asked the Secretary of State for War and Air how many clerks are now employed in the various commands compared with May, 1914; how many complete divisional and brigade staffs are now established and what strength of establishment do they administer in comparison with May, 1914, the actual figures to be given rather than paper strength; how many committees have there been appointed to sit on various subjects; when were they appointed; how soon are their Reports to be ready; and how many senior officers have been retained on full pay for these purposes?

1,354 clerks are now employed in seven command headquarter offices in Great Britain, as compared with 453 employed in May, 1914. Six divisional, 4 cavalry and 21 infantry brigade headquarters are established in the United Kingdom, and the strength of troops they administer, taken from the latest strength returns, is 94,106. These figures compare with 6 divisional, 4 cavalry and 18 infantry brigade headquarters administering a strength of 69,583 in 1914. The number of clerks required at command headquarters under present conditions is not comparable solely with the strength of the military personnel in the command. A very large number of questions concerning the personnel of the vast War Army which has recently been dispersed and also in connection with the reorganisation of the Army have to be dealt with in the various commands, but continuous efforts are being made to reduce the clerical work and staffs involved. As regards the latter part of the question, there are 52 War Office committees of major interest of which 21 are Standing Committees. The dates of appointment, except in the case of certain of the latter, cover the past two years. The date of the Report in each case must necessarily be determined by the question under discussion. No senior officers employed, at the moment, on committees are retained on full pay for these purposes.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what naval patrols are in the Baltic, and what instructions have been issued to the commanders with regard to trade?

The force in the Baltic consists at present of:—

4 Light Cruisers.

8 Destroyers.

1 Depot Ship.

These include 1 light cruiser and 3 destroyers attached to the Schleswig Plebiscite Commission. Vessels are to be allowed to sail freely to and from ports in the Baltic except those suspected of carrying arms or munitions consigned to the Russian Soviet Government or its agents; these are to be searched and, if necessary, sent for further examination to a port belonging to, or in occupation of, the Allied or Associated Powers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that at Devonport there are approximately 6,000 men out of employment and that similar conditions prevail at other dockyard towns; and whether he will give instructions to suspend further discharges from the dockyards pending a discussion in this House on the steps being taken, and to be taken, for the provision of work of a mercantile character?

I dealt with this matter in the course of the Debate on the Navy Estimates yesterday.

asked the Minister of Food what exportable amount of wheat and sugar is expected this year from Roumania and Southern Russia?

It was decided by the Roumanian Government on 8th April that the law prohibiting the export of wheat should remain in force, and, so far as is known, this decision has not been abrogated. It is not anticipated that any sugar will be available for export from Roumania. The exportation of wheat and sugar from South Russia will depend on the internal conditions of that country and upon the transport facilities available. It is not possible at present to give any reliable estimate of the quantities to be expected.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether the experiment of giving popular lectures at Kew Gardens, for which a fee was charged, has proved unsuccessful; and whether a trial will now be made of giving such free popular lectures in the gardens as have been attended with marked success in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National and Tate Galleries?

The Ministry of Agriculture, both before the War and again last year, employed the services of an official guide at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The duties of the guide were to conduct tours in the Gardens, in the course of which the attention of visitors accompanying him was called to objects of special interest, with regard to which simple and illustrative information was supplied. Owing to the paucity of the numbers of the public taking advantage of the services of the guide—the average being only three persons per lcture—the experiment has been discontinued. With regard to popular lectures at Kew Gardens, the Ministry regrets that the absence of a lecture room at Kew renders it impossible to give such lectures. When the Ministry, at the request of the London County Council, provided lectures to teachers, who now regularly bring parties of school children for instruction to Kew Gardens, it was necessary to deliver these preliminary lectures in London.

asked the Minister of Health in respect of how many houses the subsidy has been paid to private builders under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919?

The subsidy has been paid in respect of 45 houses which have been completed under this scheme, and at the date of the last return certificates had been issued for 7,114 houses.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses which have been completed and are in actual occupation under the Housing Act of 1919, the number of houses which are in course of construction, and the number which he estimates will be completed in the course of the present year?

Returns for the 1st May, the latest date for which complete figures are available, show that 1,922 houses had been completed, but I cannot say how many of these houses are actually occupied. The number of houses under construction on the same date was about 20,000, and work was in progress on contracts comprising 51,000 houses. Subject to sufficient building labour being available I hope that 100,000 houses will be completed in the course of the year.

asked the Minister of Health the number of Government buildings, either projected or in course of construction, which have been classified as luxury buildings; and in how many cases the work has been stopped?

