asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the protest he has received from the Fur Trade Board against the reduction in the last time allowance of the workers' representatives on that board, he will now revert to the status quo in view of the hardship caused to certain workers' representatives?

My right hon. Friend regrets that he would not feel justified in altering the rule approved by his predecessors in office by which the payment of allowances for lost time is limited to a maximum of 14s. a day.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that unemployed youths under 18 years of age, residing in Herne Bay, have to go to Whitstable, five miles away, to register; that one, Francis Valentine Triggs, had to register at Whitstable on the 12th January, was told to register again on the following Friday, and then told to register again on the succeeding Friday, 23rd January; that when he asked for his unemployment benefit on the latter date he was informed that it had not been left for him, and that consequently he had to wait another week without regard to his needs; and whether he will make inquiries as to the possibility of enabling youths living in Herne Bay to register there, and of securing prompt payment of benefits due?

The Kent Local Education Authority have undertaken the administration of Unemployment Insurance, including the payment of Unemployment Benefit, for applicants under the age of 18, in virtue of powers given to Local Education Authorities by Section 6 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1923. I am communicating with the Authority on the points stated by the hon. Member and will write to him when my inquiries are complete.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the dissatisfaction of insured persons at the references in the Press to unemployment benefit as a "dole"; and whether he will issue a statement explaining that unemployment benefit is receivable as a right by the insured person, and not as a charity?

The contributory basis of the Unemployment Insurance scheme has been explained on numerous occasions, and the consequent inappropriateness of the word "dole" as a, description of benefit under the Unemployment insurance Acts has been emphasised many times by Ministers of Labour in this House and elsewhere. I doubt, therefore, whether publication of a statement on the lines suggested by the hon. Member would be of any efficacy.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India how many prisoners charged with offences committed in connection with political or trade union conspiracy or agitation died in prisons in India during the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924; and how many, if any, of those who died were in prison without first being brought to trial?

The statistics so far received from India do not relate to any year beyond 1922; nor do they state the particular offences with which ordinary prisoners had been charged or discriminate between deaths of prisoners already convicted and deaths of prisoners still under trial. The actual rates of mortality during the years 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922 were 26·63, 19·76, 20·36, and 22·13 per thousand. During 1919, 1920 and 1921 no deaths occurred among the persons in prison or under surveillance under Regulation III of 1818 and kindred Regulations; in 1922, 14, and in 1923, four deaths occurred among the Moplahs detained in connection with the rebellion of 1921–22.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the numbers employed by the Government of India in a military, civil, or any other capacity, including members of the Government, who are in receipt of an annual salary exceeding £100,000, between £50,000 and 2100,000, between £20,000 and £50,000, between £10,000 and £20,000, between £5,000 and £10,000, between £1,000 and £5,000, between £500 and £1,000, between £250 and 2500, between £100 and £250, between 250 and 2100, and below 250?

Much of the information necessary to answer the hon. Member's inquiry is not available in this country, and my Noble Friend does not propose to put the authorities in India to the trouble of supplying it, as he does not consider that the value of the information, when obtained, would be in any degree commensurate with the labour involved. I may add that no Indian salary exceeds £10,000, except that of the Viceroy, which is 219,200; and that the only other salaries higher than £5,000 are those of four Governors (29,000), the Commander-in-Chief and three Governors (27,500), and seven members of the Governor-General's Executive Council (£6,000). In these cases the salaries, which are all fixed in rupees, are expressed in sterling at the rate of 1s. 6d. for convenience.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has received any recommendation from the Government of India relating to the admission of Indian students to the university officers' training corps; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter?

The answer is in the affirmative. The matter is still under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has received any communication from the Government of India as to the action it proposes to take on the report of the committee which inquired into encouraging the growth of the Indian mercantile marine?

The Government of India have recently stated that the report is still under consideration and that they have not yet reached a decision on any of the recommendations made by the committee.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that large numbers of live monkeys are being exported to Germany and this country from India for the purpose of being experimented upon in connection with the thyroid gland; and what action he proposes to take to stop this traffic?

My Noble Friend has seen newspaper reports on this subject and has asked for reports from the Government of India and the London Customs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total quantity by weight of the imports of domestic china and earthenware, respectively, during the years 1913, 122, 1923, and 1924; and what were the corresponding quantities of the exports of British made china and earthenware during the same years?

The classification of pottery wares for the purposes of the official trade returns does not distinguish between domestic and other wares. It is, however, understood that the class, "Jet, Rockingham, Samian and other glazed earthenware," covers the bulk of domestic china and earthenware. The quantities imported into and exported from the United Kingdom in the years specified were as shown below. Owing to changes in classification, the heading was somewhat more comprehensive in 1913 than in the later years shown.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the French Government proposes to increase the duties on air compressors, steam engines, gas engines, and petrol and Diesel engines by 75 to 100 per cent.; and if he is prepared to protest against such increase, in view of the fact that French manufacturing sale costs are already lower than any British competition?

The French Tariff Bill of November last provides for considerable increases in the duties on the engines in question. In this connection I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given on 17th February to the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. Taylor), a copy of which I am sending him. So far no representations respecting engines other than oil engines have been received, but it would be helpful if my hon. Friend would furnish the Board of Trade with any available information as to the probable effect of the proposed duties on British trade in the engines referred to in the question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the output of coal in Russia during the following years, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924?

The following figures show the quantity of coal produced in Russia in each of the years specified. The particulars for the years 1913 to 1923, inclusive, are derived from a statement issued by the Soviet Trade Commission in Berlin. Those for 1924 have been extracted from the Monthly Bulletin of Statistics published by the League of Nations.

The effect of territorial changes should not be overlooked. Thus, the output of the Dombrowa district is not included after 1914, as it was under German military occupation in 1915, and passed finally to Poland in 1919.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the value of the import and export trade of India- for each of the years 1922–23 and 1923–24 with Great Britain, other British Possessions, France, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Italy, China, and the United States of America?

The following statements give the statistics for which the hon. Member asks:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the imports of yarn and cloth into India from the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States of America during the year 1924

The figures for December, 1924, have not yet been received. The following table gives the figures for the first eleven months of the year:

Imports of Cotton Twist and Yarn into India, 11 months ended 30th November, 1924.

U.S.A.—(Figures not available, but certainly very small in comparison with the above.)

Imports of Cotton Piece-Goods into India, 11 months ended 30th November, 1924.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will take steps to see that the continued delay at the Treasury in dealing with the recommendations submitted by the Inland Revenue Department, establishment branch, with regard to the promotion of writing assistants and shorthand-typists in taxes offices, is speedily brought to an end?

No such delay has occurred. I understand that the Board of Inland Revenue are in process of considering the qualifications for promotion of individual members of the grades mentioned.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what was the average number of days' sick leave taken by women clerical officers, writing assistants, and established typists, respectively, in all Departments of the Civil Service in the years 1022 and 1923?

I regret that detailed particulars in the form asked for are not available; but Returns from the larger Departments show that the average number of days' sick leave taken by women established officers (mainly of the classes referred to in the question) in those Departments was approximately 131 days in both 1922 and 1923.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is willing, in the interest of economy, to consider the feasibility of discontinuing in the future the underwriting of British Government loans?

Ordinary British Government loans are not underwritten. Where loans are raised by other persons with a British Government guarantee, I think the persons directly interested must he allowed to follow (at their own expense) the practice which market experience has shown to be to their advantage.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Government is willing to re-open the question of the initial salary of Lytton entrants to the clerical class of the Civil Service; and whether anything has been conveyed to any Civil Service association to this effect?

The Government regard the question referred to as closed by the findings contained in the First Report of the Southborough Committee, to which full effect has been given. Association representatives have been informed, orally or in writing, that no further action is proposed to be taken in the matter, and that the question of the starting pay of Lytton entrants cannot be regarded as being within the scope of the undertakings given in the Prime Minister's letter of the 14th October last to the Association of Ex-Service Civil Servants.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury for how many years the money for the King's Plates to be run for in Ireland has been provided by the Treasury; and what is the total amount so provided up to the end of the present financial year?

A sum of £1,563 for the King's Plates to be run for in Ireland has been provided annually out of money voted by Parliament since the year 1831, before which time the cost had been met from the Civil List. The total amount so provided is, therefore, £146,922.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the strength of the French Air Service in men and machines for the years 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924, and the amount of money voted for this service by the French Parliament?

The number of French squadrons existing at the end of each of the years referred to was approximately as follows: 1920, 126 squadrons; 1921, 129, 1922, 135; 1923, 139, 1924, 140. This latter figure, as I explained in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Hull Central on the 19th instant, excludes any squadrons now in process of formation as to which, so far as I am aware, the French Government have not published any particulars. The average number of machines in a French squadron is 9. As regards the other information asked for by the hon. Member, it is not possible to give either the number of men employed on air duties nor the amount of money voted for the Air Service, since a large number of the personnel employed on air duties are found in France by the Army or Navy, and a great part of the expenditure on the Air Service is included in the Military and Naval Votes, from which it is impossible to extricate it.

asked the Secretary of State for Air on how many occasions has the Air Force beers called upon to undertake bombing expeditions in Asia or Africa, and the number of British and foreign killed and wounded which took place as a result of such expeditions: and can he give the approximate total cost of those operations?

I do not know what length of time the hon. Member has in mind, but taking the period from 1s', January, 1924, there have been nine operations in which bombing took place. Seven of these operations were in Iraq and Trans-Jordania and two in India. The most important of them were for the purpose of repelling incursions by raiding tribesmen into Iraq and Trans-Jordania. The total British casualties arising out of bombing operations in all areas during the period in question were four killed and three wounded. It is not possible, in view of the nature of the operations and the wide area over which they took place, to ascertain correctly the number of casualties inflicted. Nor is it possible to detach the cost of these operations from the general cost of maintenance of squadrons in the various theatres concerned.

asked the President of the Board of Education the present number of teacher-pensioners under the Acts of 1898 and 1912 who are receiving no increase of pension under the Pensions (Increase) Acts of 1920 and 1924; and what is the average amount of these teachers' pensions under the Acts of 1898 and 1912, exclusive of deferred annuity?

The number of teacher-pensioners under the Acts of 1898 and 1912 receiving no increase of pension under the Pensions (Increase) Acts of 1920 and 1924 was, on the 31st December, 1924, 1,092. The average amount of these teachers' pensions, exclusive of deferred annuity, was £39 11s.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the use for casual paupers of bunks, placed one over the other, such as is practised in some unions, e.g., Tavistock; and whether, in view of the danger to health and cleanliness involved to those occupying lower bunks and the possibility of contagion, he will prohibit the practice?

I am not aware that casuals are anywhere at present required to use such bunks: I will, however, communicate with the Tavistock Guardians on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if his attention has been called to the proclamation issued by the Governor-General of the Free State purporting to vary and enlarge the powers of the Wood-Renton Commission, and to amend the Indemnity Act, 1920, and thereby diverting for other purposes part of the money voted by this House; and if he has taken any and what steps thereon?

This Proclamation gives effect to the Agreement between His Majesty's Government and. the Government of the Irish Free State, of which I gave the hon. Member full particulars in reply to a question in this House on 16th December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what arrangements have been made for the reception and settlement in Canada of the 320 families selected to proceed there this spring under the Empire Settlement Act, 1922?

The families will be received at the port of disembarkation by the immigration officials of the Dominion Government, who will be prepared to give them all possible advice and assistance regarding their railway journey in Canada. On arrival at their destination, the families will be met by an official of the Land Settlement Department of the Dominion Government. Houses are available on the farms which will be allotted to them, and the families will either be established in the houses which they are eventually to occupy or be provided with suitable accommodation elsewhere. The head of the family and any children of suitable age will be provided with farm work to enable them to gain the requisite experience. The wife and ether members of the family will be taught to look after cows and poultry. During this preliminary period, the families will be regularly visited by an experienced farm supervisor, who will report on the progress which they are making. As soon as the family have had sufficient experience, they will he allowed to start farming on their awn account. Each farm will have a sufficient area available for immediate cultivation. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of two leaflets dealing more fully with the arrangements in connection with the scheme.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in order to reduce establishment charges, he Is. ill take steps to bring about the centralisation of the different forms of vocational training between the three home ports, in order that the limited public funds available for this important training may be expended to the best advantage?

Men cannot be spared for whole-time vocational training without a considerable increase in Vote A, which the Admiralty are not prepared to recommend. It is therefore impracticable to detach them from their own ports as suggested.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, since he is assisting the Shropshire County Council to construct a new main road at Highley, he will also give assistance towards the construction of a road bridge across the River Severn at that place, in view of the fact that no road bridge crosses the River Severn between Bridgnorth and Bewdley and that the lack of a bridge at or near Highley causes much inconvenience to the inhabitants of that district?

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to the recent application made by the Cleobury Mortimer Rural District Council in connection with a proposed new road to Highley. This proposal, which is now under consideration in my Department, might form a part of any scheme, initiated by the local authorities concerned, for the bridging of the Severn in the vicinity. So far as I am aware, however, these authorities have not reached agreement on a scheme of this nature, and I am therefore not in a position to express an opinion on the possibility of making a grant from the Road Fund towards the cost of the construction of a bridge.

asked the Minister of Pensions what is the reason why service in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines does not count in full combined with Army service towards pension?

I have been asked to reply. Previous service in the Navy or Marines counts towards pension in the Army if it does not exceed four years. As a matter of policy it is not desired to attract into the Army men with longer Naval or Marine service. The question of an alteration of the rule in regard to the counting of service in the Royal Marines is, however, under consideration.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the possibility of so modifying the Pensions (Increase) Act as to give unmarried pensioners with dependants some concession or allowance comparable to that allowed to married pensioners in respect of their wives?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading (Mr. H. Williams) on the 10th February.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will consider the present wasteful method respecting the way in which the proportion of the cost of police pay and clothing which is borne by the Government is met, with a view to obviating the necessity of local authorities obtaining overdrafts at the banks in order to meet the expenses referred to, as in one town alone the interest on such overdrafts has cost the ratepayers £3,139 17s. 10d. during the last five years?

If the hon. Member will furnish me with particulars of the case he refers to, I will cause inquiries to be made into the circumstances.