Chiswickite - formerly The Croydonian

The things we were teaching in the colonies:

Sir HERBERT ROBERTS asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention had been called to the fact that the syllabus of temperance instruction issued by the Board of Education last year was being translated into the vernacular and adapted for use in schools in Burma; and whether the Government of India had under their consideration the desirability of taking similar action in the other provinces of India?

The UNDERSECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Montagu) The Secretary of State has no information regarding the action said to have been taken in Burma. As regards the latter part of the question, an inquiry made in 1907 showed that in three of the provinces of India lessons on temperance were already included in the 725 books read in schools, and that such lessons were about to be introduced in two more.

I believe William Hogarth, the patron saint of these parts, had London rather than Rangoon or Calcutta in mind when he drew 'Gin Lane'....





They shoot boil horses down for glue, don't they?

Mr. BYLES asked the hon. Gentleman whether he could give the House any statistics of the export trade from this country in decrepit worn-out horses; whether the trade was increasing; and whether the attention of the authorities was vigilantly directed to prevent cruelties and to punish offenders?

Sir E. STRACHEY We have no statistics as to the number of decrepit worn-out horses exported from this country, but the extent of the trade will appear from the fact that 16,420 horses, valued at less than £5 per head, were exported in 1909. The trade shows no signs of increasing. (etc)

Special pleading corner:

Mr. WILKIE asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the dislocation of business, the financial loss, and the exasperation caused by the recent-failure of the telegraph to Dundee and the North-East of Scotland, also considering the frequent recurrence of these breakdowns, he will implement his Department's qualified promise of a year or two ago, and now without further delay have these lines placed underground?

The HON. MEMBER further asked whether, in view of the statements of members of the Government that they recognise their liability to the unemployed 741 workers of the country, he will now make financial arrangements whereby the work of placing underground the telegraph lines to Dundee and the North-East of Scotland could be at once proceeded with, and thus provide work of general utility and national benefit for some of the unemployed?
 

The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Mr. Herbert Samuel) I would refer the hon. Member to my reply yesterday to questions on the subject of underground cables. I much regret that, in view of the very heavy cost of laying these cables and the many claims which have to be considered, I see no present prospect of laying lines to Dundee and the North-East of Scotland. The hon. Member doubtless realises, however, that a considerable part of the expenditure on underground cables already incurred—over £1,500,000–is on the line from London to Edinburgh, by every mile of which Dundee and places beyond benefit.

I will pre-empt by noting that Dundonians, or at least their representative, wanted jam....

Strangeways, here we come:

Mr. SNOWDEN asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he was aware that certain of the visiting justices of the Strangeways Prison, Manchester, were recently convicted for an assault upon a woman prisoner; and could he say what action had been taken to remove these men from their positions as visiting justices and as magistrates.

Mr. CHURCHILL I am not aware of any proceedings of the nature indicated by the hon. Member. A prisoner discharged last year from His Majesty's prison at Manchester did, however, institute an action for damages against certain of the visiting justices. It was held by the court that a technical assault had been committed on the prisoner, but that, the justices having acted in good faith and on reasonable grounds, and no substantial injury having been done to the prisoner, the damages should be merely nominal. The proceedings afford no ground for action on my part, and, further, the selection of justices for appointment on the visiting committee for a prison is not a matter over which I have any control.

The mind boggles.  And then boggles a bit more.


If you have tears, prepare to shed them:

Mr. FRANCE asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any complaints have reached the Treasury from Inland Revenue officers now acting as pension officers with regard to the increase in their work without regular increase in remuneration?

The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Hobhouse)    The introduction of Old Age Pensions threw a considerable amount of new work upon Excise Officials, and complaints on the subject have from time to time come before the Treasury. Many of the causes of complaint have been remedied, and others are still engaging the attention of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and myself and our advisers. As the hon. Member is possibly aware, a Committee, under my Chairmanship, will shortly inquire into the conditions of service of those Officers of Excise and Customs who are affected by the recent amalgamation of the two Departments.

Have their been *any* redundancies at tax offices since the advent of internet filing?


A shocking failure at the dept of tractor statistics:

Mr. MASON asked what had been the decrease in the output of coal in the United Kingdom during the last six months of 1909, compared with the same six months of 1908?

The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Churchill)   I am unable to say what has been the output of coal during the last six months of 1909, as the returns which are furnished to the Home Office in pursuance of the Act give only the total output for the year. The output for the year shows an increase over the whole country of two and a quarter million tons, seven districts—including Northumberland and Durham, where the Act was not in operation—showing increases and five districts showing decreases. The figures will be published in the course of a few days.

C'mon Winnie - 'we have exceeded all norms because of the efforts of heroes of labour in the nation's coalfields'.


Nothing new under the sun dept:


  

Sir JOHN JARDINE asked the Lord Advocate whether any rule has yet been made to allow or forbid the disclosure of the names of recipients of old age pensions to persons applying for the same?

Mr. DEWAR I am informed that pension officers are expressly forbidden by the Board of Customs and Excise to disclose information of the nature referred to by my hon. Friend.

Sir J. JARDINE Is the hon. Gentleman aware of the systematic sending of circulars to old age pensioners at the last election?

Mr. DEWAR I have no such information, but I shall be glad to consider it.

Mr. EUGENE WASON May I ask whether he does not consider it desirable that other persons who may possess the same information as the pension officers should be forbidden to disclose the names of pensioners?

Mr. DEWAR I think old age pensioners' private affairs should be treated with the same consideration as those of anybody else.

And a late breaking find:

Mr. GIBSON BOWLES May I ask whether there is any prospect whatever of the restrictions being removed from Russian sugar, Russia being the largest beet-growing country in the world, so that we may have cheaper sugar in this country?

A Man of the Year candidate, I would think.

Labels: 1910, Parliament

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