asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now give details showing the number of war casualties in killed, died of wounds, taken prisoner, and missing for all the Welsh regiments, including the Welsh Guards, having regard to the fact that Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India have had their casualties published in distinct sections?

I regret that detailed figures of killed, wounded, missing, and prisoners of war are not available, but the total casualties in the Welsh regiments, Regular and Territorial, were officers 3,311 and 76,748 other ranks.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the discontent caused among Army schoolmistresses by the provision in the new pay and pension regulations that they are to be deprived of all chances of promotion unless they qualify for the Board of Education certificate; and whether, in view of the fact that existing schoolmistresses entered the service under conditions where Army trained mistresses were preferred before civilian certificated mistresses and that, being fully employed at their work, they have no leisure time to study for new examinations which were not contemplated when they entered the service, it can be arranged that the new Regulations in regard to the necessity of obtaining a Board of Education certificate should only apply to schoolmistresses who enter the service subsequent to the publication of the Regulations?

Objection has been made by a small proportion of Army schoolmistresses. The demand of Army schoolmistresses has long been for increased pay and improved status. The former has been calculated with special reference to the civil scale; the latter depends on their obtaining recognition as certificated teachers. The two things are inseparable. Those who were serving as 1st Class Army schoolmistresses are not required to pass any new examination, and it is still under consideration whether or not it may be possible to make the same concession to a limited number of those who served as 2nd Class Army schoolmistresses. A very large proportion of those who served as 2nd and 3rd Class Army schoolmistresses are at present preparing to take the certificate examination.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office whether warrant officers, Class 2, are eligible for the same pension rights as warrant officers, Class 1; whether when warrant officers, Class 2, die their wives are provided for as is the case with other warrant officers; and, if not, whether he will take steps to place both classes of warrant officers in the same position?

The answer to all three parts of the question is in the negative. The two classes are different, and I regret I cannot give to a particular grade in the Army the pension rights attaching to a grade higher.

asked the Secretary of State for War when the Departmental Committee that has been appointed to inquire into the future of the Navy and Army Canteen Board is expected to present its Report?

I regret that at present I am not in a position to forecast the date.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any Departmental Committee has been appointed to advise upon the future of the Navy and Army Canteen Board in the Navy; whether the, Admiralty are in touch with the Departmental Committee of the War Office now sitting on that subject or are represented upon it; and, if so, by, whom?

It has not been considered necessary to appoint a Departmental Committee at the Admiralty to advise upon the future constitution of the Navy and Army Canteen Board. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative; and to the last part, that the Admiralty is represented by the Fourth Sea Lord on the Inter-Departmental Committee on Canteen Organisation now sitting at the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what was the approximate cost of the air pageant at Hendon on Saturday, 3rd July; whether such a cost was included in the Air Force Estimates; if so, under what Vote: and if it is necessary to obtain the sanction of the House for such demonstrations?

The pay of the Royal Air Force personnel and the running expenses of Royal Air Force machines employed at Hendon on the 3rd July are normal charges already provided for in the Estimates under the relevant Votes. I am not aware that there are any other charges to be met from public funds, though there was also a trifling expenditure of old or surplus stores which do not require replacement. The question of Parliamentary sanction does not arise.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will consider the advisability of revising the Royal Warrant to meet exceptionally hard cases?

My hon. Friend does not indicate the nature of the cases which he has in view, and I am therefore unable to say whether or not they are provided for by the Royal Warrant, but I would remind my hon. Friend that the Warrant has been quite recently revised in accordance with the recommendations of the Select Committee on Pensions, which had reviewed most carefully the whole scheme of pensions, and my right hon. Friend is not prepared to undertake a further revision.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will look into the case of J. W. Barnett, of Limps-field, Surrey, late lance-corporal of the 17th Middlesex, discharged from the Army on 24th July, 1919, with an amputated thigh; whether this man's pre-War occupation was that of a scaffolding carpenter; whether he learnt boot-mending while in hospital at Brighton, and now desires to set up as a boot repairer, as his disability prevents him from returning to his pre-War occupation; whether the Godstone War Pensions Committee strongly recommended that a grant of £100 should be made in order to enable him to get a workshop and the necessary equipment for boot repairing; whether an application was made for this purpose to the Civil Liabilities Depart- ment in August, 1919, but received no reply till February, 1920, when the application was refused; whether a second application was made, after a private interview on the case, in reply to which a grant of £50 was allowed; and whether he can state why the Civil Liabilities Department has refused to accede the full grant recommended by the Godstone War Pensions Committee, and has done nothing in the matter till nearly a year after the first application was made?

I have been asked to reply. The facts as set out in my hon. and gallant Friend's question are substantially correct, but the application which was made by this man, although dated 4th August, 1919, was not received by the Civil Liabilities Department from the War Pensions Committee concerned until the 22nd October, 1919. At about that date the Department was undergoing re-organisation in order that it might be able to deal with the 70,000 odd cases to which I referred in my answer on 29th June last in reply to a question put by my hon. Friend the Member for the Macclesfield Division (Mr. Remer). Furthermore, the policy in regard to giving grants to trainees who had received training at the public expense had not been settled with the Treasury, and when this was done, shortly after, there was a very considerable accumulation of applications by trainees which had to be dealt with. In all these circumstances delay was, unfortunately, inevitable. A provisional grant of £50 was subsequently made on the 8th March, 1920; and, after further communication with the Local War Pensions Committee, this was paid on the 19th May, 1920. Of the sum of £50, £30 was given towards the purchase of boot-repairing tools, the amount which experience has shown was generally adequate in such a case, and the balance of £20 was given in the very special circumstances disclosed to enable the applicant to purchase a movable hut to be used as a workshop. I should add that the case is now under reconsideration with a view to seeing whether any additional grant can properly be made, and I have given instructions for the decision to be expedited.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture if he will give, county by county in England and Wales, the number of ex-service applicants for land; the number of applications which have been entertained; the number of applications to which effect has been given; the number of acres asked for; and the number of acres actually allotted?

A statement is issued monthly to every county council and to the Press giving the information asked for by my hon. Friend. The statement up to the 30th June is being printed, and I will arrange to send a copy to my hon. Friend as soon as it becomes available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Committee has now been set up to consider the claims of ex-service men to permanent posts in the Civil Service; and, if so, what are its terms of reference and the names of its members?

The Committee referred to has not yet been set up, but every effort is being made to bring it into operation at the earliest possible date.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that many of the soldiers in training at Birtley, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, say that the allowance for the support of themselves and their families is entirely inadequate; if he will make inquiries; if he is satisfied that the statements are correct; and if he will take steps to supplement the allowances in such cases as would be reasonable?

I am aware that there is dissatisfaction with the present rate of training allowances, and I have laid the facts before my colleagues. I regret that I am not yet in a position to announce a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for War, in regard to the canteen fund now known as the United Services Fund, whether the Council of Management are accountable to the War Office what are the conditions under which grants are made to amalgamated bodies of ex-service men, in view of the ruling that co-operative enterprises are excluded from grants; and whether he will ask the Council to make their conditions widely known, so as to prevent discontent and disappointment as has occurred?

The Council of Management of the United Services Fund is not accountable to the War Office; the United Services Fund is unconnected with any Government Department, as announced in the Press on 26th July, 1919, when the organisation was first established. Information as to the Fund's activities can be obtained on application to its Headquarters, 29, Cromwell Road, S.W.7. I am informed that grants are not made by the Fund to ex-service men's organisations for their general purposes, but only for such specific purposes as are within the scope of the Fund, and are for the benefit of ex-serving officers and men and their dependants. Grants are not made to co-operative societies. The conditions under which grants are made are well known to the local committees set up by the United Services Fund all over the country, and a handbook explaining the Fund's policy is on sale, published by the Council of Management, price 1s. 3d.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether the cost of our military occupation of Mesopotamia will ultimately be recovered from or charged against the independent Government, intended to be there set up, or otherwise recovered from the resources of that country?

As was stated by the Prime Minister in Debate, it is intended that the proposed Government of Mesopotamia should become entirely self-supporting. I cannot, however, hold out the hope that the cost hitherto incurred by the military occupation of the country can become a charge upon the Government of Mesopotamia which it is proposed to set up, but we do anticipate the recovery of the value of assets such as railways built at the cost of Army funds.

asked the Lord Privy Seal whether he will have a White Paper prepared giving precise details as to how the land revenue in Mesopotamia is being raised?

The question of laying Papers is at present under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has arrived at any decision as to the future of the Indian Medical Service; and if he is prepared to make a statement thereon to the House?

I shall be in a position to decide on this question and to make an announcement when I receive the Government of India's recommendations on the Reports of the Army in India Committee (in so far as it deals with military medical organisation in India) and of Sir Verney Lovett's Committee on Medical Services in India. The two Reports have to be considered together. Copies of the Lovett Committee's Report for publication are on their way to England, and I hope to publish the two Reports simultaneously very shortly. Meanwhile, copies of the Report of Lord Esher's Committee have been sent to the Government of India, who will forward as soon as possible their views on both Reports. I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the Press communiqué which was issued from the India Office on the 5th July, and contains the revised rates of pay for the Indian Medical Service; also copy of a letter which was sent to the British Medical Association on the 22nd June, dealing with the questions of pay, allowances, pensions, passages, and leave reserve of the service, and the official status of the Director-General and Surgeons-General.

The following is the communiqué referred to: —

The Secretary of State for India, after consultation with the Government of India, announces the following increased rates of pay for regular officers of the Indian Medical Service, which take effect from 1st January, 1920. The combined rates of basic pay and overseas allowance apply to all officers who were in the permanent service on 1st December, 1918, and to all British officers who have joined or may join the service after that date.

