asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the normal period which an established messenger must serve in an established capacity in one of His Majesty's Depart ments of State in order to qualify him for a civil pension; whether any established messengers have been, or will be, awarded civil pensions for service in an established capacity for less than the normal period; and, if so, under what conditions?

:The normal period is ten years, but the Treasury include some unestablished service under Section 3 of the Superannuation Act, 1887, when such service has been of a similar character to the established service, and followed continuously by it, and in the same Department, and when in their opinion any special circumstances of the case warrant such a course.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that, in spite of repeated requests in writing to the Department concerned, temporary adult women machine operators are to-day employed in the Customs and Excise Department, En dell Street, at a rate of only 28s. a week, which is a rate far below the standard laid down by the Treasury as applicable to that grade of work; and whether he will have the matter put right?

:Five temporary adult women machine operators are employed in the Customs and Excise Department at 28s. 7d. a week. The rates of pay for this class are under consideration.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if the contract for the printing of the "London Gazette" expiree this month; and if tenders are being invited for the new contract, in accordance with the repeated recommendations of the Select Committee on Publications and Debates with regard to all Government printing contracts?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part of the question, it has been decided that the "London Gazette" shall be produced at the State Printing Works. This decision is in conformity with the policy, explained by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his reply to the hon. and gallant Member on the 14th December last, for ensuring that the State Printing Works are run at the most efficient level.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the fact that the trustees of the British Museum, wishing to dispose of a large and valuable collection of silver coins, being duplicates from their cabinet, have settled that they shall be sold by public auction at Lucerne, in Switzerland, by an alien firm, and not in London; and whether, seeing that this arrangement is unfair to London auctioneers, the profits of sale going to an alien firm, and unsatisfactory to English dealers and collectors who might have wished to be present at the dispersion of a large British collection of such antiquities, and cannot go to Switzerland in the month of June, he will have this matter looked into?

:The Trustees of the British Museum are alone responsible in this matter, but they inform me that they gave full consideration to the point before deciding to sell these coins in Lucerne where there happens to be an international market.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantity of gold was in the Bank of England and what amount of Treasury notes and banknotes were in circulation on 31st March, 1923?

:Particulars of the Bank of England and Treasury note issues are published every week in the "London Gazette" and in the Press. If the hon. Member will look at the "Gazettes" for 30th March and the 3rd April last he will see that at the end of last financial year the Bank of England Issue Department held in gold £125,683,100 and the Currency Note Account £27,000,000. The Bank of England notes (less those held in the Banking Department) were £124,436,100 and the currency notes and certificates £284,122,944.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if any other countries make a practice of estimating the value of current trade in terms of pre-War values on lines similar to those adopted by his Department in the quarterly summaries in the "Board of Trade Journal"; and, if so, if he can arrange to publish a summary of such results in the "Board of Trade Journal"?

:Calculations of the character referred to in the question have been made by Norway, Sweden, Finland and China in respect of their foreign trade. Russia is now publishing values, in the case of its foreign trade, based on the average prices of 1913 in gold roubles, but no aggregates based on current values are issued. I am not aware of any other compilations of this kind, although in some cases calculations of general price variations applicable to imports or to exports, in whole or in part, have been made. I hope to be able to publish a summary of the available results at an early date in the "Board of Trade Journal."

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider whether the duties under the Safeguarding of Industries Act could be varied in accordance with the tariff system in operation in Spain and other countries, whereby the tariffs on imported goods from countries with depreciated currencies are periodically varied in amount by means of a co-efficient calculated according to the amount of currency depreciations?

:The basis on which depreciated currency duty is levied under the Safeguarding of Industries Act is laid down in Sections 3 (1) and 10 (1) of the Act, and it would accordingly not be possible, without further legislation, to adopt the course indicated in the question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken to remedy the delay in settling applications for patents?

:I would refer to the reply given to the hon. Member for Mitcham (Mr. Ede) on the 8th May last. During the last month the arrears have been further reduced by 300 cases.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in cases where local authorities neglect to maintain the groynes on the foreshore leased to them, he would be prepared to sanction the termination of their leases and would be willing to transfer the leases to the owners of the adjoining land which suffers from the neglect of the groynes?

:It is not necessary to terminate leases of foreshore granted to local authorities in order to enable owners of adjoining land to maintain groynes for the protection of their land. Such leases invariably contain a provision enabling the Board of Trade to resume possession of any portion of the leased foreshore which in their opinion is required for any work of utility, and under this provision owners are able, on application to the Board, to obtain permission to construct or maintain protective works.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any representations have been received from shipping interests as to the effect of the Ruhr occupation on British shipping; whether he is aware that many vessels are being laid up; and whether it is proposed to take steps to deal with the matter?

:The answer to the first and second parts of the question is in the negative, and the third part, therefore, does not arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether there are any captains of British ships who do not possess the Board of Trade certificate of competency; if so, how many; and are they all foreigners?

:British cargo ships engaged in the home and coasting trades, and British ships which do not trade to or from the United Kingdom, are not required by the Merchant Shipping Acts to carry a certificated master. Under Section 5 (1) of the Aliens Restriction Amendment Act,1919, the employment of an alien as master of a British ship registered in and trading with the United Kingdom, is prohibited except in the case of an alien who holds a certificate from the Admiralty that he has performed good and faithful service in that capacity during the War. No statistics are available showing the total number of masters of British ships who do not hold certificates, and there are no statistics available as to the number of masters at present serving who are aliens, but out of 3,671 masters actually serving on ships registered in the United Kingdom on a particular day in June, 1921, only? 10 were foreigners, and of 1,720 skippers of sea fishing vessels only five were foreigners.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that many ships are being sent abroad from this country for repair; and if, to put a stop to this practice on the part of owners, he will consider the possibility of providing that such ships shall lose their British register?

:I am not aware that the number of ships sent abroad for repair is abnormally large, and I have no power to accede to my hon. Friend's suggestion even if it was considered desirable to do so.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that, according to a Departmental Report, a sum of £333 0s. 6d. has been owing to 25 workers in the brush trade since 1921; whether the firm owing this sum is still carrying on business; whether this sum is a first charge on the firm's assets; and whether he will furnish the Brush and Broom Trade Board with the name of the firm and the names of the workers in question, so that they may be advised as to the steps that it is necessary for them to take to recover the sums due to them?

:As a result of inspections which took place in 1921 and 1922 a claim was sent to the firm to which I assume the hon. Member refers, on the 9th March last, for the payment of arrears to certain workers in the firm's employment. The firm have informed me, through their solicitors, that they are paying the arrears due. With regard to the last part of the question, it is the settled practice to regard as confidential information as to the affairs of employers obtained by virtue of the powers conferred upon inspectors appointed under the Trade Boards Acts, and I see no reason to depart from that practice in this case.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that many ship constructors and labourers have recently become unemployed in the Merseyside area and are being denied unemployment benefit on the ground that they are unemployed owing to the lock-out of boiler-makers; whether he is aware that these men are in no way concerned in this dispute, and in some cases did not become unemployed until the dispute had been in progress for two weeks; and if he will take steps to remove the administrative difficulties arising from this position?

:Under Section 8 (1) of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, benefit has been disallowed by the insurance officer in the case of a number of men in the Merseyside area and elsewhere because they are held to have lost employmnt by reason of a stoppage of work which was due to the boilermakers' dispute at the premises at which they were employed. The fact that they may not have ceased employment at the outset of the dispute does not remove them from the scope of this disqualification. I have no power to modify the decision. The proper course for any of the persons to take who are dissatisfied with this decision is to appeal to a Court of Referees either directly or through their association.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider the question of consolidating all the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Statutes, Orders and Regulations, so that the task of those administering the scheme may be simplified?

:The consolidation of the Unemployment Insurance Statutes would require legislation and could not, am afraid, be undertaken with advantage until a decision has been arrived at with regard to the future lines of development of the unemployment insurance scheme and in particular the possibility of promoting unemployment insurance by industries. On this matter I have consulted the Confederation of Employers' Organisations and the Trades Union Congress General Council and I am awaiting their reply. The statutory Regulations deal with various subjects in separate sets of Regulations. Apart from the incorporation of a few changes made by amending Regulations they do not require consolidation. I am considering whether all Regulations of general interest, including the changes referred to, can be issued together in a single volume. The directions to local employment committees and explanatory memoranda issued to these committees on the subject of unemployment insurance are being consolidated in a single document which I hope to issue shortly.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of a recent statement in the Press to the effect that William Henry Jackson, of Mexborough, aged 63, had been found dead from exhaustion upon a country road near Brigg, Lincolnshire, while travelling in search of work; whether there was an inquest; and, if so, the date, place, and verdict of the inquest, and what, if any, Poor Law officials were examined at it; whether all the casual wards in Lincolnshire, and those on the route over which the deceased man tramped, are now open, and, if not, which are still closed; and whether Jackson had at any time applied for Poor Law relief of any kind?

:An inquest was held on William Henry Jackson of Mexborough on 16th May, 1923, at the Police Station at Kirton, in the County of Lincoln. The verdict was

"That the said William Henry Jackson was found on the 15th day of May, 1923, lying dead by the side of the Redbourne Mere Road in the Parish of Kirton Lindsey and that the cause of death was fatty degeneration of the heart of some considerable standing, as ascertained by post mortem examination."

The doctor in his evidence stated that

"The body was very well nourished and was that of a well-built, muscular man."

No Poor Law Official was examined at the inquest. All the casual wards in Lincolnshire are now open, but I am afraid I do not know the whole of the route over which the deceased man tramped. He was relieved in the Gainsborough Workhouse from the 12th to the 15th May, 1923. He made no complaint while in the institution and no application to see a doctor.

asked the Home Secretary, in view of the establishment of a new Department at the Home Office, will he state the number of steamers engaged in the oil trade and the number of accidents from fire or explosion in the carriage of oil under the present regulations of the port and harbour authorities in consultation with the Board of Trade during the last 30 years, and whether these authorities have property carried out their duties; what, if any, accidents have occurred in the United Kingdom to oil installations built under licence of the local authorities in consultation with the Board of Trade; whether any negligence or complaints of any kind have been made by anybody of want of proper precautionary measures for the safety of life and property, or complaint of any nuisance of any kind created by the action of the said local authorities; how many assistants will be required in the new Department of the Home Office for clerical work, and how many inspectors and other officials to carry out the new duties which will be cast upon his Department; will they have, on every occasion where action has to be taken, to communicate with the harbour boards, local authorities, Board of Trade, and other Departments; and will this cause a great delay to the commercial interests and be prejudicial in every way to the continuation of the carrying on of the business?

:The answer to the numerous points raised by my hon. Friend is a long one, and I will, with his permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. But I might at once relieve his apprehension by stating that there is no intention of setting up any new Department in the Home Office or of increasing the existing staff.

Following is the answer:

I have no information as to the number of steamers engaged in the oil trade. As there is no statutory obligation to report accidents, no reliable statistics are available as to the number of accidents in harbours due to fire or explosion in the carriage and unloading of petroleum, but they are not frequent, and it has never been suggested that harbour authorities have failed to carry out their duties so far as their existing powers allow.

Installations for the storage of petroleum are not, as stated by the hon. Member, licensed in consultation with the Board of Trade, but are licensed under the Petroleum Acts solely by the local authorities. There is, again, no statutory obligation to report accidents in connection with these installations, but so far as the records of my Department show, there have in the last 20 years been some 70 accidents, involving, at the least, the deaths of 31 persons and injuries to 62 others. Complaints have from time to time been made to the Department of the licensing of installations which have been alleged to be a danger to the neighbourhood.

There is no intention to establish a new Department in the Home Office to deal with petroleum questions, and no increase in staff is contemplated in connection with any new duties which are proposed in the present Petroleum Bill. In the event of Clause? of the Bill becoming law, local authorities (including harbour authorities) would be consulted before the issue of licences for bulk installations, just as they are consulted before the issue of licences under the Explosives Act, but it is not anticipated that this will involve any delay to the detriment of trade interests.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that on 24th February last a police official called upon a newsagent at Leamington Spa and inquired for the names and addresses of purchasers and customers of the "Daily Herald" and other Labour publications; whether he can inform the House as to whether instructions to make this inquiry were issued from his Department; and, if so, whether he will issue an order to prevent any further inquiry into the private affairs of private citizens?

:I am informed that on the 27th February a police officer asked some local newsagents whether they sold copies of certain publications, in which, I am told, the "Daily Herald" was not included, but made no inquiry as to the names and addresses of purchasers. The inquiry was not made at the request of my Department, and the last part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will give the House an assurance that before any contract is placed for the construction of the proposed naval bases at Singapore he will inform the House of the shortest possible time in which the work could be carried out in an expeditious, as opposed to a leisurely, fashion; and if he will then afford the House an opportunity of discussing the matter?

:I would refer the hon. Member to my replies of the 15th and 29th May. It must not be assumed that because we are not. treating the placing of the contracts as a matter of urgency, and are, consequently, proposing to spend only comparatively small sums in the present financial year and in 1924–5, the work will not be carried out in a normal, businesslike manner when the orders are placed.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Admiralty what quantity of fresh meat will be purchased by the victualling yards during the period 1st July to 31st December, 1923?

:In view of the wide difference in price the Admiralty is not contemplating the purchase of freshly killed meat for the victualing yards. The quantity of frozen meat which it is estimated will be purchased during the six months ending 31st December, 1923, is about 1,600 tons.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what quantity of fresh meat will be purchased for consumption by troops at home stations during the period 1st July to 31st December, 1923?

:It is regretted that, owing to the very heavy extra cost which it would have been necessary to incur had home-killed meat been provided, it was not found possible to include any fresh meat orders in the headquarter contracts for the period 1st July to 31st December. It is not at present possible to say whether any fresh meat will be ordered under the local contracts for the smaller stations, as the returns are not yet complete.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War how many of the 651 animals subjected to gas-poisoning tests at the Porton experimental station, near Salisbury, since 23rd February, 1922, have survived the process?

:I find that the figures which I gave to the hon. Member for Bow and Bromley (Mr. Lansbury) on 14th May, totalling to 751 animals, represented animals destroyed by, or immediately after, the experiments. The additional number of animals used without being harmed was 47.

asked the Minister of Pensions the result of his inquiries into the case of Andrew Dempster, an ex-sailor, of Barnes; and if he can recommend that in future cases, where the extraction of teeth is recommended by his Department as a necessary part of treatment for an accepted disability, that artificial dentures will in all cases be supplied if claimed by the pensioner concerned?

:In the circumstances mentioned in the last part of the question, artificial dentures are only supplied when they are necessary in the interests of the man's health. In the particular case mentioned I find that there is no such necessity, and that the dental defects were not due to war service. In such circumstances, my right hon. Friend is not prepared to agree that dentures should be provided by his Department.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he is aware that certain local committees, in considering

NOTES.—Year 1922. The figures are approximate.

Year 1923. Particulars for Columns 2, 4 and 5 are not available. The entry in Column 3 is an estimate.

asked the Minister of Health what is to be the future status of registrars of births, the claims of an applicant for old age pension, are treating the produce of a cottage garden, used entirely for the cottager's consumption, as income, thus depriving the cottager of the full benefit of the old age pension; and whether instructions to that effect have been issued by his Department?

:My right hon. Friend has not issued, and has no authority to issue, any instructions to pension committees on this subject. The Old Age Pensions Acts, however, require that in calculating the means of a claimant, account shall be taken of the yearly value of any advantage accruing from the use of property.

asked the Minister of Health the total expenditure on relief of the poor and purposes connected there with for the years ending 31st March, 1921, 1922 and 1923, with the amount of such expenditure met out of rates, Exchequer grants, and other receipts, namely, receipts from relative rents, etc., with the average amount per £ assessable value of rates?

:The figures are as follow: marriages, and deaths; and whether these officials will be placed on a Civil Service footing as regards pay and pensions?

:The future of the registration service is under consideration, but my right hon. Friend is not as yet in a position to make any announcement upon the subject.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the 520 cases of small-pox reported to his Department during the first three months of this year were fatal cases and what were the ages of the fatal and non-fatal cases reported?

:No deaths occurred from small-pox in England and Wales during the first three months of this year. The following table shows the ages of the cases notified during that period, but these particulars are subject to revision when further information is received in regard to some of the cases:

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health the total amount paid from the Exchequer during the year ended the 31st of March last in respect of the tuberculosis schemes in Scotland, and the total amount expended by the local authorities of Scotland during the same period?

:The total amount paid from Exchequer during the period mentioned was £339,509 0s. 4d. The total amount expended by local authorities in their financial year which ends on 15th May, or, in certain cases, at a later date, is not yet known.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the Board is yet in a position to communicate to the local education authority for Leyton, Essex, its decision as to recognition, for grant purposes, of the authority's salary scales for 1922–23?

:Until the Returns for the year have been examined, the Board will not be in a position to communicate to the authority particulars of any cases in which the authority may have made payments to teachers in excess of the amounts which the Board can properly recognise in respect of the year 1922–23. I will endeavour to accelerate the consideration of the matter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport whether, in view of the large number of workmen in the Metropolitan area who have to travel a considerable distance to their work, and of the inconvenience caused to them by the present system of workmen's tickets, he will make representations to the Southern Railway Company in favour of workmen's tickets being issued at Waterloo until 7.30 a.m. to all stations within a radius of 30 miles?

:I am informed that the Southern Railway Company already issue workmen's tickets from Waterloo to certain stations where they consider that the circumstances justify the facility, and that in those cases (with three exceptions) the tickets are available by any train up to and including trains leaving Waterloo at 7.18 a.m. to 7.33 a.m., according to destination. I should hardly feel justified in asking the company to consider the very wide extension of this arrangement which the hon. Member suggests, but if he will furnish me with detailed particulars as to any actual inconvenience now suffered by workmen, I will have further inquiry made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will state the estimated amount of roads expenditure in England, Wales, and Scotland for the current year; whether that amount shows an increase or a decrease on the last two preceding years; and whether he will furnish similar figures as to the amount of the proceeds of motor taxation over the same period?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount paid to the credit of the Road Improvement Fund and what the amount of the grant made by the Road Board has been for each of the last five years?

:I have been asked to reply to this question. The receipts into the Fund during the last five years and the grants made during the same period are shown in the following table:

:I have been asked to reply. Complete information is not available as to the estimated road expenditure in England, Wales and Scotland for the current year; I am, therefore, not in a position to say whether the figures will show an increase or decrease upon the two preceding years. It is, however, my impression, judging by the classification estimates already submitted, that there is no marked change. The amounts collected in respect of motor taxation during the undermentioned years have been as follow:

The proceeds of motor taxation during the year 1923–24 are estimated at:

asked the Postmaster-General what is the exact position under the broadcasting licence with regard to the distribution of news during the day; whether it can be circulated at any hour; and, if there has been any limitation, what such limitation is and by whom and in whose interest it has been agreed to?

:Under an agreement supplemental to the licence issued to the British Broadcasting Company (Command Paper No. 1822) the company are empowered to transmit news obtained from the news agencies specified in the agreement, or from any other news agency approved for the purpose by the Postmaster-General. By an arrangement between the company and the newspaper interests concerned, news is not transmitted before 7 p.m.

asked the Postmaster-General what official control is in existence of the statements issued by the British Broadcasting Company in order to ensure that they conform with the terms of their licence and also with the avoidance of all propaganda to its own purposes?

:The licence to the British Broadcasting Company provides that the programme of broadcast matter shall be to the reasonable satisfaction of the Postmaster-General. The Post Office is not consulted as regards the items included in the daily programme, but it is open to me to take exception to the character of the programmes. Adequate power is reserved under the company's licence to deal with any infringements of its conditions.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) the purposes for which the Leafield Wireless Station is being used and the number of hours it is used daily; whether the hours of work can be so regulated that the working of the station does not interfere with broadcasting in the district;

(2)Whether he is aware that the Poulson arc transmission system in use at the Leafield Wireless Station is making broadcasting in the district impossible; and whether any steps can be taken to remedy this by installing a modern valve circuit system or otherwise?

