asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the expenditure at home on repairs to the large Admiralty overseas oil-tankers during 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1925–26, respectively, and the division of these amounts between His Majesty's Dockyards and private yards?

—	Year ended 31st March, 1914.		Year ended 31st March 1926.
	Numbers.	Amounts.	Numbers.	Amounts.
		£		£
Military officers (including departmental and warrant officers).	2,404	1,127,607	3,576	1,671,963
Officers of the Indian Medical Service	438	238,819	507	277,625
Officers of the Royal Indian Marine	107	25,284	144	49,084
Officers of the late Indian Navy	25	2,419	6	353
	2,974	1,394,129	4,233	1,999,025

The expenditure at home on repairs of large Admiralty overseas oil-tankers during the years named is as follows:

		At His Majesty's Dockyards.	At Private Yards.
Year.		£	£
1923–4	…	27,279	90,000
1924–5	…	34,350	150,000
1925–6	…	2,568	100,000

The figures for private yards are only approximate as separation between home and foreign private yards cannot be made without considerable investigation. I may add that in addition to the 22 large overseas tankers, there are 42 oilers on fleet attendance, etc., whose repairs (at home) were effected at His Majesty's Dockyards during the years in question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of military officers in this country drawing pensions from the Indian revenues in the year 1914 and in the last year for which figures are available, and the amount of these pensions charged to the Indian revenues?

The numbers of military officers, including departmental and warrant officers, officers of the Indian Medical Service, of the Royal Indian Marine, and of the late Indian Navy, who drew pensions through the India Office chargeable to Indian revenues, during the years ended 31st March, 1914, and 31st March, 1926, and the amounts of these pensions charged to Indian revenues, were as follow:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of persons in this country drawing pensions from each of the gazetted Indian services in the year 1914, and in the last year for which figures are available; and the cost to the Indian revenues of these pensions in each of these years?

—		Year ended 31st March, 1914.		Year ended 31st March, 1926.
		Numbers.	Amounts.	Numbers.	Amounts.
			£		£
Indian Civil Serviceֵ	…	605	531,815	726	638,786
Judges of the High Courts	…	28	31,856	37	36,537
Bengal Pilot Service	…	28	4,708	31	9,208
Bishops of Calcutta and Bombay	…	2	1,800	1	869
Uncovenanted Services	…	1,730	547,629	2,281	814,089
		2,393	1,117,808	3,076	1,499,489

asked the Postmaster-General the comparative charges being made in America and Great Britain, respectively, for trans-Continental telephone conversations in the different zones of the two countries?

In the Trans-Atlantic Telephone Service, to which I assume the hon. Member refers, the United States are divided, for the purpose of charging, into five zones, and the Island of Cuba into two zones. Great Britain forms one zone.

The number of pensions issued in this country to re-tired members of the Indian services (Civil) and the amounts paid in the years ended 31st March, 1914, and 31St March, 1926, respectively, were as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for War how many tons of flour have been purchased for the troops in Shanghai and Hong Kong; and from what countries these purchases were made?

160 tons have been sent from home and 300 tons from Australia.

asked the Minister of Health the total amount of sums expended in this country during each of the last three years in respect of tuberculosis treatment?

The total expenditure in England and Wales on the carrying out of the approved schemes for the treatment of tuberculosis during the last three completed financial years, excluding capital expenditure, was as. follows:

Year ended the 31st March.	£
1924	2,884,062
1925	3,034,600
1926 (provisional figures)	3,157,875

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a complete statement showing the number of children attending school in all terri-

STATEMENT showing the number of children attending school in British Colonies, Protectorates and Mandated Territories under the control of the British Government; the proportion under 14 years attending school compared with children not attending (where available); and the cost per child per annum.
Colony, etc.	Year.	Number of children enrolled.	Proportion of children under instruction to population of school-going age.	Cost of Education.	Cost per child per annum.
				£	£	s	d.
East African—
Kenya	1925	European 926	—	78,832	3	2	6
		Indian 1,644
		Arabs and Natives approx. 22,677
Northern Rhodesia	1925–26	81,554	—	18,181*	0	4	6
Nyasaland	1925–26	163,804	—	4,000*	0	0	6
Somahland‡	1925	47	—	235**§	5	0	0
Tanganyika Territory	1925	172,041	1 in 4·6	28,491	0	3	3
Uganda	1925	172,602	—	24,595	0	2	10
Zanzibar	1925	2,712	1 in 9	12,041	4	8	9
West African—
Gambia	1925	1,569	—	2,606	1	13	3
Gold Coast	1925–26	32,827	—	125,339	3	16	4
Nigeria	1925–26	474,663	—	171,557*	0	7	3
Sierra Leone	1925	11,927	—	30,766	2	11	7
Mediterranean—
Cyprus	1925	41,426	—	59,369	1	8	8
Gibraltar	1925–26	2,610	—	10 156	3	17	10
Malta	1925–26	21,515	—	98,154	4	11	3
South African—
Basutoland	1925	42,629	—	35,836	0	16	10
Becbuanaland Protectorate	1925–26	7,157	—	3.397	0	9	6
Swaziland	1925	13,603	—	6,090	0	8	11
Middle Eastern—
Palestine	1925	19,881†	—	E. 101,392	E. 5,100
Eastern and Pacific, etc.—				Rs.		Rs.
Ceylon	1925	466,979	1 in 2	7,031,940		15
Mauritius	1924–25	35,480	—	1,396,368		39.4
Seychelles	1925	2,660	—	28,108		10.6
				$		$
Hong Kong	1925	32,974	—	1,019,905		30.9
Weihaiwei	1925	711	—	2,676		38
Straits Settlements	1925	58,008	—	2,439,021		42
Federated Malay States	1925	54,496	—	2,684,893		49.3
* Estimated.
† Pupils at Government Schools only.
‡ Education is mainly in the hands of the Mullahs.
§ Of this sum £200 was on account of the cost of the education of Somali students at the Gordon College, Khartoum.

The figures are as follow:

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the large and increasing number of separation orders recorded annually, he will consider the desirability of amending the law so as to make desertion after four years a ground for divorce, as it has been for many years in Scotland?

I cannot hold out any hope that I shall be in a position to introduce legislation on the subject of divorce.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that persons charged with serious crimes have frequently to be remanded week by week for a considerable period without bail or any definite date fixed for the trial because the police are not ready to proceed, he will give definite instruction or guidance to the police upon the matter so as to obviate such delays?

I know of no reason for thinking that there is any avoidable delay in these cases, or that any instructions to the police in this matter are required.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of applications for extended benefit that have been made to the Walworth Road (Borough) Employment Exchange for the Southwark area during the last three months, and the number granted and refused, and similar figures for the corresponding period a year ago?

The following Table gives the information desired: