993–24, stating how much of the increase is due to increased salaries and wages and how much to War bonus?

:The cost of salaries and wages in the Post Office in 1913–14 was £15,730,000 and the estimated cost for 1923–24 is £32,750,000. Of the increase approximately £13,500,000 is in respect of bonus; the remainder is mainly due to increases in basic salaries and wages, including the increases granted under the recommendations of a Parliamentary Committee which reported in 1913. The figures for the two years are, however, not directly comparable, as that for the earlier year includes the cost of services in Southern Ireland, while the figure for the current year includes the cost of various additional services which have been undertaken by the Post Office since 1914. The figures quoted are on the basis of the Commercial Accounts. To make up the total wages bill of the Post Office it would be necessary to add certain items, amounting in all to £1,500,000 in 1913–14 and £4,750,000 in 1923–24, which are chargeable to capital or are recovered from the Savings Bank Fund.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the low wages of sub-office assistants; and whether, in view of the fact that the Minister of Labour has now power, under the Trade Boards Acts, 1909 and 1918, to apply those Acts to Post Office business, he will agree to this branch of the Post Office service being brought under the Trade Boards Act?

:I am informed that the Minister of Labour has not the power suggested.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the right to represent sub-office assistants has been repeatedly refused to the Union of Post Office Workers; and whether, having regard to the bad conditions of employment under which this section of the Post Office staff is compelled to work and to the difficulty of organising this section of poorly paid workers, he will reconsider and reverse the decision of his predecessors?

:The sub-office assistants to whom the hon. Member refers are not members of the Post Office staff, but are the private employés of the sub-postmasters. In these circumstances I regret that I am not in a position to receive representations on their behalf from the Union of Post Office Workers.

asked the Postmaster-General whether steps will be taken to restore postal facilities in the Western Isles to the pre-War standard with as little delay as possible?

:The postal services with the Western Isles are at present under examination.

asked the Postmaster-General when he will be in a position to make a statement in reply to the memorial recently received from St. Kilda in regard to postal facilities?

:The inquiries are not yet complete. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the protection granted to certain vested interests by the restriction of the issue of news by broadcasting to certain hours of the day, he will grant an equivalent protection for the copyright interest of authors and composers generally?

:This is one of the questions which will, no doubt, be considered by the Broadcasting Committee, who have, I understand, already invited the Society of Authors, Playwrights and Composers to give evidence before then on points affecting their interests.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Mr. W. G. Kirkpatrick, the senior overseer at Carlisle Post Office, has been passed over for promotion; whether he is aware of the splendid record of work of this officer; that the postmaster has declined to discuss the question with Mr. Kirkpatrick; that the surveyor of the district, upon whose recommendation this i officer was passed over, has admitted that he had no personal knowledge of Mr. Kirkpatrick's qualifications; that the duty performed by Mr. Kirkpatrick for some years was regarded as appropriate to an officer of the rank of superintendent; that the local secretary of the Union of Post Office Workers has objected to the presence of the promoted officer at an interview between the staff and the | postmaster on the ground that the officer in question did not possess the confidence of the staff; and whether he will cause an inquiry to be made into the circumstances under which the officer best qualified for promotion was passed over?

:I am making inquiries with regard to the statements made in the hon. Member's question, and will communicate the result to him.

asked the Postmaster-General why the notice of postal rates does not appear in the 3s. red book of stamps which is now being sold; and if he will reinstate this notice in all future issues of stamp books, as the information it contains is much appreciated by the buyers of these books?

:Books of stamps are sold at the face value of the stamps; and the receipts from advertisements are intended to cover the cost of making up into book form. The pages showing postal rates have been occasionally omitted because their inclusion restricts the space available for paid advertisements; but, in view of the recent changes in postal rates, I am arranging for pages showing the rates to be inserted in the books which are now being prepared for issue.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the volume of work at South Kensington Station post office has recently increased to the point at which it would justify the establishment of a branch post office?

:The basic emoluments warranted now exceed £500, but the recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee of 1913 that offices with emoluments exceeding that figure should be converted to branch offices is not at present being carried out, but I am looking into the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the assessors of Income Tax before issuing notices of new assessments took into consideration, or sought information from, the local rating authorities or their officials?

:Yes, Sir. In accordance with the old-established law, copies of the current poor-rate valuations have been obtained and have been duly taken into consideration in connection with the new assessments.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that some of the reassessments vary from 20 to 100 per cent, increase over former valuations, a definite maximum increase not exceeding 20 per cent, in any case for the first year can be fixed, and local commissioners be instructed accordingly?

:As I have already stated, the primary object of the new assessment of property for Income Tax purposes is to secure that persons in receipt of income from land and houses should pay Income Tax by reference to their actual income from those sources, and no longer by reference to an out-of-date and inadequate valuation made in 1910. The assessment is being made in accordance with the old-established law under which the annual value of property-is the rack-rent at which it is let, or is worth to be let, by the year. In these circumstances, I am unable to entertain my hon. Friend's proposal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the reassessment under Schedule A is, in many cases, based on the prices paid for houses during the last five years by people otherwise without homes, and compelled to buy in view of the impossibility of leasing; and whether, in view of the fact that these I prices are entirely inflated, he will consider the desirability, in cases where such prices are being regarded as the basis of the new assessment, of postponing in their case any reassessment at the present time?

:The basis of the re-assessment of land and houses which is being made for Income Tax purposes is, broadly speaking, the rent at which a property is let, or is worth to be let, by the year under an ordinary tenancy. As regards houses occupied by their owners, I have already stated in reply to other hon. Members that there is no intention of determining the annual values of such properties by reference to the enhanced prices at which they may have been purchased in the circumstances suggested by my hon. Friend. It is commonly the case that a fair estimate of the annual value is readily obtainable by reference to the actual rents paid for similar properties in the vicinity.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what years since 1855 has revaluation taken place for the purposes of Inhabited House Duty;

and what was the number of houses subject to the duty in England and Wales from 1855 to 1870, inclusive, and in Scotland from 1855 to 1890, inclusive?

:New assessments for the purposes of Income Tax Schedule A and Inhabited House Duty were made in England and Wales in 1857–58, 1861–62, 1864–65, 1867–68, 1870–71, 1873–74, 1876–77, 1879–80, 1882–83, 1885–86, 1888–89, 1893–94, 1898–99, 1903–04, 1910–11, and one is now proceeding. Statistics of the number and annual value of the houses subject to duty in England and Wales and in Scotland are contained for the years 1851–52 to 1867–68, inclusive, on pages 162–3 of volume 2 of the 13th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (C. 82–1 of 1870) and for the years 1868–69 to 1883–84 on pages 248–9 of the Commissioners' 28th Report (C. 4474 of 1885). Particulars for the remaining years, 1884–85 to 1890–91 are in the 29th to 35th Reports of the Commissioners.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if there is any record of the total sums borrowed in this country up to date for the development of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada, respectively, by the Governments of these Dominions and by municipalities in these Dominions; and, if so, will he publish the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT?

:Official figures are not available in any convenient form, but I am circulating a statement compiled from published sources.

Following is the statement:

The foregoing figures are obtained for the period up to 1910 from an article contributed by Sir George Paish to the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society for 1911, and for subsequent years from the reports of new issues in the "Economist." Sums raised for conversion or refunding are excluded, as are sums lent to the Dominions for the purposes of the Great War—(amount outstanding approximately £148,000,000).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Irish loyalists, who have suffered, particularly during the last two or three yeans, are now to be compelled to pay Income Tax, both in this country and in Ireland; and, if so, whether, in view of their very difficult position, he will reconsider, so far as the British Government is concerned, any claim for this tax?

