asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state the railways, and their respective lengths, the construction of which is now being carried out by administrative action in Africa; whether the estimated cost will include all charges, both of the Crown Agents and others; and if he will lay upon the Table a White Paper giving all essential figures

The following list gives the railways which are being constructed, and the approximate cost:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what representation is accorded to women employed in His Majesty's Dockyards upon the industrial court and upon any other committee which may be constituted OD Whitley lines to decide upon their welfare, stating the number of women representatives as compared with men?

The representation of employés on the Whitley Councils is not by classes. The representatives of the employés on those bodies are nominated by the trade unions whose members are employed in His Majesty's Dockyards. Up to the present, no women representatives have been nominated by the trade unions as members of either the Admiralty Departmental or the Shipbuilding Trade Councils. The trade union representatives on the Councils have made claims on behalf of the women employés. When claims have been referred to arbitration, women employés from the dockyards have attended the proceedings with the trade union representatives.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, with reference to the women employed in the colour lofts as machinists, ropery workers, laundry workers, etc., in the dockyards and other Government establishments, whether he is aware that an unskilled labourer is paid a basic wage only 9s. more than that paid to women in the categories referred to above, but that the war bonus paid to the unskilled labourer is 14s. a week, whereas these women only get 11s. a week war bonus, a difference, when bonus is taken into account, of 12s. a week; and whether, seeing that upon the basic rate the difference is only 9s., he can see his way to rectify this anomaly?

The unskilled labourer is paid a total rate of 47s. a week, divided into 33s. base rate and 14s. bonus. The minimum rate for women is 31s. a week, divided into 20s. base rate and 11s. bonus. As I have already informed the hon. Member, the question of advancing the wages of the women was dealt with by arbitration in July last, and the present situation is not considered to be anomalous.

asked (1) the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will recommend the Treasury to consider a scheme whereby time served as hired time can be counted towards the pension of established men in His Majesty's Dockyards;

(2) the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the Treasury will consider a scheme whereby all hired time should count towards the pension of established men in the Royal Dockyards and other Admiralty establishments; and in what other branches of the Service unestablished time does not count towards the pension of established men?

I have been asked to answer these two questions together. I am not prepared to modify the longstanding practice whereby one-half of the hired time of an established man employed in His Majesty's Dockyards, or other similar establishments, reckons for superannuation. The extent, if any, to which previous temporary service given by an established civil servant is reckoned for pension under Section 3 of the Superannuation Act, 1837, depends in all branches of the Service upon the special circumstances of the case.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the smallholders and crofters in the parish of Kilfinichan and Kilvickeon, in the Ross of Mull, within the county of Argyll, are suffering great hardship through lack of employment and the failure of the potato crop; that last year the Board of Agriculture supplied them with oats and seed potatoes because the previous year's inclement season had destroyed the crops; that the potato seed was unsuitable and the crop failed, whereby all their labour was lost and their condition rendered worse than if no potatoes had been supplied to them; that the said unsuitable seed was the King Edward variety, and the crofters were of opinion that Champion potatoes would suit their soil; and will he instruct the Board of Agriculture to supply an adequate quantity of Champion potatoes and some oat seed this year, so as to repair the loss caused by the wrong seed potatoes being supplied last year

No complaint as to the failure of the potato crop in the parish referred to by my hon. and learned Friend was received by me until very recently. My information is that the crops last year in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland were generally good, and that unemployment in the district mentioned is not exceptionally severe. Seed oats and seed potatoes were supplied last year at reduced prices through the Board of Agriculture for Scotland to the smallholders and crofters in question, and I am advised that the seed potatoes supplied were not unsuitable to the district. I am not prepared to instruct the Board to supply seed potatoes or seed oats at reduced prices this year.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether he is aware that the fences enclosing the arable land of the township of Kilmory, Kilchoan, Oban, which were erected by the proprietor some 40 years ago, are now a total wreck, and the proprietor is unable to re-erect the same; that the crofters In the said township have asked the Board of Agriculture to advance material to re-erect the said fencing repayable by them, both capital and interest, in a period of years; that the Board of Agriculture have declined to grant any assistance; that the absence of the said fences leaves the crofters' crops open to the inroads of cattle and sheep, and renders their agricultural labour vain; and whether he will inquire into the matter and instruct the Board of Agriculture to make the necessary advance for the re-erection of such fencing?

In the application recently made to the Board of Agriculture for Scotland by the Common Grazing Committee of Kilmory Township for assistance in the erection of fencing, the circumstances were explained to be as stated in the first and fourth parts of the question. The Committee applied for a grant or loan of the cost of the materials required for the reconstruction of the fences, but as the Board's scheme for aiding the provision of fencing in townships in the congested districts has been discontinued, no assistance could be offered. I regret that, in view of the heavy expenditure that would be incurred, the resumption of the scheme referred to is not practicable at the present time.

asked the Secretary for Scotland why the Board of Agriculture for Scotland have abandoned their scheme for assisting in the erection of fences dividing agricultural areas or crofts from one another; and whether, since it is impossible for crofters to compel one another to erect mutual fences without having recourse to the Law Courts, he will cause the Board of Agriculture to resume their scheme for fencing the boundaries of crofts and have the cost of the same either advanced through or debited to a sinking fund to be charged in addition to the crofters?

The general scheme administered by the Board for making advances in aid of the erection of fencing for the benefit of existing townships in the congested districts was suspended in 1915. I regret that in view of the heavy expenditure that would be involved, the resumption of a general scheme for aiding the provision of fencing is not practicable at o the present time.

asked the Secretary for Scotland how many assistant principals or administrative cadets have been in the Scottish Office promoted to the rank of principal since 1st May, 1924; and how many principals, administrative class, have been promoted, transferred to other appointments, or struck off the establishment during the same period?

The answer in each case is "None."

asked the Secretary of State for War how many assistant principals or administrative cadets have been, in his Department, promoted to the rank of principal since 1st May, 1924; and how many principals, administrative class, have been promoted, transferred to other appointments, or struck off the establishment during the same period?

One assistant principal has been promoted to the rank of principal since 1st May, 1924. One principal has been promoted since the same date; none have been transferred to other appointments or struck off the establishment.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in the assessment and collection of Income Tax and Super-tax and the aggregate amount of their salaries during each of the financial years 1913–14, 1919–20, and 1923–24?

I regret it is not possible to isolate figures of personnel dealing with Income Tax and Super-tax, or, of the cost of their services, from the particulars of staff and expenditure

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many assistant principals or administrative cadets have been in his Department promoted to the rank of principal since 1st May, 1924; and how many principals, administrative class, have been promoted, transferred to other appointments, or struck off the establishment during the same period?

Since 1st May, 1924:

(i) No assistant principals have been promoted in the Treasury.

(ii) One principal has been promoted.

(iii) Three principals have been transferred to other Departments.

(iv) One principal has been transferred to the Treasury from another Department.

necessitated by other duties of the Inland Revenue Department. Many Revenue officials are engaged on work which covers various other taxes as well as the two named by my hon. and gallant Friend, and if he would refer to the published Estimates of the Inland Revenue Department for the year in question he would gain a general view of the position.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what percentage of women higher clerical officers, lower clerical officers, writing assistants, and established typists, respectively, employed in his Department, voluntarily retired from the service in the years 1922 and 1923; and what percentage were compulsorily retired on marriage or on reaching the age limits for retention, respectively?

The percentages desired by my hon. Friend are given in the following table:

(v) Three principals have resumed duty in the Treasury upon termination of services elsewhere.

The above figures include appointments and transfers in a temporary capacity.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the superannuation allowances of prison officers calculated on rates of pay at 1st March, 1920, can, in lieu thereof, be calculated on the standard basic rate of let April, 1919; and whether such calculations can be made retrospective to cover officers who retired on and after let March, 1920?

Except in the circumstances referred to in Section 12 of the Superannuation Act, 1834, a civil servant's superannuation allowance is calculated in relation to the salary and emoluments of the office held by him at the time of retirement. It is not possible to make an exception in favour of prison officers who retired on or after the 1st March, 1920.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can give the total increase in the amount paid to State pensioners during the financial year ending 31st March, 1924, in consequence of the passing of the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920; what additional increase was incurred during the six months ending 31st December last, by the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1924; what was the number of persons benefiting on the 31st December last under the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1924; what is the number of State pensioners as defined by Clause 1 (2) of the 1920 Act who, on the 31st December last, did not come under the operation of the Pensions (Increase) Acts owing to the limitations laid down in Part II of the Schedule; and the amount of their pensions at the 31st December?

The approximate figures are as follow: The total charge on the Exchequer, excluding the charge borne by local authorities, during the financial year ending 31st March, 1924, in consequence of the passing of the Pensions (Increase) Act, 1920, was £932,400. The additional charge incurred during the six months ending the 31st December last in consequence of the passing of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1924 (excluding a certain number of pensioners resident abroad whose applications had not been received), amounted to £305,700. The number of pensioners in receipt of pensions from Government Departments who benefited under the latter Act was approximately 38,700. I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the question is not available, and could not be obtained without undue expenditure of labour.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the suggestion that an employer on a farm lying in two wages areas can protect himself by paying on the basis of the higher rate of the two is to be applied to individual workmen or to the whole of the workmen employed as a group; and, in the latter case, upon what basis of the various elements in the two scales, hours of employment, rates of wages for male and female workers, and rates for overtime, should be assessed in the determination of which scale is the higher of the two?

As every worker employed in agriculture is entitled to be paid at not less than the minimum rate of wages applicable to his case, the, basis referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend would have to be applied to the workers individually. In most cases it would be clear which of the two sets of rates was the higher, but in cases where the amounts due would vary by reason of differences in the basis of the weekly minimum rates and overtime rates all that would be necessary would be to make separate estimates of the amounts which would have been due if the worker had been employed wholly in either of the respective areas and then to pay him not less than the higher of those sums.

asked the Postmaster-General how many depositors there were in the Post Office Savings Bank on 31st December, 1924; and what was the total amount on deposit on that date?

The number of active accounts in the Post Office Savings Bank on the 31st of December last, was 12,300,000 approximately, and the total amount on deposit was in round figures £280,000,000.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the London County Council has yet given its consent to a site for the erection of a telephone kiosk upon their White Hart Lane estate, Tottenham?

Consent to a site has not yet been obtained, but negotiations are being pursued with the Hon. Secretary to the White Hart Lane Estates Welfare Association who has been asked to suggest a possible site. When this has been put forward the approval of the London County Council will be sought to the erection of the telephone kiosk.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of alien seamen employed on chips of the British Mercantile marine and the corresponding number of seamen of British nationality employed on foreign vessels?

Information as to the number of alien seamen employed in ships of the British Mercantile Marine was contained in an answer given to my Noble Friend on the 17th December last. The only additional figures which I can supply are those showing the numbers and percentages of engagements of British and foreign seamen at Mercantile Marine offices in the United Kingdom for the whole of the year 1924. These are as follow:

number of 280,143 seamen engaged before Shipping Commissioners for service in merchant ships of the United States the number of British seamen was 30,911.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the regulations governing the issue on the railway of workmen's and market tickets for the parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire; between which places they are issued; and if he will name any station from which workmen's and market tickets are not issued?

I am not in possession of the information for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks, but if he will inform me as to the points he has more particularly in mind, I will consider whether I can usefully communicate with the railway company concerned.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state the total membership of registered trade unions and unregistered trade unions, respectively, and also the membership of those trade unions which either have not balloted on the question of making a political levy or, on the ballot, have decided not to make such a levy?

The Chief Registrar of Friendly Societies informs me as follows: The total membership, as at 31st December, 1923, of registered trade unions, other than component unions of unregistered federations, was 3,551,603. The total membership as at that date of registered trade unions, other than component unions of unregistered federations, which have not approved the furtherance of political objects by ballot, or in which that ballot has given a negative result, was 599,077. In addition to these, there are new registered unions with a total membership of 816,770, and of these, unions with a total membership of 18,494 have not set up a political fund. The total membership of unregistered trade unions, whether with or without a political fund, cannot be given.