asked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he has satisfied himself that persons entitled to vote as members of insurance societies for representatives on the insurance committees have been advised as to their rights in this respect; has he any official information showing that numbers of members of such societies have not been informed of the procedure or supplied with voting papers; and does he propose to take steps to secure that insured persons exercise their rights in respect of representation on health committees?

The regulations for the appointment of representatives of insured persons on insurance committees were framed in accordance with Section 59 of the National Insurance Act, which confers the power of appointment not on the individual members of a society, but upon the society as a whole. Societies were fully advised of their rights and were supplied with a ballot paper in respect of each area in which they were entitled to vote. The elections are now complete, and the results have been published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that numbers of natives have been recruited from the Luangwa, Valley, which has been declared a sleeping-sickness area, for the mines of Southern Rhodesia; if he will state what precautions are taken to prevent the spread of the disease; and if he has been made aware that the Dutch Reformed Church sent resolutions of protest to the administration of Northern Rhodesia on the subject?

It is correct that recruiting has been carried out in the Luangwa Valley, which is a sleeping sickness area, and some members of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Mpangwe district urged that there was danger of infection and that all movements of natives along all fly infested roads should be absolutely forbidden. The local administration has, however, pointed out that the prevention of emigration was impossible, and stated that strict supervision was kept at the Southern Rhodesian bottler; the recruits were taken from the camp to their destination by fly-free routes and employed in fly-free areas, and the probabilities of sleeping sickness being carried to the south were practically eliminated. I referred the papers to the managing committee of the Tropical Diseases Bureau, who informed me that as it was clearly impossible to prevent natives leaving Northern Rhodesia in search of employment, it was, in their opinion, advantageous that the natives and their movements should be under the supervision of the Government.

asked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to a request from some forty members of the medical profession asking for the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate the facts concerning venereal diseases, and to recommend what steps, prophylactic and therapeutic, should be taken to cope with these diseases; and whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?

The request is receiving careful consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the total imports of cotton goods into the Philippine Islands both from this country and the United States in the years 1897 and 1912; and whether the preference given to the United States fabrics is proving injurious to British exporters?

There are no official figures available with regard to the value of the imports into the Philippine Islands in the years specified. The value of the exports of cotton yarn and manufactures from the United Kingdom to the Islands in 1897 was £260,000, and in 1912, £443,000, whilst the exports from the United States of America in the years ended 30th June, 1897 and 1912, were valued at £500 and £976,000 respectively. Preference to United States manufactures only took effect in October, 1909, and resulted in an immediate and considerable expansion in the exports of cotton goods from one country to the other, whilst exports from the United Kingdom have shown some tendency to decline.

asked the Postmaster-General why, after accepting the applications of persons resident at Rowhedge, Essex, to be supplied with a telephone service at £6 per year, the Post Office now refuses to supply the service upon the terms contained in the contract made between the applicants and the Post Office; upon what principle the Post Office holds itself at liberty to break contracts duly entered into; and what remedy have the persons whose contracts with the Post Office have been broken?

Four agreements for exchange lines at Rowhedge were made some years ago by the National Telephone Company, but the company were unable to complete the arrangements for laying a cable across the River Colne, and way-leave difficulties have made the route impracticable. The agreements, like all others, contained a provision for termination if reasonable way-leave facilities could not be obtained. The applicants have recently declined to make any additional payments towards the special expense of over £200 involved in the provision of a longer cable to obviate the wayleave difficulties, and it will be necessary therefore to terminate the agreements.