MR, MOON (St. Pancras, N.): To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can indicate approximately the nature and number or extent of the establishments erected on the Treaty Shore of Newfoundland which are to be given up by French subjects. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) During the season of 1903 the following establishments were worked by French citizens on the Treaty Shore of Newfoundland:-One for the cod fishery exclusively, catch 360,000 fish. Three for the cod fishery and lobster industry combined, total catch 185,000 cod and 2,530 cases of lobster. Nine for the lobster industry exclusively, total catch 1,842 cases. Four in connection with the operations of the petits pecheurs, total catch 140,000 fish. Discharges from South African MR. MOON: To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will take steps to expedite the forwarding to this country of the discharges of men who, having completed their term of service with the South African Constabulary so far back as the month of February, are, in the absence of such discharge, precluded from obtaining certain appointments; and whether he can expedite the refunding to such men of sums of £10 deposited by them in reference to leave which expired simultaneously with their period of service. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) I am calling the attention of Lord Milner to the matter. I understand that directions have been given for the refund of the £10 deposited and that lists of those who are entitled to the return of the money are on the way. Chinese Labour Ordin ance and MB. MOON: To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can The text of the Ordinance in its final (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) form is in Cl. 1941. The Ordinance, as published in the Gazette with Lord Milner's assent appended, will be laid with the regulations shortly, but I cannot fix a date, as the negotiations with the Chinese Government are not yet wholly concluded. Mr. Danysz's Virus for Destruction SIR WALTER FOSTER (Derbyshire, Ilkeston): To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the results of the use of Dr. Danysz's virus for the destruction of rats as applied in Cape Town in the year 1901; and, if the results were satisfactory, whether he will order the same means to be used to destroy rats at the other South African ports affected by plague, and in the Transvaal. (Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) I understand that the results of the use at Cape Town of Danysz's virus did not afford grounds for supposing that it was efficacious in the extermination of rats on a large scale. The means to be used to destroy rats at British South African ports are a matter for the Governments of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal. In the case of the Transvaal, I see no reason to interfere with the discretion of the local government and its medical advisers, in whose competence to deal with the plague epidemic Lord Milner has full confidence. QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE. New Army Journal. SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether it is intended that the projected Army Journal of the British Empire shall contain advertisements; and whether he is aware of the objection of the publishers of existing journals to the farming out of Government publications to contractors for advertisements in competition with journals which have not the advantage of such official connection. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER, Belfast, W.): It has been decided that the Army Journal shall contain advertisements which will be duly approved and limited in number. This is done in the case of other similar Government publications, such as the Journals of the Board of Trade and Board of Agriculture. MR. LOUGH (Islington. W.): Will the right hon. Gentleman undertake that no action shall be taken until the House has had an opportunity of discussing the matter? the British Indian Tradesmen in East London. SIR MANCHERJEE BHOWNAGGREE (Bethnal Green, N.E.): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the Town Council of East London has notified to the British Indian tradespeople and storekeepers to vacate the town in fourteen days, and if he will state for what reasons this arbitrary order has been issued; and whether, in view of the loss which the execution of this order will inflict upon a large number of British Indian subjects engaged in trade in East London, he intends to send out instructions to the local authorities to prevent it being put into force. MR. LYTTELTON: I have telegraphed to the Governor of the Cape Colony for information on the subject. Indian Excise Legislation. MR. HERBERT ROBERTS (Denbigh MR, ARNOLD-FORSTER: No, Sir, shire, W.): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether any recent instructions have been issued to the provincial administrations by the Government of India with reference to Excise legislation; and whether he will state what is the present attitude of the Government of India with regard to the consideration of amendments in the Bengal Excise Bill directed to secure some practicable measure of local control in respect to the opening of shops for the sale of intoxicating liquors and drugs. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. BRODRICK, Surrey, Guildford): The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. The Bengal Legislative Council have re-committed the Excise Bill to the Select Committee with instructions to consider the expediency of inserting provisions for securing the due ascertainment of local public opinion before new liquor or drug in paragraph 103 of the Government of shops are opened, to the extent indicated India's despatch of 4th February, 1890. I have no reason to suppose that the Government of India's attitude towards any specific proposals which may result from this reference will be other than that which may be inferred from the (20 APRIL 1904} contents of the above-mentioned despatch. of a Return as this is a matter hardly suited for treatment by way of Question and answer. I doubt, indeed, if anyone can follow the answer I have just given. * MR. MCCRAE: Arising out of the answer which is quite clear, I should like to ask whether it is not the case that the balance of borrowed money in the Exchequer Balances and the £3,000,000 on the Transvaal loan were applied to meet the realised deficit of last year; and whether the £1,000,000 which the right hon. Gentleman proposes to take from unclaimed dividends will not really be applied to the prospective strengthening of the balances. MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: The £1,000,000 which I propose to take will be applied to the strengthening of the balances. That is the whole object with which I take it. With regard to the first part of the Question, I do not quite understand the right hon. Gentleman's meaning. Perhaps he will put the Question on the Paper. National Borrowings. MR. BLACK (Banffshire): I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the total amount borrowed by this country during the period of five years ending 5th April, 1904, the amount of this borrowing incurred on accounts other than the South African War, and the total amount of debt repaid or redeemed during the same period. MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN: The figures for which the hon. Member asks were given in the Budget Statement. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.): The Balance on 31st March, 1899, was £8,919,000. In the next five years: 1. It was strengthened by (a) Borrowings, £154,371,000. (b) Repayments in respect of Sardinian Loan, £285,000. (c) Temporary advance repaid by Transvaal, £3,000,000. Total, Boy Copyists in the Post Office. £157,656,000. 2. It was depleted by CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.): (a) Issue of part of old Sinking Funds I beg to ask the Postmaster-General of 1895-6 and 1896-7, represented by whether it is his intention to increase to Surplus Revenue £1,862,000. (b) Net a great extent the employment of boy advance on account of bullion, £450,000. copyists in the clerical departments (c) Expenditure in excess of revenue, of the Post Office, both in London and £157,961,000. (d) Advances on capital the provinces; and whether it is intended account unreplaced, £2,000,000. (e) Dis- to exclude telegraphists from the engineercount on issue of Exchequer Bonds, ing departmen in order to utilise the £38,000. Total, £162,311,000. Decrease services of copyists. £4,655,000. Balance on 31st March, 1904, £4,264,000. If the hon. Gentleman THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Lord requires any further information I shall STANLEY, Lancashire, Westhoughton): be glad if he will put it down in the form No abnormal increase in the number of Refusals to Renew Licences. MR. ERNEST GRAY: Does the hon. MR. HERBERT ROBERTS: I Gentleman mean that in urban districts beg to ask the Secretary of State and non-county boroughs this charge for the Home Department whether for the training of pupil teachers must he is now in a position to give the be met out of the ld. rate for secondary number of licences for the sale of intoxi- education-a rate not originating under cating liquors, the renewal of which has the Education Act, 1902, and, if so, will been refused at the general annual he state how these charges are to be licensing meetings, in England and met when the produce of this rate is Wales, upon the ground that they were exhausted. not required, for 1892, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1901, and 1902. *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERSDOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's): Returns have been published for all except three of the years named, and also for 1900 and 1903. For the three years omitted, viz., 1899, 1901, and 1902, I cannot give the figures without calling for Returns and I adhere to the opinion I have expressed already more than once that there is no sufficient reason for going back and making this Return absolutely annual. think the general purport of the figures can be gathered sufficiently from the Returns which have been given. I SIR WILLIAM ANSON: All I can say in answer to this Question is that these charges must be met out of money provided for the purposes of secondary education. Pupil Teachers. pro MR. ERNEST GRAY: I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether he is aware that certain local education authorities are posing to require that pupil teachers shall continue to serve as assistant teachers within the same district for a number of years after the expiration of their engagement as pupil teacher, or if the pupil teacher enters a training college then to serve within the district for a period of years after leaving college, or in default of such service to refund the cost of training; and, if so, whether, having regard to the interests of education, the Board will refuse to recognise the employment of pupil teachers in schools where such conditions are imposed. SIR WILLIAM ANSON: The proposals referred to in the Question have not come before the Board of Education. They represent apparently an attempt on the part of a local education authority to secure a return for the money which they expend on the training of pupil teachers and teachers by securing a local supply. I am not prepared to state what the action of the Board will be in a matter which has not yet come up for {20 APRIL 1904} decision, and which may present itself under varying conditions in different local areas. Companies' Act and the Franchise. MR. ERNEST GRAY: I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether owing to the increasing number of ratepayers deprived of the franchise by reason of the limitations imposed by the Companies' Act, he will consider the desirability of introducing an amending Act, so that the owners of heavily-taxed property may obtain representation in the management of local affairs. THE SECRETARY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. GRANT LAWSON, Yorkshire, N.R., Thirsk): I could not promise that the Government will introduce legislation on this subject. I observe, however, that my hon. friend the Member for South Islington has a Bill to deal with it, and I will give consideration to the proposed alteration in the law in connection with that measure. Technical Education at Tulliallan and Culross. MR. EUGENE WASON (Clackmannan and Kinross): I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the parishes of Tulliallan and Culross (landward), which were disjoined from the county of Perth and added to the county of Fife in the year 1888, have never participated in the grant for technical education given to either the county of Perth or the county of Fife; and, if so, will he state what steps he proposes to take to enable the young people and teachers of these parishes to attend the county councils' classes for technical education. THE SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND (Mr. A. GRAHAM MURRAY, Buteshire): The valuation of the two parishes in question has been taken into account in determining the amount of grant under the Act of 1890 paid to the county of Perth. The application of the grant to the purposes of technical education in those two parishes is a matter for arrangement between the two county councils. Cahirciveen River Estuary Buoys. MR. BOLAND (Kerry, S.): I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the LordLieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Congested Districts Board has offered a grant towards the erection of buoys on the Carraig a Vallaig rock and on the Ballycarberry bar in the estuary of the Cahirciveen river; whether he is aware that the Kerry County Council has not the necessary powers to carry out this improvement, and that the Irish Lights Board and the Congested Districts Board state that they have not the power; and can he state what is the authority which can carry out the work. MR. WYNDHAM: The resolution passed on the occasion provides that no flag or emblem be exhibited at any show aided by the county funds that is likely to have any political significance attached to it," and further, that strict compliance with the resolution shall be a condition precedent to the renewal of a grant. The resolution does not declare that the Royal Standard, the Union Jack, or other non-Party flags shall not be exhibited. The question whether action is called for on the part of the new Department which contributes to the funds of the County Committee does not therefore arise at the present stage. |