:In view of the setting up of a separate system of taxation in the Irish Free State for the current and future years, liability, both to British Income Tax and to Irish Free State Income Tax, may arise in respect of the same income. Arrangements for relief in respect of doubly-charged income have been made and are embodied on the British side in the Relief in respect of Double Taxation (Irish Free State) Declaration, 1923, and on the Irish Free State side in the Double Taxation (Relief) Order (No. 1), 1923.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is satisfied that the precautions taken do prevent foreign goods entering this country as Imperial goods under our preferential tariff, or leaving this country as British goods to enter our Dominions under these preferential rates; and whether, in such oases of fraudulent attempts to take advantage of the preferential tariff, he will take steps to have the goods confiscated?

:I have no reason to suppose that goods imported into this country obtain preference to which they are not entitled. As regards goods imported into the Dominions, the title to preference is a matter for the Dominion concerned to determine. In the event of any fraudulent claim in this country, the question of the forfeiture of the goods and of proceedings for penalties for false declaration would be taken into consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what principle has hitherto been adopted by the Treasury as to the terms on which perpetual pensions may be commuted?

:Under the provisions of the Consolidated Fund (Permanent Charges Redemption) Act, 1873, the Treasury may arrange for commutation by payment of a capital sum not exceeding such sum as will, according to the average price of Government securities at the time, purchase an amount of Government securities yielding annual dividends equal to the amount of the pension, and must have regard to the contingency of the determination of the pension. Within these terms the endeavour has been to secure the best bargain possible for the taxpayer consistent with equity.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is proposed to allow the backs of Income Tax demand notes and receipts to be used for advertisements?

:Subject to the space not being required for official purposes, it is proposed to allow advertisements to be printed on certain forms used in connection with Income Tax, including receipts, but not including demand notes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that the Government has submitted a re-organisation scheme to the county courts officials under the recommendations of the Rigby Swift Committee, and that the County Courts' Officers' Association is unanimously in favour of the Measure, he will introduce the Bill at an early date and give every facility for passing it into law this Session?

:I regret that I am at present unable to add anything to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on the 19th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the proposed tax on imported barley for malting will be put on beer brewers only and not on vinegar makers?

:It is not intended that imported malting barley used in the manufacture of vinegar shall be within the scope of the proposed duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of standard and bulk barrels of beer imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively during the financial year ending 31st March, 1923, and the number of standard and bulk barrels of beer estimated to become chargeable with Customs Duty on beer imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively during the financial year ending 31st March, 1924?

:The number of standard barrels of beer imported into Great Britain, including the quantity removed from Ireland, in the year ended 31st March, 1923, was 1,257,944. Of this the number liable to Customs Duty was 8,348. No information is available as to the number of bulk barrels imported into I Great Britain or as to the total importations into Northern Ireland. The quantities estimated to become chargeable with Customs Duty in the financial year 1953–24 are as follow:

the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of standard and bulk barrels of beer chargeable with Excise Duty on beer during the financial year ending 31st March, 1923, in respect of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State respectively: and the number of standard and bulk barrels estimated to become chargeable with Beer Duty during the financial year ending 31st March, 1924, in respect of Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively?

:The number of standard barrels of beer chargeable with Excise Duty on beer during the financial year ending 31st March, 1923, in respect of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State, respectively, was as follows:

The equivalent number of bulk barrels is approximately as follows:

The corresponding quantities for 1923–24 are estimated to be:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of standard and bulk barrels of beer which he estimates will be consumed in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, respectively, during the financial year ending 31st March, 1924?

:The consumption of beer in the year ended March, 1924, is estimated to be

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why a person holding positions under the Bedwellty and Newport Poor Law Unions is compelled to fill up two Income Tax forms, one for the Income Tax officials in each district, whereas one form properly filled up and particulars of salaries received from both authorities given would be sufficient; whether he is aware that the Tredegar and Ebbw Vale officials advise people to secure the services of a certain accountant, whose charge is five guineas, to fill up their forms; and will he inquire into this?

:As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave the hon. Member for Oxford City (Mr. F. Gray) on the 10th I May. I am sending him a copy of that reply. As regards the last part, I am having inquiries made, the result of which I will communicate to him.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether a I person who is resident and domiciled in the United States of America, and whose sole income from British sources is under £100 per annum, and consequently below the exemption limit, is liable to pay Income Tax on that sum?

:Generally speaking, income arising in Great Britain is liable to British Income Tax, and a person resident and domiciled abroad is not entitled to claim the reliefs from Income Tax granted to individuals resident here. But there are exceptions to these rules, and if my hon. Friend will

give me particulars of any case he has in mind I will be glad to refer him to the relevant law.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if there was a committee appointed by the Disposals Board on Richborough; and, if so, who composed the committee, and what were the conclusions arrived at?

:presume my hon. Friend refers to the sale of the Richborough property. If so, the matter was not considered by any committee, but by the Disposals Board as a whole, before the sale was sanctioned.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Admiralty upon what principle the valuation of the Royal dockyards is arrived at; what has been the valuation of each of the dockyards for the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923; and what amounts have been contributed to local rates in respect of these during these years?

:The particulars I promised the hon. Member yesterday are as follow:

The valuation of the Royal dockyards is made, as far as possible, on the same principles as are applicable to the assessment to the Poor Rate of private property:

CORONERS BILL.

asked the Home Secretary when the Government intend to bring in their Bill dealing with coroners' law and practice?

:A Bill is in course of preparation, but I am not in a position to say when it will be possible to introduce it.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the great annoyance and expense entailed upon pedestrians, shopkeepers, property owners, and others on account of the splashing of mud caused by motor vehicles, he will introduce legislation or issue regulations to make it compulsory upon the owners of such vehicles to employ some of the simple but effective devices used in other countries to overcome this nuisance?

:I have been asked to answer this question. I have received a number of complaints at various times on the subject of the splashing of mud by road vehicles. Officers of my Department attended trials of anti-mud splash devices held by the Camberwell Borough Council in March, 1921, and more recently by the Royal Automobile Club in October, 1922. The reports of the judges, with which my officers were in agreement, were to the effect that no device submitted for test was completely satisfactory or sufficiently effective to justify the introduction of legislation or the issue of Regulations to make the use of such devices compulsory.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that police officers in the county of Glamorgan have recently made calls upon newsagents and have made inquiries as to how many copies of various newspapers they sold per day, and that in the case of the "Daily Herald" the names and addresses of the purchasers of that paper have been asked for; whether the inquiries have been made with his authority; and, if so, with what object?

:I am informed that a constable at a village in the hon. Member's constituency recently asked the local newsagent what papers he sold. The in- quiry was not made at my request nor at the request of his superior officers, and the last part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether a third Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales has been appointed this year: and, if so, whether the officer so appointed has gained his experience of police administration by membership of a police force?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second part therefore does not arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that on the 7th of April, 1922, a petition of right, entitled De Caen v . The King, was lodged at the Home Office in accordance with the directions given by the Chief Crown Solicitor for Ireland, for the purpose of receiving His Majesty's fiat; whether he is aware that 13 applications, from the 22nd of May, 1922, to the 27th of October, 1922, have been made by Mr. J. R. Creswell, the solicitor for the petitioner, asking that the said petition should be presented to His Majesty for ascertainment of His Majesty's wishes; whether he can say that this has been done; and, if not, when it will be done?

:I much regret that, owing to the changes in the constitution of Ireland and the Irish Courts arising out of the establishment of the Provisional Government which took place shortly before the date on which this Petition was lodged, and the further changes arising out of the establishment of the Irish Free State which have since taken place, there has been great delay in advising upon this and other petitions lodged at about the same time. I hope, however, that the difficult legal questions arising out of the changes to which I have referred may shortly be settled so that these cases can be disposed of.

asked the Home Secretary how many officers temporarily or permanently employed in his Department are in receipt of pensions or other allowances from the State exceeding the sum of £250 per year, and the salary such persons are receiving in the positions they at present occupy either as temporary or permanent officers?

:In the Home Office there are three officers in receipt of pensions or allowances from State funds of over £250 per annum. Their salaries are £800 per annum, £800 per annum and £120 per annum respectively. There are also two officers in receipt of pensions from police funds of over £250 per annum. Their salaries are £850 per annum and £2 per week, respectively. All these officers receive Civil Service bonus in addition to their salaries. In the Prison Department there are two officers in receipt of pensions or allowances from State funds of over £250 per annum. Their salaries are £200 per annum, plus lodging allowance of £39 per annum plus Civil Service bonus, and £2 13s. 7d. a week inclusive, respectively. There is also one officer in receipt of a pension from State funds of over £250 who receives an honorarium of £400 per annum for part time services to the State Management Districts work.

asked the Minister of Pensions what was the number of beneficiaries in the years 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922, and the estimated number for the year ending 31st December, 1923; and whether, seeing that the audited expenditure of the Ministry of Pensions for the year 1920–21 was £103,366,350, as against the estimated expenditure for the current financial year, viz., £73,655,246, and that the number of established officials of the rank of principal clerk and above employed at the headquarters of the Ministry is larger than the number in 1920–21, he will give the reasons for the increase?

:The approximate numbers of beneficiaries are as follow:

The increase in the number of established officials results from the application of a scheme of regrading drawn up in 1921 with the object of placing the staff of the Ministry upon a proper footing. The Departmental Committee in 1921 drew attention to the shortage of senior staff in certain branches, and I am satisfied that the present establishment is fully justified by the requirements of the work.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the rate of weekly wage, excluding Donus, the minimum number of hours attendance required weekly, the number of hours required to be worked before overtime is paid, the rate of payment for overtime, and the amount of leave with pay granted annually in the case of the following: pensioner messenger attendants, unestablished; pensioner messenger attendants, temporary; hall or door keepers, temporary; night watchmen, temporary; packers, temporary; porters, temporary; coal porters, temporary; cleaners (male), temporary; Government laboratory attendants, temporary; storekeepers, temporary; paper-keepers, temporary: library attendants, temporary; messenger searchers, temporary; lavatory attendants (male), temporary; and lift attendants (male), temporary?

:I am unable to identify, from the titles stated, all the grades mentioned in the question, but the great majority of them appear to be covered by the arrangements applying, under Agreement A 81 of the Civil Service Arbitration Board between the Treasury and the men's representatives, to temporary and unestablished messengers, porters, packers, cleaners, etc. The rate of pay of these classes for London headquarter offices, as settled by this Agreement, is 27s., rising to 32s. a week, or including bonus at present rates, 48s. 7d., rising to 57s. 7d. per week. Overtime is not payable except for hours in excess of 48 a week, but, so far as possible, the normal attendance is 44 hours a week, that is, eight hours a day, with a weekly half-holiday if the state of business permits. The rate of pay for overtime is 1s. 2d. per hour, and the amount of paid annual leave 12 working days, in addition to the usual public holidays. Lift attendants under the Office of Works are paid at the rate for engineering attendants, namely, 52s. 6d. per week, which is made up of a basic rate of 39s. 6d. engineering bonus, 10s., and compounded sum in lieu of out-working allowances, 3s. a week. This rate is in respect of a 47-hour working week, after which overtime is payable at the rate of Is. l½d. an hour. In common with the remainder of the directly employed industrial staff of the Department, these men receive six days' annual leave plus six Bank Holidays with pay. The rate of pay of night watchmen in the employ of the Office of Works is 25s. by Is. to 27s. a week plus bonus, or 45s., rising to 48s. 7d., including bonus at present rates. The week is 48 hours, but in accordance with the terms of the Award of the Civil Service Arbitration Board any portion of the 48 hours which is worked on Sunday is paid for at the ordinary overtime rate of 1s. 2d. per hour. Should the men work more than 48 hours, any portion over and above 48 hours which is worked on Sunday is paid for at the Sunday overtime rate of 1s. 9d. an hour.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland (1) the conditions under which Parliamentary and Exchequer grants are payable to the ministers of the Church of Scotland as by Law established in the 42 Parliamentary charges provided for under 5 Geo. IV, c. 90, and in Exchequer parishes under the Acts 50 Geo. III, c. 84, and 5 Geo. IV, c. 72;

(2) the number and amount of the land revenue allowances and other sums pay able to ministers of the Church of Scotland under grants other than the Parliamentary and Exchequer grants provided for by 50 Geo. III, c. 84, and 5 Geo. IV, c. 72 and c. 90, and the conditions under which such grants are payable;

(3) the origin and conditions of payment of the annual grants made out of the Consolidated Fund to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for itinerant preachers and towards assembly expenses?

:I am not aware of any special conditions attaching to these statutory payments. The amount of the grants is given in the recent Report of the Departmental Committee on the property of the Church of Scotland and in the Annual Finance Accounts, pages 49 and 50. The origin of the grant for itinerant preachers is set out in the Act, 2 and 3 W. IV, c. 116.

asked the Solicitor-General for Scotland, whether, in view of the unsatisfactory nature of the first proposals made by the Scottish Office for the reorganisation of the sheriff court services under the Blackburn Reports, fresh proposals will now be adjusted in conference with the procurator-fiscals' and sheriff clerks' associations with a view to providing adequate salaries and pensions to the sheriff court officials and staffs and also security of tenure as recommended by the Blackburn Committee?

:It is hoped that further conferences will shortly be held with the associations concerned. I must not be regarded as accepting the hon. Member's view of the original proposals, but he may rest assured that every endeavour will be made to reach an agreed settlement.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health if he can now indicate the proposals of the Government with regard to agricultural rating in Scotland?

:I hope that the Bill containing the proposals of the Government with regard to agricultural rating will be issued when the House reassembles.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health if he has received representations from branches of the National Farmers' Union in Sutherlandshire recommending State aid in the destruction of bracken, with a view to the provision of useful employment and to the improvement of agriculture; and if he will give any scheme for the destruction of bracken his sympathetic consideration provided that satis- factory guarantees are given that it will not be used as a pretext for increasing land rent?

:The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In view, however, of the fact that bracken cutting must be undertaken in summer when unemployment in the agricultural industry is decreasing my Noble Friend does not consider that there, is occasion for the adoption of such a scheme of relief.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that unemployed men who are undertaking to learn to drive motor omnibuses without payment in order to secure employment as drivers are being refused their unemployment benefit during such period: and whether he can consider such cases, on the production of evidence that such men are engaged in this way, with a view to their benefit being continued during such training period?

:Persons undergoing training are not necessarily disqualified for benefit. The position would depend primarily on whether there is a contract of service, and whether the trainees are available for and willing to accept any suitable employment which may be offered during the period of training. Generally speaking, a person engaged for more or less permanent employment, part of the contract being that a preliminary period is spent in training without remuneration, would not be eligible for benefit under the Unemployment Insurance Acts. The final decision in these cases rests with the Umpire appointed under the Acts. I shall, however, be glad to make inquiries in any specific case of which particulars are sent to me.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Mr. Sidney James, of 65, Repton Road, Brislington, Bristol, has, at the end of a period of 108 days of convenanted benefit, been refused further benefits on the ground that he had failed to satisfy the examining committee that his was a case of real distress; and whether, in order to prevent possible serious injustice, he will call for a, report with a view to the case being reviewed?

:I am having immediate inquiries made into this case and will communicate the result to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the percentage figures of unemployment available for the years 1865 to 1921, inclusive; and, if these cannot be given, what are the percentage figures from 1891 to 1911?

:The only available statistics of unemployment for a long period are those based on returns furnished to the Ministry of Labour by various trade unions which pay unemployed benefit to their members. A record of these from 1865 to 1921 is given in the following table:

٭The percentages for some of the earlier years are partly computed from expenditure on unemployed benefit.

†Affected by the National Coal Dispute.

asked the Minister of Labour the total sum he expects to save consequent upon the withdrawal of the grant in respect of juvenile unemployment centers?

