asked the Minister of Labour if he will make inquiries into the case of Mrs. E. A. Lavender, 17, Crowland Road, Tottenham, who is at present unemployed and has been refused benefit by the chief insurance officer, although she has been a regular contributor to the Fund for five years and has not hitherto drawn any benefit?

Benefit was disallowed on the ground that the statutory condition "genuinely seeking work'' was not satisfied. On appeal on 19th February, 1926, the disallowance was upheld by the Court of Referees, after hearing the applicant, but, as a result of a further hearing on 17th March, they recommended the allowance of benefit as from 2nd March. This recommendation has been accepted by the insurance officer

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that recipients of unemployment benefit are being requested to appear before the local Exchange officials to answer a list of questions the day prior to appearing before the rota committee to answer the same questions; and whether, seeing that this is a new procedure, he will state what is the object of it?

It has always been the practice for persons making claims to extended benefit to be interviewed by officers of the Employment Exchange in order that the necessary information may be obtained and that the form of application may be properly completed. Arrangements have recently been made for obtaining more complete information at these interviews. The object is partly to dispense with an interview by the committee in cases which can be allowed immediately and partly to record full information for the committee in the remaining cases, in which alone a second interview will normally be required.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give the figures of the workers permanently and solely engaged in the main branches of agriculture in this country, distinguishing between those employed on grass land, on corn land, on root growing, on sugar-beet, in stock-keeping, and so forth?

The number of regular workers returned as employed on agricultural holdings in England and Wales on 4th June, 1925, was as follows:

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of claims by hop-growers still outstanding in respect of the unsold portion of their 1924 hop crop; and the total amount represented by such claims?

There is a balance of, approximately, 106,000 cwts. which remains unsold out of the enormous 1924 hop crop of 477,000 cwts. This balance is difficult to market because the quantity of 1924 hops which brewers have already bought is much more than sufficient for their requirements. As more of the 1924 hops are sold growers will receive further payments in accordance with the conditions under which their hops were passed into control.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many young farmers' clubs are in existence in England and Wales, the total membership of the clubs, and the total financial assistance which has been given to these clubs by the Ministry since their promotion?

On the 31st December last there were 21 young farmers' clubs in England and Wales, with an approximate total membership of 520. A certain number of clubs have been formed since that date, but at the moment I have no exact information available on this point. The Ministry encourages and assists this movement by such means as propaganda and advice in the formation and conduct of clubs, but it has given no pecuniary help to individual clubs.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that a cormorant destroys two and a quarter tons of fish a year; that the destruction of cormorants is left to inadequate private enterprise, and that a small grant of £50 a year for the purpose has been refused; is he aware that their chief nesting site is in the south of England; and will he consider the advisability of providing for the destruction of cormorants?

I am aware that cormorants eat large quantities of fish, but. I hesitate to commit myself to an estimate of the bulk consumed annually per bird. I am informed that in one of their principal breeding places, private enterprise does valuable work in keeping down their number. I have no authority and no funds to provide for the destruction of fish-eating birds, but I have facilitated the payment of rewards by local Sea Fisheries Committees for their destruction.

asked the right hon. Member for Cheltenham, as Chairman of the Kitchen Committee, whether he is aware that, on several occasions recently, no British lager beer was obtainable at the Lobby bar, although Heineken's Dutch lager beer appears to be always available; and whether he will take steps to see that British lager beer is always obtainable at all times when the House is in Session in all the bars and refreshment rooms of the House?

In reply to the hon. and gallant Member's question, Barclay's lager beer, a British product, is nearly always obtainable in the bars and refreshment rooms of the House. On the occasion referred to by the hon. and gallant Member, there was a tem- porary delay in the supply of this beer, owing to the demand having exhausted the stock on hand. But the hon. and gallant Member may rest assured that British lager beer will be always available in our bars and refreshment rooms for those who desire it.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs the date on which the agreement with the Canadian Government for the settlement of 3,000 families on farm lands in Canada first came into operation; how many persons have offered themselves under that scheme; and how many have been accepted?

The agreement with the Canadian Government for the settlement of 3,000 families on the land in Canada came into operation in August, 1924, the first sailings were in February, 1925, 2,219 families have applied for settlement under the scheme and 1,655 have been accepted.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if he is yet in a position to state the number of emigrants who have travelled to Canada under the Empire Settlement Act at a fare of £3 to the last convenient date, together with the number of emigrants who have sailed during the same period as independent settlers?

The total number of persons who have sailed for Canada under the new assisted-passage agreement is 2,850. This agreement came into force on 1st January, but sailings to Canada for the present season have only recently commenced. It is not possible at present to furnish figures showing the number of settlers who have proceeded to Canada at their own expense during the present year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any geological survey of the mineral resources of Tanganyika is being made by the Government; and, if so, whether reports dealing with this subject will be made available?

A geological survey of Tanganyika Territory is now being begun. Reports will be published as the work progresses.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received a report from the Immigration Agent-General of British Guiana with regard to wages and conditions of work on the sugar plantations of that Colony; and, if so, will he inform the House what are the present average weekly wages of Indian immigrants in that Colony as compared with the cost of living?

The latest report of the Immigration Agent-General of British Guiana which I have received is for the year 1924. According to this report the average daily earnings of a shovelman and a male weeder on a sugar estate were 51 cents and 44 cents, respectively, as compared with a cost of living, including food, clothing and implements, of $2·23 a week, or the equivalent of five days' earnings at 45 cents a day. Most of the labourers supplement their earnings by work on their own plots.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is appointing a Committee to consider the priority of schemes of public works to be financed from the East African Loan; and whether, in that case, he can give their names?

A Committee has been appointed for this purpose, consisting of the following members:Sir George Schuster, K.C.M.G., C.B.E., M.C., Financial Secretary to the Government of the Soudan, Chairman.Mr. R. H. Jackson, J.P., Chairman, Empire Cotton Growing Corporation.Brigadier-General F. D. Hammond, C.B.E., D.S.O., R.E.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to a circular issued to heads of Government Departments in Kenya Colony authorising the employment of native prisoners in the detention camps as labourers by the Uganda Railway and the Public Works Department; whether the work performed by such prisoners is different in character from that performed by labour contributed by the tribes; and, if not, what is the distinction in treatment of persons convicted of crime and persons who are not convicted?

Yes, Sir. A copy of the Detention Camps Ordinance is being placed in the Library of the House. I am not aware of any distinction as to work between persons detained under the Ordinance and voluntary labourers. The distinction in treatment is that the former work under control and do not receive wages. With regard to the reference to "persons convicted of crime," the whole object of the Ordinance is to provide a means of detention, not involving association with ordinary criminals, for persons committed for offences not involving moral turpitude.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the terms of the International Agreements which prevent Kenya, Zanzibar, Nigeria, and the Gold Coast from differentiating in favour of British imports; whether this operates only against Great Britain and Northern Ireland or whether it applies to all parts of the British Empire; what other nations are parties to these agreements; and whether they are equally precluded from having differential tariffs in their own colonies, dependencies, or possessions?

As regards Kenya and Zanzibar; the International Agreement is the Convention of 10th September, 1919, presented to Parliament as Cmd. 477, which gives the names of the contracting parties. The provision against differential treatment is absolute. All States which have dependencies in the Conventional Basin of the Congo as defined in the Convention are similarly bound in respect of those dependencies. As regards the Gold Coast and Nigeria; the International Agreement is the Anglo-French Convention of 14th June, 1898, presented to Parliament as C.9334, under which, in Nigeria and the Gold Coast and Dahomey and the Ivory Coast, non-differential treatment as between British and French goods is provided for.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the values, respectively, of the total annual imports and exports of Ceylon; what is the annual value of the imports into Ceylon from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the annual value of the exports from Ceylon to Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and the annual amount of the preference on Empire produce received by Ceylon from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and from other portions of the British Empire, respectively?

In 1924 the imports into Ceylon were valued at 312 million rupees and the exports from the Colony at 375 million rupees. Of these totals 69 million rupees represented imports from Great Britain, and 171 million rupees represented exports to this country. I am not in a position to estimate the amount received in Ceylon as a result of preference on imports into this country: this amount does not necessarily correspond with the amount of rebate allowed on goods imported under preferential rates of duty.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if his attention has been called to negotiations for an international understanding in respect of the operations of the iron and coal industry; and whether he can make any statement on the subject?

I am aware of the suggestions which have been made on various occasions as to negotiations for agreements of the kind mentioned. I am not aware, however, that there have been any developments in that direction except in respect of steel rails, as regards which I understand an agreement of the same kind that existed before the War has been re-established.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give a Return stating the total quantity of cocoa produced within the Crown Colonies and Protectorates during the years 1913 and 1925, respectively?

The information asked for can most conveniently be given in tabular form:

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the effect on the labour market of the releasing on one day, 1st April, of 190,000 elementary-school children in consequence of the Regulation which prohibits such children on attaining the age of 14 from leaving school until the end of the term, he will consider either the return to the old system whereby they were allowed to leave school on reaching 14 or else arrange for additional leaving dates to be fixed?

This is a matter which will doubtless come within the scope of the deliberations of the Committee which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour and I have set up to inquire into and advise upon the public system of education in relation to the requirements of trade and industry.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state in full the different species of birds, and the number of consignments in each case, of prohibited plumage confiscated by the Customs authorities since the Plumage Act came into force in 1922 to the present time?

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Minister of Health how many regional surveys are at present completed or being undertaken; and whether he favours the preparation of a comprehensive policy for the development of London and the home counties?

33 joint committees, comprising 516 local authorities have been formed to take combined action in the preparation of their town planning schemes. Eleven of the committees have so far presented reports and surveys. The question of promoting fuller co-operation between the authorities in London and the home counties with a view to securing a comprehensive and co-ordinated plan for the region as a whole is at present engaging my attention.

asked the Minister of Health how many cast-iron houses of the Thorncliff type have been erected in England; whether he has made an investigation of the 250 now being built for the Corporation of Derby; and what conclusion he has reached as to the comparative merits of cast-iron and steel, with regard to probable length of life?

The total number of cast-iron houses of the Thorn-cliff type which have so far been authorised in England in connection with subsidy schemes under the Housing Acts is 264. I have no information as to how many of these houses have been completed. I have inspected the cast-iron houses which are being erected by the Derby Corporation, and a period of 40 years for the repayment of the loan sanctioned for the erection of these houses has been allowed. A similar period is allowed for the repayment of loans raised for the erection of approved types of steel houses.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is now in a position to announce the names of the Committee appointed to inquire into the possibility of improvements in Indian agriculture; and, if so, when this Committee proposes to start its investigations?

My Noble Friend hopes to be in a position to make an announcement shortly.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that in the town of Balfour, Transvaal, Asiatics are being refused trade licences, and that Indian interests, valued at £40,000, are threatened; and whether he is prepared to make inquiries with a view to safeguarding the interests of Indians in South Africa?

I have seen a telegram from the Transvaal British Indian Association containing the statement referred to. The Government of India are in direct touch with the Union Government on matters affecting the interests of Indians in South Africa.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether, seeing that a number of the successful candidates from his Department who sat at the Southborough examination are in receipt of pensions for disabilities resulting from diseases contracted during War service, he has made any representations to secure that these men shall receive permanent appointments, though normally not up to the medical standard imposed on civilian entrants to the Civil Service?

A number of the successful candidates not only from the Ministry of Pensions, but from other Government Departments, are in receipt of disability pensions, and the Civil Service Commissioners are already empowered, by Order in Council dated the 22nd March, 1918, to modify considerably the medical requirements in such cases. No further action is necessary.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether any instructions were issued to Departments as to the method to be adopted in granting service marks up to 250 in the cases of men sitting for the Southborough examination; if so, what were the instructions; whether he is aware that in some Departments no candidate was given more than 75 per cent. of the possible marks while in others the maximum number were awarded; and that, as this differentiation resulted in some cases in the failure of the candidate to pass, whether it is proposed to take any action in the matter?

I am sending to the hon. Member a copy of the form issued by the Civil Service Commission to Departments on which the Departmental Report on candidates at the Southborough examination was made, together with a copy of the covering memorandum. I am not aware that there is any differentiation between Departments as is implied in the last parts of the question, in as much as the final mark was in all cases awarded by the Civil Service Commissioners. I am not prepared to interfere with the awards made by the Commissioners.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what proportion of fees payable to collectors of Income Tax are payable by such officers in respect of office expenses necessarily incurred in carrying out their duties?

Collectors are paid a gross sum to cover both their office expenses and their personal remuneration. Particulars are not available of the sums actually paid by collectors of taxes in respect of their expenses. As these vary considerably between collections of different types, there can be no fixed proportion between expenses and emoluments.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the officers of the Civil Service who are mainly responsible for the dictation of shorthand have pronounced local dialects; whether speech appropriate to the district in which an examination is held is one of the main qualifications for examiners in shorthand under the Civil Service Commissioners; whether the Civil Service Commissioners have received complaints from candidates from time to time as to the excessive speed at which part of the shorthand dictation is given, the examiners having had to slow down during the latter part of the test in order to fill up the time allotted; and whether, under these circumstances, the Civil Service Commissioners will go into the question of appointing fully-qualified dictators of shorthand, such as are used in the Society of Arts' examinations for the purpose of shorthand typist examinations in the Civil Service?

I would refer the hon. Member as regards the first two parts of her question to the reply which I gave her on the 3rd March. As regards the third part, on the rare occasions when the Commissioners have found that a shorthand dictator has failed to maintain the proper speed, they have taken account of the fact, in settling the marks of the examination. The Commissioners' constant endeavour is so to improve their machinery as to avoid any just cause for complaint and they are always ready to consider applications from persons prepared to undertake occasional work for them in shorthand or in any other subject and to add to their panel the names of any applicants whom they consider suitable.