asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that an inspector of taxes has no statutory authority for demanding the names of firms paying commissions to, and the amounts received from them by, an Income Tax payer trading as a principal, and that such information has been demanded by inspectors of taxes, he will issue immediate instructions forbidding the practice?

If the hon. Member will let me have particulars of the case or cases which he has in mind, I will have inquiry made into the matter and will communicate the result to the hon. Member as soon as I am in position to do so.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what grounds Mr. Charles O. Polman, of 101, Clarendon Road, Southsea, trading as a photographer, has been assessed for the purposes of Income Tax on business profits at £350, on appeal reduced to £300, when the results of his business for the years 1921, 1922, and 1923 show a loss of £92 in 1921, a loss of £65 in 1922, and a, profit of £22 in 1923, being a loss on the three years' average of £45 per annum; and why the District Commissioners of Taxes, Fareham Division, based the assessment on last year's working and not on the three years' average?

I am making inquiry into this case, and will communicate the result to the hon. Member in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give consideration, as a source of revenue, to the licensing of all commission agents engaged in betting?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave on the 4th March to a question by the hon. Member for Gower Division (Mr. D. Grenfell).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, he will recommend that no Entertainments Duty shall be charged upon seats placed on the river bank by boatmen and let for the purpose of viewing this national spectacle to visitors from all parts of the Empire?

My right hon. Friend has no power to waive the Entertainments Duty payable under the law in respect of this or any other entertainment.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many scholarships and maintenance grants for the sons and daughters of agricultural workers and others were awarded last year in each of the three classes; and what were the occupations of the parents of those receiving them?

108 scholarships were awarded last year to the sons and daughters of agricultural workmen and others in England and Wales under Section 3 of the Corn Production Acts (Repeal) Act, 1921. The allocation of the awards was as under:

The occupations of the parents or guardians were as follow:

The remaining 33 scholarship holders were themselves bona fide workers in agriculture whose parents are either dead, or, if alive, are comparable, as regards financial circumstances, to agricultural workmen.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give any figures showing the number of workers in agriculture in England and Wales in 1913 and in each subsequent year up to 1923, inclusive; and any figures indicating the amount, or average amount or percentage, of unemployment amongst agricultural workers in each of these years?

I have been asked to reply. The table below gives particulars of the number of workers employed on agricultural holdings above one acre in extent in England and Wales in each of the years for which such information has been collected by my Department. No statistics are available with regard to the incidence of unemployment among agricultural workers:

NOTE.—The figures for 1913 do not include members of the occupier's family; those for 1921 and 192 do not include the occupier and his wife, but include other members of the family employed on the holding.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of conciliation committees in existence in England and Wales, and in which counties they are; and what were the number in existence a year previously, and in which counties?

Sixty-one conciliation committees have been established, covering the whole of England and Wales except a part of West Sussex. Thirteen committees covering the whole or part of the counties of Cheshire, Cumber- land, Devon, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Northumberland, Shropshire, Suffolk, Westmorland, Anglesey, Carnarvon, Denbigh, Flint, Merioneth, and Montgomery, have wages agreements in operation at the present time. At the corresponding period last year agreements existed in all these counties except Suffolk, and also in Cornwall, Durham, South Middlesex and Cardigan. Although the majority of the committees for other counties have not had agreements in operation since the autumn of 1922, many of them have subsequently held meetings, and in any case they are all still technically in existence, in the sense that they have not formally dissolved themselves.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of cattle, including cows and calves, sheep, lambs, and pigs, imported into Great Britain from Ireland in 1923?

The numbers of livestock imported into Great Britain from Ireland in 1923 were as follow:

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give a statement showing the average weekly wage paid to adult male agricultural workers in England in respect of the years 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923; the average wage paid to other adult male agricultural workers, such as team men and cattle men for the same years, respectively; the average weekly wage paid in the same years to adult male workers in any industries other than agriculture, stating which industries they are; what is the average percentage of increase of wages in each of the above industries, including agriculture, for 1923 over the corresponding figures for 1913, or any other comparable year; and what is the average percentage increase in the cost of living for 1923 over that for 1913, or any other comparable year?

No precise statistics are available of the wages paid to agricultural workers, but it is estimated by the Ministry of Agriculture that the average weekly wages of ordinary adult male workers in England and Wales as a whole were approximately 43s. in 1920, 44s. in 1921, 31s. in 1922, and 28s. in 1923. It is not possible to make any definite estimate of the wages paid to special class workers, such as team-men and cattlemen, but it is believed that their total remuneration ranged from 6s. to 10s. a week above that of ordinary workers in 1920 and 1921, and that in 1923 it was probably on the average about 5s. above that of ordinary workers. The average wage of 28s. for ordinary workers in 1923 is estimated by the Ministry of Agriculture to represent an increase of about 56 per cent. on the corresponding figure for 1914. As regards other industries, no statistics have been collected showing the average wages of adult male workers in the years in question; but I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" for October last, which contains a comparison of rates of wages in each of the principal industries at August, 1914, and September, 1923, based on such information as is available. I am also sending him a copy of the "Gazette" for January last, containing, on page 5, particulars of the percentage increase in cost of living in 1923 as compared with July, 1914.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to submit the proposals of the Government relative to the unauthorised licence fees, amounting to £105,000, held by them in relation to milk?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer to the Resolution headed "War Charges (Validity)," standing in the Order Book in the name of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and to the Memorandum (Cmd. 2080) on the Charges to which that Resolution is intended to apply.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is the intention of the Government to put forward any further proposals for the relief of agriculture at an early date, or whether he is satisfied that the Government's plans already outlined by the Minister of Agriculture are adequate for dealing with the present agricultural situation?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer given on the 20th instant by the Lord Privy Seal in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Faversham (Major Wheler).

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of live horses exported to the Continent for each of the last five years?

The number of live horses exported from the United Kingdom to Continental countries in the years 1919 to 1923 was

NOTE.—From 1st April, 1923, the figures represent exports from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and exclude the direct foreign trade of the Irish Free State.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what would be the cost of installing an enunciator in the Members' Tea Room, and what will be the cost of its yearly upkeep; and whether, in view of the fact that many Members take their mid-day and evening meals in the Tea Room, he will reconsider his decision not to give the Tea Room the same advantages as are given to the Dining Rooms?

The cost of installation would be £180, and the cost of maintenance £50 per annum. If there were a generally expressed desire for an enunciator in the Tea Room, I should be prepared to discuss the proposal with the Serjeant-at-Arms, who is also concerned.

asked the Prime Minister if he is aware that during the Parliament of 1900 the House of Commons met at 2 o'clock in the afternoon; that two Motions have been put down for Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 8.15 dealing with the sittings of the House of Commons, but never reached; whether the Government would be willing to alter Standing Orders so that the House may meet at 2 o'clock on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and adjourn at 10 o'clock, and on Friday to meet at 11 o'clock and adjourn at 4 o'clock; and for the new Standing Orders to operate after Easter?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers which I gave on the 4th and 17th March, in reply to questions by the hon. Members for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) and Tottenham North (Mr. R. Morrison).

asked the First Commissioner of Works how many British embassies and legations are owned by His Majesty's Government and how many are held on lease?

Ten embassy residences, including two summer residences, are owned by the Government, and one is rented by my Department. Eighteen legation residences, including three summer residences, are owned by the Government, and four are rented by my Department. One embassy and 16 legation residences are rented by the heads of missions from funds provided by the Foreign Office.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made for winding up the work of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission when that body ceases by Statute to exist on 31st March, 1924?

The arrangements made are set out in the following Treasury Minute dated 25th March, 1924:

"My Lords read again Their Minutes of the 1st April, 1921, the 31st May, 1921, and the 28th March, 1923, appointing certain persons to be members of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission established under Clause 4 of the Ministry of Munitions (Cessation) Order, 1921.

In accordance with Section 1 (i) ( d ) of the Ministries of Munitions and Shipping (Cessation) Act, 1921, the aforesaid Commission will cease to exist on the 31st March, 1924. Their Lordships desire to place on record their high appreciation of the services rendered to the State by Sir Howard Frank, the Chairman, and by the members of the Commission.

My Lords direct that with effect from the 1st April, 1924, such of the powers and duties transferred to the Treasury by or under the Order in Council, dated the 24th March, 1921, as relate to the disposal of surplus Government property and the completion and liquidation of contracts and other liabilities entered into by the Minister of Munitions, shall be exercised and performed by a Department of the Treasury which is hereby constituted to be known as the Surplus Stores, etc., Liquidation Department.

