asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether consideration will be given to the making of a survey of subterranean sources of water in Malta.

The water resources of Malta have for long been under examination, and were recently the subject of a most detailed and useful inquiry by Captain P. 0. Morris, R.E. This report is not yet complete in all particulars, but it is already under preliminary study by those concerned with this important problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how far proposals for emigration from Malta have proceeded; and whether they include provision for emigration to Southern Rhodesia.

With regard to the first part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Abingdon (Sir R. Glyn) on 28th of March. With regard to the second part, no special provision has been made for Maltese emigration to Southern Rhodesia; but I understand that during the last year a number of Maltese have made their own way there and have been accepted as settlers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what plans are proposed for removing from the Cocos-Keeling Islands any of the inhabitants; and where are they going.

The removal of some of the inhabitants in their own interest and as a relief to the over-burdened resources of the Islands is under consideration, but detailed proposals have not yet been submitted by the Governor.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what interests are represented on the West African Cocoa Control Board.

My hon. Friend presumably refers to the existing West African Produce Control Board, which deals with cocoa. I would refer him to the reply which my predecessor gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for South-East St. Pancras (Dr. Jeger) on 7th November, 1945. The unofficial membership of the Board remains unchanged; the official membership has been subject to changes of a routine nature. As to the Cocoa Marketing Boards which it is proposed to set up in Nigeria and the Gold Coast, the position is as stated in my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for St. Albans (Mr. Dumpleton) on 2nd April, 1947, but reference to the White Paper Cmd. 6950 will indicate the lines the respective Governments propose to follow.

asked the Minister of Food what arrangements have been made for the bottling of the 20,000 barrels of beer to be imported to this country from Holland.

These imports will be in the hands of the trade, who have no doubt made their own arrangements for bottling.

asked the Minister of Food (1) to what authority a right of appeal lies in the case of a retail butcher who challenges the accuracy of the number of rations which a given portion of meat is officially scheduled to produce;(2) whether he is aware that, at a practical demonstration held under the auspices of the Edinburgh Master Butchers' Association on 21st April, it was shown that a 202 lb. hind leg of beef officially classed as 226 is. rations would, in fact, only yield 181½ such rations, whilst a 167 lb. fore quarter classed as 146 is. rations would only yield 116 rations; and what steps he intends to take to see that Edinburgh butchers are supplied with sufficient meat to enable them to honour the ration books held by their registered customers.

I am satisfied that the total quantities of meat issued to butchers are sufficient to cover the ration, even if individual cuts vary one way or the other. If a butcher finds that he cannot meet his customers' legitimate needs he should get into touch with his deputy meat agent, who is a practical butcher acting as a Ministry adviser on matters of this nature.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the dissatisfaction among Canadian exporters of salmon because of the elimination of their trade marks under the British system of bulk purchasing; and whether, in view of the indispensability of this and other canned food supplies from Canada, he will consult with the Canadian shippers so that they may be able to retain their reputation in the British market.

No, Sir. Canadian exporters of canned salmon may, and in many cases do, use their own labels and trade marks.

asked the Minister of Food, whether shipping space allocated for the export of food from Australia to this country has been fully utilised for this purpose: and to what extent it has been necessary to divert ships from Australia to New Zealand and elsewhere owing to the absence of expected food cargoes in Australia.

All the shipping allocated to bring food cargoes from Australia and New Zealand is being used to the full, and I know of no difficulties such as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the Minister of Food where it is proposed to acquire the large quantity of agricultural machinery which will be required for the East African Groundnut Scheme; and what proportion is to be procured by British exports

For the first 2½ years most of the machinery will have to come from Canada and the United States, as sufficient British machinery of the right type could not be spared. After that the proportion of British produced machinery used in the scheme should increase substantially.

asked the Minister of Food what allocations of frying fats were made in the Aberdare food office area in 1945, 1946, and the months of January, February and March, 1947

Allocations of oils and fats made to fish friers in the Aberdare Food Control Area for the periods mentioned were: 1945, 1,476 cwt.; 1946, 1,545 cwt.; January, February and March, 1947, 388 cwt.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is able to report any progress in providing dining quarters afloat separately from sleeping quarters.

