asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the question of the cost of housing entailed upon officers of the Army in India is under consideration; and whether steps are being taken to provide officers with free quarters or what is proposed to be done in the matter?

My hon. and gallant Friend was informed of the Government of India's policy on this subject on 7th March of last year. The provision of free quarters has not been under consideration. In accordance with the recommendations of the Esher Committee, rent for Government quarters is assessed at not more than 10 per cent. of pay in the case of married officers and not more than 5 per cent. in the case of single officers.

What did the Esher Committee recommend?

The recommendation of the Esher Committee has been carried out.

Is the Noble Lord aware of the enormous rise in rents of recent years?

Yes, that has been taken into account in coming to the decision which has been come to.

Will not the Government consider the question now, as it is a very important matter?

I am afraid that it Ns ill not be possible in the present state of financial stringency to give improved terms. The terms which have been carried on are those which have been recommended by the Esher Committee.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India, with reference to his reply of the 4th December, 1922, whether the correspondence with the Government of India regarding the possibility of alleviating the burden imposed on Government officials in India by the present high cost of passages to and from India has been concluded and whether he can now give the definite information on the subject then promised?

The correspondence referred to has not yet been concluded. I hope to give my hon. and gallant Friend further information very shortly.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what has been the total additional annual administrative expenditure occasioned by the Montagu reforms in the government of India as compared with the previous administration by the Indian Civil Service?

I will send my hon. Friend a copy of the full statement circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT of 30th June last, which showed an annual extra expenditure of 45 lakhs of Rupees. I have no doubt that this increase has been, and is being, reduced in consequence of retrenchment. As, however, the preparation of this Return is a lengthy and costly process, I do not propose, unless my hon. Friend presses for it, to ask for a revised statement at this stage.

Does my Noble Friend think, from the information at his disposal, that the people of India are happier or more contented by reason of this large additional expenditure?

Does this refer only to the Government of India, or also to the Provincial Governments?

The Return refers to general expenditure, Provincial and Government of India. The question of my hon. Friend hardly seems to arise out of the original question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the debates in the Indian legislatures on 25th January, in which strong disapproval was shown to the proposal to appoint a Royal Commission upon the services in India; whether the Government of India have approved of the appointment of the Commission; and whether it is still his intention to carry out the proposal?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is still of opinion that another Royal Commission should be appointed to inquire into the public services of India; whether he has consulted the opinion of the governors of the Indian provinces on the proposal, and has given full weight to the views of the elected representatives of India on the project; and, if he proposes to carry out his intention, will he first of all give the House of Commons an opportunity of debating the matter?

Yes, Sir, I have read the Debates referred to. The appointment of a Royal Commission is a matter for His Majesty's Government who are not prepared to reconsider their decision.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he will state the number of Moplahs transported to the Andaman Islands in consequence of rebellion: and whether these prisoners were tried by court-martial or by the ordinary criminal courts?

I have not received any figures, but will inquire.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what import duties are now imposed in India on British-manufactured goods; whether any export duties are imposed on Indian-manufactured goods exported from India; and, if so, on what goods and what are the duties?

The general rate of Customs duty on goods, manufactured and unmanufactured, British or foreign, imported into India is 15 per cent.ad valorem, but there arc numerous exceptions to this general rate. The only Indian-manufactured goods on which a Customs export duty is imposed are jute manufactures. The rates are Rs. 20 per ton on sacking (cloth, bags, twist, yarn, rope, and twine), and Rs. 32 per ton on Hessians and all other descriptions of jute manufactures not otherwise specified. A full list of the Customs duties leviable in India is contained in the Indian Tariff Schedules of which I will send a copy to the hon. Member, but certain small alterations to the rates there shown are proposed in the Finance Bill now before the Indian Legislature.

asked the Secretary for Mines if he is aware that the Cumberland County Council has entered into a contract for the provision of coal for Frizington Council school at 39s. 6d. per ton, and that the average price of coal at the pit top is stated officially to be 16s. 9½d. per ton; and will he, in the interests of economy, cause inquiry to be made as to how the difference between the price at the pit top and that charged for delivery at the school, namely, £1 3s. 9½d. per ton, was disbursed?

