asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Mr. A. Pullen, 55, Woodbine Road, Gosforth, Northumberland, is far from being satisfied with the decision of the Northern Command; and whether he will see that Mr. Pullen is compensated for the bodily injury received through the action of the lieutenant and the sergeant concerned who raided his house on 18th April last?

My right hon. Friend has already been in communication with the hon. Member regarding this case. From the reports received from the Northern Command it is clear that any inconvenience to which Mr. Pullen was subjected on the occasion referred to was entirely due to his own conduct, and I am not prepared to consider any claim for compensation.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether British non-commissioned officers and men serving in India receive their pay in rupees calculated at a fixed rate in sterling; if so, considering the hardship that is inflicted upon officers who are compelled to send a portion of their pay from India back to this country, he will take steps to see that officers are treated in a similar manner to non-commissioned officers and men with regard thereto?

British Service noncommissioned officers and men in India at present receive the home rates of pay laid down in the Pay Warrant converted at 2s. the rupee plus a special allowance at present fixed at 50 per cent. The system of fixing the pay of British Service officers in India has in general been more favourable.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the exceptionally heavy epidemic of small-pox which occurred in the Madras Presidency during the years 1917, 1918, and 1919, when the deaths were 34,958, 58,752, and 41,732, respectively, the number in 1918 representing nearly two-thirds of the total number of deaths from small-pox in British India; and whether any special investigation has been made of the causes of the epidemic and of the failure of vaccination to prevent it particularly in view of the fact that vaccination is com- pulsory in all the municipalities, and in 193 villages and 70 ranges of the Presidency?

I have seen reports containing these figures. The heavy mortality is attributed to laxity in enforcing vaccination, and especially re-vaccination, and to inadequate scrutiny of the results. A re-organisation of the vaccination staffs in Madras was sanctioned in 1918, and is probably now in working order. I would add that sanitation is a transferred subject under the new Indian Constitution, i.e., that it is no longer under my control.

asked the Secretary of State for India the names of the technical advisers who have reported in favour of the present Sukkur barrage scheme?

I will consult the Government of India as to publication of the official correspondence on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that, in connection with proceedings instituted against two native merchants in the Chief Presidency Magistrate's Court for extensive frauds against the Munitions Department, the case was withdrawn on 5th August by the Bengal Advocate-General; the grounds on which this course was followed, and by whose instructions; and what was the amount of the expenditure incurred by the Indian Government in working up a case in which, according to the Advocate-General, the guilt of the accused persons was as clear as a bell?

I have seen statements on this matter in the Press, and have telegraphed for information.

asked the Secretary of State for India if, in view of certain recent additions to the scale of pensions for certain classes of Indian civil servants and in view of the fact that the Port of Calcutta Trust have stated that they are unable to similarly increase the pension scale without instructions from the Government of India, it is the intention to issue any instructions or recommendations to this effect?

I do not know what action, if any, has been taken by the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta in the matter of increasing the pensions of their retired employçs. They are a statutory body not governed by the rules of the Government Service. I will communicate the question of my hon. and gallant Friend to the Government of India for their consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for India what immediate facilities will be given to a proposed deputation of Lancashire cotton employers and employçs to the Government of India, to the Indian cotton traders, and the Indian Cotton Workers' Association on the subject of cotton import duties; and if any Lancashire Members of Parliament accompany such deputation, may facilities be afforded them of debating the subject with the legislative councils of India?

The Government of India have informed me that they welcome the proposed visit of the deputation, and will give them all the facilities they can. They assume that the deputation will make its own arrangements for meeting trade associations. If the visit to India takes place while the Legislative Assembly is in Session, the Government of India anticipate no difficulty in arranging for the delegation to meet members of the Assembly. I have taken steps to have this message communicated to representatives of the trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the text of the American Tariff Bill, which provides that the value of imported manufactures shall be appraised on the basis of the cost of production in America and not on the basis of the cost of production in the country of origin as heretofore; and if it be possible to take any steps to protect British manufacturers by imposing a similar duty on important manufactures into this country?

