asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has received any communication from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce on the depreciation of the rupee below 2s.; and whether he can now make any further statement on the action which the Government is taking or proposes to take to improve the rate of exchange?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given yesterday to the hon. and gallant Member for North Kensington.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the Indian Government is officially endeavouring to establish or assist a factory for bobbin making; if so, why such a matter cannot be left to private enter prise; and whether he is aware of the possible effect of such official competition on British trade?

My hon. Friend no doubt refers to a factory opened near Bareilly by the Government of the United Provinces with the object of testing on a commercial scale the suitability of Indian woods for the manufacture of bobbins. Private enterprise has hitherto failed to manufacture bobbins in India, but the experience gained at Bareilly, and the training facilities created, will, I understand, be placed freely at the disposal of manufacturers who contemplate the establishment of bobbin factories in India.

It is the intention of the Government of India and Provincial Governments to do all in their power to develop Indian resources and manufactures—a policy which, I am convinced, is in the best interests of India and the Empire.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has received a memorial regarding the pensions paid to members of the covenanted Civil Service; and whether any and, if so, what action has been taken thereon?

The memorial to which my hon. Friend presumably refers has been received and is now under consideration. I am awaiting an expression of the views of the Government of India, which they have been asked to expedite.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to paid agitation proceeding in the Indian coal-mining distrcts; whether the Government of India has traced the source from which the requisite funds proceed, and is taking such steps as it can to discourage agitation, which, resulting in dearer coal, must also result in delay in the industrial development of India?

I have received information that a general strike, said to be political in its origin, is threatened in the coalfields. The Government of India are dealing with the situation and promise to report developments.

Can anything be done to restrain two or three Parsees who, having forsaken money-making for mischief-making, are busily occupied in agitation in India?

I am not aware of the accuracy of my hon. Friend's description, but I understand that there are two cases in the High Courts.

asked the Secretary of State for India what steps the Government of India is taking, in view of Mr. Gandhi's movement, to ensure free access to the polling booths in the elections for the new councils?

The elections to all the new councils must now be practically com- pleted, and from the information that I have received it appears that no difficulty was experienced by intending voters except in Lahore and Amritsar. Local Governments had directed district officers to take adequate but unobtrusive police precautions and had given wide publicity to the provisions of the recently enacted law imposing penalties for the use of undue influence, which includes threatening. It is clear from the report of the election difficulties in the Punjab, which I have just received, that armed police were protecting the polling places and officials in Lahore.

Are those who are interfering with polling rights in the Punjab the same gentlemen who were responsible for the rebellion and trouble some years ago?

I do not know. I understand that there are several prosecutions for offences against the electoral law.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has had any further news as to the capture or release of the two British soldiers by the Zakka Khel tribe in October last?

The Government of India inform me that the two soldiers were released on the 5th November.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has any further information as to the commencement of the Khyber Railway; and whether the rail is to be continued through the pass on a broad gauge?

I have inquired but have not yet heard whether construction has actually begun. The railway is to be of the standard Indian 5 feet 6 inches gauge.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the proposed entry of pensioners, chief petty officers, and petty officers (gunners' mates or torpedo gunners' mates) as instructors, recently announced by Admiralty letters, will in any way affect the promotion of existing ratings; whether they will assume superiority in instruction over active service ratings; and will he arrange that, whilst making the appointment of pensioners where necessary to fill the temporary vacancies, he will safeguard ordinary promotion from the ranks?

The entry of pensioner chief petty officers and petty officers will in no way affect the promotion of existing active service ratings. The sole reason for entering these men is that there are insufficient active service candidates passed and qualified for advancement to fill the existing vacancies. When there are sufficient, the pensioners will be discharged, and meantime the promotion of active service ratings will proceed as fast as fully qualified candidates are obtained. The pensioner instructors will assume the position due to their rating on re-entry and will be on the same footing as active service ratings as regards their instructional duties.

asked the Secretary of the Admiralty if there is any shortage of experienced seamen suitable in all respects for advancement to the rank of petty officer; if there be a shortage, if such shortage-is due to the inadequate pay offered to a petty officer; and if it is proposed to readmit petty officers who have retired recently and petty officers invalided out for slight eye or other troubles provided they are now in good health?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second part in the negative. In consequence of the War, however, and of the temporary shortage of schoolmasters, many of the experienced leading seamen have not been able to qualify educationally for petty officer. Some of these will be given the acting rate, pending an opportunity of study. With regard to the third part of the question, these proposals will not be adopted as a general policy, but some pensioners are being employed temporarily.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty on what date was Captain Harper and his staff appointed to write an account of the Battle of Jutland; on what date did these appointments lapse; what was the total cost of Captain Harper's Report, including the pay of Captain Harper and all the staff concerned with the production of this Report; and what use has been made, or is it proposed to make, of Captain Harper's Report?

