asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give the number of battleships, battle-cruisers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines maintained in full commission by the British Empire, the United States of America, and Japan?

The following ships are in full commission:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what amount is required from engine-room officers and electricians, respectively, who desire to purchase their discharge from the Navy; and what bonus is being paid to these ratings, respectively, on their compulsory discharge under the present naval reductions?

The answers to both parts of the question depend on a variety of considerations. The scale for discharge by purchase is shown in King's Regulations, Article 602, Clause 5, and the scales of compensation to such ratings compulsorily discharged under the recent Orders are those contained in Armiralty Fleet Order 1359/22, copies of which I have forwarded to the hon. Member.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that 16 non-service men are employed at the remount depot, Arborfield, Berks; and if he will take the necessary steps to see that these men are replaced by ex-service men as early as possible, in view of the fact there are many ex-cavalry men in the district who are unemployed?

I am aware that 15 non-service men are employed as stated. The general position is that whilst preference is given to ex-service men in filling existing vacancies it is not the practice of the Department to creat such vacancies artificially by the discharge of employés whose services are satisfactory. In these circumstances I am not in a position to take the action suggested.

asked the Under-secretary of State for War if he will explain why the life pension of 8d. per diem granted to M. Meaney, Army Pay Corps, on the 6th December, 1919, by the Chelsea Commissioners, has been cancelled?

The life pension of 8d. a day granted to this man has been cancelled by the Chelsea Commissioners because he had ceased to be entitled to it under Army Regulations, but a life pension of the same amount has been awarded by the Ministry of Pensions from the date of cancellation of the Chelsea pension.

asked Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any statistics exist to show the number of houses previously below £20 annual value whose assessment has been altered these last 12 months, so as to bring them under the operation of the inhabited house duty; and how many of these houses are actually in Barrow-in-Furness?

The revaluation of properties which will come into force for the year 1923–24 is still proceeding, and the information asked for will probably not be available until the end of 1924.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can state at what date a Customs barrier will be established between Ireland and England; whether a Customs barrier will be established also between the Free State and Ulster; and what the extra cost of doing this will be?

The Irish Free State Government have decided to establish a Customs line on their borders on 1st April. Trade between the United Kingdom and the Free State, whether by sea or by land, will thereafter become importation and exportation for Customs and other purposes and a similar line will be established accordingly by the British Government, both on the sea coast and along the land boundary in Ireland on that date. The extra cost cannot yet be stated.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total value of imports into and exports from Great Britain and Ireland for the years ending 1913, 1921, 1922, and the estimated value of these imports and exports calculated at 1913 prices; and can he give an approximate rough estimate of the invisible exports, such as income from investments, earnings of shipping, banking and insurance commissions, etc., for each year?

The statement annexed hereto contains the particulars asked for in the first part of the question. With reference to the last part, the United Kingdom imports of merchandise and bullion and specie in 1913 exceeded the exports by £134 millions, and generally accepted estimates of the

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that, of

aggregate of new investments abroad place them at about £200 millions annually at that time. It follows that the aggregate net invisible exports of the United Kingdom must have amounted to about 330 millions annually. With regard to the later dates specified in the question, I am not prepared to give any estimate for the year 1921, the data available for calculations in respect of that year being exceptionally unreliable. For the year 1922 various estimates, differing considerably from one another, have recently been made public, and an independent inquiry into the matter is now being made in my Department.

1,034 police courts in England and Wales, some 215 have no probation officers, and that the production of habitual criminals has been checked by avoiding the un- necessary detention of juvenile and adult offenders in recent years with consequent financial saving to the State; what are the obstacles in the way of a properly organised system of probation in place of the present fragmentary service; and whether inquiry into the possibility of organising and putting into force such a properly organised probationary system will be made at an early date?

I think my hon. Friend must be unaware that the organisation of the probation system in this country was recently considered by a Departmental Committee who issued their Report last year. The Committee made some valuable recommendations and steps have already been taken to give effect to them so far as they lie within

These figures are exclusive of the men numbering at present some 1,300, employed at dockyards and naval and military stations, whose cost does not fall on the Metropolitan Police Fund.

asked the Home Secretary (1) whether, having regard to the provisions in the Workmen's Compensation (War Addition) Acts of 1917 and 1919 and to the fact that the maximum sum payable to dependants in case of death is still £300, as provided by the original Act of 1906, he proposes to introduce a Bill dealing with the matter;

(2) whether, having regard to the provisions of the Workmen's Compensation (War Addition) Acts, 1917 and 1919, which increased by 75 per cent. the weekly sum payable as compensation for accidents whilst a workman is totally incapacitated, it is contemplated to make any addition to the weekly sum payable in respect of partial incapacity which is still arrived at upon the same basis laid down in the original Act of 1906, or whether, in the present circumstances, the 75 per cent. addition referred to

my authority. I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the Report. I am well aware of the value of probation, and the Home Office is losing no opportunity of promoting the growth of an effective system in different parts of the country.

asked the Home Secretary the numbers of the personnel of the Metropolitan Police Force in 1914 and 1922?

The following figures show the numbers of the various ranks in the Metropolitan Police Force at the dates mentioned:

will receive any and, if so, what modification?

As I have already stated in reply to several questions this Session, the Government are considering the question of legislation for the purpose of amending the Workmen's Compensation Acts. I regret that I am unable at present to make any further announcement.

asked the Home Secretary whether there are any available figures of the number of Austrian, German, and Russian subjects, either deported or repatriated during and since the War, who have left behind them English wives and families of children who are in distress; and if he can say how many of these families have had to be provided for out of the rates?

There are no figures which I can give in answer to this question; but I may say that the position of the wives and children, if any, of aliens whom there is reason to send out of the country is one of the questions which are carefully con- sidered before a decision is made. Further, wherever possible, the opportunity is offered to them of accompanying the man. Lastly, it is inevitable that in some cases the removal of the man will leave his family in distress, and even chargeable to the rates, but, nevertheless, public interests may demand that he shall go.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give the quantity of hops produced at home and the quantity imported for 1922, together with similar figures for January and February, 1923?

The estimated home production of hops in 1922 was 301,000 cwts. The total quantity of hops imported during that year was 130,360 cwts.

asked the President to the Board of Education whether he has received a request from the Leyton Urban District Council, acting as the Leyton education authority, to sanction the closing as from the 31st March next premises situate in High Road, Leyton, used for the purpose of an elementary school, and known as High Road School; and whether, seeing that the said premises are more than 200 years old, insanitary, and out of date for educational purposes, that it has been condemned on several occasions in recent years by the medical officer of health of the district, and also by the Board of Education, and that there is ample provision for the transfer of the 300 children involved to up-to-date schools in the immediate vicinity, he will take steps to give early effect to the unanimous request of the council!

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Before a decision is taken, it will be necessary for fuller information to be supplied as to the arrangements which can be made in other schools for accommodating the children who would be displaced by the closure of High Road School, with particular regard to the convenience of the schools proposed in relation to the children's homes. A request for such information was sent to the education authority on the 21st February.

asked the Under-secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state, as regards the British, French, and Belgian occupied zones in Germany, what duties are payable on goods entering and leaving these zones; who collects the duties; and into what fund they are paid?

A full account of the present Regulations regarding imports into and exports from the occupied territories of Germany was published on pages 276–7 of the "Board of Trade Journal" for 1st March. In the areas occupied by the Allies under the Rhineland Agreement annexed to the Treaty of Versailles, the collection of Customs duties is under the supervision of the Customs Managing Committee established by the Rhineland High Commission, and the receipts are carried to a special account which was opened on 20th January under the control of the Commission. In the remaining occupied areas the control is in the hands of the occupying authorities.

asked the hon. Member for Monmouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, if he can state the extent to which the forests of Great Britain were reduced during the War; and whether the Commissioners have any schemes in contemplation for replacing the wastage?

The survey of woodlands in Great Britain which the Forestry Commissioners are carrying out will not be completed before 1925; consequently they are unable to state figures for the whole country showing the extent to which the forests were reduced during the War. Completed returns for seven counties show that over 20 per cent. of the economic or potentially productive woods have been felled: owing to the fact that during the War there was little sale for second-class hardwoods, the proportion of merchantable soft-wood plantations which were felled was far greater than is shown by the figure 20 per cent. The scheme of afforestation which the Commissioners aimed at carrying out was on the lines of the recommendations in the Final Report of the Forestry Sub-Committee of the Reconstruction Committee (Cd. 8881); this provided for afforestation in the first 10 years of the scheme of 150,000 acres by direct State action and 100,000 by local authorities and private individuals, making a total of 250,000 acres. The Commissioners have not accomplished as much as would have been done if the annual quota of the £3,500,000 (voted by Parliament in 1919 for the first 10 years of the scheme) had not been reduced. Up to the middle of January last the Commissioners had planted approximately 21,000 acres in Great Britain and they expect to bring the total up to 27,000 acres by the end of the current planting season. Grants under the Forestry Act, 1921, awarded by the Commission to local authorities and private individuals, resulted in the planting last season of approximately 10,000 acres and the preparation of a similar area with an undertaking to plant; it is believed that afforestation of private land this season will not be less than last.