The hon. Member apparently bases his question on a comparison between the average pit head price of all qualities of coal in the month of November, 1922, and the retail price of a particular quality of coal at some other time. I do not see how any inference can be drawn from such a comparison.

Is the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that there is only about a shilling a ton difference between screened and unscreened coat at the pits mouth?

No.

Is he aware that the coal used at the Council school is local coal?

Yes, that is probably the case.

Then can the latter part of my question be answered?

Obviously I cannot explain the whole local conditions. The hon. Member's comparison is a comparison of two totally different things.

asked the Secretary for Mines if he is aware that the occupation of the Ruhr area by the French Army has led to a diversion of the Durham foundry coke to Germany and France, to a limitation of the supply to British manufacturers, and to an increase of nearly 50 per cent. in price; and if, in view of the necessity of assisting the recovery of British trade, he will take steps to secure a sufficient supply of coke for British manufacturers?

I am aware that there has recently been a sharp increase in the demand far metallurgical coke and that home and export prices have risen by about 25 per cent. and 100 per cent. respectively over the last six weeks. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on the 22nd February to the hon. Member for Workington. There is every indication that coke manufacturers are fully alive to the necessity of meeting the inland demand.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether there has recently been any increase of the export of British coal; how much increased quantities have been exported to Germany; and can he give any comparative figures of exports between this year's and last year's trade?

With my hon. Friend's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement showing for each month from January. 1922 to February, 1923 inclusive the total quantity of British coal exported and the quantity exported to German ports.

asked the Prime Minister, whether he will, in future inquiries into the situation in the coal mining industry, ask for the figures of the Miners' Federation in addition to those supplied by the Coal Owners' Association?

I cannot undertake to ask for figures from either side, but I shall be glad to use any figures that the Miners' Federation care to send me, provided that they are supplied on the same conditions as were the wages figures recently given me by the Mining Association, that is to say, that if they are not accepted by the other side, they will be open to investigation and audit. I did not ask for these figures; they were supplied to me voluntarily.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the use ofex parte statistics from the coalowners has created a bad impression among the miners, and will he take steps to remove that impression?

If the figures are accurate they should not have created a bad impression, and they are open to audit by the representatives of the Miners' Federation.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that even on that day they were challenged and found to be incorrect from beginning to end?

No, I was not aware of that statement.

Will the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Secretary of the Miners' Federation did contest the accuracy of the figures?

Yes, but he did not take any opportunity of checking them.

Is it not a fact that, when the figures had been rejected as inaccurate, the. Miners' Federation sought to have an inquiry into both parties' figures for the purpose of accuracy?

Are we to understand from the Prime Minister now that the books of the coal-owners will be open to audit by anyone appointed by the Miners' Federation?

Oh, yes.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) if he is aware that an order for 400 coils of wire, placed on 10th January last in Germany, is now ready for shipment; that, owing to the conflict between the French and Belgian Governments and the German Government, delivery is impossible; if he will demand an instant removal of this restrictions upon international trade;

(2) if he is aware that 500 kegs of wire nails ordered on 3rd January last were despatched from German works on 26th January last for shipment from Hamburg; that all trace has been lost of the goods; and that they are held upen route by the French authorities: and if he will demand the instant release of the goods and a refund of all charges incurred in consequence of this interference with international trade?

Without fuller particulars it is impossible to give any information in regard to these consignments. But in these and in similar cases, if full details are supplied, every endeavour will be made to facilitate the movement of the goods.

Has any success attended the efforts of previous cases, details of which have been brought to your notice?

Negotiations are going on. I cannot say more than that.

asked the Prime Minister if he is aware, in regard to the Ruhr occupation, whether the French and Belgian commanders, acting in conjunction with the newly installed French customs house authorities, have forbidden the discharge of Rhine lighters and insist. upon French customs house formalities being complied with, namely, that the ore-carrying lighters shall be entered at the French customs house and that the receivers of the cargo shall pay import duty as required by the French and Belgian authorities; that German receivers have declined to do this, in view of the fact that the German Government have threatened to treat them as traitors to their country if they are prepared to do so; that, since the German works look on the situation as a case offorce majeure, they can no longer take delivery of or pay for cargoes on board of steamers which have already been chartered; and whether, seeing that the Rhine Convention of 1868, referred to in the Peace Treaty under Article 354, guarantees to all countries free and unhindered navigation on the Rhine and Rhine ports, discharging places included, he will say what steps the Government: propose to take in order to protect the interests of British shippers, both from this country and other British Dominions?

His Majesty's Government have no information to the effect that the French and Belgian Governments have, in connection with the import and export duties imposed by them in the occupied territories, instituted a general prohibition of the discharge of lighters on the Rhine, or that they have insisted on ore-carrying lighters being entered at the French Custom House. Goods carried in such lighters are, however, presumably liable to the appropriate customs duties fixed by the French and Belgian Governments before entering the territories now occupied by those Governments, and the attitude of the German receivers is understood to be generally as stated by my hon. Friend.

While the Mannheim Convention prohibits the imposition of navigation dues, it does not relieve traders from paying customs dues. As to the steps which His Majesty's Government propose to take to protect the interests of British shippers, I am unable to add anything to statements already published to the effect that if British traders will forward to the Board of Trade, or to the British High Commissioner at Coblenz, full particulars of the cases in which difficulty is experienced, every effort will be made to assist them.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, were the policy of the French insisted upon, it would result in the closing down of many ore mines within the British Dominions, with the result that some thousands of men would be thrown out of employment?

Yes, I am aware of that fact.

asked the Prime Minister if he has received complaints from British traders that since the French occupation of the Ruhr they have been asked to pay a 10 per cent.ad valorem duty on their goods to the French authorities, after meeting all the. German duties and before such goods could be released; and if he will cause representations to be made to the French Government on the matter?

I should be obliged if the hon. Member would be good enough to put his question down again as I am in communication with His Majesty's High Commissioner at Coblenz with regard to this matter, and I have not yet received his reply?

(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether he will make immediate representations to the French and Belgian Governments to the effect that all goods, both for export from and import into the occupied territories, at present ready for shipment in transit, or contracted for which are British owned or for British order should. be allowed to enter or leave the occupied territories on licences issued by the German authorities paying dues levied in accordance with the scales already laid down by the German Customs?

His Majesty's Government have been in constant communication with our representative on the Rhineland High Commission with a view to arrangements for facilitating British trade, and it is hoped that such arrangements will shortly be successfully concluded. We are communicating today with the High Commissioner in regard to the hon. and gallant Member's question.

Is it not a fact that this same suggestion was put some days ago by the British Chamber of Commerce in Cologne to the Foreign Office, has no action between taken, and are not British traders daily suffering severe losses?

I am sure that British traders must be suffering losses, hut, as regards goods in transit, I think it, necessary to communicate with the High Commissioner in order to get to know what are the facts.

Is it not a fact that the steamship "Badenia" was stopped on the high seas in transit from Cologne to Great Britain, and has the right hon. Gentleman had any representations made to him on that point?

No, none.

Would the right hon. Gentleman be prepared to give an answer to-morrow?

Yes, if we have had the reply.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can state precisely the nature of the Franco-Belgian administration of the Rhineland railways; what personnel will be engaged on the railways; who will decide the amount and character of the traffic; into what fund surplus receipts will be paid; and whether he will state precisely how far these arrangements affect the railways running through the British-occupied zone?

I regret that His Majesty's Government are not in a position to furnish these particulars.

Does it mean that the House of Commons is not to have this information?

I should not like to say that. The hon. and gallant Gentleman is asking for very voluminous particulars on an immense number of details which it would involve an immense amount of work to obtain, and I really do not know that there is a staff on the spot which could supply it, without requiring a considerable amount of notice.

Does not the hon. Gentleman realise that this control of the railways in the occupied territory is a very vital matter for British interests, and is not the House of Commons entitled to have particulars from our representative?

That. I cannot say, but it is impossible to give those particulars at the very short notice the hon. and gallant Gentleman has given. I quite realise it is a vital matter.

When will the hon. Gentleman be able to answer

I will communicate privately with the hon. and gallant Gentleman.

asked the Prime Minister if he is now in a posi- tion to give the House information as to the recent seizure by the French of German Reichsbank money intended for the British zone; and if he will state what steps, if any, the Government are taking in the matter?

Of the sum seized by the French, half was intended for the Cologne branch of the Reichsbank, and of that a certain proportion would have been distributed to sub-branches outside the British zone. No part was destined for the payment of the British Army of Occupation. His Majesty's High Commissioner at Coblenz is at present satisfied with the situation, and His Majesty's Government do not propose, therefore, to take any action in this matter.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of recent developments in the area outside the British occupied zone on the Rhine, he is able to assure the House that every effort is being made to expedite the passage of British goods intended for the British forces and that there is no unnecessary delay in the delivery of these goods?

I have been asked to reply. No difficulty is being experienced in getting military stores through to Cologne, and I am aware of no difficulties in regard to private consignments to the troops.

May we take it the report during the week-end is not correct, that the French were holding up parcels?

We consulted the Post Office and have been informed that they experienced no trouble with parcels. The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes have had no trouble and we can trace no trouble anywhere.

Is the hon. and gallant Member speaking with regard to the ordinary trader or merely in connection with war stores?

The question is entirely with regard to military stores. Questions about trade should obviously be addressed to the Board of Trade.

Cannot the same facilities be given to British trade?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the recent isolation of the area of British occupation on the Rhine and the consequent difficulty of obtaining paper marks, he will now take steps to allay the sense of grievance caused to our troops on the Rhine by their payment in an unstable foreign paper currency?

My right hon. Friend does not anticipate any difficulty in obtaining marks from the German Government for British requirements in the occupied area; and he is not prepared to alter the present system of paying the troops locally in local currency. He is considering with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War whether it is possible to adjust the official rate of exchange more rapidly.

Has the hon. and gallant Gentleman considered whether it is legal to pay distant soldiers in a foreign currency, especially when the rate paid is not equal to the commercial rate in that currency?

Is it not a fact that officers of the Rhine Army are paid in sterling, and is there any real reason why the men should not be so paid?

My hon. Friend has all these points in mind, and has been considering them.

In view of the unsatisfactory answer received from the hon. and gallant Gentleman, I beg to give notice I will raise this matter on the adjournment of the House on Thursday.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether there has recently been any decrease in the unemployment of miners in Great Britain; and can he give any comparative figures of the present year and a year ago?

Yes, Sir. According to the figures of the Ministry of Labour, which are based on unemployment books lodged at the Employment Exchanges, there were 55,717 workpeople in the coal mining industry totally unemployed at the 22nd January, 1923, as compared with 118,143 at the 31st January, 1922. The number in employment in the mining industry is, however, now actually greater by about 40,000 than the maximum number employed before the War.

asked the Prime Minister what decision has been come to as to an extension of the period of operations of the Unemployment Grants Committee in view of the continuance of abnormal unemployment beyond the winter season, as for instance in the mining districts of Somerset?

As was explained by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour in the Debate on the Vote on Account, the Unemployment Grants Committee are continuing their operations, and have authority to sanction further schemes to a considerable sum. The Cabinet Committee on Unemployment have under constant consideration the question of any further action which can be taken.

Does that mean that the Unemployment Grants Committee will now consider new schemes in view of the continuance of unemployment?

They are considering them.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that unemployment committees in the County of Durham, in arriving at the means of an unmarried unemployed miner, is reckoning the relief money paid by the Durham Miners' Association to such unemployed miners; whether he is aware that such relief money is obtained by levies paid by the miners who are in employment for the purpose of supplementing the unemployed benefit and not supplanting it; and whether he will consider issuing instructions to the unemployed committees to act differently in the future?

The action of the local committees is in accordance with the general instructions laid down far their guidance. My right hon. Friend sees no reason to depart from these instructions in the particular case to which the hon. Member refers.

I would remind the hon. Member that the claims in question are in respect of uncovenanted benefit, that is, benefit which is payable in advance of contributions paid by the applicants to the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

May I ask the hon. and gallant Gentleman whether the unmarried men now being denied uncovenanted benefit because they reside with their parents will be compelled to pay contributions to make up the loss during the deficiency period?

Certainly it is suggested in the whole scheme that those who are provided with benefit from uncovenanted sources will be called upon hereafter to pay contributions when once more in employment.

Is it not the case that these are being denied benefit on the ground that they are living with their parents and unmarried, and that they will also be asked to contribute to make up that deficiency? That is the point I want to put.

