asked (1) the Minister of Labour whether he has considered the possibility, in view of the particularly distressed position of the tin-mining industry in Cornwall, of diverting the relief now being paid to the unemployed in this area to economic and industrial use by setting the men to work in the mines;(2) the Prime Minister whether the Government can hold out any hope of being able to assist in any way, by loan or grant, any amalgamated scheme of development which may be put forward on behalf of the distressed mining industry in Cornwall?

I have been asked to answer these questions. The Government are opposed to any policy of subsidising industry on the ground that conditions of economic trading are the only sound basis for regaining national prosperity. The only form of assistance available for industry is that provided by the Trade Facilities Act, and the ques- tion whether any scheme should be granted such assistance is a question for the Advisory Committee under that Act.

asked the Prime Minister, in view of the very large monopoly certain newspaper proprietors have acquired and are acquiring in this country, thereby dictating to a very large section of the community their personal policy and opinions, if he can see his way to make it compulsory for all newspapers, etc., to have the name of the proprietor printed on the front page of each edition, so that the public may know to whom the paper belongs?

My hon. Friend's proposal would in many cases only disclose the name of a company, and would not be effective for the purpose that he has in view.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on or about what date the Budget will be introduced?

I hope to introduce the Budget on Monday, 1st May.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the recent rise in the value of Government stocks has been accompanied by and is a sign of the fall in the cost of living whereby the purchasing power of holders of such stocks is doubly increased; and if he will invite large holders of Government stocks to voluntarily convert their stocks into stocks bearing a lower rate of interest?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 14th March to the hon. Member for the Govan Division of Glasgow (Mr. Maclean).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what securities he agreed to assign in December, 1921, in order to assist the Greek Government to raise a loan?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on the 27th ultimo to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for the Burton Division of Staffordshire (Colonel Gretton). We did not agree to assign any securities.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount raised by Income Tax in this country upon shipping of the United States of America; whether ships owned by the American Government are subjected to such taxation; and, if so, upon what grounds?

The information asked for in the first part of the question is not available; as regards the question of the taxation of tonnage owned by a foreign Government or by a Dominion Government, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on the 17th August last to the hon. Member for Wrexham (Sir R. Thomas). I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of that reply.

asked the Home Secretary whether his Department has formed any estimate of the economy to the nation effected through the daylight saving arrangements?

I think there can be no question that daylight saving results in large economies to the nation as a whole; but no attempt has been made officially to estimate the amount since the inquiry of the Summer Time Committee which reported in 1917. Much of the benefit of the Act to the community is of course of a nature that cannot be expressed in terms of statistics.

asked the Home Secretary if any police authorities have given notice to abolish or reduce the small increase granted in pre-War pensions to the police; and, if so, whether such action has his sanction and approval?

I am not aware of any such notice having been given, but my sanction or approval would not be required.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to an application to the Commissioner of the Police for the Metropolis by Mr. F. H. Boettcher, who has been resident in this country for the last 34 years, for registration as a stateless person; and whether, in view of the fact that the applicant has already satisfied the Public Trustee on this point so as to secure the release of property seized during the War and has also obtained the grant of letters of administration to other property from the Probate Division of the High Court, instructions may be given for his registration to be modified accordingly?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The question of the manner in which this alien should be registered is quite distinct from any question which may have been decided with regard to his property by the authorities mentioned, and as at present advised I am not prepared to issue any special instructions in the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will give the opportunity to any Member who wishes it to read the instructions to the metropolitan police and any other printed suggestions or hints given to them with regard to their duties and the way in which they should be carried out?

I regret that I cannot afford these facilities. The book of General Orders and the Instruction Book issued to the members of the Metropolitan Police force are of a confidential character, and issue is strictly confined to members of the force.

asked the Home Secretary in what districts and from what police stations were Metropolitan policewomen patrols working on 31st March; and in how many of these districts are they accompanied by male constables?

I will send the hon. Baronet a list of the stations. In all cases the distribution of the women patrols is so arranged that a constable may be readily available should necessity arise.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in the event of the disbandment of the Metropolitan Women Police, he proposes to appoint assistants to Miss MacDougall, and, if so, at what salary; or, alternatively, what other arrangements will be made for taking evidence from girls and children?

