POSTMEN'S WAGES AT MOTHERWELL.

MR. COLVILLE (Lanark, N.E.): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, will he explain why at the post office, Motherwell, which serves a population of nearly 30,000, in a district where the rents of houses and cost of living (owing to the very rapid growth of the town) are quite exceptionally high, the postmen are paid on the lowest scale of wages, not exceeding 22s. per week, while in the neighbouring towns of Hamilton and Coatbridge the scale rises to 24s. per week?

MR. HANBURY: The question of rais ing the scale of pay for the postmen at Motherwell is already under consideration.

FRENCH RAILWAY CONCESSION IN

CHINA.

MR. JOSEPH WALTON: I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign has further conceded to France a railway Affairs whether the Chinese Government line connecting the Chinese Treaty port of Pak-hoi, in the province of Kwangtung, with the valley of the West River at Nanning-fu, thus completing the system of trade routes from Tong-king and the neighbouring regions into Government; if so, whether Her Majesty's Southern China framed by the French Government will insist upon the opening of the West River and its tributaries to their navigable limits, also the making of Nanning a Treaty port in order to safeguard British trade interests in Southern China; whether Her Majesty's Government have secured railway concessions enabling the laying down of a railway to connect British Burma with the Upper Yang-tsze; and whether the correspondence with the Chinese and French Governments in regard to British interests in Southern China will be presented to the House?

concession for a railway from Pak-hoi to Nanning has been granted to the French. I cannot make any statement at present as to the measures which are in course of adoption in Southern China by Her Majesty's Government. The railway to the Burmese frontier is being pushed on, but the question of the direction which its extension should take on reaching the Chinese border is a very difficult one, and until this has been decided it is clearly impossible to apply for any concession from the Chinese Government. There has been no correspondence with the French Government on the subject. The correspondence with the Chinese Government is still proceeding, and cannot be given at present.

MR. CURZON: I understand that a

CORDON AT CANDIA.

MR. BRYNMOR JONES (Swansea Dis trict): I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs will he state when and where the Christian leaders of Crete agreed to the recent extension of

of counties and appointment of one solicitor as Crown Solicitor for several counties?

amount.

saving by the abolition of the Sessional | missioners recently instructed their soliciCrown Solicitors and the amalgamation tors to amend their claims to this Owing to a low rate struck in 1882 liabilities exceeded assets in that year by about £8,000. The answer to the third paragraph is in the affirmative. No further inquiry such as suggested in the last paragraph of the Question is called for or necessary.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR: With the permission of my right honourable Friend I will reply to this Question. The number of Crown Solicitors in 1866 was 16, and of Sessional Crown Solicitors 33. The number of Crown Solicitors now is 30, and of Sessional Crown Solicitors 17. There has, consequently, been a reduction of two in the total number of Crown and Sessional Crown Solicitors. The Estimates for both services for the current year, as compared with the year 1866-7, show a saving of £5,156, though this amount does not include the savings effected by the abolitior since the year 1883 of payments for special duty which could not be given at present with any approach to accuracy.

DAY INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS ACT. MR. P. O'BRIEN: On behalf of the honourable Member for the St. Patrick Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether the Government will con sider the necessity of introducing and passing the extension of the Day Industrial Schools Act to Ireland?

MR. GERALD BALFOUR: I am quite prepared to look into the matter referred to in this Question, but it is not one to which I can at present give a reply.

PEMBROKE TOWNSHIP COMMIS-
SIONERS.

ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE SCHOOL.

MR. P. O'BRIEN: On behalf of the honourable Member for the St. Patrick Division of Dublin, I beg to ask the Chief MR. MENDL (Plymouth): I beg to Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ire- ask the Vice-President of the Committee land whether he can state if the Pem- of Council on Education whether he is broke Commissioners gave any satisfac-aware that the teacher of an elementary tory explanation to the Local Government Board in the year 1882, or since, as to the serious defalcations which had occurred in the township accounts; whether, at the same time, there was a deficiency of £8,000 in addition to the defalcations; whether he is aware that the Board recently refused by the casting vote of the chairman to inquire into and report upon this matter; and whether a sworn inquiry will be instituted, so that a correct statement of township affairs Council have received no information on may be given to the incoming district the subject, but I will have inquiries

urban council?

school at Ashton-under-Lyne recently attempted, by means of pressure and persuasion, to deprive the parents of children attending the school of the rights conferred on them by Memorandum 3 of the Education Department, 1893; and whether he will direct inquiries to be made into the facts of the case, with the view of enforcing the law?

SIR J. GORST: The Committee of

made.

MR. GERALD BALFOUR: A warrant was issued in 1883 against the absconding Secretary to the Pembroke Commissioners, who proved against his estate for INSTRUCTION IN INFANTS' SCHOOLS. £800, of which a sum of £605 has been MR. YOXALL (Nottingham, W.): I beg realised. The Local Government auditor to ask the Vice-President of the Comcertified the amount due by the abscond-mittee of Council on Education whether ing bankrupt to be £1,159, and the Com-infants' schools, where the majority of

the children are from three to six years old, come within the meaning of paragraph 5(g) of the instructions to inspectors; whether the term "plan of work" means the division of the subjects taught into parts, each part to be allotted to a defined period of time; and, if infants' schools are comprised within the meaning of the said paragraph, does the part referring to periodical examinations apply to such schools?

SIR J. GORST: Paragraph 5 (g) of the instructions was not intended to apply to infants' schools. The answer to the second paragraph of the Question is in

the affirmative.

THE BENEFICES BILL.

Motion made, and Question proposed

"That this House do now adjourn.”

MR. DILLON: Mr. Speaker, I believe it is felt in all parts of the House that we could not rest satisfied with the information that has been given us by the Chief Secretary in reply to questions which have been asked. We have already heard from the Chief Secretary that 103 members of the Royal Irish Constabulary were injured on Monday night on the Shankhill Road, and that on Tuesday night other policemen were seriously injured. I do not intend to enter into controversy on the merits of party processions in Ulster, for whether such are organised to celebrate the battle of Antrim or the battle of the Boyne they have nothing to do with the present question. The procession to which

MR. H. ROBERTS: Can the First Lord reference has been made in questions of the Treasury give the House any indication as to when the Benefices Bill is likely to be taken?

THE FIRST LORD OF
THE TREA-
SURY: I hope, Sir, on an early day.

PUBLIC BUSINESS.

THE BELFAST RIOTS.-MOTION FOR

ADJOURNMENT.

to-night was one organised by the Nationalists of Belfast to celebrate the battle of Antrim, on June 6th, 1798, and the magistrates of Belfast, having all the circumstances before them two or three weeks before June 6th, laid down for the procession a certain route, which the Nationalist Committee promptly accepted. After they had made that arrangement, and about four days before the date of the procession, the magistrates, in conse quence, we are informed, of threats which had been made in the interval, hurriedly assembled, and, being informed by the City Commissioner of Police, Mr. Moriarty, that he could not be answerable for the preservation of peace if the procession followed the route laid down, altered the arrangement, confining the Catholic

MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.) rose in his place, and asked leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance-namely, "the riot-procession entirely to the ing which has taken place in the streets of Belfast on Monday and Tuesday last, and the inadequacy of the arrangements made by the city authorities and by the Executive Government for preserving the peace and protecting property;" but the pleasure of the House not having been signified,

MR. SPEAKER called on those Members who supported the Motion to rise in their places. Not less than 40 Members having accordingly risen

Mr. Yoxall.

quarter of the city. In the interests of
peace, the Nationalist Committee,
although they were of opinion that they
had not been treated fairly, and that the
magistrates were acting exceedingly
at the last
unwisely, consented even
moment to accept the new arrangements.
The Nationalists protested against the
change as a concession to a spirit of
intolerance, and as being very likely to
defeat the very object the magistrates
had in view, and the events which have
taken place since have fully justified the
opinion which had been formed by the

Nationalist Committee.

say

The first point outset of these proceedings, sent through, the city of Belfast full notice to the mob. that the magistrates had given way before them, and had altered, under threats of violence, the arrangements which they had come to for the carrying out of this procession, because the Commissioner of Police had told the mag trates that he would not be answerable for the peace of the city. Sir, I that policy is a fatal policy, and that it is all that has occurred since. I now come to the incidents of the procession. I was myself with the procession from the moment it started from Smithfield Market for the place of meeting until its return, and I drove among the processionists in the town after all the banners had passed, so that I am in a position, almost from personal observation in every case, to stat what occurred as regards the procession. I wish it to be distinctly understood that I am not moving the adjournment of the House to make any complaint of the lack of protection given to the processionists. They were able to protect themselves, but it was the duty of the Government to keep all attack from that pro

I want to direct the attention of the Government to is that for a fortnight or three weeks the magistrates were aware that threats were being made by the firebrands of the Orange party that disturbances would be caused if the Nationalist procession were allowed to go through any part of Belfast. They decided-and most properly decided-that the procession should be allowed to proceed. The magistrates recognised directly responsible for that if they prohibited the Nationalist procession they would be bound, in common justice, to prohibit the 12th of July procession. I presume that there are only two alternative policies possible for any Government, or any body of men responsible for law and order in Ulster -namely, to prohibit all party proces. sions, or to allow processions on both sides, and to let everyone whom it may concern, be he Nationalist or Orangeman, know that the processions must be allowed to take place, and must not be made an occasion for a breach of the peace. The policy of prohibiting processions has been advocated, and has been tried, but after being tried has been deliberately abandoned by the Government of Ireland, and abandoned mainly in consequence of the persistent protests there the slightest of the Orange Party. I heartily sympathe Shankhill Road men, and these were attack made on the processionists by thise with the Orangemen in their protest, and I think the policy now adopted of a trifling character. The crowd who by the Government is the correct policy attacked the procession at Broadway -the policy, that is, of allowing each were instantly driven back by the pro side to have their demonstrations, and cessionists, who only fired a few stones. of insisting, in theory, at any rate, that and then took flight. In Dover Street, where the crowd of Shankhill men numthe peace must be preserved. What was the action of the magistrates of Belfast bered about 300, there were only four with all this knowledge before them? constables holding that thoroughfare, Remember that on the very eve of the and if the Shankhill men had closed with procession-four days before the proces- the procession a most bloody riot would son took place the City Commissioner have taken place. As it was they were of Police attended the meeting of the instantly driven back. These were the magistrates, and told them he would not only two instances in which the proces answer for the neace of the city if the sion was interfered with. Nobody was route laid down by the magistrates them-hurt, except one unfortunate policeman selves were followed by the procession. In in Dover Street. The Nationalist proces spite of that fact, and in spite of their sion then went into the country, and held long experience of the character of the Belfast mob, they did not apply for a single extra policeman to help in the preservation of the peace of the city. If I rightly interpret the answer of the Chief Secretary, there was, at the very

cession.

As a matter of fact only at two points-namely, at Dover Street and Broadway-was

their meeting, and then returned to Belfast. On the return there was not the smallest attempt at disturbance, so far as I could observe. Let me call the attention of the House to this fact that throughout that day, when a multitude