asked the Prime Minister (1) whether the question of the emigration of miners will be raised at the Imperial Conference as a separate issue or as part of the general consideration of Empire migration; and, in either case, whether he has or will have a definite plan to lay before the Imperial Conference;

(2) What steps are being taken in advance of the Imperial Conference to come to an arrangement with Dominion Governments upon the question of the emigration of miners?

I have been asked by the Prime Minister to reply on his behalf, but I am afrad I can add nothing to the reply which I gave on the 19th July to the hon. Member for North Southwark (Mr. Haden Guest).

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the number of motor accidents in which uninsured motorists are concerned and the resulting hardships caused in many cases, he will take immediate steps to make insurance compulsory?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on the 3rd March to my hon. Friend the Member for the Wirral Division (Mr. Grace), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, with regard to the guarantee under the Trades Facilities Act given to the Lochaber water scheme, at present under contract to Messrs. Balfour and Beattie, which was for the purpose of relieving unemployment in the West Highlands, he can state the total number of men employed on this scheme at the end of June, and how many of them were from the Highlands?

I am informed that the number of men employed on the scheme on the 30th June last was 1,276, of whom 481 were from the Highlands.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in respect that the Fionaphort slip or landing stage for passengers between Mull and Iona is in a dangerous condition, necessitating the passengers crawling upon their hands and knees to get to the ferry boat, he will take steps to have the same put into a safe condition?

An application for assistance towards the cost of improving the boat-slip referred to has been made by the local authority with a view to their taking it over from its present owner. I shall be glad to acquaint my hon. and learned Friend when a decision has been reached.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, having regard to the valuable results obtained by the agricultural survey in Kincardineshire, it is intended to extend a similar survey to other counties in Scotland?

I have in contemplation the extension of the survey which has been made in certain parishes in Kincardine to two other selected localities in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will instruct the Board of Agriculture to include in the Annual Agricultural Returns particulars for each farm of the houses on or attached to the farm for the agricultural labourers, and where bothies are used the average number of men and boys housed in these bothies?

The Agricultural Returns Act, 1925, under which the annual agricultural returns are now obtained does not empower the Board of Agriculture to require the occupiers of agricultural land to furnish such particulars as are mentioned in the question. Apart from particulars of acreage and livestock the occupier can only be required to furnish particulars of the persons employed, showing separately the numbers of persons in regular and in casual employment.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that a sergeant, Norman Morrison, was dismissed from the Argyllshire police force by the chief constable for refusing to leave the police union; that at the request of the county council the then Secretary for Scotland had him reinstated with no loss in rank; that the Kilmarnock Town Council, without considering the Report of the tribunal, but accepting the advice of the Scottish Office that it would be illegal to reinstate ex-constables Moore and Hill, decided to take no further action; and whether he can state the reason for the difference in the action of the Scottish Office in the two cases?

As regards the first and second parts of the question, Sergeant Morrison was not dismissed from the Argyllshire police force. He was allowed to tender his resignation, but before it became operative it was decided, on the recommendation of the Chief Constable, that Morrison should continue in the force. As Morrison's connection with the force was not severed, no question of reinstatement arose. As regards the third part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to his question on the 20th instant. As regards the last part of the question, the facts in Morrison's case are fundamentally different from those in the case of the two ex-constables to whom the hon. Member refers.

asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland by whose instructions the camp commandant at Fersil Camp ordered two men, both named John Welsh and suffering from injuries received at work, to leave the camp hospital late on 5th July, and again at breakfast on 6th July; whether these instructions were issued from the offices of the firm at Fort William; and whether the Company provided any conveyance to take these men to Fort William, 25 miles distant?

I am informed that the instructions were given by the company's headquarters office at Fort William, and that the men were conveyed there by the company's train.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he has in mind any general scheme of training in this country for work on the land, with a view to increasing the numbers of suitable emigrants; if so, what; and, if not, whether he will consider the establishment of training centres in this country with a view to the increase of Empire settlement?

The whole question of training for work on the land is at present under the consideration of His Majesty's Government.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, in view of the hardship involved, he will give effect to the principle that an insured contributor under the Unemployment Insurance Acts, whose employment has terminated, should not be deemed to be employed within the meaning of the Act during a period in respect of which he continues to receive holiday pay or compensation; and whether he is aware that any such decision is a hardship upon many insured persons?

