asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if, in view of the fact that certain caulkers have been registered at the Employment Exchange at Portsmouth for over two years without an opportunity of following their trade, he will communicate with the Minister of Labour in order that these men may be given an early offer of employment in unskilled work so that they may follow the practice now obtaining in His Majesty's Dockyard at Portsmouth of moving these tradesmen to other classes of work as occasion demands when they are not required for caulking?

All vacancies for workmen in the Dockyard are notified to the Employment Exchange. It is not necessary to make any communication to the Minister of Labour regarding entries at present, as there are no vacancies; but when vacancies occur the men referred to by the hon. Member will not be regarded as ineligible on the ground that their qualifications are not required to be exercised in the vacant positions.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what percentage of the established men in each of the Royal Dockyards served

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Mr. Harry Burt, a stoker on the War Department vessel "Sir A. Alderson," went ashore from his ship at Chatham on the evening of 25th February, and was thereafter missing until the recent discovery of his body in Chatham harbour; that no communication whatsoever regarding Mr. Burt's disappearance was forwarded to his next-of-kin until on 3rd March, in view of information received in a private letter from a member of the crew, inquiries were initiated by his widow; and whether he will take steps to ensure that early notification is sent to the next-of-kin in similar cases in the future?

I am aware of the facts indicated in the question, but it does not seem desirable to lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to communication with the next-of-kin in such cases. Many cases of absence are due to some simple and natural cause, and the man returns to duty in a few days. More harm than good would often be done in such cases by a premature reference to the next-of-kin. In the case now in question a reasonable discretion appears to have been exercised, and Mrs. Burt was about to be informed when her telegram was received.

The percentages required are shown in the following Tablesss:—

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the men employed by the D.O.R.E., Bulford, lose a day's pay on the King's birthday; and whether he will arrange that in future they are paid for this day?

I understand that the only men in question who were not paid for the King's birthday holiday were certain casually employed men who were thought not to be eligible under the Regulations. They were afterwards found to be eligible, and the mistake is, accordingly, being rectified by the issue of the pay.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that officers of the Army, and Veterinary services who were originally remunerated on a civilian basis are now placed on the Army officers' basis, he will take the necessary action to place the emoluments of the officers of the staff for Royal Engineer services on a military basis; and whether, seeing that the civilian officers of the Army Chaplain's department, who have always been on the civilian basis, were in 1920 placed on the Army officers' basis for retired pay, he will extend the same privilege to the officers of the staff for Royal Engineer services?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave him on 8th April last. As regards future entrants, the question of placing their pay and retired pay on a military basis is under consideration. But there is no intention, for the reasons I have already explained, of altering the present basis for the existing permanent officers of the staff for Royal Engineer services.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that the emoluments of the officers of the staff for Royal Engineer services are on a civilian basis, it is proposed to reduce their pay in accordance with the 5½ per cent. reduction in Army officers' pay in July next; and, if so, why?

The pay of officers of the staff for Royal Engineer services will be reduced by 5½ per cent. on the 1st July. Their pay contains the same variable percentage for cost of living as that of other officers, and is due to be revised on the same basis. The Royal Warrant, which granted the rates of pay, specifically provided for this reduction.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that the vocational training centre, Thornhill, is issuing notices and advertisements to the effect that it is prepared to undertake work for the public, in competition with private firms, for bootmaking, upholstering, market garden produce, etc.; whether this work is undertaken by the authority and instructions of the Army Council; and, if so, whether the Government will discontinue subsidised competition against private firms who have to pay rates and taxes?

The centre referred to does not undertake work for the general public, but only for the troops, and I understand that the only notice or advertisement issued was a notice in command orders. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the last part, the general policy is that the products of vocational training centres shall be charged for at fair market rates, and I am not prepared to agree that those products shall be scrapped. Such a course would be a waste of public money, besides being very discouraging to the soldiers employed on the work.

asked the Secretary of State for War how the recruiting returns of the Guards Brigade compare for similar periods before and since the adoption of full dress; and whether he will consider the equipment of all ranks of His Majesty's Regular and Territorial Forces on a peace footing with full-dress uniform?

The returns referred to indicate that the numbers annually recruited for the Foot Guards since the re-introduction of full dress in July, 1920, have been lower than in the period immediately preceding, but the primary reason for this is that the demand has been less and the physical standard higher. Full dress is no doubt an incentive for recruits to apply to join the Guards in preference to other units, but the cost of its extension to the rest of the Army has hitherto been found prohibitive. The money could only be found at the expense of other and essential Army services.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) if he will furnish a list of secretaries of Territorial associations, together with a brief statement of their military service prior to appointment?(2) who is directly responsible for the selection of secretaries of Territorial associations; and if persons with no previous service in the Army or Territorials have been appointed and are still holding these positions?

The hon. and gallant Member will find a list of the secretaries on pages 210 to 259 of the current half-yearly supplement to the monthly Army List of which I am sending him a copy. A record of the War services of many of them is given in Part 2 of the half-yearly Army List for 1923, but I could not give further particulars without research, including, in some cases, reference to County Associations. According to the information available at the War Office, out of 73 secretaries, 12 had no service in the Regular or Territorial Army at the time of their appointment. Under Section 1 (3) (i) of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act of 1907, Territorial Army Associations are responsible for the selection of their secretaries, subject to the approval of the Army Council.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether any steps are being taken to bring second engineers employed on War Department vessels into the category of pensionable employés to the War Department?

The claim that second engineers on War Department vessels should be brought into the category of pensionable employés has been made by the staff side of the Whitley Committee concerned. The question involves a good many considerations, which necessarily

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if the proposal

asked the under secretary of State for India, the amount of revenue derived by the Government of India from the sale of intoxicants on the year 1874–75, 1881–82, 1891–92, 1901–02, 1911–12, 1981–82, 1891–92, 1901–02, 1911–12, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1220–21, 1921–22, 1922–23, respectively, and the percentages which this revenue bore to the total revenue in each of the years?

The information required is given in the following table. Excise revenue figures are given for spirits and drugs, including opium. The revenue show is gross revenue up to 1920–21, but the figure for 1921–22 and 1922–23 represent gross revenue less a deduction for "Refunds." In all cases the figures are for British India:—for the abolition of communal representation discussed in the Secretary of State's letter addressed to a member of the Madras Executive Council has the approval of the British Government; and whether he has received representations, official and unofficial, from members of the Indian Government against the proposal?

No proposal for the abolition of communal representation has been discussed in any letter of the Secretary of State or considered by His Majesty's Government; and no representations, official or unofficial, from members of the Indian Government have been received by him on the subject adverted to.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any allied nation besides our own has any system of grant, pension, or allowance in respect to loss of property or injuries to health caused to the men in its mercantile marine during the War by operations in the War zones; and, if so, whether he will furnish the details?

I regret that I have no information as to any War compensation schemes in force in allied countries for the mercantile marine.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a consignment of a non-dutiable product, namely, solution salt B, which was landed at Manchester ex s.s. "Jabiru," on 22nd April last, was detained by the Customs under Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act; that samples were taken on 1st May, and the goods ultimately released, free of duty or any other restrictions, on 4th June; that during the whole of this period the importers repeatedly appealed for the release of their goods, as they were urgently required by the consumers, who, after waiting three weeks for delivery, bought elsewhere to keep their works going; and that the importer has the goods left on his hands, and has incurred considerable loss on dock and storage charges; and can he state for what reason these goods were detained at all, and why they were held up for over six weeks?

The goods in question, though imported on the 22nd April, were not presented by the importers' agents for Customs examination until the 1st May, and even when they were so presented, it was uncertain from the description given by the agents whether, apart from any question of duty under Part I of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, 1921, the goods were not within the prohibitions on importation contained in the Dyestuffs (Import Regulation) Act, 1920. It was accordingly necessary, before delivery of the goods could be allowed, for samples to be taken, and the exact nature of the goods ascertained, a course which inevitably entailed some delay. If in any similar case in future the importers are in a position to make a declaration that the goods are not synthetic organic dyestuffs or intermediate products, and to furnish the Customs with such a declaration, the settlement of the matter would be expedited. I may add that no communication suggesting special urgency in regard to this exceptional consignment was received by the Customs officers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the tonnage of wheat and flour exported from the United States and Canada, respectively, to Great Britain for the years 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, and the first three months of 1924?

The following statement shows the tonnage of wheat and wheat flour of United States and Canadian production recorded in the official trade accounts of those countries as exported to the United Kingdom during the periods specified. It should, however, not be overlooked that considerable amounts of wheat in passage across the Atlantic are diverted to destinations other than those to which the exports accounts assign them, as is shown by the fact that the imports into this country of North American wheat during each of the completed years in question have been substantially smaller than are shown in the statement:—

asked the President of the Board of Trade what relationship the world exports of surplus foodstuffs from our Colonies and Dominions bears to the total imports of foodstuffs from all sources into Great Britain?

The following statement shows, for several of the more important foodstuffs, the total quantity imported into the United Kingdom from all countries and the total net exports from the Dominions and Colonies from which appreciable quantities of the commodities specified are exported:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseers Trade Department whether, in view of the strong appeal at all Employment Exchanges for emigrants to the Colonies, his Department takes steps to ensure that our people have decent conditions in transport?

The information available at the Oversea Settlement Office is to the effect that the conditions of transport provided for migrants by the various shipping companies are satisfactory. In order to form a personal opinion in regard to this matter, I recently arranged to travel to Plymouth in a vessel which was carrying over 400 migrants to Australia. The majority of these were sailing under the Government Assisted Passage Scheme. I saw the embarkation, the accommodation on board and the arrangements for feeding the migrants. I was impressed with the care and thought given to every detail. The embarkation, including examination of passports, medical inspection, etc., was carried through with speed, sympathy and tact; and the berths and the food provided left nothing to be desired. I was impressed by the rapidity with which all classes of migrants seemed to accustom themselves to their new surroundings.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been drawn to the accident that occurred at the Tydraw colliery, Blaenrhondda, Glamorgan, on 17th June, 1924, when one man was killed and seven injured due to the breaking of a shackle connecting a journey of trams whilst in transit on an incline in the underground workings of the said colliery; and will he undertake to introduce legislation this Session for the compulsory use of the Thomas safety-drop device, or of similar safety devices that have passed the tests for reliability and practicability in operation?

I am aware of the circumstances of this accident and I am considering the question of strengthening the existing statutory precautions against tubs running away. The matter is not simple and I am advised by the Mechanical Appliances Committee of the Safety in Mines Research Board that none of the appliances for this purpose which they have, so far, considered is generally suitable and that some of them introduce other dangers. Mr. Thomas's invention has only recently been submitted and the Committee have yet to consider it.

asked the Secretary for Mines what is the total number of fatal and of non-fatal accidents that occurred in the mining industry of Great Britain during 1923, arising out of the breaking of shackles connecting trams in course of transit in and about the mines; and what is the total number of such accidents due to the breaking of haulage ropes?

Twelve persons were killed and 235 injured owing to breakages of haulage ropes or chains during 1923. Accidents due to the breaking of shackles are not separately recorded.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many valuation assistants in the Inland Revenue who served in the Forces during the War were reduced on demobilisation to the status of temporary clerks?

The grade of valuation assistant was from the outset a temporary grade and intended to disappear with the completion of the special work for which temporary valuation staff was recruited. Temporary clerical posts were reserved for all ex-valuation assistants who joined the Forces with permission. The number of appointments thus offered was in the neighbourhood of 280.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is a ware that the masters in the employ of the British Tanker Company, which is a subsidiary of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, in addition to receiving inferior conditions of pay and pension to masters having similar appointments in the Anglo-Saxon and Burma Oil Companies, are engaged in one of the worst climates in the world, for which no special consideration is shown them; that no wages are payable during any period in hospital; that masters' holidays are at the owners' discretion and that masters are usually allowed only one day's leave for each month's service; and whether, in view of the fact that His Majesty's Government own the controlling number of shares in the Anglo-Persian Company, he will take steps to effect an improvement in this state of affairs?

As I stated in reply to the hon. and gallant Member on the 26th February last, His Majesty's Government are pledged not to interfere in the commercial management of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. I could not therefore properly take steps as suggested in the last part of the question, but must not be taken as accepting as correct the statements made in the earlier parts of the question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of mining royalty owners in the County of Stafford who receive over £2,000 per year before deduction of Income Tax, and the number of mining royalty owners in the same county who receive less than £2,000 per year before deduction of Income Tax, for the years 1922–23, 1923–24?

The number of owners of mining royalties in the County of Stafford, assessed to Mineral Rights Duty, who received, before deduction of Income Tax, £2,000 or more, is 24 for the year 1922–23 and 26 for the year 1923–24. The corresponding numbers of those who received less than £2,000 are 211 and 206 respectively. The term "royalty" includes the gross rental value of minerals assessed to Mineral Rights Duty on working proprietors.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a man whose wife has been in an asylum for 16 years, and who has children by another woman whom he cannot marry but whose children are registered under his name, is entitled to the usual allowance on Income Tax for such children; and, if not, whether he will consider the claims of special cases of this kind?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the provisions of Section 21 of the Finance Act, 1920, which sets forth the conditions governing the Income Tax deduction in respect of children. It will be seen that, subject to the other conditions laid down in the section, the father of an illegitimate child can claim the deduction if he has the custody of the child and maintains the child at his own expense. If my hon. Friend has in mind any particular case in which difficulty has arisen, and will let me have particulars, I will gladly have the matter investigated and will communicate the result to him in due course.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any decision has been reached respecting the exemption of agricultural societies from the operations of Income Tax; and, if so, what that decision may be?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave he hon. and gallant Member for Henley (Captain Terrell) on the 17th June. I am sending him a copy of that reply.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total number of Super-tax payers with an income of £5,000 and over on 31st March, 1924?

Assessments to Super-tax for the year of assessment 1923–24 are not yet complete, but it is estimated that the approximate number of individuals, with incomes exceeding £5,000, to be assessed for that year will be 25,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount received from stamp duties on foreign loans for the year ending 31st March, 1924, and the year ending 31st March, 1914?

The approximate receipt of stamp duty from foreign marketable securities to bearer was £940,000 in the year 1913–14 (at the rate of 20s. per cent.). The corresponding figure for the year 1923–24 (at the rate of 40s. per cent.) is £1,150,000.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the fact that, owing to the abandonment of the Three Counties Show owing to the weather, the Three Counties Agricultural Society is very gravely embarrassed financially; and whether he will take into consideration such risks of agricultural shows in deciding upon the liability of agricultural societies to Income Tax upon any balance they may have in hand when they happen to benefit by seasonable weather?

My attention had not previously been called to the statement made in the question. In any case, I do not think I can usefully add anything to the answer I gave to the hon. and gallant Member on the 17th June last.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the grant of £300,000 to meet so-called belated claims sent in the Reparation Claims Department was based on any estimate of proportion of allocation, or whether the figure was fixed before it was known what the number and amount of such claims were?

I have been asked to reply. The decision to ask Parliament to provide a sum of £300,000 for belated claims was taken before the final number and amount of such claims were known, although a large number had already been received. The amount was fixed as being the largest amount which is available to provide a solatium to belated claimants, having regard to the other demands on the Exchequer, and the precise scale on which payment will be made cannot be determined until the claims have been assessed.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in the event of it being impossible to transfer additional benefits with persons terminating their membership of one society and becoming members of another, under Section 14 of the National Health Insurance Act, 1918, it can be arranged that societies should have freedom to reject or admit any such persons applying for transfer who have paid the necessary contributions and been insured for the requisite period of five years?

Approved societies are free to admit or reject any persons applying for membership, either by transfer from other societies or otherwise.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the additional benefits provided under Section 37 of the National Health Insurance Act, 1911, are withheld for five years from persons transferring from one friendly society to another; and whether, in the event of such transfer, it could be arranged to transfer with the membership not only the transfer value but, in addition, the amount due to the member for additional benefits?

The position with regard to the title of insured persons to participate in additional benefits on transfer from one approved society to another is as stated by the hon. Member. As regards the second part of the question, the National Health Insurance Acts prohibit the transfer to the new society of any sum in respect of the insured person's title to additional benefits in his old society. Such benefits are provided out of the surplus arising from the favourable experience and good management of the old society, and it would be inequitable that any part of that surplus should be paid over to other societies to which individual members may choose to transfer their insurance.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that workmen over 70 years of age who are in employment pay their national health insurance contributions, though they are not eligible for sickness benefit; and whether, seeing that these men are afraid of losing their employment if they disclose their age, he will include in the terms of reference to the committee of inquiry into the national health insurance the desirability of permitting persons to draw sick benefit irrespective of age, so long as they continue to pay the insurance contributions?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the point raised by my hon. Friend. The terms of reference of the Royal Commission would enable the question of the extension of the title to sickness benefit to persons over 70 years of age to be considered.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will consider restarting the industry of lime-burning at the kiln at Loch Eriboll, in the parish of Durness, Sutherland, on property belonging to the Crown, with a view to supplying crofters and smallholders in the district with lime at cost price for the fertilisation of their holdings, and of providing employment for the relief of distress in that district owing to the failure of last year's harvest and the depression in the fishing industry?

On present information, I am not satisfied that there would be such a demand for the lime at an economic price as would justify the Board in incurring the cost of restoring and starting this kiln.

asked the Minister of Transport the principle on which allocations are made from the Road Fund for the upkeep of the roads; whether this is based on the financial need of the local authorities and has any relation to local rateable values, or whether it depends only on the state of the roads; and whether it has any reference to county mileage?

I assume that the hon. Member's question refers to the normal grants made from the Road Fund towards the upkeep of Class I and Class II roads. These grants represent, generally speaking, fixed percentages of the approved expenditure incurred by the highway authorities. The normal percentages at present authorised are 50 per cent, in the case of Class I roads, and 25 per cent. in the case of Class II roads. Grants, however, are also made to highway authorities under various other heads. For fuller particulars I would refer the hon. Member to the annual reports on the administration of the Road Fund.

asked the Minister of Transport how much of the £60,000,000 granted to the railway companies by the Government in 1921 has been spent by them on the work for which the money, was granted; and whether any of this money has been spent on foreign contracts?

The lump sum was not specifically referable to particular items of claim, and I am not in a position to state what portions of it have been expended upon works?

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has had under consideration the question of passenger transport on the River Thames; and whether he can say if it is possible for him to take any steps to bring about a more effective use of this waterway through the heart of London as a means of relieving to some extent the great congestion of the streets?

I cannot add anything to the answer I gave on the 3rd June to a question on this subject asked by the hon. Member for the Acton Division (Sir H. Brittain), of which I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that children from seven to nine years of age experience difficulty in obtaining withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Bank, because postmasters and other officers of the Post Office will not recognise script as handwriting; and whether, until the Board of Education permit handwriting to be taught in elementary schools, he will give instructions for children's signatures in script to be accepted?

Script signatures are recognised by the Post Office as valid; but some inquiry may be necessary where the handwriting of a depositor in the Savings Bank is altered in style during the currency of an account. The circumstances do not appear to call for the issue of any fresh instruction.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, seeing that for reasons of economy registered letters are now dealt with collectively and no longer individually, and that, under the present system, a Post Office official is more liable to false suspicion of theft than formerly, he will reconsider his previous decision to refuse compensation for legal expenses, amounting to £250, to Mr. F. C. Cates, a Post Office official, who was found not guilty on a charge of theft brought against him by the Post Office and has now been reinstated, particularly in view of the fact that the Recorder of London most strongly condemned the case for the prosecution?

I beg to refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to a similar question by the hon. Member for the Devonport Division of Plymouth (Major Hore-Belisha) on the 11th April last, a copy of which I am sending to him.

asked the Postmaster-General if it is intended to establish a special station for long-distance wireless telephony; and whether, in that case, he can state the locality at present favoured?

It is not intended to establish at present a special station for long distance wireless telephony. The decision in the matter is dependent on the results of the experiments to be made between the new wireless station in course of erection at Rugby and the United States of America, to which I referred in my reply to a question asked by the hon. Member for Acton on the 17th June. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of that reply.

asked the Postmaster-General what arrangements are being made to enable cable-jointers to have their holidays during the summer; whether the supply of cable-jointers is sufficient for the work in hand and in prospect; and what steps he is taking to augment the supply of efficient men?

The Post Office practice is to allow its staff to take the main portion of their annual leave in the period from March to October. This practice is applied to cable jointers. The supply of cable jointers is sufficient for present and prospective requirements, and no special steps are necessary to augment the supply.

asked the Postmaster-General what restrictions he has imposed upon the broadcasting of news matter; whether such restrictions are imposed in the interests of the newspaper proprietors; and whether he contemplates any varia- tion in the conditions under which news is collected and distributed by the British Broadcasting Company?

The licence granted to the British Broadcasting Company on the 18th January, 1923, provides that the company may not broadcast news except such as they may obtain from certain approved news agencies; and under the company's arrangements with the agencies, news may not be broadcast before 7 p.m. I have asked the Broadcasting Board for an expression of their views on the question of an extension of the facilities for the broadcasting of news, and I understand that the Board are at present considering the matter.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will furnish a statement showing the rank, number of each rank, and scale of salary of all persons on the establishment in the office of the Northern Ireland surveyor's district prior to the constitution of the Irish Free State, as compared with the establishment in the survey branch, Belfast, for the six-county area; and from which offices the members of the staff in the survey branch at Belfast have been recruited?

The Northern Ireland surveyor's district was abolished as a separate unit some time before the constitution of the Irish Free State; so that the comparison which the hon. Member desires to make will be subject to qualification. I will, however, send him the statement which he asks for.