asked the Secretary for Mines the amount of coal exported from Great Britain since the French licensing scheme was brought into operation; and the amount exported during an equal period of time immediately prior to that date?

The French scheme for licensing coal imports came into force on 10th June, but figures of our coal exports are not available for periods shorter than calendar months. In May, our exports of coal consigned to France amounted to 835,000 tons and in June to 717,000 tons. The corresponding figures for May and June, 1925, were 884,000 tons and 711,000 tons, respectively.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has received any Reports of recent cases of accidents in mines caused through the cage having crashed; and will he give particulars?

During the six months ended 30th June last, there were six winding accidents in which the cage struck the shaft bottom. These accidents caused two deaths (both in the same accident) and injuries to 34 persons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of temporary staff employed in the Bankruptcy Department and Mercantile Marine Department of the Board of Trade, and attached to salaried official receivers, High Court, in each of the following grades: Grade 1 clerk shorthand-typists, Grade 2 clerk shorthand-typists,, Grade 1 clerk-typists, Grade 2 clerk-typists?

The numbers and gradings of the temporary clerk shorthand-typists and temporary clerk-typists employed in the Bankruptcy (High Court) Department of the Board are as follow:

Temporary Clerk Shorthand Typists.		Temporary Clerk Typists.
Grade I.	Grade II.	Grade I.	Grade II.
1	2	1	1

There are no temporary clerk shorthand-typists, or temporary clerk-typists employed in the Mercantile Marine Department.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the increase in the number of dogs in urban areas and the consequent fouling of pavements and other public places; and whether he contemplates taking steps to reduce the number of dogs kept in towns in the interests of cleanliness and the public health?

Yes, Sir. My attention was recently drawn to the increase in the number of dogs in London, and many local authorities have complained of the fouling of pavements. But any proposal to reduce the number of dugs would require legislation, and I am not sure that this would be supported by public opinion.

asked the Minister or Health the number of prosecutions that have been instituted by his Department or by the inspectors under his control against persons for the adulteration of food for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

Prosecutions in respect of the adulteration of food are not instituted by my Department, but by local authorities and their officers. I am not in a position to state the total number of prosecutions undertaken in any period, but the reports which are sent to my Department show that the number of samples of food taken in England and Wales during the 12 months ending the 31st December, 1926, was 120,617, and that 7,044 of these (or 5·8 per cent.) were found to be adulterated.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the average county rate per £ for the maintenance of all roads in the county area in the financial year 1926–27, which county had the highest rate for road maintenance, and what was that rate?

I have been asked to reply. The expenditure of a county council on the maintenance of roads is not met out of the proceeds of a separate rate but out of the county fund, into which are paid rates, grants in aid of rates (e.g., the grants under the Agricultural Rates Acts), grants in aid of specific services (e.g., the grants out of the Road Fund), and receipts (e.g., rents, fees), from, sources other than rates and grants. In these circumstances, it is not practicable to state precisely the amount of the county councils' expenditure on roads which is met from rates alone. It is estimated that in the year 1924–25 (which is the latest for which complete information is available) that if the current expenditure of the county councils on highways and bridges, so far as it was met out of an aggregate comprising rates, grants (not allocated to specific services) in aid of rates, and miscellaneous receipts (not allocated to specific services), had been met out of rates alone, the average amount, per pound of the reduced assessable value of the counties of England and Wales, other than London, which would have been required to meet that expenditure would have been approximately Is. 6½d., and that the highest corresponding amount for any county would have been 4s. 9d., for the County of Huntingdon. These amounts include charges for maintenance and repair, and for improvement and enlargement, so far as not met out of capital, and also include interest on loans and provision for repayment of loans.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that it is now possible to obtain efficient motor exhaust silencers, which give a high degree of silence with a minimum of back pressure, he will introduce legislation to enforce the universal use of such silencers, with the object of checking the constant increase in the noise of urban traffic?

The Motor Cars (Use and Construction) Amendment Order (No. II), 1912, prescribes that a silencer, expansion chamber or other contrivance must be used upon a motor vehicle, suitable and sufficient for reducing, as far as may reasonably be practicable, the noise which would otherwise be caused by the escape of the exhaust gases. The enforcement of the law is a matter for the police. In this connection I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 17th March in reply to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for the Acton Division (Sir H. Brittain).

asked the Minister of Transport (1) how far coal wagons of small capacity and various types have been discarded in favour of standard pattern 20-ton wagons since the findings of the Samuel Commission on the advantages of the latter type of wagon;(2) how far railway ownership of coal wagons has superseded private ownership since the findings of the Samuel Commission on the advantages of the former system?

The latest available figures are for the 31st December, 1926, and at that date the stock of railway-owned standard gauge wagons in Great Britain allocated specially to mineral traffic, compared with the position at the 31st December, 1925, was as follows:

	Increase (+) or Decrease (-), 1926, compared with 1925.
Capacity.	Number.	Per Cent.
Under 12 tons	-3,854	-4·8
12 tons	+4,905	+11·3
Over 12 tons and under 20 tons	-521	-1·8
20 tons and over	+110	+0·5
	+640	+0·4

The corresponding increase in the total tonnage capacity was 19,127 tons, or 0·9 per cent.Particulars are not available of the number of privately-owned coal and coke wagons withdrawn from traffic during

1926, but the new wagons registered for private owners by the railway companies during the year included the following vehicles for the conveyance of coal and coke:

		Number.
Under 12 tons	…	Nil
12 tons	…	6,043
20 tons	…	215
		6,258

I have no information as to the number of privately-owned coal wagons in service at the date on which the Report of the Royal Commission on the Coal Industry (1925) was issued, or as to the number in service at the present time, and I am therefore unable to say how far railway-ownership of such wagons has superseded private ownership.

asked the Postmaster-General the approximate number of letters and parcels that have been forwarded through the General Post Office by air mail for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

The total numbers of letters and parcels posted in this country for air mail transmission during the year ended the 31st March last were approximately as follow:162,000 letters (including about 48,000 for the Cairo-Baghdad Air Mail service).8,200 parcels.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, in view of the fact that imported barley was sold last year at 2s. per cwt. below the home-produced crop, and that responsible agricultural authorities have stated that in this country all farmers who grew barley last season made a loss of 10s. per acre, if he will say if the Government propose to take any action?

My right hon. Friend has every sympathy with those British barley growers whose last crop was unprofitable, but there are large numbers of farmers who desire to obtain barley as cheaply as possible for feeding purposes, and any action to increase the price received by the barley glower would not he welcomed by farmers who buy barley as a feeding stuff. My right hon. Friend therefore considers that it would not be in the best interest of British farming as a whole that the Government should take action in the case of barley growers alone.

asked the Prime Minister, in order to safeguard the standard of living of the farm worker and to save the agricultural industry from financial bankruptcy, if he will consider the provision of legislation to ensure that all manufacturers and dealers in food should use an agreed percentage of home-grown produce?

I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture. My right hon. Friend is afraid that my hon. and gallant Friend's proposal is impracticable.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the economic value of many wild birds which feed upon insects and small mammals inimical to agriculture, he will set up an inquiry with the object of introducing legislation for the protection of all wild life which in this way helps to keep down agricultural pests?

I am not quite clear What kind of inquiry the hon. Member desires to suggest. Legislation for the protection of wild birds is in existence and a Bill for consolidating and strengthening the present Acts, is now before this House, and will, I hope, be passed into law during this Session. I may mention also that an Advisory Committee has been set up by the Home Office to advise on all matters relating to the protection of wild birds, which meets periodically and is available to consider any questions that may be brought before it. If the hon. Member has in mind any points to which he thinks special attention should be directed, I shall be happy to consult with the Home Secretary about them. As regards other forms of wild life, I will consider the question of a special inquiry.