asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a charge of sixpence per standard air mail letter yields a revenue of nearly £9,000 per ton of letters; and whether he will now reduce this charge.

The answer to the first part of the Question is, Yes; and to the second part, No. Air postage rates were revised last January and, in most cases, reduced. No further reduction is practicable while air conveyance charges remain at their present level.

asked the Postmaster-General how many teleprinter installations there are in England, Scotland and Wales; how many in private business; how many in Government Departments; and what is the earliest date possible for further installations for firms engaged in the export trade.

There are approximately 11,750 Post Office teleprinters in use in Great Britain, 2,500 by private renters and the remainder by Government Departments. At present, there is no difficulty in meeting applications for private teleprinter services, subject to availability of line plant.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the main features of the interdepartmental van service for the transfer of departmental papers in the London area; whether this has now been put into operation; what is the estimated cost of the service and to what extent this will be offset by staffing economies.

The inter-departmental van service is intended to provide for speedy transfer of urgent documents between various Government buildings in London; to promote increased efficiency in administration; and to ensure the maximum economy in manpower, vehicles and fuel that can be obtained from the absorption of existing unrelated departmental systems. The scheme cannot be put into operation until certain accommodation and other problems have been solved. It is not yet practicable to make a firm estimate of the final cost of the scheme or to say how far this will be offset by staffing economies.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications are outstanding for private and commercial telephones in Macclesfield, Congleton, Bredbury, Romiley and Marple; and how many have been supplied during the last 12 months.

Following is the required information, up to the latest date for which details are available.

Exchange.	Waiting applications at 30th September, 1947.		Telephones provided during previous 12 months.
	Private.	Commercial.	Private.	Commercial.
Macclesfield	116	58	138	198
Congleton	56	54	22	121
Woodley (serving Bredbury and Romiley).	125	50	80	64
Marple	142	39	134	64

asked the Postmaster-General whether the office of the Post Office Savings Department at Manchester is still primarily employed in the issue of postwar credits to demobilised members of the Armed Forces; to what extent the reduction of this work has resulted in immediate reductions in the staff so employed; how many are now so employed; and what is the approximate weekly number of credits issued.

The work of this office is now the management of the transactions on the Release Benefit accounts which have been opened at Manchester. As the work involved in setting up some 6,000,000 accounts fell off, the work of dealing with the heavy transactions on the accounts remaining open grew and the staff has until recently been inadequate to avoid a substantial accumulation of arrears. The total staff of all grades is now 2,060 of whom only about 10 are engaged in setting up the 2,000 to 3,000 accounts now being opened each week.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give details of the organisation of the Post Office Savings Department, indicating the location and main specialised functions of the 26 offices dispersed throughout the country; the number of staff employed at each; and what changes are contemplated.

SAVINGS BANK DIVISION.
Location.		Staff.	Functions.
London Area:
Blythe Road, West Kensington	…	5,097	Head Office—Ledger work, accounting and sorting work.
Barker's, Kensington High Street	…	164	Ledger and correspondence work.
Wright's Lane, Kensington	…	715	Ledger and correspondence work and publicity.
Harrods, Brompton Road	…	241	Sorting work.
Lilly whites, Brompton Road	…	183	Army Savings Ledgers.
Beaufort Gardens	…	58½	Polish Savings Section.
Osterley	…	542	Ledger work.
Acton	…	343
Kew	…	668
Epsom	…	267½
Paddenswick Road, Hammersmith	…	18	Storage of documents.
Avonmore Road, Hammersmith	…	11
Manchester:
25, Church Street	…	994	Release Benefits Issue and Ledger work.
46, Oldham Street	…	353
43A, Lever Street	…	219
54, Lever Street	…	258
2 Harter Street	…	244
Harrogate:
Hutments, St. George's Road	…	2,205½	Stock and Bond work. Annuity and Insurance work. Ledger work. Death Claims Branch for Savings Bank accounts and Stock on Post Office Register.

