asked the Postmaster-General the estimated surplus or deficit on the postal, telephone, telegraph, and wireless services for six months ended 1st June, 1926, or for six months to the last convenient date?

The estimated figures in respect of the six months ended 31st March, 1926, are as follows:

The hours of duty of auxiliary sorters mostly range from nine to 24 a week, and the present rates of pay are from 1s. 3½d to 1s. 4d. an hour. The services of these men are only required during the period of evening pressure, and I regret that it is impracticable to increase their attendances.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the number of members of the typing grades employed in the Money Order Department who are classified A or above-average for promotion purposes?

As stated in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Limehouse (Mr. Attlee) on the 22nd of March last, four such officers have been classified A.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the statements by the managing director of Amalgamateed Wireless (Australasia), Limited, that Australia has wireless stations capable of conducting experiments in wireless telephony with those in this country, that the stations are ready, and that they are willing to co-operate upon receipt of an invitation from Great Britain, that invitation will be extended; and, if not, for what reason?

As stated in reply to a question on this subject on 4th May, I have communicated with the Australian authorities and I understand that the Australian Wireless Company have no stations which could undertake suitable radiotelephonic transmission to this country. Two-way experiments are therefore impracticable; but they have offered to receive the experimental transmissions from Rugby and to report their strength. I have informed them that I welcome this offer, and I have furnished the necessary particulars of the Rugby transmissions. Unfortunately, however, it has been necessary to suspend the Rugby experiments during the present emergency in order to economise coal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, on the appointment of committees under the provisions of the White Paper on Safeguarding of Industries, instructions have been given by his Department to the committees that, for the purposes of determining whether imports are abnormal or not, comparison should be made with the imports of the year 1913 as a standard; and, if so, whether, in any further cases, this question will be left to the unfettered discretion of the committees to determine?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative, and consequently the second part does not arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent the recent depreciation of the French franc has affected the capacity of French woollen manufacturers to undersell British wool manufacturers; and whether it is now intended to safeguard the British woollen worsted industry as foreshadowed by the Committee's Report?

I regret that I am unable to furnish the estimate asked for in the first part of the question. As regards the second part I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to him on the 27th April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of fuel oil imported into this country during 1925?

334·4 million gallons.

asked the Secretary for Scotland on what dates the estate of Eriboll has been exposed for sale by the Board of Agriculture, the upset price on each occasion, and the highest bid received; and what price was paid by the Board of Agriculture when they bought the estate of Eriboll for those subjects which were exposed for sale on these occasions?

Eriboll Estate was exposed for sale by public auction on the 31st March, 1926, at the upset price of £12,000, and was re-exposed for sale on the 12th May, 1926, at the reduced upset price of £11,000. No bids were received at either of these auctions. The price paid by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for the subjects offered for sale was £12,000.

asked the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of the statement recently made by a deputation representing the Scottish Steam Drifters' Association, Limited, the Scottish Herring Curers' Association, the British Herring Exporters' Association, the National Herring Fisheries Protection Association, the Scottish Fishermen's Association, and the 21 municipal councils, to himself and the Minister of Agriculture that the condition of the gear used by herring fishermen is most serious, that lack of funds and the present high price of gear make renewals impossible, that many vessels are working to-day with worn-out gear, and that credit facilities which have been given from different quarters are exhausted, he will now reconsider the question of extending credit facilities to fishermen for the replacement of their lost and damaged gear?

As the hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware, the statement to which he refers was not made with the object of inducing the Government to extend credit facilities for the purpose indicated in the question. Assistance of that kind has not been asked for.

asked the Minister of Pensions if there are yet any arrangements by which pensioners temporarily resident abroad draw their pensions from the British representative in that place?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 6th March, 1925, to the hon. and gallant Member for Totnes (Major Harvey), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses under construction in England and Wales on the following dates: 1st January, 1925, 15th June, 1925, and 1st December, 1925; and whether these numbers include houses built by private enterprise without State assistance?

Statistics as to progress under the assisted housing schemes show the position at the beginning of each month. The numbers of State-assisted houses under construction on the 1st January, 1925, 1st June, 1925, and 1st December, 1925, were 54,027, 60,706 and 75,901, respectively. Statistics as to houses built by private enterprise without State assistance are obtained half-yearly. The numbers of such houses under construction on the 1st April, 1925, were 35,835, and on the 1st October, 1925, were 37,660.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is in contemplation to remove the department of A.D.O.S. (Provision), from Pimlico to Didcot; if so, whether he can give an approximate date on which the removal will take place; whether, in that case, he will consider the issue of an early notification of the proposed removal to the employés concerned; and whether ample time will be given for agreement to be reached with representatives of the appropriate associations regarding the conditions under which the men are to be transferred to the new depot?

The future of the department of A.D.O.S. (Provision) is under consideration. The fullest possible notice will be given of any transfer of staff which may prove to be necessary as a result of such decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many munition factories are still at work in Germany?

The number authorised by the Military Commission of Control is 34. This has been done under the authority conferred on the Commission by Article 168, Section 1, of the Treaty of Versailles. I cannot, without longer notice, state how many of these factories are actually at work at the moment.

asked the Secretary for Mines the estimate of the loss per ton on the selling price of German coal mined in the Ruhr area prior to the general strike in this country?

No, Sir. There are no data for such an estimate.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that two non-provided elementary schools in Ramsgate, Christchurch School and Holy Trinity School, were condemned as unfit for educational purposes; that a period of two years which was given to enable the schools to be brought up to standard, otherwise recognition would be withdrawn, has now expired; and what action he proposes to take in the circumstances?

There is no Holy Trinity School in Ramsgate; I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the St. Augustine's Roman Catholic School. I am aware of the position as regards this and the Christchurch School. The managers of the latter have submitted proposals for the improvement of the premises and have undertaken to begin the work during the present summer. As regards St. Augustine's, the managers have secured a new site and plans for an enlarged school have been received in my Department.

asked the Minister of Transport what action, if any, he proposes to take with regard to the protest unanimously passed by the Whitley Joint Council for the West Midland Roadstone Quarry Industry, representing the employers and employé at Ludlow, on the 2nd February, against the illegal action of the Clun Rural District Council in quarrying and supplying road stone to the Salop County Council and to the Bishop's Castle Corporation, particularly in view of the fact that the Clun Rural District Council paid wages at a lower rate than the rate fixed by the joint industrial council and recognised as standard rates for the district?

Having inquired into the circumstances, I do not consider that this is a case which calls for the intervention of my Department. As my hon. and gallant Friend is aware, objection can be raised at the audit of the local authority's accounts to any expenditure which is thought to be illegal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received representations from the granite and roadstone trade on the subject of the increasing use by local authorities of foreign setts and kerbs; whether, since the British article is equivalent in value and its production increases employment, he can make representations to the local authorities in general as to the need for preference to British undertakings; and what, generally, is the action he is taking on the whole matter?

I have been asked to reply. As regards road works assisted from the road Fund the policy of my Department is in conformity with the terms of Circular No. 400, issued by the Ministry of Health in May, 1922, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy. Wherever I am in a position to do so, I take steps to bring pressure upon the local authorities to use British plant and material. In addition, formal permission of the Department has to be obtained before any foreign plant or material can be used on works expedited for the relief of unemployment. I do not consider it possible, however, to insist on specific sanction in advance for the use of foreign plant or material in connection with all works assisted by grants from the Road Fund, such as, for example, the ordinary works of maintenance and improvement in Class I and Class II Roads. These works are of very considerable extent and are widely distributed, and local authorities would resent interference on the part of a Government Department in the details of local administration. It should also be pointed out that only a portion of the work of the highway authorities comes under the review of my Department.

The tonnage of imported roadstone represents less than one-sixtieth part of the total consumption of roadstone in Great Britain. Some parts of the country are so placed as to enable water-borne materials from abroad to compete favourably with British products and the possibility of this competition has sometimes proved useful in preventing undue advances in the price of British materials.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Trade Facilities Committee have recently recommended that a guarantee under the Trades Facilities Act should be given to the Buenos Aires Water Company for an extension of their works, and that the Buenos Aires Water Company, as part of the same scheme, have placed orders for four pumps with a Swiss company to be manufactured in Switzerland; whether the order for these pumps was placed by the company after the commencement of their negotiations with the Trade Facilities Committee, or whether the fact that the order was being placed with a Swiss company was known to the Trade Facilities Committee before the negotiations with the company were concluded; whether he is aware that British makers tendered to supply British-made pumps equally suitable to the purpose at a comparable price; and whether the Trade Facilities Committee will insist on orders for plant by companies enjoying trade facilities financial assistance being placed with manufacturers in the United Kingdom during the continuance of such financial aid?

The statements in the first part of the question are correct. The guaranteed loan is for £200,000 on a total construction programme of about £320,000. The cost of the pumps, which is, of course, a small item, is defrayed not from the guaranteed loan, but from capital raised otherwise by the company. The order was placed after the negotiations began but before the guaranteed was given. The Advisory Committee were not aware of the order before the guarantee was approved, but caused inquiries to be made when the fact came before them. The statement that British-made pumps equally suitable were available is denied by the company, who only decided to buy these pumps from abroad on being informed by their consulting engineer that the pumps selected were the only ones which in his considered opinion would give efficient service under the special conditions prevailing, and that he declined to accept any responsibility for the efficient working of the plant if any other pumps had been ordered. The practice of the Advisory Committee has for some time been as suggested, and the present case forms no real exception, the purchase of British-made plant having been found impracticable for the reasons stated above.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of agricultural labourers, or representatives of rural workers, on County Agricultural Committees, and the method of their appointment or selection?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Act, 1919, empowers the Ministry to appoint not more than one-third of the members of each County Agricultural Committee in England and Wales, the remaining members being appointed by the County Council concerned. The Act requires that such persons only as have practical, commercial, technical or scientific knowledge of agriculture, or an interest in agricultural land, shall be appointed. The total number of members of County Agricultural Committees is 2,509. Of these 207 (or 8-3 per cent.) are representatives of agricultural labour, of whom 128 have been appointed by the Ministry. In reply to the last part of the hon. Member's question, the Act requires that unless the County Council otherwise determine, persons appointed by the Council to the Agricultural Committee shall be persons who are members of the Council. County Councils, generally speaking, consider that in principle it is desirable that members appointed by them to serve on Agricultural Committees shall be members of the County Council. As the number of representatives of agricultural labour elected to County Councils throughout England and Wales is relatively small, the choice of representatives of agricultural labour is necessarily restricted. So far as appointment of members by the Ministry is concerned, my Department always takes into account, before making any appointment, any suggestions that may have been received from organisations representing agricultural labour.