SALE OF INTOXICATING ON SUNDAY BILL. LIQUORS In favour: From Charlestown, Kelty, Glasgow (4), Dalry, Newton, Dundee (16), Angus, Wigtown, Biggar, Inner- In favour: From Nottingham, Garleithen, Montrose, Monifieth, Kirriemuir, stang (2), Bristol, Chewton Mendip, Brechin, Dingwall, Kirkwall, Pulteney Town, Cromarty, Orkney, Westray, St. Mary's Holm, Alexander Kennedy, and others, Lochee, Irvine, Dumfries, Govan, Aberdeen, Girvan, Bervie, Galashiels, Evanton, Elgin, Moray, Edinburgh, New Scone, Findon, Ullapool, Peterhead, Macduff, Blairgowrie, Bankfoot, Hawick, and Kilmuir Easter; to lie upon the Table. Bolney, Hereford (2), Bassbeck, Mark- SMALLER DWELLINGS (SCOTLAND) BILL. Laid upon the Table by the Clerk of the House Against From Glasgow; to lie upon WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION ACT, 1897 the Table. (RULES). Copy of Rules and Forms made pursuant to Paragraph 10 of the Second Schedule of the Act, and allowed by the Lord Chancellor [by Act]. VAGRANCY ACT AMENDMENT BILL. MEDWAY CONSERVANCY. Copy of Statement of Receipts and Expenditure of the Conservators for the In favour: From Canterbury; to lie year ending 25th March, 1898 [by Act]. upon the Table. WORKMEN'S HOUSES TENURE BILL. : Against From Royal, Parliamentary, and Police Burghs of Scotland; to lie upon the Table. QUESTIONS. RETURNS, REPORTS, ETC. EDUCATION (SCOTLAND). POST OFFICE INCOME. MR. HENNIKER HEATON (Canterbury): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether his attention has been called to the fact that the finance accounts show that the total income of the Post Office for the 1896-7 amounted to £13,390,203, and not £11,876,547, as Copy presented, of Minute of the Committee of Council on Education in Scot-represented in various other Returns; land, dated 16th May, 1898, amending the terms of Article 117 of the Code of 1898 [by Command]; to lie upon the Table. PROSECUTION OF OFFENCES ACTS, 1879 AND 1884. Return presented, relative thereto (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper, No. 220, of Session 1897) [ordered 12th May; Mr. Jesse Collings]; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 204.] will he explain why the difference (the sum of £1,513,547) was paid out of the postal receipts by the postal officials, and no details given beyond the fact that it was for five objects; whether all these payments are made by the authority of Acts of Parliament, or, if not, under what authority; whether he will explain the services rendered by the Inland Revenue Department, which is credited with pay ment out of receipts of £535,320 ; and why THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY, Preston): The Finance Accounts show that the total income of the Post Office for the year 1896-7 amounted to £13,390,203, and the net receipts to £11,876,656 (not the £11,876,547). Of the five sums amounting to £1,513,547 the items for postage TRADE REPORTS (ANNUAL SERIES). Copy presented, of Diplomatic and Consular Reports, Annual Series, No. 2,091 [by Command]; to lie upon Table. given? collected for the credit of Colonial LORD CHARLES BERESFORD: Will Offices and of Foreign Offices are so the right honourable Gentleman say when dealt with under Treasury regulations; the orders for armour and guns were the item for payments to Railway Companies on account of Parcel Post is paid under 45 and 46 Vic., cap. 74, sec. 5 (1), and payment to the Inland Revenue Department is made under 44 and 46 Vic., cap. 72, sec. 13. The payment of £535,320 is made to the Inland Revenue THE FIRST LORD MIRALTY: No, Sir. OF WAR. OF THE AD on account of Postage Stamps used for SEIZURES PRIOR TO THE DECLARATION Stamp Duties of an amount not exceeding 2s. 6d., and being Revenue, the House of Commons could not vote the amount. NEW BRITISH BATTLESHIPS BUILDING. LORD CHARLES BERESFORD (York): I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether whether the Formidable, Implacable, and Irresistible are three of the four new battleships projected in his statement to the House on 5th March, 1897; and if he could state on what dates each of these vessels were laid down, and the dates when the orders were given in each case for armour and guns? THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. G. J. GOSCHEN, St. George's, Hanover Square): My answer to the first Question is yes. As to the second, the commencement of these battleships was from the first intended to be made towards the end of the last financial year. It was so assumed in the Debate of the 5th March, to which the noble Lord alludes. Building was commenced in the case of all the three ships in January last. The keel of the Portsmouth ship was actually laid down on the 30th March, and that of the Chatham ship on the 11th April. The laying of the keel of the Implacable has been delayed by some necessary alterations in the underwater portion of the slip at Devonport, upon which the Ocean is being built, and has put off the date of the launch of the latter vessel, but progress is being made in that work which can be performed before the keel is laid and with the machinery. The principle now systematically followed of making provision for guns and armour so that they may keep pace with the construction of the ship is being observed in the case of these vessels as in that of all others. COLONEL SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central): I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has any information from the United States as to the intentions of the American Government towards those vessels under the Spanish flag which were taken on the high seas prior to the declaration of war, or which had left their ports of departure in ignorance thereof; and, if it should be proved to the satisfaction of the Board of Trade that British subjects were interested in such vessels, or their cargoes, as part suls will be instructed to assist the repreowners or insurers, if Her Majesty's Con sentatives of those concerned before the properly constituted tribunal? THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. G. N. CURZON, Lancashire, Southport): Perhaps my honourable Friend will allow me to answer this Question? We have not received any intimation from the American Government as to the course which they propose to pursue in such cases. with their general instructions, give such Her Majesty's Consuls will, in accordance assistance in these cases as they properly can, but it will be incumbent on the British subjects concerned themselves to before the United States Prize Courts make arrangements to be represented should the cases be taken there, and to raise such questions as to the ownership of the cargoes and otherwise as their legal advisers may consider material. NAVAL FIRING PRACTICE. LORD CHARLES BERESFORD: I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has received the Report of the firing practice at an experimental target by H.M.S. Jupiter, of the Channel | about that number during the year; the Squadron, on or about the 12th April number present at any one time will last; whether the number of rounds probably not exceed 1,400. The greatest actually fired by the barbette and 6-inch number previously assembled was 1,000 guns approximated to the number of in 1895. The benefits to be derived rounds which should have been fired in from such training have been brought the time occupied ; whether there were to the notice of commanding officers of any miss-fires; if so, how many, and from auxiliary forces, but they have not fully which guns, and whether these miss-fires availed themselves of the opportunities were electrically fine or by friction tube; held out. The total numbers of the and whether the result of the firing is auxiliary forces in Scotland are 65,508. considered satisfactory, especially as The total numbers despatched to the regards the number of rounds actually South for training last year amounted to fired by the barbette and 6-inch guns? 4,756. THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY: I have not yet seen the Report; it is now under examination at the Gunnery School at Portsmouth. But I should not in any case be prepared to answer the noble Lord's Question. The experiments were made on the Jupiter, with a view to obtaining special information required for the benefit of our own naval force; and I do not propose to publish it authoritatively for the guidance of all other navies. POLICE (SCOTLAND) REPORT. MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty): I beg to ask the Lord Advocate, in view of the fact that the Police (Scotland) Report for 1896-97 was issued on the 31st December, 1896, will he explain why the Report for 1897-98 is not yet in the hands of Members; and can he say when it will be published? THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. GRAHAM MURRAY, Buteshire): The annual Report of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabu MILITARY TRAINING ON BARRY LINKS.lary for Scotland for 1896-97 was issued SIR LEONARD LYELL (Orkney and Shetland): On behalf of the honourable Member for North Aberdeen, I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War what is the greatest number of men which it is considered advantageous to train at one time on Barry Links, and what force it is proposed to assemble there during the present year; what is the greatest number of regular troops ever assembled on Barry Links, and whether the benefits which the auxiliary forces in Scotland might derive from a training with regulars are being secured to the utmost extent by the training of regular troops there; what is the total number of the auxiliary forces, both Militia and Volunteers, in Scotland; and what proportion of each of them it was found possible to despatch to the South last year, so as to receive some training with regular troops? on the 9th May, 1897, and I am informed that his Report for 1897-98, which was presented to Parliament on the 21st ultimo, will be issued in about ten days. PAUPER CHILDREN AT PUBLIC MR. FLOWER (Bradford, W.): I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether it is the practice of many boards of guardians to send children chargeable to the parish to the public elementary schools of the place in which they are resident; and whether it is the practice in such cases for any contribution to the cost of the public elementary schools to be made by the guardians? THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST, Cambridge University): The answer to both paragraphs is in the affirmative. In such cases it is the practice of the Education Department to allow managers to charge a fee for these children. RHODESIAN ADMINISTRATION. SALARIES OF RHODESIAN ADMINIS- MR. SYDNEY BUXTON: I beg to HUMAN REMAINS IN THE CRYPT OF ask the Secretary of State for the ST. GEORGE THE MARTYR, THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES: (1) A salary of not less than £2,500 is proposed, and an offico allowance of £500 per annum. (2) The British South Africa Company have not yet intimated to me their proposals. The salaries of the Administrators will be fixed with the approval of the Secretary of State. Colonies what will be the salary of the Imperial Resident Commissioner SIR CHARLES CAMERON (Glasgow, in Rhodesia; and what salaries will be Bridgeton): I beg to ask the President paid by the Chartered Company to the of the Local Government Board whether two Administrators and to the other his attention has been called to the state-members of the Executive Council? ment that the remains of between 1,000 and 2,000 bodies have been found lying unburied in the crypt of St. George the Martyr, Southwark, the coffins in which they had been placed having been burst open by dishonest persons who had managed to break into the crypt and stolen the lead; whether he has seen a report b Professor Wanklyn and Mr. W. Cooper, analytical chemists, to the effect that the atmosphere of the church was contaminated by the passage of air from the crypt to such an extent as to render it dangerously impure; whether he is aware that the vestry refuse to incur the expense of removing the remains, and are in favour of waiting until the noxious fumes exhaust themselves; and whether the Local Government Board proposes to take any steps in the matter? REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN MR. M'KENNA (Monmouth, N.): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies which of the West Indian Islands have been recently asked by the Colonial Office to diminish or extinguish the representative element in their Legislatures, and which have done so? 2 THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES: Antigua and Dominica. The Legislature of Antigua has, on the Motion of one of the elected members, with the assent of a majority of the elected members, extinguished the representative element. |