The hon. Member should put that question down.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will inform this House when His Majesty's Government proposes to give effect to the repeated promises of responsible British statesmen to evacuate Egypt?

I would refer the hon. Member to the Declaration of His Majesty's Government to Egypt approved by Parliament on the 14th March, 1922.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the Kassala railway in the Sudan is to be built in anticipation of growing cotton on the extensive and valuable rain lands of the Baraka valley; if the Baraka natives are to be expropriated from their lands; and, if so, upon what terms?

The reply to the first two parts of the question is in the negative the third part in consequence does not arise.

asked if Colonel Sir Edgar Bernard, until recently financial secretary to the Sudan Government, was sent to this country to negotiate with the Treasury additional guarantees to the £6,000,000 already sanctioned for the Makwar dam scheme on the Blue Nile; if the Treasury declined to agree to the proposals made; and if, as a result of the failure of these negotiations, any pressure was brought to bear upon Colonel Bernard to tender his resignation?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second in the negative. The last part, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the League of Nations has decided to place upon the agenda and discuss next September the whole question of slavery; whether the Council of the League has been asked to obtain any information available in time for the meeting of the Assembly; and whether His Majesty's Government will co-operate with the Council in any action it is decided to take with a view to putting an end to this traffic in human beings?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the, affirmative. As regards the last part, His Majesty's Government will naturally do what they can to assist in carrying out any resolution of the Council or Assembly.

Will the Council consider the question of wage slavery here?

Does that mean specifically that the Foreign Office will give any information which it has in reference to slavery in Abyssinia?

I could not answer that question without notice, because I do not know, first, whether we have any information with regard to Abyssinia, and, second, whether it would be proper to give it if we had.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to reports from Paris, published in this country, upon the recrudescence of slavery, including considerable slave traffic between Madagascar and the African mainland, and the efforts being made by the French Government to put a stop to this traffic; and whether His Majesty's Government will consult the French Government as to the feasibility of joint naval efforts in this direction along the east coast of the African continent?

I Faye been unable to trace the reports to which the hon. Member is referring. If he will inform me where they are to he found, I will consider the matter.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether, in view of the fact that His Majesty's Government has agreed with the Rumanian Government the amount of compensation to be paid to the various British companies whose wells, petrol, and other effects were destroyed in November and December, 1916, by a British Commission acting under the instructions of His Majesty's Government, he can now state the amounts agreed upon;

(2) whether he is aware that, notwithstanding the fact that the amount of compensation payable to the various British companies, whose oil properties in Rumania were destroyed by a British Commission acting under instructions of His Majesty's Government, has been settled, the Rumanian Government disclaims any interest in the settlement of the compensation payable, unless the funds are provided by the guarantor, on the ground that the Rumanian Government acted at the request of His Majesty's Minister in Rumania made from time to time prior to the 3rd December, 1916, and that on that date a promise in writing to indemnify the Rumanian Government was given by His Majesty's Minister in Rumania to the Rumanian Foreign Minister; and whether, in view of the fact that there is no prospect of the Rumanian Government providing this compensation, His Majesty's Government, being ultimately liable in pursuance of their indemnity, will now provide these funds, and will see that they go to the British companies to whom they are payable?

Negotiations are proceeding with the Rumanian Government which cover both the amount of compensation to be paid and the method of payment. Pending the conclusion of these negotiations, it is not possible for me to make a full statement on the matter, but I must not be taken as assenting to the accuracy of the statements contained in the hon. Member's question. Briefly, the position is that the Rumanian Government is responsible for paying compensation for the damage in question, and His Majesty's Government is under no liability (direct or indirect) to make any payment to the British or other companies concerned. It was agreed in 1921 between the British and the 'Rumanian Governments that the indemnification promised to the Rumanian Government shall take the form of the cancellation of part of the Rumanian War Debt to this country.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether the Rumanian Government is reviewing its debts to foreign holders; if so, whether he will draw the attention of the Roumanian Minister in London to the fact that the Roumanian Government is in partial default to British holders of Rumanian 4 per cent. 1908 bonds in respect to the contract to repay capital by a sinking fund and to pay the coupons in gold lei; and whether he will ask what steps the Roumanian authorities propose to take to honour to British subjects their obligations as printed on the bonds and coupons of their 1908 loan?

As a result of negotiations between the Rumanian Government and His Majesty's Government, a special Rumanian Commission has been appointed to investigate the claims of holders of these bonds in this country and to arrange for the payment of interest due. This Commission arrived in London on the 14th February last, and is lodged at the Rumanian Legation.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in the conditions presented to the Lithuanian Government for settling the question of Memel by the British, French, and other Western Governments, it was proposed to set up an international administration; whether Poland has been asked to participate, but Russia has not been asked; and why Russia has been omitted, seeing that Russian interests are as great or greater than those of any other country?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the last two parts of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's reply to his question on the 8th instant.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether arrangements have been made for money to reach the British zone from unoccupied Germany without hindrance; and, if not, what steps have been taken to supply the essential needs of the area in German currency?

His Majesty's High Commissioner at Coblenz is at present satisfied with the position.

Are there sufficient marks to pay the British troops in Cologne?

I imagine that if there were not the High Commissioners would not be satisfied.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will state the total value in money and in kind paid as reparations by Hungary; which of the Allied Powers have received payment; and the value of such payments in each case?

I have been asked to answer this on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Hungary has paid in cash for the cost of the Inter-Allied Commissions of Control and of the Budapesth Bureau of the National Services which deal with Restitution, but the exact figure is not available. Hungary has paid in cash about £35,000 to the present date for the expenses of the Reparation Commission. The total value of deliveries in kind made by Hungary on account of reparation to the 31st January, 1923, is about 36 million gold crowns, or about £1,500,000. This represents ships, rivercraft, livestock, coal and Armistice deliveries. The deliveries in kind have been made to Italy, Greece, Serbia, Rumania and Czccho-Slovakia. The Reparation Commission have not yet valued the State properties ceded by Hungary or her abandoned war material.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Ambassadors' Conference proposes to decide the question of the boundary between Poland and Eastern Galicia, or the fate and future government of Eastern Galicia, without hearing the case for the Ruthenes or Ukrainians; and whether the majority vote of the Ambassadors' Conference is final or whether, if unanimous agreement is not reached, the matter will he referred to the League of Nations?

As regards the first part of the question. I have nothing to add to the reply returned to the hon. and gallant Member for Rye on the 7th instant. Decisions arrived at by the Ambassadors' Conference must be unanimous. Failing such unanimity, I am not at present in a position to state what course of action will be pursued.

Are we to understand that the ambassadors are now deciding on this question of Eastern Galicia without hearing the case of the Galicians?

I think if the hon. and gallant Member will look at the question to which I have referred him, he will see that that Ambassadors' Conference can hear evidence or representations from any source.

They are at liberty to hear these people if they want to be heard?

Certainly.

asked the Prime Minister whether a delegation claiming to represent the people of Eastern Galicia has asked to be allowed to lay their views before the Council of Ambassadors; and, if so, whether His Majesty's Government will instruct their representative on the Council to press for such facilities being given?

As regards the first part of the question I have no information. With regard to the second part, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the question of the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, on the 7th instant.

As a matter of fact, is the Ukrainian case being put before the Ambassadors' Conference?

I do not know.

Will the hon. Gentleman take steps to find out?

Certainly I will look into the matter.

Can the hon. Gentleman give us some assurance that the question of Eastern Galicia will not be decided until the Ukrainian national representatives have been heard?

I cannot say that. As I have already stated, discretion in the matter rests with the Ambassadors' Conference.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that, in Constantinople, there are already over 23,000 Greek refugees from Anatolia and thousands more expected, many of whom are sick and dying of small-pox, typhus, and other maladies, and unable to gain admission to hospital, the Greek hospital being already full and the Turks refusing admission to the Turkish hospital; and whether the Government will at once take steps to alleviate the desperate condition of these people by helping to supply the means for providing hospitals and other necessaries for the sufferers?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In regard to the last part of the question, His Majesty's Government have already done their utmost for the refugees in the Near East, and consider that, in view of the financial stringency in this country, it is impossible for them at this moment further to extend their commitments in this direction. It is not in the power of His Majesty's .Government to provide hospitals in Constantinople, but efforts are being made to send out further supplies of Government vaccine to the Near East. The continued arrival of these refugees, for whom there is no accommodation and whose condition is deplorable, is clue in great measure to the premature evacuation of the Christian population of Anatolia in conditions entirely contrary to the spirit of the agreement reached at Lausanne for the orderly exchange of Greek and Turkish minorities. His Majesty's High Commissioner at Constantinople has been instructed to make strong representations to the Turkish Government with a view to check the continued influx into Constantinople and Greece of refugees for whom it is impossible to provide.

Did not Lord Balfour announce that a sum of £50,000 would be available of which only£1 9,000 has been given?

The promise of that money was subject to the condition that there would be like contributions from other Powers, and as that Condition was not complied with by the other Powers, we were obliged to give notice at the end of last year that our offer in that respect was at an end.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Hellenic Government has been compelled temporarily to suspend the transport of refugees from Turkish Black Sea ports; whether such refugees are now being landed in Constantinople without adequate provision for housing, feeding, or medical attention in spite of the prevalence of smallpox and typhus; and whether His Majesty's Government is taking steps towards making immediate provision for these refugees?

In regard to the first part of the question, I have no official information regarding any arrangements made by the Greek Government for the evacuation of refugees from the Turkish Black Sea ports; but I would point out that the matter does not primarily concern that Government, since the refugees are not Greek subjects, and the Greco-Turkish agreement for the exchange of minorities which was concluded at Lausanne has not yet come into force. With regard to the second and third parts of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I have to-day given to the hon. Member for the Scotland Division of Liverpool (Mr. T. P. O'Connor).

Will the Foreign Office call the attention of the League of Nations to the epidemics that prevail and to the danger of disease spreading if the refugees are not properly cared for?

I think that the League of Nations is fully seized of the facts in that regard and do not require to have them brought to their notice.

asked the Prime Minister whether, prior to the introduction of the Supplementary Estimate for moneys expended in connection with the despatch of naval and military reinforcements to the Near East in the autumn of last year, he will cause to be laid before Parliament the Papers relative to the events leading up to the Greek defeat in Asia Minor and the fall of Smyrna and to the negotiations with the Turkish Nationalist authorities in September?

I must adhere to the opinion expressed in my answer to the supplementary question by the hon. and gallant Member on the 5th March.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that before the Supplementary Estimate is introduced we shall see these Papers?

No, but if the hon. and gallant Gentleman can give me an assurance that there will he peace with Turkey I might consider the matter.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that if and as soon as peace with Turkey is concluded these Papers will be laid before the House?

I will consider that proposal.

If peace is never con - eluded with Turkey are we never to see the Papers?

asked the. Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether M. Joffe, the Soviet representative in the Far East, has been indulging in Bolshevist propaganda and, if so, whether, in view of the effect of such procedure upon British trade, he will state what action China is taking in the matter?

It is reported that. M. Joffe during his stay in Peking made-a number of speeches advocating Bolshevism. The Chinese Government are understood to have warned M. Joffe and to be keeping a close watch on his proceedings.

In the case of certain other foreign Ambassadors at Angora, is a careful watch being kept on them when they come from Paris?

The hon. Member will have to specify to whom he refers.

Franklin Bouillon.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in what proportions the loan advanced by the Government of this country during the War to the Russian Government was transferred to the latter in the form of money, military stores, and other goods, respectively; whether any of the proceeds of the loan in any form whatever were forwarded to Russia after the November, 1917, revolution; if so, to whom; and what proportion of the loan was spent in this country?

I have been asked to answer this on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The sums advanced by this country to Russia during the War in all cases took the form of cash advances. Of the total of about £562,000,000, £188,000,000 was repaid to British Government Departments in respect of the cost of military stores supplied to Russia. The balance was used by the Russian Government partly for the purchase of military stores and other goods from private contractors, and partly for the cash requirements of the Russian Government, such as the payment of coupons, the upkeep of diplomatic services and support of the exchange, but information as to the exact allocation is not available. On 30th November, 1917, the War Cabinet decided to suspend the despatch of all war-like stores to Russia: the despatch of non-warlike stores already ordered was temporarily continued to the original consignees. A large proportion of the sums advanced to the Russian Government was spent in this country, but certain orders were placed in the United States, Canada and neutral European countries. Exact figures are not available.

Cannot exact figures be got as to the proportion spent in this country and the proportion spent in the United States? They should be easy to get.

I will ask my right hon. Friend if these figures are available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if he will state the opening and closing dates of the British Empire Exhibition; how it is intended to provide for the cost in excess of the sum guaranteed; and if he will give the figures of the estimated receipts and expenditure from the opening date of the exhibition which have been prepared?

The exhibition will open in April, 1924, and close about the end of October in that year. It is intended that the whole of the cost should be met out of the receipts. As regards the last part of the question, the Estimates con- cerned are necessarily provisional, and I do not think it is desirable to make them public at present.

Can we be assured that there will be no further calls upon the national finances in connection with this exhibition?

I can hardly add to my reply.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if he can give an estimate of the value of the orders secured to British manufacturers through the agency of his Department?

No, Sir. Information is frequently received that orders have been obtained by British manufacturers as the result of the work of the Department and its overseas officers, but it is quite impossible to make an estimate of the total volume of business thus secured.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the introduction by the Government last year of a Bill for the purpose of giving to occupiers of agricultural holdings protection against the invasion of their crops by rabbits from adjoining land, he will consider the introduction of similar legislation during the present Session of Parliament?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply I gave to him on the 26th ultimo.

If a Bill was necessary last year, is it not necessary also this year, having regard to the fact that in the interval rabbits have shown no decrease.

Has the right hon. Gentleman noticed a statement which appeared lately in a London newspaper to the effect that grievous losses were caused by rabbits in this and other lands, but that even greater trouble has been caused in this country by the invasion of the indomitable Scot?

Is not that due to the fact that Scotland—

We cannot now debate that particular subject.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give facilities for a. private Bill to remove the evil?

What? To kill rabbits!

asked the Minister of Agriculture what measures Government propose to introduce for the relief of agriculture which will enable employers to pay higher wages; and when such measures will be introduced!?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the announcement made in the Gracious Speech from the Throne. A Bill dealing with credit facilities is now being drafted and will be introduced as soon as possible.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any idea how long it will take for these measures to filter clown to the agricultural labourer?

asked the. Minister of Agriculture when His Majesty's Government will be in a position to announce the action which they have decided to take with regard to the recommendations of the Committee on Credit Facilities?

As I stated in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Loughborough (Brigadier-General Spears) on the 5th instant, a Bill is being drafted on the lines of the Committee s recommendations. I must ask my hon. Friend to await the introduction of this Bill, which will be presented as soon as possible.

In view of the urgency of the farmers' needs at. economy time, and in the interests of the country, will the right hon. Gentleman consider the desirability of making use of the existing banks as a channel through which credit facilities could be granted?

That matter is being thoroughly considered by the Committee.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether double dipping, from the point of view of the prevention of sheep scab, has proved effective; whether the number of cases has decreased since it was introduced; and whether he can give the figures showing the number of certified cases reported in England for the years 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922, respectively?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The double dipping of sheep has never been required generally throughout the country, but it has been applied from time to time in certain badly infected districts with very good results. The number of outbreaks of sheep scab confirmed in England in each year from 1918 to 1922 is as follows:

Does the increase in the number of cases not show that double dipping has not been effective?

No, I do not think so. It is quite possible if it had not been for double dipping the cases would he much more numerous.

In what Bounties is double dipping practised?

I would require notice of that question.

Has the right hon. Gentleman considered whether the imposition of a penalty upon those whose sheep become affected would not be effective?

I should like notice of that question also.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consider the control of the importation of foreign hops until such time as the pre-War acreage under hop cultivation in this country has been reestablished?

The importation of foreign hops will be strictly regulated during the existence of the hop control, which will be continued under the provisions of the Ministry of Food (Continuance) Act, 1920, until August, 1925. I am carefully considering what action may be advisable after that date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when Canadian cattle are expected to be landed in this country and where they will be landed; and what will be the method of selling Canadian stores, whether by live weight, at auction, or by private sales

The Importation of Animals Act, 1922, will come into operation on the 1st April next, and I understand that the first consignment of Canadian store cattle will reach this country either on or about that date. Landing places will be available at Birkenhead, Manchester, Glasgow, Dundee and Cardiff. Bristol will be