Indian officers who have joined or may join the service after 1st December, 1918, will draw, as from 1st January, 1920, pay in accordance with the basic scale set forth Rank. Year of Service. Basic Pay. Overseas Allowance. Total Basic Pay and Overseas Allowance. Rs. Rs. Rs. Lieutenant 1 500 150 650 Lieutenant 2 500 150 650 Lieutenant 3 500 150 650 Captain 4 650 150 800 Captain 5 650 150 800 Captain 6 650 150 800 Captain 7 750 200 950 Captain 8 750 200 950 Captain 9 750 200 950 Captain 10 850 200 1,050 Captain 11 850 200 1,050 Captain 12 850 200 1,050 Major 13 950 250 1,200 Major 14 950 250 1,200 Major 15 950 250 1,200 Major 16 1,100 250 1,350 Major 17 1,100 250 1,350 Major 18 1,100 250 1,350 Major 19 1,250 250 1,500 Major 20 1,250 250 1,500 Lieutenant-Colonel 21 1,500 250 1,750 Lieutenant-Colonel 22 1,500 250 1,750 Lieutenant-Colonel 23 1,500 250 1,750 Lieutenant-Colonel 24 1,600 250 1,850 Lieutenant-Colonel 25 1,600 250 1,850 Lieutenant-Colonel over 25 1,700 250 1,950 Lieutenant-Colonel on Selected List. 1,850 250 2,100

Charge allowances and second-in-command allowances for station hospitals will be admissible in addition to the above rates of pay at the following rates:—

(a) Charge Allowance. Rs. per mensem. 1st class hospitals 240 2nd class hospitals 180 3rd class hospitals 120 4th and 5th class hospitals nil (b) Second-in-Command Allowance. 1st class hospitals 120 2nd class hospitals 90

Dated 5th July, 1920

The following is the letter referred to:

India Office, Whitehall, S.W.1.

SIR, 22nd June, 1920.

In continuation of this Department's letter of the 5th instant, No. M.4784, I am directed to address you on certain questions affecting the Indian Medical Service. The below, unless they are already drawing pay at a higher rate, in which case they will continue to enjoy the benefit of that rate for so long as they would otherwise have done; but they will not receive any further increment until it is due to them under the basic scale.

The arrangements affecting Indians who join the service after 1st December, 1918, are provisional. Exchange compensation allowance will not be admissible.

Secretary of State understands that in the course of interviews which have taken place between the Medical Adviser at the India Office, on the one hand, and the Chairman of the Naval and Military Committee of the Association and the Editor of the "British Medical Journal" on the other, the following proposals were put forward on behalf of the service:

(1) Pay. —The pay of officers to be calculated on the pre-War scale for charge of a regiment, but to be approximately 50 per cent. in excess of that.

(2) Allowances.

(a) Allowances to be granted for the charge of Indian station hospitals.

(b) Allowances not to be reckoned as part of the 50 per cent. increase, but as additional to it.

(c) All existing general allowances paid to holders of professorial and bacteriological appointments, and certain other special classes of appointments on the civil side to be maintained.

(3) Pensions. —The same relative consideration to be given to officers of the Indian Medical Service as to combatant officers of the Indian Army. (The maximum for the Director-General, Indian Medical Services, being £1,150 a year.)

(4) Passages. —Officers of the Indian Medical Service in military employ to receive the same concessions in the matter of passages as combatant officers of the Indian Army. Officers of the Indian Medical Service in civil employ to receive the same treatment as officers of other Civil Services in India.

(5) Status of the Director-General and Surgeons General. —These officers to have the same rights as the Secretary to the Government in the matter of:

(a) Direct access to the Viceroy or Governor, as the case may be.

(b) Access to documents, and opportunity of forwarding their views to the Viceroy or the Governor, as the case may be.

(6) Leave Reserve. —The cadre of the Indian Medical Service to have a reserve of 25 per cent. for furlough, and 2½ per cent. for study leave, whenever this may be practicable.

2. Points 1 to 3 above have already been disposed of in this Department's letter of the 5th June cited above, and the Secretary of State is about to make a public announcement, communicating the reorganisation of the pay of the Service.

As regards pensions, I am to refer you to the memorandum dated 3rd instant issued by this Office, communicating the revised rates of pension for officers of the Indian Army and of the Indian Medical Service.

As regards passages, there has as yet been no decision on the question of passages for combatant officers, but the Secretary of State is willing to undertake that officers of the Indian Medical Service in military employ will receive the same advantage as those officers, and that those in civil employ will receive such concessions, if any, as may be granted to other officers in civil employ.

The Government of India reported in a despatch dated 26th February, that they had already agreed to the principle that the Director-General and Surgeons-General with provincial Governments should have the right to place their views direct before the Viceroy or Governor when necessary, and that they were then considering the best means of giving effect to that decision. In the meantime, the Secretary of State accepts point 5.

The Secretary of State undertakes to carry into effect the proposals for a 25 per cent. leave for furlough, and 2½ per cent. reserve for study leave, as soon as the strength of the Service permits.

I am, etc.,

(Sd.) S. F. STEWART,

Deputy Secretary,

Military Department.

The Medical Secretary, British Medical Association, 429, Strand, W.C.2.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he is aware that Sub-conductor H. Cuerdon, Indian Military Works Service, who was invalided home in April last, has received no last pay certificate from the India Office and is in consequence unable to draw any pay; and if he will cause steps to be taken to enable this warrant officer to obtain the pay to which he is entitled and of which he is in serious need?

A last pay certificate has not yet been received from India in Sub-conductor Cuerdon's case. A telegram has now been sent to the pay authorities in that country asking them to furnish the required certificate. In the meantime, if Conductor Cuerdon applies to the India Office stating whether he received any advance in India before embarkation, a provisional payment on account will be made to him in accordance with the usual practice.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the new official name of British East African Protectorate is Kenia Colony; what is the advantage in changing the name; is it now a Crown Colony; will it have power to negotiate loans; and will the members of the Legislative Council be elected or, as at present, partly elected and partly nominated?

An Order in Council has been passed providing for the annexation to the King's Dominions, under the name of the Colony of Kenya, of the whole of the East Africa Protectorate, with the exception of that part which is included in the dominions of the Sultan of Zanzibar. This will remain a British Protectorate as at present. The Order in Council will have effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette in East Africa, and the territory will then become a Colony not possessing responsible Government, or what is commonly known as a Crown Colony. No change in the constitution of the Legislative Council is proposed as a consequence of the annexation of the country. I believe that residents in the East Africa Protectorate have for a long time felt a desire for a closer tie with the Empire than is afforded by their living in a British Protectorate. Apart from the satisfaction of this natural sentiment, the annexation of the country will have the practical advantage indicated by the honourable and gallant Member that it will be enabled, in issuing loans, to take advantage of the Colonial Stock Act.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, just prior to the War, a British firm obtained a concession for exploring oil in Colombia; whether after the concession was obtained the United States Government made representations that they did not view this concession with favour; and whether the Foreign Office advised the firm to forego the concession in deference to the views of the United States?

An oil contract was concluded between the Colombian Government and a British firm in 1913, but the firm in question ultimately withdrew from the contract owing to the impossibility of obtaining its approval by the Colombian Congress. The second and third parts of the question do not therefore arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the Second Census of Production will be available?

The work of summarising the particulars returned for the Second Census of Production was entirely suspended during the War. Since the Armistice, however, some members of the trained staff having again become available, the work has been gradually resumed, and it is hoped that it will be possible to issue a report on the results of the census before the end of the year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is proposed to take action in accordance with the re-commendations of the Committee which investigated the price of tobacco; and, if so, when?

The Sub-Committee appointed by the Central Committee under the Profiteering Acts to investigate the tobacco industry reported that the existence of the large combination in the trade had not had the effect of raising the price of tobacco and cigarettes to the consumer, but, on the contrary, had tended in the opposite direction. The Sub-Committee recommended that the Government might well be armed with powers to protect the public in the event of a monopoly being exercised to its detriment, and this recommendation will be kept in view when legislation of a permanent nature, dealing with monopolies and combinations, is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade why the Report of the Profiteering Sub-Committee as to the reasonableness or otherwise of the increased price of sewing cotton still remains unpublished?

The Report in question contained certain statements concerning which the Committee considered it desirable to consult Messrs. Coats before publication. The observations of Messrs. Coats have been received, and the Report, which is at present under consideration by the Board of Trade and the Central Committee, will shortly be published.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when the Sub-Committee which are investigating the cost of building materials are expected to report?

Three of the four Sectional Committees appointed by the Central Committee under the Profiteering Act to investigate building materials are at present engaged in the preparation of their draft Reports, and I hope for their Reports shortly. The fourth Committee, which is investigating cement and mortar, has not yet completed its investigations.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it is proposed to take action in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee which investigated the price of petroleum; and, if so, when?

The recommendations of the Sub-Committee on Motor Fuel, under the Profiteering Act, were very fully considered, but it was not found practicable to take any action on them except so far as concerns power alcohol. The question of alcohol is being investigated by an officer attached to the Fuel Research Board, and provisions relating to it are contained in the Finance Bill.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether his Department is in accord with the fishing industry that refrigerated and insulated cars for the transport of fish are urgently necessary; whether his Department urged on the Minister of Transport the necessity for refrigerated or insulated fish cars: and, if not, on what scientific reasons his Department considered these cars to be unnecessary?

The question of adequate facilities for the transport of fish, which will include the subject to which my hon. Friend draws attention, has been referred to a Committee upon which the trade are largely represented. I would prefer not to express a definite opinion on the matter until the Committee has had time to consider it and report.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Yorkshire keels and Humber craft were commandeered during the War; how many of these have been returned to trade how many remain fit for use but are not yet returned to trade; and when it is proposed to return them in view of the grave shortage of these vessels?

I have been asked to reply. The Ministry of Shipping requisitioned 106 Yorkshire keels and Humber craft during the War: of these 101 have been returned to trade and three lost, while two others which are fit for use are being reconditioned preparatory to being returned.

asked the Home Secretary if he can now see his way to give instructions for the speed limits on motor vehicles to be increased in view of the great improvements made in their braking capacity since the introduction of the speed regulations now in force?

I have been asked to answer this question. An alteration in the maximum speed for motor cars would require fresh legislation. The whole question of speed limits for motor vehicles generally is within the terms of reference of the Departmental Committee on the Taxation and Regulation of Road Vehicles, and I cannot anticipate their report or the legislation which may follow it.

asked the Minister of Labour why hop pickers from Portsmouth and Southampton, going to the hop gardens of Hampshire and Surrey, are to be refused cheap tickets; and if this privilege is to be accorded to hop pickers from London going to Kent?

I have been asked to answer this question. The whole question of granting reduced fares to seasonal workers has been considered, and I can find no justification for making any reduction in the ordinary fares. As stated in the reply to my Noble Friend on the 1st July, the conditions in the case of hop pickers going from London into Kent are quite exceptional.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the Falmouth, Great Western Railway, station has recently been made a closed station, and that the takings for platform tickets amount to about £2 per week; that to collect this amount four ticket collectors have been put on at an average wage of £3 1s. per week and 15s. extra for Sunday; and whether, in the interests of economy, he will consider leaving the station an open one as hitherto, in view of the expense incurred through the collection of the platform tickets and the necessity to check waste of public moneys?

I was not previously aware of the action said to have been taken by the Great Western Company at Falmouth. I am asking the company for a report upon the circumstances, but I cannot accept the comparison made by the hon. Member as the test to be applied in the interests of economy.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that the dead weight of sheep sent into the market by the farmer is graded by a Grading Committee whilst the sheep are still alive, the result being that the sheep when killed have been as much as 16 lbs. less than the graded weight; and, seeing that butchers by Law are compelled to give 16 ozs. to the lb. and have no choice but to take the sheep allotted, with the probability, if he refuses, of his licence being cancelled and his customers transferred to another, and that he has no hope of redress, will he see his way clear to alter this system, and the real dead weight of the sheep he accepted?

All control over the sale of livestock ceased as from 4th July, and therefore any difficulties associated with the system of grading livestock no longer exist. I cannot, however, accept the suggestions made by the hon. Member as a correct representation of what occurred under that system.

asked the Minister of Food whether the clerk to the Llanelly rural district council has been appointed the officer for local food control for the area comprising the borough of Llanelly and the rural district of Llanelly; whether the population of the borough is far greater than the rural district; whether all the wholesale and most of the retail establishments for the sale of food for the combined area are in the borough; and why, under these circumstances, an officer of the borough was not selected for the post?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In addition, however, to the borough of Llanelly with a population of about 36,000 and the rural district of Llanelly with a population of about 30,000, the new food district will include also the district of Burry Port with a population of about, 5,000. The rural district of Llanelly is a very important and widespread area and its rateable value is considerably higher than that of the borough. It contains a number of small towns associated with the local colliery and tinplate industries, in which a considerable retail trade is done. The hon. Member will recognise that the new local food arrangements have necessarily resulted in the displacement of at considerable number of executive officers of the Food Control Committees which have been dissolved. It was only after careful consideration of the claims of all the existing executive officers that the Divisional Food Commissioner recommended as the most suitable officer to be placed in charge of the combined district the executive officer of the Llanelly Rural Food Control Committee, who has been an executive officer since 1917 and has an intimate knowledge of the whole area. As, the office of the combined district is situated in the town of Llanelly, the district officer will be in close touch with all the traders in that town.

asked the Home Secretary when the evidence given before the Desborough Committee on the police services will be published?

I am sorry there has been some delay in the preparation of the index, but it is now nearly ready, and hope the evidence will be published very shortly.

asked the Home Secretary what is the total number of women police appointed during the past six months; what number, if any, have been appointed to the towns and cities of the United Kingdom; how many arrests and convictions are credited to them; if their pay and emoluments are equal to those of the men and, if not, what is the scale; and if any of them have been placed on night duty and with what result?

The answers to the hon. and gallant Member's questions so far as regards the Metropolitan Police are as follow:—

The establishment of women police attached to the Metropolitan Police consists of:—

1 Superintendent.

1 Assistant Superintendent.

10 Sergeants.

100 Women Patrols.

No addition has been made during the past six months. Women police do not make arrests; but 140 police court convictions have been credited to them in the six months ended 30th June.

The scale of pay is:—

Sergeants, 60s., rising by 2s. to 70s. Women patrols, 48s., rising by 2s. to 58s.