I am aware of the provisions of the Tariff Bill which is now before the United States Senate. It appears that cost of production in the United States may be taken into consideration among other matters in ascertaining the value of dutiable merchandise. The method of valuation of imported goods for purposes of ad valorem Customs duty in this country is laid down in Section 12 (2) of Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, and could be altered only by legislation.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the proposed 30 per cent. ad valorem duty on cinematograph films imported into the United States of America, based on the estimated cost of production in that country, will prohibit British films from American screens; and whether, in view of the fact that 85 per cent. of the cinematograph films exhibited in this country are of American origin, representations will be made to the Government of the United States of America regarding this matter?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the views of British film producers, a deputation having been received in the Department. I fear that representations to the United States Government on the nature of the Act would not be likely to serve any useful purpose, and it is not clear that the basis of valuation in the case of films will be so unfavourable to producers here as they at present fear.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, having regard to provisions in the proposed Safeguarding of Industries Bill to impose a duty equal to one-third of the value of the goods, what system of calculation he proposes to adopt to meet the variations of exchanges of the different countries concerned?

The same system will be adopted in regard to the duties provided for in the Safeguarding of Industries Bill as obtains in regard to the ad valorem duties imposed by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, i.e., invoices in foreign currency will be converted into sterling at the rate of exchange current on the date of the importing ship's report.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the Australian Commonwealth Customs authorities have issued an order, dated gist-December, 1920, stating that, whereas certain manufacturing perfumers in Great Britain manufacture for exportation in bond, their manufactures only will be subject to duty in Australia based on their export catalogue prices, whereas, in the case of their contemporary or any manufacturers in this country whose goods are prepared in free factories from spirit upon which the Excise Duty has been paid and subsequently drawback obtained, their goods are subjected by the Australian Government to duty based on the full home consumption values, no deduction for duty on drawback being allowed; and will he be prepared to approach the Australian Customs authorities to revert to the conditions prior to 31st December, 1920, in the interests of this trade in Great Britain?

My attenetion has been called to the matter and the Federal Customs authorities have been approached. I understand that the question of amending the Regulation is under consideration and that a decision may be expected shortly.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity of coal exported by the United States to Europe during 1913; and how this quantity compares with a period of 12 months ending the 30th June last?

The quantity of coal exported to European countries from the United States during the year 1913 was 476,000 tons. During the 12 months ended May last about 11,800,000 tons were exported to Europe I regret that the particulars of the exports during June have not yet reached me.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is in a position to make any decision which may have been come to by the Department in the matter of the class of wireless operators known as watchers as to whether the withdrawal of this grade was in contemplation?

No, Sir. I can add nothing to the answer given to the hon. and gallant Member on 2nd August.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total sum paid, apart from the maximum of £10,000,000 lately agreed under the recent settlement, paid by the State to the coal industry during the period of control?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the question on this subject asked by the hon. and gallant Member for Dulwich (Sir F. Hall) on the 11th April, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is now in a position to say what conclusions have been reached on the subject of pre-War disability naval pensioners who served during the War, and were again invalided; and whether he can hold out any prospects that they will receive the increases which will put them on a level with men who were not previously invalided?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. S. Roberts) on the 24th June, of which I am sending her a copy. The decision then announced applies to naval pre-War disability pensioners who are thus eligible for service allowances on the same basis as men invalided for the first time during the War.

asked the Minister of Pensions the grounds upon which he has decided that ex-service men shall not be represented upon the new local war pensions committees; and whether, in view of the fact that the Departmental Committee recommended such representation and that all ex-service men are now united in one recognised organisation, the British Legion, he will reconsider this decision?

My Noble Friend appears to be under some misapprehension. Provision is made in the War Pensions Bill for increased ex-service representation on the new war pensions committees in accordance with the recommendation of the Departmental Committee of Inquiry.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the Departmental Committee of Inquiry set up by him. recommended that the representatives of ex-service men on the local war pensions committees, to be established under the Bill now before the House of Commons, should be nominated by the ex-service men's organisations, which are now united under the name of the British Legion; and whether he can see his way to embody this recommendation in the terms of the present Bill?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right Eon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Burslem (Mr. Finney) on the 5th August.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of financial exigencies, which have compelled the abandonment of other schemes, he will now terminate the education of ex-officers at Oxford and Cambridge at the public expense?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if ex-service men are being discharged from the various Departments under his control in favour of those who have not served in the War; and, if not, is every effort being made to employ ex-service men in preference to those who have not served?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the Civil Lord's reply to a similar question by the hon. Member for Islington East (Mr. Raper) on the 4th August. The large reductions in the staff of the Admiralty may involve the discharge of a few ex-service men, but in no case will a non-service man be preferred to an ex-service man unless the latter has been proved to be inefficient, or the work on which the individual is engaged is of such a nature and so near completion that delay and extra expense would be occasioned by any attempt at substitution. No efficient ex-service man has been or will be discharged without reference to the Admiralty Substitution Committee.

asked the Minister of Health if ex-service men are being discharged from the various Departments under his control in favour of those who have not served in the War; and, if not, is every effort being made to employ ex-service men in preference to those who have not served?

The reply to the first part of the hon. and gallant Member's question is in the negative, and to the latter part in the affirmative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the entertainment duty on performances given in aid of charities in the huts of ex-service men brings in; and whether he will consider the possibility of abrogating this tax which, while it is a severe burden on ex-service men, contributes very little to the Exchequer?

The statistical information available does not enable me to state the amount of duty received from such entertainments given in aid of charities by ex-service men which are not entitled to relief under these provisions, but I could not consider amendment of the law in respect of such entertainments apart from charitable entertainments generally. I would remind the hon. and gallant Member that Section 1 (5) of the Finance (New Duties) Act, 1916, provides relief from Entertainment Duty in respect of such entertainments if the whole of the takings, or the whole of the net proceeds where they amount to not less than 80 per cent. of the receipts, are devoted to philanthropic or charitable purposes.

asked the Minister of Labour if ex-service men are being discharged from the various Depart- ments under his control in favour of those who have not served in the War; and, if not, is every effort being made to employ ex-service men in preference to those who have not served?

No, Sir. No temporary officer who has not served in His Majesty's forces is retained on the administrative staff, except with my personal authority. And I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that, in the case of male officers, exceptional circumstances only have been held to justify their retention. Every effort is being made, and will continue to be made, to employ ex-service men in preference to those who have not' served with His Majesty's forces. I may perhaps be permitted to say that, on 1st August, of the total staff of the Ministry of Labour, excluding only cleaners and women under 18, 63–23 per cent. were ex-service men.

asked the Postmaster-General why a certain number of Grade II posts, in accordance with Treasury Circular, 7th September, 1918, is withheld from the ex-service men, inasmuch as they are doing work of a superior nature to the ordinary routine work as performed in other Government Departments where the regrading has been applied?

The work regarded as proper to Grade II temporary clerks is for the most part performed in the Post Office by permanent staff, but where the work done by the temporary staff warrants it Grade II posts are created.

asked the Postmaster-General the total number of temporary clerks in the head offices of the Post Office Savings Bank Department; how many of these are ex-service men temporaries; and will he give the House an assurance that he will carry out the terms of the Lytton Report as far as the substitution of this large non-service staff is concerned?

1,538 temporary clerks are employed in the Savings Bank Department, of whom 281 are ex-service men. The remainder, with the exception of seven non-service men, are women, and include 250 part-time clerks. Most of the women are employed on women's work. There is a Substitution Committee at the Savings Bank Department, and since the date of the first Lytton Report over TOO temporary female clerks have been substituted by ex-service men. The Committee is continuing its functions.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to the irregularity and constant delays in the delivery of the Indian mail in this country, which are causing inconvenience to persons having correspondence with India; and what are the terms, as regards time limits, of the present contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Limited, for the carrying of the Indian mail and if they are being strictly complied with?

My attention has been directed to the irregularity and delay in the delivery of the Indian mail in this country; and, as I informed the hon. Member in answer to a recent question, it is hoped to secure greater speed and regularity before the end of this year. The present contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation, Limited, provided for the conveyance of the mails from Bombay to Brindisi within a period of 270 hours, which is extended to 306 hours during the prevalence of the southwest monsoon. This service, however, was altered from time to time during the War, and the present arrangement provides for a service between Bombay and Marseilles. While the sea transit is performed at the best speed attainable, there is no specific requirement in regard to speed.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to the premature collection of letters from letter boxes in the North Finchley district, with the result that letters sent to the letter boxes in correct time for the last collection are not collected until next morning; and will he have the matter inquired into?

A recent complaint with reference to a particular letter box at Finchley was investigated locally, and I am informed that on no occasion when the box was kept under observation was it cleared before the authorised time.

asked the Post master-General whether he has received from Post Office officials a number of representations pointing out their difficulty in explaining to the public the principle upon which an additional ½d. is charged for a postcard bearing five words of an informative or interrogatory nature, while no such additional charge is made for five words of an amatory, provocative, or meaningless nature; and whether he will either withdraw a Regulation which so adds to the work of the Post Office officials and is proving inexplicable to the ordinary citizen, or will he explain why it costs the Post Office more to carry and deliver five words on a card of one character and not the other?

I have not received such representations and, as I have previously stated, I have no reason to think that the Regulation, which has been in force for some 20 years, presents practical difficulties in administration. This concession to the public is not allowed in the international post and is not based on any difference in the cost of handling or delivery.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is in a position to give any figures of the recent census, particularly the respective populations of the English counties and towns with over 50,000 inhabitants?

The Registrar-General's Preliminary Report is already in the Press; and as it is expected to be available shortly, I may perhaps be excused from giving the separate return asked for, which, even on the limited lines indicated in the question, would be of considerable length.

asked the Minister of Health whether, since 1916, the members of Central Branch, Registered No. 223, National Catholic Benefit and Thrift Society, of Liverpool, have had no representation in the councils of the society, and that some thousands of members have thereby been deprived of their statutory rights under the Act; whether, in spite of this, large sums in levies have been laid upon the members at general council meetings in which they have had no voice; whether these meetings have been proved and declared to be illegal and invalid at three inquiries held under the Act; and whether, in view of the grave injustice which has apparently been done to the members of Central Branch No. 223, he will forthwith have full inquiries made into the whole matter, so that any necessary rectification may take place without delay?

The matters to which the hon. and gallant Member refers have been the subject of a protracted dispute between the committee of management of the National Catholic Benefit and Thrift Society and the committee of the Central Branch, No. 223, of that society. The dispute has recently been referred to the High Court of Justice, and I am sending the hon. and gallant Member copies of the judgments given by Mr. Justice Darling and Mr. Justice Eve, which I hope will satisfy him that no such injustice as is alleged has been done to the members of the Central Branch, and, consequently, that no further inquiry is necessary.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the recent acceptance by the London County Council of the tender of Messrs. Brown, Boveri, and Company, Switzerland, Limited, for the supply of an 8,000 kilowatt turbo-generator for the council's Greenwich power-station; whether he is aware that the value of the work tendered for is about £45,000. and that the difference between the tender of the Swiss firm and that of the lowest acceptable British tender is about £8,000; that the saving effected by placing this contract abroad involves a loss of £25,000 to £30,000 in wages to the engineering and other trades; whether, in the presence of a large volume of unemployment, he would make representations to local authorities to give preference to British manufactures until British trade in some measure recovers from its present depressed condition, especially in view of the fact that the apparent saving in such cases is more than counterbalanced by the payment of unemployment insurance, apart from actual loss in wages?

I have no authority to interfere with the discretion of the London County Council or other local authorities in a matter of this kind.

asked the Minister of Health whether the arbitrator awarded the sum of £950 as the purchase price of 13'544 acres compulsorily acquired at Ealing Road by the Brentford Urban District Council for the purposes of a housing scheme; what was the rateable value of that land previous to acquisition or, if it formed part of a larger subject, the amount by which the rateable value of that subject has been reduced owing to severance?

The figures given are correct, but it should be understood that these figures relate to the compensation payable to the lessee, the freehold interest in the land having been acquired by agreement. Information as to the last part is not available, but I am endeavouring to obtain it, and will communicate further with the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health what were the numbers on 30th June, 1921, in each grade of the staff, permanent and temporary, employed by the Ministry in carrying out the housing policy of the Government, with the annual cost of the same; and what will be the reduction in numbers and the annual saving effected by the housing policy being pursued?

The details asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend are lengthy, and I am circulating them in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The annual cost of this staff, numbering on the 30th June, 1921, 1,043, was approximately £323,647 (excluding War bonus). I hope to reduce the staff by the next financial year to 160, costing in salaries about £70,000.

Following are the details referred to:

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the position of the temporary technical officers employed in the housing division of the Ministry of Health; whether a large number of these men will be placed in a position of great hardship, owing to their having taken up their work under the impression that it would be of such a kind as to enable them to have adequate notice of any termination of contract; whether the proportion of ex-service men employed in this way is 70 per cent.; and whether, in view of the fact that many of the officers now under notice of dismissal cut alternative business connections in order to take up their positions under the Ministry, steps will be taken to safeguard them from the effects of summary dismissal?

The reduction in the housing programme necessitates reduction in staff. I regret the hardship caused in individual cases, but I cannot agree that any of this staff has been dismissed summarily; they have all had the notice required under the terms of their agreement. The cases of the ex-service men concerned have been forwarded to the Joint (Treasury and Ministry of Labour) Substitution Committee for consideration for further employment.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if all the divisional and local offices in connection with the Food Ministry are now closed; and, if not, how many remain open, what purpose they fulfil, at what monthly cost they are maintained, and at about what date they will be closed?

All the local food offices are now closed, and only 13 divisional offices remain open for the enforcement of Orders and for emergency services. Their staff at present numbers 220 at an approximate monthly cost of £5,000, but upon the passage of the Licensing Bill it is intended to reduce both numbers and monthly cost by about 50 per cent. No date can yet be assigned for the final closing of these offices.

asked the Minister of Labour how many individuals, male and female, respectively, are employed by his Department in Scotland; what is the total annual cost per month of this staff; how much is spent in office rent; and how do all the foregoing figures compare with the establishment of the Department in Scotland for the month of July, 1914?

At the end of July, 1921, there were 1,737 male and 658 female full-time and part-time officers employed by the Ministry of Labour in Scotland. These figures include a casual staff of 917 men and 308 women, which staff is now being rapidly reduced as the volume of unemployment diminishes. I have in fact already reduced this casual staff by 75 men and 28 women during the first week in August, and I hope to effect a further reduction of some 300 clerks during the remainder of the month provided, of course, that employment continues to improve. The cost of the total staff per month is estimated to be £46,520, and the amount spent in office rent per month to be £1,138. The Ministry of Labour was not in existence in July, 1914, but certain Departments now controlled by the Ministry of Labour were at that time under the Board of Trade.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, seeing that there are 41 investigating officers in the Military Service (Civil Liabilities) Department at an annual cost of £10,250, and that for the year 1920–21 there were no such officers, he will state the reasons for such appointments, especially as the Department is a gradually diminishing factor?

Investigating officers were appointed in May, 1920, consequent upon a reorganisation of the provincial staff of the Military Service (Civil Liabilities) Department with a view to greater expedition, efficiency, and economy in dealing with applications for resettlement grants from ex-service men. At that date there were some 70,000 cases awaiting decision, many of which were nearly a year old.

The number 41 referred to has been reduced progressively to coincide with the diminution in the volume of work, and at the present time there are only 15 such officers remaining, of whom four are due to leave the service of the Ministry on 30th September next. Further reductions will continue to be made this year in step with the reduction of work.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is now prepared to appoint a committee of inquiry into the cost-of-living index figures; if so, how that committee will be composed; and whether on the lines of the Sumner Committee of 1918 or otherwise?

I would prefer not to make any statement in this matter until I have fully considered the results of the examination of the statistics contained in the Report of the Labour Joint Committee on Cost of Living, which examination is now being made.

asked the Minister of Labour what number of persons, male and female, were entered on the books of the Employment Exchanges in Scotland for the months of January, May, and July of this year; how many ex-service men have been placed in employment in Scotland after undergoing a course of instruction in a Government training centre; and what is the total number of Exchanges now operating in Scotland and the corresponding figure for 1914?

The total number of males registered at Employment Exchanges in Scotland as unemployed at the end of July was 175,441, as compared with 175,047 at the end of May, and 64,874 at the end of January. The corresponding figures for females were 38,367, 55,029, and 28,059, respectively. The number of ex-service men who have passed through a course of industrial training in Scotland with maintenance from the Ministry of Labour is 3,906. For the great majority of these employment was found after training, but I regret that I cannot give the precise figure. At present there are 63 Employment Exchanges and 167 Branch Offices operating in Scotland, as compared with 47 Exchanges and 156 Branch Offices in 1914. I may add, that 12 of the present Blanch Offices are in process of being closed; and by the end of the year it is expected that, as a result of the further review which is now proceeding, several more will be closed.

asked the Minister of Labour how many persons in Scotland were in receipt of out-of-work donation in the months of January, May, and July of this year, respectively; and what was the total sum of money paid out in each of those months?

I am unable to state the total number of persons in Scot- land who received out-of-work donation during the months mentioned, but the average number of weekly payments was 22,309 in January, 574 in May, and 128 in July. The total sums of money paid out were £81,171, £2,727, and, approximately, £575, respectively. Since November, 1919, only ex-members of His Majesty's forces have been entitled to out-of-work donation, and all the above payments were made to such persons. The decrease in the numbers from January to May is due to the fact that after 31st March only those ex-members of His Majesty's forces who had not exhausted their rights under their original policies, available for 12 months, were entitled to donation. Other ex-members of the forces were brought under the Unemployment Insurance scheme. If my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind unemployment benefit, the average number of weekly payments was 72,840 in January, 257,610 in May, and 225,117 in July. The total sums paid out were £188,161, £841,268, and, approximately, £825,500, respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the report of a case at Old Street Police Court, on 28th July, as to girls sent by a Labour Exchange to work in Lincolnshire being left stranded; and if the rates of wages were 12s. 6d. per week, and a charge of 17s. 6d. was made for food?

My attention has been drawn to the report referred to, and I have had the matter thoroughly investigated. The workers were engaged on piece rates, and their weekly earnings, therefore, were calculated on the weight of the fruit they picked. This is a usual arrangement for work of this kind. My information indicates that the average weekly amount paid by the farmer to the four girls concerned were 22s. 1d., 19s. 9d., 18s. 8d., and 17s. 9d., respectively. The catering charge of 17s. 6d. per week for food was only made for one of the four weeks during which the employment lasted, the girls purchasing their own food during the remainder of the period.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of his recent statement on the Cassel concession in China, he can now state definitely whether the American representative on the Consortium opposed the concession as a violation of the Consortium agreement?

His Majesty's Government are well aware of the attitude adopted in this matter by the representative in China of the American group in the Consortium. But should that group hold that there is anything in the concession in question which is a violation of the Consortium Agreement, it is for them to bring their point of view before their British colleagues in the Consortium.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foregin Affairs whether, in view of the urgency of securing British trade expansion in China, the Government will consider the desirability of coming to an agreement with the Pekin Government with the object of opening up the country to development by foreign trade; whether this could be effected by mutual concessions adapted to modern conditions; and whether Great Britain, as the Power most interested, will take the lead in the matter?

I am not aware of the precise nature of the agreement which the hon. Member has in mind. But should be, as seems probable, refer to the abolition or modification of foreign exterritorial jurisdiction in China and its concomitant disabilities as regards foregn trade, I feel bound to state that present conditions in China do not warrant such a step. As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, His Majesty's Government have already expressed their readiness to assist China in the reform of her judicial system and to relinquish their exterritorial rights when satisfied that the state of the Chinese laws, the arrangement for their administration, and other considerations warrant them in doing so.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Brazilian Government have recently asserted their right to call up for military set vice all persons of foreign nationality who have been born and resided in Brazil during the greater part of their lives, and that a youth born in Santos, Brazil, in 1900, of British parents, who was granted a certificate at the British consulate as being of British nationality, and who was educated in England and returned to Brazil with a British passport, has been called up for military service; and whether complaints have been made by British residents in Brazil that the British consular authorities are not properly protecting the interests of British subjects in this matter?

My attention has been called to these facts. The position is that all persons born in Brazil, whether of foreign or Brazilian parents, are, in Brazilian law, Brazilian citizens, and as such, liable to be called up for military service. His Majesty's Consular Officers in Brazil are not in a position to protect from this or other obligations of Brazilian law persons born of British parents in Brazil and residing in that country. His Majesty's Government are considering the best manner of approaching the Brazilian Government with a view to arriving at some arrangement for the release of persons of dual British and Brazilian nationality from their obligation of military service in Brazil.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Disposal Board are quoting £1,200 to £1,300 for Baldwin's narrow-gauge locomotives and that new ones are being offered by the trade at £850 to £950; and, if so, will he consider an immediate revision of such prices?

With regard to the first part of the question, it is not the case that the Disposal Board are now quoting £1,200 to £1,300 for locomotives of this description. These locomotives have been extensively advertised, but no inquiries have recently been received for them. The prices previously realisable have already been revised upon the basis of current market conditions, and any reasonable offers will be immediately considered. I am not, however, aware that new locomotives of Baldwin manu- facture are now being offered by the trade at £850 to £950.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in order to facilitate the Irish negotiations, he will consider the release of the 36 members of Dail Eireann who are at present in custody?

All the members have been released.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to make any announcement with regard to his negotiations with continental countries as to the worn-out horse traffic?

