asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has received any Report of the damage done to the British steamer "Lungshan," which was fired on in the morning of 16th May while passing the Whampoa forts near Canton; and whether any casualties have been notified?

His Majesty's Consul-General reports that the damage done to the steamship "Lungshan" was slight, amounting probably to not more than £20. A number of shots hit the ship and entered the cabins, but, fortunately, there were no casualties.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if His Majesty's Government are able to state whether all the Powers with interests in the Far East are adopting a policy of non-interference in purely Chinese matters; and whether British policy is aimed at promoting such a point of view?

I am not in a, position to express an opinion whether all Powers having interests in the Far East are observing a policy of noninterference in purely Chinese matters. This is, however, the policy followed by His Majesty's Government, who hope to secure its general adoption as far as possible.

asked the Home Secretary if he will consider including Victoria Street in the category of streets in which loitering taximeter-cabs are to to be prohibited?

I have been asked to reply. The inclusion of Victoria Street in the list was carefully considered, but a decision to the contrary was reached, partly on the ground that it was desirable to limit the number of streets until practical experience had been gained of the working of the proposed Regulations, and, partly on account of the difficulty of providing adequate cab-rank facilities in the immediate neighbourhood.

asked the Home Secretary if he is aware that the State control authorities in Carlisle have forbidden chorus-singing in houses under their control in the Carlisle area; and whether, having regard to the recent. Report of the Commission on Disinterested Management of Public Houses, he proposes to take any action in the matter?

There is no general rule or order in force in the State-owned premises in Carlisle forbidding chorus-singing, but recently in order to preserve good order and to meet the wishes of the general body of customers, notices were posted in only two of the houses to the effect that chorus-singing would not be allowed.

asked (1) the President of the Board of Trade whether it is the intention of his Department to prepare another Census similar to that issued in 1919 by the statistical department (Report on the Number, Capacity and Construction of Private Traders' Railway Wagons in Great Britain at 1st August, 1918), in view of the importance of having information which is not more than 10 years out of date;(2) the Minister of Transport if he will cause inquiry to be made of private owners of mineral wagons, etc., who are registered as possessing more than three vehicles passed for service by the railway companies, as to the total number of vehicles that have been broken up, in view of the fact that the particulars contained in the Board of Trade's Census, 1918, are now very much out of date, and in view of the importance of there being an adequate supply of efficient and safe vehicles for the transportation of coal and other minerals?

asked the Secretary of State for Air what is the description of the 48 vessels in Iraq purchased by Lord Inchcape for £10,000; what was their original cost to the State; whether they were in use before the sale; and what was their general condition?

As regards the first part of the question, the vessels referred to were three small steamers, four tugs, 27 barges and pontoons, and 14 motor and pulling boats. As regards tie second part of the question, the vessels were taken over from the Army in 1922, and I am informed that particulars of their original cost are not available. As regards the

I understand that the matters to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers are at present engaging the attention of the Standing Committee on Mineral Transport, recently appointed, with terms of reference which include the review of the equipment available for the transport of coal from the coalfields and the methods of conducting such transport.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantities of wrapping papers imported into this country for the years 1924, 1925 and 1926, respectively, giving the figures for Kraft paper separately?

The following statement shows the total quantities of packing and wrapping paper imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland in each of the last three years:third part, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to the question which he addressed to me on the 31st May on this subject. As regards the last part of the question, the general condition of the vessels was fair, but their age and the conditions of their service made frequent overhaul and repairs necessary.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether the current Estimates for his Department have increased armaments; if so, to what extent; and in what direction?

It will be within the hon. Member's and the House's knowledge that the Air Force is being gradually expanded under a programme, approved by successive Governments, designed to provide more adequately than at present for the defence of this country from air attack. The extent and direction of the expansion may be ascertained from the Air Estimates, from my Memorandum accompanying them, and from the statement which I made in the House when introducing them on 10th March.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the current Estimates for his Department have increased armaments; and, if so, to what extent and in what direction?

The current Estimates provide for continuing the replacement programme of shipbuilding laid before Parliament in July, 1925, and for normal progress on other items. A certain amount of replacement and modernisation is necessarily always in hand, but there is no abnormal development of that replacement programme in the current year's Navy Estimates.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the current Estimates for his Department have increased armaments; if so, to what extent; and in what direction?

As the hon. Member will see from pages 8–11, the current Army Estimates provide (apart from the temporary additional numbers required in connection with China) for a reduction in the numbers of the Army.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why, in view of the fact that chief petty officer writers are placed on the roster for promotion to warrant rank in order of seniority as chief petty officer writers, eight chief petty officer writers were passed over when the last promotion to warrant writer was made, the ninth in order of seniority being promoted?

As explained in my reply of the 2nd May (OFFICIAL REPORT, columns 1308–9), the other factors mentioned in Article 318 of the King's Regulations and Admiralty instructions were taken into account when making the selection.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the attitude of the British Government towards the question of the federation of East African Colonies?

I hope to be in a position to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can give the figures since 1919, year by year, of British citizens who have entered Tanganyika as settlers?

The information in my possession is not sufficiently detailed to distinguish between British subjects who have entered the Tanganyika territory with a view to settlement and those who have done so for other purposes.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total number of Europeans now in Kenya, along with the number from each European State represented in the mandated territory of Tanganyika?

The 1926 census gave 12,529 as the total number of Europeans in Kenya. I have no recent statistics with regard to the nationality of Europeans in Tanganyika, whose total number is about 4,200.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India if he will inform the House of the composition of the following' committees connected with the Council of the Secretary of State, namely, the Military Committee, the Political Committee, and the Services Committee, and the names of the Indian members serving on such committees; and will he state the functions of each committee?

The Government of India Act leave to the discretion of the Secretary of State the arrangements for the transaction of business in the India Office, and my Noble Friend is not prepared to give any information on the matter beyond what is published in the ordinary books of reference.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total yield from betting taxation for the month of May?

The revenue derived from betting taxation during the month of May was £289,400.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what loss would accrue to the revenue by increasing the preference duty to 5s. per proof gallon on Empire brandies as against imported foreign brandies, based on imports from the Empire during 1926

The duty on Empire brandy is now 2s. 6d. per proof gallon less than the duty on foreign brandy, a preference which has been found effective in the case of rum. A reduction in the duty on Empire brandy by a further 2s. 6d. could not be made without at the same time reducing the duty on British spirits and on other Empire spirits by a corresponding amount, and to do this would cost, it is estimated, over £1,500,000 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that America has underbidden Australia for the whole of the War Office contract for 1,500,000 tins of beef; and, if the contract has not been placed, whether he will consider the desirability of spending the money within the Empire and thus seeming the transport of the goods in British ships?

The contract referred to was placed in January last and no further orders are in contemplation at the moment. The reason for not accepting Empire meat was given in my right hon. Friend's reply on 15th February last. I understand that the meat is being shipped in British vessels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the total amount of the annual repayment to county councils agreed to under the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1918?

I assume the hon. Member refers to the payments to be made in accordance with the valuation under the Land Settlement (Facilities) Act, 1919, as amended by the Act of 1925. Final agreement as to all the details of the valuation has not yet been reached, but it is estimated that a full year's contribution will be about £880,000.