asked the Secretary for Mines the number of mines producing coal in 1918 and in 1925, together with the amount of output and the number of persons employed?

The figures are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, seeing that, when the Stevenson rubber restriction scheme was introduced, the price of 1s. 3d. for rubber was fixed as representing a fair return to plantations which, it was estimated, could produce rubber at about 10d. per lb., whether he is prepared to make a statement explaining the motives which led to an announcement by the Colonial Office at the end of April last to the effect that restriction of rubber marketed by platations in the British East Indies would recommence in the August-October quarter of this year if the average price of the commodity on the London market during the current quarter was less than 1s. 9d.?

When the scheme was introduced it was generally agreed that it would be fair to the various sections of the industry to base the provisions on the maintenance of an average range or prices round about a price from 1s. 3d. to 1s. 6d. a pound, so that a 5 per cent. or 10 per cent. increase of the amount of rubber exportable at the minimum rate of duty should take place when average prices of not less than those mentioned were attained for any of the quarterly periods. As my hon. and gallant Friend will be aware, for many months average prices were below this range, and when ultimately, some 12 months ago, a. very rapid rise in the spot price took place, with a consequent upward movement in the prices at which forward contracts were arranged, the conditions were such as to make it necessary to review the basis on which the scheme had been prepared in 1922. In these circumstances it was decided by His Majesty's Government that revision of what may be termed the pivotal price range was required to bring the restriction measures more into line with actual conditions in the industry. At the same time the concessions which have from time to time been made in the direction of increasing the assessments of standard production of estates in Ceylon and Malaya have resulted in the increase of actual exports to such an extent as to require the provision of some more immediately effective degree of restriction than was contemplated in the existing scheme in the event of the average price of rubber falling below the pivotal range.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of men, women and children, respectively, who have emigrated to Canada under the joint British and Canadian Governments' scheme (Empire Settlement Act, 1922), at a fare of £3, to the latest convenient date, together with the number of emigrants for the corresponding period of the previous year?

The number of persons granted reduced passages to Canada under the new Agreement arranged with the Canadian Government during the first five months of 1926 was:

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is now able to announce the names of the members appointed to the Commission which will investigate drainage questions in the Doncaster area and the Isle of Axholme, together with their terms of reference?

The constitution and terms of reference of the Commission are as follow:Sir H. C. Monro, K.C.B., late Permanent Secretary of the Local Government Board (

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed women registered at the Employment Exchanges in the Metropolitan area?

The number of women on the registers of Employment Exchanges in the area of Greater London at 21st June, 1926, was 24,120.