asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the authority, whether statutory or by Regulation, under which the action of the Government of Burma in prohibiting the circulation of the "Forward" newspaper of Calcutta in its territory was taken; and if this action was authorised by the Secretary of State?

Action was taken under Section 26 of the Indian Post Office Act, 1898. It was not authorised by my Noble Friend, nor was such authority required.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India under what powers the Government responsible prohibited the introduction of the Calcutta newspaper "Forward" into Burma; for what period the ban has been imposed; and whether any steps have been taken by the Government to extend the ban to copies of the paper addressed to individual subscribers in Burma and despatched from Calcutta by mail?

The Government of Burma took action, under Section 26 of the Indian Post Office Act, which authorises the interception in the post and disposal in such manner as is thought fit of any articles in transmission by post, including, of course, those addressed to individuals. I am not in a position to make any statement regarding the period of the enforcement of the order.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether, in connection with the Howrah Bridge project, the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the matter have yet come to a decision with regard to the type of bridge to be constructed; whether any applications have been received from Indian engineers for permission to prepare plans and specifications for the new bridge; and if the Government, in conjunction with the local authorities, have taken any steps to commission the preparation of preliminary plans and specifications?

My Noble Friend has no information beyond what has appeared in the Press. The hon. Member is no doubt aware that this is a matter dealt with by the Governor, acting with his Ministers.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he will give information as to the proposed scheme for the utilisation of the bamboo of Bombay Presidency for the manufacture of paper-pulp and the establishment by the Government, in this connection, of a paper-pulp factory, either by direct action or through private enterprise; and what steps it is proposed to take in this matter?

My Noble Friend has no information on the subject. The development of industries is a transferred subject.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India when the special Commission representing the League of Nations, which is to visit India to report to the League as to India's compliance with the Opium Convention, is likely to begin its investigations; and whether the Government of India or the Secretary of State for India has received any communication from the League referring to this inquiry?

I presume the hon. Member is referring to the Commission which is to decide, in accordance with the Protocol signed in Geneva in February, 1925, when the signatory countries have ensured the effective execution of the necessary measures to prevent the exportation of raw opium from their territories from constituting a serious obstacle to the reduction of consumption in the countries where the use of prepared opium is temporarily authorised. My Noble Friend has not received any communication from the League of Nations regarding this Commission, and cannot say when it is to begin its investigations.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any agreement has been reached with regard to the question of handing over the British concession at Tientsin to the Chinese, or whether any negotiations are in progress in this connection?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for South East Essex (Mr. Locker) on the 2nd May and the 15th June last. The points reserved are still under consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in Northumberland and Durham at the most recent date of which he can suply information?

At 27th June, 1927, the number of persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Northumberland and Durham was 131,344.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many miners were unemployed in Northumberland and Durham on 1st June, 1913, 1920, 1925 and 1927, respectively?

Area.			22nd June, 1925.		20th June, 1927.
			Number.	Percentage.	Number.	Percentage.
Northumberland	…	…	21,572	33·7	12,125	19·7
Durham	…	…	60,397	33·3	38,809	21·9
Total	…	…	81,969	33·3	50,934	21·4
Comparable statistics for June, 1913, and June, 1920, are not available.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will consider the circumstances attending the refusal to entertain an appeal by ex-Private S. Robinson, 26, Maryland Road, E.15, No. 129,218, Royal Army Service Corps; and whether, as this ex-soldier is suffering from a disability due to war service, but failed through ignorance of the time limit to register his appeal, he will grant him an entitlement tribunal?

As this man's claim in respect of debility was rejected in January, 1920, and no application has been made by him in the intervening 7½ years, I am, obviously, unable to agree that he is now suffering from a disability due to war service. I have no power to grant him an appeal, as the time limit within which an appeal must be lodged is, fixed by Statute.

asked the Secretary for Mines the latest figures of pits and men employed in Northumberland and Durham?

At the 2nd July, the figures were 95 coal mines and 48,900 wage-earners in Northumberland, and 187 coal mines and 129,100 wage-earners in Durham.

I have been asked to reply. The following table shows the numbers and percentaages of persons classified as belonging to the coal-mining industry in Northumberland and Durham recorded as unemployed in June, 1925, and June, 1927, respectively:

asked the Secretary for Mines how many pits in Northumberland and Durham were not working on 1st June, 1913, 1920, 1925 and 1927, respectively?

On 1st June, 1925, 36 pits normally employing 14,100 wage-earners in Northumberland and 73 normally employing 29,300 wage-earners in Durham were not working. On 1st June, 1927, the corresponding figures were 28 (4,400 wage-earners) and 84 (13,900 wage-earners), respectively. I regret that similar information for 1913 and 1920 is not available.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of miners employed in Northumberland and Durham on 1st June, 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927, respectively?

The figures are as follow:

		Number of wage-earners employed at coal mines in
Date. 1st June:		Northumberland.	Durham.
1913	…	59,200	160,100
1920	…	60,900	170,600
1925	…	48,900	146,200
1927	…	51,900	134,600

Note.—The above figures include a small number of wage-earners employed at coal mines in raising or handling minerals other than coal.

asked the Secretary for Mines what were the exports of coal from Northumberland and Durham in the first quarter of the years 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927, respectively?

The quantities of coal exported from the north-east coast ports of England in the first quarter of 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927 were 5,354,600 tons, 2,553,600 tons, 4,484,200 tons and 5,070,200 tons, respectively.

asked the Secretary for Mines the output of coal in the Northumberland and Durham coalfields for the first quarter of 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927, respectively?

The figures are as follow:

		Output of coal in
Period. First quarter of		Northumberland.	Durham.
		tons.	tons.
1913	…	3,500,000*	10,400,000*
1920	…	2,971,000	8,275,000
1925	…	3,189,000	8,549,000'
1927	…	3,628,000	8,963,000
*Approximate.

asked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the retiring room accommodation provided for the staff in the new building at the Birmingham head post office is quite inadequate and most unhealthily congested; that the official meal-times do not permit of an increased use being made of the retiring room in the old building; that the staff proposal to use the flat roof to supplement the retiring room accommodation has been refused; that members of the staff are compelled to work under depressing atmospheric conditions in a basement and in artificial light for almost the whole of the day; and whether, in view of the benefit to the health of the staff and the greater efficiency of work which would result, he will consider having the roof prepared for use in the manner suggested?

The staff at the Birmingham head post office have a spacious and well-equipped dining room and sufficient time is allowed for taking meals there. In addition, there are four retiring rooms, in two of which facilities are provided for the cooking of meals. All the rooms are well ventilated, but congestion occurs in one of the retiring rooms (used mainly as a smoking room) because little use is made of another equally suitable room (also used as a smoking room) which is 80 yards further from the dining room. The room referred to as a basement is presumably the parcel sorting office, which is at ground floor level at the rear. There is natural light by window, roof and pavement lights, and the ventilation and atmospheric conditions are considered to be healthy. Means of access and protective measures against accidents would be necessary to enable the roof to be used for the purpose in question, and in present circumstances I do not feel justified in incurring the considerable expense that would thereby be involved.

asked the Minister of Health if he will inquire into the circumstances attending the refusal of an old age pension to Mrs. E. Patmore, of 32, Cross Street, E.15?

I would remind the hon. Member that I have already looked into this case at his request, and would refer him to the letter regarding it which was sent to him on the 1st instant.

asked the Minister of Health the amount spent in Poor Law relief in Northumberland and Durham in 1913, 1919 and 1926, respectively; and the numbers in receipt of relief on 1st June in each of these years?

The total net expenditure (other than out of loans) of the guardians of unions in the union counties of Northumberland and Durham on the relief of the poor and purposes connected therewith for the years 1913–14, 1919–20 and 1925–26—the latest year for which the information is available—was as follows:

		Unions in the Union County of
		Northumberland.	Durham.
		£	£
Year ended:
31st March, 1914	…	201,936	393,362
31st March, 1920	…	341,903	668,728
31st March, 1926	…	835,979	1,808,623

The corresponding figures for the year ended 31st March, 1927, are not yet available.The number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief (excluding lunatics in county and borough asylums, casuals and persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only) in the above-mentioned Poor Law unions on dates on or about 1st June in the years 1913, 1919, 1925 and 1926 was as follows:

		Unions in the Union County of
		Northumberland.	Durham.
Saturday:
31st May, 1913	…	10,257	22,272
31st May, 1919	…	7,754	18,106
30th May, 1925	…	32,718	64,220
29th May, 1926	…	103,915	332,859

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any statistics that will show the number and the dead-weight tonnage of motor vessels that are at present being built in Great Britain; the gross tonnage of these vessels; and for which countries these vessels are being built?

According to the Returns of Lloyds' Register relating to merchant vessels of over 100 tons gross, 82 motor vessels aggregating 458,337 tons gross were under construction in Great Britain and Ireland at 31st March, 1927. Particulars are not given as to the deadweight tonnage of these vessels, or the countries for which they were being built.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total figures of the trade of Hull, export and import, month by month, during 1926; and what percentage of this trade, month by month, was done with Russia during the same year, including cargoes to and from Russia shipped through Baltic ports not now in Russian territory?

The records regularly compiled regarding the trade of individual ports do not include monthly aggregates, or particulars of trade with individual countries.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he has observed that a very beautiful half-timbered farmhouse at Smarden, Kent, is to be offered for sale on the 12th instant for export from this country; and whether His Majesty's Government will take steps to make the export of such architectural possessions of the nation illegal?

The First Commissioner is aware that this house is for sale, but he has no knowledge of any intention to demolish it for export from the country. It is, in his view, inopportune at the present time to attempt to introduce legislation on this subject.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of persons employed in Turkey by the Inter-Allied Commission to assess losses suffered by British subjects; the total number of persons employed by the British section of the Commission; the yearly amount spent by the Commission on their salaries, on rent, and other expenses since the Commission was set up in August, 1924; the number of British claims decided by the Commission up to 30th June, 1927; and of that number how many have been paid in full and how many have received advances, respectively?

I am informed that the number of persons employed in Turkey by the Inter-Allied Commission to assess losses suffered by British subjects is 12; the total number of persons employed by the British section is 25. The total expenditure of the Commission, which has to deal with French, Italian and Japanese claims as well as British claims, since August, 1924, is approximately £90,000. The number of British claims at present finally decided by the Commission up to 30th June, 1927, is 2,468. Of this number 948 claims have been rejected and 1,520 approved to a total amount of over £1,000,000. Many other claims are in an advanced stage of consideration. A dividend of 40 per cent. of the amount assessed is now in course of payment. No claims have been paid in full, pending the completion of the assessment of all the claims presented to the Commission.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has received particulars of a claim submitted to the Inter-Allied Commission on War Claims against Turkey, in which an application for £766 compensation was made; whether the Commission assessed the damages of the claimant at £438 and, if so, the reason for the reduction, and, as the only amount paid to the claimant up to date is £175, whether there is any action he can take to expedite the payment of the full amount of compensation?

—			Shorthand Typists.		Copying Typists.
			Grade 1.	Grade 2.	Grade 1.	Grade 2.
District Tax Offices	…	…	166	442	—	—
Collectors of taxes, Scotland	…	…	—	—	—	—
Headquarters offices	…	…	—	—	39	18

The average length of service of the shorthand-typists is four years, and of the copying-typists 4¾ years. Five Grade 1 and six Grade 2 copying-typists, who are not shown above, have been engaged in district offices for a limited period for special work in copying particulars from Income Tax (Schedule A) assessments which are required by local authorities.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether

Particulars of individual claims submitted to the Inter-Allied Commission for the Assessment of Damage Suffered in Turkey, and the grounds of the assessments made, are not sent to the Treasury. The claims are dealt with by an international body whose awards are final. As regards the third part of the question, a 40 per cent. dividend is at present in course of payment on such of the claims as have already been assessed by the Commission; the final dividend will be paid as soon as all the claims have been assessed.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of temporary staff employed in the offices of district inspectors of taxes, the Scottish collectors of taxes, and headquarters offices of the Inland Revenue Department, in each of the following grades: Grade 1 shorthand-typists, Grade 2 shorthand-typists, Grade 1 copying-typists, and Grade 2 copying-typists; and the average length of service of the shorthand-typists and copying-typists concerned?

The numbers are as follow:he can furnish the following figures in respect of the Ministry of Labour, the Board of Trade, the Ministry of Pensions, the Board of Inland Revenue, and the General Post Office; the total male clerical class establishment, the total female clerical class establishment, and the total writing assistant establishment, authorised under Departmental reorganisation Reports; the total number of male and female clerical officers actually employed; the total number of writing assistants actually employed; the total number of P-class clerks employed; and the total number of male and female temporary clerks employed?

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will furnish the following figures in respect of the Ministry of Labour, Board of Trade, Ministry of Pensions, Board of Inland Revenue, and General Post Office: the total male clerical class establishment, the total female clerical class establishment, and the total writing assistant establishment, authorised under departmental re-organisation reports; the total number of male and female

Department.	Established Clerical Classes.		Writing Assistants (Established).		Numbers of unestablished Graded Clerks employed.
	Authorised complement.	Number actually employed.	Authorised complement.	Number actually employed,	P Class Clerks.	Temporary Male Clerks.	Temporary Women Clerks.
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
General Post Office	9,369	8,949*	2,910	2,478	144	129	84
Inland Revenue	7,665	7,121	†	378	1,511	1,351	102
Ministry of Pensions	1,308	1,169	640	431	1,709	631	482
Ministry of Labour	7,355‡	6,849	614	389	1,950	1,642	704
Board of Trade	980§	920 ║	133	75	421	350	9

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the particulars mentioned under the following headings for the financial year ended April, 1914, and for the present year: the number of horses and mules on the British establishment; the number of

The particulars asked for, as far as they are available, are given below. In a number of Departments the authorised establishment is not specifically allocated between men and women staffs. The particulars given relate to 1st June, 1927. The figures given in columns 2 and 3 include higher clerical posts.officers and other ranks, including civilians, in the remount service; the number of animals dealt with by the remount service; and the cost of the remount service?

I am having a statement prepared, and will have it circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated area of moor and waste land considered suitable for cultivation in Northumberland and Durham?

The area included in the Agricultural Returns for 1926 as rough grazings, i.e., mountain, heath, moor or down land and other rough land used for grazing, was 520,450 acres in Northumberland and 130,310 acres in Durham. I am unable to give any estimate as to how much, if any, of this area is suitable for cultivation. According to my information, the area of waste land which might be used for agriculture is negligible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the acreage of land under cultivation in Northumberland and Durham on 1st june, 1913, 1920, and 1926, respectively?

Year.				Northumberland.		Durham.
				Arable land,	Crops and grass.	Arable land.	Crops and grass.
				Acres.	Acres.	Acres.	Acres.
1913	…	…	…	181,608	700,898	141,653	428,738
1920	…	…	…	209,102	683,597	163,670	419,426
1926	…	…	…	166,316	656,936	150,612	400,007

The acreage of arable land and the total acreage under crops and grass, as returned on the 4th June in each of the undermentioned years in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, were as follow: