asked the Home Secretary if, on 25th May, 1921, two workmen employed by the Shoreditch Borough Council were arrested and deported as suspected Sinn Feiners; if he will indicate the evidence against these men, in view of the fact that neither of them are of Irish birth or parentage nor have they any Irish family connections, and they have been working for the council for 13 and 10 years respectively; why the police declined to answer the inquiries of the council concerning the men as to the charges made against them; and what has become of these men?

The two men referred to were arrested and sent to Ireland some days before the 25th May for internment in Ballykinlar, where they now are. They are interned as persons who are suspected of acting or having acted or being about to act in a manner prejudicial to the restoration or maintenance of order in Ireland. A letter of protest was sent by the borough council, but no inquiries were made.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the large number of arrests and deportations of Irishmen in the neighbourhood of Nelson, Lancashire; if he will say when charges are to be made against these men; and whether these arrests could be made with the customary procedure?

The county police inform me that no Irishman has been arrested in the neighbourhood of Nelson during the whole of this year. None has been deported.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that there is a great scarcity of hotel accommodation in Cologne, and that such scarcity is largely due to the occupation by military and other officials of the principal hotels; whether the Dorn Hotel and the Hotel Excelsior are occupied by about 40 officers each, although each is capable of accommodating about 350 persons; and whether such officers can be more economically accommodated elsewhere?

I am making inquiries, and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I am in a position to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that all efforts have so far failed to extract from the paymaster, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, Warwick, the details of the debtor balance from India in the statement of accounts of Private A. E. Phillips, No. 29,357, Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, in spite of repeated applications ever since the 19th November, 1920; that Private Phillips claims that proficiency pay is due to him for the period March, 1918, to August, 1919; and that no satisfactory answer has been given to this claim; and will he have the case investigated and both claims properly I answered and met?

From the documents received, Private Phillips has received all he is entitled to. He was credited with Class II. proficiency pay during the time he was in India, and there is no evidence to confirm his statement that he is entitled to Class I. I am, however, making further inquiries regarding this, and I hope to be able to communicate the result to the hon. and gallant Member in the near future. I have also cabled to the Imperial Paymaster, Poona, specially to request the Indian authorities to take steps to expedite the despatch of a copy of the man's account, which has been repeatedly called for.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the total cost involved in erecting the aerodrome at Littlestone, in Kent; the amount paid to the owner of the land in the form of rent or compensation during the occupancy of the site by His Majesty's Government; the sum obtained from the sale of buildings erected thereon; whether the sale was by open tender; whether any additional charge was made for the granite, cement, shingle, and drain pipes used in filling dykes and otherwise, rendering the site suitable for the purposes of the aerodrome; and, if so, the amount of such additional charge?

I have been asked to reply to this question. I am informed by the Air Ministry that the cost in works and buildings services at the aerodrome at Littlestone was, approximately, £143,000 It should be borne in mind that the initial cost bears no relation to the actual market value of the buildings, but is largely accounted for by expenditure on non-productive works, such as drainage, roads and concrete aprons. The rent of the land occupied by the aerodrome was at the rate of £233 per annum. The sum obtained from the sale of the buildings and certain plant was £9,165. The sale, except in the case of the permanent buildings, was by auction, and the permanent buildings themselves were sold by private treaty after advertisement. The sale of the permanent buildings carried an indemnity against reinstatement estimated to cost £4,600. No additional charge was made for materials used in filling in dykes and otherwise, as these services formed a liability rather than an asset, and as there was no intention of using the land as an aerodrome in the future. An additional £400 was paid to the outgoing tenant for tenant right.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that John Simpson Croy, No. 267,703, Royal Engineers, died on 4th January, 1920; that this man was in receipt of a pension of 13s. 10d. per week; that on 2nd January, 1920, a letter was received by him offering him £35 to pay him off the pension list; that owing to the state of his health he was unable to sign his name, but the cheque was forwarded two months after his death and returned by his widow; that in September, 1919, this man forwarded his marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates, in order to qualify for an allowance, and no trace can be found of these certificates; that his wife has made application for a pension and has been refused; the reasons for this refusal; and whether he is prepared to have this case reviewed?

As the Pensions Appeal Tribunal have confirmed the decision that the man died of a disease which was found to have no connection with his service, I regret that the widow is ineligible for an award of pension from my Department. I am having inquiries made regarding the remainder of the question and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Pensions (1) if the continued transference of power by the Ministry from local committees to the area as shown in Circular 2,032 and previous circulars is resented by the local committees and considered by them as a violation of the powers allocated to war pensions committees and a reflection upon their integrity and the integrity of their executive officers, in so far as it assumes the incapacity of local committees to carry out the regulations as contained in the War Pensions Hand- book; will he therefore reconsider the circulars mentioned with a view to having them deleted at an early date;

(2) if local pensions committees are concerned with the increasing modifications of the arrangements that are taking place for dealing with cases arising under Article 9 of the Royal Warrant and protest against the working of the provisions of Circulars 2,002, 2,006, and 2,032, which embarrass committees; and, with a view to remedying the injustice to those whose well-being it is the function of the committees to protect, caused by these modifying circulars, will he see that they are cancelled and the procedure in vogue prior to January, 1921, be resorted to?

The issue of advances to claimants under the conditions originally laid down was an emergency measure, introduced to meet the heavy pressure of work thrown on the Department by the rapid demobilisation of the forces; and it was natural and proper that, as the position became more stabilised, these concessions should be adjusted. As indicated in the reply to a question by the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Mr. T. A. Lewis) on the 31st May, I am satisfied that the new procedure meets all reasonable requirements; and I am, therefore, unable to entertain the suggestion contained in these questions.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what was the nominal value of the investments in the Naval Savings Bank on 31st March, 1920; how much did these investments cost; and what was their market value on 31sfc March, 1920?

The figures are as follow: £ s. d. Nominal value on 31st March, 1920 479,806 17 9 Cost price 489,979 0 8 Market value on 31st March, 1920 350,328 1 7

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the date and the purport of the last official communication received from the Chinese Government on the subject of the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance; and what reply was sent to the Chinese Government memorandum of 1920 analysing the three successive alliance documents?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply returned to the hon. Member for Pontefract (Mr. Forrest) on the 13th instant, to which there is little that can usefully be added at the present stage. The hon. Member may rest assured that the representations and views of the Chinese Government, as of the various Governments and parties concerned, will receive all due consideration.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government is prepared to act upon the recommendations of the Royal Commission upon Public Records in regard to the removal of the records relating to Wales to a public depository in the principality?

The recommendations of the Royal Commission involved the establishment of new local depositories of records in England as well as in Wales. In present financial circumstances I am afraid that it is impossible to incur the expenditure which would be involved, not only on buildings and staff for the new offices, but on additional staff which would also be required, under the recommendations of the committee, at the Public Record office.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government is prepared to submit a Resolution embodying the hours of labour convention and the maternity convention to the House of Commons before 27th July, in view of the fact that, on that day, expires the time limit allowed under Article 405 in which to bring conventions before the competent authority for the enactment of legislation?

For details as to the constitutional issues involved, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the speech made by my right hon. Friend the Attorney-General during the Debate on Friday, 27th May. We are anxious, however, to give the House the fullest possible opportunity for discussion on these Conventions. Such an opportunity was afforded during the recent Debate, and, as I explained on Tuesday last, there will be a further opportunity for discussion so soon as the pressure of other business permits.

asked the Prime Minister what are the rules of retirement of officers in His Majesty's Public Record Office; and whether the age limit applies to the case of the Deputy-Keeper?

The staff of the Public Record Office, other than the Deputy-Keeper himself, are appointed by the normal procedure and under the normal conditions applicable to the Civil Service generally as to service and retirement. The Deputy-Keeper himself is, however, appointed by the Master of the Rolls with the approval of His Majesty (1 and 2 Victoria Cap. 94, Sec. 5), and is removable subject to His Majesty's approval by the Master of the Rolls.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many officers and officials in his Department at present receive salaries of £1,000 or over; and how many received such salaries in June, 1914?

Thirty-three officers and 32 civilians on the Headquarters' Staff of the Air Ministry are in receipt of salaries of £1,000 per annum or over, exclusive of bonus, where payable. The Air Ministry was not in existence in June, 1914.

asked the Prime Minister whether arrangements have been made for the examination of women desirous of entering the home Civil Service at the forthcoming open competitions announced for this summer?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the proposed regulations for the appointment of women to situations in the new classes in the home Civil Ser- vice which have been laid before the House, but which, pending discussion in the House, have not been brought into operation, save in the case of the open competition for the clerical class.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Civil Service Commissioners have been refused sanction by the Treasury to appoint a responsible woman to an administrative position in that office, whose work includes the regulation of the admission of women to the Civil Service?

No, Sir. There is no vacancy on the authorised establishment of the Commission, and the Commissioners have not asked for the creation of an administrative post with a view to filling it by the appointment of a woman.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the cost of the collection of Indian land revenue, which amounted in the year 1919–20 to £25,794,743, was £4,297,484, or, approximately, one-sixth of the net income, while the cost of collecting the remainder of the revenue, amounting to £66,159,677, was only £4,291,098, or, approximately, one-sixteenth; and why the collection of land revenue is proportionately so much higher?

The first figure quoted by my hon. Friend is the total net revenue under the account head, "1. Land Revenue, etc."; this includes land revenue proper, forests, and tributes from native States. The second figure, the cost of collection, is the sum of a large number of items which are given in detail on pages 37 to 39 of the Finance and Revenue Accounts of the Government of India for 1919–1920. This figure includes a large proportion—which is generally 70 per cent.—of the salaries of the superior officers in charge of the general administration of India, and also the cost of many subordinate officials and establishments. These officers and officials carry out many duties unconnected with the collection or assessment of land revenue. The distribution of the cost has been made, as a matter of convenience for accounts pur- poses, on an arbitrary basis; and it certainly does not now represent the actual cost of the collection of land revenue. It would be impossible, for example, to allocate with any approach to accuracy the amount, debitable to land revenue, of the salary of the district officer, whose multifarious activities cover every branch of administration in India. I would add that the apportionment of the cost of establishments in India, as between "land revenue" and "law and justice," was made many years ago, at a time when land revenue work was very much more important than it is to-day; and it is possible that, when the division was first made, it represented with a fair approach to accuracy the relative cost. Land revenue work is now a comparatively minor branch of the activities of the district officer and of his staff.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether a Committee has been appointed to examine the question of Indians in the United Kingdom; and, if so, what are the terms of the reference to such Committee and who are the members thereof?

A Committee to examine the question of Indian students in the United Kingdom has been appointed. The Committee is constituted as follows:

The right hon. the Earl of Lytton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for India ( Chairman ).

Sir Deva Prasad Sarbadhikari, C. I. E., Member of the Legislative Assembly and lately Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta.

Diwan Bahadur M. Ramachandra Rao, Member of the Legislative Council, Madras.

Mr. C. E. W. Jones, Indian Educational Service, Director of Public Instruction, North-west Frontier Province.

Sir Murray Hammick, K. C. S. I., C. I. E., Member of the Council of India.

Sahibzada Aftab Ahmed Khan, Member of the Council of India.

Mr. Ernest Barker, M. A., Principal of King's College, London.

Mr. A. P. M. Fleming, O. B. E., M. I. E. E., of the Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company, Limited.

Mr. M. N. Chatterjee, General Secretary' of the Y. M. C. A. Indian Students' Union and Hostel, London.*

Dr. S. K. Datta, Calcutta.

Miss L M. Brooks, Warden and Secretary of the London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women.

Secretaries: Mr. E. G. Howarth, of the Universities Branch of the Board of Education; and Mr. R. E. Field, of the Indian Students' Department of the Office of the High Commissioner for India.

The terms of reference to the Committee are as follows:

To report and make recommendations in regard to (1) the adequacy of existing arrangements in India for facilitating the access of Indian students to the United Kingdom, including the constitution and working of the Advisory Committees and their future relations to the Provincial Governments; (2) the extent and directions in which the Secretary of State's control should be exercised as distinct from the actual work of administration which will be entrusted to the High Commissioner; (3) details of the work to be undertaken in the United Kingdom and the relations that should be established with Universities and other institutions or bodies, or with manufacturers or commercial firms in order to provide for the admission of Indian students and the provision of any special or technical training that may be required; and (4) any other question affecting the education or well-being of Indian students in this country upon which the Committee may desire to make recommendations.

* Prevented from attending throughout the Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for India what progress has been made with the Cochin and Vizagapatam harbour schemes?

No progress has, so far as I am aware, been made with the Cochin harbour scheme. In March last the Government of Madras stated that the arrangements for financing the work were still under consideration. On the Vizagapatam harbour scheme, only preliminary arrangements such as the acquisition of land are likely to be undertaken for the present owing to the difficulty of providing the necessary capital for construction operations this year.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the recommendation of the Esher Committee, that a military council should be established to assist the Commander-in-Chief in his administrative functions has been carried out; and, if so, of whom does the council consist?

I have no official information on the subject, but am enquiring.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he is aware of the disturbing rumours current with regard to the outlook in India during the next six months; and whether the Government is taking all precautions for the safety of isolated Europeans?

I have no reason to suppose that the Government of India are under any special apprehensions regarding the outlook during the next six months. The latest information at my disposal is that the situation in India is improving. The Indian Governments may be relied upon to take any action necessary for the preservation of order.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can inform the House as to the approximate number of inland postcards despatched through the mail during the first week at the l£d. rate; and how this number compares with previous weeks?

I am sorry that it is not possible to give my hon. Friend this in- formation. Returns of the volume of postal traffic are taken for a week in the autumn or winter, and until these returns are completed I cannot give any estimate of the number of postcards passing through the post.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that Mr. C. S. Weir had a private telephone between his house and stables at Carbeth Guthrie over a distance of less than a quarter of a mile; that the said installation was made at a minimum of cost of about £5 by the late National Telephone Company, no poles being used and the wires attached to trees; that there was no through connection to the general system, it being purely a stable telephone; that the installation was perfect and never required any attention or repair; that the Post Office charged a rental of £2 17s. 6d. therefor, which has been paid for the last dozen years; that Mr. Weir has now instructed the telephone to be removed because the annual charge has been raised to £6 15s.; and that he has made a contract with a firm of electricians for an installation at a less cost than two years' of the annual rent proposed by the Post Office, for which new telephone he will have no annual rent to pay to anyone; whether there are many similar cases of loss of remunerative revenue by private telephones being removed for the same reason; whether the method of removing the said installation was as follows: a man on a motor cycle and side-car arrived to disconnect the instrument, removal, he said, was not his job, and some days later a squad of three to five men on a motor lorry arrived and lifted it thereon, leaving the wire as derelict; and whether, with a view to save expense, he will direct the use of Army mules or similar animals of unmixed blood as being more economical and suitable for Post Office transport?

The revised charges for private wires, based on the average cost of providing the service, are. 25s. per annum for each furlong of external circuit (radial measurement) and £2 per annum for each instrument. The rental actually quoted was consequently £6 10s., not £6 15s. I have no knowledge of the contract made by Mr. Weir with a firm of electricians, but apparently the quotation referred to by the hon. Member does not include maintenance. The number of subscribers giving up the service as a result of the increased charges is relatively small. I am making inquiries as to the method adopted for carrying out the removal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that a joint committee on the cost of living, a body appointed by the labour and trade union forces of the country, have issued a preliminary report of the cost of living; that the committee challenges the Minister of Labour's figures indicating the rise and fall in the cost of living since 1914; that the committee's inquiry is based on budgets of weekly family expenditure and shows that on a conservative estimate the cost of living in September, 1920, had increased 189 per cent, above that of 1914; that if a worker in receipt of a weekly wage of 25s. before the War has his wages regulated by the Ministry of Labour's index number, he would in September, 1920, be receiving 65s. 3d. per week, but according to the labourers' index number he should have been paid 72s. 3d. per week, or 7s. per week more; that according to the Minister of Labour the cost of living-index number fell from 161 in September, 1920, to 128 in May, 1921; that if the labour committee's figures are correct, the same proportionate fall in their index number would leave the cost of living in May, 1921, at 150 per cent, above July, 1914; and that there is a difference of 22 points in the figures governing wages to-day; and if he is in a position to state as to whether he is prepared to inquire into the matter?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday to questions by the hon. Members for the Frome (Mr. Hurd) and Stratford Divisions (Mr. Lyle). I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of that reply.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the want of confidence which exists in the country with regard to the cost of living index figures issued from time to time by his Depart- ment; and, in view of the importance attaching to these figures as affecting sliding scales of wages and the general industrial position, whether he will, with a view to securing public confidence in them, appoint, under the chairmanship of a Member of this or the other House, with at least two other Members of this House to assist him, a Standing Committee whose functions would be to keep in touch with and to advise him generally regarding the cost of living index figures?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him in reply to a similar question on the 13th June.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that for some time past Spanish manufacturers have been pressing strongly that the Spanish Government should levy heavy tariffs against British goods; that a new system of tariffs comes into operation in Spain on the 20th of this month against the goods of all nations with whom a new commercial treaty has not been concluded prior to that date; and whether any steps have been taken by the Board of Trade to conclude a new commercial treaty between Great Britain and Spain that will meet the new conditions that will arise between the traders of both countries after the 20th of this month?

I am aware of the movement in favour of increased import duties in order to protect Spanish industries. A new provisional customs tariff has been in operation since 21st May, and no other tariff comes into operation on the 20th of this month. The provisional tariff referred to contains two columns of rates of duty, and the higher rates of the first column are being applied to the products of certain countries the treaties with which have been terminated, but goods, the produce and manufacture of the United Kingdom, will continue to be entitled to the lower rates of the second column by virtue of the Anglo-Spanish Exchange of Notes of 1894.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of the im- ports from Germany from 1st January to 31st May, 1921, giving separately the amounts under the different classifications of raw materials and semi-manufactured and manufactured articles; and if he will state, in consecutive order of value, particulars of the six largest items imported and all of the same particulars applicable to the same months in 1914?

The returns which are being regularly obtained with

IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM CONSIGNED FROM GERMANY. — Three months Jan.-March, 1921. Year 1914. Class II. £ £ Raw materials and Articles mainly unmanufactured. 120,000 4,076,000 Class III. Articles wholly or mainly manufactured:— A. Articles completely manufactured and ready for consumption. 3,870,000 15,882,000 B. Articles manufactured but requiring to pass through some process of adaptation or combination before entering into consumption. 2,513,000 13,383,000 C. Articles partly manufactured 826,000 4,472,000

The six largest of the items separately returnable for statistical purposes, included in the above totals, were: In January-March, 1921. £ Finished dyestuffs obtained from coal tar, other than alizarine and synthetic indigo 472,104 Crude zine 338,925 Toys, other than dolls and metal and wooden toys 291,205 Gloves of cotton 206,772 Wire, other than uninsulated electric and fencing wire 156,278 Machines and machinery, not elsewhere specified 129,588 In 1914. Cotton piece-goods, dyed in the piece 1,205,720 Broadstuffs of silk mixed with other materials 1,179,689 Cotton hosiery, other than stockings and socks 1,117,987 Steel sheet bars and tinplate bars 942,313 Steel blooms, billets and slabs 852,773 Machinery unenumerated 851,483

regard to imports from Germany are prepared in quarterly periods. To give the specific information asked for by the hon. Member would involve great labour and considerable expense, which I do not feel I should be justified in incurring. Prior to the War the corresponding figures were only prepared in respect of an annual period. The total imports for 1914 are therefore given in the following table:

It is to be observed that the classification of imports employed since the beginning of 1920 is more detailed than that in use before the War. The last of the items in each of the above lists is affected by such changes, since the extent of the classes of machinery not separately enumerated has been reduced.

asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, as one form of a memorial to the war services of horses during the War, the Government will take steps to forbid absolutely the docking of horses, a practice which is discountenanced by practically every horse society?

The Ministry is of opinion that the principal objection to the docking of horses on the score of cruelty has been removed by the provisions of the Animals (Anæsthetics) Act, 1919. It is not proposed therefore to promote further legislation on the subject.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consider the removal of restrictions on the muzzling and moving of dogs in the Hanwell area of Middlesex?

It is proposed to withdraw the Muzzling Order from the district in question on the 30th instant should no further outbreak of rabies occur in the locality in the meantime.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has received any complaints regarding the quality of the food supplied to prisoners in Holloway Prison; whether he is aware that many complaints have been made to the governor, the doctor, and the visiting justices that the food is often bad, that the fish is kept so long that it is often discoloured, that the milk is frequently sour, even in winter, and that other articles of food are often uneatable; will he state the arrangements in force for the provision of food, and who supplies it; and whether he will make inquiries into this matter?

My right hon. Friend has already dealt with the points raised in this question in his replies to the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Ken worthy) on the 14th June, and to the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Mills) on the 16th June. There does not appear to be any occasion for further inquiries.

asked the Home Secretary whether the police recently took action against a club called the Cleveland Club for playing the game of poker; whether the police had any complaint against the club; in what way the Cleveland Club infringed the law upon the subject; and in what way the game as played in this club failed to comply with the law?

The answer to the first two questions is in the affirmative. As regards the third and fourth, the allegation of the prosecution was that in this club poker was played as part of the conduct of the establishment, and that the chairman and secretary of the club were thus guilty of an offence against Section 4 of the Gaming House Act, 1854, and to this the defendants pleaded guilty. In consequence of the plea of guilty, the magistrate was not called on to determine the questions of law and fact on which, had the case been fought, his decision would have depended.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the inclusion of the life-boat houses, sheds, etc., of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution being assessed under Schedule D and not B of the Income Tax Act, in view of the work done by the institution and the support this proposal obtained in the Report of the Income Tax Commissioners?

I presume that what my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind is the proposal that there should be exemption from Income Tax under Schedule A in respect of properties owned and occupied by charities. Clauses on this subject have been put down for discussion during the Committee stage of the Finance Bill, and my hon. and gallant Friend will no doubt think it more desirable not to anticipate that discussion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the heavy spirit duty proves a serious handicap to manufacturers using spirit for trade purposes and has caused a heavy falling off in sales; that the duty at the present time is 74s. per gallon of new spirit, although the cost of the spirit itself is only 3s. 10d. per gallon; and that the duty in 1914 was only 14s. 9d.; and whether he can arrange for some concession to be made in the case of spirit used for trade purposes only, thus providing work for many workers, both male and female, in the perfumery and similar trades who are now unemployed on account of the stagnation of trade due to prohibitive selling prices on account of such duty?

I gather that my hon. Friend is asking that spirits used in the manufacture of perfumes and similar articles should receive the same treatment as that accorded under the law to spirits used in medical preparations or for scientific purposes. An Amendment to this effect was moved in connection with the Finance Bill of last year and was subsequently withdrawn, and I see no reason to modify the decision then taken.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state separately the total cost to the British Exchequer caused by the British occupation of Mesopotamia and Palestine for the years 1919 and 1920, respectively?

In the financial year 1919–20 during which demobilisation was proceeding, the total expenditure on Mesopotamia and Palestine together is estimated at between £70,000,000 and £80,000,000. It is not possible to give any exact figures as part of the expenditure was not divided between the several theatres. The estimated expenditure for the year 1920–21 is about £40,500,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the average amount of tax paid by the licensees of premises for the sale of intoxicating liquors in 1910 was £38 9s. 10d. and in 1920 £22 or a reduction of £17 8s. 10d.; that the average tax on clubs for the same year, 1910, was £8 and in 1920, £38, or an increase of £30; and whether he will take steps to rectify this matter with a view to giving something like equal treatment?

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is unable to agree with the figures given in the question as representing the average taxation of licensed premises and clubs for the year 1910. As regards the relevancy of a comparison between the taxation of clubs and that of licensees of premises, I would refer to an answer given on the 14th instant to the hon. Member for Barkston Ash Division (Mr. Lane-Fox), of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the method of conversion adopted in the recent 3½ per cent, war loan conversion has caused an addition of approximately £100,000,000 to the National Debt; whether this increased debt will entail an additional charge upon the taxpayers in the ensuing year of £2,000,000 to meet Sinking Fund charges; and will he consider the necessity of submitting any future conversion schemes for the approval of Parliament before definite issues are made?

The effect of the issue of the Conversion Loan as explained in the Budget Speech is to increase the nominal total of the National Debt while reducing the average rate of interest on such total. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative. The increase in the nominal total of the debt has no particular connection with the sinking fund provisions attached to the Conversion Loan, nor is there any necessary connection between the total amount which Parliament may see proper to provide next year for reduction of debt and the particular portion thereof which will be required for the Conversion Loan. My hon. Friend should, moreover, not overlook the fact that a sum of £1,000,000 cash devoted to purchase in the market of, say, a 5 per cent, stock standing at, say, 90 and a similar sum devoted to purchase of a 3½ per cent, stock standing at, say, 63, although it redeems a different nominal total of debt in each case, reduces the charge for interest by exactly the same amount. The suggestion in the third part of the question is not a practicable one.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the representation of the Chief Native Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia upon the importance of dealing with the question of the acquisition of land by natives contiguous to the reserves and in suitable localities; and whether he will consider the advisability of referring this matter to Earl Buxton's Committee for consideration and report?

The recommendation referred to has been brought to my notice. Lord Buxton's Committee has now completed its reports, but the general question involved is receiving consideration.

asked the Minister of Health if he can see his way to investigate the present position of Poor Law administration in the County of Kent, particularly with regard to the desirability of transferring the duties carried out by the guardians' committee of Romney Marsh to one of the adjacent unions, with the view to effecting economies in the Poor Law administration, and at the same time effecting some relief to the ratepayers of the district concerned?

I am obtaining a report upon this proposal.

asked the President of the Board of Education if he can see his way to consult with the appropriate Department of His Majesty's Government as to the suitability of the premises now administered by the guardians' committee of Romney Marsh, Kent, for the purposes of a school, should the need for such be found to exist, for the children of that area, and, if found adaptable to such uses, advising the Department to take steps to effect a transfer of the premises concerned to the education authority of the county named?

I have received no intimation that the Kent Local Education Authority wish to acquire the premises in question. If the Authority submit a proposal for their acquisition for school purposes, it will be considered on its merits, and I shall, of course, consult my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in regard to the statistics of vacancies filled by the Employment Exchanges, there is any means of ascertaining, without an inquiry involving too much expense, how many of these vacancies are filled as a direct result of the Employment Exchange system; how many represent merely book entries of people who are required to pass through the Employment Exchange as a condition of obtaining temporary employment in public departments or other forms of employment; and, if so, will he acquaint the House with the result?

The statistics of vacancies filled by Employment Exchanges do not include any vacancies which are merely book entries or are filled otherwise than as a direct result of the Employment Exchange system. Temporary posts in Government Departments are filled by the Joint Substitution Board set up by the Treasury and the Ministry of Labour. In recruiting applications the Board makes full use of the Employment Exchanges and the local offices of the Appointments Department. In addition the Ministry of Transport and the Unemployment Grants Committee under Lord St. Davids, in approving applications by local authorities for arterial road and other schemes, require local authorities to engage labour through the Exchanges, thus securing, among other things, that preference is given to ex-service men.

asked the hon. Member for the Pollok Division of Glasgow, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, what has been the aggregate cost of compiling, printing, distributing, and selling the pamphlet entitled, "The Coming Census, Why it is taken, and How it is taken"; how many copies have been sold; and what are the net receipts?

The total cost of printing and paper of the pamphlet in question was £400. It was prepared for and issued to teachers in elementary schools, for the purpose of instructing the public in the accurate filling in of census returns. Such official instructions are normally issued through the Board of Education on the occasion of a census; and the cost of compilation and distribution of the pamphlet for this purpose cannot be separated from the general administrative expenses of necessary census arrangements. A certain number of additional copies of the pamphlet were printed in a form suitable for sale to individual members of the public by the Stationery Office on the usual terms. The cost of printing these additional copies was £62, included in the £400; and it is anticipated that the net receipts, after allowing for distributing and selling expenses, will amount to £120.