asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will reconsider the draft Orders regulating the proceedings of the Pilotage Committee in such a manner as to extend to shipowners' representatives similar facilities as are extended to pilots who are empowered to be represented by substitutes should the elected members be unable to attend meetings; and whether, if pilots, members of the Committee, are, by reason of their calling, prevented from attending, a similar argument applies with equal force to elected representatives of the shipowners who, for reasons of illness, business engagements, etc., may find it equally impossible to attend every meeting?

The reason why in such cases provision is made for pilot members to have substitutes is that they may occasionally be prevented by their statutory obligations from attending meetings of a Pilotage Committee. There are many precedents for this, but none for the extension of the principle to shipowners or other interests, and the Board, after careful consideration, think it undesirable to create one.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the circulars being issued by the Navigators and General Insurance Company, Limited, having its registered office at Finsbury Court, Finsbury Pavement, London, E.C.2, who, it is understood, offer in return for a premium of 12s. 6d. to pay £1,000 to navigating officers of the Mercantile Marine in the event of their certificates being cancelled as the result of a Board of Trade inquiry; and whether, in view of the obvious danger of the misuse of such an insurance, he can take such steps as will make such a policy invalid?

The attention of the Board of Trade was called to this form of insurance, and it was carefully considered. The conclusion arrived at was that it was not necessary for the Department to take any special action in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received a petition from the Kingston penitentiary staff, Jamaica, relating to their scales of pay and allowances; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

The petition referred to by the hon. and gallant Member has been received. A Commission has recently been appointed to inquire into the salaries of the Civil Service in the Colony, and the Governor was accordingly informed that, as the case of the petitioners would presumably be examined by the Commission, the Secretary of State did not propose to intervene in the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Foreign Office have made any representations to the Chinese Government in respect of their default on the bonds known as the Marconi issue; and will he be prepared in the near future to make some statement on the matter?

His Majesty's Minister at Peking has been; pressing, and continues to press, the Chinese Government for the payment of the interest due on the bonds referred to.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that the workmen at the Auckland Park colliery, county Durham, have had the unemployment benefit stopped, which ought to have been paid on 10th March, because of a dispute between the workmen and the management re the opening of part of the colliery that, at the outside, would only employ about 270 men, but the stoppage of the benefit applies to between 700 and 800 men; and if he will make inquiries into the case in justice to all affected?

These claims were referred to the Insurance Officer in accordance with the usual procedure, and were disallowed by him. I cannot interfere with his decision, but it is open to the men or their trade union to appeal to the Court of Referees if they so desire.

asked the Minister of Pensions upon what grounds Lieut. -Colonel Sir T. Duncan Rhind, K.B.E., hitherto employed as a temporary official in the Ministry of Pensions, has been established in a permanent post carrying a salary £750 to £850, while established officers of 20 to 30 years' service, who are doing precisely similar work to that required to be done in the post to which Sir T. Duncan Rhind has been appointed, cannot be given substantive appointments because of the large number of redundant officers in the Civil Service for whom places have to be found?

Sir Duncan Rhind's exceptional qualifications as a statistician and organiser justified his selection for the established appointment as head of the Statistical Section of the Ministry of Pensions—a position which he has filled with distinction for over two and a half years. I know of no other officer, either established or temporary, who is doing even approximately similar work, or who could fill the post, and before Sir Duncan Rhind's appointment to the establishment was decided upon the possibility of filling the post from the ranks of existing established officers was carefully considered.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the serious position of the dairy farmers of counties such as Somerset by reason of the prices they are to receive for their milk during the summer months; and what steps he is taking to investigate the positions of the producer and the consumer of milk?

I am aware that wholesale milk dealers are offering much lower prices than last year, but I do not think it need be assumed that farmers will accept those prices. In past years the prices offered in the first instance by dealers have not usually been those at which contracts have actually been made. As regards the second part of the question, I do not think an inquiry of the kind suggested would produce any useful results.

asked the Prime Minister whether, seeing that the Allied Powers entered into an engagement, by Article 48, paragraph 3, of the Treaty of Neuilly, on 27th November, 1919, to secure outlets for Bulgarian commerce into the Ægean Sea, he will say if Bulgarian commerce is at the present moment afforded these guaranteed outlets?

I can add nothing to the statement of the position contained in the answer which I returned to my hon. Friend's question on this subject on the 6th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for War, as representing the India Office, whether he will have a calculation made as to what increase of subscriptions would be necessary during service to enable officers of the Indian Army to have no further contributions to make to the Indian Military Service Family Pension Fund after retirement on pension, and put it to the officers concerned as to whether they would desire this change or not?

As stated in the reply to the hon. and gallant Member's question of 8th March, the possibility of utilising the surplus of the Indian Military Service Family Pension Scheme to abolish subscriptions after retirement will be considered, and such calculations as are necessary for the purpose will be made. I regret that I am unable to give any assurance that subscribers will be individually consulted. A Committee of subscribers will, however, shortly be appointed in accordance with a recommendation of the Esher Committee to examine the work- ing of the scheme and report thereon; and this Committee will doubtless keep the Secretary of State advised as to any widely held views.

asked the Secretary of State for War, as representing the India Office, whether any representations have been made to the Indian Government in favour of the raising of the Excise Duties on the product of the Indian mills to the level of the import duties on Lancashire piece goods; whether he is aware of the exploitation of the poor which is now proceeding all over India; and whether Swadeshi cloth, although much inferior, is being sold at almost twice the value of Lancashire goods?

Representations addressed to the Secretary of State by representatives of the cotton industry in this country have been transmitted to the Government of India. As far as the figures have been reported to the India Office, the ratio between prices of Swadeshi and foreign cloth appears to be very much the same as it was before the War.