Question of the hon. Member for Cork†, the Committee engaged in preparing the at present engaging the consideration of the Government. COLONEL LOCKWOOD (Essex, Epping): To ask the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that, in the Eastern District, or Command, of the twenty warrant officers, noncommissioned officers, ard men of the Royal Army Medical Corps entitled to both war medals for South Africa, some with as many as six clasps, only two have received both decorations, and of the remaining eighteen only two ave received the Queen's medal; and, if so, will he state how many of each of these medals have been awarded to the Royal Army Medical Corps in other districts or commands. recommendations for assimilating the rank for age of engineer officers with that of executive officers in the Royal Navy has yet issued its report; whether he can state the intention of the Admiralty with regard to the assimilation, and whether a copy of the Report of the Committee will be furnished to Members, or placed upon the Table of the House. (Answered by Mr. Arnold-Forster.) The question referred to by the hon. Member has been under the consideration of the Board of Admiralty, and has not been dealt with by a Committee. There are, therefore, no Papers to lay on the Table.. The decision of the Board will be promulgated to the Fleet in the usual mannerwhen the necessary steps have been. taken, but, pending this announcement, I do not think it would be desirable to make what would necessarily be an incomplete statement with regard to the Board's decision. QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE. Vice-Royalty of India. shire, W.): I beg to ask the Secretary of MR. HERBERT ROBERTS (Denbigh State for India whether he is in a position to state for what period the extension of Lord Curzon's period of office as Viceroy of India has been arranged. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON, Middlesex, Ealing): The hon. Member is no doubt aware that, although it is. usual to relieve the Governor-General at the end of a term of five years, the practice rests upon custom only. Lord Curzon would, in accordance with this custom, be relieved next January, but it shall be continued beyond that, and that has been arranged that his term of office he shall remain in India till May, 1904. Should he be able to continue his work beyond that date the Government will extend his duration of office for another period not exceeding two years, but it is likely that before reentering upon that fresh term of office he may require a rest, and holiday in this country. Ceylon Estate Schools. MR. HERBERT ROBERTS: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will take into consideration the advisability of urging the Government of Ceylon to provide additional estate schools on tea, cocoa, and rubber plantations in Ceylon, in view of the fact that on most of such estates no provision is made for the primary vernacular education of the children of the Tamil labourers; whether he will also ascertain if this question has been discussed by the Education Cess Committee of the Incidence of Taxation Commission now sitting in Colombo; and, if not, will he recommend that the matter be brought under the notice of the Com mission. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN, Birmingham, W.): I am informed by the Governor in answer to a telegram on the subject of the hon. Member's Question that the subject of the education of estate children is to be considered by the Commission. I must await the report. MR. HERBERT ROBERTS: Will there be any long delay ? MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN: Oh no, Sir; I could not possibly give that assurance. It would be absolutely unprecedented. In regard to all these Legislative Councils of Crown Colonies, no doubt we are in a sense responsible for the sanction or otherwise of the ordinances which they pass; but they are not placed before Parliament beforehand, and I see no reason for making an exception in the present case. Colonial Loans. MR. HERBERT ROBERTS: I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state whether the total sum of £3,351,850, authorised to be advanced to certain colonies under the Colonial Loans Act, 1898, has been advanced by the Treasury; and whether the rate of interest upon the loans has in any case been fixed at a higher rate than 23 per cent. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. RITCHIE, Croydon): Of the £3,351,820 authorised by the Colonial Loans Act, 1899, loans have been advanced to the amount of £1,305,726. Some of the loans have been made at 2 per cent. interest, others at 3, 31, MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN : I cannot and 3 per cent., according to the periods fixed for repayment and the current rates in force for local leans. Irish Death and Stamp Duties. MR. LOUGH (Islington, W.): I beg whether he can explain why the produce to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer of death duties and stamps in Ireland, as shown in the Return, No. 248, for the year ending 31st March, 1903, shows a falling off as compared with recent years, the death duties having fallen to £642,000 as compared with £873,000 in 19001901, and the stamp duties to £284,000, less than any year since 1895-6; and if he will say what was the proportion of direct to indirect taxation in Ireland last year as shown by this Return. MR. RITCHIE: The decreased return from death duties for the year ended 31st March last is mainly due to a diminution in the number of large estates passing at death The receipts from stamp duties show a steady diminution MR. FLOWER: Has the President of the Board of Trade made similar inquiries? SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central): I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has received the Report of the Royal Commission upon Alien Immigration, and what steps the Government intend to take to give effect to the recommendations, and prevent a large number large number of aliens coming in before legislation is passed ? *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS DOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's): This Report was handed to me on the 10th inst. I have submitted it to the King, and it has been presented to Parliament. I cannot say that we have yet considered the Report, as it was only received two days ago, and I do not see how the hon. and gallant Member can expect me to say what the Government intend to do at such short notice. SIR HOWARD VINCENT: Will the right hon. Gentleman consult the First Lord of the Treasury as to the advisability of an autumn session to deal with this very important matter? *MR. AKERS DOUGLAS: Most certainly not. MR. FLOWER (Bradford, W.): When will the Report be in the hands of Members? It has been laid on the Table in dummy, but there are copious extracts in the newspapers this morning. Why should it be sent to the Press before hon. Members have it? *MR. AKERS DOUGLAS: I have seen that it is quoted in the Press, and I am very much annoyed that it is so. I have made the most exhaustive inquiry so far as my own Department is concerned, and I am convinced that there has been no leakage there. VOL. CXXVII. [FOURTH SERIES.] THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR, Leeds, Central): I have not seen the Report myself. SIR HOWARD VINCENT: Has this matter been transferred to the Home Office from the Board of Trade? If so, that is very fortunate. MR. SPEAKER: Order, order! MR. WILLIAM REDMOND: (Clare, E.): May I ask whether, in view of the fact that this is not the first time that a Report of a Royal Commission has been communicated to the public Press before it has been communicated to Members of this House, he will have a searching investigation made, so that for the future what is really an infraction of the privileges of Members of this House, who are entitled to first information, may be put a stop to? *MR. AKERS DOUGLAS: I have made inquiry in my own Department. I do not know what further powers I have, but of course I will consider the matter. MR. WILLIAM REDMOND: Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of inquiring at the offices of the newspapers where they got it? The Small Holdings Act, 1892. MR. JESSE COLLINGS (Birmingham, Bordesley): I beg to ask the hon. Member for North Huntingdonshire, as representing the President of the Board of County Councils have appointed comAgriculture, if he will state how many mittees under the Small Holdings Act, 1892, as directed by Section 5, Sub-section 1, of that Act. MR. AILWYN FELLOWES (Huntingdonshire, Ramsey): The appointment of the committee referred to in Section 5, Sub-section 1, of the Small Holdings Act, 1892, is compulsory on the part of County Councils, and we have no reason to suppose that their statutory requirements in this respect have not been satisfied. Full 2 N information as to the proceedings which have taken place under the Act up to the end of last year has recently been obtained, and is about to be published in a Return ordered by the House of Lords a day or two ago. MR. JESSE COLLINGS: Will the hon. Gentleman communicate with the County Councils pointing out the provisions of the Act and the duties imposed on County Councils under the clause named. MR. AILWYN FELLOWES: Circular letters explaining in detail the powers and duties of County and Borough Councils under the Act, were issued by the Board of Agriculture in August, 1892. I shall be glad to supply my hon. friend with copies, and to confer with him as to whether any further steps can usefully be taken in the matter so soon as the Return, to which I have referred, is available. Religious Instruction in Primary Schools. MR. J. H. LEWIS (Flint Boroughs): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether, in view of the fact that under the new bylaw relative to the withdrawal of children from religious instruction in schools, educational authorities may, without infringing the Conscience Clause, make it a condition of such withdrawal that religious instruction shall be given elsewhere, it is proposed that this by-law shall apply to localities in which there is but one school, and where no facilities for religious instruction are available elsewhere. approve, THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Sir WILLIAM ANSON, Oxford University): The addition to the ordinary form of by-law, which the Board of Education have announced that they will if it should be adopted by a local education authority, does not in any way affect the right of the parent to withdraw his child from religious instruction in a school. The right is specifically set forth, as heretofore. The new portion of the by-law is only concerned with the withdrawal of a child, not merely from the religious instruction, but from the school premises during the time set apart for such instruction. It remains for a local authority, if a County Council, to consider whether they will adopt the suggested form of by-law for all, or any, of the parishes within their area. Hanwell Poor Law Schools. MR. HERBERT SAMUEL (Yorkshire, Cleveland): I to beg ask the President of the Local Govern ment Board if he will state what number of children are authorised by the certificate of the Hanwell Poor Law Schools to be maintained there; how many children have been maintained there during this month; and, if there has been any excess, whether such excess has the approval of the Local Government Board. THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. WALTER LONG, Bristol, S.) The maximum number of children for which the school referred to is certified is 746. The number of children at the school at the close of the week ended 8th August appears to have been 844. I have not expressed any approval of this excess. The matter is receiving my attention. Irish Land Purchase. MR. J. P. FARRELL (Longford, N.): I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether his attention has been called to the issue of a circular to persons in County Wexford by a firm, the managing director of which, Mr. J. A. O'Sullivan, offers to found a syndicate, with a capital of £2,500,000, for the purpose of purchasing and dealing in Irish estates; whether he is aware that this is the person to whom tenants on the Clonfin, County Longford, estate transmitted several sums of money on a representation by him that he was acting for the sale of the estate on behalf of the Scottish Union and National Insurance Company, whereas the Company, on 12th May, 1898, circularised the tenants warning them that this person had no authority to make such arrangements with them; and whether, seeing that nothing has been heard by these tenants of the sale to them of this property, nor has any refund of the money so obtained from them been a position to propose a remedy for the made, he will take steps to prosecute this person for obtaining money under false pretences. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. ATKINSON, Londonderry, N.): My attention has been called to the circular, as published in the Press. As far as I have been able to ascertain from reports, Mr. O'Sullivan obtained from some of these tenants money to defray the costs of a survey of the estate, preparatory to sale. He proposed to act under a power of attorney executed by the tenant for life of the estate and the remainder-man, and claimed to be a mortgagee of their interests. Subsequently a prior mortgagee, or the insur ance company, disputed Mr. O'Sullivan's right, and the sale fell through. As far as the facts are known to the police, there is no evidence to justify a prosecution. Kenagh Fair Rent Appeal. MR. J. P. FARRELL: I beg to ask Mr. Attorney-General for Ireland whether he is aware that in 1898 Mrs. Hayes, of Brookfield, Kenagh, served notice of appeal against the fair rent order on her farm; that, although the Land Commission have visited Longford four times since, the appeal has not been listed, nor can any account of it be found; and whether, seeing that this lady claims her farm to be rented at £30 a year more than its value, he will cause her appeal to be listed for next sittings. MR. ATKINSON: No notice of a fair rent appeal in the name of Mrs. Hayes can be traced in the County Longford Appeal Registers. There are, however, five applications in her name. to have fair rents fixed on holdings in the county Longford. These applications-three of which refer to the lands of Kenagh were lodged in the Land Kenagh-were Commission Office on the 29th September, 1902, and will be listed for hearing in due course before a sub-commission. Cork Rating Difficulty. MR. J. F. X. O'BRIEN (Cork): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is now in blunder made in connection with the levying of rates in the county borough of Cork in the Application of Irish Enactments Order, which has resulted in inconvenience, litigation, and expense in the county borough of Cork and other five county boroughs in Ireland; whether he will consider the advisability of directing the Commissioners of Valuations to provide a remedy, either by requiring poor rate collectors to furnish their lists in the month of March (instead of June as at present), or by making the financial year in county boroughs end on 30th June (instead of 31st March as at present); and whether, if necessary, he will introduce legislation at once to deal with this public inconvenience. THE CHIEF SECRETARY FOR IRELAND (Mr. WYNDHAM, Dover): It is hardly correct to say that a blunder was made in the Order mentioned. On the 15th June I admitted that in some of the county boroughs difficulty had been experienced in making payments in advance to boards of guardians, in the early part of the financial year. I have since inquired whether it is practical, by administrative action, to provide a remedy to meet the difficulty. present the revised valuation lists are issued to the rating authorities on the 1st March, the date fixed by the Order. At If the lists could be issued a month earlier the difficulty, I understand, would be obviated. The Commissioner of Valuation states that to complete the work of revision by the 1st February, an augmentation of his staff would be necessary. The whole matter is now engaging consideration, and I propose to examine carefully into the question during the recess. Sergeant Byrne, Royal Irish Con- MR. DUFFY (Galway, S.): I beg to Lieutenant of Ireland if his attention has ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord been drawn to a prosecution recently instituted by Sergeant Byrne, of Bookeen, Loughrea, against Mr. T. Connors, D.C.; whether he is aware that Mr. Gardiner, R.M., on behalf of his brother magistrates, on announcing the decision of the Court, namely, dismissal of the case, expressed a wish that an inquiry should |