asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information regarding the efforts being made by the Hankow Government, or by organisations such as the Wuhan Peace Preservation Committee, formed within the territories of this Government, for promoting the resumption of business relations with foreigners in the Wuhan cities?

A telegram from Mr. Newton at Hankow reports that Mr. Eugene Chen has expressed his anxiety to restore the economic life of the port, and to obtain the co-operation of foreign firms including Japanese. The reports from Hankow show that there are two obstacles to the resumption of normal business: (1) The prohibition of all movements of silver which has led to a suspension of the re-opening of foreign banks, and (2) the general insecurity and fear of extremist violence which have caused a general exodus of better-class Chinese, including the compradores of firms.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the numbers of extra troops despatched by other States to China since the present crisis began?

Particulars of the naval forces of the Powers in China were given in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Wardlaw-Milne) on the 13th of April. Since that date it has been announced that reinforcements of ships have been or are being sent by the United States, Japan and France, as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has decided, having regard to the recent discovery of Soviet documents at Peking, to make any protest to the Soviet Government with regard to Soviet anti-British propaganda in China?

I cannot at present add anything to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State to the questions put by my hon. Friends the Members for Reading (Mr. H. Williams) and South Kensington (Sir W. Davison), on the 26th of April.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if, having in view the guarantee given by the Trade Facilities Committee for the electrification of the Southern Railway, any condition is imposed on the railway company that as far as possible contracts should be placed in this country?

The South Eastern and Chatham Construction and Equipment Company did not avail themselves of this guarantee which was subsequently withdrawn (see House of Commons Paper 140 of 1925)

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the machinery by which temporary and established civil servants, respectively, can have their grievances considered; and is there machinery existing to-day by which appeals can be made to an impartial and non-political tribunal, irrespective of the particular State Department to which the civil servants making the appeal may belong?

It is open to any civil servant, whether established or otherwise, to make representations through the proper channel to the head of his Department, on any matter on which he feels aggrieved. Recognised associations of civil servants may also make application for deputations to be received by the proper authority. Subject to certain limitations as regards higher officers, provision exists under the system of the National and Departmental Whitley Councils for the discussion of questions affecting the remuneration and other conditions of service of civil servants.Failing agreement by negotiation and subject to similar limitations, arbitration by a special panel of the Industrial Court is open to Government Departments on the one hand, and to recognised associations of civil servants within the scope of the National Whitley Council for the administrative and legal departments and of departmental councils allied thereto on the other hand, in regard to claims affecting emoluments, weekly hours of work and leave.In the case of industrial staffs, suitable machinery also exists for discussion on Joint Industrial Councils and, failing agreement, for the reference to the Industrial Court, by consent of the parties concerned, of matters affecting the remuneration of such staffs.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the total number of claims under Head I heard before the Commission for Awards to Inventors; how many of these claimants have been compelled to take legal proceedings in the High Courts to establish the validity of their patents; and in how many cases have the Treasury succeeded in preventing such claims from being presented?

I am informed that the total number of claims under Head I heard before the Royal Commission on Awards to inventors is 59. In four of these cases the validity and/or infringement of the patent has been disputed: in two of them proceedings in the High Court have been necessary: in the other two the Commission itself has, by consent of the interested parties, adjudicated on the validity and/or infringement. In many other cases, the Commission has dealt with the matter broadly with the consent of both sides, considering the general merits of the invention and all the circumstances of the caseThere are also certain cases in which the patentee finding that the validity and/or infringement of the patent was denied or that there was a doubt on one or both of these points, has abandoned his patent rights, if any, and applied for an