Written Answers
Road Expenditure
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state for each financial year since the war the amount. apart from taxation allotted to the roads, the State has spent upon the upkeep of roads, making a total of £18,000,000 in all; how much of this £18,000,000 was spent upon the road works initiated and designed mainly for giving work to the unemployed; and will he state the amount of the petrol and motor taxes diverted to general revenue from the Road Improvement Fund during the war years.
I will circulate the answer which includes a table of figures. It will be seen that the total is £24,000,000 instead of £18,000,000.
Following is the answer—
The following table shows the estimated total assistance given from the Exchequer towards road expenditure since 1st April, 1919, apart from the proceeds of taxation specifically allotted to road purposes. The bulk of the payments through the Local Taxation Accounts is represented by the free balances on the Exchequer Contribution Accounts of county authorities which were assigned in 1888 in substitution for the direct Exchequer grants previously made for roads:
| Estimated Payments through the Local Taxation Accounts. | Estimated Direct Exchequer Grants. | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| 1919–20 | … | 1,220,000 | 8,250,000 |
| 1920–21 | … | 1,350,000 | 125,000 |
| 1921–22 | … | 1,350,000 | 900,000 |
| 1922–23 | … | 1,750,000 | 700,000 |
| 1923–24 | … | 1,850,000 | 400,000 |
| 1924-25 | … | 2,500,000 | 525,000 |
| (approx.) | |||
| 1925–26 | … | 2,500,000 | 640,000 |
| (approx.) | |||
| … | 12,520,000 | 11,540,000 |
The total is therefore roughly £24,000,000. The grant of £8,250,000 was given with the dual object of reconditioning the roads of the country after the War and of finding employment for ex-Service men on demobilization. The remainder of the direct Exchequer grants, estimated at £3,290,000, was given primarily to provide work for the unemployed, but it resulted nevertheless in necessary road improvements being carried out and thus reduced the demands upon the Road Fund.
The revenue diverted from the Road Fund to the Exchequer during the years 1915–16 to 1919–20 amounted approximately to £7,333,000. This excludes the yield of the additional duty placed upon petrol during the War.
Safeguarding Of Industries (Strawboard)
asked the President of the Board of Trade why corrugated strawboard has been removed from its official qualification in His Majesty's Customs List, 1926, and included in the packing and wrapping papers for duty; whereas he is aware that it is the raw material -for British corrugated strawboard manufacturers, and 95 per cent. of the imports are used by them for this purpose; that strawboard is not made in this country; that it was not mentioned at the Government inquiry to examine the application for a wrapping paper tariff, and was not included in the list of papers upon which a tariff was recommended in Cmd. 2539; and whether this matter can be reconsidered with a view to placing strawboard back in its proper category and freeing it from tax?
The classification of paper and cardboard in the Official Import and Export List now in force is identical in all respects with that in force during the year 1925. I am advised that strawpaper, or thin strawboard, falls within the terms of the resolution recently passed by the House, and is consequently dutiable whether imported plain or corrugated.
Tuberculosis
asked the Minister of Health what local authorities in England and Wales have introduced light treatment for tuberculosis and in connection with welfare centres?
I will send the hon. Member a list of the local authorities which have made experimental arrangements, with the approval of my Department for light treatment in connection with their tuberculosis or maternity and child welfare schemes.
asked the Secretary for Scotland what local authorities in Scotland have introduced light treatment for tuberculosis and in connection with welfare centres?
Facilities for the treatment of tuberculosis by ultra-violet radiation (light treatment) have been provided or are in course of being pro vided by each of the four large cities, the Middle Ward District Committee of Lanarkshire, the burghs of Greenock, Paisley, Motherwell and Wishaw, Coat-bridge, Falkirk and Kirkcaldy, the County Council of Ross and Cromarty, and also by the following combinations of local authorities, viz: the South Eastern Counties Joint Sanatorium Board, the Fife and Kinross Joint Sanatorium Board, and the Dumfries and Galloway Joint Sanatorium Board, The facilities so provided by local authorities are by arrangement in some instances available for neighbouring areas and the facilities provided at certain voluntary institutions are also available to local authorities. The nine first mentioned local authorities and the burgh of Kilmarnock also provide or are in course of providing light treatment in connection with their schemes of maternity service and child welfare.
asked the Secretary for Scotland, how many local authorities in Scotland make no arrangements for pneumothorax and X-ray, screen diagnosis in connection with tuberculosis schemes?
I have no exact information as to the extent to which pneumothorax treatment is practised in connection with tuberculosis schemes. I am advised that medical opinion is not unanimous as to the value of this particular form of treatment and its use generally and in individual cases must necessarily be left to the discretion of the responsible medical officers of the local authorities. X-ray installations for diagnostic purposes have been provided or are in course of being provided in 15 institutions belonging to local authorities or combinations of local authorities. Local authorities which have not pro
| Period. | Men. | Boys. | Women. | Girls. | Total. | |
| 13 weeks ended 30th March 1925 | … | 1,220 | 734 | 755 | 988 | 3,697 |
| 13 weeks ended 29th March 1920 | … | 1,107 | 857 | 837 | 1,097 | 3,898 |
vided facilities of their own make arrangements with the authorities owning these institutions or with voluntary hospitals or other bodies which have the necessary facilities.
Postmarks (Advertisements)
asked the Postmaster-General whether, in connection with the proposal to affix advertisements by way of postmark and to collect fees for so doing, he is now in a position to state the scale at which it is proposed to assess small advertisements calling attention to purely civic functions; and whether he is aware that many towns are making their plans for the summer accordingly, and would appreciate early guidance on the point?
My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to add anything to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on the 29th April.
Unem Ploym Ent (Walworth Road Exchange)
asked the Minister of Labour the number of men, women and young persons, respectively, who have been found situations through the machinery of the Borough (Walworth Road) Employment Exchange during the three months ending March last, together with the number for the corresponding period of last year.
The following Table shows the number of vacancies filled through the agency of the Borough Employment Exchange including vacancies in other districts filled by that Exchange: