asked the Secretary of State for War what was the total number of unwounded men discharged from the Army during the War for physical disability?

As I stated in reply to a similar question on 3rd May last, I regret that this information is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to state why the promise of an early issue of the Cadet List has not been carried out; and whether, having regard to the fact that this publication is of no practical use, he can see his way to cancel the future issue and thereby save a considerable sum of money to the State' for time, labour, printing, and postages?

The Cadet List for 1921 was issued at the end of May last. The List is considered essential for the proper administration of the Cadet Force which now has a strength of 120,000 cadets, and I regret I cannot see my way to accept my hon. and learned Friend's suggestion.

asked the Secretary of State for War the reason for the delay in publishing the Report of the War Office Departmental Committee appointed early in 1920, in reference to the Navy and Army Canteen Board, at which evidence on behalf of the Federation of Grocers' Associations, chambers of commerce, and other trade organisations was submitted; and will he ensure the early publication of the Report?

The Committee referred to was an Inter-Departmental Committee for the guidance of the Secretary of State and its Report was not intended for publication. There is, however, no objection to its publication if there is any real demand for it, but I would willingly avoid the expense.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the deep public interest in the questions under discussion at the Conference of Prime Ministers from overseas, he will arrange to allow greater publicity to be given to the meetings?

A Report is sent to the Press whenever the Conference is of opinion that such a course is in the public interest, and several Reports have already been issued.

asked the Minister of Health if he can give the number of ex-service men at present employed in the building trade compared with three months ago; what proportion of these have been trained at the expense of the State; and what, if any, effect the negotiations between his Department and the governing bodies of the building trades unions have had on the number of ex-service men employed?

I have been asked to reply. No statistics exist of the total number of ex-service men at present employed in the building industry, but, of course, a considerable proportion of building trade operatives have served with the Colours. Apart from these men, there are two training schemes for ex-service men in operation, one for disabled men and one for fit men. Under the former scheme at the end of last February the number of disabled trainees working with employers after completion of instruction in the Government instructional factories was about 1,400, and three months later the number had risen to about 2,000. The latter figure represents approximately ½ per cent. of the total number of tradesmen employed in the industry. There are about 2,900 further disabled men training in Government industrial factories by agreement with the trade who will, I hope, in due course be placed with employers. It has not been possible to arrive at an agreement with the building trade unions except on the admission of disabled ex-service men. The original agreement in this case was for the admission of disabled men up to 5 per cent. of the total numbers of men in the skilled trades, but as a result of a resolution of the National Federation of Building Trade Operatives last September the numbers admitted since that time have been very restricted, the totals to date being as stated above. With regard to the scheme for the absorption of fit ex-service men in the building industry, as my hon. Friend is aware, building trade employers have been handicapped by recent industrial depression. The numbers so far actually placed with employers for training under the scheme are about 200.

asked the Minister of Health whether sub-committees of boards of guardians, holding their meetings in the workhouse, are the proper authority for administering old age pensions in a locality; and whether the local authority for administering the Old Age Pensions Acts have a discretion enabling them to grant an old age pension less than the full amount of 10s. a week to persons properly qualified as regards age and lack of means?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. The appointment of local pension committees for administering the Acts is governed by Section 8 of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1908, under which the committees are appointed by the councils of counties and of boroughs and urban districts having a population of 20,000 or over. The committee may appoint subcommittees consisting wholly or partly of members of the committee. As regards the second part of the question, the rate of old age pensions varies from 10s. to 1s. a week according to the scale of yearly means of claimants which is set out in the First Schedule to the Old Age Pensions Act, 1919, and pension committees have no discretion to grant pensions except in accordance with this scale.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that old age State pensioner T. F. Milburn, aged 71, has been in receipt of a pension from the North Eastern Railway Company; that recently the railway company proposed to increase this pension by 3s. 6d. per week; and that, as soon as the pensions officer became aware of this, he wrote to inform Mr. Milburn that not only was his State pension to be reduced by 4s. per week, but that he would have to refund all moneys received in excess of that amount paid since 1st April, 1921, the date upon which the in- creased railway pension became payable; and whether anything can be done to remedy this seeming injustice?

If my hon. and gallant Friend will inform me of this pensioner's address, I will have inquiry made into the case, and will communicate further with him.

asked the Minister of Pensions why the official reorganisation scheme for the Pensions Issue Office gives such a high proportion of writing assistants to clerks as, approximately, three to two if, amongst the temporary staff at present employed, an approximately similar proportion of staff engaged in writing assistants' duties does not exist?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. J. Wilson) on the 6th instant. The provisional scheme for the estimated future permanent requirements of this office is designed to meet circumstances which will differ materially from those at present existing.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that the Corporation of Salford are proposing to spend the ratepayers' money in taking compulsorily land for allotments when they are in possession of other available land and upwards of 130 vacant allotments; that they have recently returned to the owner, of the said land allotments in the neighbourhood in a derelict state; that the land they propose to take compulsorily for 14 years is a square plot of about three acres, near the centre of a boundary of a compact building estate of nearly 29 acres, and on a broad road, suitable for houses, for which they propose to offer only an agricultural rent; that the estate is saleable as a whole; whether, in cases where the consent of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is required by the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919, e.g., to the breaking up of pasture land, such consent is given without notice to any parties interested in the land, and without giving parties interested any opportunity of stating objections; and what, if any, power of appeal have the ratepayers or the landowner?

The owner of the land referred to has called my attention to the case. Under the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919, the making of an order for the Compulsory Acquisition of the land in question appears to be a matter for the sole discretion of the Salford Town Council and the consent of and confirmation by the Minister is unnecessary. Part II of the First Schedule to the Small Holdings and Allotments Acts, 1908, provides that any lease under a compulsory hiring order shall not authorise the breaking up of pasture unless the Minister is satisfied that the circumstances are such that allotments cannot otherwise be successfully cultivated. Where grass land is acquired for allotment gardens, it is obvious that the land must be broken up and as a rule the Minister does not give notice to the landowner of the application for consent to the breaking up. The owner is entitled to obtain compensation for severance and is also entitled, on the determination of the council's tenancy, to compensation for any depreciation of the land by reason of any user of the land by the council or any person deriving title under them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the number of persons liable to Super-tax for the financial years ending March, 1917–18, 1918–19, and 1919–20, and the number of persons liable to Super-tax for the year 1913–14?

The information required is given in Tables 80 and 81 on page 84 of the 63rd Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Cmd. 1083).

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is in a position to say if representations have been made to him by the newspapers of the United Kingdom against any proposal to impose a tariff on the importation of newsprint into this country; and, if so, what answer was given to these representations?

Yes, Sir. A deputation representing newspaper proprietors and other users of paper came to see me on 22nd June, to urge that the provisions of the Safeguarding of Industries Bill should not be applied to paper. The attention of the deputation was called to the conditions which would have to be fulfilled under the terms of the Bill before a duty could be imposed on paper. My hon. Friend is no doubt aware that I have undertaken to put down an Amendment on Report, providing that, when an inquiry is held under the Bill in consequence of an application for an Order, the Committee may be required to report also on the effect of the duty on any industry using the goods in question as material.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the attention of the Government of India has been drawn to the importance of preventing the sources of supply of monasite sand again falling under foreign control?

The arrangements made during the War for bringing the Indian supplies of monasite sand under British control are still in force, and no proposal to effect any change has, I believe, been before the Government of India. I have, therefore, had no occasion to address them in the way suggested by my hon. Friend

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to a report on the general situation in May, 1921, to the Third Internationale by Zinovieff, the president, in which he alludes to the reports from Comrade Krassin reporting upon the industrial situation in Great Britain; whether he is aware of the following remarks in Zinovieff's reports: Therefore the Communist Internationale has instructed Comrade Krassin to give both moral and material support to all strike movements in Great Britain, the increase of which means the increase of the army of unemployed and discontented who will then swell the organised ranks of the British Communist party; the Communist Internationale has also taken the necessary steps to support the Sinn Fein movement as it increases the acuteness of the internal crisis in Great Britain, which in its turn helps to further the success of the Communist movement; and whether, in view of the cumulative evidence recently forthcoming as to the aid given to Communist propaganda in this country by Comrade Krassin and the Soviet representatives, the Government will demand explanations from the Bolshevik Government in accordance with Article 13 of the Russian trade agreement precedent to renouncing it if the explanations are not satisfactory?

I have seen in the Press the report referred to, but I have no official information on the subject. Any proved infraction of the trade agreement would, of course, call for appropriate action on the part of His Majesty's Government.