SALE OF INTOXICATING LIQUORS In favour From Compton Dundon, Glasgow, Lamport, Draughton, Walton, Chichester (6), Colchester, Catcott (2), Burtle, Aspull, Ashcott, Porthfield, Tiverton (2), Snodland, Copford, Toller Porcorum, Portsmouth, Crowborough, Yardley, Urmston, Kempston, Maidstone, Man In favour: From London (5); to lie chester, Devonport, (7), Stonehouse (2) upon the Table. DOGS REGULATION BILL. Against: From Melton Mowbray (3), Bath, Hove, Brighton (2), and Worcester; to lie upon the Table. EAST INDIA (CONTAGIOUS DISEASES). Against State Regulation: From Rathmines, Norwood, and Tottenham; to lie upon the Table. GROCERS' LICENCES (SCOTLAND) In favour From St. Ninian's, Elgin, Kilbirnie, Ayr, and Irvine; to lie upon the Table. LOCAL GOVERNMENT (IRELAND) BILL. For alteration: From the Association of Baronial High Constables in Ireland; to lie upon the Table. Preston, Brighton, Crown Hill Tavistock, St. Budeaux, Okehampton, Oldham (2) Nether Broughton, Plymouth (6), Batley (2), Little Lever, Herne Hill, Riddings, Appledore, Eldon, Northampton, Newbottle, Brook Green, Guestling, Dorking, Bishop Wearmouth, Hebburn-on-Tyne, Newmarket, Pelton, Hanford, Hastings, Gulval, St. Keverne, Madron, Isleham, Kerris, Tregavara, Hawick, Grantchester, Sunnybrow, Sunderland, Norton, West Sleekburn, Tor Point, and Wincanton; to upon the Table. lie TRUSTS (SCOTLAND) BILL. In favour: From Midlothian; to lie upon the Table. VACCINATION BILL. Against From Manchester; to lie upon the Table. For alteration: From Rugby; to lie upon the Table. WORKMEN'S HOUSES TENURE BILL. Against: From Mining Association of Great Britain; to lie upon the Table. X 2 RETURNS, REPORTS, ETC. PATENTS, DESIGNS AND TRADE MARKS, WITH APPENDICES, FOR THE YEAR 1897. NAVY AND MARINES. Return ordered "of numbers of Commissioned Officers, Subordinate and Warrant Officers, Petty Officers, Men, and Boys of the Executive Branch, Engineer Branch, and other Branches of the Royal Navy, borne on the 1st of April, Return [presented 23rd May] to be 1858, 1868, 1878, 1888, and 1898 respecprinted. [No. 214.] tively, excluding Pensioners and Reserves; and a similar Return of the numbers of the Commissioned, Warrant, and Non-Commissioned Officers and Men of the Royal Marine Force."-(Sir John Colomb.) NEW BILLS. POLLING DISTRICTS (WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE). Copy presented of Orders made by the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire, constituting Polling Districts and Polling Places within the Riding [by Act]; to lie upon the Table. NAVY AND ARMY (COST OF Return presented relative thereto [Address 18th February; Lord Charles Beresford]; to lie upon the Table. ELECTRIC LIGHTING PROVISIONAL ORDERS. Copy ordered of Memorandum stating the nature of the proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (No. 13) Bill." (Mr. Ritchie.) Copy presented accordingly; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 216.] Copy ordered "of Memorandum stating the nature of the proposals contained in the Provisional Orders included in the Electric Lighting Provisional Orders (N). 14) Bill."--(Mr. Ritchie.) Copy presented accordingly; to lie upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. 217.] BANKRUPTCY ACT (1883) AMENDMENT BILL. "To amend The Bankruptcy Act, 1883," ordered to be brought in by Mr. brynmor Jones, Mr. Carson, Mr. Greene, Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. Lawson Walton, Mr. Ascroft, and Mr. Lloyd George. Presented, and read the first time; to be read a second time upon Wednesday, 22nd June, and to be printed. [Bill No. 234.] TRUCK ACTS AMENDMENT BILL. "To amend the Truck Acts," ordered to be brought in by Captain Norton, Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. Davitt, Mr. Jacoby, Mr. Logan, and Mr. Woods. Presented, and read the first time; to be read a second time upon Monday, 6th June, and to be printed. [Bill No. 235.] VEXATIOUS ACTIONS (SCOTLAND) BILL. "To prevent Vexatious Legal Proceedings in Scotland," ordered to be brought in by Mr. John Wilson (Govan), Mr. Haldane, Mr. Cameron Corbett, Mr. Renshaw, and Sir William Dunn. Presented, and read the first time; to be read a second time upon Monday, 20th June, and to be printed. [Bill No. 236.] PAUPER CHILDREN (IRELAND) BILL. "To make further provision with respect to the relief of Pauper Children in Ireland; and for other purposes connected therewith"; ordered to be brought in by Sir John Colomb, Mr. Dillon, Mr. T. M. Healy, Mr. William Johnston, and Mr. John Redmond. Presented, and read the first time; to bo read a second time upon Thursday, 9th June, and to be printed. [Bill No. 237.] UNION OF BENEFICES BILL. "To amend The Union of Benefices Act, 1860"; ordered to be brought in by Mr. Attorney General, Mr. Balfour, and Mr. Solicitor General. Presented, and read the first time; to be read a second time upon Monday, 6th June, and to be printed. [Bill No. 238.] QUESTIONS. aid grant made to each school will be given in next year's Report, and the Committee of Council will consider what information as to the purposes to which the grants have been applied can be added. To give the subscriptions and total income of each school for 1897-98 is impracticable. MR. CHANNING: Will the right honourable Gentleman obtain the grounds. of objection to joining associations? SIR J. GORST: I have said the Committee of Council will consider what information shall be given. PETROLEUM. MR. ASCROFT: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, having regard to the large number of deaths which annually occur in the United Kingdom in connection with the use of petroleum, and to the great weight of evidence given before the Petroleum Committee in favour of raising the minimum flash point for petroleum, he will invite the Committee to immediately present an interim Report upon this portion VOLUNTARY SCHOOLS ASSOCIATIONS. of the inquiry, with a view to the MR. CHANNING (Northamptonshire, introduction during the present Session E.): On behalf of the honourable Mem- of a short Bill, with the object of at ber for the Mansfield Division of Notting once checking the deplorable loss of life hamshire, I beg to ask the Vice-President which now occurs? of the Committee of Council on Education whether, in view of the interest attaching to the operation of the Voluntary Schools Act, he will grant a Return of the associations, with their areas and the number of representatives in each; the several schools which have objected to join an association and have been refused a grant, with the grounds of such objection; the purposes to which the grants are to be applied; and the subscriptions and total income of each school for the year 1897-98? THE UNDER SECRETARY TO THE HOME OFFICE (Mr. JESSE COLLINGS, Birmingham, Bordesley): The Committee have finished taking evidence, and which will be presented to Parliament at are engaged in drawing up their Report, the earliest possible date. CUSTOMS WATCHERS. CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.): THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COM-I beg to ask the Secretary to the TreaMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST, Cambridge University): The Return of associations and of schools which have objected to join and been refused a grant can be given. The special sury whether he is aware that, under General Order 2-1897, Customs watchers are authorised by the Board of Customs to charge overtime before and after the legal Customs hours when employed on certain duties, the overtime in all such cases, statements are correct, and there does being paid for by the Dock Companies not appear to be any contradiction and wharfingers; whether he is aware between them. The latest Russian that on some stations in the port of assurances as regards Port Arthur and London watchers are allowed to charge Talienwan are contained in inclosure 2 overtime under this order, and on other to No. 151, on page 64 of the Chinese stations are prevented from doing so by Correspondence. The declaration made the Customs authorities, although the by Her Majesty's Government with regard duties performed are identical; and to Wei-hai-Wei was published at Berlin, whether he will cause an inquiry to be and has been reproduced in the press. made on the different stations with a The reply of the German Government view to equality of treatment throughout was merely an acknowledgment of the the port of London? THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R. W. HANBURY, Preston): I believe that the regulations of the Order referred to are observed at all the stations in the port of London, and that there is not any irregularity of treatment of the watchers employed. WEI-HAI-WEI. MR. PROVAND (Glasgow, Blackfriars): I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the port of Wei-hai-Wei has been or is to be leased from the Government for military purposes alone, as stated in this House by the First Lord of the Treasury, or on the same terms as Russia has leased Port Arthur and Talienwan, as stated by the Marquess of Salisbury in No. 150 of the recently issued Chinese Correspondence; whether our Government has received any later assurances from Russia that Port Arthur and Talienwan would be open to Foreign trade like other Chinese ports, as stated in No. 120 of the Chinese Correspondence; and whether the dispatch from our Government spontaneously intimating to the German Government that we would not call in question their rights or interests in the province of Shantung, or lay down. railway communication from Wei-hai-Wei to the interior, and the reply of the German Government thereto, are documents of such a confidential character that they are not to be laid before the House, or, if they are to be laid before the House, when this will be done? THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. G. N. CURZON, Lancashire, Southport): Both Captain Norton. same. ACHIL ISLAND RELIEF FUND. MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that a large sum of money, nearly £1,000, being the balance of a fund collected for the relief of families belonging to a number of people who had resided in Achil Island, and who had been drowned some years since, and that this residue had been deposited with the Congested Districts Board for some permanent improvement of the inhabitants of that island; and whether, seeing that the committee of this fund who deposited this money with the board were desirous that this money should be applied to the erection of a pier at Dugort, and that the Congested Districts Board are willing, if their resources allowed, to make a grant of £500, he will recommend to the Treasury that the provisions of the Act 29 and 30 Vic., c. 45, passed for the encouragement of sea fisheries in Ireland, should be applied to the erection of a fishery pier at Dugort, and that the Treasury should sanction a grant for the sum re quired for this work, and the Commis sioners of Public Works in Ireland be authorised to undertake and commence it without delay? THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR (Leeds, Central): The facts are substantially as stated in the first paragraph. The amount in the hands of the Congested Districts Board for the purpose indicated is £926. The question of erecting a pier at Dugort has been engaging the attention of the Government, who are in communication on the subject with the Commissioners of Public Works. CYCLE COMPANIES. MR. FIELD: I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether it is a fact that the Dunlop Cycle Company, with a share capital of £5,000,000, is now reduced in value to £3,000,000; whether it is a fact that the Simpson Lever Chain Company, which was floated with a capital of £1,000,000, of which £900,000 was subscribed, is now valued, according to Stock Exchange quotations, at a figure under £6,000; whether his attention has been directed to the reve lations in the recent Grappler Company case; and whether, under these circumstances, the Government will grant a Board of Trade inquiry respecting the promotion and management of cycle companies? THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD or TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE, Croydon): I have no means of forming an estimate of the value placed by the Stock Exchange upon the shares of joint stock companies. I have seen in the newspapers an account of the proceedings in the law courts referred to, but I do not find anything in them that would warrant a departmental inquiry. DISTRESS IN THE WEST OF IRELAND. MR. FIELD: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he has read the Report of the Mansion House Relief Committee, whose funds are exhausted; and whether the Local Government Board will increase the employment at Clifden Prior, Cahirciveen, and other places where the distress is exceptionally acute? MR. GERALD BALFOUR: It was stated in newspaper reports of the 19th instant that the funds of the Mansion House Relief Committee were at that date exhausted. The employment of 554 heads of families, representing about 2,000 people, has been authorised in the Clifden Union, and the Local Government Board are prepared to consent to the guardians of this and other unions in which works have been opened placing on the works all persons who are ascertained to be properly eligible for relief dians have so far declined to adopt a from the rates. The Cahirciveen Guarlabour test as a condition on which relief is given to persons requiring it, and no employment has, therefore, been afforded by them in the locality. In the event of the guardians deciding to open suitable works, the Government will be prepared to give the guardians financial aid in carrying them out. PROMOTION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES. MR. FIELD: I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the Government will consider the advisability of bringing in a Measure to amend the law regulating limited liability companies, especially with regard to their promotion and management; and whether it can be arranged that information and publicity shall be given to investors respecting the amount of capital to be taken by the promoters? THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE: I think the honourable Member cannot have had his attention directed to a Measure on this subject brought before Parliament by the Government and now under consideration in another place. LABOURERS' COTTAGES IN THE MR. FIELD: I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he will inquire from the Claremorris Union why the application made by the Ballyhaunis labourers for the erection of cottages has been adjourned four times, although Dr. Crean, of Ballyhaunis, reported in February last labourers are badly housed here as in most other places hereabouts; and whether he will order the Local Government Board to move in this matter? MR. GERALD BALFOUR: The Local Government Board are in communication with the guardians in reference to this matter. |