asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will ensure that road-building equipment for Malaya under the Economic Co-operation Administration grant will not be labelled, "American Aid," nor will propaganda leaflets be distributed advertising American aid on the lines of Economic Co-operation Administration publicity in other South-East Asian countries.

All equipment provided by the Economic Co-operation Administration carries the E.C.A. emblem, and I should regard it as ungenerous if the source of such aid were not publicly acknowledged.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the large unsatisfied demand for fruit trees for planting by smallholders in British Honduras; what steps are being taken to increase the supply of planting material; and what fruits are being recommended with a view to improving the diet of the people of the Colony.

I am making inquiries of the Governor and will write to the hon. Member when I have the information.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the purchasing power of the pound to the latest possible date as compared with its value in February, 1946.

About 16s. 3d. as compared with 20s. in 1946.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when he may expect to receive a reply to his letter of 1st January, 1951, concerning the desire for a transfer from the Royal Navy to the Royal Air Force by P/JX 760222 D. King, A.B.

The hon. Member will, by now, have received a letter on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Air when all the warning notices will be issued to those Class G Reservists who have been selected for call-up for 15 days' training during 1951; and whether he is aware that until these notices have been distributed a large number of men will be left in suspense as to their future and be unable to make their summer arrangements with certainty.

We are fully aware of the importance of giving preliminary warning to the individuals affected as soon as possible, and consequently have made special arrangements to this end. All the preliminary warning letters to released officers and Class G Reservists whom we shall need to come up for 15 days' training with the Control and Reporting Organisation during 1951, have now been dispatched under registered cover, and indeed should already have been received. The officers and men concerned have been given a number of alternative training periods between the beginning of June and the end of September from which to choose, and we shall, as far as possible, try to accommodate them in the period of their choice.I should make it clear that this does not apply to members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, whose call-up will be effected in a different manner. So far as the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve is concerned, we are working on the principle of "volunteers first" and it will naturally therefore take a little time before we can sort out those who may be called up compulsorily.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for hearing aids are outstanding in the area of Cheltenham; and what is the average period of waiting.

About 500. I am afraid that the majority of patients at the Bristol distribution centre, which serves Cheltenham, have to wait nearly three years. I am making further inquiries into the position and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what acreage of land, to the nearest convenient date, is in the posession of the Forestry Commission and is unplanted; what acreage of this land is either cultivated or stocked; and what acreage is scheduled for planting in the next three years.

The unplanted area in Great Britain at the disposal of the Forestry Commission on 30th September, 1950, was 684,000 acres of which 238,000 acres are classified as unplantable owing to the high elevation of the land. Part of this unplantable land is let for rough grazings. Of the 446,000 acres remaining 112,00 will remain in agriculture and are either cultivated or stocked, 12,000 are let with forest workers' holdings, 2,000 are used for forest tree nurseries and 320.000 acres (of which 82,000 are old woodlands) will be planted. Of the area to be planted 185,000 acres are temporarily let for agricultural purposes. The acreage to be planted in the next three years has been provisionally fixed at 190,000 acres.

asked the Postmaster. General what is the estimated profit per charge made by his department on each transfer charge of 5s. 0d. payable when a subscriber takes over an installation.

None, the charge does not cover the cost of negotiating the new agreement and amending the records.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is aware that the present shortage of paraffin wax is preventing British firms from meeting export orders; whether he will state the reasons for this state of affairs; and what action is being taken to remedy it.

Our main sources of supply of paraffin wax are India and Indonesia, and imports from these countries have been reduced owing to serious interruptions in production which occurred in the latter part of last year. This has reduced supplies available in the United Kingdom and applications to export paraffin wax and composition and ceresine waxes consisting mainly of paraffin wax have therefore had to be refused or held in abeyance. My Department is in close touch with importers who are trying to obtain increased supplies from abroad and, when it is clear that adequate supplies of this material will be available to meet the needs of the home market, applications to export will be reconsidered.