asked the Minister of Labour how many men were employed on special schemes for the relief of unemployment, financed partly or wholly by the Treasury, in the Borough of Southwark, on the 28th February, 1925, and the 28th February, 1926, respectively?

As regards schemes assisted by the Ministry of Transport and the Unemployment Grants Committee there were 17 men employed on 27th February last as compared with 319 on 28th February, 1925.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any official information as to the causes of the increase of unemployment in the brush and broom-making industry, as set forth in the February issue of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette," the percentages at 25th January being for males 17·1 per cent. and females 11·4 per cent., or a total percentage of 14·6 per cent., which show an increase of 3·6 per cent. as compared with 28th January, 1924; and whether he is prepared to make any statement on the subject?

The causes of unemployment in this trade were discussed in the Report of the Committee on Broom and Brushes presented to this House last year as Command Paper No. 2549. The percentage of unemployment at the end of February of this year was 10·8, as compared with 10·2 and 10·7 at the corresponding dates in 1925 and 1924.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can indicate generally the nature of the other industries and services included in miscellaneous trades and services in the unemployment returns published in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette," which show an increase of 2·8 per cent., at 25th January, 1926, as compared with 21st December, 1925, the total percentage at the former date standing at 24·9?

This group includes over 250 items, which cannot, I am afraid, he shortly described otherwise than by the title "miscellaneous." I am sending my hon. Friend a list of them.

asked the Minister of Labour, seeing that certain occupations are allowed to rank as excepted employments under the Unemployment Insurance Acts by reason of the employers guaranteeing continuous work, either for all their employés or for those with a certain period of service, and that it is a condition of his certifying such occupations as excepted that the employed person is not subject to dismissal, except for misconduct or for neglect of or unfitness to perform his duties, whether his Department regards the event of a strike as releasing the employer entirely from such an obligation or as bound, after a settlement of the strike, to take his employés back as soon as possible under the guaranteed conditions?

The conditions laid down by Statute for the issue of a certificate of exception for unemployment insurance would not be invalidated if the employment of particular individuals was terminated by a strike on their part.

asked the Minister of Labour whether workpeople employed in an excepted occupation, on being thrown idle, are paid unemployment benefit in respect of contributions made by them prior to their entering excepted unemployment; and whether, if this practice has not obtained in the past, he will by Regulation secure its adoption for the future?

The payment of standard benefit in such cases is only possible subject to the statutory condition that 20 contributions should have been paid since the beginning of the last insurance year. Normally, extended benefit also would be disallowed if this condition is not satisfied.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the percentage unemployed in the glass trade in Great Britain, excluding bottles, optical and scientific glass, was 10 per cent. on the 25th January; that, in the case of glass-bottle making, the percentage unemployed was 20·1 per cent.; and whether, in view of the competition from foreign glass manufacturers whose costs of production are much lower than in his country, steps will be taken to improve the opportunities of employment in the glass trade?

I have been asked to reply. If my hon. Friend is referring to the imposition of customs duties, he will be aware that the Government can only consider applications for safeguarding duties in accordance with the conditions laid down in the White Paper.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, when he will make known the decision to re-house the Rochdale Employment Exchange in premises which are suitable for the work?

I hope the decision will be made known at an early date. The Department is dealing with a programme of cases of Employment Exchanges requiring improved accommodation, and progress depends on the availability of funds, having regard to the order of urgency determined by the Ministry of Labour.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of cases in the Middlesbrough area in which he was unable to accept the original decision of the rota committee as regards applications for extended benefit during the past six months?

During the period 15th September, 1925, to 8th March, 1926, my right hon. Friend has been unable to accept the recommendations of the Middlesbrough Local Employment Committee in 286 cases out of a total of 21,923, recommended by them for allowance of benefit.

asked the Secretary for Mines what sum of money was paid to the Somerset colliery owners in respect of deferred repairs; on what dates were the payments made; and what steps were taken to ascertain the accuracy of the claims before payments were made?

The hon. Member appears to be under a misapprehension regarding the method of dealing with allowances for postponed repairs. These allowances are made under the provisions of Sub-Section 3 of Section 40 of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, and have the effect of reducing the profits of the undertakings concerned for the purposes of Excess Profits Duty and consequently also of the Coal Mines Control Agreement (Confirmation) Act, 1918, and the, Coal Mines (Emergency) Act, 1920. The allowances are thus merged in the general settlement of accounts for these purposes; they may have the effect of reducing the owner's liability under the Acts referred to, or of increasing the amounts payable to the owners under those Acts. Even apart, therefore, from the obligation of secrecy imposed on the Commissioners of Inland Revenue in such matters, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to give a precise answer to the hon. Member's question. The assistance of the technical and accounting staff of the Mines Department is given to the Inland Revenue for the purpose of investigating claims, and arriving at the correct amount of the allowances.

asked the Home Secretary whether chief constables of forces who have no facilities for training constables have availed themselves of the opportunity of sending recruits for training with forces that have such facilities; and, if so, where this has been done?

Devon, Kent, Birmingham, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester are among the forces which have trained and are training recruits for other forces, and other large forces are ready to do so if required. The whole question of training is being carefully watched by His Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary, and I am advised that a steady improvement is observed.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the rapidly increasing road traffic in all parts of the country and the inadequacy of numbers of bridges to take such traffic, he will consider the desirability of obtaining from the county councils exhaustive information on this subject with a view to considering whether the work of replacing such bridges with steel structures can be put in hand, and thus give employment in the steel trade?

Highway authorities are in the habit of applying to my Department from time to time for assistance towards the re-building of weak bridges, and numerous grants have been made for that purpose from the Road

asked the Home Secretary how many gallons of petrol were estimated to be in stock in the United Kingdom on the 1st January and the 1st February of this year; whether these figures show an increase over the figures for the same dates in 1925, 1924 and 1923; and what was the price of petrol on those dates per gallon?

I have been asked to reply. The figures for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks are not available, but it may be presumed that the aggregate stocks generally tend to be in excess of those in previous years, in view of the growth of storage accommodation from year to year. The wholesale price of No. 1 petrol in cans was as follows on the dates named:Fund. There are, however, many bridges which are not maintainable by county councils or other local authorities. I am edeavouring to encourage the replacement of weak bridges as rapidly as the available resources, both national and local, will permit, and in the circumstances I hope the hon. Member will agree that it would be undesirable to call upon county councils for exhaustive information of the nature suggested in the question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in connection with the grant of £1,000,000, to be spread over a period of five years, to carry out drainage schemes, he proposes, in the event of the reclamation of land, to introduce the principle of some participation of the State in the profits thus realised?

I am not clear whether my hon. Friend is referring to reclamation of land from the sea by the process of enclosure or the recovery of derelict land by draining operations. I doubt whether, except in one or two isolated cases, any schemes coming within the former category will be submitted to the Ministry. It is intended that the Exchequer shall provide from one-third to one-half of the cost of approved schemes. These will be carried out by statutory drainage authorities, who will find the balance of the cost by levying rates on the lands liable to be rated. The works contemplated for assistance from this money are designed to confer benefits of national importance and could not be undertaken without this minimum proportion of State assistance.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that auxiliary sorters in the London postal service only earn from 20s. to 30s. per week, and that many of these men have no other source of income; and whether an opportunity can be granted to such men of carrying out more work and thereby earning more money?

The point referred to by my hon. Friend is one of several on which representations were made by a recent deputation from the Auxiliary Sorters' Association. These representations are receiving consideration.

asked the Minister of Health whether it is the intention of the Government to modify the rate of old age pension in the case of voluntary contributors whose age at date of entry is 45 or upwards, and who will retire on pension from any superannuation fund for which they have paid?

The voluntary contributors referred to in the question will be entitled to old age pen- sions at the normal rate and on the usual conditions, unless the employment from which they will retire on superannuation is of a kind for which contributions for widows' and orphans' pensions only are payable, special exception from payment of contributions for old age pensions having been granted under Section 9 (1) proviso (c) of the Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs how many agricultural training scholarships have been awarded by the fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition in consequence of their arrangement with the Government of Ontario during the last two years; the value of these scholarships; and whether the British Empire Exhibition authorities are experiencing any difficulty in securing applications for the scholarships?

I understand that the Government of Ontario have invited the Fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition to endow 10 scholarships valued at £80 each, at the Kemptville Agricultural School. This invitation has been accepted, and I have arranged to co-operate under the Empire Settlement Act. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of the gross imports, re-exports and net imports of touring motor cars, chassis, and parts thereof, during the six months ended 31st December, 1925; and the value of the gross imports, re-exports, and net imports of commercial motor vehicles, and parts, during the same period?

A statement of the value of motor cars, motor chassis and other parts of motor cars, imported into, re-exported from and retained in, the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) as registered during the six months ended 31st December, 1925.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether Article 171, King's Regulations, as amended by Admiralty Fleet Order No. 3,241/1925, or any other article of the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions or Engineering Manual, gives engineer officers authority to carry out executive duties outside their own Department or assume military command in His Majesty's ships; and whether he is aware that orders exist at a certain Home port whereby engineer officers are directed by superior authority to carry out executive duties such as duty officer of group, going rounds of vessels of group at specified times, attendance on deck for hoisting and lowering of colours, and assuming command of ships of group in absence of commanding officers at night?

My hon. and gallant Friend is evidently under some misapprehension as to the meaning of the term "military command," which is defined in the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions as the general authority vested in certain officers to command one or more ships or boats or to direct any work or undertaking which requires the co-operation of different branches of the Service. There is nothing in the Regulations, however, to prevent engineer officers from exercising command outside their own Department when directed to do so by superior authority, and, in fact, Article 22 clearly contemplates that occasions will arise when such action will be taken. The difference in the two cases is that executive officers do so as part of their ordinary functions; engineer officers, as directed by superior authority.