asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will encourage the use of fresh milk, or condensed milk of British origin, in preference to the large amount of foreign condensed milk now used in the Navy?

My hon. and gallant Friend has been misinformed. The condensed milk purchased by the Admiralty is made in England. Fresh milk is supplied whenever practicable for use in fleet establishments on shore and harbour ships.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any negotiations are proceeding for the sale of the harbour and docks at Rosyth: and, if so, is he prepared to make a statement regarding them?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. Proposals for leasing portions of the Rosyth property for industrial development have from time to time been placed, and are still being placed, before the Admiralty and receive careful consideration. Except that portions of the dockyard have been leased to a ship-breaking company which is carrying on operations there, none of these proposals has at present matured.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether all naval ratings borne on ships' hooks are eligible for supply with duty-free tobacco under existing Regulations?

Service tobacco is allowed duty free on His Majesty's Ships; it is not allowed to officers and men serving on shore except in a few naval establishments, where the privilege has specially been conceded by the Board of Customs.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that when a naval rating is brought before a naval medical survey board he is not acquainted with the board's decision as to whether the invaliding disability is attributable to service or not, or the degree of disablement; and whether he will authorise this to be done in future?

The practice of withholding this information is in accordance with the King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions, Article 1331, Clause 4. The decisions by the boards of survey are subject to scrutiny and, if necessary, to alteration at the Admiralty, in regard to attributability and degree of disablement, and it is considered that the present practice should be adhered to.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether naval ratings travelling by railway are able to obtain proper food under the present system of meal orders; whether he is aware that in some instances meal orders are authorised for stations where, at the time of arrival, facilities do not exist; and whether any improvement can be effected in the meal order system?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Complaints are comparatively few, and they are promptly investigated with a view to maintaining and improving, the smooth working of the arrangements. It is not considered that any alteration in the system is required.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the foreign stations mentioned in the reply to Item 27 of the 1926 welfare requests where the cost of living is less than at home?

The reference was to the Mediterranean Station. In actual fact, messing and victualling allowances are, in the main, based on prices that operate all over the world, and whatever the cost of living may be in the several stations where men are serving, there is but little ground for departing in either direction from the universal application of these allowances. As, however, the Welfare Request appeared to contemplate a system under which these allowances would be varied according to the local cost of living, it was thought desirable to make it clear that such an arrangement would not operate to the benefit of the men. The conditions in China are, however, exceptional, and are being dealt with accordingly.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that leading ratings in some branches receive a triennial increase in pay, while in other branches this increase is not granted; and whether he will take stews to secure uniform treatment For all leading ratings?

it is the case that a triennial increase of pay is not given to all leading rates, but I am afraid that the question of granting it to all leading rates cannot be considered in present circumstances.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what facilities exist for supplying drinking water to ratings employed on watch-keening in engine rooms and stokeholds of His Majesty's ships?

Ratings employed in engine rooms and stokeholds can obtain drinking water, when required, from one of the mess deck supplies.

asked the hon. Member for Monmouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, how many acres have been planted in the New Forest since the 1st January, 1926, with conifers and hard-wood trees, respectively; and what has been the total cost of planting the conifers, including fencing, rabbit wire, and all other expenses?

In the last two seasons the Forestry Commissioners have planted in the New Forest group 835 acres of conifers and 34 acres of hardwoods, of which 758 and 32, respectively, were in the New Forest itself. The cost has been, approximately, £7 per acre.

asked the President of the Board of Education (1) what was the total estimated expenditure of the Board of Education on elementary and higher education, respectively, during each of the five years to the period ending 31st March, 1927; and what was the actual expenditure under the two headings in each of the five years during the same period:

The information asked for is as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women, respectively, in receipt of unemployment benefit at the Dewsbury Employment Exchange for the last weeks in March, April and May of this year?

Statistics are not available regarding the numbers of persons in receipt of unemployment benefit but the numbers with claims to benefit current at the Dewsbury Employment. Exchange were as follow:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can give the comparative tax on the same basis on a British-made motor ear imported into Canada and on a motor car imported into Great Britain which is 25 per cent. or over Canadian product?

British passenger cars imported into Canada are subject to three separate ad valorem duties, namely, the Customs Tariff Duty, the Excise Tax, and the Sales Tax. There are varying rates of each of the first two duties, but their cumulative effect appears to be as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the gross amount of money or securities, known as conscience money, that has been received by the Treasury for each of the five years to the last convenient date?

Conscience Money Receipts in each of the last five years are shown in the. Annual Finance Accounts—for instance, Finance Accounts, 1925, page 32.The figures for these years are as follow:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the percentages of civil servants earning less than £3 per week, £3 to £3 10s., £3 10s. to £4, £4 to £5, etc., up to £500 a year?

The detailed particulars required could not be made available without elaborate investigations which would involve considerable labour. It is, however, estimated that, approximately, 220,000 non-industrial civil servants are in receipt of not more than £200 per annum including bonus, Of this number, approximately 48,000 are part-timers.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to the better protection of the rights of inventors who may wish to submit inventions to Government Departments, he will set up an inquiry into the facilities for obtaining patents subject to the Official Secrets Act?

No, Sir. Any inventor who so desires may file an application for a patent to protect his invention, before submitting it to a Government Department. A paragraph dealing with this matter appears in the official publication of "Instructions to Applicants for Patents," a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any representative of France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, or Japan brought forward any proposals in the recent public or private meetings and conversations at Geneva for a joint conference with Russia; and, if so, whether the proposals were opposed or supported by Great Britain?

So far as I am aware, no such proposals were made.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, during the recent meeting of the Council at Geneva, the representatives of the States which are parties to the Locarno Agree- ment held any discussions as to their policy towards Russia; and whether he can make a statement to the House on this subject?

There were references to Russia in the conversations at Geneva, but I would suggest that any questions concerning them should be de ferred till my right hon. Friend has returned to this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the question of their relations with Russia was discussed during the recent meeting of the Council at Geneva by the representatives of the States which are parties to the Locarno Agreement; and whether he can give The House any information as to the conclusions that were reached?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I have given to the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. Taylor).

asked the Minister of Agriculture what increase in pig breeding has taken place since the embargo on the importation of Continental pig carcases?

Statistics of the number of pigs are only collected annually. The tabulation of this year's returns will be completed as usual early in August, and until then no definite information will be available as to the change in the number of pigs since the embargo was imposed.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the value, in rupees and sterling, of the Virginian and other foreign types of tobacco imported into India during the last five years for which figures are available; and whether there is any proposal or intention to establish a central tobacco bureau for the assistance, by advice or otherwise, of the cultivation of tobacco in India as recommended by the Board of Agriculture which met at Pusa in December, 1925?

The statistics asked for are as follow:

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the complaints in Metropolitan suburban districts as to the prevalence of undetected thieving, and seeing that the number of Criminal Investigation Department officers is not sufficient to follow up a large proportion of these cases, he will consider increasing the strength of the police forces to pre-War establishment'?

I cannot admit the suggestions as to the prevalence of undetected thieving or the inadequacy of the Criminal Investigation Department. After careful review, however, of the requirements of the Metropolitan Police District, the establishment has been increased: the strength of the force is at present only slightly below the pre-War figure and will shortly exceed it.

asked the Home Secretary whether it is proposed to increase the strength of the police forces in view of the great increase in the demand for traffic control?

The adjustment of the strength of the county and borough forces to the varying needs is in the first instance a matter for the local police authorities. All applications for my approval of proposed augmentations are considered on their merits, and in a number of cases approval has been given.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is preparing to introduce legislation on the lines of the Report on Sexual Offences against Young Persons; and when such legislation is likely to be introduced this Session?

I would refer to the reply I gave on the 19th May to the hon. Member for the Sutton Division of Plymouth (Viscountess Astor).

asked the Home Secretary the number of persons who have been convicted in the Metropolitan Police area for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date for offences under the motoring laws, and give the sentences and the gross amount of fines imposed?

The number of convictions for motoring offences in the Metropolitan Police area during the 12 months ending 31st December, 1926, was 61,674. Some persons may have been convicted more than once, so that the number of persons convicted cannot be stated. The particulars asked for as to sentences and fines could not be given without an unjustifiable expenditure of time, money and labour in obtaining and summarising the information.