THE NATIONAL DEBT-REDUCTION

OF INTEREST.

MR. CREYKE asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If Her Majesty's Government have any intention during the existing Parliament of making any changes involving a diminution in the rate of interest payable on the National Debt?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS): My hon. Friend asks me to state what course on a particular subject Her Majesty's Government will take, possibly some Sessions hence, under circumstances which have not arisen. I am afraid that I can give no answer to such a Question.

which gave admission either to clerkships in some other Offices, or to supplementary clerkships in the War Office, but did not give admission to the higher clerkships in the War Office. No expectation was held out to them that they would at any time be eligible for promotion to the higher establishment. have no knowledge of the alleged promotion of clerks in other Offices, who were on a similar footing to the supplementary clerks of the War Office, to the Higher Division of the Civil Service; but I will look into the matter in communication with the Treasury.

MR. ARTHUR O'CONNOR asked whether a Memorial from these clerks had not been forwarded to the Secretary of State more than two months ago; and whether the Government had made

SUPPLEMENTARY CLERKS. VISCOUNT LEWISHAM asked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether it is a fact that, whilst he was Secretary of State for War, he recommended that supplementary clerks of the War Office be granted a larger annual increment of pay, with a maximum of £400 a-year; and, that, since he has accepted the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, his own recommendation has been forwarded to the Treasury, and been refused by that Department?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS): With reference to the noble Viscount's second Question, he is, doubtless, not aware that in matters of this kind it is not usual to state what passes between the Treasury and the Department concerned. However, as a matter of fact, I may say, as to his first Question, that while I was Secretary of State for War I made no recommendation upon this subject to the Treasury.

VISCOUNT LEWISHAM asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether there is any reason why the supplementary clerks at the War Office should not be placed upon the Higher Division of the Civil Service, in the same manner as the clerks in other offices who were appointed at the same time, after passing the same examination?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON: In the year 1871 the War Office was divided into a higher and a lower establishment, for each of which there was a distinct examination. The supplemen

Mr. J. K. Cross

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON

said, this Memorial was received more than two months since; but it did not refer to the point raised by the noble Viscount.

NATIONAL EDUCATION (IRELAND)CLENOR MALE NATIONAL SCHOOL.

MR. O'BRIEN asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, in consequence of the destruction by fire of the Clenor Male National School, county Cork, including the records of attendances of the pupils, no results' examinations have been held this year, and no results' fees paid; and, whether, under the circumstances, he will consider the advisability of recommending the Commissioners of National Education to relax the strict rule requiring the individual attendances of each pupil to be set forth, and to comply with the application of the manager of the school, the Rev. R. Ahern, for the payment of results' fees for the number pointed out by the teacher as having given the minimum number of attendances?

MR. TREVELYAN : The Commissioners of National Education inform me that they could not pay result fees except upon satisfactory evidence of the attendance of the pupils, and that, in the case of the Clenor School, such evidence has not been produced. The practice of the Board in all such cases is invariably the samo. The matter is

TRATES-CASE OF THOMAS SMART.

MR. JESSE COLLINGS asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been called to a Report in the " Wiltshire Times of the following case, tried at Calne Petty Sessions: Thomas Smart, an agricultural labourer, was summoned by his employer, a farmer named C. A. Tanner, for absenting himself from work without leave. Smart had been working for Prosecutor since Michaelmas last for

10s. per week, out of which 18. per week was deducted for rent. Plaintiff, though he could prove no damage, yet claimed £1 on the ground that it was the custom of the county to claim damages when a man absented himself without

notice. Defendant swore that before

leaving he told his employer that unless he received an advance in wages he should leave his service. The advance

being refused, Defendant absented himsented himself on the following Monday to go to Swindon to get hired, and returned on the following day. Plaintiff told him he would summon him for leaving his service without notice, and also for shooting rabbits on his land. The Bench held that it was not necessary

for

the employer to show that he had sustained any damage, and they inflicted a fine of 58. as the amount of damage, and 58. costs. The Defendant was fur ther charged by his late employer, C. A. Tanner, with killing two rabbits his land on the 1st of April last. The Defendant had hitherto borne a good character, and had not been before the character, and had not been before the magistrates previously. The Chairman fined Defendant 2s. 6d. with 7s. 6d.

on

costs, to be paid fortnightly at the expiration of his other payments; and, whether he, having regard to the good character of Defendant and the general circumstances of the case, will take some steps to secure a mitigation of the punishment?

SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, in reply, said, he had no authority over the deci

sion of the Justices with respect to the charge of absence from work; but with regard to the killing of rabbits, it was quite clear that a man who killed them, having no right to do so, was punishable. He had often expressed his opinion to the Justices that it was undesirable to impose small fines with large costs, and he was constantly making representations to that effect. All he could say was that he hoped in future magistrates would give effect to the excellent provision in the Summary Jurisdiction Act, which enabled fines to be paid by instal

ments.

PUBLIC HEALTH-SANITARY CONDI

TION OF SOMERSET HOUSE.

LORD GEORGE HAMILTON asked

Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he will direct that the Report of Dr. Rawlinson, made to the Board of Inland Revenue after his inspection of the office occupied by the Legacy Duty Department in 1880, be printed and laid upon the Table of the House; and, if he will undertake that this Report, as well as the Report from the Medical Officer to the Inland Revenue Office, will be referred to in connection with any application to the Treasury made by gentlecount of injury to health through being men in the Legacy Duty Office on aclocated in the basement offices at Somer

set House?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. CHILDERS): In December, 1879, Mr. Herries, then Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, believing that the sanitary arrangements of the Legacy Duty Department in Somerset House were unsatisfactory, applied to Mr. Sclater-Booth, and asked him to recommend some high authority, whose advice might be taken on the question. Mr. Sclater-Booth recommended Mr. Rawlinson, who, on being consulted, deputed Mr. Griffith, a distinguished civil engineer, to examine the buildings. Mr. Griffith, on the 13th of January, Mr. Rawlinson forwarded to Mr. Her1880, made a preliminary Report, which ries on the 28th of January, with the following letter from himself:

"Herewith I send a tracing and Report by Mr. Griffith on the drainage of part of Somerset House. I think the facts, so far known, should be stated; but you will note that this Report is a mere brief sketch. A full Report will require plans, sections, details, and estimates; but

MR. CHAMBERLAIN: No, Sir; I have not seen the letter in The Evening News to which the hon. and learned Member refers. With regard to the latter part of the Question, I must refer him to the Bill dealing with the Railway Passenger Duty. In the 3rd clause of that Bill there is a provision which will enable the Board of Trade to deal

with the question of workmen's trains. Any questions arising under it will come under the decision of the Board of Trade, and in case of any deficiency in this particular the Railway Company will cease to have the advantage of the remission of the Railway Duty.

PARLIAMENTARY

ELECTIONS (CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES)

BILL.

MR. BROADHURST asked Mr. Attorney General, Whether it is true, as stated in the Public Press

"That an intimation has been conveyed to Members who have placed on the Paper Amendments to the Parliamentary Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Practices) Bill, informing them that concessions will be made on various points in Committee in order to facilitate the progress of the Bill?"

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir HENRY JAMES), in reply, said, that, so far as he was aware, the statement that appeared in the newspaper referred to must have arisen through some strange misapprehension. He knew of no such intimation; certainly it had not been made by him, and he was not aware that it had been made by any Member of the Government. The only statement made on the subject had been made in the House, that so long as they were dealing with matters that did not involve important questions of principle the Government were quite willing to

consider any Amendment and make concessions; but when they had to deal with crucial questions of principle they purposed adhering to those principles.

MADAGASCAR.

MR. ARTHUR ARNOLD asked the

Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, in accordance with the declaration of Her Majesty's Government recognising

"the Queen of Madagascar as absolute Mon

arch of the whole Island,"

and with the understanding between Great Britain and France

"that the two Governments should maintain an identic attitude of policy in Madagascar and act in concert in the matter," Her Majesty's Government has made representations to the French Government concerning the action and the claims of France in Madagascar?

LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE : Her Majesty's Government cannot judge, until they have received full information with regard to the recent proceedings of the French in Madagascar, whether it will be necessary or desirable to address any representations to the French Go

vernment.

MR. ARTHUR ARNOLD asked whether the information received as to what had taken place in the North-West was generally the same as that which had been published?

LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICE : The information was exactly the same. The telegrams were almost identical.

SOUTH AFRICA-ZULULAND—

ALLEGED MURDERS OF MISSIONARIES. MR. GUY DAWNAY asked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether he has received any official corroboration of the reports published in the newspapers of June 18th and 19th with regard to the alleged murders of two German Missionaries in Zululand; and with regard to an incursion said to have been made by a force of Cetewayo's followers into the Transvaal?

MR. EVELYN ASHLEY: We have received information that some of the Abaqulusi Tribe, who are followers of Cetewayo, have made an incursion into Transvaal territory in order to attack some of Oham's adherents, who were located within the Transvaal Borders.