asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that children attending the elementary council school at Potterne, Wiltshire, were punished by their teacher for non-attendance at the local Empire Day celebrations, and will he consider the advisability of further legislation, if necessary, in order that parents may be afforded the same privileges as are at present afforded in regard to religious teaching in State-provided schools?

I have no knowledge of the incident referred to or of any other incident which would suggest the advisability of legislation. I may add that there is no council school at Potterne.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of drivers, not on the establishment of the Post Office, employed on Post Office-owned motor vehicles?

The number of men graded as unestablished motor drivers is 95. Unestablished skilled workmen in the Post Office Engineering Department are also employed to some extent in driving motors.

asked the President of the Board of Trade Whether he is aware that the claim for loss of kit of George Summers, of 266, Cornwall Road, North Kensington, an engineer on the "St. Katherine," which was sunk in a part of the English Channel where no lights were allowed on the 13th September, 1917, is disputed by the Mercantile Marine Department on the ground that the loss was not due to war risk, although the man was covered by a certificate of insurance for £50 issued by the Department and in respect of which the premium of £l was deducted from the man's pay; and whether he will give directions for such claim to be met in accordance with the reply of the then President of the Board of Trade on the 31st May, 1916?

The insurance given was an insurance against war risks, and in administering the scheme the expression "war risks" was throughout interpreted liberally. This case was however, regarded as being altogether outside the scope of this particular insurance scheme, and therefore the claim could not be paid under it.The reply dated 31st May, 1916, states:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what were the total migration figures of British residents in the United Kingdom to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Crown Colonies for the years 1913 and 1924; and what proportion of the cost was borne in these financial years by the British, and Dominion, and Crown Colony Governments, respectively?

The total numbers of migrants who proceeded to other parts of the Empire for permanent settlement during the years 1913 and 1924 were as follow:

British North America	…	1913.	1924.
(Canada and Newfoundland)	…	164,566	47,194
Australia	…	44,428	30,304
New Zealand	…	11,809	8,740
South Africa	…	375	649
Other parts of the Empire	…	2,343	2,026

No financial assistance towards migration was given by His Majesty's Government in 1913. The total expenditure of His Majesty's Government in the financial year 1924–5 under agreed schemes arranged with Oversea Governments under the Empire Settlement Act, 1922, was £439,051 in respect of assistance to migrants proceeding to the Dominions of Canada, Australia and New Zealand. No information is available regarding the expenditure incurred by the Governments of those Dominions in 1924–5, but the basis of the Empire Settlement Act is that His Majesty's Government cannot bear more than half the expenditure under agreed schemes. No assistance towards migration was given by the Governments of the other Dominions or by the Crown Colonies in 1924–5. In 1913 the Governments of certain of the Dominions granted assisted passages to special classes of settlers, but information is not available as to the actual expenditure incurred.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware of the very low wages paid to waitresses in the catering trade; whether he will take steps to publish particulars of the wages paid by the leading firms; and, if such particulars are not available, whether he will take steps to secure them?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for East Middlesbrough (Miss Wilkinson) on 1st July, and to the Noble Lord the Member for South Nottingham (Lord H. Cavendish-Bentinck), yesterday.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the case of six women workers at Ferryden, Forfarshire, who were engaged at potato dressing for nine months, and who were then forced to contribute to the unemployment insurance, and who have since been out of work for five weeks and are now refused any unemployment benefit; and whether he will inquire into the case with a view to granting benefit?

Inquiries have been made, as the result of which it appears that in the circumstances of the cases to which it is thought reference is made, the work upon which the women were employed was such as to render their employment, in the view of my Department, employment in agriculture, and, therefore excepted from the Unemployment. Insurance Acts. These women are consequently not entitled to unemployment benefit, but as the contributions were paid in the erroneous belief that they were properly payable, the employer and the employed persons will be entitled, on making a claim in the prescribed manner, to obtain a refund of the contributions paid by them respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the approximate difference in the cost of the Army Estimates provided in 1914–15 and 1925–26, exclusive of the Air Arm, after allowance has been made for the rise in prices and in wages, and the non-effective Vote has been deducted, so as to make a true pre-War comparison?

After deducting the provision for aviation in 1914–15 and for non-effective charges in both years, but making no allowance for any other changes, the net provision in 1925–26 is £36,681,000, as compared with £23,888,000 in 1914–15. It would not be possible without much labour to arrive accurately at the true comparison for which my right hon. and gallant Friend asks, but he is no doubt aware that the rates of Army pay are now on the average more than twice what they were before the War, and that the official index figure for the cost of living stands at 75 per cent. above the pre-War level.

asked the Minister of Health whether, under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Ago Contributory Pensions Bill, a man who was insured under the National Health Insurance Act to 65 years of age, but who is now over 70 and in receipt of a reduced old age pension, will be entitled to the full old age pension of 10s. a week without the application of the means test?

If, as I understand my Noble Friend, the man in question lapsed from insurance at 65, he will not be entitled under the Bill to the full old age pension under the Old Age Pension Acts.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the Sanatorium Committee for Ayrshire is unanimously of opinion that the Government should contribute towards experiments with Dr. Spahlinger's treatment of tuberculosis; and what steps he proposes to take to assist in the encouragement of experiments with this treatment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on the 9th instant to the hon. Member for Bedwellty (Mr. Charles Edwards) on the subject of the Spahlinger treatment.