asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, seeing that naval officers are undertaking duties necessitating their presence in the air, whether he will be able to obtain for these officers, so long as they undertake such duties, the same facilities for life insurance as those recently offered to officers in the Royal Air Force undertaking similar duties?

I have reason to believe that naval officers are able to insure their lives on terms not less favourable than those recently offered to officers in the Royal Air Force, notwithstanding that they may be subject to flying risks during a portion of their service.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether, in view of the reduction of Pembroke and Rosyth dockyards, he will, in the interests of economy, consider the desirability of allowing optional retirement on compulsory retirement terms?

The established men who became redundant at Rosyth and Pembroke Dock were given the option of discharge on compulsory retirement terms, or transfer to other dockyards. There is no power under the Superannuation Acts to allow optional retirement on compulsory retirement terms to men who arc not redundant.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of married officers of the Navy who are on the lodging list, and what proportion this bears to the total number of married officers; and, if this information is not available, if he will state the proportion of officers on the lodging list to the total number of officers?

I regret that it is not practicable to state the number of married officers who are on the lodging list, or what proportion this bears to the total number of married officers. As regards the second part of the question, the total number of officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines is approximately 8,627, and the number on the lodging list 1,031.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether Royal Fleet reservists who complete 20 years' qualifying service in the Fleet and Royal Fleet Reserve combined receive a gratuity of £100 on discharge from the Reserve?

The answer is in the affirmative provided they have attained the age of 40.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of ex-sailors, ex-soldiers, and ex-airmen, respectively, employed in His Majesty's dockyards, giving the figures for Devon-port, in particular, and the percentage, under each head, of those drawing pensions from the Navy, Army, and Air Force respectively?

I regret that I am unable to furnish this information, the collection of which would involve the expenditure of considerable time and labour.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is aware that pensioner petty officers employed as instructors in seamen boys' training establishments, who had signed a non-continuous service engagement for five years' service prior to the issue of Admiralty Fleet Order 2,859/1925, and are in receipt of the old rates of pay, have been informed that from the 1st April next they will be paid the new rates of 6s. per day authorised by Admiralty Fleet Order 2,859/1925; and, seeing that this is in direct contradiction to the Fleet Order in question, which definitely states that the reduced rates of pay are only applicable to all ratings entering after 4th October 1925, he will have the matter reconsidered?

One of the conditions of a non-continuous service engagement is that a rating has no claim to be retained for the whole period of five years. It was, and is, considered that the new rate of pay brought into effect on 1st April, 1926, for those pensioners who were actually serving as such on the 5th October last, of which ample notice was given, was more beneficial to these ratings than the alternative of discharging them, and entering others in their place.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of married officers of the Army who are on the lodging list, and what proportion this bears to the total number of married officers; and, if this information is not available, will he state the proportion of officers on the lodging list to the total number of officers?

The latest returns from Commands, dated November, 1925, show that there are 3,090 married officers on the lodging list, and this number represents 70 per cent. of the recognised married officers.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any compensation is due to the parents of a territorial soldier who may be killed by an accident arising out of service during Army manœuvres; if so, whether compensation is dependent on the means of the parents; and what Regulations deal with this subject?

Compensation as such is not payable from Army funds to the parents of a soldier killed by an accident arising out of the performance of military duties. The circumstances in which the parents of a deceased soldier may be awarded a. pension -are laid down in Articles 1102 and 1103 of the Pay Warrant 1922, to which I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he is aware that a number of ex-service married temporary clerks, with overseas service, who have been in receipt of a disability pension, still classed as disabled, and entitled to preferential treatment, have received warning notices, on the ground of redundancy; and if he will see that the recommendations in the Lytton Report are carried out?

The recommendations of the Lytton Committee are followed as closely as possible, and a definite priority for retention is given to temporary clerks who are disabled. It is on occasion unavoidably necessary, however, owing to the closing of a local office, or to reduction of work in a particular branch, to give warning of redundancy to disabled married temporary clerks; but, in such cases, subject to considerations of efficiency and to the clerks' willingness to accept transfer, it is the practice to offer alternative employment elsewhere in replacement of men in lower service categories.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the general considerations which govern the salary scales of the various grades of civil servants; and whether it is the practice to apply the appropriate scale, apart from the question of initial salary in the case of persons entering above the normal age, to all officers of a grade irrespective of their antecedents and the method by which entry to the grade concerned was secured?

It is not possible within the limits of an answer to a question to set out the considerations which must govern the fixing of salary scales for the many and diverse categories of civil servants in the employment of the State. The answer to the second part of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative, subject to any special conditions which may be applicable to particular individuals or classes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered, or will consider, the desirability and possibility of placing cabaret and variety shows on the same footing with other entertainments as regards Entertainments Duty?

As stated in the reply to my hon. Friend's question on the subject, given on the 25th March, the cabaret performances in question are not legally liable to Entertainments Duty. As at present advised, I am not prepared to introduce legislation with a view to extending the scope of the existing law.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will publish a list of the species of birds the plumage of which has been illegally imported and therefore confiscated by the Customs officials under the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act, 1921, from 1st April to 30th June, 1924, with the number of consignments in each case?

The following is the list of birds the plumage of which has been illegally imported and confiscated under the Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act, 1921, during the period 1st April, 1924, to 30th June, 1924, together with the number of consignments seized in each case:

Name of Bird.			Number of consignments.
Barbet (2 species)	…	…	1
Bird of Paradise	…	…	1
Black Partridge	…	…	1
Blue Bird	…	…	1
Cassowary	…	…	1
Colibri	…	…	1
Crested Crane	…	…	1
Egret	…	…	7
Emu	…	…	3
Grebe	…	…	1
Hawk	…	…	1
Heron	…	…	2
Indian Roller	…	…	2
Jungle Cock	…	…	1
Jungle Crow	…	…	1
Kingfisher	…	…	2
Koel	…	…	1
Owl	…	…	3
Parrot	…	…	6
Penguin	…	…	1
Peacock	…	…	11
Pheasant, Lady Amherst	…	…	2
Pheasant, Copper	…	…	2
Pheasant, Reeves	…	…	4
Rook	…	…	2
Seagull	…	…	1
Stork	…	…	1
Swainson's Buzzard	…	…	1
"Tick" Bird	…	…	1
Weaver Bird	…	…	1
Woodpecker (2 species)	…	…	1

In addition to the above, two consignments of miscellaneous plumage which included prohibited plumage were seized during the quarter in question. The precise nature of the prohibited plumage in such consignments cannot be stated.

asked the Minister of Health the capitalised value of all subsidies payable on houses completed, under construction, or authorised since 1st January, 1919; and on what date taxpayers and ratepayers will be free from all existing housing liabilities?

The Exchequer subsidy payable in respect of schemes under the Housing Act of 1919 depends on the rate of interest payable in the future by local authorities in respect of their loans, and on other variable factors. The annual payments for England and Wales at present amount to about £7,120,000. It is expected that the payments which will continue until about 1985 will be considerably reduced in the course of years, but it is not possible to frame any reliable forecast of the reductions nor to state the capitalised value of the subsidies which will be payable. The capitalised value of the Exchequer subsidies which will be payable on houses authorised under the Housing Acts of 1923 and 1924 is approximately £38,000,000 for England and Wales. Contributions from rates and taxes in respect of present housing commitments will continue until 1985.

asked the Minister of Health the estimated capitalised value of subsidies payable out of the rates towards all local authorities' houses built, under construction, or authorised since 1st January, 1919?

The contribution of local authorities in England and Wales in respect of schemes under the Housing Act of 1919 is the produce of a ld. rate in each year. The contribution which for the current year amounts to about £900,000 will increase as the assessable value of properties increases, and will continue until 1980; but it is not possible to form any reliable estimate of the capitalised value of the contribution over the whole period. The contribution from rates in respect of houses provided under the 1923 and 1924 Acts is the amount required to cover the balance of loss year by year after allowing for the fixed Exchequer subsidy of £6 per annum for 20 years, and £9 per annum for 40 years respectively. I regret that I am unable to give any estimate of the rate liability ender those Acts.

asked the Minister of Health the total amount of moneys already paid by the Exchequer as contributions towards housing schemes of all kinds since 1st January, 1919?

The payments by the Exchequer in England and Wales from 1st January, 1919, to date, amount to £45,617,043.

asked the Minister of Health how many persons are over- crowded, according to the Census definition, in the following local government areas: city of Newcastle-on-Tyne, rural district of Newcastle-on-Tyne, municipal borough of Wallsend, county borough of Tynemouth, county borough of Gateshead, rural district of Gateshead, urban district of Felling, urban district of Hebburn, and the municipal borough of Jarrow; how many houses have been built by local authorities in these local government areas since the War; what were the prices paid by these authorities for the land for such houses; and what are the yells charged for the houses so built?

I will send the hon. and gallant Member a statement containing the information he desires.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that contractors engaged on Government work are supplied with certain classes of building material at a price 10 per cent lower than the same materials can be obtained for ordinary building and housing schemes; and whether he will take steps to secure that the same terms are obtained for all such materials used for public schemes to house the working classes of this country?

My right hon. Friend understands that contracts for Government work are ordinarily made on a lump sum basis, and he has no information as to the arrangements made by contractors for the purchase of materials. My right hon. Friend is informed that in respect of certain materials, reduced prices are quoted by some organisations for housing schemes.

asked the Under-Secretary to the Scottish Board of Health the number of houses in Scottish rural areas approved for subsidy to 31st January, 1926, under the Housing, Etc., Act, 1923, and the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, respectively; and the number of houses actually completed in the year 1920, and in each succeeding year, with the aid of Government subsidies?

The information asked for in the first part of the question is not available in respect of the Housing, Etc., Act of 1923. Under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, the number of houses approved for subsidy as at 31st January, 1926, in Scottish rural areas as defined by the Act, was 124. As regards the last part of the question, the numbers of houses actually completed in Scotland with the aid of Government subsidies in the years in question were as follow:

Year.				Number of houses.
1920	…	…	…	692
1921	…	…	…	5,816
1922	…	…	…	10,505
1923	…	…	…	6,618
1924	…	…	…	4,384
1925	…	…	…	8,201

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that a person, aged 59, who becomes a voluntary contributor under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age, Contributory Pensions Act will receive the full pension of 10s. a week on reaching the age of 65, he will say why it is proposed that a person of the same age in exempted employment who becomes a. voluntary contributor shall only receive a pension of 2s. a week on reaching the age of 65?

It is presumed that the hon. Member is referring to draft Regulations affecting persons in certain excepted employments which have been issued in accordance with Section 15 (7) (b) of the Contributory Pensions Act, and I would refer him to the reasons given in my reply to questions on this subject on the 11th March.

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, ex-insured married men under the National Insurance Acts who ceased to be contributors there under through exceeding the income limit, but who have become voluntary contributors under the Act of 1925, are obliged to pay 104 contributions over a period of 104 weeks in order to qualify their wives and children for benefits under that Act, and having regard to the fact that such men by previous contribu- tions over periods of years helped to build up the National Insurance Fund, he will take whatever steps are necessary to enable voluntary contributors who after a lapse have again entered the insurance scheme to qualify their wives and families as well as themselves by contributing 104 weekly payments at once in one lump sum instead of having to wait 104 weeks to qualify by paying weekly contributions over that period?

The requirement of a waiting period after entry or re-entry into insurance before title to benefits can accrue is an essential feature of all schemes of national insurance, since otherwise a very heavy burden might be thrown on the funds by the payment of a comparatively small lump sum. Moreover, the pensions account is quite separate from the National Health Insurance Fund, and contributions to the latter cannot be diverted to the former. I regret, therefore, that I cannot see my way to introduce the legislation which would be required to give effect to the proposal made by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Health what amounts of money in the reserve suspense fund have each year since 1918 been transferred to the reserve values (apportionment) account for redeeming reserve values standing to the credit of individual approved societies?

The transfers to be made from the reserve suspense fund to the reserve values (apportionment) account will not be carried through until the alterations of membership in respect of the valuation period 1919 to 1923 have been completed. The total cash sum which up to 31st December, 1923, will be applied to the redemption of reserve values standing to the credit of individual approved societies in England and Wales is approximately £2,800,000. In addition to the cash redemption of reserve values, the total liability in respect of reserve values in England and Wales up to 31st December, 1923, will have been reduced by about £7,000,000 by the operation of the reserve suspense fund.

asked the Minister of Health the number of deaths from smallpox registered in the 18 years 1889 to 1906 and the 18 years 1908 to 1925, respectively?

The figures for England and Wales are as follow:

Years.		Small-pox Deaths.
1889–1906 (inclusive)	…	8,321
1908–1925 (inclusive)	…	253

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any steps are being taken to come to an amicable settlement of the difficulties with the sheriff courts officers and staffs as to their remuneration and tenure of office, and, in particular, as to their superannuation?

Certain correspondence has recently passed with a view to ascertain whether an agreed Measure can be introduced this Session on the lines of last Session's Bill. I am not yet in a position to make a more definite statement on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the salaries of the procurators fiscal at Dumfries and Kirkcudbright were prior to the present arrangement t the respective salaries now paid; an which, if any, of the officials were and are full time?

Prior to 3rd March, 1926, the Procurators Fiscal of Dumfries and Kirkcudbright were paid £620 and £450 per annum, respectively, plus bonus. The Procurator Fiscal of Dumfries was appointed Procurator Fiscal for the district comprising Dumfries and part of Kirkcudbright on the date mentioned, and he is now paid £720 per annum plus bonus, together with £30 per annum which does not carry bonus. On the same date a. Procurator Fiscal was appointed for the remainder of Kirkcudbright, and he is paid £250 per annum plus bonus. These figures in all cases include remuneration of the Procurator Fiscal and his staff, and office expenses. The Procurator Fiscal at Dumfries has been a whole-time officer since his appointment in 1917. Kirkcudbright had formerly a whole-time Procurator Fiscal, but the present Procurator Fiscal at Kirkcudbright was appointed on a part-time basis.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the only access to the land on which smallholders have recently been settled by the Board of Agriculture at Skaw, Uist, is by a track up a cliff face which is impracticable for carts; and whether it is intended that the Board's scheme should be left in this incomplete fashion?

I am informed that the means of access to the settlement at Skaw are as they were when the farm was held on ordinary tenancy. There are only three resident holders under the scheme, two of whom had, prior to settlement, resided for many years on the farm as sub-tenants. No provision was made in the scheme of the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for the construction of a new road to the settlement., and the holders were aware of this when they accepted the holdings.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in Devonport who have been refused extended benefit since the Unemployment. Insurance Act, 1925?

I cannot give separate figures for Devonport, but the number of applications for extended benefit (including repeat applications from the same individual) recommended for disallowance by the Plymouth and Devonport Local Employment Committee, during the period 25th August, 1925, to 8th March, 1926, was 1,535, out of a total of 13,669 eases considered by tin Committee.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware of the exceptionally prolonged and intense period of unemployment through which the people of Sharpness Dockyard are passing; and whether he is prepared to institute an inquiry into the local conditions and to promote by all possible means the revival of the trade upon which the district depends?

I am aware that unemployment in Sharpness, Gloucestershire, has been severe for some time, more particularly in the winter mouths. The majority of the men unemployed are dock workers. The local conditions are well known, and I do not think an inquiry would serve any useful purpose. The port depends largely on the coal, grain, and timber trades, and I hope, as employment is now gradually improving, that it will share in the revival.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the number of women normally employed in the wallpaper trade in the Manchester district who have been denied unemployment benefit on the ground that they were not genuinely seeking work; whether he is aware that many of these women have, without avail, produced documentary evidence from employers of their search for employment, and that employers arc getting tired of signing these notes which are not accepted; whether he can state the ground for the decision that these women were not genuinely seeking work; and whether he will issue an instruction that in every case documentary evidence of a search for work is to be accepted as establishing a prima facieease?

I am having inquiries made, and will let the hon. Member know the result as soon as possible.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been drawn to the demands made at the third annual conference of the All-India Union of Postmen, held in February at Lahore; and whether the Government of India will take steps to satisfy these demands in the near future?

I have not seen any report of the proceedings at the conference referred to. The demands made will no doubt be considered by the Government of India, whose decision upon them my Noble Friend is unable to anticipate.

asked the Minister of Agriculture (1) whether he is aware that one of the cattle men on the cattle ship "Manchester Producer"who was ordered to attend the cattle at night was provided with no light or electric torch, so that it was impossible for him to attend to the animals properly; and what steps he intends to take to ensure that Section XIV, Part VII, of the Importation of Cattle Order, 1923, shall be complied with;(2) whether the cattle ship "Manchester Producer"carries, in addition to the ordinary crew, a sufficient number of qualified attendants to attend to the animals and, if so, how many; whether these cattle were in charge of a responsible foreman, having under him competent assistants numbering one for every 25 head of cattle; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to see that Regulation XVIII of the Importation of Cattle Order, 1923, is enforced?

I am in communication with the shipping company on the points referred to in these questions, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether if the Agricultural Returns Act does not enable the public to ascertain not merely the acreage of land under sugar beet but the actual profit made by farmers in respect of it, such information can be published, in view of the amount of public money devoted to the support of this industry?

The Agricultural Returns Act does not provide for the collection of particulars of the profits or losses made by farmers. Research Monograph No. 3 published by my Department, gives the results of an inquiry conducted by the Oxford Institute for Research in Agricultural Economics into the costs of production, yields and returns of sugar beet on some 34 farms situated in 11 different counties in 1924.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the fact that the blue riband of sugar-beet growing for 1925–26 has been won by an Essex farmer, whose crop yielded an average of 17·95 tons per acre, with an average sugar content of 17·9; and whether he can state the net profit on such a crop, after deducting expenses?

I have noted with particular gratification the achievements of the farmer concerned. He is not an Essex farmer, but grew the beet at Eye, in Suffolk. I have no information which would enable me to answer the last part of the question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the date at which the land used for the farm settlement at Patrington was acquired by the Crown and the price paid?

The land used for the farm settlement at Patrington forms part of the Crown's Sunk Island Estate. The estate was not purchased by the Crown, but was reclaimed by the Commissioners of Woods (now the Commissioners of Crown Lands) from the Humber in or about the years 1800, 1826 and 1850.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can give the export of German manufactured sugar to this country in each month of the last 12 months; and whether he can give the respective prices of this sugar sold in Germany at the present time and in this country?

The following statement shows the imports into the United Kingdom of refined sugar con- signed from Germany in each of the last 12 months:

Month.		Quantity.	Declared Value.
1925.	…	Cwts.	£
March	…	3,137	2,967
April	…	2,820	2,592
May	…	8,192	7,609
June	…	5,745	6,191
July	…	4,626	4,794
August	…	2,423	2,137
September	…	502	440
October	…	801	688
November	…	22,177	17,177
December	…	13,164	19,748
1926.
January	…	20,616	15,420
February	…	8,591	6,627

I am unable to state the wholesale price of German sugar in this country, but the average declared value per cwt., c.i.f., of these imports consigned from Germany in February was 15s. 5d. exclusive of duty. The average wholesale price of white granulated sugar at Magdeburg in February was equivalent to 15s. 0½d. per cwt exclusive of consumption tax.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Board of Trade Committee which discussed the application of the safeguarding of industry proposals to imported packing and wrapping paper also took into consideration the case of printing papers; and whether any application was made in connection with this branch of the trade?

No, Sir; the application into which the Committee were appointed to inquire related only to packing and wrapping paper.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Parliamentary grants voted to provide compensation to civilian victims of enemy action and administered by the Reparation Claims Department are yet exhausted; if not, whether he is aware that Mr. W. G. West, of 68, Bellevue Road, Ramsgate, aged 75, only received £60 compensation for the destruction of his fishing vessel "Satanita,' estimated to have been worth about £1,500; that this ship was the only means of livelihood for himself and his wife; and that, owing to the meagre amount of compensation received, Mr. and Mrs. West have been obliged to sell household effects to pay rent; and whether, in all the circumstances, he will arrange for this case to be reviewed?

The Royal Commission on Compensation for Suffering and Damage by Enemy Action in their First Report—(Cmd. 1798), paragraph 21—decided that claims by owners of property who had the means of protecting themselves against its loss, but did not do so, could not be recognised. This decision applied to fishing vessels, as they were insurable under the Government scheme. Mr. West's claim in respect of the gear and catch were, however, admitted to rank at £40 and £21, respectively, and a sum of £61 was paid to him in March, 1924 on the recommendation of the Royal Commission, in final settlement of his claim. In the circumstances I regret to say no further payment can be made to Mr. West.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty experienced by persons charged under the Motor Car Acts for dangerous driving, owing to the refusal of the police authorities to give information as to what facts constitute the charge under the Act; and will he, in order to allow of an adequate defence being prepared, cause to be stated on the summonses sufficient details of the acts intended to be proved in evidence?

I am not aware that any hardship arises which could be avoided, and, in any event, I do not, as at present advised, consider that any difficulty which may exist could properly be met by requiring detailed statements of allegations to be added to summonses.

asked the Prime Minister (1) whether, having regard to the heavy charge which falls upon the voluntary hospitals consequent on the reception and treatment of persons injured in road accidents, who in many cases are non-resident, and whose injuries are frequently caused by reckless driving or at excessive speed, and to the fact that the injured persons are generally unable to make any contribution towards the cost of their treatment, he will consider the desirability of amending the law by enabling the Court, upon a conviction of an offender, to include in the order the payment of a fixed sum, by way of contribution, to the hospital or authorise the payment out of the fines levied by way of penalty for motor offences a lump sum, or by way of percentage, to the hospital rendering aid in these cases as the Court of Petty or Quarter Sessions may direct, or to be paid out of the general fine fund of the Court;(2) whether he is aware that the fines imposed upon persons convicted of reckless driving of motor cars or at an excessive speed amount to a considerable sum; and, having regard to the fact that during the year 1925 the sum so levied by the Ealing section of the Brentford Petty Sessional Bench and actually recovered for fines amounted to £783, and that during the same period the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Ealing, expended approximately £1,190 in treating patients injured in motor accidents within the borough over and above contributions received from patients, and that such results are probably the same in other places, he can see his way to promote legislation which will authorise the making of grants to hospitals treating such patients out of the fine fund of the Courts imposing such fines?

I have been asked to reply. I will bear in mind the suggestion put forward by my hon. and learned Friend, but I cannot hold out any hope that it will be possible to introduce legislation to give effect to it.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the amount of money contributed by the Road Fund in 1924–25 and in 1925–26 to the construction, maintenance and repairs of roads in the county of Bedfordshire?

The actual payments from the Road Fund to a particular highway authority during any specified year could not be arrived at without considerable labour. The grants made, however, during the two years in question to roads in the county of Bedfordshire were as follow:

Year.	New Roads.	Improvement of Existing Roads.	Classification Grants (Class I and Class II Roads).	Total.
		£	£	£
1924–25	—	1,118	43,610	44,728
1925–26	—	5,635	44,975	50,610
Total	—	6,753	88,585	95,338

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has received a letter from the Association of London Omnibus Proprietors, Limited, dated 24th March, 1926, in connection with an equitable reduction of omnibuses in fair proportion to the respective number of licences held by the independent proprietors and the combine respectively; if so, what reply has been sent; and what steps he proposes to take in this matter?

The basis of the reductions to be made in the number of omnibuses belonging to the London General Omnibus Company and its associated companies and to the "independent"proprietors respectively, and the reasons for the adoption of this basis, are clearly set out in the Report of the London Traffic Advisory Committee which has been published, and a copy of which has been supplied to my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport the estimated number of drivers, conductors and persons engaged in cleaning processes respectively who will be thrown out of employment by the proposed restriction and cutting down of the omnibus services?

As regards the London General Omnibus Company and its associated companies, I have been informed that no employés will be thrown out of employment as the result of the limitation of omnibus journeys upon certain routes, as the men who would other- wise have been displaced will be absorbed in connection with extended services to be operated during the summer months, or on new services which are under consideration. I am hopeful that the employés of the independent proprietors will be absorbed in like manner.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that an application for Inland Revenue and fee stamps made after 4 p.m. may be refused by his officers unless (a fact of which the applicant may be unaware), a plea of urgency is put forward; and whether he can see his way to direct that such stamps shall be procurable during ordinary Post Office hours, as is the case with various classes of stamps usable either for postal or revenue purposes?

I will consider my hon. Friend's suggestion, and communicate further with him in the matter.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how n any proposals in which this country or its dependencies were interested have been rejected by one vote at the League of Nations Assembly since the establish-meat of this body?

As far as can be ascertained, there is only one instance of the occurrence referred to by the hon. and gallant Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that the Powers permitted soldiers in mufti of Marshal Chang Tso-lin to be concealed in the foreign concessions at Tientsin, thereby facilitating their action against the Chinese national forces and their eventual occupation of Tientsin; and what action His Majesty's Government propose to take with a view to ensuring that the sovereign rights of China shall be respected and that no foreign interference shall take place in her internal affairs?

Inquiry has been made from His Majesty's Consul-General at Tientsin, who has replied that the British concession is remote from the Chinese city, and is not concerned in these allegations. The general in command of the Kuominchun, with whom he has been on friendly terms, informed him on 23rd March that his forces were voluntarily withdrawing, in accordance with a circular telegram issued at Peking. There does not appear, therefore, to have been any foreign interference, and there certainly was none so far as His Majesty's Government are concerned.