My Lords appoint Sir Daniel Neylan, C.B.E., as head of the said Department, and They are pleased to direct that there shall be transferred to it such officers or persons as were in the employment of the Disposal and Liquidation Commission on the 31st March, 1924, and who would but for the cessation of the Commission have continued in such employment, subject to such review as may be from time to time prescribed by Their Lordships.

My Lords are of opinion that for the purpose of advising Their Lordships in regard to the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of the Surplus Stores, etc., Liquidation Department of the Treasury, advantage should be taken of the offer of the further services on a voluntary basis of the following, who are accordingly hereby appointed, as from the 1st proximo, to be members of an Advisory Committee for Surplus Stores, etc., Liquidation:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many men who were employed in the Civil Service before the War as temporary clerks are still employed as such; and whether steps can be taken to place these men on the permanent staff?

Detailed information is not available as regards the first part of the question. As regards the latter part, the National Whitley Council agreed that quasi-permanent unestablished clerks employed before the War on duties which were permanent or subsequently determined to be permanent should not come on to the establishment through the competitions limited to temporary clerks, but should be dealt with under the assimilation machinery laid down in paragraph 65 of the Interim Report of the Reorganisation Committee. The detailed application of this agreement has been a matter for Departmental consideration in each case.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that his statement that only eight of the 108 qualified candidates at the recent examination for the administrative class were declared fitted for administrative work has caused the greatest concern to those of the 100 ex-service men who are now serving in the clerical class, which hitherto has alone been open to them, or who are still serving in a temporary capacity, In view of the fact that they have hitherto been credited with having performed administrative work successfully over prolonged periods; and whether he will take steps to see that their prospects in the Civil Service are not adversely affected by his statement?

I am aware of no ground for the apprehension that the officers who entered for, but were unsuccessful at, this competition will be prejudiced by that fact as compared with the officers who did not enter.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, with reference to the recent examination for the administrative class, if he will state how many qualified candidates, excluding the eight successful candidates, were stated in the written observations of their departments to have performed satisfactorily administrative work; and whether he will extend the period during which vacancies are to be allotted so as to absorb into permanent administrative posts those officials who have proved in practice that they are fitted for administrative work, and have further passed the written examination described in the prospectus of examination as of a high standard?

As I informed the hon. and gallant Member on the 19th March, a report by the department in which he had served that a candidate had shown himself suitable for appointment to the administrative class was not a condition of interview by the Selection Board. Departments were not asked whether candidates had satisfactorily performed administrative work; the general observations offered by departments for the sole information and assistance of the Selection Board do not lend themselves to the analysis desired and must in any case be regarded as strictly confidential. It would be difficult to appoint to permanent administrative posts candidates who were not found by the Selection Board to be suitable for such appointment, as that would clearly be to override the decisions of the Board to which the duty of arriving at those decisions was entrusted and to invalidate the result of the competition.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been drawn to Section 8 a of the Minister of Labour's circular to education authorities, dated 20th March, referring to juvenile employment centres, in which the Minister of Labour states that service in a centre cannot be recognised under the terms of the School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1918; whether he is aware that it has been shown by experience to be impossible to manage these centres except under the supervision of a fully qualified and highly experienced teacher, and that difficulty has been experienced in setting up centres owing to the impossibility of transferring such teachers to centres owing to this Clause; and whether, in view of these facts, he will take the necessary steps to have this vital education service recognised for pension?

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he proposes to ask for the amendment of the existing law so as to make service in a juvenile unemployment centre reckonable as pensionable service?

I am aware of the difficulties which have arisen in this connection, and, as they are aware, legislation would be necessary to enable the Board to treat service at juvenile unemployment centres as recognised service for the purposes of the School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1918. The whole matter is at present receiving consideration by myself and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to complaints made in rural areas that the secondary school education is of little value to country children unless they intend to become teachers; and will he consider the advisability of making the teaching of a much more practical nature, with a view to preparing children for trades and industries, and thus ensure that the education will produce the best possible result?

I have no reason to suppose that the view expressed by the hon. Member is at all generally entertained in country districts, and I cannot accept the suggestion that it is the function of secondary schools to provide vocational training for particular trades or industries. On the other hand, the Board are always prepared to consider sympathetically proposals for modifying the curriculum to meet the circumstances of individual schools.

asked the Minister of Labour if he has received a letter from the secretary of the local labour and trades council at Millom complaining that, owing to the sudden stoppage of the Hodbarrow mine, which affected all kindred trades in the district, and the inadequacy of the staff at the local Employment Exchange to cope with the situation, some 90 men who were entitled to unemployment benefit could not be dealt with by the staff at work, and were consequently forced to apply for Poor Law relief; and, having regard to the fact that the Poor Law guardians advanced the money to these men on loan, will he undertake to see that the arrears due to these men are paid so that the loans advanced by the guardians may be repaid?

I understand that out of a total of 460 claims made on the day following the closing of the mine, 430 received payment of benefit on the first available pay day. In the case of 200 of these claimants, the formal claims could not be taken until the Monday following the Saturday on which they first attended the local employment office, but this did not delay the payment of benefit. Some delay in payment occurred in the remaining 30 cases, but this was due to doubts arising on the individual claims, and not to inadequacy of staff at the local office. Repayment of excess relief paid by the Poor Law authority is being made direct to the authority in accordance with Section 14 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1922.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the many complaints in Argyll as to delay in the consideration and settlement of claims for unemployment benefit due to the concentration of work from long distances in the present Employment Exchanges, and in part also to the concentration of much of the work outside Argyll, e.g., at Greenock; and whether it would be possible to decentralise the administrative machinery further?

I am aware that delay occurs in dealing with claims for benefit made by persons residing in the outlying parts of Argyll. This delay is inevitable, in view of the time occupied in transmitting and receiving back the essential documents, which, in the case of some areas (particularly the islands), is very considerable, especially during unfavourable weather. Owing to the small numbers and scattered distribution of the population, the opening of additional local offices would not be justified. Everything practicable will be done to reduce the delay, but I am afraid that in view of the geographical circumstances considerable delay in the payment of benefit is, in any event, unavoidable.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can state for each quarter in the years 1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1922 and 1923 the number of persons in Sheffield to whom unemployment benefit was paid and the amount of such benefit?

The following table shows the amount expended in unemployment benefit by the Sheffield Employment Exchanges in 1921, 1922 and 1923:

Statistics are not available showing the number of separate individuals who received benefit, but the following table shows the number of persons who had claims to benefit current at the end of each quarter of 1921, 1922 and 1923:

As the extended scheme of Unemployment Insurance did not come into force till November, 1920, comparable figures for years earlier than 1921 are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed persons have received employment, since His Majesty's Government came into office, as a direct consequence of any proposals introduced by the Government and apart from any proposals of the late Government, which have been the subject of continuity?

It is not practicable to separate, in the manner implied in the hon. Member's question, the numbers employed owing to the various relief measures that are in operation. Moreover, as I stated in my reply to the right hon. Member for Rusholme (Mr. Masterman) on 26th March, the present Government was not called upon to assume office before the worst of the winter months had passed, and until it was too late to initiate new works which would affect this winter's unemployment.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can make any statement as to the position of the shipyard dispute; and whether the Government is taking any and, if so, what action with respect to it?

I understand that a further meeting between the Shipbuilding Employers' Federation and the executives of the unions is to take place to-morrow, and I do not think it to be desirable that, in the circumstances, I should make any statement at this moment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether his attention has been called to the complaint by the British Trade Commissioner in New Zealand to the effect that, judging by his experience, British manufacturers do not pass on to others orders or inquiries which they may think are too small for their own works to execute; and whether he can suggest to firms with whom his Department is in touch that this policy should not, in the interests of national trade, be followed?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. I have been in telegraphic communication with His Majesty's Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, and am informed by him that he has made no statement of the kind referred to. I should add that my Department, on learning that a British manufacturer is for any reason unprepared or unable to execute orders received, is always ready to suggest that these might be passed on to other British firms who may be in a position to carry them out.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department what expenditure has been incurred to date on the British Empire Exhibition; what the total cost will be; what is the total sum now guaranteed; and what is the estimated receipts for rent of floor space, entertainment and amusement contracts, and for admission?

I am informed by the British Empire Exhibition authorities that the expenditure (excluding expenditure by His Majesty's Government, the Dominions, India and the Colonies on pavilions and exhibits, etc., which constitute their several displays) up to the 29th February was £2,600,000; that the total cost on the same basis up to the close of the exhibition is estimated at £3,700,000; and that the total sum guaranteed is £1,207,281. The estimates of receipts are necessarily provisional and I am not in a position to quote figures at present.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will consider taking the necessary steps to permit of the re-opening of cases which have been decided against the appellant by the Pensions Appeal Tribunal where the appellant's case is supported by two independent medical reports in addition to the evidence considered by the tribunal?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Willesden West (Mr. Viant) on the 20th March, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the occupier of 82, Ritherdon Road, S.W.17, has been informed that he cannot be provided with a telephone owing to a shortage of plant; and whether, in view of trade depression, he will take steps to see that the necessary plant is provided by his Department to cope with the demands made by the public?

Owing to an unexpected demand for telephone service in this district, all available wires are in use. The provision of additional underground cables is already in hand and the work will be proceeded with as expeditiously as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that there is no mid-day despatch of letters from Egremont, Cumberland, sub post office, with the result that a letter, even for the adjoining village, posted after 6.30 p.m. on one evening is not despatched until 6.30 p.m. the following evening; and if, having regard to the fact that Egremont is an important mining and industrial centre and that serious inconvenience is caused by the present system, and that mid-day despatches are sent from all the adjoining towns and villages, he will at once give instructions for the same to be done at Egremont?

I am having inquiry made, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that 30 houses at Norton, Worcester, the lease of which is the property of the Ministry of Air, have been unoccupied for some years; that it is now intended to utilise them as homes for married airmen; and, considering that there is no aerodrome within 30 miles but that there are many families whose work is in the neighbourhood of the houses and who desire to occupy them, whether he will confer with the Secretary of State for Air with a view of obtaining the property for local use?

I am informed that the proposal of the Air Ministry is to utilise the houses referred to for the accommodation of the families of airmen serving overseas at stations where no married quarters are available. These families are now occupying married quarters at aerodromes throughout the country which are urgently required for housing the families of airmen actually serving at such aerodromes. On the information before me, I do not consider that I could properly seek to interfere with this arrangement.

asked the Minister of Health what action is proposed to be taken to remedy the serious inadequacy of houses in the parish of Comberton, Cambridgeshire; and whether he is aware that a child in this parish, dangerously ill with pneumonia, has to be nursed in a cottage kitchen which is the only room containing a fireplace, while the only place for the bed is close to the door?

I was not aware of the case to which the hon. Member refers. I am in communication with the district council in the matter.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the large numbers of people who are delaying the commencement of house building until some announcement of the terms under which the Government subsidy will be granted, and its amount, is made; and will he consider either making such an announcement or deciding and making such decision public that any such subsidy as may be decided upon will be retrospective to all suitable houses begun, say, after 1st April next, in order that there may be no further artificial delay in building houses?

The numbers of houses in schemes of local authorities which are being submitted do not support the view expressed in the first part of the question. As regards the second part of the question, I could not properly give any undertaking till the House has considered the Government's housing proposals.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give the number of houses built in the rural area of Cheshire under the Addison Act and the number sanctioned under the 1923 Act?

Under the Housing, Town Planning, Etc., Acts, 1919, 308 houses were erected in the areas of rural district councils in the county of Chester by local authorities and 831 by private builders under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919. 568 houses are included in schemes of rural district councils in the county in question which have been authorised to date under the Housing, Etc., Act, 1923.

asked the Minister of Health whether the draft Rating Bill is to be introduced and, if so, when; and if he will state the position of the Government in regard thereto?

Observations on the draft Rating and Valuation Bill have been submitted by the majority of the representative associations of local authorities and other interests concerned to which the draft Bill was circulated, and are under consideration in my Department. I am not at present able to indicate when it will be possible to introduce legislation on the subject.

asked the Prime Minister when he anticipates that the committee of experts investigating the financial position of Germany will be ready to present its Report; and whether this will be at once published?

I have no certain information as to the date of the Report. In reply to the second part of the question the Report will be presented in the first place to the Reparation Commission, which has, I understand, decided to publish it as soon as it is received.

asked the Prime Minister what Governments up to the present time have recognised the Soviet Government de jure ; and if he is able to state the Governments that have declared their intention so to recognise it?

In addition to Great Britain, the following countries have recognised the Soviet Union Government de jure :

Negotiations for the resumption of relations between Greece and the Soviet Union are stated to have been completed. So far as His Majesty's Government are aware no other countries have declared their intention of according de jure recognition to the Soviet Union.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government intends officially to present and support at the coming Anglo-Russian Conference the claims put forward by British citizens in respect of the seizure of their property and injuries sustained in the Russian revolution?

The answer is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received a copy of the Treaty between the Italian and Russian Soviet Governments; and, if so, if he will publish it as a White Paper, together with an English translation?

I have already answered this question in replying to the hon. and gallant Member for Melton (Sir C. Yate) on the 26th instant.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any official information with regard to the change in form of the Greek Government; whether the attitude of the League of Nations and the British Government will remain unaltered in respect of the proposed loan to Greece and the work in Western Thrace undertaken by the League of Nations?

On 25th March the Greek Assembly adopted a motion whereby the Dynasty was declared to be at an end, and Greece was constituted a Republic subject to subsequent ratification by a plebiscite which is to be held next month. The attitude of His Majesty's Government has not changed, but whether Greece will be able to raise a loan on the international market depends entirely on financial considerations, an important factor in which is such a settlement of internal affairs as will command general assent in Greece and give a prospect of public order and economic stability.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent, if any, the funds of the British Clearing Office (Enemy Debts) available for the payment of claims have been diminished by default of the German Government up to and also since 31st December last; and what steps, if any, he proposes to take in the matter either in connection with the Blanesburgh proposals or otherwise?

I have been asked to reply. The German Clearing Office was in default in payment of the monthly balances to the British Clearing Office up to the 31st December last to the extent of £3,834,006. When the last balance was struck at the end of February this figure had been increased to £4,025,189. As I stated in reply to the question asked by the hon. Member for Farnham (Mr. A. M. Samuel) on the 25th March, the question of Clearing Office balances will be duly considered in the discussion of the general problem of reparation payments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the effect of the protracted delays in getting claims adjudicated by the Anglo-German Mixed Arbitral Tribunal is that is enables the German agents to induce British claimants to accept wholly inadequate settlements on the ground that they would otherwise have to wait for years before their cases came on for trial; and what additional steps he proposes to take to expedite the work of the tribunals?

I have been asked to reply. The British Clearing Office is fully alive to the danger referred to, and, in order to counteract it, has obtained an agreement with the German Clearing Office, under which the latter has consented not to approach claimants on the subject of compromises without the cognizance of the British Office. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the question asked by him on the 25th March.

asked the Minister of Transport whether firms to whom will be, let the contracts for the construction of the Glasgow-Edinburgh road will be permitted under the terms of their contracts to employ the most economical labour, or whether it will be obligatory upon the contractors to absorb a certain proportion of unemployed unaccustomed to road work?

It will be a condition of the contract that labour shall be recruited through the Employment Exchanges, but there will be no stipulation that any proportion of the men engaged shall be unaccustomed to road work.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is satisfied that his staff of factory inspectors is inadequate for the proper inspection of factories; and, if not, how does he propose to improve it?

I am not entirely satisfied with the present position, and I propose to review it at the earliest opportunity. I am afraid I cannot say anything more at present.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that, when payment of compensation in a fatal accident is paid into Court, a deduction is made from the total amount by the Clerk of the Court in payment of expenses, and for which no provision is made in the First Schedule of the Act; and, if so, will he take the necessary steps to alter this rule?

Yes, Sir. I am aware that a fee is charged in pursuance of a Treasury Order under the County Courts Act in respect of every investment or allotment made by a Registrar of money paid into Court in fatal cases, and under the terms of the Order is deducted from the sum ordered to be invested or allotted. This charge is not contrary to the Workmen's Compensation Act, which only forbids the taking of any fee in respect of proceedings prior to the award.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the very inadequate ambulance and first-aid arrangements in many of the factories and workshops in the North Woolwich area; and whether he will make it a strict instruction to all factory inspectors to ensure that efficient first-aid facilities are available and a competent person on duty night and day whilst persons are engaged in any class of work whereby they are liable to accident?

I have received reports by the factory inspector on the factories in this district. From these it appears that there is substantial compliance with the first-aid provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, and that in the largest works the arrangements are of a high standard of excellence. If the hon. Member will inform me of any particular cases in which he thinks the arrangements are inadequate, I shall be happy to have further inquiries made.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will issue a statement showing the names, rank, pay and dates of appointments of persons other than those who joined as constables attached to the criminal investigation department of New Scotland Yard, whether in receipt of any pay or allowances from Army or Navy funds; and, if so, to what extent?

The particulars are as follow:

asked the Home Secretary how many of the boys' reformatories and industrial schools throughout the country are shortly to be closed by the instructions of his Department; and whether he has personally looked into the matter and is satisfied that sufficient accommodation will remain after these have been closed to deal with the boys who are likely to be sent to such institutions during the next year or two?

Thirteen schools are being closed. I am satisfied that the remaining schools will provide ample accommodation to meet existing and future requirements.

asked the Home Secretary why the Beacon School, Lichfield, has been chosen as one of the schools to be closed, seeing that it meets at least two of the conditions set down in the Memorandum of the Home Office, namely, that the character and state of the buildings are in first-rate condition, and that the situation is one of the pleasantest and most healthful in the whole country, while some old and out-of-date schools situated in slum districts in large towns are allowed to continue; and whether he will reconsider the matter so far as the Beacon School is concerned?

I am advised that the bathing and lavatory accommodation is inadequate and that considerable expenditure would have to be incurred to make this school really efficient. Further, there is plenty of vacant accommodation in other industrial schools in the Midlands. I regret that the decision cannot be altered.

asked the Home Secretary the total strength of the police in England and Wales, by ranks, in the years 1914–15 and 1923–24, respectively?

The total authorised establishments of the various ranks in the police forces in England and Wales on 29th September, 1914, and 29th September, 1923, were as follow:

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that the Metropolitan Police Causes Act, 1839, Section 54, Sub-section (11), and the Towns Police Causes Act, 1847, Chapter 89, which regulate and control the procedure under the present soliciting laws, not infrequently operate unjustly; and whether he is prepared to consider dealing with all these offences under the Vagrancy Act of 1898, and of making a conviction conditional upon the person annoyed giving evidence?

Solicitation by common prostitutes is punishable under the Metropolitan Police Act, 1839, and the Town Police Clauses Act, 1847, if there be evidence that it causes annoyance in the public street. I do not think it desirable to limit the discretion of magistrates in deciding what evidence is necessary to prove the offence in particular cases. Under the Vagrancy Act, 1898, solicitation by male persons in any public place is punishable without proof of annoyance. The Act does not apply to women.

asked the Home Secretary if he will give a return showing the number of separation orders made by Courts of Summary Jurisdiction in England and Wales during the past five years?

The particulars are as follow: Statement of the number of separation orders made by Courts of Summary Jurisdiction in England and Wales during the years 1919–23:

The figures for 1923 are provisional only.

asked the Home Secretary whether the national nautical school "Formidable," at Portishead, is to be turned into an industrial school and the naval character of the school to be ended; and, if so, what are the reasons for making this change?

I would refer the hon. Baronet to the reply which was given to a question by the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Murrell) on the 28th February last.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that a number of apprentices are travelling from Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy to Rosyth Dockyard at their own expense, which, in some cases, amounts to as much as 8s. 3d. weekly; and will he take steps to extend to these apprentices the same privilege of free railway travelling as has been granted in other cases?

There are no indentured apprentices at Rosyth who travel daily between Rosyth and Edinburgh or Kirkcaldy at their own expense. Unindentured apprentices are in the same position as other hired employés as regards travelling expenses, and I regret it is not possible to grant them the privilege of free railway travelling.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that apprentices to the riveters, drillers, and caulkers in the dockyards have, in some cases, served over seven years and are still regarded as being in their apprenticeship; and, seeing that five years is regarded as the period of apprenticeship in private yards, will he take steps to have a similar period fixed for the dockyards?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, but if my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any case he has in mind, inquiries will be made. In the dockyards a period of five years' apprenticeship is regarded as adequate for the class of workmen referred to, and this is the recognised period.