As I have already stated, it appeared at the Conference which was held in London on the 19th ultimo, between representatives of the Ministry and the various foreign Governments concerned, that no objection is likely to be raised in Holland or Belgium to the importation of horsemeat which has been inspected before shipment by veterinary officers nominated by the Ministry. I have therefore intimated to the Governments concerned that the Ministry is prepared to appoint veterinary inspectors for the purpose of any of their laws governing the importation of meat. On the other hand, as a result, of the administrative arrangements which I have made during the last few months, a considerable proportion of the horses, from this country intended for food are now being slaughtered on this side. The percentage of horses arriving at Antwerp who go for slaughter has already been reduced from 60 to 27 (comparison of March, April, May, 1921, with the corresponding months of 1920). The examination of horses intended for export has now been made so stringent that the trade in live horses for slaughter only survives for the supply of those districts which cannot, owing to transit conditions, obtain dead meat in a fresh condition. I am satisfied that the horses now leaving this country are such as fully comply with any standard of working horses, even though some of them may be slaugh- tered on the other side owing to the high prices ruling for horse flesh.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in regard to the notices to quit to allotment holders issued by Otley Urban District Council, upon instructions of his Department in respect of certain land belonging to a Mr. Marshall, he will state fully the grounds upon which Mr. Marshall might have been able to substantiate a considerable claim for compensation for injurious affection; what exactly is the nature of the injurious affection Mr. Marshall might suffer by the continued use of this land for food production; and whether, in view of the fact that the interests of national economy will suffer by the reversion of this food producing land to an unproductive state, and in view of the anxiety in the district on the whole matter, he will have a further investigation made into this case with a view to the cancelling of the notices to quit?

Having regard to the fact that according to the latest figures available, namely, up to 31st December last, councils, acting as the Ministry's agents, had entered on for allotments and were in possession under Regulation 2L of the Defence of the Realm Regulations, of 14,369 acres in England find Wales, it is obviously undesirable to make public the grounds on which the Ministry's technical advisers consider in any particular case that an owner of land would be able to establish a claim for compensation as a result of the Ministry's entry, as the inevitable result would be a large number of claims from other owners. In the reply which I gave the hon. Member on the 26th July last I stated that the Ministry proposed to withdraw from 1 acre 1 rood 14 poles only of the land referred to in February, 1922, and the remainder on the 25th March, 1923, when the Ministry will withdraw from possession of all allotments held under the Defence of the Realm Regulations. The Ministry only arrived at a decision in this case after careful consideration of the whole of the circumstances, and the responsibility of acquiring the land in question or other alternative land for allotments is one for the Otley Urban District Council, who have ample powers under the Small Holdings and Allotments Acts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is now in a position to make any statement as to whether portions of his speech on the Estimates for the Middle East Department had been censored out of the Palestine newspapers; and if the reasons for this could be given?

Brief reports of the Debate on the Estimates for the Middle East, which included a rçsumç of the speech of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, were, in one or two instances, not released for publication, as it was thought that such brief reports were calculated to give a wrong impression of the proceedings in the House. Extended reports were subsequently received on the following day, and no ban was imposed on their publication in the Press.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether Earl Buxton has recommended the retention of the existing franchise for the natives of Southern Rhodesia; whether, out of the total coloured population in Southern Rhodesia of approximately 800,000, less than 60 coloured voters are on the voters' roll; and whether the majority, if not the whole, of these are immigrant Africans from the South?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given on this subject on the 21st and 25th July. Inquiry has been made of the Southern Rhodesian Administration as to the number of natives now registered as voters, but a reply has not yet been received. It has, I understand, been the case in the past that very few of the native voters were indigenous.

asked the hon. Member for Cheltenham, as Chairman of the Kitchen and Refreshment Rooms Committee, whether, in view of the alleged sweating in the catering trades in New-castle-upon-Tyne under a joint system of wages and tips, he will state whether waitresses in the dining rooms in the House of Commons are paid less than a living wage independent of tips; whether, alternatively, tips are taken as part payment of wages; and whether the system works satisfactorily to those employed?

In reply to the hon. Member, we consider that the wages we pay the waitresses in our employ for 4½ days' service, together with their food, constitutes a living wage, towards which the addition of gratuities is a pleasing supplement. These gratuities are not regarded by us as a part payment of wages, and we have every reason to believe that our system works satisfactorily.