NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY (GENERAL POWERS) BILL. NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY (STEAM VESSELS) BILL. SALFORD CORPORATION BILL. As amended, considered; to be read the third time. LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL (MONEY) BILL. PLYMOUTH, DEVONPORT, AND SOUTH WESTERN JUNCTION RAILWAY BILL [LORDS]. Read a second time, and committed. LONDON AND INDIA DOCKS (LIGHTERAGE RATES, &c.) BILL. Order (31st January) that the Bill be referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills, read, and discharged. Bill withdrawn. PRESTON CORPORATION BILL. KNARESBOROUGH IMPROVEMENT BILL. Reported, with Amendments; Reports to lie upon the Table, and to be printed.* MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS. That they have agreed to, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Electric Power Bill, with an Amendment. That they have passed a Bill, intituled, "An Act to alter and amend the Lancashire County (Lunatic Asylums and other Powers) Act, 1891, and to alter the mode of contribution to the expenses of the Lancashire Asylums Board." Lancashire County (Lunatic Asylums) Bill [Lords]. DERBYSHIRE AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ELECTRIC POWER BILL. Lords Amendment considered, and agreed to. LANCASHIRE COUNTY (LUNATIC Read the first time; and referred to the Examiners of Petitions for Private Bills. PETITIONS. EDUCATION (ENGLAND AND WALES) BILL. COMPANIES (WINDING UP) ACT, 1890. Account presented, showing Receipts and Expenditure on account of Proceedings during the year ended 31st March, Petition from Brighouse, against; to 1902 [by Act]; to lie upon the Table, and lie upon the Table. be printed. [No. 164.] BANKRUPTCY ACT, 1883 (PROCEED INGS). Lord Kitchener's Despatches. Account presented, showing Receipts S.): I beg to ask the Secretary of State and Expenditure on account of Bank- for War whether the despatch by ruptcy Proceedings during the year General Lord Kitchener, dated 8th ended 31st March, 1902 [by Act]; to lie March, 1902, relative to military upon the Table, and to be printed. [No. operations in South Africa, which was 105.] presented to Parliament on 26th April, has been presented in its original form, or has it been re-written, edited, or emendated in the form in which it has DISEASES OF ANIMALS ACTS, 1894 Copy presented, of an Order dated the Table. been thus submitted to the public; and whether, with the view of preventing Papers issued from the War Office, from which passages in the original documents have been suppressed or altered, from misleading the public mind, the War Office will in future adopt the practice of Paper laid upon the Table by the the Foreign Office, which, in publishing Clerk of the House. THAMES CONSERVANCY. General Report and Accounts of the Conservators for 1901 [by Act]; to be printed. [No. 166.] (3.30.) QUESTIONS. South African War Suggested Interment of Boer Prisoners at St Kitts. MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the inhabitants of St. Kitts have petitioned that prisoners of war should be confined there, and if the Governor has supported that petition; and can he state if prisoners are confined there, and if troops have been sent there to guard them. Is he aware, according to the report issued by Dr. Grove, of the London School of Tropical Medicine, that every third person in the island is suffering from filariasis, which is an early stage of elephantiasis; and will this matter receive his attention in coming to any decision on the matter. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN, Birmingham, W.): Some leading residents in St. Kitts have suggested that Boer prisoners might suitably be sent to that island, but the Governor has not endorsed the request, and no prisoners or troops have been sent, nor is there any present intention of sending them. are documents from which passages suppressed, marks the omission by asterisks, and intitules such documents with the word "extract.” Spion Kop Despatches. MR. SWIFT MACNEILL: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will explain why the communication sent by Sir Charles Warren in August, 1900, to the Military Secretary, to be laid before the Commander-in-Chief relative to the Spion Kop operations when he saw the comments made on his own strategy, was acknowledged till six months a.ter it had been received; and what answer, if any, has been given to Sir Charles Warren's further appeal to the War Office to allow in the public interest the publication of his communication of August, 1900. MR. BRODRICK: I have no further information to give the hon. Member on this subject. Trial of Australian Officers. MR. SWIFT MACNEILL: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he will state what are the grounds on which he bases his refusal to publish the evidence submitted to the court-martial by which Lieutenants Handcock and Morant were tried and convicted for the murder of Boers, having regard to his promise of the speedy publication of the evidence submitted to the court-martial by which Commandant Scheepers was tried and convicted of shooting blacks who were acting as spies for the British. MR. BRODRICK: I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave the hon. Member yesterday. MR. SWIFT MACNEILL: As the right hon. Gentleman will not give me the information, I shall draw my own con clusions. Enteric Fever Statistics. MR. JOSEPH A. PEASE (Essex, Saffron Walden): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he can give any statistics as to how many of the troops landed in South Africa during the War have been inoculated with so-called anti-typhoid serum; how many have had enteric fever; how many of those inoculated died of enteric fever; whether any of those inoculated have been invalided home as a direct result of such inoculation; and whether any of the troops recently sent to South Africa have been inoculated. MR. BRODRICK: Statistics on this subject are being prepared, and the calculation will take a considerable time. I am not in a position to give any reply to the Question without these figures. The reply to the last Question is in the affirma tive. Volunteer Camp Allowances. MR. WARR (Liverpool, East Toxteth) I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether the camp allowance for the Volunteer force of 2s. 6d. a day for the men is to be exclusive of rations or not. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Lord STANLEY, Lancashire, Westhoughton): This allowance is to cover the cost of feeding the men. Commissions to the Imperial Yeomanry. MR. PIRIE: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he can explain on what principle commissions as captainsin the regular Army have been given to several officers from the Imperial Yeomanry, thus making these officers senior to some sixty Cavalry subalterns with five years Army service and upwards, these latter having obtained their commissions, after passing through a course of Military study and examinations, and many of them being on active service; will he state on what principle were the regiments selected in which stoppage of promotion took place consequent on such appointments; and in future, will greater care be taken by granting such commisin the first instance, so as to avoid sions to Yeomanry officers as lieutenants supersession by these officers of officers. who have already several years regular Army service. MR. BRODRICK: These commissions were granted by the Commander-in-Chief after careful consideration and in the public interest. Remounts Inquiry. MR PIRIE: I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War can he state what form the inquiry into the supply of remounts 157 for the Army has taken, what progress whether he can give the House any it has made, and if the results will be information as to the reported accident on board the "Formidable," and whether communicated to the House. it was due to a gun bursting, or what other cause. MR. BRODRICK: The inquiry is confidential and is still proceeding, and I am not, therefore, in a position to give the hon. Member the information for which he asks. H.M.S. "Spartiate." MR. WILLIAM ALLAN (Gateshead): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, seeing that the original tubes in the condensers of H.M.S. "Spartiate" were tested to Admiralty requirements before being fitted, whether he will state what was the nature of the subsequent test which decided the Admiralty to discard the original tubes; turther, were four defective tubes sufficient to condemn the original 12:578 tubes. THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER, Belfast, W.): The Admiralty test and examination of condenser tubes involve the destruction of two per cent of the tubes in any consignment for the purpose of ascertaining the quality of the material, and to examine the manufacture; each tube is also water-tested. The original tubes of the "Spartiate" passed these tests on examination satisfactorily, but, in view of the failure of four tubes under steam, 100 were drawn from different parts of the condenser for examination and test to destruction. The internal surfaces of five of these tubes proved on examination to be defective owing to lamination or cracks, and, in view of these imperfections and of the failure of similar tubes under steam, it was decided to replace the whole of the tubes of the condenser. MR. WILLIAM ALLAN: Did the second supply of tubes undergo the same examination as the first ? MR. ARNOLD-FORSTER: I presume Accident on H.M.S. "Formidable." 66 I am MR. ARNOLD - FORSTER: sorry I have not the official telegram with me, but the facts are as follow: An accident took place on board the Formidable," owing to the slipping of a derrick boat's-fall when restoring the derrick after hoisting in boats. Three persons lost their lives, viz., Lieutenant Pringle, First-Class Petty Officer, R. H. Bowie, and "A.B." J. Davey. was no gun explosion. Training Ship "Impregnable." There MR. KEARLEY (Devonport): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that there is sickness among the boys of the training ship "Impregnable," at Devonport, and that for some months past an epidemic of scarlet fever has been prevalent; whether he will state the weekly average number of boys living on board during the past three months, also what steps are being taken to prevent a continuance of the overcrowding; whether, in view of the desirability of stamping out the epidemic before the advent of warmer weather, the Admiralty will consider the advisability of removing the whole of the boys to more healthy quarters, so that the ship may be rendered sanitary by fumigation and other remedies. but MR. ARNOLD-FORSTER: There has been a considerable amount of sickness on board the "Impregnable," the average being slightly above that of the corresponding period of last year, below that of 1900. There has been an epidemic of scarlet fever in a mild form, but I am glad to say that it is on In February last, in the decline. view of the presence of scarlet fever, a rigid inspection of the ship was made by the Inspector General of Flymouth Hospital, who reported that the sanitary conditions were in every way satisfactory, and that disinfection was being carried The out in a very efficient manner. last case of scarlet fever occurred on the 21st inst., and, in view of the decline in the number of cases, and of the vigorous measures which have been taken disinfect the ship, it is hoped that the to disease may have been stamped out. [ India. I am in communication with the Admiralty Locks. SIR HENRY FOWLER (Wolverhampton, E.): I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty when the revised patterns of locks required by the Admiralty will be put on exhibition in the sample room of the Chamber of Commerce at Wolverhampton ; and whether, after such patterns have been exhibited, competitive tenders will be received for the supply of these locks as heretofore. MR. ARNOLD-FORSTER: The revised patterns will be put on exhibition as soon as completed. It is hoped that the first patterns will be ready in a few weeks. A small trial order has been placed with the makers of the revised patterns, and as soon as further locks are required competitive tenders will be called for, as usual. Indian Railway Rolling Stock. MR. A. B. LAW (Glasgow, Blackfriars): I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether, in view of the reports from India (Burma and Assam), Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Japan, and the Midland Railway of England, which record the marked superiority of the locomotives received from builders in this country as compared with those imported from America, in such points as the coal and oil consumption and the cost of repairs, he will advise the Indian Railways under State control to endeavour to forecast their requirements for new rolling stock so that these may be requisitioned for in ample time to permit of sound construction; otherwise, will he ask the members of the recent Congress in India to declare whether they will be satisfied with locomotives from this country if of equal finish to those received from the United States. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord G. HAMILTON, Middlesex, Ealing) The question of revising the existing Rules so as to enable the Secretary of State to place orders in advance for the construction of locomotives in this country, was one of the subjects discussed by the recent Locomotive Conference in |