Captain Harper was appointed for this duty on the 7th February, 1919, and was employed specially on it until the 31st July, 1919, when he became Director of Navigation and continued to supervise the compilation of the Record in addition to the ordinary duties of his office. Five officers have at various times assisted Captain Harper: the periods of their employment being as follow:—

Why has it not been made available to the Royal Navy Staff?

I never said that it was not available to the Royal Navy Staff.

Will the hon. and gallant Gentleman indicate to what portion he refers when he says that a portion of it will be laid before Parliament?

I think the Noble Lord would be wise to wait and see the Paper.

Has it been made available yet to the Royal Navy Staff?

I cannot say.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the instructions issued by the Admiralty to the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, prior to the battle of Jutland, have been supplied to the Royal Naval Staff College for the use of officer-students and their instructors?

I must refer the hon. and gallant Member to previous answers on the subject of the supply of documents to the Staff College. I may add, however, that there were no instructions issued by the Admiralty to the Commander-in-Chief prior to the battle which could be of use to the Staff College.

Seeing that very important instructions were issued by their Lordships regarding the preservation of the Fleet, is it not absolutely necessary that they should be put into the hands of any student studying the battle and its lessons?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty are aware of any Report by Von Hipper, the German admiral commanding their battle cruisers, on the battle of Jutland; if so, have they a copy of it; and will a translation of this be added to the Papers which are already produced for publication?

The Admiralty are aware of the existence of such a Report, but as it has not yet been published even in Germany, it is not possible to add it to the Papers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the official record of the battle of Jutland, which has been drawn up by Captain Harper and which is to be handed to Sir Julian Corbett, is to be in the exact form which has been concurred in by both Admirals of the Fleet, Viscount Jellicoe and Earl Beatty; and will Sir Julian Corbett have permission to publish it in this form in his official history?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will reconsider the decision not to publish the official record of the battle of Jutland, which has been drawn up by Captain Harper, and which he has on several occasions promised should be published; whether, if on reconsideration it is published, the record will be in the form finally concurred in by both Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe and Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty; and whether, if not published, this work of Captain Harper and his associates is to be destroyed or is to be preserved at the Admiralty, accompanied by any correspondence, written comments, or editorial notes which may have from time to time been made by the admirals concerned?

All the material, including Captain Harper's record, will be placed at Sir Julian Corbett's disposal, and this undertaking will be interpreted in the widest possible way. The Admiralty have no control over the use which Sir Julian Corbett makes of his material, and, therefore, so far as they are concerned, it is open to him to publish the material in whatever form he thinks proper.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether it is the case that, although this record is handed to Sir Julian Corbett, the Admiralty refuses all responsibility as to what he publishes?

All we possess in regard to what I have enumerated will be handed to Sir Julian. We have no control over him after that.

Will the book published by Sir Julian Corbett be regarded as the Official Naval History of the War?

I am not quite certain of the terms under which Sir Julian was asked to write the history of the War. He was asked to do so by the Committee of Imperial Defence, and not by the Admiralty.

Are the Admiralty going to allow these counter publications without any revision whatever? Can Sir Julian publish what he likes?

I understand that the Committee of Imperial Defence, when it entered into the agreement, imposed certain conditions, but I am not quite sure what they are.

Is it clear that the record of Sir Julian Corbett will have been concurred in by both Admiral Beatty and Admiral Jellicoe?

I think I am right in saying that is so, but I will inquire to make sure.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the number of destroyers building for each of the principal naval Powers?

Six destroyers are in course of completion for Great Britain. The destroyers actually under construction for other Powers are as follow:—

According to the principles of the League of Nations, should there not be a reduction simultaneously with other Powers?

I could not catch the gist of the hon. Member's question.

Is the number of destroyers we are building based on the reduction foreshadowed by the League of Nations, and should there not be a reduction in the naval standard?

That is rather a nebulous question.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the number of light cruisers over the speed and under the speed of 23 knots in full commission, in commission in reserve, the number paid off, the number scrapped since the Armistice, and the number building?

The numbers are as follows: In each case the first figures refer to vessels with a speed of 23 knots and over, and the second to vessels with a speed of under 23 knots:

Does the number in full commission include the light cruiser the " High Flyer " on the East India Station?

I would rather have notice of that question in order to make quite sure.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the number of submarines building for each of the principal naval Powers?

Nine submarines are in course of completion for Great Britain. The numbers in the case of other Powers, according to the latest official information are approximately as follow:

Does the right hon. Gentleman not think it is a wicked waste of money for countries to compete with each other in the building of these ships?

That is a question of general policy.

Is it not the case that instead of competition on our part it is the other way, seeing that the proportions are 6 to 63 and 9 to 53 as compared with the United States?

I think hon. Members may rest assured that all this is borne in mind by the Admiralty.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether a Committee of experts and scientists has been set up to consider the future design of war vessels for the British Navy in the light of the experi- ence gained in the War; whether all the members of the Committee are free from administrative naval work at the Admiralty; who are the members of the Committee; and whether they will report to the Committee of Imperial Defence as well as to their Lordships?

A Committee of naval officers was set up last year to report, in the light of war experience, on the general design of ships. The Committee presented its Report in March, 1920. The members of this Committee were free from administrative naval work at the Admiralty. Beyond this no other Committee has been set up.

Has the Committee which is to report to the Committee of Imperial Defence yet been set up? Have the Admiralty nominated their members?

The Committee in question have already reported to the Admiralty, which is in full possession of the information contained in their Report.

Is it quite clear as regards the policy of building that the Committee of Imperial Defence will settle the question as advised by the Admiralty, and when the policy has been settled the Admiralty will set up a committee of scientists and experts to consider technical details?

I think that is practically what will happen.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state the exact purpose for which a Technical Committee was set up by the Admiralty on 22nd December, 1904; and whether the vital question now before the country as to the value of capital ships in future warfare is a question of policy which could not, therefore, be remitted to a Committee similarly constituted?

The functions of the Committee on Designs which was appointed in 1904 are best described in their terms of reference, which are as follow:

"The Board of Admiralty have decided on the leading features of five types of vessels, and wish the Committee to assist the Board with their advice upon each type.

2. It must be clearly understood that it is no part of the function or purpose of the Committee to relieve the Director of Naval Construction of his official responsibility.

3. The Committee is to consider itself an advisory body of great value to the Board of Admiralty in consequence of the large and varied experience of its members, whose association with the Board of Admiralty in the consideration of new types of vessels containing so many novel features will lend great weight to the decisions arrived at.

4. The distinctive characteristics of these five types which are to be considered by the Committee are enumerated in the accompanying statement."

This Committee sat under the presidency of the late Lord Fisher, and it should be noted that not only the types but the leading features of the projected vessels had been decided by the Admiralty before the appointment of the Committee. The answer to the last part of the question is in the affirmative.

May I ask whether, in reference to the Committee of Naval Experts which has been set up, the Admiralty will consider the question of recalling the Committee and adding to it the best technical experts of the country?

I think my hon. and gallant Friend may well leave us to settle that.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the pensions of boys at the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich are taken by the school authorities when the boys are in residence; if such is the case, does the acquisition of these extra moneys release a corresponding sum from the Greenwich funds; and could the sum so released be set apart for paying fares in the event of the Transport Department declining to accede to any request for railway passes?

The pensions of boys who are admitted to the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, are not paid to Greenwich Hospital. The other points raised in the hon. Member's question, therefore, do not arise.

Will these boys' fares be paid to the school or not?

I have said the pensions are not paid to the Greenwich Hospital.

I am asking as to the fares.

That is answered in the next question.

I see. I beg pardon.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the parents are being asked to send the railway fares to the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich, and that unless the fares are sent the boys will have to spend their Christmas holidays at the school; whether he is aware that the return fare to Devonport and Plymouth amounts to 34s., an impossible sum for a War widow to pay unless she allocates her pension for the purpose, and so leaves herself and family without the means of subsistence; and whether he can see his way to approach the Transport Department with the suggestion that these boys be given free railway passes for the Christmas holidays?

The facts are as stated by the hon. Member. Both the Transport Department and the railway authorities have already been approached with a view to the boys of the Greenwich Royal Hospital School being allowed to travel at reduced fares, and a concession has been granted; boys up to 15 years of age will be allowed to travel at half-fares for the Christmas holidays.

May I make a personal explanation. The order in which I handed my two questions in at the Table has been reversed by the Clerk at the Table.

I will reverse the hon. Member's questions in future.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the final Resolution of the Inter-Port Welfare Conference at Devonport?

As the answer is a long one, I propose to have it printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The following is the answer:

The final Resolution of the Inter-Port meeting at Devonport was as follows:

asked the Prime Minister (1) whether he is aware that the Field Service Regulations, 1920, issued by the General Staff, lay down that the chief of the Imperial General Staff is responsible to the Imperial Government for advice upon all questions of military policy affecting the security of the Empire; whether the chief of the naval staff is in a precisely similar position in regard to responsibility for naval policy to the Government, with similar direct access to the Government; and whether the constitution of the Admiralty in the form laid down by the Order in Council of 1872 is an obstacle to conceding as full a measure of responsibility and power to the Chief of the Naval Staff as to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff?

(2) whether he is aware that the Field Service Regulations of the Army lay down that the Chief of the Imperial General Staff is charged with the preparation in peace time of plans of offensive and defensive operations, together with the estimates of the forces required for their execution against any Power or combination of Powers with which the Empire, either alone or in co-operation with other Powers, might be brought into contact; whether the naval programme, now under inquiry, was prepared in like manner by the Naval Staff with the full responsibility of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Earl Beatty, or whether it is a programme for which the responsibility is shared by the civilian members and heads of Departments who are members of the Board; and if the latter is the case, whether the time has come to alter a system which has no relation to efficient preparations for War?

The positions of the Chief of Imperial General Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff are analogous. The inquiry to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers is no doubt that mentioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but this is not an inquiry into particular Estimates, but into the general naval position.

asked the Minister of Labour which of the borough councils in London are not as yet on the King's Roll; and will he state what replies he has had to representations made to them upon the subject?

asked the Minister of Labour the names of the borough councils in London which are already on the King's Roll of Honour?

The borough councils already on the King's Roll are as follows: Battersea, Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Camberwell, Chelsea, Deptford, Finsbury, Greenwich, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Holborn, Islington, Kensington, Paddington, Poplar, St. Pancras, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stepney, Stoke Newington, Wandsworth, Westminster, and Woolwich. There remain five borough councils. Four of these, I am informed, have got the matter under consideration; either it is waiting to come before the council or before the general purposes committee. As the bodies in question will not be meeting, in most cases, for a week or so—in one case, not until the New Year—I would prefer to leave the matter at that for the present. In the case of the fifth, the matter is, I understand, being considered, not in respect of the employés of the council as a whole, but by departments. This is not entirely satisfactory, and I am writing to the council again.

May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman does not consider that the question of unemployment is of extreme urgency, and whether he will see that the greatest possible pressure is brought to bear on the outstanding borough councils to force them to give work and to put themselves on the King's Roll at the earliest possible moment?

I agree as to the gravity and urgency of unemployment at present. We are doing all that we can to induce the local authorities to qualify on the King's Roll, and I have every hope that London will have all its borough councils on the King's Roll in a very short time.

Would it not act as a slight tonic if we were given the names of those who are not on the Roll?

I said last week that I would prefer to leave it for a week or two, and only to give the names of those who are on the Roll, as I have just done. If my hon. Friend would put down that question a little later, if I fail, it might be useful.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think it time that the Government itself should begin to find employment—

Having regard to the Government record, I do not think that that is a fair retort.

That is not the point of my question at all. The point is whether it is not time the Government themselves should formulate proposals for giving direct employment to ex-service men.

The questions on the Paper refer to the King's Roll."

asked the Minister of Labour whether the negotiations with the building trades unions which have been in progress for the past 16 months to allow dilution so that at least 50,000 unemployed ex-service men may be employed in the building of urgently needed houses for the working classes have now been completed; whether there are at least 65,000 fewer skilled men in the building industry than there were in 1914; and whether he will assure the House that, in the event of an agreement not being arrived at between the Government and the trades unions before the House rises, the Government will themselves take such steps as may be necessary to secure the employment of these men in the building of houses, especially having regard to the prevailing distress which is being occasioned by their prolonged unemployment by reason of trade union regulations which they have been unable to comply with owing to the fact that they were fighting for their country?

I agree with my hon. Friend that in this very urgent matter discussion has been long protracted, and that in view of the very serious unemployment, especially amongst ex-service men, the matter must now be brought to a final conclusion. We are, therefore, asking representatives of the building trade operatives to meet us on Monday next, when we shall lay before them the definite and final proposals of the Government. Until we hear the result of that meeting, I prefer not to say what action the Government will take in the event of refusal. But the Government have come to the conclusion that no further delay in this matter is possible.

Are we to understand that on Monday next these negotiations will be finally concluded, and that no further discussion will take place, so that, after Monday, steps can be taken one way or the other to secure employment for these men, whose hearts are sick with long deferred hope?

My hon. Friend will have noted what I said, namely, that when we meet them on Monday next, we shall put before them the definite and final proposals of the Government.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Building Trades Federation agreed to accept something like 25,000 men of the age of 26 in the bricklaying, plastering and slating trades; and is it not a fact that at a meeting on the 3rd November there was a Government promise to give a reply on the 8th November, but that from that day to this they have not received one single line?

Before the right hon. Gentleman replies, may I ask whether, assuming my hon. Friend's facts to be accurate—

I have them here.

I have no doubt that they are accurate. Assuming them to be accurate, will the right hon. Gentleman inform the House why the Government should accept dilution to the extent of only 25,000 when the building trades are 65,000 short as compared with the pre-War period, and when there is five times the amount of building to be done?

Can the right hon. Gentleman inform the House whether in the proposals which the Government will submit, and which, I hope, will be accepted, he can guarantee to provide employment for 50,000 ex-service men, as stated in the question?

That is our hope and expectation. We really must find work for these men, and we propose to do so.

May I ask whether the-Government are prepared to give to the building trades a guarantee that, if the trade is flooded with this army of men, they will be found employment when there is a shortage in the building trade?

Can the right hon. Gentleman give the House some idea as to what these definite proposals are?

I am sure that my hon. Friend, as a trade union representative, will understand that the proposals should be put in the first instance before the trade unions concerned.

Will building be allowed by private contractors?

I do not know that that arises, but I hope we shall not preclude the possibility by controversial statements now.

asked the Minister of Labour if he means to make boarding schools, which are classed as private houses for the purpose of making them pay inhabited house duty at the highest rate, take out unemployment books for their domestic servants, on the plea that such servants are not in the service of private householders; how does he pro pose to deal with domestic servants leaving employment in boarding schools for smaller private houses, or vice versa; and whether he can see his way to exclude from the operation of the Unemployment Insurance Act such schools in which the teachers are granted £30 extra in cash per annum for the special purpose of taking out endowment policies against their old age requirements?

Formal application has been made for a decision under Section 10 of the Unemployment Insurance Act as to the insurability of certain classes of domestic employment in boarding schools, and a decision will be published shortly. Certain classes of teachers are excluded from the Act by paragraphs ( e ) and ( f ) of Part II of the First Schedule, but there is no power to exclude teachers on the ground that £30 per annum extra is paid for the purpose of taking out endowment policies. In any event, teachers who receive a rate of remuneration exceeding in value £250 per annum are excepted from the provisions of the Act.

Will the right hon. Gentleman kindly say what he means by "shortly"?

There should be no delay. I will communicate with my hon. Friend directly I am able.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called, in view of the number of unemployed in London at the present time, to the proposal of the unemployed committee of the London County Council that all persons now unemployed and who were bonâ-fide in employment for not less than 12 weeks during the year previous to 8th November, 1920, should be entitled to a minimum of eight weeks' unemployment benefit during the year from November, 1920, to November, 1921, irrespective of the amount contributed; those already entitled to the same or a longer benefit under any of the existing schemes would receive the amount to which they were entitled; those who were entitled to two or three weeks would have the amount made up to eight, while those who were entitled to nothing would also receive eight weeks, and suggesting that the cost of financing same should be charged to the central fund; and whether he will consider the proposal and ask his Department, if possible, to put it in hand forthwith?

My attention has been called to the Report of the Special Committee on Unemployment to the London County Council, which I propose to bring to the notice of the Cabinet Unemployment Committee. As regards the proposal that unemployment benefit should be paid irrespective of contributions, I have already stated that I have no power to modify the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Act in this respect. I would remind my hon. Friend that if a man works short time—indeed, if he is bonâ-fide employed even for one day in each of four weeks, and has accordingly paid four contributions—he is qualified for benefit under the Act.

asked the Prime Minister whether steps are being taken to study the measures now being considered and taken for dealing with the unemployment question in the United States and in Canada?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The latest official reports I have received concerning unemployment in Canada and the United States of America contain no reference to any special measures as being either in operation or under consideration for dealing with unemployment. I am, however, in correspondence with the International Labour Office at Geneva, which is now charged with the collection and distribution of such information, and will communicate the result of my inquiries to my hon. Friend as soon as possible. In the meantime, I should be glad of any information as to the action taken or contemplated in the United States and Canada which he has in mind.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that certain steps have been taken at the dockyards with regard to unemployment?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will give me details?

( by Private Notice ) asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the extremely serious state of unemployment at Wigston, Whetstone, Blaby, Countesthorpe, Fleckney, Kibworth, and the surrounding villages in the county of Leicestershire; whether he is aware that hundreds of unemployed men, many of whom are ex-service men, are compelled to tramp from eight to nine miles three times a week to report at the Employment Exchange at Leicester or Market Harborough; whether he is aware that the men are in a low physical condition as a result of their hardships and are not able to walk such distances in the present inclement weather without undue strain; and whether, having regard to the size of the population involved, and to the whole of the circumstances, he will make arrangements for the men to be registered in their own neighbourhoods?

I greatly regret to hear the statement of my hon. Friend. The men register at the nearest Exchange to them. If this involves, as it may do in remote districts, journeys such as my hon. Friend describes—not eight or nine miles each way, I think—I will at once issue instructions so that their registration may be covered with considerably less hardship to themselves than is apparently, in such cases as he quotes, at present the case.

Would the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of selecting as the most convenient centre?

I certainly will do what is necessary to obviate a walk of several miles. It is not, however, a case of walking eight or nine miles each way, as has been suggested. There is great hardship involved, and I will make registration possible with the least possible hardship.

Would the right hon. Gentleman state whether, before the Adjournment of the House, we can have an opportunity of discussing the whole question of unemployment?

That is a matter for the Leader of the House.

Then I ask the Leader of the House?

I am afraid I do not see any opportunity of taking it on a special day, but I think it would be very suitable to raise the question on the Consolidated Fund Bill.

Will the Leader of the House or the Prime Minister make a statement on the Consolidated Fund Bill or on the Motion for the Adjournment, and give this House an opportunity of debating the question of unemployment? Will the right hon. Gentleman have some programme put before the House before we adjourn to satisfy us that in the next two or three months the Government intend to do something?

I am afraid that question shows that the hon. Member has not followed the proceedings of the House. It has been stated very clearly what we have already done. If the opportunity arises we shall be ready to state that again.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the House is not satisfied with what the Government have done, and that the problem is still more acute now than it was a month ago, when the Government started their somewhat futile efforts?

I am aware that the problem is more acute, and is as serious as one could describe, but to say that the House is not satisfied is another matter.

Is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to consider the possibility during the next three months of utilising some of the big camps in the country for giving warmth, accommodation, and food to the vast armies of unemployed in the various districts?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that up to the present all that has been done has been due to the promptitude of the Ministry of Transport, but that has only dealt with one section of labour, and there is un-dealt with a very large body of men not fit for that class of work?

Hon. Members must give notice of some of these questions.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a deputation of building operatives have visited certain houses in course of erection in Twickenham Road, Isleworth, and have found that the floors are being laid and stairs are being fixed before the roofs are tiled; that some of the stair-treads are only nailed instead of being trenched; that felt is being used on the roofs in place of lead; and that the work in general is worse than that of the old-time jerry-builders; and whether he will have investigations made into the matter?

I have had the houses referred to inspected, and I am informed that the hon. Member's question does not correctly state the facts. I will send him a copy of the information which I have received.

Will the right hon. Gentleman meet some of the members of the deputation?

I shall be glad to have any information that the hon. Member has.

May I ask whether there is any substance whatever in the statements contained in the question?

I believe that the amount of substance in the statements is infinitesimal, but I will give my hon. Friend the information if I have it.

Will the right hon. Gentleman kindly send me a copy, as the same facts have been put before me?

Certainly.

asked the First Commissioner of Works the names of the various places where his Department are carrying out housing schemes, the number of houses at each place, and the number of men and staff employed in each scheme for the week ending 20th November last?

With the hon. Member's permission, I will have the information printed in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

The following is the information referred to:

asked the Prime Minister whether the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) sits regularly to hear petitions, grievances, and representations from parties with public and vested interests to be considered; can he state what person or persons, or officers, or State servants, are in authority under the Board, together with a statement of salaries, functions, and powers of such persons or officers; and what control this House has over the Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) officers and present restrictions?

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. Representations of the nature indicated in the first paragraph of the question are dealt with both at the meetings of the Central Control Board, which take place as occasion requires, and also in the course of its current work, which, like that of other Boards and Departments, is performed through the machinery of an administrative staff. I suggest that it is unreasonable to ask me to give a list of the administrative staff of a Department, with details of their names, salaries, and functions. The money required for salaries and other expenses is voted by the House on Estimates annually presented to them in the usual form.

May I ask why the right hon. Gentleman cannot give the statement?

It is rather long; but I will give my hon. Friend any information that he desires.

Can he give to the House the attendances of the members of the Board?

I will see.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is aware of the proposal to transfer the arms from General Wrangel's forces to the Polish Government; whether these arms are to a large extent the British arms supplied to General Denikin; and whether the British Government proposes to allow the transfer, which can only have the effect of furthering Polish designs on the peace of Eastern Europe?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; the second and third parts, therefore, do not arise.

asked the Prime Minister if His Majesty's Government will consider the desirability of revising the Turkish Treaty, in order to make it conform to the pledges given by him on the 5th January, 1918, and subsequently confirmed by him in the House of Commons, when he stated that we were not fighting to deprive the Turks of the rich and renowned lands of Asia Minor an3 Thrace, which are predominantly Turkish in race? No doubt, owing to inadvert- ence, the date I put down when the Prime Minister confirmed what he had previously said has been left out.

I cannot add anything to previous answers given to my hon. Friend on this subject.

Is there any object in continuing to offend our friendly Mohammedan fellow-subjects for the sake of the ungrateful Greeks?

There is no object in continuing to offend anyone.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has received a memorial signed by Manchester firms and companies, who are the largest manufacturers and distributors of cotton goods throughout the world, appealing to be heard by him before the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Bill is allowed to become law; whether he is aware that this appeal has since been signed by many hundreds of other firms of manufacturers and merchants, representing every section of the cotton trade, and that it accords with the formally declared views of all the labour organisations concerned; is he aware that a state of unparalleled depression exists in the cotton trade; and will he consent to hear the views of responsible leaders of labour and capital in the said trade before a Bill is made law which they regard as likely to be harmful to trade and employment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In view of the length of time during which the policy of His Majesty's Government, now embodied in the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Bill, has been before the country, and the fact that this Bill passed the Second Reading by a very large majority and is now under consideration by a Standing Committee of this House on which the questions raised in the memorial are being pressed by Members supporting the point of view of the memorialists, I do not think any very useful purpose would be served by the suggestion contained in the last part of the question.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that the bad sanitary conditions in factories and workshops are largely due to the insufficient drainage system in many areas, for which the local authorities are responsible, he will urge upon the local authorities the necessity of adopting improved standards and of giving employment to their unemployed men by schemes to remedy their defective systems?

As stated in my reply to the Noble Lord on 1st December, I am in communication with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the question what action can be taken to improve the sanitary condition of factories, and I will bear in mind the suggestion made by the Noble Lord.

Has the Ministry of Health any power to contribute to schemes of drainage which have the dual purpose of finding employment for the unemployed and improving drainage?

Drainage is a public health duty cast upon local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health whether, having regard to the decision of the Cabinet that the time is not opportune for initiating or putting into operation any reforms which involve further burdens on the rates, and that schemes involving expenditure not yet in operation are to remain in. abeyance, he proposes to take the necessary steps, by legislation or otherwise, to postpone all inquiries into extension schemes under Section 54 of the Local Government Act, 1888, until such time as the conditions which led to the Cabinet's decision have ceased to prevail?

In so far as I am legally empowered to do so, I will certainly take steps to discourage applications by local authorities involving expenditure which there is any reason to suppose is unnecessary. But in view of my statutory obligations, I am not competent to give any such general undertaking as my hon. Friend suggests, and I do not think such undertaking is implied in the statement made by my right hon. Friend.

Does the right hon. Gentleman overlook the fact that I suggested in my question that this must be done by legislation, and is he not aware that this House would welcome any proposals from him for limiting or reducing expenditure on these subjects?

I have made definite and specific proposals to the authorities concerned in this case, and none of them seemed inclined to abate their desire to spend the ratepayers' money. At this stage of the Session it is quite impossible to make any proposals for legislation.

Is it any use the right hon. Gentleman's Department promoting any more legislation in view of what happened yesterday?

I am not going to be deterred from doing what I think is right.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the proposals he made were utterly inadequate and quite useless for the purpose?

They may have been inadequate from the hon. Member's point of view, but they would have saved vast sums of the ratepayers' money.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can now name a definite date for the introduction of the promised Bill for the purpose of carrying out the recommendations of the Depart mental Committee on the Dentists Act, 1878?

I hope to introduce the Bill on Monday next, in order that it may be printed.

asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that retailers of flour have been subject to a very severe loss owing to the action of his Depart- ment in reducing flour by 4s. per sack; and whether he intends to refund that amount per sack on the stocks they held?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Morpeth on the 8th instant.

Is the hon. Baronet aware that in some instances the losses reached as much as £200 on the stocks they held and will he not under those circumstances make some recompense to retailers who had such large stocks?

Was a circular issued from the Food Ministry to all retailers just prior to the reduction in the cost of this flour, and incidentally sugar also, telling them to get stocks in because of the coal strike, and seeing that some traders were at a loss of not £200, but £700, can something be done to compensate them?

The issue of the circular in the second supplementary question long ante-dated the last reduction. With reference to the first supplementary I cannot admit that the ordinary risks of a falling market ought to fall on the Government.

Has not the Ministry already promised that special cases of special losses will be considered?

In the case of wholesalers, yes.

Not of retailers?

Why should there be a distinction between wholesalers and retailers who are holding stocks?

In announcing the reduction the Minister was careful to explain that the public must expect the retailers to have some time before reducing the price of bread to work off their stocks. That does not apply to wholesalers.

Is it not a fact that retailers suffered in the reduction more than the wholesalers did in proportion?

No.

asked the Minister of Food what is the quantity of bacon which has been sold for industrial purposes or shipped to the continent for such purposes since control was re-imposed on 9th August, 1919; what is the total loss on bacon not so disposed of, but on which allowances were made or which was sold at less than the control price since 9th August, 1919; are all the stocks of bacon requisitioned at that date now disposed of; and, if not, what quantity is still in stock?

With regard to the first two parts of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to the hon. Member for Plaistow and the hon. Member for the Wirral Division, on 22nd March and 23rd March respectively. All stocks of bacon requisitioned at 9th August, 1919, have been disposed of.

asked the Minister of Food what was the quantity of bacon bought by the Ministry in America under their policy of long distance buying in the beginning of this year; what were the price or prices paid for this bacon; has this bacon now all been shipped to this country; and, if not, what quantity is still to be shipped?

This information would be of the utmost value to market operators in America at the present moment, and I am not prepared to give it so long as the Government are still buyers.

asked the Minister of Food if he is now in a position to state what is the total quantity of foodstuffs stored in the Middlesbrough area, giving full particulars of the quantities on the Tyne and Tees Shipping Company's wharf warehouses there; how long the bulk of the materials has been in stock, the date of the last deliveries into store, the total amounts cleared since 30th June last, and the condition of the materials now in stock; and will he state to whom the coffee belongs which is stored alongside the Ministry's foodstuffs if it does not belong to the Ministry?

I am unable to give a detailed statement of all the stocks of foodstuffs held in the area referred to by the hon. Member, but the only stocks held by the Ministry of Food consist of 20 tons of butter and a certain quantity of flour, part of which is stored in the Tyne and Tees Shipping Company's Wharf and Warehouses at Middlesbrough. This flour is part of the emergency reserve to which I referred in the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for Bournemouth on the 13th inst. It is regularly inspected, and the most recent reports as to its condition are satisfactory. The Ministry have no coffee stocks there or elsewhere.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that some of this flour has been there for some years. There are 19,000 sacks, and in the meantime a large quantity has been brought over from Liverpool at great extra expense, whereas this flour in an unsaleable condition is now in stock in Liverpool?