:As I pointed out in my reply to the hon. Member yesterday, this grant has been extended for a month, and in certain cases for seven weeks, beyond the period originally contemplated. If the Government grant in respect of existing centres were continued on the same basis as at present, it would amount, so far as can be estimated, to between £8,000 and £10,000 per month, and the local education authorities conducting the centres would themselves have to provide a sum equal to one-third of this amount.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the proposals placed before him recently by the representatives from necessitous areas; and whether he will be able shortly to announce his decision?

:I cannot at present say more than that I am considering the revised proposals submitted by the representatives.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can now report any progress which has been made in the negotiations with the Committee representing distressed areas?

:The revised ease submitted by the representatives of the distressed areas is now under my consideration.

asked the Minister of Health in what number of cases, if any, within the County of Durham in the year 1922 a coroner's inquiry led to a verdict of death from starvation, or death accelerated from privation; what were the age and sex of the deceased in each case; and whether any steps were taken to prevent the recurrence of such deaths in the future?

:I will obtain the information which my hon. Friend desires as soon as practicable, and communicate with him.

asked the Minister of Health what has been the excess of births over deaths in each year from 1865 to 1921, inclusive; and what was the number of marriages in 1921?

:In England and Wales the number of marriages in 1921 was 320,852. The excess of births over deaths in the years mentioned in the question is shown in the attached table:

asked the Minister of Health what was the total number of inhabited rooms enumerated in England and Wales and in Scotland, respectively, in the 1911 Census; and what was the average number of rooms per inhabited house and the average number of rooms occupied per family?

:The total number of rooms in all houses is not given in the 1911 Census Reports, nor is any information available as to the average number of rooms per inhabited house in 1911. The number of rooms in houses of 1–9 rooms in England and Wales was, however, 34,506,500 and the average number of rooms occupied (in houses of 1–9 rooms) was 4·52 per family. With regard to Scotland, a question should be addressed to the Under-Secretary for Scotland.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses had been completed under the Housing Act of 1919 by the 30th June and the 31st December, 1921, respectively; and what numbers, respectively, of the following trades: carpenters, bricklayers, masons, slaters,

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the immense litigation expenses in which the Manchester Ship Canal Company has been involved in recently as well as in promotion: whether he has seen the recent remarks of Lord Justice Scrutton on a course of litigation which only benefits lawyers; and whether, seeing that these charges affect the whole of the industry of the country using the canal, the whole question of legal procedure in transport questions will be reviewed by his Department?

:I am aware generally of the proceedings to which my hon. Friend calls attention in the firsts part of his question, but I do not consider that I could usefully institute any such inquiry as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his Department has plasterers, painters, and plumbers were employed in each of the following periods: January, February, March, April, May, and June of 1922 on the erection of houses under schemes carried out by the local authorities?

:33,267 houses had been completed under the Housing, Town Planning, Etc., Act, 1919, by local authorities and public utility societies by the 30th June, 1921; and 77,526 houses by the 31st December, 1921. The attached table shows the number of men of different trades employed on the building of houses in schemes of local authorities and public utility societies on certain dates in 1922: received any reports of an attempt to raise all round the price of coal to the consumer; and whether, in that case, he will state the grounds upon which such suggested increases are based?

:I am aware that suggestions have been made from time to time that a general increase in the price of coal might be made with the object of enabling higher wages to be paid in the coal mining industry, but I think my hon. Friend has been misinformed if he has been led to suppose that the coalowners have decided to try this expedient.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the excess or deficiency of emigrants over or below immigrants for the years 1865 to 1921, inclusive?

:Particulars of inward passengers are not available for years prior to 1870, and reliable information with regard to alien passengers arriving in or leaving this country year by year is not available for a consider- able part of the period referred to. It is necessary, accordingly, to use the figures showing the movements of British subjects to and from overseas countries as the best available indication of the gains or losses by migration in each year. Beginning with 1870, the excess of British subjects leaving the United Kingdom as passengers to destinations outside Europe and the Mediterranean Sea over British subjects arriving in the United Kingdom as passengers from such countries, have been as follows. (The years 1915, 1916 and 1917 alone have shown an excess inward):

Particulars for each of the years 1880 to 1913 will be found in the "Tables relating to Emigration and Immigation from and into the United Kingdom in 1913" (H.C. 295 of 1914), and particulars of the

asked the Financial Secretary to the Admiralty when the promised statement with reference to the disfranchisement of certain ratings in the Portsmouth Naval Command at the last General Election will be issued for publication? numbers leaving and arriving in each of the years 1914 to 1920 in the "Statistical Abstract for the United Kingdom," sixty-seventh number (Cmd. 1774 of 1922). I shall be glad to supply the hon. and gallant Member with particulars for each of the years 1870 to 1879, if he considers them of special interest.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the figures of the turnover of the co-operative wholesale and retail societies for 1920, 1921 and 1922, and the amount returned as profit, and the capital in these three years of these two branches of the co-operative movement?

:I have been asked to reply. The following tabular statement gives the information for which the hon. Member asks in respect of the years 1920 and 1921. The figures for 1922 are not yet completed as some of the annual returns have not yet been received:

:The statement is still under consideration, but it is hoped that it will be available for publication shortly after Whitsun.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the proposals of the Cabinet for an increase in the Royal Air Force?

:I must refer the hon. Member to the answers that I gave on the 10th instant to the hon. and gallant. Members for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) and Hertford (Rear-Admiral Sueter), to the effect that this question was under consideration by a sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what were the steps which led to the establishment in Paris, under international subscriptions, of an international institute of refrigeration; whether it was effected through the League of Nations; and, if so, whether proposals will be brought forward for the establishment on similar lines in London of an international institute for the study of fuel economy and smoke abatement?

:I am informed that the institute referred to was originally set up in 1909 as the result of an International Congress on the subject of refrigeration convened in 1908 at the instance of the French Government. In view of the work which is being done by the Fuel Research Board in this country, I should doubt the advantage of establishing an international institute for the purpose suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the fact that it is part of the duties of the Reparation Commission to see that duo diligence is exercised in the restoration of the mines of Northern France in accordance with Part VIII, Annex 5, Clause. 2, of the Treaty of Versailles, he will say what steps have been taken by the British representative on the Commission to secure the fulfilment of this provision which affects the share of German reparation deliveries to which France is entitled under the Treaty?

:Paragraph 2 of Annex V of Part VIII of the Treaty of Versailles states that it is understood that due diligence will be exercised in the restoration of the destroyed mines in the Nord and the Pas de Calais, but no duty is imposed on the Reparation Commission in connection with this provision. I may, however, add that the British delegate to the Commission, when he had an opportunity of personally inspecting the mines in question in the company of mining experts in July, 1921, was greatly impressed by the remarkable progress which had already been made in the work of restoration, and that he informs me that technical reports of more recent date show that this progress has been fully maintained. The gross production has increased from 240,000 tons in January, 1920, to 1,108,000 tons in March, 1923.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will have inquiry made into the allegations now current throughout the Near East of arbitrary acts of requisitioning by the British military police, and particularly of alleged corruption on the part of officials acting under the inter-Allied Commission at Constantinople since November, 1918?

:I have been asked to reply. I am not aware of the allegations referred to, but if the hon. and gallant Member will give me specific particulars I will look into the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether he is aware that visas to travel to Russia on business affairs are being refused to British traders of undoubted commercial standing and repute; and whether he will state the reasons for this refusal?

:If the hon. and gallant Member will let me know any cases he has in mind, I shall be in a position to give him a reply.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that Mr. Andrew Rothetein, who, in September, 1922, was refused a passport to travel to Russia on the ground, inter alia, that he was entitled to receive a Russian passport, has been refused a passport by the Russian Government as not being a Russian citizen; that he served in the. British Army during the War; that he has exercised his vote as a British subject; and that in 1920 he was granted a British passport; and whether, in view of the above, he will reconsider the decision, to refuse him a passport?

:The facts may be substantially as stated by the hon. Member. The reasons why it is not desirable to extend to this person the facilities and privileges which the possession of a British passport would confer upon him, remain in force.