:The Leafield Wireless Station is engaged on important commercial services for upwards of 18 hours daily, and it would not be possible to discontinue working during the broadcasting hours without abandoning some of those services. I am advised that in the immediate vicinity of a station employing such high power as Leafield, interference with broadcast receiving apparatus is unavoidable, what ever method of transmission is used, but in order to reduce the interference as far as possible experiments are being carried out with the object of reducing all emissions other than that on the fundamental wave length of the station.

s asked the Postmaster-General if, notwithstanding the promises made by his predecessor that the construction of the new Marton telephone exchange, near Middles brough, would be pressed forward, not a single brick has yet been laid; who is responsible for the delay; and what is the cause of the same?

:The delay in the provision of a telephone exchange at Marton was explained in the reply given to the hon. Member on the 19th April last. Tenders for the erection of the building have been invited and are due to be received to-day. Every effort is being made to expedite completion of the building.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will take steps to establish a broadcasting station at Plymouth to serve the south-west area of England?

:I am considering, in conjunction with the British Broadcasting Company, what arrangements can be made for providing broadcasting facilities at or in the neighbourhood of Plymouth.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been recently called to the condition of the post office accommodation at Jedburgh; whether it is considered suitable for the needs of the staff and the district; whether he will make inquiries into the matter and endeavour to expedite the building of a new post office on the site purchased for the purpose some years ago; and whether he will reconsider the position of Jedburgh Post Office, which, though serving the county town of Rox-burghshire and a large rural district, is only a sub-post office under Kelso, which is 11 miles distant?

:The accommodation in the present post office at Jedburgh is recognised as being unsatisfactory. The provision of a new office on the site acquired in 1914 has been delayed by the need for the restriction of public expenditure and by the more urgent requirements of other districts. I hope that it may be possible to provide for the new office in the Estimates for 1924–5, but I cannot give any definite assurance to that effect until I have satisfied myself that Jedburgh is entitled to precedence over other urgent works for which money has hitherto not been available. The official status of an office is governed by administrative considerations, and there are no grounds for altering the present arrangements, which do not affect the facilities afforded to the public.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the difficulty of obtaining postage stamps in many districts in the evening where post offices close at 7 p.m.; whether his Department is arranging for a supply of automatic boxes to supply stamps; whether these will be placed outside all closed post offices; and if his Department will arrange that shopkeepers who keep open till late hours should be allowed to sell stamps and postcards for the public convenience?

:I am not aware that any widespread in- convenience is caused by the absence of facilities for obtaining stamps after 7 p.m., in districts where post offices are closed at that hour. Five hundred automatic stamp-vending machines have been, or will shortly be, installed outside post offices, and if necessary this number will be increased; but the installation of machines outside every post office would not be warranted. Any shopkeeper can obtain a licence to sell stamps if there is reasonable ground for extending the facilities for the sale of stamps in his district.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet received the report upon the sale of a mui tsai girl in Hong Kong far 90 dollars, alleged to have taken place in the office of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs?

:The reply is in the negative.

askéd the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to the decrease of peewits in the northern counties this year; if he is aware that this decrease is attributed to the increasing collection of their eggs; and if, in view of the value of this bird to agriculture, he will consider the advisability of strengthening the law dealing with the collection of peewit's eggs?

:I have been asked to take this question. My attention has not been drawn to the particular decrease of the bird in the northern counties, but I am aware that a resolution on the general decrease of the bird throughout the country was passed on the 10th May by the Council of Agriculture for England and Wales. It is proposed to insert special provisions for the protection of the bird and its eggs in the Wild Birds Protection Bill.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the evictions which the Liverpool Corporation propose to carry out at Lake Vyrnwy; whether these evictions are done with his knowledge and approval; and whether he, will consider curtailing the grant made in respect of afforestation at this place until these threats of eviction are withdrawn?

:I have been asked to take over this question. The Forestry Commissioners are aware that to avoid the risk of pollution of the water supply to the population of Liver- pool, the Corporation are taking over for planting certain holdings in the water-catchment area at Vyrnwy; the Corporation are at liberty to terminate tenancies without reference to the Commissioners, who have no power to curtail advances for afforestation purposes, which are properly due to the Corporation under the terms of the Agreement made between the Treasury and the Corporation in 1914. A greater number of men will be employed on the land during the planting and afterwards than are at present employed.