Research into the problems involved in introducing centralised messing in each of His introducing Ships in the Service is continually taking place. Centralised messing has been fitted in the "Vanguard," in the aircraft carrier "Implacable," in the cruiser "Glasgow," and in an aircraft maintenance ship, "Perseus." The centralised messing system has also been adopted for nearly all major warships now under construction.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether arrangements are being made to enable young men to join the R.N.V.R. before they are called up for national service; and whether they will then be certain of being called up for service in the R.N.

Enrolment into the R.N.V.R. of men who will ultimately be due to be called up for national service is at present under consideration. The desirability of such men eventually undergoing their national service in the Navy is being borne in mind.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when the aircraft carrier now building at Messrs. Harland and Wolff's yard, Belfast, will be launched?

H.M.S. "Centaur," a light fleet carrier, will be launched on Tuesday, 22nd April, 1947, by her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent, at the shipbuilding and engineering works of Messrs. Harland and Wolff, Limited, Belfast. The design of H.M.S. "Centaur" is a result of many experiments to determine the best shape of hull for speed, endurance and seaworthiness. Strength and rigidity have been the subject of special investigations and electric welding has been extensively used. The latest developments in turbine machinery and electric power have been incorporated. In the course of building, a number of changes have been made to the design to bring it completely up to date. The living quarters of the crew, which are being made as comfortable and pleasing to the eye as possible, have been arranged on the same system as in H.M.S. "Vanguard," with spacious dining halls close to the galleys and with mess' decks com- plete with tubular furniture. Many of the living compartments will be fitted with air-conditioned ventilation. The catering arrangements include a high degree of mechanisation. Cooking will be mainly done by electricity and more refrigerated space than usual has been allocated to ensure a more varied diet than has hitherto been possible in warships.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that the delay in handing over possession of Priors Down Camp, Marnhull, to the local authority for housing is causing hardship; and if he will hasten the transfer immediately.

The transfer of this camp to the Sturminster Newton Rural District Council for housing purposes was agreed on 14th March last. Certain valuable Admiralty equipment is in course of removal and it is hoped to complete this work by the end of this month.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will increase the limit of £100 provided for in the statutory regulations in order that the relatives of deceased small investors may have their holdings transferred without grant of administration.

An increase in the present limit would require legislation but I have noted the hon. Member's suggestion for consideration.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why officials at the post office at Swiss Cottage were refusing to accept telegrams and registered letters, or to sell postal orders, 20 minutes before closing time on the morning of Good Friday, when it was stated on notices in the district that the office would be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., having regard to the fact that it is misleading to the public to be informed that an office will be open, and to find on arrival that only limited postal facilities are available.

I regret that there should have been any misunderstanding. Swiss Cottage Post Office, with other selected London offices, opens on Good Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the sale of stamps and the transaction of the more urgent classes of postal business, including the acceptance of telegrams and registered letters, but not the sale of postal orders.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that radio programmes have been, and will continue to be, restricted because of the fuel shortage, he will consider reducing the wireless licence fee to the figure of 10s. per annum.

No, Sir.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many applications for telephones for connection to the Sale exchange are outstanding; and how many fresh applications are being received each week.

The number of outstanding applications for telephone service from the Sale exchange is 1,255. About 20 new applications are received each week.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will give some indication as to when the proposed new Portsmouth telephone exchange is likely to be proceeded with; and what are the principal difficulties that are being encountered apart from the present shortages in labour and materials for this purpose.

A vacant site was acquired for the new exchange at Portsmouth in 1938 but it is now needed by the City Corporation as part of their town planning scheme. The Corporation have offered another site, but its immediate use is dependent on the closing of a street and the clearance of four dwelling houses for which the Corporation have undertaken to provide alternative accommodation. Sub- ject to this, it is hoped to commence work on the new building towards the end of 1948.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the number of new telephone circuits provided for business and private subscribers in the Portsmouth area since the end of the war.

Since the end of the war, 1,528 new telephone circuits have been provided for business subscribers and 1,600 for private subscribers in the area served by the Portsmouth telephone exchange. The corresponding figures for the whole of the Portsmouth Telephone Area are 4,459 and 6,704.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why his lands officers have to be driven about by civilian drivers; and whether, in the interests of manpower economy, he will terminate this practice and authorise such officers to drive themselves.

In order to save their time and to increase their efficiency, the lands officers of my Ministry do much of their travelling by road. It is usually possible for a number of officers going to different places to share a car. The Ministry, therefore, provide one car, of course with a driver, for every five of these officers. I am satisfied that this plan saves cars and petrol and is, therefore, in the national interest.

asked the Secretary of State for Air on what date A.C.2 Harold Sutherland, now awaiting trial at Uxbridge, was arrested; what is the nature of the injury to this airman's head; if he is aware that this injury was inflicted after he had been arrested and handcuffed; for how long he has been kept in solitary confinement and handcuffed; if he is aware that a witness whom this airman proposed to call in his defence has now been posted home to Jamaica; what is the present state of his health; and how soon he is to be tried.

A.C.2 Sutherland was arrested at Uxbridge on 8th January, 1947; since then, he has been in close arrest. On 12th March he was extremely violent; during a struggle he received a scalp wound, for which one stitch was needed. Later on the same day, when he had done further damage to his cell and had again attacked his guards, he was handcuffed. The handcuffs were removed for meals and exercise, and Sutherland was finally released from them on 25th March. The airman whom the defence wished to call as a witness was due to go home in the middle of January. He was not considered to be a material witness and it was decided, therefore, not to keep him here. A.C.2 Sutherland has been medically examined and passed as physically fit to stand his trial. His trial, which was adjourned from 3rd March to 3rd April at the request of the defence, was postponed, again at their request," until the 9th. He has now been tried and the proceedings are before the Air Officer Commanding for confirmation.

asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the concern caused by recent incidents involving West Indian airmen at the R.A.F. station, Uxbridge; and if he will investigate the conditions of detention and punishment there.

Two West Indian airmen have recently been in trouble at Uxbridge. One of them was tried by court-martial on 21st March and sentenced to six months' detention. He has submitted a petition and his case is still sub judice. The other—A.C.2 Sutherland —was tried on 9th and 10th April. The findings and sentence in this case will be promulgated shortly, if they are confirmed by the Air Officer Commanding. If they are so confirmed, the proceedings will then be sent to the Air Ministry for review. I have received a report on the conditions of detention at Uxbridge, and I am writing to my hon. Friend. I can assure him, however, that I have no reason to believe that either the station commander or his subordinates have abused their powers while these men have been in custody. I would, however, also assure him that if, in any case, at any time, an airman were to suffer improper treatment on account of his race or colour, such treatment would not be tolerated in the R.A.F.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the number of officers to whom the 15 batwomen employed by the R.A.F. at Burtonwood, Lancashire, render service; whether any officer has more than one batwoman; and by whom and on what basis was the wage of £3 5s. a week arrived at compared with the wages paid to women workers employed in engineering and other industrial establishments in the Warrington area.

The 15 batwomen at the R.A.F. station, Burtonwood, Lancashire, with 13 civilian batmen, serve 55 R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. officers. No officer has more than one batwoman. A weekly wage of £3 5s. for civilian batwomen was agreed in November, 1946, between the Air Ministry, the War Office, the Transport and General Workers' Union and the National Union of General and Municipal Workers. The agreement was based upon the wages already being paid to organised domestic workers in industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will re-open the trade of meteorological assistant in the R.A.F. in order to accelerate the release of meteorological personnel.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware of the slow rate of release of meteorologists in the R.A.F. and that it takes only six weeks to train them; and whether he will take steps to have more meteorologists trained so as to obtain a normal rate of release for those now serving.

As I said on 19th of March, in reply to the hon. Member for Westmorland (Mr. Vane) we have recently offered improved conditions of service to civilian meteorologists. Over 100 have been recruited in the last six weeks and we are pressing on with recruiting as fast as we can. Six weeks is the time spent in the Meterological School, but the total time of training is three months. For this reason, to reopen the trade of meteorologist in the R.A.F. would not improve the present rate of release, but we are considering doing so in order to make use of the skill of trained meteorological assistants who are called up for national service.

asked the Minister of Supply when he will publish the report on the Margam Project submitted to him by the Iron and Steel Board.

