asked the Secretary of State for War whether any official is charged with the duty of making known to soldiers orders issued from time to time affecting their interests; and whether it is the policy of the War Office that where such orders, with a time limit within which advantage may be taken of them, are not brought to the knowledge of those concerned the soldier, in consequence of ignorance for which he is not responsible, is to lose the benefit of the orders?

It is the duty of a soldier's commanding officer to notify his men of the various orders which affect them. When an order is issued laying down that benefits must be claimed within a certain period it is necessary, as a rule, to adhere to the date fixed, which invariably allows reasonable length of notice. In certain cases, where there has been reason to think that a large number of men were not aware of the time limit, that limit has been specially extended, but it is obvious that there must be some finality.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Mr. R. Burton, late No. 51,472, R.S.M., 6th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, was entitled under War Office letter Mob. 2/5,278, dated 19th November, 1919, to 61 days' furlough on his return from service in North Russia, but that owing to the War Office letter not having been brought to his knowledge until after the expiration of the limit of time within which it was by a subsequent order laid down that application must be made, he has been informed that his claim cannot be considered; and whether, in view of the fact that it was through no negligence on Burton's part that his application was not in time, he will see that this soldier is not deprived of a benefit which he earned by special service?

On 19th November, 1919, instructions were given by the War Office that men who had served in Russia might be granted 61 days' leave (inclusive of demobilisation leave) before they were demobilised or discharged. Further instructions were issued on 21st February, 1920, that any man who had served in Russia and had been demobilised or discharged without receiving this leave might, if he applied before the 21st May, 1920, be allowed additional pay and allowances to make the leave already received on demobilisation or discharge up to 61 days in all. This time limit has been enforced in all cases, and under no circumstances has the grant been made to a man who did not apply before 21st May, 1920. I regret that no exception can be made in Mr. R. Burton's case.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the new Royal Warrant for Army schoolmistresses' pay and pensions varies the contract with mistresses now in the service and that the large number of vacancies in the certificated class cannot at once be filled by serving Army schoolmistresses whose promotion in many cases has been delayed owing to war conditions; that discontent prevails among many schoolmistresses at the new conditions; and that many who began to study for certificate examination have been obliged to abandon it owing to overstrain; and whether, in view of these facts, he will cause the new conditions to be reconsidered?

I would refer the Noble Lord to the answer to his question on 12th July. The conditions of service, pay and pension of Army schoolmistresses have been varied, and much improved, and in return they are called upon to obtain the Board of Education Certificate. I would point out that long notice has been given of this new condition, although the financial advantages came into force from 1st April last. I am not aware of the conditions stated in the latter part of the question, and I regret I cannot undertake to re-open the question of the Royal Warrant, which was fully considered by the Army Council before being issued.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office whether the straw purchased from Mr. Currie, of Moulsham Lodge, Chelmsford, in 1918 (purchase notes E/19a/1,112 to 1,117), can now be removed, as Mr. Currie requires the space it occupies for other produce?

Instructions have been issued for this straw to be removed immediately.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he proposes to give effect to the verdict of the coroner's jury in the case of the death of Private George William Henry Elsley, at Edmonton Infirmary, on 9th July, calling upon the military authorities to hold an inquiry, which verdict had been conveyed to the War Office?

This case is still the subject of investigation by the military authorities, and I will let the hon.

It is difficult to place a monetary value on the articles manufactured in the ordnance factories; the actual cost is covered by provisions made in Army and other Estimates for supplies.

For the total estimated value. I would refer the hon. Member to the Army (Ordnance Factories) Estimates for the year 1920–1921.

The variety of the articles at present being manufactured may be gathered from the following list:—

Guns, carriages, limbers and their spare parts, ammunition boxes, rifle chests; shell cartridges, fuzes, vent-sealing tubes; filling of shell, relining of guns, repair of cartridges, tanks, and ammunition boxes; breaking down of quick-firing and small-arm ammunition, shell, fuzes, tubes, dry batteries, grenades, etc.

