asked the Minister of Labour whether miners who are not immediately restarted at a mine when agreements are arrived at will at once be recognised for unemployment benefit?

Miners who are not re-engaged will cease to be disqualified for benefit under the trade dispute provision when the stoppage of work due to the dispute at the colliery at which they were employed has ended. The precise date of the ending of the stoppage, and the question whether the other conditions for benefit are fulfilled, are matters for determination by the statutory authorities in the light of the actual circumstances of each particular case.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the owners of Tatfield Colliery, County Durham, have refused to re-instate certain ex-service men; and whether, in view of the existence of the King's Rofl, he will investigate this matter with a view to the re-instatement of such men?

I have already instituted full inquiries and will communicate the result to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give further consideration to the proposal to appoint a service tribunal to review the cases of ex-service men discharged since September, 1921?

This question has been under consideration, but I am not satisfied that there are grounds for setting up such a tribunal.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has received from the British Legion information regarding the sale of War medals by pawnbrokers to the general public; and, if so, what action he has taken or proposes to take in the matter?

Yes, Sir. Certain cases have been brought to notice by the British Legion, but I am advised that the circumstances are not such as to warrant proceedings being taken.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any British officers or ex-officers have applied for permission to serve in the army of Soviet Russia; and, if so, what action he has taken?

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has now received information regarding the refusal of the Soviet Government to accept Chervonetz notes from abroad; and what amount of loss to British holders is involved in this default?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given on the 1st instant to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for. Shoreditch (Mr. Thurtle). I have as yet no information that any losses have I been incurred by British subjects.

asked the Minister of Health when it is proposed to put into operation the recommendation recently made by the Royal Commission on National Health Insurance that the scope of the benefit should he extended to include a consultant and specialist medical service, and that the necessary funds for this purpose should be obtained by a partial pooling of future surpluses of approved societies?

My right hon. Friend is not at present in a position to say what action will be taken with regard to the recommendation to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that it is the practice of his Department in the awarding of pensions under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, to hold up a pension of a widow on the attainment of her eldest pensionable child to the age of 14 years whilst the necessary adjustments are being made, he will, in view of the hardship which is thus caused, so arrange that there should be no stoppage in the payment of the pension?

The general practice is not as stated in the hon. Member's question. The arrangements provide for continuity of payment of the widows' pension, including allowances for any younger children, while inquiries are pro- ceeding to determine the position of the eldest child. My right hon. Friend is aware that cases have arisen in which there has been a temporary interruption of payment, but these cases are exceptional.

asked the Minister of Health how many applications for old age pensions were received during the six months ended 1st November, 1926; how many cases have been settled; and how many are still undecided?

The total number of applications for old age pensions received in the six months up to 1st November, 1926, in England, Scotland and Wales, was 216,914, of which 153,818 fell under the Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, and 62,996 under the old Acts. Figures are not available to show the position of the latter, but as regards the former, 135,981 had been settled and 17,837 remained undecided on 1st November. It is not possible to say how many of these have been settled in the interval, but since 1st November 8,557 further claims by virtue of the Act of 1925 have been received, and the total number of such claims now undecided is 14,266.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of persons in receipt of out-door relief from the Dudley Board of Guardians, the West Bromwich Board of Guardians, and the Walsall Board of Guardians, respectively, during the current year up to 30th November, and for the corresponding period in 1924 and 1925, respectively?

The figures are as follow:The average number of persons in receipt, of relief in Walsall Union was:From 1st January to 30th November:

1924	…	…	…	6,677
1925	…	…	…	6,260
1926	…	…	…	10,424

and in West Bromwich Union was:From let January to 30th November:

1924	…	…	…	4,411
1925	…	…	…	4,160
1926	…	…	…	5,651

asked the Minister of Health the total amount expended by the Dudley Board of Guardians, the West Bromwich Board of Guardians, and the Walsall Board of Guardians, respectively, for the current year up to 30th November, and the amount for the same period during 1924 and 1923, respectively?

The figures are as follow:The total cost of out-relief in the Walsall Union:From 1st January to 30th November:

				£
1924	…	…	…	63,767
1925	…	…	…	70,177
1926	…	…	…	118,166

West Bromwich Union:From 1st January to 30th November:

				£
1924	…	…	…	49,604
1925	…	…	…	55,315
1926	…	…	…	64,035

The information sought in respect of the Dudley Union has not yet reached me, but I will forward it to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will make available for the information of Members of this House copies of the provisional scheme for Poor Law amendment which has been circulated to the local authorities?

My right hon. Friend is sending the hon. Member a copy of the paper to which he refers, with a copy of a circular letter which was issued to Poor Law authorities, and my right hon. Friend twill be happy to send copies of the same documents to other Members of the House who may wish to see them and have not already done so.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been called to the refusal of the guardians of the Burton Union to grant relief to destitute women and children; whether he is aware that 12 women with families varying from six to 10 in number applied for relief to the relieving officer, and he definitely refused relief on the ground that the women were the wives of miners and there was work for the men to do; and if he will communicate with the Burton Board of Guardians calling attention to their statutory duty to relieve destitute persons?

My right hon. Friend's attention has not previously been called to this matter. If the hon. Member will give the particulars necessary to enable the cases which he has in mind to be identified inquiries will be made.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that in the county of York overcrowding is reported in the casual wards of Leeds, Bradford, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Selby, Hensworth, Wetherby, Wharfedale, York, and Barnsley; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

My right hon. Friend is aware that there is, or has been, some overcrowding in some, but not all, of the casual wards mentioned. Generally speaking, additional accommodation has been, or is being, made available, or is under consideration. An Order has been issued setting up a Joint Committee on Vagrancy for Yorkshire, and my right hon. Friend hopes the Committee will be able at an early date to review the position and submit any necessary proposals to him.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will furnish a Return showing the amount sanctioned by way of loan to local authorities in respect of unemployment relief for the financial year 1925–26, and for the period since the beginning of the present financial year?

The following return shows the amounts of loans and overdrafts sanctioned in respect of current expenditure at the dates mentioned. I cannot, however, indicate to what extent these borrowings are dependent upon the relief of unemployment:

Union.	Total Amount of Overdraft and/or Loan Authorised.
	At 31st March, 1925.	At 31st March, 1926.	At 6th December, 1926.
1	2.	3.	4.
	£	£	£
Abergavenny	Nil	Nil	13,650
Ainwick	Nil	Nil	6,000
Ashby-de-la Zouch	Nil	Nil	28,000
Ashton-under-Lyne.	50,000	Nil	15,000
Auckland	Nil	40,000	159,000
Barnsley	Nil	Nil	290,000
Barnstaple	Nil	Nil	500
Barrow-in-Furness	185,000	205,000	205,000
Barton-upon-Irwell.	Nil	Nil	7,000
Basford	Nil	Nil	130,000
Bedwellty	364,000	549,000	994,000
Bermondsey	Nil	25,000	50,000
Bethnal Green	Nil	52,000	37,000
Birmingham	910,000	910,000	854,000
Bootle	Nil	Nil	4,000
Bridgend and Cowbridge.	45,000	30,000	207,000
Burnley	Nil	Nil	20,000
Burton-upon-Trent.	Nil	Nil	10,000
Cannock	3,000	Nil	30,000
Caatle Ward	Nil	Nil	30,000
Cheadle	Nil	Nil	2,000
Chepatow	4,000	Nil	Nil
Chesterfield	Nil	Nil	115,500
Chester-le-Street	Nil	120,000	230,000
Chorley	Nil	Nil	6,400
Clutton	Nil	Nil	12,000
Cockermouth	50,000	50,000	87,000
Congleton	Nil	Nil	4,000
Crickhowell	25,000	25,000	71,000
Dartford	130,000	130,000	93,000
Dewabury	Nil	Nil	25,000
Doncaster	Nil	Nil	150,000
Dover	Nil	8,000	16,000
Durham	Nil	25,000	135,000
East and West Flegg.	Nil	Nil	1,000
Easington	Nil	Nil	245,000
Edmonton	30,000	Nil	30,000
Faversham	9,500	Nil	Nil
Fofeshill	5,000	Nil	2,000
Gateshead	50,000	120,000	270,000
Gower	Nil	3,000	4,000
Greenwich	65,000	65,000	105,000
Guisborough	10,000	Nil	14,000
Hartlepoof	Nil	10,000	35,000
Hawarden	Nil	Nil	5,000
Hemsworth	Nil	Nil	180,000
Holywell	Nil	Nil	5,000
Houghton-le-Spring.	7,000	10,000	153,000
Lanchester	Nil	199,000	270,000
Leigh	Nil	Nil	21,000
Lichfield	Nil	Nil	8,000
Lincoln	30,000	25,000	25,000
Llandilofawr	Nil	Nil	5,000
Llanelly	Nil	25,000	75,000
Louth	Nil	Nil	2,000
Madeley	Nil	Nil	1,000
Mansfield	Nil	Nil	120,000
Merthyr Tydfil	40,000	98,000	445,000
Middlesbrough	220,000	210,000	140,000

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of qualified Southborough candidates who have been appointed to established posts; and whether he can indicate the numbers appointed to the various Departments in the Civil Service?

The number of qualified Southborough candidates appointed to established posts up to and including the 30th November is 4,751. As the reply to the latter part of the question is in tabular form, I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a. table showing the numbers assigned to the various Departments.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the financial loss incurred by persons obliged to serve as jurymen or jurywomen at Courts of Assize, he will consider legislation having as its object the payment of expenses to citizens so empanelled?

I have been asked to reply. Though my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is not unsympathetic to the suggestion that jurors in criminal cases should be repaid the expenses incurred in the discharge of their duty, he is unable to propose legislation at the present time for putting this additional charge upon public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what points he considers that the questionnaire of the Mandates Commission exceeds the limits beyond which it is unjustifiable for a home Government to interfere with a Colonial Administration?

I have been asked to reply. The matter is not one that can be dealt with by question and answer.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, as at the present time, the British Government is hound by All-in Arbitration Treaties to any other country, and, if so, which?

The only existing Treaty of this nature is that with Uruguay of 18th April, 1918.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can give the names of the countries which have made offers of all-in arbitration to this country during the lifetime of the present Government?

Inquiries whether His Majesty's Government would be prepared to conclude treaties of this nature have been received in the case of Denmark, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

asked the Minister of Pensions what is the total sum at present in the hands of the Ministry representing moneys withheld from the pensions of children of men who lost their lives in the great War; whether it is banked; and whether the children, when paid the accumulated money on reaching the age of discretion, will receive compound interest on the money withheld before they reach the age of 16?

I regret that it is not possible without very lengthy research to state the aggregate amount of the pensions or allowances which have been withheld in these cases. I may say, however, that so far as possible any sums so withheld are deposited in the Post Office Savings Bank and carry interest at the ordinary rates for the benefit of the child.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the use to which Conon Lodge, Uig, Skye, was put by the Board of Agriculture; and what were the reasons which led them to offer it for sale?

The Conon Lodge was used by the Board of Agriculture as a residence for their factor. The purchase of further lands in Skye since the passing of the Land Settlement Act of 1919 has made it desirable that the Board's estate office should be situated at a more convenient centre than Uig. The estate administration has accordingly been removed to Portree as from Martinmas, 1926.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that much of the third-class rolling stock now in use on London suburban steam railways is obsolete and uncomfortable; and whether, in view of the fact that these companies charge fares similar to those in operation on main-line trains, he is prepared to take steps to see that the railway companies provide better conditions for the travelling public in the London area?

This is not a matter within my control, but if the hon. Member has any specific suggestions to make with regard to the rolling stock of any particular railway company, I shall be happy to bring them to the company's notice.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can supply any further information as to the use of multigraph and similar printing machines in offices other than factories, and as to the extent to which such premises have been brought within the provisions of the Factory Acts?

As the hon. Member was informed in reply to his question on this subject on the 5th March. 1925, my right hon. Friend is advised that the processes now in use for multi-graphing by machines set with type are forms of letterpress printing, and that any premises or room in which any such process is carried on regularly and to a substantial extent come within the definition of letterpress printing works which are expressly included in the Act. The factory inspectors were instructed to enforce the Act accordingly, and the reports which have been subsequently received show that, as a result of these instructions, the Act has been applied in a considerable number of cases, and no serious difficulty has been experienced. There are, of course, many office premises where the multigraphing process is carried on only intermittently and not to any substantial extent or where the machines in use do not employ type. Such cases, I am advised, would not come within the Act, but the hon. Member may be interested to know that the inspectors report that, where they have visited such premises, the conditions, generally speaking, have been found to be satisfactory.

Regulation.	Prosecutions.		Number of Persons Convicted.		Proceedings Pending.		Discharged etc.
	Number of Cases.	Persons Involved.	Sentenced to Imprisonment.	Other Sentences.	Number of Cases.	Persons Involved.	Persons.
19	4	4	4	—	—	—	—
20	17	36	13	14	3	3	6
21 (1) Causing disaffection.	76	160	36	52	16	23	49
21 (1) Restricting supplies.	84	195	13	52	20	52	78
21 (2)	1	7	—	1	—	—	6
28	4	4	—	4	—	—	—
32	1	4	—	—	1	4	—
34	1	1	—	1	—	—	—
Coal (Emergency) Directions.	96	100	1	60	8	4	36
Total	284	511	66	184	48	86	175

asked the Postmaster-General the amount of fees or remuneration that has been paid to the advertising experts employed by his Department in connection with the postmark advertising scheme?

No such expense has been incurred.

asked the Postmaster-General whether any, and, if so, how many, prosecutions have been instituted against persons working but failing to take out a wireless licence for portable wireless sets?

asked the Home Secretary whether he will furnish a Return showing the number of prosecutions and convictions under the Emergency Powers Act and Regulations, classified according to the nature of the offence, for the period from 16th October?

The latest available figures relate to prosecutions commenced during the period 17th October-17th November last. They are as follow:

It has not yet been necessary to institute a, prosecution for the use of a portable wireless set without a licence.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) the total payments by the British, Indian and Ceylon Governments, respectively, during the last financial year for the carriage of all mails both ways between Marseilles and Bombay, between Marseilles and Colombo, and between Toulon and Colombo;(2) the various routes by which mails are conveyed between England and New Zealand; the normal transit time by each route; and the sums paid by the British and New Zealand Governments, respectively, during the last financial year for the carriage of mails by all routes;

I am unable to state what payments have been made by the Post Offices of India, Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand in the last financial year for the services referred to by the hon. Member. As regards British services, an inclusive annual payment of £295,000 is made to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company for the Eastern Mail Service which includes not only the sections Marseilles-Bombay, Marseilles-Colombo and Marseilles-Fremantle, but also the conveyance of mails by sea from London and the mail services to Egypt, Palestine, Aden, East Africa (with transhipment), the Straits Settlements and China, and the carriage of New Zealand mails despatched via Australia, and the contract does not assign a figure of cost to any particular section of the service. Similarly on the North Atlantic service the conveyance to New York of the mails for New Zealand sent via North America is covered by the annual payments for the contract services of the White Star and Cunard Lines. Apart from the contract payments referred to, the actual outpayments on the services during the last financial year amounted to approximately £36,000. The routes used for the mails for New Zealand and the average times of transit are:

To New Zealand:
		Days.
Via Canada	…	31–32
Via U.S.A	…	31–34
Via Panama	…	36–44
Via Suez	…	39–40
London—Fremantle:
Via Toulon or Marseilles	…	26
London—Sydney:
Via Toulon or Marseilles	…	31
Via San Francisco	…	34–35

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the situation created by speculation in Lancashire mill undertakings involving the loss of large sums of shareholders' money in circumstances which have been adversely commented upon by the Official Receiver in bankruptcy in certain cases; whether he has received requests for a full inquiry into the circumstances of the recapitalisation of such undertakings during 1919–20; and what steps he proposes to take in the public interest?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Requests for an inquiry have on more than one occasion been received from a body called the Lancashire Shareholders and Loan-holders Protection Association. The Board of Trade have no jurisdiction to investigate the affairs of a company which is not in liquidation, except under the provisions of Section 109 of the Companies (Consolidation) Act, 1908. The affairs of one of the companies to which reference has been made are at present being investigated by an Inspector appointed under that Section. Another company is at present in compulsory liquidation, and the Official Receiver is carrying out a full investigation into the promotion, formation and conduct of the business of that company and into the causes of its failure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been drawn to the complaints of the Association of European Civil Servants of Nigeria regarding travelling facilities and the equipment of fans in second-class cabins on the Elder, Dempster, and Company's boats; and what action can be taken by his Department to improve such travelling facilities?

The attention of the Board of Trade had not previously been drawn to this matter, but they have made inquiries and understand there has been correspondence between the Association and the Company regarding the provision of electric fans in the second-class cabins in one ship. The owners inform me that this is the oldest vessel in this particular section of the fleet and will soon be on turn to come off the run, and as there is not such a heavy demand on the second-class accommodation it was not thought expedient to fit this vessel. The owners also call attention to the very great improvements that have been made in recent years in the travelling facilities to West Africa. The Board of Trade do not propose to take any action.