I am not aware that any Government buildings have been classified as luxury buildings, but the whole building programme of the Government Departments is being revised, in view of the urgent need of labour for house building.

asked the Minister of Health the number of building schemes sanctioned under the Housing Acts of 1919 involving the employment of direct labour by local authorities; the number being carried out under the guild system; and the number of houses and the estimated costs in each case?

There are at present 51 housing schemes of local authorities and public utility societies in which building is to be carried out by direct labour. These schemes comprise a total of 3,284 houses. Complete figures showing the cost of these schemes are not yet available. No work has yet commenced under the guild system.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether the housing scheme, as so far carried out, satisfies the expectations expressed by himself when the Bill was under consideration; and, if not, the chief causes that have hampered the working of the Act in Scotland?

I regret that the progress to date in the matter of housing in Scotland has not come up to my expectations. The main causes are scarcity of skilled building operatives in Scotland, strikes, and the diversion of available labour to private contracts. To these must be added the delays due to anticipations of financial difficulties which have tended to retard action by local authorities.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many subsidised houses are new under construction in Scotland; how many houses have been completed under the Act and are now in occupation; how many local authorities have actually commenced building operations beyond the selection of a site, laying down of roads, and drainage; how many local authorities have put in schemes under the Act which have been approved, and what has been the average time taken between a scheme being submitted to and approved by the Edinburgh office; how many local authorities have raised the necessary funds for the schemes they have submitted; how much money has been raised by housing bond issues; and what is the reason of the housing scheme for Scotland being so much behind that of England?

According to the returns received by the Scottish Board of Health up to the end of April, 2,054 houses were being erected in respect of which the subsidies provided for under the Housing, Town Planning, etc. (Scotland), Act, 1919, will be payable. Up to the week ended 22nd May the Scottish Board of Health had approved tenders for the erection of 7,563 houses by local authorities and others entitled to subsidies under the above Act. In addition, plans have been approved by local authorities for the erection by private individuals of 217 houses, in respect of which the subsidy provided for under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919, will be payable. Of the houses being provided under the former Act, the returns received to the end of April show that 18 are already occupied, 12 are ready for occupancy and about 140 more are almost ready for occupancy. In addition to these, 90 temporary houses have been provided and are occupied.

The number of local authorities which at the end of April had commenced the actual building of the houses was 34. Schemes under Section I. of the Housing, Town Planning, etc. (Scotland), Act, 1919, have been submitted by 251 local authorities and the schemes of 182 local authorities have been approved, involving the erection of 101,860 houses. These schemes are outline or programme schemes, the details of the scheme as to sites, plans, tenders, etc., having to be adjusted separately. No two schemes are alike, and consequently a calculation of the average time between the submission and approval of a scheme would be quite misleading. Every effort is made to give an early decision on all proposals submitted to the Board.

Loans have been authorised in the case of 43 local authorities, and 31 local authorities have been authorised to issue local Bonds. I am not yet in a position to give the amount raised to date by means of local Bonds, as it is only recently that local authorities have made application for the Board's consent for this purpose.

As regards the last part of the question, I am not aware that progress in Scotland has been relatively slower than in England.

asked the Minister of Health the amount of building materials which have been acquired by the Director of Building Materials, the amount that he has disposed of, and the amount that he has in stock?

The Department of Building Materials Supply have made contracts for building materials to the approximate value of £4,780,000 Deliveries to the value of £2,220,000 have been made, the remaining £2,560,000 being represented partly by stocks and partly by undelivered balance of contracts.

asked the Minister of Labour the trades in which there is now a shortage of skilled labour; what steps are being taken to meet it; and what proportion of skilled workmen there are at present on the official lists of unemployed?

Any attempt to give a list of trades in which there is a shortage of skilled labour must be subject to many reservations; for instance, such a shortage is often local or temporary or limited to certain special kinds of craftsmen. Speaking generally, however, I can say that there is a shortage of skilled labour in the building trades, particularly among bricklayers and carpenters, and in certain classes of workers in shipbuilding, engineering, the iron and steel trades, the tin plate trades, the sheet metal trades, and the furnishing trades. As regards the second part of the question, all I can say is that we are training a number of disabled ex-service men in various trades. I could not fairly say that this effort, so far as it has gone, will in certain trades, so far as can be foreseen, cover the shortage. The proportion of skilled workmen among the total number unemployed cannot be given without detailed and laborious investigation, but in the building trades the bricklayers and carpenters unemployed on 7th May numbered 623 or 5 per cent. of the whole, and their unemployment was in almost all cases due to old age or some other infirmity.

asked the Minister of Labour approximately the number of women war workers who are unemployed and absorbed into other branches of industry; and if he will, in the latter case, indicate these branches?

No records are available showing the extent of unemployment at present among women war workers as distinct from other women workers. The following figures will, I hope, supply the information which my hon. Friend desires. Since the date of the Armistice, the number of women employed in industrial occupations (including those in Government establishments) is estimated in January, 1920, to have been reduced by approximately 503,500. The reduction which has taken place in clerical and commercial occupations (including the Civil Service) is approximately 179,800. In addition, 109,000 women have been discharged from His Majesty's Forces. Thus the total reduction from these occupations was on 20th January estimated at 792,300 Available information indicates that considerable numbers of women discharged from war work as a result of the termination of hostilities have been absorbed in peace occupations, while others have retired from employment. The total number of women estimated employed in industrial and commercial occupations in January, 1920, shows an all round increase of 724,000 on the total employed in July, 1914. The main industries in which increased employment of women has taken place are in the metal and chemical trades, in food, drink and tobacco, paper and printing, and commercial occupations. As regards domestic service, the increase in the number of women so employed cannot be estimated, but over 280,000 have been placed in all branches of domestic service by the Employment Exchanges since the Armistice.

asked the Minister of Labour what amounts have accumulated up to 31st March, 1920, to meet the liabilities arising out of unemployment insurance; in whose hands they are; what is the estimated annual liability on the existing Act; and what will be the estimated annual liability if the Bill as amended in Committee is passed, and giving separately the increase that would arise if the Bill were passed as presented and the increase involved by each Amendment to the Bill carried in Committee?

In accordance with Section 92 of the National Insurance Act, 1911, all contributions collected under the National Insurance (Unemployment) Acts, 1911 to 1919, are paid into the Unemployment Fund, and any monies forming part of the fund are invested by the National Department Commissioners in any securities which are authorised as investments for savings banks moneys. A statement of the securities held on account of the Unemployment Fund at 31st March, 1920, and of their cost price was given in an answer to the hon. Member for South Hackney (Mr. Bottomley) on 18th May last. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of this statement. The annual liability of the fund under the National Insurance (Unemployment) Acts, 1911 to 1919, as estimated by the Actuary in a Report presented to Parliament last Session (Cmd. 439 of 1919), is £4,858,000. The estimated annual liability if the Unemployment Insurance Bill passed as presented is £11,373,000, as shown in the Actuary's Report on the Bill (Cmd. 498 of 1919). A report on the cost of the Amendments to the Bill, made in Committee, is being prepared by the Government Actuary, and will be presented to Parliament shortly.

asked the Prime Minister if Sir Reginald Tower, K.C.M.G., C.V.O., the High Commissioner under the League of Nations for the port of Dantzig, is relinquishing his post; and, if so, if his successor has been appointed?

No information has reached me that Sir Reginald Tower is relinquishing his post.

asked the Prime Minister if he will circulate for the information of Members the Polish-Dantzig agreement of the 22nd April, 1920, signed by Mr. K. Olzowski, acting on behalf of Poland, and Sir Reginald Tower, representing the free town of Dantzig; and whether he can state whether such agreement was consistent with Article 104 of the Peace Treaty?

The Treaty between Dantzig and Poland, which was signed on the 22nd April, is merely a provisional working arrangement for a period of four months pending the conclusion of the Final Treaty contemplated by Article 104 of the Peace Treaty. It is a lengthy document, dealing in great detail with matters affecting the common interests of the two States in relation to the passage of their nationals across the frontier, through railway connections, Customs procedure, and posts, telegraphs and telephones. The printing of the full text would involve expenditure which the nature of the document, from the point of view of its possible interest to British traders, does not appear to warrant. I am, however, having a copy of the English text placed in the Library. There is no question of conflict between the present provisional Treaty and Article 104 of the Peace Treaty.