Their duties are more limited and their hours of work shorter than those of men. Women have not been employed on street duty later than midnight, but they are occasionally employed all night at hospitals and police stations in charge of female prisoners. In towns and cities outside the Metropolitan Police District the appointment, pay, and duties of women police rest with the local police authorities, and I have no later information than that contained in the Report of His Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary published last May. It appears from that Report that in September last the number of policewomen outside the Metropolitan Police District was 144.

asked the Home Secretary what steps he proposes to take to carry out the recommendations of the Committee appointed to inquire into conditions of service in professional fire brigades?

I have already circulated copies of the Committee's Report to the local authorities maintaining professional fire brigades. The pay, hours, and other conditions of service of firemen are matters which rest with the local fire brigade authorities; it is for them to give effect to the Committee's recommendations, and I have no doubt that the Report will be of great assistance to them in dealing with these questions.

asked the Home Secretary whether he proposes to take any steps to have further inquiry made into the organisation of the fire service in regard to the special points suggested by the Committee on conditions of service in fire brigades at the end of their Report?

This matter is at present receiving my consideration, and I hope to be able to make a further statement shortly.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether large dumps of British railway material are situated at Audruicq and Aire in France; how long have these dumps been in existence; what is the approximate value of the material at each; and what proportion of the total stores has been disposed of since the Armistice at these two places?

The depot at Audruicq was formed in 1915, and at the date of the Armistice it contained 100,000 tons of stores, exclusive of plant; since the Armistice 180,000 tons of materials have come into the depot and 190,000 tons have gone out. Of the whole of the plant and stores declared surplus to military requirements from time to time at this depot, about 40 per cent. have been disposed of. The depot at Aire was formed in 1917, and at the date of the Armistice contained approximately 3,400 tons of material, to which must be added 12,000 their tons returned to store since the Armistice. About 35 per cent. of the surplus stores at Aire have been disposed of, and the bulk of the remainder is being brought back to this country as quickly as possible. In view of the fact that tenders have already been invited for a portion of the surplus stores at Audruicq, and that it is proposed to advertise the remainder for sale at an early date, it would not be in the interest of the Revenue to give an estimate of the value of the materials.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions why it is that different hours for opening and closing public refreshment houses have been imposed under the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) in the towns of Truro and Falmouth; and why it is that two towns within a comparatively short distance of each other should have different Regulations, resulting in the penalising of Falmouth, which, especially in the summer months, is a health and holiday resort?

I am advised by the Central Control Board that Falmouth is included in an area which was scheduled for the purpose of the Liquor Control Regulations by an Order in Council of 10th November, 1915. The area was scheduled on naval grounds, and it was not found necessary to include Truro within it. On the question of differentiation of hours between scheduled and unscheduled areas, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for North Dorset (Major Colfox) on 24th June, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Ministry of Health informed the Aldershot Urban District Council that they had allotted to the council for their building scheme 1,000,000 bricks from a certain brickyard, and that upon examination it subsequently transpired that the bricks in question did not exist; and whether he will dismiss his staff at present engaged in hampering local authorities and others in their building programmes by similar muddles and delays, so that the building trade can return to its pre-war activity unhampered by Government interference?

The facts are not as stated. Early in June the Aldershot surveyor was informed by the Director of Building Materials Supply that his Department had a contract with the Tolworth Brick Company for 1,000,000 bricks. These were being supplied to various housing schemes, to the order of the Department, as produced. At no time was the statement made that 1,000,000 bricks from these works had been allotted to Aldershot, though it was contemplated that a share of the produce would be allotted to Aldershot. On the 15th June an order for 500,000 bricks was received from Aldershot, but, in consequence of a dispute between the Department and the brickmakers regarding certain extras on contract price, it was not possible to place the order immediately with the firm in question. In the meantime, therefore, with the concurrence of the council's surveyor, an allocation of bricks has been made from another direction.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the premises at 31, Highbury Grove, Islington, which have been converted into flats by His Majesty's Office of Works on behalf of the London Housing Board with a view to their being transferred to the Islington Borough Council have, on careful inspection by the architect to the Metropolitan Borough of Islington, been found to be very defective in several respects; and whether, as the conversion of this house into flats is supposed to be some contribution towards the provision of additional housing accommodation in Islington, and will serve as an example for local authorities to follow, he will arrange that the work should be satisfactorily completed in order that the council may proceed to let the premises?

I have received a report on this case, and steps are being taken to deal with it and to remedy the defects. I have reason to think that the case is exceptional, and that generally the work is satisfactory.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the comments of the Lord Chief Justice in the case tried on the 9th and 14th June, wherein a compulsory order made by the Hammersmith Borough Council came under review; what was the expense incurred by the Ministry in connection therewith; and what is the explanation given by the responsible person or persons for the matter in question not having been attended to within the period allowed for consideration of appeals to the Ministry of Health?

I have read the remarks of the Lord Chief Justice in the case referred to, who in discharging the rule nisi stated that any fault there might have been could not be imputed to my Department. The Ministry incurred certain costs not yet ascertained in appearing to show cause against the rule. The third part of the question is based upon a misapprehension. There is a fixed period for sending in objections to a compulsory order, but there is no time limit for the consideration of Kith objections, and I doubt whether the Court would have been troubled with the case in question if this fact had been appreciated by the objecting landowner. At the date of the application to the Court, the order of the Hammersmith Borough Council had not even been submitted to the Ministry for confirmation.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total saving to date to the public on the purchase of land for housing purposes due to the assistance rendered by the Land Valuations Department to local authorities, the total acreage involved, price asked, and sum finally paid?

According to the information available, the total saving up to the 30th June last in the cases where the Valuers have settled the prices by agree- ment after negotiation is £1,305,863, or an average reduction of £71 per acre in the price asked. The total acreage involved was 18,403, and the price paid was £3,503,884, the price originally asked being £4,809,747. In the cases where it has been necessary to proceed by way of compulsory purchase orders, the saving obtained is £105,337, or an average of £75 per acre. The total acreage involved was 1400 acres, the total claims made amounted to £477,197, and the total of prices agreed and awards made was £371,860.

asked the Minister of Health whether orders have been issued to housing authorities that the cost of making roads beyond 16 feet in width shall not rank for subsidy; and, if so, whether councils that have incurred the cost of making the additional width of roadway required by the bye-laws have any powers to compel other owners in the district who open up roadways to adhere to the bye-laws?

No such instruction has been given. The Ministry of Health allow the cost of roads of widths varying according to the purpose and character of the particular roads to rank for Exchequer subsidy. For the ordinary minor roads on a housing scheme I am advised that a carriageway of 16 feet is ample, but a greater width would be required for more important roads. As regards the latter part of the question, I may refer to Section 24 (2) of the Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919, under which, if departures are made from bye-laws in a housing scheme by a local authority with the approval of the Ministry of Health, similar concessions must be made in like circumstances to private owners. Where a local authority decide to make roads on their housing scheme in accordance with the bye-laws and to bear the extra expense, Section 24 of the Housing Act, 1919, will not apply, and it will be necessary for private owners to comply with the bye-laws.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is intended to restrict the investment by the National Debt Commissioners of half the proceeds of the sale of National Savings Certificates after 30th September, 1920, to local loans stocks of local authorities under £200,00 rateable value?

No, Sir. It is proposed to allow loans from the Local Loans Fund for housing to larger authorities up to half local subscriptions to Certificates after 30th September next. A full announcement will be made shortly on this subject.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention, after 30th September, 1920, to restrict loans to local authorities to the total of half the proceeds of the issue of National Savings Certificates after that date?

No, Sir; but the Local Loans Commissioners will, as now, require that all authorities applying to them for assistance shall show that they have done and are doing all in their power to help themselves. This is necessary in the general interests of housing finance.

asked the Minister of Health whether National Health Insurance has cost since its inception £190,000,000, while benefits disbursed have only amounted to £24,000,000; and, if so, will he explain the reason for the cost of administration, and also say what was the amount of money remaining to the credit of the National Health Insurance Fund at the end of June or latest ascertainable period?

The total cost of National Health Insurance from its inception to 31st December, 1919, was in round figures £190,000,000; the amounts paid in benefits and administration were £99,000,000 and £25,000,000 respectively, leaving a balance in reserve at that date of £66,000,000. The hon. Member in his figures has omitted the main cash benefits of the Act—namely, the sickness and disablement benefits.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is proposed to introduce a Bill this Session dealing with the superannuation of employés of local authorities?

The matter to which my hon. Friend refers is receiving consideration, and proposals are being framed, but I cannot at present give a definite undertaking to introduce a Bill on the subject this Session.

asked the Minister of Health whether there are any women in administrative posts in his Department; and, if so, what are those posts?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Durham (Major Hills) on the 6th November last, of which I will send him a copy.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether whole-time officers of the Ministry are allowed to undertake work outside their official duties; whether Mr. B. I. Mendham, who has tendered for the preparation of plans and specifications of a housing scheme for the Bar-mouth Urban District Council, is a whole-time superintending architect of the Ministry; whether, since his appointment, Mr. Mendham has also acted professionally for private individuals; and whether he so acted with the knowledge and consent of the Ministry?

The general rule of the Government Service with regard to whole-time officers is that their services are to be at all times at the disposal of the Department by whom they are employed, and professional officers should not undertake private work without first obtaining the specific sanction of the Head of their Department. With regard to the case referred to by my hon. Friend, Mr. B. I. Mendham is a whole-time superintending architect of the Ministry. He was invited by the Barmouth Urban District Council to state the terms on which he would be prepared to submit plans for a proposed housing scheme, and he did so with the knowledge and consent of the Ministry. He has not at present prepared any plans for the scheme and no appointment has yet been made by the Council. I am informed that Mr. Mendham has carried out no private work of any kind since his appointment to the Ministry, but he has submitted plans for one competition and has advised one or two clients. I may add that the work done for private clients has been in Mr. Mendham's spare time, and has not in any way conflicted with his whole-time duties to the Ministry.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the cost of living, he will extend the temporary bonus to be given to grades 1, 2, and 3 clerks, and temporary administrative officers, to the lower grades of temporary clerks?

A special Committee of the National Whitley Council for the Civil Service is now considering the increase in the cost of living and its effect on the remuneration of temporary staffs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the committees of inquiry into Government extravagance will have as part of their reference the policy of the Ministry which causes extravagance, particularly the continuance of control by the Ministry of Food in several directions which causes losses to the Government, waste of valuable food-stuffs, and needless jobs for unnecessary officials?

No, Sir. The Committees are not to enquire into Government policy, but into the staff and organisation of certain departments. The terms of reference will be as followTo examine either by way of test examination or otherwise as they may see fit, the staffing and methods of work of the Department, and to report what, if any, economies may be effected therein, having regard to the work which the Department is called upon to perform in the execution of the policy decided by the Government.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the expense and inconvenience which is caused to residents at Edgware by the fact that the Edgware telephone exchange is outside the London area; and whether, in view of the fact that Edgware is only eight miles from London, and that many districts on all sides of London at a much greater distance are included in the London area, he can make arrangements that Edgware be included in the London area?

If the proposals now being examined by a Select Committee of this House be adopted, Edgware will be included in the London Telephone Area.

asked the Postmaster General whether he is aware that Mr. R. W. Crowther, J.P., of Dunwood House, Church Street, Stoke Newington, applied before the War to have the telephone installed in Dunwood House, and that, despite Mr. Crowther's further applications during and since the War, no such installation has taken place; whether there have been a number of telephonic installations in the same district meanwhile; and whether there is any, and what, reason for the delay or for differential treatment against Mr. Crowther?

The earliest record of an application is in the beginning of 1919. It has not hitherto been practicable to meet Mr. Crowther's requirements in consequence of lack of spare wires in the underground cables concerned. It is the general practice to deal with all applications since the Armistice in their chronological order, so far as the plant conditions permit; but, as there may be spare wires in one thoroughfare and not in another, the appearance of preferential treatment cannot always be avoided.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that in a criminal case now before the Courts a telephone operator gave evidence as to conversations she heard on the telephone; whether operators are sworn to secrecy; and whether it is in conformity with regulations for an operator to listen to telephonic conversations?

Telephone operators are forbidden to listen to conversations, but, in the course of their duties, it is necessary for them to remain in circuit until conversation has commenced in order to be sure that the connections have been satisfactorily effected. They are, however, specifically warned that they must not divulge or improperly make use of any information which they accidentally overhear. In the case in question the whole of the conversations were audible to the operator as they were conducted from a telephone in the switchroom.

asked the Postmaster-General why, in the case of firms and individuals who have two or more telephone lines attached to the same Post Office exchange, trunk calls which come through for a line already engaged on a local call cannot be switched on to a disengaged line?

It is the practice in London, if a subscriber has two or more circuits to the same exchange, to effect an incoming trunk call over any circuit of the group which may be disengaged provided that the subscriber has agre,d to the assignment of consecutive numbers on the switchboard to his circuits, and has not asked that one or more of them may be reserved for local calls. It is not practicable in London to adopt a similar course when the numbers are not consecutive, although it has been found possible to do so at some provincial exchanges.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the application of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act to women entering or already in the Civil Service is limited by Orders in Council; if so, whether these orders have yet been laid upon the Table; and, in view of the very generally expressed dissatisfaction of women with the Civil Service Reorganisation Report, will he consider the advisability of directing that their position should be reviewed in two instead of in five years?

Section 1 of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act provides thatA person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public function, or from being appointed to or holding any civil or judicial office or post, or from entering or assuming or carrying on any civil profession or vocation…. Provided that (a) notwithstanding anything in this Section, His Majesty may by Order in Council authorise Regulations to be made providing for and prescribing the mode of the admission of women to the Civil Service of His Majesty, and the conditions on which women admitted to that service may be appointed to or continue to hold. posts therein, and giving power to reserve to men any branch of or posts in the Civil Service in any of His Majesty's possessions overseas, or in any foreign country. No Order in Council such as that contemplated has yet been laid upon the Table. With regard to the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Prime Minister to the hon. and gallant Member for Durham City (Major Hills) on the 17th June.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the total capital value of the land of the United Kingdom or, if the figures for the United Kingdom are not available, the capital value of the land of Great Britain; and the annual value of the agricultural land and the estimated annual value of urban sites?

Particulars of the gross income brought under the review of the Inland Revenue Department arising from lands, houses, and other property assessed under Schedule A for the year 1917–18 are contained in Table II. of Cmd. 502, a copy of which I am sending the hon. Member. The information asked for in the first part of the question is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is his intention to alter the conditions of issue of, and the rate of interest payable upon, national savings certificates after the 30th September, 1919?

I presume the hon. and gallant Member means to refer to certificates issued after 30th September, 1920. There is no present intention of altering the conditions of issue and rate of interest for savings certificates.