Under the heading of Alternative Work, there are railway wagons, locomotives, hand carts, and sundry items for the General Post Office, the War, Victory and Mercantile medals, and bronze blanks for coins. Repairs of railway wagons, locomotives, and motor lorries.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office

Member know the result as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of men and women employed at Woodwich Arsenal; the total wages paid to both; and the total value and kind of articles manufactured during the last six months?

submitted the following details:

whether the Navy and Army Canteen Board shop in Argyle Place, Regent Street, which he undertook on 3rd June should be closed, is still in active operation and is selling articles to civilians?

I am aware that the Navy and Army Canteen Board shop in Argyle Place, Regent Street, is still open. The Noble Lord will realise that it is not always practicable to close down a business of this nature at short notice, but I am informed that it will be closed by the end of August at the latest. The only civilians allowed to deal at this shop are the wives and families of officers and men and the employés of the Board. Such persons are provided with a written pass signed by the Secretary, Navy and Army Canteen Board, which they are required to produce when making purchases, and every precaution is taken to ensure that this privilege is not abused.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will inquire into the case of Robert Sinclair Jenkins, aged 34, an ex-soldier who enlisted on 13th January, 1913, and served through the War, who had been wounded, was awarded the Mons Star, returned to the line, and later, suffering from shell shock, was sent to a mental hospital, where he was discharged with a card marked mental instability and a pension of 8s. a week upon which to keep himself, a wife, and child; when the Hanwell War Pensions Committee appealed to the London Central Committee to be allowed to increase this pension, why nothing was done, with the result that, as the man could not get work with such a statement on his card, he was driven into crime with a view to calling attention to his case; whether it is the policy of the Ministry to give an inadequate pension with one hand while it prevents a man getting work by a damaging endorsement on the other; and whether he will now lose his pension altogether on being sentenced to three months' hard labour by the Maidenhead Bench, or whether, having regard to all the facts of the case, his pension will now be increased so that he will be able to live without the work he cannot now obtain by reason of the endorsement on his discharge?

I have no knowledge of the card referred to, but I assume the allusion is to the endorsement on the man's discharge certificate which is given, at the time of discharge from the service, by the military authorities and not by the Ministry of Pensions. Full consideration was given to this man's claim to pension on his discharge in December, 1918, and since that date, in response to his representations, he has been examined by three special medical boards, comprising eminent nerve specialists; and on each occasion the degree of disablement at which pension was originally awarded was confirmed. In these circumstances there are no grounds upon which an increase of the existing award could be authorised; and, having regard to the fact that the man married subsequent to discharge, allowances in respect of his wife and child are not admissible. During imprisonment pension payable in respect of the man is suspended, but is restored immediately on release.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is prepared to consider the grant of a bounty to a man who has earned the Military Medal with bar, in view of the fact that recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal and warrant officers who win the Military Cross are given a gratuity of either £20 or an addition to their pensions of 6d. per day?

As already explained to the hon. and gallant Member, the Military Medal was instituted with a view to providing a form of decoration in recognition of bravery in the field which did not reach the standard of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and so did not call for the addition of the gratuity and extra pension which the latter carries. I regret that no exception can be made in cases where a bar has been earned.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the War Office whether the usual gratuity granted to officers on demobilisation has been refused to Captain and Quartermaster G. Prior, Royal Army Medical Corps (Territorial Force); that Captain Prior did not continue in his post when the poor law institution of which he was master was taken over as a military hospital; and whether, in view of the fact that paragraph 2 of Army Order No. 406 of 1915 does not apply to this case, he will give instructions for the usual gratuity to be paid to this officer?

The facts of this case have been very fully considered, and I am satisfied that the nature of Captain Prior's employment was not such as to remove him from the conditions of paragraph 2 of Army Order 406 of 1915.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the inventions of officers which were conceived during their employment on the active list of the Royal Navy are invariably the property of the Admiralty; whether officers who retired are entitled to take action against private firms who have used these inventions; whether in the recent action between Sir Percy Scott and Messrs. Vickers, Limited, the action taken by Sir Percy Scott was taken with the approval of the Admiralty; and, if not, why the action was taken by Sir Percy Scott and not by the Admiralty?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The actual regulations on the subject, which are too long to be quoted in reply to a question, will be found in Article 415 of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions. As regards the second part of the question, retired officers are at liberty to take such action in cases where the rights in an invention have been left in their hands. As regards the rest of the question, Admiral Sir Percy Scott had no need to obtain the approval of the Admiralty before taking action, and no ground existed for any action on the part of the Admiralty against Messrs. Vickers in connection with the inventions referred to.

asked the Prime Minister whether any temporary women Civil Servants are employed on administrative work and on executive work, both as denned by the Report of the National Whitley Council; and, if so, the numbers employed in each grade in each of the Departments employing them?

