asked the Prime Minister what is the present international position with regard to East Galicia?

East Galicia has so far been under the administration of the Polish Government. No final decision has yet been made as to its future.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Emir Feisul is still in Damascus; whether there is still an Arab Government in Damascus; whether such Arab Government or the French are now responsible for the government of Moab, Gilead, and the Hauran; whether any British liaison officer or other British representative was in Damascus at the time of the French military occupation; and is His Majesty's Government able to communicate freely with its repre- sentatives in occupied enemy territory East since the French advance?

The Emir Feisul is reported to have left Damascus and proceeded to Derea; it is understood that a new Syrian Ministry has been formed in Damascus. The French Government can in no case be responsible for these portions of Moab, Gilead and the Hauran which lie south of the line separating the British from the French sphere in those regions; what will be the future relations between those districts and the Syrian Government at Damascus is a question on which I am not in a position to make a statement at present. The only representative of His Majesty's Government in occupied enemy territory East since the withdrawal of British troops from that area has been the British liaison officer at Damascus, who was in that town at the time of the French occupation, and who is still there, and communicates freely with His Majesty's Government.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the French Government has withdrawn its prohibition against the importation of cotton laces

The prohibition on the importation of cotton lace into France was withdrawn by a Decree which was promulgated in Paris on the 25th July. A translation of this Decree appears in the current issue of the Board of Trade journal.

asked the Secretary to the Board of Trade whether he can state the value of toys imported from Germany within the last half-year; whether the quantity is increasing; and whether, in view of the amount of the imports and the very low prices at which the goods are sold in this country, he will consider the advisability of checking this foreign competition with a struggling native industry?

During the half-year ended 30th June, 1920, the value of the registered imports of toys and games, not of rubber or leather and not electrical, consigned from Germany, was £630,273. The value of these imports for June shows an increase on previous months, but how far this represents an. increase in quantity I am unable to say. In reply to the last part of the question, I can only refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on the 26th to the hon. and gallant Member for Southport.

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been directed to the appointment of an executive food officer in Wigan, which has been made without either consulting the local food control committee or without advertising the appointment in the local press; whether a solicitor has been appointed who is not an ex-service man, notwithstanding that there are many eligible ex-service men in the district; and if he will have inquiries made and, if found as stated, have steps taken which will give to ex-service men an opportunity of applying for the position and withhold confirmation of the present appointment?

My attention has already been called to this appointment which was made in the usual way, by selection from among the candidates who had knowledge of food control work. I have given instructions that ex-service men should be selected to fill these appointments whenever there are applicants possessed of the necessary knowledge, but I understand that at Wigan no such candidate was forthcoming. I would add that these are not really new appointments; the District Food Officer takes the place of one or more Executive Officers of the Local Food' Committees which have been disbanded.

asked the Minister of Food if he can hold out any prospect of an increase in the sugar ration in the near future?

I regret that I am unable at present to make any statement on this subject, but I hope to be in a position to do so at an early date.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, with a view to effecting greater economy in the various Departments of State, he will require the Treasury to make a Return to the House of Commons on the first day of each month of all sums proposed to be expended during that month which exceed £1,000; whether he is prepared to submit to the vote of the House on such dates while in Session all extra expenditure in all Departments of State not arranged for in the Budget statement of expenditure; whether he will submit a statement periodically of all such extra expenditure incurred in any Department while the House is in recess; or, alternatively, whether, as a protection against the increasing extra calls made by Departments of State on the Treasury, he is prepared to establish Committees of expenditure from this House to supervise the expenditure of Departments, or groups of Departments, at periodic intervals of one month for the specific object of approving or disapproving items of expenditure before they are incurred, or of advising the Treasury thereon?

Any expenditure not provided in the various Departmental Estimates already presented to Parliament has necessarily to be submitted to the House by Supplementary Estimates. I do not think my hon. Friend's further proposals are practicable, or would conduce to the economy which I am as anxious as he is to see practised.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to publish a Return of Income Tax and Super-tax in continuation of Cmd. 224, of Session 1919?

The statistics contained in the Command Paper in question were specially prepared at the request of the Royal Commission on the Income Tax. They are now being revised in the light of later information, and it is hoped to include the revised statement in the forthcoming Annual Report of the Board of Inland Revenue. The possibility of publishing from time to time continuations of this Return is under con- sideration, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement upon it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is yet in a position to announce that the hardship caused to officers who became entitled to pensions during the War, but who were held to serve until demobilisation, will be remedied by the repayment of the arrears of these pensions so as to bring their position on a par with that of retired officers who re-enlisted under Table XVI., paragraph 5, of Army Order 324, of 1919, whose cases are exactly similar.

I regret that I am unable at present to add anything to my reply to the Noble Lord on 28th April last.

asked the Home Secretary the number of children and young persons, respectively, brought before the juvenile courts of England and Wales during the year 1919; and whether he can now state the number of boys and girls who, having been committed to reformatories or industrial schools, were charged during the year with fresh offences, either on absconding from the schools or while placed on licence.

The number of children under 14 and young persons between 14 and 16 who were brought before Juvenile Courts in England and Wales during the year 1919 was 22,045 and 18,428 respectively. I can give the information asked for in the second part of the question only as regards persons convicted and sent to prison. The number of persons who, having previously been committed to reformatory and industrial schools, were reported to the Home Office as having been received in prison during 1919 while still liable to supervision by the managers of the schools concerned (that is, up to the age of 19 in the case of reformatories, up to 18 in the case of industrial schools), was 137.

asked the Home Secretary on what grounds the Home Office restrictions on the sale of ice cream were not removed when the Food Ministry removed its restrictions in March, 1919; whether restaurants and hotels are allowed to sell it at hours when retailers are prohibited and, if so, why; and whether the restrictions will now be withdrawn.

The restrictions in the Early Closing Order on the sale of ice-cream, to which I presume the question refers, were part of the general scheme of reducing the hours in the retail trades which was established by the Order; and they are being retained on that ground. Only such exceptions were allowed as were necessary in the public convenience. I do not think it can be urged that the sale of ice-cream is a necessity of that kind, and I can see no reason why an exception should be made in its favour as long as the Order is continued in force. The sale of ice-cream in hotels and restaurants after the closing hour is not allowed except as part of a meal.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if his attention has been called to the fact that the European civil servants in several of our African possessions are suffering severely from causes over which

they have no control owing to the rapid increase in the cost of living, and that their salaries and allowances, even when combined with the War bonuses, make their actual remuneration less than it was in pre-War days; and if he will cause inquiries to be made with a view to doing justice to a body of men who are performing arduous duties under difficult and often dangerous conditions?

New scales of pay have already been approved for all the East and West African Colonies and Protectorates and for the Tanganyika Territory, and are being introduced with effect from 1st January last in the case of West Africa, and from 1st April last in the case of East Africa.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the average daily circulation of the Official Report, Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, for the years 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, and 1920?

The average daily circulation of the OFFICIAL REPORT, Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, for the years 1913–1920, is approximately as follows:—