§ MR. JOHN AIRD (Paddington, N.)I beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works (1) if Members with the ladies accompanying them, and also the Press, may be allowed to enter the Houses of Parliament on Jubilee bay by the entrance to the House of Lords; and (2) if arrangements can be made for a military band to play in Palace Yard during the morning?
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS, Kent,) St. Augustine'sMembers of this House and their friends, holding tickets for seats on the House of Commons stands can enter the Palace of Westminster on Jubilee Day by New Palace Yard, by St. Stephen's Porch, or by the garden entrance behind the Victoria Tower, and those desiring to come by water can approach by Speaker's Stairs. I think every needful facility will thus be afforded, and I should deprecate the use of the House of Lords entrance in consideration of the unnecessary labour it would cast on the minor officials of that House if they had to be on duty on that day. The answer to the second 1508 paragraph of my hon. Friend's Question is in the negative.
§ MR. M. J. FLAVIN (Kerry, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether it is possible, to mark this year of the Diamond Jubilee, by offering to the senior auxiliary postmen, who are too old for staff' appointments, appointments as supernumerary postmen, whereby they would rise from 18s. to 26s. weekly?
§ *THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. R.W. HANBURY,) Preston. The Postmaster General regrets that it is not possible to offer appointments as supernumerary postmen to senior auxiliaries who are too old for established appointments. The class of supernumerary postmen is a temporary one, and is being gradually abolished as vacancies occur.
§ MR. AIRDI beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been drawn to the great additional pleasure it would give to Members and their friends if the opportunity were afforded of seeing the illumination of the Fleet on the great Naval Review day; and whether he can make any arrangements in the matter?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. GOSCHEN, St. George's, Hanover Square)Negotiations are proceeding with one of the companies, whose tender for the conveyance of visitors has been accepted, with a view to affording an opportunity of seeing the illuminations to the Members of both Houses who propose to attend the Naval Review, but the extra cost of such an arrangement would have to be borne by the Members who desired to prolong their stay. [A laugh.]
MR. J. G.HOLBURN (Lanark, N.W.)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate if he is aware that the Local Government Board of England have recently issued general orders empowering boards of guardians to grant additional allowances to the legal poor on the occasion of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee; if he will explain the difference in the law which prevents parish councils in Scotland being similarly authorised; and whether anything can yet be done to assimilate the powers of the Poor Law authorities in both countries on the occasion in question?
§ MR. H. T. ANSTRUTHER (St. Andrews Burghs, for THE LORD ADVOCATE)In reply to the hon. Member, I need only say that the statutes governing such matters in England and Scotland are quite dissimilar, and that it is obviously impossible to assimilate the law in time for the purpose specified in the Question.
§ SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether representatives from the Crown Colonies, as well as from Colonies possessing representative government, have been invited to attend the Diamond Jubilee celebrations together with members of the various Native races; and, if not, why this distinction has been made to the disadvantage of the Crown Colonies; and whether any official position will be assigned to the civil officers of the Ceylon Government and representative Native gentlemen visiting London?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN,) Birmingham, W.The question of the representation of the Crown Colonies at the celebration of the 60th year of Her Majesty's reign has from the first received my most careful consideration. There is no one in these Colonies occupying an analogous position to that of the Premiers of the self-governing Colonies, and I have arrived at the conclusion that representation will, on the whole, be best effected by the presence in London of representative detachments of their local military forces. Invitations to this effect have accordingly been addressed to all Crown Colonies, including Ceylon, where such a representation appeared practicable, and no official position can therefore be assigned to any civil officers of the Ceylon Government or to the Native gentlemen who are about to visit London. I may add that this decision was communicated to the Governor of Ceylon, and that I learn from him that it was distinctly explained to the Native gentlemen in question before their departure.
§ SIR BARRINGTON SIMEON (Southampton)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will consider the advisability of giving a medal in commemoration of Her Majesty's long reign to members of the Royal Naval Reserve?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTYI do not see how I could consider the question of granting a medal in commemoration of her Majesty's reign to the Royal Naval Reserve except in conjunction with a proposal to give such a medal to all branches of Her Majesty's Naval and Military forces.
§ MR. JAMES DALY (Monaghan, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether, in commemoration of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, he will advise the release of the treason-felony prisoners still imprisoned in Irish gaols?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThere are no treason-felony prisoners in Irish gaols.
§ MR. FLAVIN; I bog to ask the Financial Secretary to the War Office, whether it is proposed, in commemoration of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, to grant a special bounty to the surviving veterans of the Crimean War?
*THE FINANCJAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Mr. POWELL-WILLIAMS, Birmingham, S.)I beg to refer the hon. Member to the answer I made yesterday to the hon. Member for Newington, to the effect that no further step in the direction indicated was at present in contemplation.