This matter is under consideration. It is proposed, where necessary, to employ a sufficient number of suitable women, with a status similar to that of Miss MacDougall, under the direction of the Commissioner of Police. The salary to be paid has not been decided.

asked the Home Secretary how many officials are engaged upon the work of examining applications for naturalisation; the annual cost of this Department; and the amount received in fees?

I would refer to an answer given to a similar question put by the hon. Member for Whitechapel (Mr. Kiley) and St. George's (Mr. Erskine) on the 28th February last, and repeat that the work of examining applications for naturalisation is carried out by officers who also perform many other important duties, and no exact estimate of the cost of any particular section of their work is possible. These officers number 15, and their total remuneration for the financial year 1921–22 amounted to £9,531 19s. 5d. During the same period the net amount received in naturalisation fees amounted to £6,095 10s.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there has been any revision in the staffs employed in the passport offices of Amsterdam and Rotterdam; what number of officials is employed in each of these places; and what are the salaries and wages in each of these places?

The Passport Control Office at Amsterdam was closed down on 31st March last. At Rotterdam the staff has been reduced from seven to five, and the salaries and wages now amount to £1,650 and £180 per annum, respectively.

asked the Under Secretary of State for India whether the municipality of Bombay are now in process of negotiating a loan in the United States; whether any opportunity was first offered to financial houses in the City of London to tender for this loan: whether any large municipalities in India or the Dominions have previously ignored London in arranging for loans; and, since there is no reason to believe that the necessary money could not be raised in London on terms as favourable as may be anticipated as forthcoming in the United States, why this is being done?

I have no information on the subject beyond the Press telegram published on 29th March. A telegraphic inquiry has been sent to the Government of Bombay.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can now specify a definite date when markets will be opened in Kent provided no further outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease occurs meantime in the county; whether the practice of removing restrictions without previous notice is very inconvenient to those who have cattle and sheep for sale, as well as to auctioneers and others who have to advertise sales; and whether he will in future give as long notice as possible of the dates on which restrictions will be removed in the absence of fresh cases of disease?

I am issuing an order which will withdraw all restrictions from the whole of Kent as from the 8th instant, with the exception of two small areas round Tonbridge and Sittingbourne, respectively. This Order will therefore enable markets to be held in Kent outside the two areas mentioned. With regard to the second and third parts of the question I may say that while I regret that any inconvenience is occasioned in connection with revision of the Ministry's Orders, it is not always feasible to give long notice of the proposed withdrawal of restrictions. As much notice as possible is, however, always given.

asked the Minister of Health, if he is aware that demolition of slum property, unfit for habitation, has been followed by the reception of the former occupants in Dartford infirmary owing to the shortage of houses in that area; and whether he is now able to resume the building programme promised in 1918?

I am aware of the shortage of houses in the district and since the beginning of this year approval has been given to erecting or obtaining tenders for 28 houses in the Dartford Urban District and 66 houses in the rural district.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport what was the largest sum charged against the Roads Fund in respect of 1921 by any one authority for the issue of motor car licences; what number of licences were issued under this charge; and what is the name of the authority concerned?

The final figures for the cost of collection, chargeable against the Road Fund, in respect of the year 1921, are not yet available. The total cost of collection will undoubtedly be highest in the registration area of the London County Council. The number of licences issued by that council (excluding drivers' licences) up to the 31st December, 1921, was 137,453.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether he has any information as to the condition of the Black Sea ports with regard to obstructions to navigation; and, if so, which ports, if any, are in as safe a condition for shipping as was the case before the revolution in Russia?

No information is available as to the conditions of ports of the Black Sea during the period preceding the revolution in Russia. The present position is that practically all such ports are guarded by mines or other obstructions and are approached by swept channels. I understand from the Admiralty that the limits of the minefields and the instructions for approaching the ports are given in Mine Warnings to Mariners No. 422 and Addenda, and that instructions for entry are published for the following ports in Russia and the allied republics thereof: Odessa, Nikolaiev, Novorossisk, Perekop, ports in the Sea of Azov, Batum and Poti, and also for the ports of Burghaz and Varna (in Bulgaria); and Constanza and Sulina (in Roumania). In addition to these instructions, details are given of the position of minefields off various ports and in the Straits of Kertch. It is understood that the Russian Government have given notice that mines may be laid anywhere within 12 miles of the Russian coast.