Departments are at present engaged in classifying their work in accordance with the definitions in the Report of the Reorganisation Committee of the Civil Service National Whitley Council, and pending the result of these inquiries it is impossible to give the information desired.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether women legally separated from their husbands will be excluded from the forthcoming examinations for temporary Civil Servants?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the evidence given before the Departmental Committee which is inquiring into the question of the Employment Exchanges will be published?

I have been asked to reply to this question. I propose to consider the question of publishing the evidence referred to when the Committee which is inquiring into the work and administration of the Employment Exchanges presents its Report. As at present advised, I should be disposed to publish the evidence. I will consult my right hon. Friend the Chairman.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the number of railway companies in the United Kingdom; what is the total number of their directors; what are the total fees, other than salaries of managing directors, paid to these directors; and whether this amount is paid from the guaranteed profits of the companies or is allowed by the Government as part of the running expenses?

As regards the first three points in the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a somewhat similar question by the hon. Member for Smethwick (Mr. J. Davison) on the 26th July, of which I am sending him a copy. As regards the last part of the question, controlled railway companies are allowed to charge directors' fees against the Government as part of their working expenses, provided such fees do not exceed the amounts charged in the 1913 accounts.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will obtain from the boards of all railway companies by the 15th October next their opinion as to the effect of the increased passenger and goods-freight rates; whether, if in the opinion of some of these companies it is clear that traffic is being driven off the railways, and thereby defeating the object of the increased rates, he will permit such companies to put forward alternative schemes for raising increased revenue; and whether, in the meantime, instructions will be issued to the Development Department of the Ministry that railway companies will consider no fresh proposals emanating from that source?

The recommendations of the Rates Advisory Committee are very largely based upon schemes which were put forward by the railway companies themselves, showing how they suggested the necessary increased revenue should be raised from the various classes of traffic. The effect of the increased rates will, of course, be carefully watched, and the Ministry will always be ready to consider any alternative schemes if the increases put into operation do not produce the required result.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is now willing to allow the export of British raw hides from this country and to give the same liberty of export as he gives to tanned leather, seeing that the producers of raw hides are placed at a great disadvantage in disposing of their hides compared with the tanners, who have the benefit of a world market for their goods and can buy their hides in markets which are closed against all buyers except themselves, and that the hide markets have been unable to dispose of their hides lately and have been compelled to salt them down until they can dispose of them; and that this course must add to the price of English meat?

The question of the continuance of the present prohibition of the export of hides except under licence is receiving my careful consideration, but I am not at present in a position to make any statement on the subject.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether permission to bore for oil on land at Weston, in Leicestershire, has been refused, notwithstanding the surveyors' favourable report on the oil-bearing properties of the land; and whether, in view of the importance to the community of developing every source of oil supply, he will state on what grounds permission to bore was withheld?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The letter which my Noble Friend addressed to the President of the Board of Trade on 23rd July was the first intimation received that it was desired to bore for oil on the land in question. The petroleum department is now in communication with the applicant.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether British merchants who were operating in Germany prior to the War, and whose businesses were sold up, are compelled to apply to the clearing office in Germany for an account showing the amounts realised by the sale of their property; and whether they have to abide by the German valuation of the said property?

Information as to the amounts realised on sales of British property undertaken by the German Government can, of course, only be given by the German authorities. If the British owners have suffered damage in excess of these amounts they are entitled to claim compensation to be assessed by the Mixed Arbitral Tribunal.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that, on the authority of the city treasurer's report to the Bradford finance sub-committee of 31st July, there were only 46 unoccupied houses in Bradford, ranging from £8 10s. to £110 rateable value, the reason being that in most cases they were so old, or in such a dilapidated condition, that it could cost too much to make them fit for letting; that with reference to houses under £8 rateable value there were only two or three unoccupied; and that the general opinion of the sub-committee was that in very few cases were houses being deliberately kept unoccupied with the object of realising good prices for vacant possession?

I have not received a copy of the report to which my hon. Friend refers, but as I stated on the 29th July, in reply to the hon. Member for Spen Valley (Mr. Myers), I am having inquiries made as to vacant houses in Bradford.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will have a Return laid upon the Table of the House showing what proportion of the building operatives of each type is engaged on the building of working-class houses; and what proportion is engaged on other kinds of building, respectively?

I will circulate a statement giving the information available on this matter.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is the intention of the Government to introduce further legislation for the restriction of luxury building, and, if so, when?

I intend to lay proposals before Parliament in regard to this matter at the earliest practicable opportunity.

asked the Minister of Health what is now the total estimated shortage of houses in the United Kingdom?

Housing in Scotland and Ireland does not come within the purview of my Department, but in England and Wales the total estimated need as disclosed by surveys made by local authorities in pursuance of Section 1 of the Housing Act, 1919, amounted in gross to 300,000 houses taking account of replacements of existing unsatisfactory houses.

asked the Minister of Health whether any of the local authorities have written to his Department asking for a lead as to rent to be charged and pointing out that they are unwilling to undertake building operations until this point is settled and, if so, what was the reply in each case?

Rules for the determination of rents are scheduled to the Regulations and the Ministry are always ready to confer with the local authorities on the question of rents to be charged before the completion of the houses. In one case only in which a local authority has been unable to agree with the rents suggested by the Ministry, have they intimated that they proposed to defer entering into further building contracts. I am unable to agree that any authority is justified in delaying building operations on this account, as provision has been made for any difference of opinion between a local authority and the Ministry as to the sufficiency of the rents to be referred to an independent tribunal.

asked the Minister of Health what is the total sum of money required to make good the shortage of houses in the United Kingdom; and how is it proposed to provide this sum?

At present prices I estimate that the capital sum required to make good the shortage of houses will amount to approximately £120,000,000 a year. I hope that the sum needed will be provided as it is required by the investment of their savings by the people of this country.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the lump sums of one and a half times the salary paid to present retiring teachers are paid from the fund accumulated under the Superannuation Act of 1898; and, if so, why teachers who retired before 1st April, 1919, do not receive lump sums on a similar scale, since they were obliged to contribute to the fund?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second part, therefore, does not arise.

asked the President of the Board of Education under which Act of Parliament the Board can demand that a local education authority shall build or provide dwelling-houses for teachers in voluntary schools; whether a local education authority can provide class rooms for voluntary schools; whether half the cost of building voluntary class rooms can be levied on the parish in which such class rooms are built; and if the Board will acknowledge expenditure to be approved expenditure?

The Board are not expressly authorised by any Act of Parliament to require the provision by a local education authority of a dwelling-house for a teacher in a voluntary public elementary school, and they have not required it, but the difficulty of efficiently staffing elementary schools is greatly aggravated by the shortage of houses, and the position is causing the Board much concern. A local education authority cannot provide class rooms for a voluntary elementary school.

asked the Secretary for Scotland what was the total amount of the Education (Scotland) Fund available for distribution to education authorities in the years 1918–19 and 1919–20, respectively; and if he can estimate what amount will be available in 1920–21 in accordance with his statement that this fund would increase in future years?

In the year 1918–19 the balance of the Education (Scotland) Fund available for allocation to the District Funds of the Secondary Education Committees, under Section 16 (2) of the Act of 1908, was £541,453. In 1919–20 the amount available for distribution to education authorities, including the outgoing school boards and managers of voluntary schools, was £4,426,450. Of this sum the amount available for the education authorities established under the Act of 1918 was £3,993,443. In 1920–21 it is estimated that the amount available for distribution to the new education authorities may be about £5,000,000, but this can be taken only as an approximate figure. The year in each case is the Exchequer year ending on 31st March, and no account is taken of the "accrued grants," amounting to about £912,000, which were paid under the Minute of 10th December, 1919, and which are to be spread over two or three years.

asked the Minister of Food whether his Department have been making any inquiries at Saltney or thereabouts, in the county of Chester, in connection with the use of flour for cattle food, and for which a licence fee had not been paid, and if so, the price at which the flour was obtained, and from whom; the number of tons of flour which has been used by this firm in the manufacture of cattle food since flour restrictions were first imposed, and the amount this firm was indebted to the Ministry for the flour used for which a licence fee had not been paid; and whether it is the intention of the Ministry to take proceedings for a violation of the Flour and Bread Prices Orders for not having paid a licence fee before taking delivery of flour used in cattle food?

A quantity of flour which had been purchased by a firm at Saltney prior to the railway strike of last year was received by them in a damaged condition owing to delays of transport and was used for a precluded purpose without a licence having been obtained. A claim was subsequently made by the Ministry of Food for arrears of licence duty on 24½ sacks of 280 lbs., amounting to £29 8s., and this claim was paid. No other use of subsidised flour for a precluded purpose was traced in connection with this firm, which uses, in the preparation of cattle food, Chinese flour, on which, being un-subsidised, no licence duty is payable.

asked the Minister of Food whether his attention has been called to cases under the Flour and Bread Prices Order of making or taking delivery of flour, other than flour imported free of licence duty, for use in pig and cattle food or for use for industrial purposes without first obtaining a licence from the flour and bread section of the Ministry of Food on payment of 24s. per sack of 280 lbs.; and what action he proposes to take?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies on this subject given to him on the 20th July. I may add that the measures there described continue to be vigorously enforced.

asked the Minister of Food if his attention has been called to the fact that 20,000,000 pounds of sugar have passed through the Chicago Customs House from Canada during the past few days, and several million pounds more are en route, and that Canadian sugar, which was purchased in Cuba last year and shipped to England and then returned to Canada, is expected to be used in Chicago; whether these statements were made by Mr. William H. Clarke, collector of the port; and whether the Ministry of Food, through the Supreme Council or other channels, will take steps to prevent this unnecessary waste of energy in the transportation of prime necessities which are urgently required?

I was not aware of the circumstances referred to in the question, and I regret that the information supplied by the hon. Member does not enable me to trace these transactions. If, however, he will supply me with more precise details, I will have them investigated.

asked the Minister of Food (1) whether the Irish Food Controller refuses to sanction bonâ fide applications for the transfer of sugar cards from one retailer to another excepting upon conditions which the public complain are unreasonable; whether these conditions are imposed because the office of the Irish sugar control is under-staffed;

(2) whether any cases in Ireland of irregular conduct on the part of retailers in regard to the distribution of sugar, or the withholding of the sugar cards of consumers, have come under the notice of the Irish Government; whether the Irish Government have taken proceedings in any such case; and, if so, with what result;

(3) whether he will cause inquiry to be made into the system of sugar distribution in Ireland, and make provision for such facilities in regard to the distribution of sugar and the transfer of su£ar cards from retailer to retailer as may be shown to be necessary;

(4) whether the Government in Ireland will make it a sufficient reason for sanctioning the transfer of a sugar card from one retailer to another that the retailer by whom the applicant desires to be supplied with sugar is a co-operative society of which he is a member;

(5) whether it is the present practice in Great Britain that where a member of a co-operative society desires to transfer his sugar card from a private dealer to a co-operative society, his desire to support the co-operative movement is regarded as a reasonable ground for a transfer, and he is facilitated by the Ministry of Food in accomplishing the transfer?

I will answer together the various questions on this subject in the name of the hon. and gallant Member. With regard to those relating to the conditions of sugar distribution in Ireland, I would refer him to the replies on this subject given to the hon. Members for Morpeth (Mr. Cairns) and Kettering (Mr. Waterson) on the 28th July and 3rd August respectively. With regard to that relating to Great Britain, where the administrative conditions are wholly different, persons desiring to change their retailer must apply to the District Food Office. At present transfers are as a general rule granted in the absence of any special reason to the contrary. No account is taken of the class of retailer to whom or from whom a transfer is desired.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that 30,000 barrels of American syrup have been lying at Tilbury Dock for two years; that of these 15,000 have been disposed of, some 8,000 having been already shipped back to the United States for re-export to Germany; and whether, in view of the shortage of sugar, this stock might be with advantage disposed of in this country by arrangement with the Ministry of Food?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answers already given on this subject on the 22nd April, 3rd May and 5th May to the hon. Members for West Bermondsey (Mr. Clanville), Rotherhithe (Mr. Lort-Williams), and Ealing (Sir H. Nield) respectively. Syrup is wholly uncontrolled and very plentiful in supply, and I see no reason for taking action in the direction indicated in the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give any estimate as to the amount of liability consequent upon the bread subsidy for the present financial year; and whether he can hold out any hope of the abolition of this subsidy or its decrease to any and, if so, to what extent next year?

The estimate for the current financial year was £45,000,000. This sum will not be exceeded and may be reduced. I do not contemplate the continuance of the subsidy into the next financial year.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India was responsible for the statements made by the Royal Commission on Wheat Supplies in February and March that there was a serious shortage of rice in India, and that a high price would have to be paid for the amount available for the needs of British traders and manufacturers; what prices were, in fact, paid by the Royal Commission for the 50,000 tons stated to be available; and whether, since those statements were made, the Government of India, or other Indian shippers, have been exporting to Europe large quantities which were sold to Continental buyers at prices £20 to £30 per ton lower than those charged to British buyers?

"The Government of India stated early in February that they doubted, on present indications, whether there would be any rice to spare in 1920 for European countries beyond 50,000 tons, which had already been allotted to the United Kingdom for the first quarter of the year, but added that it was possible that the situation might become easier nearer the wheat harvest when that crop was assured. A month later they furnished a detailed scheme for the distribution of the exportable surplus, which included 50,000 tons for the United Kingdom and none for the rest of Europe. Statements based on this information were made orally by the Royal Commission on Wheat Supplies to merchants and manufacturers in this country.

As regards price, it was arranged with the Royal Commission that payment should be made by them on a basis of Rs.17 per cwt. f.o.b. Rangoon for two-star rice, the price of each contract to be worked out on that basis with reference to the rates of exchange, freight, etc., prevailing from time to time. For broken rice a reduction varying from 2s. to 5s. per cwt. was allowed. The c.i.f. prices paid on this basis worked out at about £49 to £61 per ton for whole rice and from about £44 to £55 for broken rice. Since that time the estimate of exportable surplus has been considerably increased owing to a diminished demand in India, and about 30,000 tons have been shipped by the Government of India to the Continent, of which 3,350 were broken rice. Of this, about 12,000 tons were sold shortly after the sales of rice to the Royal Commission, and at similar prices, allowing for differences of quality. The remainder has been sold at £48 to £50 for whole rice, and at £32 10s. to £37 10s., according to quality, for broken rice. Between the first purchases by the Royal Commission and the last of these Continental sales there has been a fall of about 30 per cent. in rupee exchange. I understand that the Royal Commission sold about 5,600 tons in February at £62, and that they have otherwise charged no higher price than £48 10s. There have been no shipments of rice from India to the Continent on private account."

It may be useful if I add a short statement regarding the principles by which the Government of India have been guided in controlling the rice trade this year. They aimed at maintaining moderate prices in India while securing that the main benefit of the profits on the export trade should go to the population of Burma—on the same principle as has been followed by the British Government in dealing with the coal trade. The export trade has been conducted by firms working on a commission basis for Government account. For the benefit of the importing countries the Government of India from time to time made estimates of the exportable surplus and allotted fixed maximum quantities to the various importing countries. It was unavoidable that these estimates and allotments should vary from time to time, and purchasers have had to exercise their judgment in buying or refraining from buying within the limits of the allotments.

The net result of the control as regards the United Kingdom has been a saving to the consumer, the retail price of Burma rice having been consistently below that of foreign rice; but the Government of India have had to recognise that their first duty was to the Burmese producer, whose crops they were selling on his behalf, and in taking advantage of the market conditions prevailing earlier in the year they were doing no more than fulfilling this duty. The subsequent fall in wholesale prices is attributable more to unexpectedly large exports from Saigon

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture what was the acreage under hops in America, Germany, England, and other countries, respectively, in the years 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1919?

and to the fall in the exchange than to the increased exports from Burma.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture what was the total crop of hops grown in America, Germany, England, and other countries, respectively, in the years 1910, 1913, 1914, 1919, and ^* 1920?

Production of hops in the United States of America, Germany, England, and other countries in 1310, 1913, 1914, and 1919:—

Acreage under hops in the United States of America, Germany, England, and other countries in 1910, 1913, 1914, and 1919:—

The acreage under hops in Czechoslovakia in 1919 was 21,242 acres.

No statistics are at present available of the acreage under hops in any country in 1920.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that there is dissatisfaction among auctioneers of live and dead stock that they have to pay Excess Profits Duty, whereas auctioneers of land and property are not liable for this tax; and whether he will bear this in mind in considering his next Budget?

My hon. Friend is under a misapprehension in stating that auctioneers of land and property are not liable to Excess Profits Duty. The business of an auctioneer of whatever character is subject to that duty. It may, however, be the case that some portion of the profit of an auctioneer's business can properly be regarded as of a professional character, and consequently exempt from the charge. Arrangements have been made between the Auctioneers' Institute and the Board of Inland Revenue as to the proper proportion of profits which can be no regarded in the case of the two kinds of businesses referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether applications have been made to the Treasury to sanction grants to distress committees under the Unemployment Act, 1905, to enable them to make provision for dealing with unemployment in their localities; whether such applications have included appeals from Scotland; what attitude the Treasury has adopted; and whether it is likely that grants from public funds will be made to such committees as may formulate schemes to deal with unemployment at the present time?

No application has been made to the Treasury for a grant under the Unemployment Act, 1905, since the year 1915. I do not think that present conditions are such as to warrant grants for this purpose, for which there is no provision in the Estimates.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, the Japanese Government is under the obligation to keep the British Government informed of its plans as regards intervention and operations in Siberia; and, if so, whether such information is always furnished?

The Japanese Government have had supplied to His Majesty's Government full information regarding their proceedings in Siberia, in accordance with Article 1 of the Agreement between the United Kingdom and Japan of 13th July, 1911, which provides that whenever the rights and interests of the two countries in the regions of Eastern Asia and India, or the independence and integrity of the Chinese Empire, etc., are in jeopardy, the two Governments will communicate with one another fully and frankly.

asked the Home Secretary whether Sir Basil Thomson is responsible to any authority for his actions as head of the Special Department at Scotland Yard?

Yes, Sir, to me.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Munitions whether the works of the Ailsa Craig Motor Company, Limited, were returned to them in a deplorable condition, the windows, frames, and bars in the basement gone, and the place open for anyone to enter, that the few tools and machines left were rusty and broken, and all the loose parts gone?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to his question on the 27th July last.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a request has been received, either by way of a petition signed by the Archbishop of Malta and other persons or by letter addressed to His Majesty's Secretary of State, demanding the addition to the draft Constitution for the Island of Malta of a declaration that the Roman Catholic religion is the religion of Malta; and whether he can give an assurance that, in the event of such a request being received, His Majesty's Government will adhere to the grant of full religious freedom as laid down in the draft Constitution?

I have been informed that there is a desire in certain quarters for a declaration in the sense stated. It is not the intention of His Majesty's Government to vary the pro-

visions of the draft Constitution on the subject.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, in pursuance to the reply to question No. 126 of 15th December last, if he will state what is the number of appointments to Governorships and senior positions in the Colonies and Protectorates filled during the last ten years by gentlemen who had not served in the lower positions of the Colonial Service?

The following is the list of gentlemen who have been appointed to Governorships and Colonial Secretaryships (or corresponding posts) in the Colonies and Protectorates during the last ten years, and who have not served in the lower posts of the Colonial Service: