asked the Prime Minister if he has received a resolution passed by the Newcastle-upon-Tyne War Pensions Committee at their last meeting stating their opinion that the limit of assistance which could be rendered by local authorities and private employers of labour in connection with the provision of suitable employment for unemployed disabled ex-service men had now been reached, and urging the Government to take immediate steps to house, maintain and provide with suitable employment all disabled ex-service men who, through their disability or other cause beyond their control, have not yet been absorbed into the various industries of the nation; and if he will say whether the Government concur in the view therein expressed and will give effect to the proposals made?

I have been asked to reply to this question. On the evidence before me, I cannot agree that the limit of assistance which can be rendered by local authorities and private employers in this matter has yet been reached. There is, I am glad to say, still a continuous increase in the number of local authorities and private firms who are helping, through the medium of the National Scheme for the Employment of Disabled Ex-Service Men.As to local authorities, the results are not even yet very satisfactory, although there has been considerable recent improvement. I understand that one month ago the position in England and Wales was that 382 local authorities had been enrolled, out of a total of 2,514 (excluding parish councils). In Scotland, the total number of county and municipal authorities which had adopted the scheme was 25, out of 236 (excluding parish councils, etc.). With the concurrence and support of my right hon. Friends the Minister of Health and the Secretary for Scotland, I have recently appealed to local authorities, urging upon them that, particularly in view of the considerable influence which they are able to exercise within their respective districts, they should not only enrol under the National Scheme, but do everything thew can to secure that the question of the employment of disabled men is taken up in each locality with all possible vigour. Up to date, additional undertakings have been received, bringing the total of local authorities covered in England and Wales up to 430, whilst applications are being considered in other cases.As regards employers generally, there was a further material increase in the number of firms on the National Roll between the beginning of June—when 16,989 firms were on the Roll—and the 30th July, when the figure was 18,975. The number of disabled men employed by these firms at the beginning of June was 140,759, which number had increased on the 30th July to 176,889.It is clear that there is still a great opportunity for all classes of employers working together to remove the disabled ex-service men entirely from the category of the unemployed, and I desire to associate myself in this matter most completely with the appeals on this subject which have been made recently by Field Marshal Earl Haig and others.As indicating the attitude of the Government on the matter, I may refer to the facts that the name of His Majesty's Treasury has now been placed on the Roll on behalf of Government Departments and also on behalf of Government industrial establishments, while the percentage of disabled men employed by Government Departments is, in actual practice, considerably higher than the minimum necessary under the National Scheme.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that Holland has refused extradition of the ex-Kaiser, the Supreme Council will summon him for trial, and, in the event of his nonappearance, will arrange that he shall be tried in his absence, so that the promise that the ex-Kaiser will be tried in London may be fulfilled?

The Government are not prepared to adopt this suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Manchester Regiment, recently stationed at Tekrit, were engaged in the recent fighting in the neigbourhood of Hillah; if so, whether the whole of the battalion were engaged, or if part of the battalion remained at Tekrit; and whether he can state the number of casualties that occurred in the recent disaster to this regiment.

As I stated on 5th August in reply to the right hon. Member for Peebles (Sir D. Maclean), three companies of the Manchester Regiment were sent with the column from Hillah, and were engaged in the recent fighting in that neighbourhood. The number of casualties to the regiment so far ascertain able are four officers (including two killed), 109 other ranks (including 10 killed), and, in addition, there are 122 other ranks at present unaccounted for.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1) the numbers of the Minesweepers' Cooperative Trawlers' Society's trawlers which are to be stationed at Aberdeen, Granton, Hull, Grimsby, Lowestoft, Swansea, Fleetwood, and other ports respectively; whether it is the fact that some ports are already congested to a very serious degree; and whether the addition of these vessels to the fleet will relieve this congestion;(2) what arrangements are to be made for supplying the vessels of the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawlers' Society with ice; and is the company to build its own ice factories at any, and, if so, at which ports?

The Admiralty is not in a position to give the information asked for, as to the number of vessels which the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawling Society will work from the ports mentioned and as to other arrangements. These are matters entirely within the discretion of the society, and any request for such information should be addressed to the secretary of the society at its registered offices.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty why the detailed prospectus of the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawlers' Society was not published before 11th August, 1920?

The Minesweepers' Cooperative Trawlers' Society was not registered until 13th August. The society issued its prospectus shortly after that date.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether any and, if so, how many of the 200 trawlers to be offered to the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawling Society have been reconditioned in His Majesty's dockyards: what was the cost of reconditioning per vessel; whether tenders for reconditioning were asked for from private engineering shops; whether private engineering shops can, as a fact, carry out the work more cheaply than His Majesty's dockyards; whether, in the case of the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawling Society, the cost of the reconditioning will fall upon the society or upon the Exchequer; and whether private persons have been allowed to purchase Admiralty trawlers reconditioned at the public expense?

With regard to the first and second parts of the question, up to the present 101 of the trawlers allocated to the Minesweepers' Co-operative Trawling Society are being reconditioned in His Majesty's dockyards, in accordance with the scheme approved by the Government and announced by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty in the House of Commons on 27th October, 1919. The final cost of the work done on these vessels in the dockyards cannot yet be stated, very few actual costs being yet known, and the work being still in hand. With regard to the third and fourth parts of the question, orders have been placed with various private contractors for the reconditioning of 57 vessels. It is not possible to call for tenders beforehand for this class of work owing to the impossibility of estimating exactly the extent of the work to be done on any particular vessel. It cannot be stated as a fact that private engineering shops can carry out the work more cheaply than His Majesty's dockyards. With regard to the fifth and last parts of the question, the cost of reconditioning will fall upon the Exchequer, but this has been borne in mind in fixing the prices at which the vessels are transferred to the society. No reconditioning has been undertaken in the case of Admiralty-owned trawlers sold to private purchasers.

asked the Secretary of State for India when the honours list for the last Afghan war is to be published, particularly since this ended in November, 1919, and nothing has been issued since?

(for Mr. Montagu): The list was published in the London Gazette on 3rd August last.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can make any statement as to the progress which has been made during the holidays for extending the facilities for the training of disabled ex-service men?

At the beginning of August we had completed the training of about 25,400 men. We had about 23,800 in training. We had a waiting list of about 21,400. At the present time the number of men who had completed training is 29,000. The number in training is 25,000. The number on the waiting list is 17,200. We have available accommodation at the present time for roughly 12,000 men over and above those in training, and the provision of the necessary equipment is being pushed forward with all speed. Indeed, the number of large centres in which men are actually being trained, which was 36 at the beginning of July, and had arisen to 44 by the middle of August, is now 54.

asked the Home Secretary whether all Swedes and Norwegians who have so far visited Great Britain from Sweden and Norway since the Armistice have first had to obtain a visé from the British authorities in those countries; and, if so, why cannot he give particulars as to how many of these Swedes and Norwegians, respectively, figured on any of the Allied black lists at the British Legations at Stockholm and/or Christiania at any time during the War?

The answer to the first paragraph is in the affirmative. I could not give the figures asked for in the second paragraph without causing all the cases in question to be examined afresh and compared with all the obsolete black lists and amendments thereof issued from time to time during the War. The expenditure of time and money involved in this would, in my opinion, be entirely thrown away.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether the buildings erected during the War on that portion of Regent's Park known as Marylebone Green, are now occupied by the Aircraft Disposal Company, Ltd.; and, if so, whether any condition has been imposed upon that company for the early vacation of the buildings and the restoration of the amenities of this park?

The premises in question are occupied by the Aircraft Disposal Company, with the consent of the Minister of Munitions, subject to their surrender not later than September 12th next, when the question of their demolition will rest for decision with the Office of Works.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, since the House adjourned for the holidays, any unexpected expenditure has been incurred to vary his Budget Estimates as last presented; and whether the latest returns bear out his anticipations of revenue?

I do not think that there was anything in the situation before the coal strike to require the presentation of a revised financial statement. The strike changes the whole position, but at the same time makes it impossible to offer any revised forecast at the present time.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any decision has yet been arrived at concerning the liability for the payment of the £50,000 voted by the North Eastern Railway Company to their ex-deputy general manager?

The Treasury is still in correspondence with the North Eastern Railway in regard to this matter, and is awaiting information as to certain circumstances on which the Company is

asked the Postmaster-General whether a parcel on being weighed in a local Post Office and the amount demanded paid over the counter, the weighing should be disputed by another Post Office, and in consequence the parcel, containing essential articles for despatch abroad, is held up for a long time by the postal officials; and whether he will take steps to correct this anomaly, in view of the fact that many such parcels are being sent to men on service abroad who find it difficult to obtain essential articles of clothing, etc.?

It is not the practice of the Post Office to detain an insufficiently prepaid parcel for abroad, whether addressed to a soldier, a sailor, or a civilian, if in other respects it conforms with the regulations

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amounts were realised in 1913 and 1918, respectively, by the duty on playing cards; and, if there is any rebate on cards which are manufactured in this country and after paying duty are exported, will he show this separately so as to give the actual amount the Exchequer benefited by this tax in 1913 and 1918?

The amounts realised in the years 1913 and 1918, respectively, by the duty on playing cards are as follow:—governing the service by which it is to be despatched. If the hon. and gallant Member has in mind any case in which this practice has not been followed, I shall be glad to receive particulars, in order that inquiry may be made in the matter.

asked the Postmaster General if he is aware that no action has been taken to provide a telephone service to Llanfyllin and the large surrounding district; and if he will state when it will be possible to instal this facility?

I find that the provision of telephone service for Llanfyllin and the district would cost about £4,600, and the number of persons served would be comparatively small. It would be necessary to charge a high rental, and I think that this is one of the schemes which must be deferred for the time being.