Under Section 1 (4) of the Unemployment Insurance (No. 2) Act, 1924, benefit is not payable to a person who after termination of his employment is receiving wages or compensation substantially equivalent to the remuneration he would have received if his employment had not terminated. Other cases of holiday pay or compensation are not expressly dealt with, but fall to be decided in accordance with the general words of the Acts. All questions under this head are decided when they arise by the statutory machinery of the insurance officer, courts of referees, and the umpire.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give figures showing how unemployment consequent on the general strike and coal stoppage has affected the King's National Roll; and if he can give the particular figures relating to Norwich?

The number of firms on the King's National Roll has not altered materially since the end of April, but the records available do not enable me to say definitely what the effect of the general strike and coal stoppage has been in this connection. The number of unemployed disabled ex-service men on the registers of Employment Exchanges has, however, increased from 27,011 to 29,722 between 3rd May, 1926, and 21st June, 1926, the date of the last return. I find that the increase at Norwich for the same period was from 78 to 126.

asked the Home Secretary whether the plain-clothes policemen stationed behind an open window and observed to take notes at a non-political meeting held at the Sanctuary, Storrington, Sussex, on Saturday, 10th July, were there by instructions from Scotland Yard, and on what grounds was such action taken and expense incurred?

No action of the nature indicated was taken by Scotland Yard in regard to the meeting referred to. The second part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Postmaster-General the grounds for the decision to veto the broadcasting of a dialogue on the American debt between the editor of a leading London paper and a well-known American journalist in London?

The dialogue dealt with a controversial question in which the policy of the United States Government was keenly criticised by one speaker and defended by the other. I considered that the broadcasting of such a dialogue would indubitably be an infraction of the existing practice, and I informed the British Broadcasting Company accordingly.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a registered package posted in France was delivered at Dunstable recently with the package open and the contents lost, and that the Post Office has disclaimed liability in such circumstances, on the ground that compensation is only payable in cases in which the covering as well as the contents are lost; upon which Regulation this decision is based; and whether he will take steps to pay compensation in similar cases in future?

The Regulations of the International Postal Convention, to which this country is a party, provide that compensation is only payable in the case of the entire loss of a registered letter and not in the case of loss of contents. The rule is clearly stated in the Post Office Guide, and on the receipt form given to the sender of a registered letter. I regret therefore that I am precluded from accepting liability in such cases as that to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will state the number of telephone installations that were in use and have been completed in Great Britain to the last convenient date?

The total number of telephones on the Post Office system working on the 30th June last was 1,419,181.

asked the Postmaster-General what continental countries are now in direct telephonic communication with Great Britain?

Great Britain is in direct telephonic communication with France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.

asked the Postmaster-General when the building of the new central post office in Tottenham will be commenced?

Provision for the commencement of this building has been made in the Revenue Buildings Estimates for 1926–27, and it is anticipated that actual building operations will be put in hand early in the new year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total amount of wood pulp imported into this country during the last 12 months; and what proportion was derived from Dominion countries?

During the 12 months ended 30th June, 1926, the registered imports into the United Kingdom of wood pulp declared as paper-making material amounted to 1,317,000 tons, of which 156,000 tons, or 12 per cent of the total weight, were registered as consigned from countries within the British Empire.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total consumption of cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco in the United Kingdom for the years 1900, 1913 and 1925?

The quantities of imported tobacco entered for home consumption in the United Kingdom, less the quantities on which drawback was paid, were: In 1900, 80,084,923 lbs., in 1913, 95,976,011 lbs., and in 1925, 133,554,708 lbs. Less than 2 per cent of any of these quantities was imported in the manufactured form, and information is not available as to the proportions in which the remainder was used for the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco, respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of peanut husk meal, rice husk meal and parchment coffee husk meal imported into this country during the past 12 months?

I regret that the information is not available, as these commodities are not distinguished in the trade returns.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in February, 1920, Mr. R. W. Pinder, a married ex-officer, aged 42, was appointed to a situation of senior staff officer at the Board of Trade, and that the said situation was represented to him in writing as permanent and pensionable; that, in order to accept this appointment in the Civil Service, Mr. Pinder, with the knowledge of the Board of Trade, resigned a lucrative commercial post to which he would have returned when no longer required by the Army authorities; that in the 1923–24 Board of Trade. Estimates, dated 28th February, 1923, provision for three months only was made for his remuneration at the Board of Trade; that Mr. Pinder was not provided for in the Board of Trade reorganisation scheme put into operation on the 1st April, which involved, among other things, the appointment of other civil servants of the same class to the staff at the Board of Trade; that on the 2nd March, 1923, Mr. Pinder was informed verbally, and on the 6th March by letter, that his permanent and pensionable appointment in the public service would terminate on the 1st May, although no misconduct or inefficiency was alleged; on what grounds was Mr. Pinder relieved of his duties; what steps were taken to compensate Mr. Pinder for the loss sustained by him owing to his dismissal by the Board of Trade from the permanent Civil Service; and when and by whom were such steps initiated?

I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of an answer on this subject given in the House in 1923, which will give him a detailed reply to the questions he has raised.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the close observation recommended by the Safeguarding Committee as to depreciated foreign currency, and in view of the fall of over 100 francs in the exchange since their Report, he will now consider the recommendation of the Committee to impose a duty on imported foreign worsted goods in that event?

I am keeping under constant observation all the factors, of which my hon. Friend will recollect that currency depreciation is only one.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will give the number of officers not holding permanent regular commissions who are employed on the staff of the regular Army, and their Departments?

The number of officers not holding permanent regular commissions who are employed on the staff or extra-regimentally is four, of whom two are employed on legal duties, one on transportation and one on postal work.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether official experiments to determine the most suitable rifle barrel and cartridge for a service rifle to supersede the S.M.L.E. have been concluded; and, if so, when does he propose to commence the issue of such improved rifle and ammunition to the Army and to the Territorial Force, respectively?

Official experiments with rifle barrels and ammunition are proceeding, but there is no intention of an immediate supersession of the arm at present in use.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether, having regard to the developments of gas warfare which have taken place since 1918 and the relative ease with which enemy aircraft could attack London with gas and other bombs, and the risks to which the civil population would be exposed, he will take immediate steps to ensure that every man, woman and child shall be supplied with a defensive gas respirator and to arrange that thorough instruction in its use shall be given in infant schools, elementary schools, and secondary schools?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Attercliffe (Mr. Cecil Wilson) on the 10th February.

asked the Minister of Health how many systems of poured concrete in situ, as recommended by the Moir Committee, have been approved by his Department; and what are the names of such systems?

It is not the practice of the Department to give general approval of particular systems of construction, and it is not necessary, under the present State-assisted housing schemes, for local authorities to submit for my approval details of the construction of houses unless the system of construction proposed is one for which a period of less than 60 years would be allowed for the repayment of a loan. Consequently I have no complete records of the number of systems which have been adopted. I have, however, information as to many systems or variants of systems of poured concrete, and if the hon. and gallant Member would desire to have particulars of these I should be happy to arrange an interview for him with technical officers of my Department.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses rated at £26 a year and under that were completed during the last financial year without any assistance from public funds; and whether any estimate has been made as to the number completed since 1st April of this year?

During the year ended 31st March last 46,718 houses of a rateable value not exceeding £26 (£35 in the Metropolitan Police District) were completed without State assistance. No estimate is available as to the number of such houses completed since that date.

asked the Minister of Health whether any arrangements are being made for establishing a committee to consider housing in colliery districts, as recommended by the Royal Commission on the coal industry; and how many houses have been built since the armistice in districts where the mining population exceeds 20 per cent. of the whole by local authorities, by colliery companies, by public utility societies, and by unassisted private enterprise, respectively?

With regard to the first part of the question, I would remind the hon. and gallant Member that the Government included an inquiry into colliery housing in the suggestion which they submitted to both parties in May last, but they are unable to make further progress until they can consult representatives of the mineowners and miners on the matter. I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the question is not available.

asked the Minister of Health if he is yet in a position to make any statement regarding the inadequate heating arrangements and shortage of blankets at the Kingsbridge Poor Law infirmary?

Yes, Sir. I caused a special visit to be paid to this institution by a medical inspector who conferred with the officers of the guardians on the arrangements. The inspector reports that the facilities for heating and the supply of blankets available are adequate. The attention of the guardians has been called to the need for making full use of the provision made by them.

asked the Minister of Health the number of single persons and the number of families that were relieved during the week ended 24th July by the Special Commissioners who have now charge of the West Ham Poor Law Union, and the total amount paid out by them for out-door relief to the unemployed; the extra assistance given to the permanent relieving officers at the various relieving stations; and the number of relieving stations now operating in the West Ham Poor Law Union?

The clerk has been asked to furnish this information, and my right hon. Friend will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as it is received.