The report contains confidential advice on a project put forward by private interests. In these circumstances I think that it would be inappropriate to publish the report.

asked the Minister of Health to what extent the proposed staff of 86 for the Superannuation Division of his Department will be concerned with the superannuation of the staff of his Department; and what other work will be done

The proposed staff will be concerned solely with the superannuation of the officers referred to in Section 67 of the National Health Service Act, 1946

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give details of the work carried out by the Social Survey Department of the Central Office of Information.

The principal surveys made during last year were as follow:

(a) Survey of Sickness.—Regular morbidity surveys for the Registrar General which provide the basis for official illness statistics.

(b) Retail Trade Statistics.—At the request of the Board of Trade the Survey is engaged in enlisting panels of independent traders who are willing to supply details of their monthly sales to the Board of Trade. This information is used to compile a trade index for independent traders.

(c) Recruitment to Mining.—Studies in the main coal-mining regions to determine the main attitudes to coal-mining amongst potential young recruits and to prepare the basis for a recruiting campaign

(d) Scottish Mining Communities.—A study of the social factors involved in the migration of miners from worked-out mining areas to new developing coal fields.

(e) Shop Hours.—A study of the most convenient shop closing hours, for a Home Office Committee considering new Shop Acts.

(f) The Demand for Carpets and Furniture. —Studies for the Board of Trade working parties of potential demands for these commodities and of public attitudes towards utility furniture.

(g) Recruitment to the Civil Service.—A survey for the Treasury of attitudes of potential recruits to employment in the Executive and Clerical grades of the Civil Service.

(h) Road Safety.—Studies for the Ministry of Transport of the effects of the publicity campaigns

(i) Employment of Older Persons.—A study of the Medical Research Council of the occupations followed by Older Persons and of the social factors connected with their retirement from work

(j) Willesden Town Planning Survey.—A study of the social changes in Willesden which are involved in the movement of sections of its population to one of the new towns.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why the Central Office of Information proposes buying books for re—sale abroad at one-quarter their purchase price; what type of books are involved in this transaction; and who arranges for their disposal in the countries to which they are sent.

I think the hon. Member has been misinformed. In no case does the Central Office propose to buy books for re-sale abroad at one-quarter of their purchase price. The transactions which the hon. Member has in mind are presumably those of the British Book Exports Section of the Central Office, which has recently taken over from the British Council the work of furthering the export of British books to European countries where shortage of sterling or other restrictions create un-favourable conditions for the British exporter. The Section buys books from the publisher or wholesaler with sterling in London, and sells them through the Information Officers of His Majesty's Missions to the importers for local currency, thus relieving the British publisher of the risk of being left with inconvertible currency. Any type of British book ordered by foreign importers is included in the scheme, which is non-discriminatory and operates as far as possible through commercial channels, and in close consultation with the British book trade. It is the practice of the Central Office in many cases to require the books to be put on the foreign market at 25 per cent. above the retail selling price in this country in order to cover transport and handling charges; and it may be this figure which the hon. Member has in mind.

asked the Minister of National Insurance if he is aware that no pension has been paid or new book sent to Miss Isabella Goudy, of Portavo, 49447630, for the last six months, although repeated letters and reminders have been sent; and if he will arrange that this pension is paid without further delay.

The hon. Member will no doubt now have received my Department's letter of 11th April about this case. Miss Goudy was awarded a pension in Great Britain which she continued to draw while living in Eire. But since her removal to Northern Ireland the responsibility for payment of her pension rests with the Ministry of Labour and National Insurance in that country to whom the necessary information has now been supplied.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about agrarian reform in the British zone.