SAVINGS CERTIFICATE DIVISION.
Location.		Staff.	Functions.
London Area:
Manor Gardens, Holloway	…	2,728½	Main register and repayment work.
Somerset Street, W.1	…	578	Correspondence work, including Death Claims.
Cornwallis Road, Holloway	…	12	Storage of documents.
Brixton	…	5½
Morecambe:
Broadway Hotel	…	214½	Accounting for and check of Savings Certificates issued. Some assistance on Release Benefits work.
St. Winifred's Hotel	…	68
Empress Hotel	…	69
Grosvenor Hotel	…	321
Marks & Spencers	…	106

The figures of staff include all grades, part-time staff being reckoned at a half.While it is obviously desirable to concentrate the staff in fewer buildings, the possibilities of doing so depend on whether alternative accommodation can be found. A temporary office building is being erected at Morecambe to house most of

Prior to the war the headquarters work of the Post Office Savings Bank and the Post Office Register of Stocks was concentrated in Blythe Road, West Kensington, and that of Savings Certificates at Manor Gardens, Holloway. Owing to the vast expansion of the work and the additional task of dealing with the Release Benefits of members of the Forces, offices have had to be opened at various places where accommodation could be found and temporary staff made available. There are now 27 separate buildings involved, four of which are used only for storage of documents. The details are as follows:the staff there. The Manchester office will disappear in the course of time and plans are in hand to house in London most of those of the evacuated staff at Harrogate who wish to return. On the long-term plan, it is proposed that the whole of the Savings Department shall be located in Sheffield.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) what report he has received from His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome as to the decision to defer the date of departure from Italy of United States troops; and whether he will make a statement on the matter;(2) by what date it is anticipated all British troops will have been withdrawn from Italy.

With the exception of some small office staffs left temporarily to settle outstanding business, all British troops were withdrawn by 8th December. I understand that reports of United States combatant forces remaining after 15th December are inaccurate.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the present ratio of education officers in the Middle East to the number of education officer posts at R.A.F. stations.

Including officers and n.c.os. acting as full-time substitutes for education officers, the ratio of strength to establishment at R.A.F. stations in the Mediterranean and Middle East Command is about 4:5. Counting only fully qualified officers of the education branch, the ratio is 1:22.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the total number of staff, including civilians, now employed in the Air Ministry in London; over how many buildings these are spread; what is the approximate total office space involved; what were the comparative figures on 1st January, 1947, or the nearest date for which such information is available; and whether substantial administrative economies have been obtained from the concentration of staff in a smaller number of buildings.

The following table gives the information required:

AIR MINISTRY HEADQUARTERS, LONDON.
Date.	Total Number of Staff Accommodated.	Number of Buildings.	Approximate Area, of Office Space involved (sq. ft.).
1st January, 1947.	8,777	34	830,000
1st December, 1947	7,903	31	730,000

My Department is thus still divided between a large number of small and widely scattered buildings, many of which were not designed as offices. This results from the general shortage of office space in London, and its consequence is to impose a very great handicap on efforts to obtain administrative economies.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation if, over a period of three months, he will give the average time taken from when aircraft arrive over Heathrow Airport until the time they touch down.

The information over three months is not available, but the average for the period 13th October to 24th November, 1947, was 8 minutes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation which types of aircraft and how many are being operated by B.S.A. Airways.

Three Tudor IVs, ten Yorks and two Lancastrians on their passenger services; and one Lancastrian, two Lancasters and one Proctor on training and communication work.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what rental is paid by the B.S.A. Airways Corporation to his Department for the hire of aircraft.

£2,000 a year each for Lancastrians. The rental to be charged for Yorks on hire to the Corporation has not yet been agreed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what is the number of industrial and non-industrial civil servants in his Department at the most recent convenient date; and what is the establishment up to which recruitment is intended at the present time.

The number of industrial and non-industrial civil servants in the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1st November, 1947, was as follows:

—		Industrial.	Non-Industrial.	Total.
Headquarters	…	Nil	1,655	1,655
Outstations	…	1,921	3,747	5,668
Total	…	1,921	5,402	7,323

The comparable establishment at the same date, up to which recruitment is intended at the present time, was as follows:

—		Industrial.	Non-Industrial.	Total.
Headquarters	…	Nil	1,837	1,837
Outstations	…	2,244	4,609	6,853
Total	…	2,244	6,446	8,690

The numbers of industrial and non-industrial vacancies as at 1st November, 1947, were therefore 323 and 1,044 respectively.

asked the Minister of Food when a further supply of nuts will be available; what quantities are on offer, how much money is involved, and whether payment will be in dollars or sterling.

I am not yet in a position to announce when the resumption of imports of nuts in shell will be possible.

asked the Minister of Food what food supplies are causing him special anxiety; and if he will assure the House that no further cuts, apart from potatoes, will have to be made during the coming winter.

The whole food situation is full of anxiety as a result of the poor harvest in Europe and the dollar problem. Much will depend upon the outcome of negotiations in progress with a number of countries, and I cannot at this stage say how they will affect our levels of consumption.

asked the Minister of Food if he will give figures indicating the approximate number of pigs owned by self-suppliers which have been slaughtered during each month of the current year, indicating what proportion of these pigs were killed on the premises of the self-suppliers and what proportion at Ministry of Food slaughter-houses or bacon factories.

I regret that I am unable to divide the figures as requested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that barrow boys in London are selling cooking apples called "Newton Wonders" as "Cox's Orange Pippins" at as much as 1s. 6d. per pound; and if he will take steps to prevent this.

Home-grown apples are not now subject to price-control, but if a misrepresentation is made it should be reported to the local food and drugs authority.

asked the Minister of Food what are the administrative reasons why the fence erectors employed by Gerald Gilmer, Ltd., in Lewes, concerning which he has been given details, and other men similarly employed all day at considerable distances from their homes, cannot be given an extra cheese ration similar to that allowed to agricultural workers and certain classes of building trades workers; and whether he is aware that this decision has caused considerable local resentment.

These people do not come within a well definied category of workers continuously employed full-time under conditions which necessitate their taking a packed meal with them to their work, and I regret that my right hon. Friend is unable to allow them extra cheese.

asked the Minister of Food if he will instruct his representatives throughout Great Britain to grant permission to Service reunions to get the food required, such as is now obtainable for workers' canteens or British Restaurants, without B.Us. or points, irrespective of the number attending.

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension if he considers that British Restaurants or workers' canteens have special facilities for social, functions. My right hon. Friend cannot agree to give special permission to Service reunions who may if they wish ask a caterer to provide light refreshments regardless of the number attending.

asked the Minister of Food from which wholesale producers retail confectioners of the Maidstone area can obtain the additional quarter of a pound of chocolate and sugar confectionery which he has promised the public for Christmas.

Retail confectioners should approach their normal suppliers for supplies necessary to meet the Christmas bonus. As my right hon. Friend has explained, it may not be possible for consumers in all areas to get the extra 4 oz. during December but everyone should be able to obtain it by the end of the January ration period.

asked the Minister of Food if it is his policy to continue to auction stocks of foodstuffs of which he has a monopoly and which are in short supply.

My right hon. Friend is not prepared to say in advance what policy he proposes to adopt in selling the foodstuffs for which he is responsible, but the hon. Member may rest assured that he will do his best to see that essential foods are marketed in such a way as to safeguard the consumer.

asked the Minister of Food whether the profits made at the recent auctions of edible nuts are to be offset against the food subsidy grant; or whether they will be used as subsidies in addition to the present food subsidies.

Profits arising out of the Ministry's trading operations are utilised to offset losses arising from the subsidisation policy and such profits are taken into account in estimating total subsidies.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will make it clear to retail greengrocers that housewives who do not take up their ration of potatoes on one week are entitled to collect a double ration on the following week.

Retailers have already been instructed that the potato allowance for any week can be taken up in the following week if not purchased during the week for which it is available.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will establish a part-time sub-office at Tarporley, Cheshire, in view of the difficulty and inconvenience, owing to the distance, in using the present food office.

The number of sub-offices is limited by the urgent need for economy in the use of manpower. Many transactions with local food offices can be carried out satisfactorily by post and the occasions on which a personal visit is necessary should be infrequent. Residents in Tarporley who shop in Chester are at liberty to use the Chester food office for any personal calls. There is a local welfare foods distribution centre open at Tarporley once a fortnight and a ration book distribution centre is opened there when new ration books are issued. I am satisfied that these facilities are all that I am reasonably justified in providing in existing circumstances.

asked the Minister of Food if he will give the retail prices per unit of the foods receiving subsidies.

The information asked for is as follows:—

RETAIL PRICES OF SUBSIDISED FOODS AS AT 8TH DECEMBER.
—	Unit.	Retail Price per Unit.
Bacon	1 lb.	From 11d. to 2s. 1d.
Bread	3½ lb.	9d.
Butter	1 lb.	1s. 4d.
Cheese	1 lb.	10d.
Cooking Fat or Lard	1 lb.	1s. od.
Flour	7 lb.	1s. 5½d.
Margarine (special)	1 lb.	9d.
Margarine (standard)	1 lb.	5d.
Meat	1 lb.	From 4d. to 2s. 2d.
Milk	1 quart	10d.
Potatoes	7 lb.	From 9d. to 1s. o½d.
Shell Eggs	1 dozen	From 1s. 6d. to 1s. 9d.
Sugar	1 lb.	5d.
Tea..	1 lb.	From 2s. 10d. to 3s. 10d.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the position regarding the introduction of Income Tax in the Malayan Union.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in advising the Governors of Singapore and the Malayan Union to impose a Company Profits Tax, he took account of the urgent need for the rehabilitation of the principal Malayan producing industries, such as rubber and tin; and whether, in view of the difficulties with which these industries are faced and the fiscal burdens which they already bear, he will urge that the present Ordinance should be amended or withdrawn.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reason he authorised the Governors of the Malayan Union and of Singapore to impose Income Tax and Profits Tax in spite of the majority vote of the Advisory Councils to defer a decision until the Legislatures under the new Constitution meet early next year; and at what levels taxation is being levied.

The considerable pre-war financial reserves of the Malayan Governments are practically exhausted and budget deficits are again expected in 1948. It is clear that Income Tax is the only practicable and fair method by which additional revenue can be raised in the immediate future to meet war liabilities and provide adequate social services. Accordingly the two Governors after carefully considering the arguments put forward in the Advisory Councils and after consultation with the Governor-General, and with my right hon. Friend's approval, decided that there was no alternative but to introduce Income Tax as from 1st January, 1948. The legislation provides for a 20 per cent. tax on companies' profits and a sliding scale of tax on the chargeable income of individuals, which after allowing for certain reliefs, will result in a minimum rate of tax of 3 per cent. and a maximum rate of 30 per cent. The two Governments are considering certain modifications in the legislation, including the grant of relief in respect of expenditure on rehabilitation, and if necessary amending legislation will be introduced. I attach copies of the statements which were issued by the Governors of the Malayan Union and Singapore on 4th and 5th December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken to protect the Singapore tin-smelting industry from the effects of the Geneva tariff agreement, under which Singapore will be required to pay heavy duties on tin imported from the Malayan Union.

So long as the duties on tin in ore and smelted tin exported from the Malayan Union are the same, the smelter at Singapore will not suffer any disability compared with the smelters within the Malayan Union by reason of the Geneva Tariff Agreement. That agreement, however, reserves the right of the Malayan Union Government to charge a higher duty on tin in ore than on smelted tin in certain circumstances. If that Government desire to exercise that right, it would no doubt discuss the position with the Singapore Government before taking action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the Burmese rice crop he expects to receive during 1947 and the first half of 1948; what quantity in tonnage this represents, and at what price.

A little more than 35 per cent, of the exportable surplus of Burmese rice was allocated to British Far Eastern territories for the calendar year 1947. For the first half year of 1948 approximately 42 per cent. of the estimated exportable surplus has been allocated to the same territories. The quantities in round figures are as follow:

	Tons.
For 1947	282, 000
For the first half of 1948	334,000

The 1947 price for white rice is £33 6s. 8d. per ton f.o.b. Rangoon. The price for the 1947–8 crop, which will come into effect on 1st January, 1948, is £38 per ton f.o.b. Rangoon. In both cases there are differentials for other grades and types.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that there are approximately 80,000 tons of the Nigerian groundnut 1946–47 crop awaiting rail transport to the coast ports for shipment; and that the Ministry of Food have now purchased 90,000 tons of the 1947–48 new crop; and in view of the shortage of rolling stock on the Nigerian Railways, especially locomotives, what special steps are being taken to supply these deficiencies and what are the dates by which the 1946–47 and the 1947–48 groundnut crops, respectively, will be shipped to the United Kingdom.

I am only too well aware of the accumulation of groundnuts in Northern Nigeria. I am doing all I can to provide new railway equipment. In this connection I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Mr. Charles Smith) on 3rd December. The balance of the 1946–47 crop should be shipped by March, 1948, if it is in fact found convenient to ship all old crop before new crop. Until the size of the 1947–48 crop is known, I cannot estimate how long it will take to ship, but I will continue to do everything possible to see that it is shipped quickly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken to alleviate the shortage of bagging, hessian and nails in Nyasaland, which shortage, as in other African territories, threatens to reduce the export of vitally needed products.

