asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when it is intended to publish Admiral Harper's Report on the Battle of Jutland; whether it is to be published in its original form; and the reasons for the delay in its publication?

It is expected that the Report will be issued on Wednesday, 1st June; it will be published, as has already been stated, in its original un-amended form. All the valuable part of the Report has been published in the "Official Narrative," or made use of by Sir Julian Corbett in his book, "Naval Operations," Volume III. It was not thought worth the expense that would be entailed to reproduce the remaining portions of the Report, but, owing to the repeated requests of Members of Parliament in various quarters of the House and insinuations outside as to the reasons for which it has been withheld, I have decided to have it published.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the percentage of warrant officers allowed to engine room, electrical, and ordnance artificers, respectively, and also the actual numbers of the same?

The number of warrant officers and officers promoted therefrom in the branches named is not dependent upon the numbers of artificers borne but is governed by the number of appointments for which officers of these branches are required. In the case of the electrical branch, a maximum establishment of 60, excluding officers lent to Dominion Navies, is laid down, and in the case of the ordnance branch, a maximum establishment of 19 will eventually be worked to, though at present there is a surplus over this number. No separate establishment for warrant engineers and officers promoted therefrom exists.The numbers at present borne are:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Great Britain, which before the War commanded 20 per cent. of the entire import and export trade with Mexico, now holds only seven per cent.; and whether, in view of the fact that all other exporting countries have increased their trade with Mexico, in particular the United States, whose trade has increased by over 150 per cent., the Overseas Trade Department are taking any steps to encourage British firms in developing trade with Mexico?

I am aware that the United States, with the advantage of geographical propinquity, has increased its share of Mexican trade from 67 per cent, in 1913 to 74 per cent. in 1925, while Great Britain's proportion has decreased in the same period from 11 per cent. to seven per cent. The percentages held by France and Germany respectively have also diminished to much the same extent. A Commercial Secretary has been appointed to Mexico by the Department of Overseas Trade, and a number of reports received from him have been brought to the notice of British traders.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has received a resolution, passed at a meeting of the Mountain Ash branch of the British Legion, protesting against the existing Regulation which prevents an ex-service man who is in receipt of Poor Law relief from receiving a grant from ex-service funds except at the risk of having his Poor Law relief reduced; and what action he proposes taking in the matter?

My right hon. Friend has received this resolution. Except in certain cases defined by Statute, a Board of Guardians has no legal authority for disregarding any means of support available to an applicant for relief. This is not a question of Departmental Regulation, and my right hon. Friend is not able to take any action in the matter.

asked the Minister of Health how many inspectors were at work under his Department in 1913, 1925, and 1926, respectively, and at what cost in salaries and expenses?

The number of inspectors at work under my Department on 1st April in the years 1913, 1925, and 1926, was 387, 471, and 648, respectively, the estimated cost for the year in salaries and expenses being £144,000, £280,000, and £314,000, respectively. The increase between 1913 and 1925 was principally due to new inspection undertaken for the Ministry of Labour under the Unemployment Insurance Acts. The increase between 1925 and 1926 was due to new inspection under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the existence of foot-and-mouth disease in Switzerland, he is satisfied that the large quantities of condensed milk imported into Great Britain from that country are free from contamination; and, if so, how this deduction is formed?

I have been asked to reply. I am informed that the process of condensing milk necessitates the maintenance for some time of temperatures which are sufficient to destroy the virus of foot-and-mouth disease.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether it is proposed to issue in the form of a White Paper an account of the efforts made to secure the abolition of slavery in Northern Burma and other places under the influence of the Indian Government?

:My Noble Friend will certainly make available information on this important matter when full reports have been received. I cannot, however, say at present the precise form in which the communication will be made to Parliament.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Automobile Association have recently obtained his permission for the erection of new road signs or posts, with standard reflex lights in red and white, on the arterial and newly-widened roads: and, if so, will he state the number of these posts which will accordingly be erected?

I am informed that 14 of these posts have been erected on trial by the Automobile Association in the Counties of Kent and Hertfordshire, with the concurrence of the highway authorities concerned, who are competent to give approval to the use of such devices without seeking my permission.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the amount of grant allocated from the

asked the Minister of Transport (1) the number of persons who have been injured in the streets of Glasgow during the past year as a result of motor accidents; and the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents?(2) If his attention has been called to the Report of the Chief Constable of Glasgow regarding the alarming increase in personal injury arising from motor traffic in the City of Glasgow; if he has received any representations on the subject; and what action he is prepared to take?

My attention had not been drawn to the Report to which the hon. Member refers, but I am informed that during the year ended the 31st December, 1926, the latest period for which figures are available, the numfer of fatal and non-fatal accidents in Glasgow in which mechanically-propelled vehicles, including tramcars,

The grants made from the Road Fund during the year 1926–27 to rural district councils in the administrative County of Cornwall were as follow:were involved, was 112 and 3,049 respectively. The number of persons killed and injured in these accidents was 114 and 3,313 respectively. I hope that it will be possible to take action on the lines discussed at the recent conference on street accidents in the London area. Some of the points discussed at this conference are dealt with in the draft Road Traffic Bill, which I circulated a short time ago.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has devoted any attention to the American system of demonstration railway trains for the dissemination of up-to-date information on agriculture matters; and whether he is considering the establishment of such trains in this country?

The question of demonstration trains was considered by the Ministry in 1919 and 1921, but finally dropped on grounds of economy, and for the same reason has not since been revived. So far as marketing is concerned, I would, however, draw the attention of the hon. Baronet to the demonstrations which are being carried out by my Department at agricultural shows up and down the country during the present year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the success which has attended the introduction into Australia of subterranean clover, trifolium subterraneum, as a food for cattle and sheep; and whether he will institute inquiries into the desirability of its adoption in this country and circulate information concerning it among the farming community?

Subterranean clover has been known for some years in this country and has been experimented with at various centres, notably at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth. The seed is obtainable from the majority of seed firms. My information is that the crop is still very much an experimental one. Although it may prove to have a considerable value in this country, I am advised that it is unlikely to have the same value here as in Australia. I will consider whether the time has come when a definite recommendation on the subject can be made to farmers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that eggs to the annual value of about £10,000,000 are imported into this country from foreign countries; and whether he will consider the advisability of advancing loans to farmers in this country in order to enable them to start poultry farming on a sufficiently large scale to make it pay?

The answer to the first part is in the affirmative. I am not aware that there is any demand for loans for this purpose from men possessing the requisite experience, business capacity and technical skill, and I am advised that with these personal qualifications poultry farming, even on a moderate scale, can be made to pay.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will move for an order to print the verbatim Report of the proceedings upon the Ouse Drainage Bill before the Select Committee to which is it to be committed, so that it may be published daily and issued to Members?

I will consider whether it will be possible to comply with my hon. Friend's request, and will communicate with him before the Committee stage of the Bill commences.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is in a position to announce the names of the delegates to the Eighth Assembly of the League of Nations; and whether he will bear in mind the importance of making these appointments at an early date, in view of the complexity of the subjects with which delegates must familiarise themselves in advance?

I hope to announce the names immediately alter the Whitsun Recess.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware of the proposal that the League of Nations Council should meet only three times a year in regular session instead of four; and whether he will use his efforts to withstand any such restriction of the League's activities?

Yes, Sir; I am not only aware of it, but it was in fact at my instance that the Council at its last session requested the Secretary-General to examine and report upon the subject, and my proposal was unanimously accepted by the Council. There was not in my mind, nor in the mind of any of my colleagues, any thought of restricting the activities of the League. Our motive was the desire to make is possible for those countries which have habitually been represented by their Foreign Ministers to continue this practice to which all members of the Council—and I think all friends of the League—attach importance. The Secretary-General's report will come up for consideration next month; if it, shows that no reduction could be made without prejudice to the work of the League, I am confident that the suggestion will not be followed up, but I doubt if this will be the case.

asked the Prime Minister when it is intended to publish a complete volume of the papers and documents in possession of the Government relative to alleged propaganda carried an in this or any other country by Russians against Great Britain?

No, Sir; the despatches which I quoted last Thursday will be published in full as soon as possible, but, as I then stated, His Majesty's Government are content to rest their ease on the papers already published, and do not propose to publish the further proofts of anti-British propaganda and action by the Soviet Government and its agents which are in their possession.

asked the Home Secretary whether Mr. Anton Miller is an alien and is in this country on permission given by the Home Office; is he on the list of aliens registered at the Alien Office; how long has he been residing in Britain; when was it discovered that Anton Miller was the head centre of an espionage system; and was his residence known to the police during the whole period of his stay in this country?

Miller is an alien, and he was lawfully in the United Kingdom and duly registered as an alien. He came here in 1921 and has, I believe, complied with the law as to keeping the police informed of his residence. It would not be in the public interest to say anything more about his activities.