asked the Postmaster-General whether he can give the average cost of collection, handling, conveying, and delivery of a letter in the United Kingdom?

According to the best estimate which can be framed, the average cost of collection, handling, conveyance and delivery of an inland letter weighing not more than 1 oz. is slightly over 1d.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that the increased charge for parcel post charges to the West Coast of Africa is 58 per cent. to 125 per cent. above the pre-War rate, and that 159, 170 parcels to Nigeria alone were despatched during 1920, he will reduce the charges and so encourage trade within the Empire?

The postage on foreign and colonial parcels has to cover not only the cost of the handling and conveyance in this country, but the cost of conveyance by sea and the out payments to the postal administrations of the countries of destination, and of the countries, if any, through which the parcels pass in transit. The rates of postage on the foreign and colonial parcels are at present the subject of examination, but I am not yet in a position to make any alterations in individual instances.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will arrange for the Radio Association to be represented on the Committee which he proposes to set up, in view of the fact that this association was formed to promote and protect the interests of the amateur wireless enthusiasts and the ordinary broadcast licensee, and has no connection whatever with the trade?

As I announced on the 24th instant, the composition of the Committee has now been settled. Facilities will be offered to the Radio Association to tender evidence should they so desire.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the effect of paragraph 4 of the First Schedule of the draft of the Public Health (Condensed Milk) Regulations, 1923, will be to drive an amount of label printing now being produced in this country into the hands of foreign firms; that orders for several millions of these labels are now suspended pending his decision on this matter; and, seeing that it is impracticable and uneconomical to print in England a number of labels with varying names and addresses of the actual foreign manufacturers, if he will consider the desirability of requiring that labels shall bear not only the country of origin, but the name and address of the English seller against whom there is positive means of redress instead of an address of the foreign manufacturer which does not afford either protection or means of redress?

Representations have already been made to me in regard to this matter, and I propose to amend the Regulations in the direction suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health the proportion of persons in England and Wales in receipt of Poor Law relief in urban and rural areas, respectively, on the 31st March, 1923.

The returns do not show the proportion of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief in urban and rural areas respectively, but the number of persons in receipt of relief per 10,000 of the population, on 31st March, 1923, in unions in England and Wales in which the whole or part of a populous urban area is situate was 465, and in other unions 255. The term "populous urban area" means a Metropolitan borough; a county borough, or other borough or urban district with a population, in 1921, of over 50,000.

asked the Minister of Health if he will furnish a statement showing the number of public vaccinations and re-vaccinations, respectively, carried out in England and Wales in each year during the past 10 years, and the expenditure incurred in respect of the same out of national and local funds, respectively?

The information asked for by the hon. Member is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health whether a Return of deaths upon which a coroner's jury had returned a verdict of death from starvation or death accelerated by privation was published annually by the Local Government Board as regards London ever since the Local Government Board came into existence; whether this was found of such great importance that many years ago it was extended to the provinces; whether he is aware that owing to unemployment the number of destitute itinerants is far larger than during the War, many of them being ex-service men in search of employment; and whether he will publish a like Return for 1922 as soon as possible?

The selection of cases for inclusion in the Return to which my hon. Friend refers depended upon the terms of the verdict of the coroner's juries and on the classification of those verdicts by the several coroners. No uniform or scientific principle was followed; the Return was in consequence both useless and misleading, and I do not think the position is altered by the increase

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (on Thursday, 26th April) whether he will state the number of annual Reports of public Departments and other Parliamentary Papers lately distributed to Members which are now not so distributed, being merely placed on sale by the Stationery Office; whether he will circulate a list of such Papers, with the prices at which they may now be obtained by Members; and whether, in view of the very small expense involved by a few additional copies, he will allow such of these Papers as may be specially asked for by Members, as being required by them in connection with their public duties, to be supplied to them without charge?

furnished the following particulars: