asked the Minister of Transport whether he is informed of the increase in vehicular traffic at Stratford Broadway, involving danger to people desiring to cross the road; whether he is aware that, although there is a frequent and efficient service of tramways on the Aldgate to Ilford route, the number of omnibuses has been considerably increased, involving sometimes four to six omnibuses standing waiting at the only available stopping place in the Stratford Broadway, preventing people from getting on or off the tramcars; and whether he is prepared to specially schedule this area to prevent the present dangers?

I am aware of the congested state of traffic in Stratford Broadway generally, but I have been unable to verify the statement that the number of omnibuses using that thoroughfare has been considerably increased within recent months. The question whether Stratford Broadway should be declared to be a restricted street under Section 7 of the London Traffic Act is at present under consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that the state of the roads between Beachy Head and Birling Gap, and between Beachy Head and Seaford, upon which there is a very large volume of traffic, both of private cars and public motor vehicles, is such that it constitutes a serious danger to passengers and persons using these roads; and whether he will have the roads inspected with a view to their being put into an efficient state of repair?

The condition of these and other roads in the same rural district has engaged the attention of my staff for some time past. With financial assistance from my Department local road improvement schemes are already in progress estimated to cost upwards of £26,000, and I will consult the responsible highway authority as to the possibility of extending the programme.

asked the Minister of Transport the total tonnage of bitumen and dehydrated coal tar, respectively, used in the construction and treatment of roads in Great Britain during the year 1924; and what quantities of each commodity were imported or produced in this country?

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that 30 employés of the Parks Department of the Tottenham Urban District Council paid contributions to the National Insurance Fund from 8th November, 1920, to 30th January, 1924, when it was discovered that the whole of these payments had been made in error; whether he has received an application from the Tottenham Council for a refund of the contributions paid; and what decision has been arrived at?

I find that an application has been made by the Tottenham Urban District Council for a refund of unemployment insurance contributions wrongly paid in respect of 33 employés of the Parks Department. The sum of £285 14s. 2d. in settlement of this claim was forwarded to the treasurer of the council on 1st April together with a schedule explaining the reasons for certain deductions from the amount claimed.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the case of F. A. Burch; of Kia-Ora, Fowey; whether he is aware that this man was one of the ex-apprentices discharged from Devon-port dockyard in 1922 in order to effect certain economies in the public administration; that Mr. Burch, rather than accept unemployment benefit, purchased a field and set up a small poultry farm, thinking that thereby he would be able to obtain a living for himself and his wife; that, disappointed in his expectations, he applied to the Fowey Unemployment Exchange for benefit, whereat he was informed that although ho had been a contributor for many years to the insurance scheme he was not eligible because he had not affixed any stamps for 12 months; and whether, seeing that the local unemployment committee has rejected this man's claim upon the ground that he has during the two years immediately previous to his application for benefit not been employed in insurable employment, he can see his way to ask the committee to reconsider its recommendation in view of the fact that this man has shown every endeavour to maintain himself without putting any burden upon those public funds to which he himself has contributed?

I find that the case referred to by the hon. Member is one in regard to which a full explanation was given in letters addressed to the hon. Member on the 20th February and 26th March. It appears that since leaving His Majesty's Dockyard, a von-port, in May, 1922, the claimant referred to has only performed one week's insurable work—apparently in November, 1924, and that he commenced a poultry farm and has recently built his own house on the land occupied in connection with the farm. Mr. Burch's claim to standard benefit in respect of contributions fails under the statutory provisions of the Act. As regards extended benefit, the local employment committee went fully into all the circumstances of the case and felt bound to recommend that the claim should be disallowed. In this connection they appear to have concluded that the claim failed under the specific statutory condition which requires a reasonable period of insurable employment during the two years immediately before application for benefit; but there seems little doubt, having regard to the facts in the case, that the claimant also fails to show that

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if, in view of the failure of British shipbuilding firms to compete with them, he can state whether Dutch shipbuilding firms received any subsidy and, if so, from what source?

The Commercial Secretary in Holland and His Majesty's Consul-General at Rotterdam have been fully consulted on this point by my Department and have reported that no subsidy is paid at the present time in connection with shipbuilding.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of miners unemployed in South Wales and other coalfields, respectively, during each month from January, 1924, to February, 1925?

The figures are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the value of the exports of cocoa from the Gold Coast in the years 1913 and 1924, respectively?

The value of the exports of cocoa from the Gold Coast in 1913 was £2,489,218. Complete statistics for the calendar year 1924 are not available but the value for the months January to November was £5,877,381. From the information at present available it may be estimated that the value for the complete year will be £7,237,200.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total exports and imports to and from India during 1913 and 1924, respectively?

The following statement shows, for each of the years 1913 and 1924, the values of imports into and exports from the United Kingdom, consigned from and to British India:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the total exports and value thereof from India to Germany during 1913 and 1924, respectively?

I have been asked to reply. Figures for the calendar years are not available. The total value of Indian merchandise exported to Germany in the year ending 31st March, 1914, was, in round figures, Rs.26 crores. The corresponding figure for 1922–23 (the latest year for which figures are available) was 22 crores.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of arsenic were imported into the United Kingdom from countries, other than Japan, during the month of December, 1924, and the months of January and February, 1925, respectively, giving the countries of origin?

The following statement shows the quantities of arsenic and arsenic compounds imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and registered as consigned from the countries named, during the months specified. The actual countries of origin, as distinguished from countries from whence goods are consigned, are not recorded in the Trade Returns of the United Kingdom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total imports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof, and the exports of the same commodities for the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924, respectively, giving the value per ton in each case?

The following statement shows, for each of the years specified, the quantities, total values and average values per ton, of the imports, exports and re-exports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof, into and from the United Kingdom:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the value of the exports from Nigeria for the years 1913 and 1924, respectively?

Excluding exports of specie, the figures are as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) the total imports and value thereof from Germany in 1913 and 1924, respectively;(2), the total exports, and value thereof, to Germany during 1913 and 1924, respectively?

The following statement shows for each of the years 1913 and 1924 the values of imports and exports into and from the United Kingdom consigned from and to Germany. The quantities of the different commodities imported and exported are variously re- corded by tons, yards, gallons, etc., and, consequently, the total quantities of all commodities cannot be stated.It is to be noted that the particulars for 1913 relate to trade with Germany as it was constituted before the War, and that those for 1924 relate to trade with Germany as delimited under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of raw and refined sugar, respectively, produced in the year 1912–13 in each of the following countries, namely, France, Belgium and Germany; whether he can give corresponding figures for the years subsequent to 1918; and whether he can state, in each case, the acreage devoted to sugar beet, the average tons of beet grown per acre, and the average percentage of sugar content?

The following particulars of the production of sugar in France, Belgium and Germany are as recorded in the Year Books of the International Institute of Agriculture, Rome.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, if he is aware that the Reparations Claims Department is refusing to consider the claims of mothers in respect of sons who lost their lives and personal effects through enemy action in all cases where the husbands are stilt living, notwithstanding the fact that such wives may be the mainstay of their families, while the husbands may either have disappeared or be making no effort whatever to support their households; and will he state the reason which prevents the Department from assisting women who may be so placed?

A claim by a mother in respect of the death of a son caused by enemy action would be entertained if she were in fact dependent upon him at the time of his death. With regard to the effects of a deceased seamen, any award made in respect thereof would be paid to the person who, by law, is entitled to administer the deceased's estate.

asked the Minister of Health who is the representative of his Department on the Building Research Board; whether he can yet state how the work of this Board is to be developed in order to assist housing; and at what cost?

The representative of the Ministry on the Building Research Board is Mr. Raymond Unwin. The- work of the Building Research Board is being extended to include research into all aspects of the housing problem susceptible to scientific treatment such as the examination of new materials and methods of construction and the possibility of economising in the use of present materials. Additions to the staff of the Building Research Station are being made, and a building at Watford has been acquired and is being equipped at a capital cost of about £12,000. The additional maintenance charges involved will be of the order of £15,000 per annum.

asked the Minister of Health what amount of subsidy and what period of loans is being granted to the pair of Nissen houses now erected at Yeovil, in Somerset; and whether he proposes to encourage this form of steel-frame house elsewhere?

This experimental pair of Nissen houses has, subject to compliance with the conditions of the Housing Act, 1924, been recognised as eligible for the Exchequer Grant of £9 per annum for 40 years and a loan has been sanctioned for a period of 60 years. My right hon. Friend is prepared, subject to certain minor modifications, to authorise the erection of houses of this type.

asked the Minister of Health in how many cases objections to notices served by local authorities upon the owners of insanitary property, with a view to houses being put into order, have been raised on appeal to his Department; and how many of these appeals have been rejected?

During the year ended 31st December, 1923 (the last year for which figures are available) notices requiring repairs, etc., under the Housing Acts were served in respect of 25,277 houses. During this year 37 appeals were received by the Department, five appeals were formally dismissed, three allowed and four allowed in part. The remainder were not proceeded with.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that the percentage of married men engaged in rural industries, both above and below ground, is lower in this country than in many foreign countries owing to the house shortage; and whether, in view of the fact that rural communities are less able to assist in the housing problem than the cities, he will consider the question of increasing the grant for houses erected in rural areas?

I am fully alive to the importance of the rural housing problem and I am giving the matter my close attention. I may, perhaps, draw my hon. Friend's attention to the fact that the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, provided that in agricultural parishes a special Exchequer grant of £3 10s. a year a house for 40 years should be available in addition to the ordinary subsidy of £9 a year for 40 years. Advantage is beginning to be taken of this provision and it will probably be increasingly used if new and cheaper methods of building are developed. I cannot at present promise further legislation on this subject.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been called to the, practice of the Islington Board of Guardians in sending men, who desire admission to the local institution, to Belmont, which is situate about 18 miles from Islington; and whether, seeing that the local workhouse has, approximately, 500 less inmates than its certified accommodation, he can take action to ensure that the unfortunate people driven to Poor Law institutions shall be admitted to the local institution under the control of the Islington Board of Guardians?

It is within the discretion of a hoard of guardians to decide in what form relief shall be given to persons who apply for it, and, accordingly, to grant such relief by the issue of an order of admission to Belmont Institution, rather than to the Islington Institution. Arrangements are made to pay, where necessary, the expenses of transport to Belmont.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that destitute persons applying for admission to the Islington Institution, St. John's Road, in the evening or the early hours of the morning, are referred by the porter to the relieving officer for an admission order, without any reference to the master; that under the regulations of the guardians the relieving officers are put on a rota for night duty, having frequently to deal with applications after midnight; that the guardians have rescinded a resolution providing that persons applying for admission after 10 p.m. should not be refused admission by the porter except after consultation with, and on the authority of, the master; and whether, seeing that in the Regulations governing Poor Law institutions provision is made for a master to admit persons without an order from the relieving officer, he will call the attention of the Islington Board of Guardians to the Regulation?

The master of a Poor Law institution is empowered to admit persons applying at the institution for admission without any order from a relieving officer in cases of sudden or urgent necessity, and I am informed that all cases of this kind are, in fact, so admitted to the Islington Institution. In these circumstances, the last part of the question does not appear to arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether the increase of salary of £50 per annum to be given to full-time medical officers of the Ministry whose services are being retained was in lieu of bonus or gratuity; and, if not so granted, will he explain why it is granted, seeing that the work has been and is steadily diminishing in comparison with that of the past five or six years?

No such increase of salary as is mentioned in the first part of the question has been granted in my Department; the second part does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of officials employed in the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue; what are their functions; and what is the cost to the taxpayer?

The number of officials now employed in the Valuation Office, including clerks, is 827. The office performs a variety of valuation duties both for Revenue and for other Government purposes; these functions are detailed in Command Paper 918 of 1920. The estimated cost for the year 1925–26 is £369,764.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of surveyors and pensions officers employed in the administration of the Old Age Pensions Acts and the cost per annum?

There are 332 women pension officers wholly employed in the administration of the Old Age Pensions Acts. The rest of this work is performed by surveyors and officers of Customs and Excise in conjunction with their Revenue duties. The total cost of the Customs and Excise staff engaged on this work is estimated at £530,000 per annum,

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many of the 2,502 non-service men, referred to in the White Paper issued on the 10th February, 1925, as still being retained in the Civil Service, are employed in minor clerical, administrative and technical grades, respectively?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the same question put by him on the 26th February last.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that any taxpayer under Schedules A and B has an unrestricted right of choice of his agent, and that a taxpayer under Schedule D has his choice restricted to one of three professional classes, he will state why the disparity between two sections of taxpayers exists?

Normally Income Tax appeals under Schedules A and B involve merely the determination of the annual value of the property on a rack rental basis. Appeals under Schedule D on the other hand frequently involve difficult questions of law and accountancy In these circumstances I see no reason for an alteration of the present position under which, while the Commissioners in Schedule A and Schedule B cases are obliged to hear any agent, in Schedule D cases they are required to hear only barristers, solicitors or members of an incorporated society of accountants. I would add that the question whether the Commissioners should hear other agents in Schedule D appeals is a matter which is left, and in my view rightly left, to their discretion.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount collected anually since its inception in respect of Entertainments Duty; and what portion of the annual amounts so derived is from societies, institutions or committees not conducted or established for profit?

The yield of the Entertainments Duty from 15th May, 1916, when it was first imposed, has been as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reconsider the question of allowing advertisements on the back of official receipts, which are liable to be destroyed owing to the fact that no attention is drawn on the back of the documents that there is more valuable matter on the front?

The practice is for the word "Advertisement" and the letters "P.T.O." to appear on the side of the form bearing the advertisement, and I think that this safeguard coupled with that of the official envelope in which the form is transmitted gives reasonable protection against the inadvertent destruction of the form.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will arrange that all Command and other Government papers should have recorded on them a list of previous papers relevant to that particular subject?

This is already the practice in some measure, and steps are being taken to extend it in suitable cases.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of small holdings in Scotland; and what is the average annual increase?

The number of holdings in Scotland exceeding one and not exceeding 50 acres in extent according to the returns made to the Board of Agriculture in 1924 was 50,545. Exact information as to the number exceeding 50 acres in extent but of an annual value not exceeding £50 is not available, but if this class and holdings of less than one acre be included the total number of small holdings is estimated at approximately 56,000. After decreasing for many years, the number reached a minimum in 1919; since that date there has been a net increase at the rate of about 120 per annum.

asked the Secretary for Scotland the number of outbreaks of sheep-scab in Scotland, and the districts in which the outbreaks took place, in the year 1924?

I have been asked to reply. There were 58 outbreaks of sheep-scab in Scotland confirmed by my Department during the year 1924. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT particulars of the districts in which these outbreaks occurred.

asked the Minister of Agriculture when the Report of the inquiry recently held into the working of the Ouse Drainage Board may be expected and whether he proposes to publish it without delay for the information of the parties concerned?

As my hon. Friend is probably aware, the best method of dealing with the problem of the drainage in the Ouse district has recently been the subject of discussion betwen my Department and the Ouse Drainage Board and proposals are now under consideration. I hope these proposals may result in a scheme which will deal with this matter in a more effective and satisfactory manner than would be possible by any Order made on the petitions which were the basis of the Draft Order, the subject of the inquiry to which his question refers. I am, therefore, at present not in a position to give any information as to what, further action will be taken on that inquiry.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of men employed on the land on 1st March, 1924, and 1st March, 1925, respectively; and in what capacity were the different classes of workers so employed?

The Annual Returns collected by my Department refer to the 4th June and do not distinguish the various capacities in which agricultural workers are employed. The following table shows the number of male agricultural workers (excluding the occupier) employed on the 4th June, 1923, and 1924 respectively:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what was the estimated consumption in Great Britain during 1924 of barley, oats, beef, mutton, pig-meat, butter and cheese; what are the proportions of these products imported from overseas and produced at home, respectively; and whether he has under consideration any proposals to increase the home production of these commodities?

Owing to the fact that the Trade Returns do not distinguish separately the trade of-Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I regret that I cannot give figures for Great Britain alone. The following table, however, gives the estimated total supply available in Great Britain and Northern Ireland of the commodities specified in the hon. and gallant Member's question together with

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his Department have disposed of their farm at Methwold, Suffolk; if so, for what reason, and to whom; and whether a profit or loss has been made, and, if so, what, during the Department's occupancy of this land?

The experimental farm at Methwold, which has been in possession of the Ministry since Michaelmas, 1919, has been transferred to the Forestry Commission. The farm was used for experiments in the cultivation of the light sandy lands of East Anglia, and particularly to test on a large scale certain results which appeared to have been obtained on a small scale from an experiment conducted previously under the Development Commissioners. The large scale work has been expensive; and when it became apparent that in the present state of scientific knowledge no scheme could be devised for the economic farming of land of that type, it was decided to abandon the experiment. A full report, dealing also with the finance

asked the hon. Member for Monmouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, how many acres have been afforested or reafforested, and at what cost, by the Forestry Commissioners in Carnarvonshire and in the whole of Wales since November, 1919?

From November, 1919, to September last the Forestry Commissioners planted 4,438 acres in Wales and Monmouth, including 1,137 acres in Carnarvonshire. The cost to the Commission of afforestation in Carnarvonshire has been £27,729. The corresponding figure for Wales (including Monmouth) is £74,127.

asked the hon. Gentleman the Member for Monmouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, if he can state the amount of land acquired, if any, for afforestation by the Forestry Com missioners during the year ending September, 1924; the total amount paid for such land and the average price per acre; the total sum expended by the Commissioners in the same period on afforestation; and the income, if any?

Apart from the Crown Woodlands amounting to approximately 120,000 acres which were transferred to the Forestry Commissioners under the Forestry Act, 1923, the land acquired by them during the year ended September, 1924, amounted to 34,704 acres, of which 14,115 were acquired by lease or feu and 20,589 by purchase. The average rent or feu duty amounted to approximately 1s. 4d. per acre per annum, and the average price for land purchased, including buildings and standing timber, was approximately £2 3s. 6d. per acre, or if the whole be allocated to plantable land 2s. 4d. and £3 13s. 6d. respectively. During the year ended September, 1924, the total sum expended by the Commissioners on afforestation amounted to £247,037 and the income to £90,698. The expenditure included, in addition to rent, rates, cultural and felling operations, supervision and overhead charges, etc., the purchase of certain assets, viz.: land, buildings, standing timber, etc.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if a decision has been reached at the recent council of the League of Nations concerning the withdrawal of French troops from the Saar; and, if so, whether he will communicate that decision to the House?

One battalion of French troops is to be withdrawn. The Council further adopted the following Resolution:

"The Council requests the Governing Commission to submit to it for consideration a report on the manner in which it would be possible, in the absence of troops, to carry into effect sub-paragraph 3 of the paragraph 30 of the Saar Annex to the Treaty of Versailles, which lays down that it will be the duty of the Governing Commission to provide in all cases for the protection of persons and property in the Saar Basin. In preparing its report, the Governing Com- mission should take into account the possibility of obtaining the assistance of troops stationed outside the Saar territory."

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether all officials at the head of the administration of the Saar have taken an oath of loyalty to the governing commission as representative of the League of Nations?

His Majesty's Government have no information on this point.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can give the number of German youths in the Saar Valley who have entered the service of the French Foreign Legion since the League of Nations took over the government of the Saar?

No, Sir

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the consistent refusal of certain coroners to empanel a jury at inquests even in serious cases; and whether he will take steps to ensure that, where bereaved relatives or representatives acting on their behalf express the desire for the coroner's inquest to be conducted with the aid of a jury, this shall be done?

The answer to the first question is in the negative. With regard to the second, I hope shortly to introduce a Bill which will deal with this and other parts of the law relating to coroners' inquests.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether his Department is taking any steps especially to inculcate in the minds of children the value of initiative and character so as to prepare them for the conditions created by industrial depression?

The hon. Member will not, I hope, be surprised to learn that this point has not escaped my attention.

asked the President of the Board of Education the percentage of school children in grant-aided secondary schools in England and Wales, and in corresponding schools in Scotland; and if he can give similar figures for the United States of America and the principal European countries?

With regard to the first part of the question, I may refer the hon. Member, so far as England and Wales are concerned, to the Return (Cmd. 2284) issued as a White Paper in December last, a copy of which I am sending him. I have no corresponding figure for Scotland. As regards the second part of the question, the organisation and nomenclature of higher education varies so considerably as between different foreign countries, and as between them and England, that any inferences drawn from comparative statistics are likely to be misleading. In the short time available I have been unable to collect relevant figures for any countries other than the United States of America, France, Belgium and Prussia. For these countries the figures, according to the latest information at my disposal, are as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of children excluded from secondary schools in England and Wales during the last three years through lack of accommodation and through lack of sufficient free places, respectively?

The information for which the hon. Member asks is not avail able, but I may refer him to Table D on page 66 and the following pages of the Report of the Departmental Committee an Scholarships and Free Places, where certain figures are given of the number of applicants for admission to secondary schools who were unable to gain admission. As is indicated in the note appended to the table, the figures can only be regarded as being of restricted value, and having regard to the labour involved in collecting even these figures, the collection of corresponding figures of more recent date has not been considered justifiable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, for the sake of cementing the bonds of Imperial unity, he can arrange for a party of representative cadets to pay a visit to one of the overseas Dominions, as they did prior to the War to Canada in 1913?

This matter is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will give particulars of the routes and the locations to be served by the railway extension into Uganda for which an assisted loan of 3½ millions was voted by the House last year; whether any detailed plans and estimates have been prepared for the work involved; and if he will also state whether this construction work or any of it is to be open to public tender, as promised by the previous Secretary of State for the Colonies, thereby ensuring competitive prices, or whether it is the intention to carry out the extension works departmentally without competition?

Of the £3,500,000 voted as a loan for capital expenditure on transport arising out of the development of cotton growing in Uganda and Kenya £2,200,000 is intended to be applied to new railway construction. Of this it is estimated that £1,200,000 to £1,500,000 will be spent on the main extension from Turbo through Tororo to the Busoga Railway at Mbulamuti. The whole route has been surveyed and full preliminary estimates prepared, and, with the advice of the consulting engineers, construction has been authorised from each end of the route, the detailed survey and location proceeding with but in advance of construction. Construction began at Mbulamuti in January, but at the other end there has been some delay, as the rails of the Uasin Gishu Railway have not yet reached Turbo. Further railway construction will, as has already been explained in the House, include a line in the North Kavirondo district of Kenya and a line in Uganda running north from Tororo to Mbale and thence, as far as funds permit, to the north-west. These routes have not yet been surveyed. With regard to the latter part of ale question, there has been no alteration in the principle laid down by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Derby (Mr. J. H. Thomas) that, owing: to special labour conditions, construction in Uganda must be entirely departmental. In Kenya, the right hon. Gentleman at first decided that tenders should be invited with a view to construction by contract, but later he was impressed by the possibility that the relief to the transport of Uganda cotton might thereby be delayed for a great part of a season, and after the late Governor had been consulted the present Secretary of State decided that in Kenya, as in Uganda, the line should constructed departmentally.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider the advisability of introducing a system of urgent telegrams within the United Kingdom which will take priority in expedition and delivery over all other telegrams and, as in France, will be charged at an increased rate?

The telegraph service in this country is normally rapid, and such cases of delay as occur are usually due to factors which a system of priority could not wholly nullify; it would not, therefore, be possible to guarantee sufficient acceleration to compensate for the suggested higher charge.