In accordance with the scheme of agrarian reform now to be undertaken in the British zone of Germany no private individual, company or trust will be allowed to own undeveloped land in excess of an agreed maximum acreage. This will not apply to land already owned by public or semi-public bodies, such as religious, co-operative and charitable organisations. The titles to all land in excess of that which present owners may retain will be taken over by the Land governments who will be responsible for any measures of compensation considered appropriate. These measures will be subject to the general supervision of the British Regional Commissioners in each area. The objects of the reform are, first, the reduction of the economic and political power represented by the ownership of large estates, and, secondly, the provision of opportunities of land settlement and agrarian employment. The reform will be carried into effect in such a way as not to prejudice the production of food in the zone.

asked the Minister of Education whether it is intended to restore the schools programme on the B.B.C. before the beginning of the next school term; and whether he will state the amount of fuel saved by the shutting down of the B.B.C. programme for schools.

I hope to be able to announce very shortly whether or not school broadcasting can be resumed next term. It is not possible to assess the amount of electricity saved by the shutting down of the programme to schools as distinct from the economies effected during restricted hours by the cessation of broadcasting generally.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation how many crashes took place at Gravesend airport before 13th May, 1945; and what percentage of these were attributable to bad weather conditions in the district.

I have been asked to reply to this Question. During the years 1939 to 1942, inclusive, there were 46 air accidents at Gravesend aerodrome, only one of which was due to bad weather. I regret that there are no detailed records of accidents at Gravesend in 1943 and 1944. From 1st January, 1945, to the 13th May, 1945, there were no accidents at Gravesend.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state, concerning the construction of new factories in the city of Portsmouth and extensions to existing factories, respectively the names of the firms and the nature of the undertaking for each of those projects for which approval has been granted by his Department since the end of the war.

Since the end of the war, approval has been granted for the erection of five new factories and three extensions to existing factories (5,000 sq. ft. and over) in Portsmouth and district. Four of these projects are sited within the City of Portsmouth. Since detailed information regarding industrial developments is given in confidence to the Board by the industrialists concerned, I am not in a position to disclose the names of actual firms, but the location of these factories and types of production for which they will be issued are as follow:

NEW FACTORIES.
Locations.		Product.
Farnham	…	Manhole covers and frames.
Farlington, Portsmouth	…	Motor bodies.
Farlington, Portsmouth	…	Women's coats and suits.
Farlington, Portsmouth	…	Pre-fabricated houses
Leigh Park, Havant	…	Steel houses
EXTENSIONS.
Havant	…	Leather gloves.
Fareham	…	Ship-building.
Portsmouth	…	Aircraft.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what quantity of sulphate of ammonia has been exported, or is to be exported, during 1947.

I have been asked to reply. Supply and distribution of sulphate of ammonia are planned for the 12 months, July to June. For the period 1st July, 1946 to 30th June, 1947, exports under International Emergency Food Council allocation should be about 266,000 tons. Shipment of 194,000 tons has already been made and the balance will depend upon availability.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of persons employed, department by depart- ment, in the Cotton Control, Cotton Board or any other department dealing with the control of cotton, rayon and staple fibre, and the total salaries and expenses paid, and the salaries of the Cotton Controller and the Financial Secretary to the Cotton Board, and the amount of expenses or allowances, if any.

The particulars for the Cotton Control are as follow:

—	Numbers at 1st April, 1947	Annual cost including traveling expenses.
		£
Cotton Control (non-industrial).	424	162,508
Cotton Control (industrial).	51	1,503
	475	164,011

The salary of the Cotton Controller is £1,800 per annum. His travelling expenses for 1946–47 were £95. Similar information is not available for the Cotton Board, whose staff are not paid from public funds.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs what is the approximate number of assisted passages to Australia for which he estimates expenditure of £113,000 during 1947–48; and what was the corresponding number during 1946–47.

The estimate referred to was based on an assumed number of passages to Australia during 1947–48 for 3,500 persons. The corresponding figure for 1946–47, taken as an assumed basis, was 400. No assisted passages to Australia were in fact granted in 1946–47 under the Vote in question and it is not possible at present to forecast the actual number which will be available in 1947–48. Passages provided under the Free Passage Scheme for ex-Service men and women are not found under this Vote but fall on the Ministry of Labour Vote.