With regard to jute goods, representations have been made to the Government of India to increase Nyasaland's allocation for the year ending June, 1948, from 200 to 373 tons. I understand that India is unable at present to effect this increase but will review the position at the end of this month. A shortage of wire nails was recently brought to my notice by the Governor, and steps were at once taken to put some supplies in hand from the United Kingdom. The needs of the Protectorate will receive full consideration when allocations of nails are made in the next quarter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that existing direct taxation scales in Northern Rhodesia discriminate unfairly against Africans as compared with Europeans; if he would give details of the allowances and income tax limits within which tax is paid by Africans and Europeans; and if he will ensure that Africans living in urban areas earning less than 20s. per month will be exempt from direct taxation.

There are two forms of direct taxation in Northern Rhodesia; native tax and income tax, details of which are as follows:—

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the circumstances of the case in which a European in Northern Rhodesia was fined 10s. for shooting and drunkenness at a Customs post on the Congo border; whether the inquiry by the Chief Justice into the prosecution for perjury of an African involved in the case has now been completed; and what action is likely to be taken in the report.

I have no knowledge of the incident referred to but I am asking the Governor for a report and I will communicate with my hon. Friend when this has been received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent corporal punishment of civilian prisoners in West and East African Colonial prisons has diminished over each of the past five years.

The latest complete returns of corporal punishment for prison offences are for the period 1941–45 inclusive. I attach the figures at the end of this answer. As my right hon. Friend has previously informed the House, this form of punishment has been the subject

—					1941.	1942.	1943.	1944.	1945.
Gambia	…	…	…	…	Nil	Nil	1	Nil	Nil
Sierra Leone	…	…	…	…	Maximum of 6	2	2	7	Nil
Gold Coast	…	…	…	…	4	2	7	42	12
Nigeria	…	…	…	…	80	49	88	73	74
Kenya	…	…	…	…	24	21	30	25	43
Uganda	…	…	…	…	12	11	10	4	10
Tanganyika	…	…	…	…	9	6	8	4	1
Zanzibar	…	…	…	…	1	Nil	2	Nil	1
Nyasaland	…	…	…	…	1	1	Nil	2	1
N. Rhodesia	…	…	…	…	118	215	385	230	128

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now give a list of the products of our African Colonies which are liable to be affected by changes in the United Kingdom tariff resulting from the Geneva agreement.

I do not expect that any African Colonial product will be materially affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the estimated net gain or loss to the Colonial Empire in trade as a result of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade reached at Geneva; and what is the estimated net gain or loss in respect of each Colony.

Although Colonial exports may be adversely affected by reductions in preferential margins previously accorded by Commonwealth Governments, the loss in actual trade resulting from those changes is expected to be of consideration by his Treatment of Offenders Sub-Committee and of a despatch to Colonial Governors.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what military, diplomatic and administrative action is being taken to safeguard the Christian Holy places in Palestine during the present troubled period; and to ensure their permanent future preservation for the use of the Christian communities and as monuments of artistic and historical importance.

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the authorities in Palestine are taking all necessary action to safeguard the Holy Places in Palestine and will continue to do so until we surrender the Mandate. No machinery yet exists for the discharge of these responsibilities after the surrender of the Mandate. The plan for the partition of Palestine approved by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, nevertheless provides that protection of the Holy Places in the proposed City of Jerusalem shall be a special concern of the Governor of Jerusalem. He will also exercise certain powers in respect of other Holy Places in Palestine, designed to ensure that religious interests in them are properly respected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when Haganah was converted from an illegal force into a legal force and for what reasons; and what conditions have been laid down by the Palestine Government for the possession of firearms by members of the Haganah.

The Haganah has not been in any way recognised as a legal body by the Palestine Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the cost of recruitment for the Palestine Police Force is borne by his Department; whether such recruitment has now stopped; and what action has been taken to eliminate all recruiting costs.

The cost of recruitment was met wholly by the Government of Palestine. Recruitment for the British Section ceased last month. The last part of the Question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the exportable surplus of sugar for the 1946–47 season in Mauritius and Fiji, respectively; and to what countries in what quantities it has been exported.

During the 1946–7 season, the sugar referred to was shipped in accordance with allocations made by the International Emergency Food Council in the following amounts:

	Tons.
Mauritius—Exportable surplus	267,309
Shipped to:
British Indian Ocean and British Far Eastern importing Colonies	147,107
Persian Gulf	34,194
Principally to Middle Eastern Mandated territories and dependencies	86,008

Fiji—Exportable surplus	…	106,552
Shipped to:
Canada	…	28,600
New Zealand	…	60,534
United Kingdom	…	17,418

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what acreage in the Solomon Islands is now under native cooperative production; how many native marketing co-operatives are now functioning; and what technical assistance in methods of co-operative organisation is being given by the Government.

There is no acreage under native co-operative production in the Solomon Islands Protectorate and there are no marketing co-operatives at present. The question whether a cooperative movement could successfully be introduced is under consideration by the High Commissioner.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many interest-free loans have been taken up by planters in the Solomon Islands; how many European planters have returned since the war to re-start their plantations; how many have not yet returned; what proportion of the acreage of European plantations is now under cultivation; and what proportion of this acreage is now under native production.

Two interest-free loans have been taken up and two are awaiting signature. Of the 24 planters who left, 11 have resumed operations and three have returned to work for companies. About 1½ per cent. of the European plantations are under cultivation and of this 1½ per cent. some 2½ per cent. is under native production.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken in the New Hebrides to reduce the size of districts, and to increase transport facilities and staff, in order to make satisfactory administration possible.

Any change in the size and staffing of districts would require the consent of the French Authorities. I do not consider that the present time is opportune to formulate for their consideration proposals to alter the existing arrangements. As regards transport facilities, various vessels allocated to district staff have been unavoidably immobilised through supply and other difficulties, but some improvement is anticipated in 1948.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what funds have so far been allocated to the Seychelles from the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund; what is the size of the interest-free loan offered to Britain by the Seychelles; and why this offer has been accepted.

£250,000 was allocated to the Seychelles under the 1945 Colonial Development and Welfare Act. Grants totalling £132,500 have been made out of this allocation in respect of specific development and welfare schemes. The Seychelles Government have recently offered His Majesty's Government an interest free loan of £15,000 as a measure of assistance and as a token of solidarity with this country in the present grave economic crisis. This loan was offered out of funds temporarily surplus to the Seychelles requirements and it has been very gratefully accepted by His Majesty's Government as a notable expression of the sympathy felt by the people of the Seychelles, on the understanding that it will be repayable whenever required for development or other necessary purposes in the Colony.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that import licences are being refused in Cyprus in respect of export allocations previously granted by the Board of Trade; and whether goods already ordered by Cyprus may now be sent.

The Government of Cyprus, in common with other Colonial Governments, has recently been requested to restrict imports, including those from the United Kingdom, with the object of conserving their sterling balances and ensuring, so far as possible, that United Kingdom exports are freed for dollar destinations. I understand that all goods of United Kingdom origin will be admitted into Cyprus where the importer can show that a contractual obligation for the acceptance of them was entered into before the 10th October, 1947.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether his regulations permit sailors under 21 to sign Regular engagements to serve for a period of years over and above the term of their liability under the National Service Acts.

Yes.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty to what extent the costing and statistical records compiled in his Department in relation to work performed in the Royal Dockyards enable the following information to be made available to the heads of dockyards departments: analyses of machine performances, showing running and idle time, causes of idleness and breakdowns, length of runs and output; analyses of idle labour time in each establishment and the reasons for it, distinguishing between that arising from administrative delays; lack of work at any stage of production; incorrect and/or changed phasing of machine use and manpower; materials or tradesmen shortage; internal transportation breakdowns; spoiled work; deliberate short-time working; and other causes.

The broad answer to my hon. and gallant Friend's Question is that the cost accounting methods approved for the Royal Dockyards enable all essential information to be available to the heads of the dockyard departments. Some of the items of information requested are not essential in the dockyards, and to produce them would be wasteful of manpower. The present system of costing in His Majesty's Dockyards was introduced in the early 1930's. It was inevitably curtailed during the war years. It has since been amplified again, and following the acceptance by the Board of Admiralty of the report of a Committee of which a distinguished professional accountant was chairman, it is now being further improved.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty by what methods, other than delegated personal supervision at the point of production, the departmental heads in the Royal Dockyards are able to satisfy themselves on each of the following matters: that the best use has been made of raw materials and that the proportion of scrap is reasonable; that the right type of direct labour has been used; that the production time is reasonable and that the quality is satisfactory; that the flow of production through various processes has been satisfactory and that no unnecessary interruptions have occurred; that the right type of plant and equipment have been used; that the shops, factories, or establishments have not been extravagant in the use of consumable supplies; and that idle or standing time of production facilities and labour have been kept to a minimum.

My hon. and gallant Friend's Question is to some extent answered by my reply to the last Question. The Royal. Dockyards are primarily establishments for the maintenance and repair of the fleet, and the methods designed to ensure the best use of the facilities they offer, and the men and materials employed, are devised accordingly. The main feature is the preparation of detailed independent estimates by a Central Estimating Office and a comprehensive series of control returns prepared by the Accounting Department. A check on production times is provided under the system of payment by results, and quality is checked by supervision, inspection and trials.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether any representative opinion was sought from amongst continuous service chief and E.R.A.'s prior to the decision being taken to end the privilege accorded in article 626 K.R. and A.I. of separate messing ashore and afloat.

No. The only final decisions so far taken relates to messing ashore.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that, in dismantling the Pluto drum off Littlestone-on-Sea, Kent, the contractors are not removing the pipes cut at sea; that these pipes constitute a danger to inshore shipping; that the Dungeness fishermen have lost many nets because of these underwater obstructions; and if he will take steps to remedy the nuisance.

Arrangements have been made for inspection of the area, and I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as a report has been received.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty why H.M.S. "Aurora" has been transferred to the Government of China; what was the cost of constructing this cruiser, and what payment has been received, or other financial arrangements made, with respect to this transfer.

As I explained in reply to the hon. Member for Londonderry (Sir R. Ross) on 4th December, 1946, the proposed loan of H.M.S. "Aurora" forms part of the help we are giving to the Chinese Government in the rebuilding of their Navy. This ship was constructed at a cost of one and a quarter million pounds. The terms of transfer are at present the subject of negotiations with the Chinese Government.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are our gold commitments against forward exchange contracts.

Our gold reserves back all our exchange requirements and commitments, and are not earmarked for particular exchange contracts.

asked the Secretary to the Treasury if he will direct Members of the Government not to use State provided vehicles, but to use only the available public transport for their personal use for the week before and the week after Christmas.

I see no need to make any special arrangement for the period to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Health whether in the case of rural houses that are reported by the local authority, under Section 11 of the Housing Act, 1936, as being unfit for human habitation and the owner is willing and anxious to reconstruct and repair the property, he will agree to a licence being granted on the certificate of the local authority for the necessary labour and material by the Ministry of Works to be forthcoming up to a reasonable limit for each rural district.

Yes, licences would normally be granted by the local authority in such cases.

asked the Minister of Health on what basis are the limits of expenditure by local authorities fixed on a monthly rate for maintenance work on council houses; whether he is satisfied that for a group of 30 parishes the sum of £1,500 is adequate; and whether, in view of the representations he has received from the Rural Councils Association, he will have a survey made of such dwellings as are in need of urgent repair, so that the capital invested may be properly safeguarded.

There are no limits imposed on the maintenance expenditure on council houses. The figure of £1,500 no doubt relates to the monthly allowance for licences for private work and is regulated by the best estimate that can be made of the labour and materials likely to be available for the purpose. It is of course no use issuing licences which the local resources do not permit to be honoured.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that, since many local authorities refuse to register on their housing lists persons who are not either living or working in their area, large numbers of men in the Services are precluded from consideration when houses are allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Circular 109/45, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy, suggests that local authorities should consider applications for houses from Service men who intend to take up employment in their district on the same basis as applications from persons with a residential qualification. The selection of tenants for their houses is a matter for the local authorities, but if my hon. Friend has in mind any particular cases where Service men do not appear to be receiving due consideration, I will be glad to look into them.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent requests for special warrants under Section 56 of the Post Office Act, 1908, for censorship of mails in Belfast and other post offices in Northern Ireland are made directly by the Northern Ireland Government to his Department and granted by his Department; what is the usual period for censorship under each warrant; and how many such warrants have been issued since the removal of the Emergency Order early this year.

The hon. Member is mistaken in thinking that applications for warrants under Section 56 are made to and granted by any Minister of the United Kingdom Government. Section 56 requires them to be signed in Northern Ireland by the Governor. It would be contrary to public policy to supply the other information asked for.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what arrears of acreage payments are outstanding for 1946; to what extent his regulations permit a county agricultural committee to set off any acreage payment due to a fanner against any debt due from the farmer to the county agricultural committee for labour or contract work.

Arrears Of 1946 acreage payments are nil or insignificant. As regards the latter part of the Question, my instructions to county war agricultural committees are that a debt due from a farmer to a committee is to be set off to the fullest possible extent against an acreage payment and/or other grant for which he may be eligible, except that no set-off should normally be made without the farmer's consent against a payment under the Acreage Payments (Flood Emergency) Scheme, 1947.

asked the Minister of Works what buildings in the Doncaster area at the present time are under construction, nearing completion or conversion for industrial purposes or factory space; and what are the materials in short supply which are causing delay in completion of these buildings.

There are 13 industrial buildings and factories under construction in the Doncaster area. Their estimated total value is £433,000. Six of them, with an estimated value of £55,000, are nearly completed. In addition, three buildings are being converted for factories at a cost of about £8,000, of which one building is nearing completion. So far as I am aware, only one factory has been delayed by lack of materials, due partly to a shortage of cement which has now been overcome, and partly to delay in securing electrical equipment, in connection with which assistance is being given by my Ministry.

asked the Secretary of State for War what properties his Department still owns or occupies in the Isle of Wight; and whether he will give particulars in each case as to when it is intended to derequisition these properties in order to make them available to provide temporary emergency accommodation for the civilian population before the winter.

Three camps constructed on requisitioned land, at Lynn Farm, Rew Street and Whippingham are still held by my Department. I regret that I am not yet in a position to make a statement about the future of these sites. A number of properties in the Isle of Wight are owned by the War Department and no question of derequisitioning arises in these cases; the Department is, however, in touch with the local authority about the loan of some of these sites for temporary housing purposes.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) regarding the Circular issued by his Department to the trade Press, dated 17th November, Reference No. 1623, headed "Rubber Study Group Secretariat, established in London," to what extent the new secretariat is a British organisation, staffed by British civil servants;(2) if he will ensure that when members or producers or manufacturers' associations are called into consultation with the Rubber Study Group Secretariat, established in London, there will be invitations tendered to members of the rubber trade Press;(3) if any of the Governments who have accepted invitations to join the Rubber Study Group Secretariat, established in London, are making financial contributions to its maintenance; and what are the amounts of these contributions and the estimated total expenses of the Group as a whole;(4) whether the Rubber Growers' Association or any other rubber growers have any representatives on the Rubber Study Group Secretariat, established in London.

The Rubber Study Group is an intergovernmental organisation maintained by contributions from member Governments assessed on the basis of a flat rate plus an additional amount proportional to their annual production or consumption (whichever is the greater) of natural and synthetic rubber. Its budget for the year 1947–48 is £10,000 and the contribution from the United Kingdom will be between £500 and £1,000 dependent on the number of countries which join. The Secretariat consists of a small administrative staff paid out of Group funds and responsible to a management committee of four member countries of the Group and no question of representation on the Secretariat of any trade or similar associations interested in rubber arises. None of the staff of the Secretariat is a British civil servant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will take the necessary steps to encourage light engineering or similar factories to establish themselves at Leiston, Suffolk, which town has, in the past, suffered from unemployment almost to the extent of becoming a depressed area; and if he will receive a deputation from the local council to discuss this problem.

As unemployment has been at a very low level in this district since the war and is likely to remain so

—	Number of Railway Male Clerical and Supervisory Staff (including Clerks, Station Masters and Goods Agents, Supervisors and Control Staff) Four main line Railway Companies.	Percentage in Class—
		Special.	1.	2.	3.	4.	5 and Junior.
March, 1947	69,674	5·5	5·0	10·3	17·3	25·8	36·1
March, 1938	75,438	4·5	4·4	8·6	15·0	24·6	42·9

for some time to come, I do not regard the steps suggested by the hon. Member as desirable. I do not think it necessary to trouble a deputation to discuss the position.

asked the Minister of Transport why instructions have been issued to the effect that men over 50 years of age are not to be taken on for employment at the C.M.E. Depot of the L.M.S. Railway Works, Derby.

I am advised that no such instruction has been issued.

asked the Minister of Transport the total number of male clerical, administrative and supervisory staff employed on 1st December, 1947, by the four main line railway companies and the percentage of such total in classes 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and special and comparable figures for 1st December, 1938.

Information for the 1st December is not available but the following figures are taken from the census of railway staff in March, 1947, and March, 1938.