in reply, now circulated the following statementThe estimated number of letters, postcards, printed, papers, and newspapers passing through the post in 1913–14, 1920–21, and 1921–22 are as follows:

—	1913–14.	1920–21.	1921–22. (Provisional estimate.)
	Millions.	Millions.	Millions.
Letters	3,477·8	3,400·0	3,350·0
Postcards	926·5	577·0	500·0
Printed Papers	1,172·3	1,340·0	1,150·0
Newspapers	207·1	202·0	190·0

The returns on which these figures are based do not distinguish between picture postcards and other postcards. Separate figures are not available for the numbers in November, December, and January.The gross revenue collected in respect of postage on correspondence, including parcels, is estimated as follows:—

Year.			£
1913–14	…	…	22,100,000
1920–21	…	…	38,200,000
1921·22	…	…	40,100,000
(Provisional estimate.)

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give details of the annual expenditure of £5,200 in connection with amateur licences for wireless telegraphy?

The annual expenditure of £5,200 is made up as follows:

Correspondence and inquiries re-	£
lating to the issue of licences; the alteration and removal of installations already licensed, and maintenance of records (including typewriting)	3,575
Inspection of stations by engineering officers	1,000
Accounting	625
	£5,200

asked the Postmaster-General if, in view of the considerable hardship inflicted on poor people by the twopenny postage, and considering the lowering of the cost of living and the adjustment of salaries and wages in the Post Office generally, he can see his way to reduce the charges on letters and postcards?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Leader of the House on 16th February in reply to the hon. and learned Member for York (Sir J. Butcher).

asked the Postmaster-General if he is able to state the estimated extent to which trade circulars and printed matter produced and circulated in this country has been posted abroad; if the practice still prevails; and what the loss has been to the postal revenue arising therefrom?

The total number monthly of packets of circulars and other printed matter delivered in this country, inland and foreign, is about 95,000,000. From special Returns which have been taken during the last few months it is found that, on an average, about 230,600 of these are circulars etc. issued by firms in this country but posted abroad for delivery here. As I stated on the 13th instant, in reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Sir H. Norman), the estimated loss to the postal revenue of this country is slightly under £1,000 a month.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that circulars for the British market are still, being posted abroad from Leipzig and elsewhere in Germany; and whether his Department has any statistics to show the growth of this practice, which causes such a loss to the Revenue?

I am aware of the fact. The latest returns show that the practice of posting in Germany and other Continental countries in order to obtain the advantage of the depreciated currencies of those countries is not increasing.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters sent from London by the so-called country post in the evening are now not delivered in the Barkston Ash Division of Yorkshire until the following evening instead of in the morning; that this coincides with the doubling of the cost of postage; and can he have this delay in delivery remedied?

Letters posted in London in time for the general night mail despatch should, in ordinary course, be delivered in the Barkston Ash Division by the first morning post of the next day. If the hon. Member will let me have particulars of any case of delay I will have inquiry made.

in reply, now circulated the following statement:The figures asked for are given in the subjoined statement, which shows in columns 2 and 3 the number of candidates under the ordinary method of recruitment (

asked the Secretary of State for India if he can give any information as to the results of the amended Leper Act passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in India; how far the Act has been put into force by the various Provincial Governments; how many lepers have now been segregated; and how far the remedial treatment of the disease gives promise of success?

I have not received any information, but will inquire.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will give a Return showing the number of political prisoners at present in prison or interned in India; and in what gaols and in what category they are confined?

The particulars asked for cannot be collected without reference to the various local Governments in India, and there is the further difficulty that the expression "political prisoner" is itself a vague one. I will consult the Government of India as to how far it is possible to supply the information desired. As to the last words of the question, I would mention that the question of the treatment of political prisoners is under the consideration of the Government of India, and has also been discussed in several of the Provincial Legislative Councils. It was announced by the Home Member of the Government of India in the Legislative Assembly on 16th January last, in reply to a question as to the special treatment of political prisoners who had not committed any act of violence, that orders were understood to be already in force in most provinces to the effect that persons recently sentenced to rigorous imprisonment under Act XIV of 1908 or the Seditious Meetings Act should receive differential treatment in gaol in the matter of diet, clothing, labour, etc.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the restriction on the rights of travel inflicted upon Indians in the mandated territory of Tanganyika; whether the removal of the ban was effected on his representations; and whether he has asked for disciplinary action against the official guilty of making these invidious distinctions?

Representations on this subject were made to me, and I drew the attention of the Colonial Office to it. But I have no further information than that given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies in answer to my hon. Friend's question on 14th February. I am still in correspondence with the Colonial Office on the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children in elementary schools in England and Wales on the last ascertained, date, the number of teachers in the same schools on the same date, also similar particulars for secondary schools, also the total cost of elementary education from rates and taxes, and the similar cost of secondary education, also the total salaries paid to teachers in elementary schools on the last ascertained date, and the same figure for secondary teachers on the same date?

The estimated average attendance in public elementary schools in England and Wales for 1920–21 is 5,220,000. The number of adult full-time teachers in these schools on 31st March, 1921, was 169,729, and their aggregate salaries on that date £39,524,850. The corresponding figures for grant-aided secondary schools are:

Number of pupils on 1st October, 1920	340,823
Number of full-time teachers on 31st March, 1921	17,835
Aggregate salaries (estimated) on 31st March, 1921	£5,931,615

The estimated expenditure of the local education authorities from rates and grants in respect of elementary education for 1920–21 is £58,474,000. I am unable to give the corresponding figure for secondary schools; the expenditure of local education authorities on secondary education cannot be separated from the remainder of their expenditure on higher education.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether extensive alterations are contemplated to South-lands Grammar School, New Romney, Kent; what is the cost of the proposed alterations; in what proportion will the cost be borne by the taxpayers and the ratepayers; and how many children are at present attending this school?

The local education authority have submitted to the Board, and the Board have approved, a scheme for the adaptation of existing buildings for this school at an estimated cost of £4,400, which will be met as to half from the rates and half from the Board's grants. The number of pupils in the school on 1st October, 1921, was 54, but the school has only recently been established by the local education authority, who intend that it shall accommodate 120 scholars.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children applying for admission to secondary schools in 1920–21, and excluded on account of lack of accommodation and of an adequate supply of free places?

I have no detailed information as to the number of qualified pupils who failed to gain admission to secondary schools in 1920–21. There is no doubt, however, that the number was very considerable. The Departmental Committee on Scholarships and Free Places, on page 68 of their Report [Cmd. 968], summarise certain figures collected by them with reference to the school year 1919–20.

asked the Minister for Agriculture what the present financial position of the sugar beet factory at Kelham is; whether the factory is closed or about to be closed for want of funds; and what sum of Government money is involved?

The present financial position of the sugar beet factory at Kelham gives cause for anxiety. Owing to the high cost of erecting the factory the company had exhausted their capital by the end of last year, and the directors applied to the Government for permission to borrow a further amount up to £200,000 in priority to the second mortgage held by the Government, and for a remission of the Excise Only on home-manufactured sugar. The application of the company was referred to a special Committee appointed by the Ministry in conjunction with the Treasury, under the chairmanship of Sir William McLintock. The Committee recommended that permission should not be given to the company to raise further money to rank before the existing second mortgage, and in regard to the Excise Duty they pointed out that its remission would amount to a subsidy on beet growing at the rate of £24 an acre.The Government has decided to act on the Report of the Committee, and the directors of the company are considering the whole position, but owing to the high costs of production in this country at present they have suspended entering into any contracts with farmers for the growing of beet this season. The Government hold £250,000 in shares in the company, which is half the issued capital, and have also advanced a loan of £125,000 to the company on a second mortgage, subject to a prior charge of £40,000 for cash advanced by the company's bankers. The Government have also guaranteed a dividend of 5 per cent. per annum on the 250,000 shares subscribed by the public for the 10 years ending 31st March, 1930, but this guarantee ceases if the company goes into liquidation or ceases to manufacture sugar.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, in the first instance, he intends to offer for sale any agricultural land now possessed by the Government to the respective county councils in whose area the land is situated; and, failing acceptance by the county councils, if he will direct that such land for sale shall be offered by public auction?

The question of the future of the Ministry's farm settlements is at present under consideration by the Cabinet in connection with the recommendations contained in the Second Report of the Committee on National Expenditure, and I am not, therefore, in a position to make any definite statement on the subject at the present time. I may say, however, that it has for some time been the policy of the Ministry to arrange, wherever practicable, for the transfer of settlements which are fully equipped and let as small holdings to the neighbouring county councils.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will give the total cost of settling men on the land in England and Wales out of public funds; will he give the present position of the Land Settlement Scheme in England and Wales; how many ex-service men have been settled on the land and how many civilians; what is the average annual loss to the State of this national experiment in land settlement, including administration costs; and what is the average cost per person settled on the land?

The present total capital commitments of county councils and councils of county boroughs for the purpose of the Land Settlement Scheme in England and Wales is estimated at £15,466,992. This capital expenditure is advanced by way of loan, and is repayable by the councils. According to Returns supplied by the councils as at the 16th January, 9,413 ex-service men who applied for small holdings before the 1st December, 1920, had been approved and were waiting for holdings. In addition, 2,864 were awaiting interview, or their applications are standing over. Since the 20th December, 1918, the date of the inception of the Land Settlement Scheme, 17,275 applicants have been settled on the land, of whom 15,635 are ex-service men and 1,640 civilians, and it is estimated that a further 2,770 applicants will be settled on land already acquired and not let pending the completion of adaptations and equipment. As regards all those schemes in respect of which the Ministry has approved the councils' proposals for the equipment and letting of the land in small holdings, the average annual loss per holding, after making provision for the repayment of loans and administration expenses of the councils, is £28 16s., the average capital cost per settler being £824.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction existing among farmers in Yorkshire owing to the dilatory manner in which cattle suffering from foot-and-mouth disease have been dealt with; whether he is aware that in many cases their cattle have not been slaughtered till they had recovered or were well on the way to recovery; and whether he can see that so long as the policy of slaughter is persisted in it is carried out efficiently and rapidly?

I am aware that some delay has occurred in certain cases in Yorkshire in the slaughter of animals affected with foot-and-mouth disease. This has been due solely to the fact that for some days the number of outbreaks was so large as to render it impossible to obtain immediately the large number of veterinary officers and butchers necessary to deal with them. The policy of slaughter aims at the eradication of centres of infection, and I would point out that partially recovered animals may still be producing the virus of the disease and are therefore capable of spreading infection. Animals which had passed the actively infectious stage were not slaughtered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the epidemic of rabies is still existing in this country; and if there are any muzzling areas at the present time?

No, Sir, I am happy to state that rabies has now been entirely eradicated in Great Britain, and all Muzzling Orders have been withdrawn.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the reason for originally exempting tyres from the import duties levied upon motor-cars and parts thereof; and whether that reason is still operative?

I am afraid that I can only refer my hon. Friend to the discussion on the subject in connection with the Budget Resolutions in September, 1915.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the amount of Portuguese Treasury bills held by the British Government was increased by £9,480,000; and when the amount of Grecian Treasury bills was increased by £7,210,350?

The amount of Portuguese and Greek Treasury Bills held by His Majesty's Government has been increased by the total amounts mentioned by the deposit of Bills at numerous dates between the Armistice and 31st March last. The additional Portuguese Bills represent partly funds advanced to enable the Portuguese Government to meet as and when established the claims of British Departments for goods supplied and services rendered from dates before the Armistice up to 30th June, 1919, and partly that portion of interest due which has been added to the capital of the debt. The additional Treasury Bills deposited by Greece cover partly advances previously made in the form of book credits, and partly that portion of interest due which has been added to the capital of the debt.I desire to take this opportunity of making a correction in the answer given to my hon. Friend on the 14th instant. It was there stated that except in the case of the Belgian Reconstruction Credit interest due since the Armistice has been met by the deposit of Bills. In addition to interest on the Belgian Reconstruction Credit, interest has been received in full on the Belgian Congo loan and also in part on the advances to Greece and Portugal.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the estimated receipts of £30,000,000 from the Corporation Profits Tax will be realised; and, if not, to what causes he attributes the deficiency?

The amount of Corporation Profits Tax assessed for the year 1921–22 approximates closely to £30,000,000, but owing to the exceptional industrial and financial conditions now prevailing it is probable that the receipt during the year will fall very substantially short of the assessment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the amount of Government taxation per head in France, the United States, and Germany, compared to ourselves, on a gold basis?

I am circulating a statement giving the taxation per head. But to reduce the figures to a gold basis would necessitate an estimate of the value of the currency units in gold during the whole financial year, and in any case the comparison would be vitiated by the

TAXATION REVENUE (Estimated).
—					Year.	Amount.		Per Head.
France	…	…	…	…	1922	Francs	22,421,000,000	Francs	571·8
United States	…	…	…	…	1921–22	$	3,489,500,000	$	32·1
					1922–23	$	2,941,000,000	$	27·1
Germany	…	…	…	…	1921–22	Marks	61,991,000,000	Marks	1,033·2
					1922–23	Marks	96,627,000,000	Marks	1,610·5
United Kingdom	…	…	…	…	1921·22	£	964,000,000	£20	8 10

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes have received, and are receiving, many special privileges at the expense of the Government in the form of rent-free premises, exemption from Income Tax, exemption from Excess Profits Duty, exemption from Corporation Tax, use of Government lorries, franked postage, free advertisement, etc.; and whether, in view of these facts, he will request the Geddes Committee to investigate the working of the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes with a view to reducing the cost which now falls on the taxpayer?

The only premises occupied by the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes free of rent are regimental institute buildings in barracks and camps: similar facilities were granted to canteen contractors prior to 1917. For all other buildings such as warehouses, offices, etc., in the occupation of the organisation, the Navy, Army and Air Force institutes pay rent, rates, etc. As stated in my reply to the hon. Member for the Drake Division of Plymouth (Sir A. Shirley Benn) on the 13th instant, the question of the liability of the institutes to Income Tax is at present under consideration. The question of liability to Corporation Profits Tax must depend on the question of liability to Income Tax. The question of liability to Excess Profits Duty cannot arise, so far as the present corporation is concerned. That corporation was only registered on 9th December, 1920, and no liability to Excess Profits Duty arises in respect of its profits. The Navy, Army and Air

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what repayments of principal and/or interest of loans have been received from any Allied countries by the British Government in the current, financial year?

Particulars as to these repayments and interest payments for the year 1921/22 will be found on page 24 of the Finance Accounts (H.C. 146). I will ask my hon. Friend to await the completion of the Accounts for 1921/22 for similar information as regards the current year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many British families have been assisted to emigrate during the last six months to Canada, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and other British Possessions; and can he state the number of such families who have been granted land on arrival, and the average holding given to each colonist?

The numbers and destinations of British families assisted to migrate during the six months ended the 31st January last under the ex-service free passage scheme are as follows:

• Canada, 679.
• Australia, 4,056.
• New Zealand, 960.
• South Africa and Rhodesia, 428.
• Other parts of the Empire, 225.

These figures do not include families which have been assisted by Dominion Governments. I am not aware what numbers have received such assistance.As I explained in answering my hon. Friend's question on the 14th instant, only a very small proportion of those who proceed overseas have either the experience or the capital necessary to enable them to obtain grants of land immediately on arrival overseas. A certain number have been settled on the land in Canada under the Canadian Soldiers' Settlement Scheme, but selections under this scheme, though at one time made in this country by a special commission of the Canadian Government, have for some time past only been made in Canada, and no exact figures either as to numbers or acreage are available. Similarly in the case of the other Dominions referred to, while a few have proceeded direct to holdings already arranged for them others, of whom no exact records are available, have been able to establish themselves on the land subsequently to their arrival.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when the Report of the Special Committee appointed to consider as to the retention of conscientious objectors in the employ of the State when the services of ex-service men are daily being dispensed with will be laid before the House?

A Select Committee is being set up to inquire into the matter, and will report in due course.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether any woman establishment officers of administrative rank have yet been appointed, as indicated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 5th August, 1921; and, if not, whether, seeing that the appointments were required in order to safeguard the position of women under the regrading schemes which are now under consideration, such appointments will be made without further delay?

No women establishment officers of administrative rank have yet been appointed, but the Treasury is now in communication with Departments where an appointment is contemplated with a view to the early appointment of such officers, and it will be possible to say shortly how many posts for women will be required. They will be filled either by departmental promotion or by limited competition.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will cause further inquiries to be made into the case of Driver H. Constable, No. 49,196, Royal Garrison Artillery, who has been deprived of his pension on the ground that the paralysis by which he is now incapacitated was not due to spinal injury while on war service?

After full and careful consideration of all the circumstances, the Ministry was unable to admit that the paralysis from which this man now suffers was due to or aggravated by service or was in any way connected with the slight injury to his back which he sustained in 1918. This decision, having been confirmed by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal, is final, and I regret, therefore, that the case cannot be re-opened.

asked the Minister of Pensions what was the number of men in receipt of wound pensions at 31st December, 1921 on account of having lost one or more limbs or one or both eyes; what was the total annual amount of their pensions; and if he will state what were the corresponding figures at 31st December, 1920?

The number of men thus disabled by wounds sustained during the Great War and in receipt of pensions from the Ministry on the 31st December, 1921, was some 37,250; and the number on the 31st December, 1920, was, approximately, the same. My right hon. Friend regrets that he is not in a position to give the annual amount of these pensions without a laborious review of the individual papers.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether the Government contemplates any reduction of parents' pensions; whether he will ask the Committee on National Expenditure to publish the evidence on which they based their opinion that too many of these pensions have been issued and that the sums granted to individuals have been excessive; and whether he proposes to accept the suggestion that a re-examination of these awards is called for?

No change will be made in the scales of pension authorised by the Royal Warrants in the case of parents, apart from the fixing of a time limit for further claims to two classes of pension, namely, pre-War dependence and flat-rate pensions, of which a public announcement has already been made. The grounds on which the Committee on National Expenditure took exception to the awards previously made in respect of the pre-War dependence pension are set out fully in their Report. With regard to the last part of my hon. Friend's question, I would point out that it is my right hon. Friend's duty, in responsibility to Parliament, to satisfy himself that all awards of parents' pensions, as of other classes of pension which are in issue, have been correctly made under the terms and intention of the Warrant under which these pensions were granted.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses erected with the assistance of the State subsidy now being let at an economic rent; whether the Ministry is encouraging the sale of subsidised houses; and how many up to the present have been sold?

I am afraid that no houses built by local authorities under assisted schemes have been let at a rent which would cover all charges on the capital cost. The sale of houses erected by local authorities has been consistently encouraged by my predecessor and myself. Schemes for purchase by tenants by easy instalments have been approved for that purpose. Fifty-two local authorities have applied for permission to sell houses, but I have no information at the present moment of the number of houses actually sold by them.

asked the hon. Member for the Pollok Division of Glasgow, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he is aware that the ceilings in 28 newly erected houses under the Office of Works at Wragly Road, Lincoln, have recently been condemned; whether the tenants have been put to the trouble and expense of moving while repairs were being done; that such tenants have been informed that they must bear the expense of moving into these houses again; and whether, as the Office of Works is responsible for the expense and inconvenience entailed by the tenants, the question of adequate compensation has been considered, and what is the result?

The answer to the first part is in the affirmative, except that the number of houses affected was 22 and not 28. The tenants have not been informed that the expenses of removal must be borne by them, and, in fact, all the tenants concerned have been moved free of expense. Sympathetic consideration will be given in any case where, in the First Commissioner's opinion, reasonable cause is shown why a tenant should be moved back to his old house. The First Commissioner is not aware that any compensation is payable.

asked the hon. Member for the Pollok Division of Glasgow, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he is aware that the Geddes Report, as applied to housing schemes where the average cost per house is £1,100, states that the nett rent received is £16 per annum plus 1d. rate, leaving an annual deficit of £55 per annum on each house; whether he is aware that the annual rent of such houses erected under the scheme at Wragly Road, Lincoln, is £36 8s. per annum; what is the actual average rent per annum of such houses; and whether the details on which the Geddes Report figures were supplied by the Office of Works?

The figures mentioned by the hon. Member were not furnished by my Department, but apparently relate to houses built by local authorities under the assisted scheme of the Ministry of Health. The whole cost of the erection of the houses at Lincoln which are under the charge of my Department was paid for out of moneys voted by Parliament, and the average annual rent of these houses is £35 18s. and not £36 8s.

asked the Minister of Health if he can state the number of applications made during the past 12 months for sanatorium treatment; the number of people admitted to receive such treatment; the average waiting time between application for treatment and the treatment itself; and whether tuberculosis is on the increase?

The returns made to my Department by the local authorities who are responsible for making arrangements for the treatment of tuberculosis do not provide the precise information asked for in the first three parts of the question, but I am sending the hon. Member particulars of the numbers of persons receiving and awaiting treatment, respectively, in residential institutions from local authorities in England on the first day of each month from the 1st June last. As regards the last part of the question, I am sending the hon. Member particulars of the annual notification of, and deaths from, tuberculosis, which indicate that the answer is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give the total local rates levied in England and Wales for the current year as compared with 1913–14?

This information will be available very shortly in connection with a statement which is being prepared on the subject of local rates. I hope to lay this statement before the House as a White Paper in continuation of Command Paper 1155 of last Session.

asked the Minister of Health how many cases of leprosy there are in this country and what steps are being taken to segregate persons suffering from this disease and to provide for their treatment and maintenance; whether the disease is notifiable or not; and what success has attended remedial treatment?

In regard to the first part of my hon. Friend's question, I have no definite information as to the number of cases of leprosy in this country as the disease is not notifiable. The number is, however, very small and the cases which have been reported to the Ministry have without exception been contracted abroad. I am advised that, as the infectivity of the disease in this country is very restricted, measures for the compulsory segregation of persons suffering therefrom would not be justified. Up to the present no specific cure for leprosy has been discovered, but the matter is being studied by workers in various countries.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many demands have been made by colliery owners for reductions of wages over and above the reductions decided by the ascertainment of the accountants in the various areas; and if he can state how many mines are closed owing to these demands and the number of workpeople thrown out of employment?

I have heard of a certain number of cases in which colliery owners are alleged to have called for wages reductions in excess of the reductions authorised by the operation of the national agreement, but I am unable to express any general opinion upon the merits of these allegations, nor have I any statistics which would enable me to give the figures asked for in this question.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Committee on National Expenditure assumes that parts of the Mining Industry Act, 1920, are inapplicable or inoperative; and whether he will ask the Committee to present the evidence upon which this view is based?

I have read the Report of the Committee on National Expenditure on the Mines Department; I do not think that it falls within my province to ask them to present the evidence upon which their views are based.

asked the Minister of Labour whether it is his intention to issue any memorandum commenting on the findings of the Geddes Committee?

No, Sir.

asked the Lord Privy Seal what Departments have sent in memoranda to the Cabinet in reply to the Geddes Committee?

No, Sir, it would be quite contrary to established practice to give any account of Cabinet Papers.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether it is his intention to issue any memorandum commenting on the findings of the Geddes Committee?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour what provision is being made to deal with the unemployment problem in other countries by way of relief works, unemployment insurance, or other assistance?

The available information is limited, and any endeavour to set out the details of each plan would involve very considerable labour and a very long reply. But I may shortly say that in Italy and Austria national compulsory contributory insurance schemes similar to that in operation in this country have been initiated since the War.In Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Czecho-Slovakia there are no national insurance schemes, but out-of-work donations (to which the workers do not directly contribute) are operative, the cost being borne jointly by the State, the regional or local authority (in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden), and the employer (in Switzerland and Sweden). These donations are subject to various limitations and conditions in the different countries.In France, in addition to subsidies out of public moneys for certain trade union and other insurance funds, a national unemployment fund was established in 1914 to assist local unemployment funds, which are voluntary organisations, functioning in many, but not in all, districts.In Belgium the State subsidises voluntary unemployment insurance funds, and has established, in connection with the present emergency, a national fund to assist members of voluntary funds for whom benefits from those funds are no longer available. In the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway the unemployment insurance funds of trade unions are subsidised by the State. In the United States and the British Dominions no provision is made, so far as I know, for assisting schemes of unemployment benefit out of public funds.Public works for the relief of the unemployed have been put in hand in most countries; and in Germany and Switzerland provision has been made for subsidies or loans to prevent the closing down of establishments.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can state the procedure of supply by which labour is recruited for the Ordnance factories at Woolwich; whether he has any reports from local managers of the influences which are operating to prevent the local supply of labour being used; and, if so, will he make representations to the Director of Ordnance Factories on this question?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to his question on the 21st February by the Secretary of State for War, from which he will see that it is the rule for vacancies to be notified to the Employment Exchange by the Ordnance factory authorities, who require that preference shall be given to local residents. I am not aware of any influence operating to prevent this procedure being observed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether it is intended to introduce legislation to reduce taxation on the horse-power basis of cars built in 1915 instead of 1914, and continue such rebate on all cars that become seven years old?

The answer is in the negative. The ground for the rebate, in the case of pre-1913 engines, is not the age of the engine, but the type of construction.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether, in the event of a motor car being laid up for 11 months of the year as the result of an accident, the owner can obtain a refund of a proportionate part of the taxation already paid?

It is not practicable to make a refund in respect of non-user of a vehicle during some part of the period of the currency of a licence. The owner of a vehicle, if he wishes to do so, can take out quarterly licences and thereby minimise his risk of loss.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether he has received a petition signed by the inhabitants of the urban district area of Whitefield, including the medical officer of health, with regard to the condition of certain roads; and, if so, will he cause an inspection and inquiry to be held with regard to the same, with a view to the matter being dealt with as early as possible?

I have ascertained that the roads in question are not highways re- pairable by the inhabitants at large, and the responsibility for their maintenance does not, therefore, rest with the highway authority. One of the engineers of the Roads Department is visiting White-field in the near future, and will investigate the matter on the spot. On the receipt of his report, I will communicate with my hon. Friend.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will give the names of all admirals who are now in receipt of pay, and the amount of pay in each case?

A statement has been prepared giving the information desired by the hon. Member, but as it is very lengthy and involves many figures, I am sending it to him separately.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that there is still a widespread demand on the part of the public for copies of the Report of the Committee on Trusts (Cmd. 9236, 1919), and that the Report is out of print; and whether he will give instructions for it to be reprinted?

I understand that a demand for the Report mentioned by the hon. Member exists, and I have arranged accordingly for the reprinting of a limited edition.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether censorship on mails and private letters still continued in Egypt; and, if so, to what degree?

The High Commissioner has been requested to report the desired particulars.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the amount that has been spent in Egypt on public education each year since 1915; how many persons are employed in the educational department; and whether their salaries come out of the amount provided for education?

I am not in possession of the information asked for, but the High Commissioner is being instructed to furnish a report.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that on 14th January, 1922, being the market day for Shandaweel, in Girga province, while the inhabitants were assembled in the new market which they had set up in place of the British company's market there, Mr. Kennedy, the general inspector of the company, arrived with the Meawen of Souhag and soldiers; that they then attempted to persuade the inhabitants to return to the company's market and failed, and went on to compel them by force to do so; that Kennedy fired seven shots with his revolver into the crowd and the soldiers fired with their rifles; and that three of the inhabitants were killed and nine wounded; and whether, seeing that the protection of the soldiers made it unnecessary for Kennedy to use his revolver in self-defence, an inquiry will be held into the incident?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I made to a similar question by the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Mills) on the 20th instant.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs who are the directors of the International Petroleum Company of Canada; whether there is any precedent for His Majesty's Government engaging in arbitration proceedings with another Government on behalf of a private company, and, if so, what they are; whether he will lay the correspondence between the International Petroleum Company of Canada and His Majesty's Government upon the Table of the House; if the action of the Government is in discharge of their public duties; if so, why they have sought an indemnity from private individuals against the costs of their action; and, if not, why have they undertaken it?

The directors, according to the latest list at my disposal, are:

• G. H. Smith, President,
• A. M. McQueen, Vice-President,
• V. Ross, Vice-President,
• G. W. Crawford,
• C. A. Eames,
• J. L. Englehart,
• Major H. Keswick,
• Hon. W. Nesbitt, K.C.,
• Sir E. B. Osler,
• C. O. Stillman,
• J. C. Trees.

International litigation can only take place between Governments, Governments being the only units known to international law. For this reason, it is a common practice, in cases in which differences have occurred between private individuals or companies and a foreign Government, to make an arrangement by which the dispute is submitted to arbitration as between two Governments. If the individual or company concerned is able to bear the expense, an arrangement is frequently made by which the costs are borne by the individual or company instead of falling upon the taxpayer. There are large numbers of precedents for the adoption of this practice, which provides a convenient means of reaching a judicial determination of cases which would otherwise be difficult to settle.I do not think that the correspondence in this case is of sufficient public interest to justify the expense of laying it before Parliament.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has now received information as to the terms on which the men of the South Persia Rifles have been disbanded and what has become of them; whether the equipment offered to the Persian Government has been taken or not; what proportion of the guns, rifles, horses, mules, stores, and munitions supplied by the Government of India have been withdrawn to the coast; what have been destroyed locally; what is the estimated value of what has been destroyed locally; what sum the Persian Government is to be called upon to pay to recompense the Government of India for its expenditure on this Persian force; and whether the Persian Government or the British Government or private individuals have had to bear the expense of the forced evacuation of British women and children from Shiraz, necessitated by the disbandment of the South Persia Rifles?

All officers and men received in addition to all pay and allowances due, a gratuity equivalent to two months' pay. Men were also allowed to keep the greater part of their clothing. The majority of the men have dispersed to their homes. A few have joined other Persian forces and a few have migrated to Mesopotamia. The Persian Government took over 700 rifles and 200 boxes 303 ammunition, also a very small quantity of equipment, and 45 horses. Approximately two-thirds of the equipment on charge of the force has been withdrawn to India. The following articles, of which the estimated value was Rs.250,000, were destroyed:

(a) Unserviceable articles;

(b) Ammunition, less 200 boxes S.A.A., taken over by the Persian Government.

(c) Two-thirds of the rifles and carbines on charge (the remaining third was withdrawn).

• Four 10-pounder Mountain guns.
• Five Maxim guns.
• One Hotchkiss automatic rifle.

All stores, equipment, animals and other assets not destroyed or withdrawn to India, were disposed of by local sale. It is not proposed to claim anything from the Persian Government to recompense the Government of India for their expenditure on this Persian force. In cases of evacuation of British women and children, the cost has been borne by the individuals themselves.

asked the Attorney-General if occupied enemy territory is the present actual status of Palestine in international law; and, if not, what it is?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the Attorney-General whether the rules for the guidance of the War Compensation Court provide that the Court should allocate compensation between the separate items of claims; and, if not, what is the reason?

The War Compensation Court are not required, and it, has not been their practice, to allocate compensation between the separate items of the several claims. In this respect they are, as I am informed, continuing the invariable practice of the Defence of the Realm Losses Royal Commission.

asked the Attorney-General what has been the expenditure of public money to date upon the litigation begun 13 months ago at the instance of the Crown in defence of the Food Controller's levy upon milk producers in the southwestern counties, which the Court of Appeal declares to have been illegal and unconstitutional; and whether, in the interests both of national economy and agricultural production, this litigation will now be ended?

The case apparently referred to in the question involves a sum of at least £250,000, and in the King's Bench Division was decided in favour the Food Controller. That decision was reversed on appeal, and the taxed costs of the defendants in the Court of Appeal and in the Court below, amounting to £1,135, have been paid to them by the Food Department of the Board of Trade. The costs incurred by the Food Department itself up to yesterday amount to £880. It is hoped by a successful appeal to the House of Lords not only to retrieve all these costs but also to secure the capital sum of £250,000.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been drawn to the unfortunate position of trades instructors in reformatory and industrial schools which have been or are about to be closed, and who are apparently, as a result of such closing, not only losing their employment without compensation, but also their rights to pension for which they have worked for years, and are ineligible for employment and benefit: and whether he will consider the advisability of more generous treatment of these men?

I much regret that the closing of a number of reformatory and industrial schools, which has been necessary on grounds of economy, has involved loss of employment to the staff, including trade instructors. It is hoped that most of them will be able to obtain other employment, and for this purpose as long notice as possible—usually three months—has been given. The managers of the schools which are being closed will, I am sure, do what they can to assist the staff in finding other work and will give special consideration to any cases of hardship arising from old age or infirmity.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consult the various authorities in the British Empire overseas as to the value to their trade and commerce of the Department of Overseas Trade?

It is not proposed to take the specific action suggested in the question.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if figures are available showing the number of communications despatched by his Department to chambers of commerce and trade associations during the last year and the number of inquiries received from chambers of commerce and trade associations during the same period?

The number of written communications despatched by the Department to the principal chambers of commerce and trade associations during last year amounted to close on 16,000, including circulars containing commercial information; and the number of written communications received from them was 3,863.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he can give the total local rates raised for Scotland for the current year, as compared with 1913–14?

The total amount of assessments collected in Scotland in 1913–14, excluding water and certain minor assessments, was £7,650,000. I have no precise information as to the assessments collected for the current year, but the estimated amount of the corresponding assessments imposed is £19,300,000.