asked the Secretary of State for Air the extent of the damage to the new Royal Air Force magazine at Amman caused through the earthquake on 11th July?

Telegraphic reports received from Palestine state that the rubble wall surrounding the explosive store at Amman was demolished; no damage to the store itself has been reported.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that night-flying practice is taking place at frequent intervals from the Biggin Hill aerodrome, and that this is causing serious inconvenience to the inhabitants of Bromley and district; and whether he will arrange for the necessary night-flying operations to be conducted away from large centres of populations?

If the defence of London by air is to be efficient, night-flying practice from the aerodromes allotted to units comprised in the scheme of defence is essential. It is, I fear, impossible entirely to avoid disturbance to people living in the vicinity of such aerodromes, but the disturbance is, and will he, strictly limited to that which is unavoidable if training is not to suffer.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many reserve destroyers it is proposed to lay up in the basin at Rosyth; and whence these destroyers will be drawn?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of yesterday to the hon. Member for Dunfermline (OFFICIAL REPORT, cols. 1028–29). The destroyers will be drawn from those now in reserve which are distributed between the home ports and Port Edgar.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty (1) to what extent the decision to lay up a considerable number of reserve destroyers in the basin of Rosyth will affect the naval personnel and dockyard work in the southern ports;(2) what economies it is anticipated will be effected by the decision to lay up a considerable number of reserve destroyers in the basin of Rosyth; and how far these economics will be made at the expense of each of the southern ports?

The economy which is expected to be realised by laying-up destroyers in maintenance reserve is in the neighbourhood of £130,000 a year. A part of this is due to a decrease in the number of naval personnel required as compared with present reserve complements, and part to a saving in maintenance charges of the vessels. The anticipated reduction of maintenance charges is approximately £80,000, of which some £50,000 represents dockyard labour charges. The number of naval personnel which will be reduced is estimated at 174. It may be anticipated that the economies will be spread equally over the southern ports.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the request of the Colonial Office, recorded in Document 14 of Command Paper 2553 of 1925, that strong representations should be made to the Abyssinian Government on the subject of the migration of native subjects of Abyssinia, owing to ill-treatment, into the northern frontier district of Kenya, and that if no adequate steps were taken by that Government an appeal should be made to the League of Nations: whether such representations were made; whether the necessary steps have been taken; and, if not, whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to bring the subject to the attention of the League of Nations?

The attention of the Abyssinian Government has more than once been called to the necessity of a proper administration of their Southern Provinces. Stricter control by the present Governor over his subordinates has recently resulted in a considerable improvement in those regions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any protest has been made to the Nanking administration by the British Consul-General in China, either on the initiative of the Brtish Government or in consultation with the representatives of the other Governments in China, with reference to the additional Sur-tax which is being levied by the local authorities at Shanghai under instructions issued from Nanking?

A telegram has been received from His Majesty's Minister at Peking reporting that on the 13th July the Consular body at Shanghai decided to address to the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs at Shanghai, in the names of the Consular representatives of the United States of America, Norway, Great Britain, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Brazil, Italy and Switzerland, a protest against the Sur-tax on tonnage dues.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men now serving with the troops in Shanghai are due for discharge this year; and whether any provision will be made for their re-instatement in civilian employment on discharge?

There are, approximately, 2,700 Section A Reservists now serving in China who are due to return this trooping season, though some of this number may volunteer to remain in Army service in China. Apart from the Section A Reservists, approximately 1,000 men will be sent back from China for discharge during the current financial year, if the troops remain in China beyond that date. As regards the re-instatement in civil employment of those who return, no special provision can be made, but I trust that employers, on whose public spirit we must necessarily rely, will do all they can to take back their former employés and to offer work to those who were not in employment when they were called up from the Reserve.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why, in view of the unanimous Report of the advisory committee on social hygiene urging that at the earliest practical date the policy should be to suppress all brothels in the Straits Settlements, approval has been given to an amendment of the law in the Federated Malay States under which a very large number of brothels are recognised by the British Government?

The Amendment to which the hon. Member refers makes no alteration in the state of the law in the Federated Malay States in so far as any recognition of brothels may be concerned. Its object was explained on the 29th June by my right hon. Friend in reply to a question by the Noble Lady the Member for Sutton (Viscountess Astor).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any political emigrants now or lately resident in Palestine, not eligible for amnesty by the French Government, are to be permitted to remain in that country?

I understand that the only persons excluded from the amnesty are certain specified leaders of the Syrian rebellion. So far as I am aware, none of these persons is now, or has lately been, resident in Palestine. Such of them as are in Trans-Jordan are being required to leave that country. Any application on their part for permission to reside in Palestine would be a matter for consideration in consultation with the French authorities.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether His Majesty's Government are aware that several articles and pamphlets have been recently published in India maliciously attacking the founder of Islam; and whether, as the Indian Courts have held that such references cannot be prevented or punished under the existing law, any steps are in contemplation for the amendment of the law?

:The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second that there have been divergent decisions as to the criminality of such publications. Steps are being taken to obtain another decision from one of the High Courts concerned, and if necessary thereafter the question of amending the law will be considered.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can give further consideration to the position in which ex-hostility service members of his staff are now placed in respect to part-time employment at 37s. 6d. per week; and whether be will extend to them the same opportunities for attachment to the permanent staff as are accorded to the ex-professional service men whose connection

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the exportation of sugar-beet pulp; and whether he will consider taking action in order to ensure the farmers in this country having the first call on this commodity?

Under their current contracts with the factory companies, the growers have the option of purchasing

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on the 25th July to a similar question by my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Sir F. Nelson).

asked the Attorney-General the number of cases during the 12 months ended to the last convenient date in which his fiat has been issued under the Prevention of Corruption Acts?

For the 12 months ending 30th June last, the fiat has been granted in 29 cases.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can give the figures as at the 18th July of the unemployed upon the register of the Borough, Walworth Road, Employment Exchange?

The following table shows the number of persons on the registers of the Borough Employment Exchange at 18th July, 1927:from the factory dried beet pulp of an amount equal in weight to 5 per cent. of the total net weight of beets delivered by them, at the price of £5 per ton ex factory, provided the option is exercised, in writing, before 1st August, and the grower undertakes to use upon his own farm the dried beet pulp so purchased. I am informed that growers have not taken full advantage of this facility in the past and that, in fact, less than one-quarter of the dried pulp to which growers were entitled last year was purchased by them.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will provide the latest available particulars as to the importation of potatoes during a year, with special reference to the quantities of new potatoes imported during such time as home-grown new potatoes are not available in appreciable quantities?

The total quantity of potatoes imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the 12 months ending June, 1927, was 319,000 tons. The trade returns do not distinguish between old and new potatoes but, judging from the countries of origin of the imported supplies, the quantity of new potatoes imported in the six months January to June, 1927, was, approximately, 167,000 tons.

asked the President of the Board of Education the names of any local education authorities who have established central schools on a non-selective basis; and the approximate number of children in attendance at such schools in the area of each authority establishing them?

The development of the central school system is, at present, of so varied a character that it is really impossible to compile reliable statistics on a common basis. The line of demarcation between selective and non-selective central schools cannot, for instance, always be clearly drawn, especially in rural areas. In this connexion I would refer the hon. Member to pages 83–84 of the Board's Annual Report for 1924–25.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many pupils were admitted to secondary schools on the grant list in the year 1925–26; and how many of them were fee-paying and free-place pupils, respectively?

The number of pupils admitted to grant-aided secondary schools in England and Wales during the school year 1925–26 was 86,908, of whom 53,165 were fee-paying and 33,743 free pupils.

asked the Home Secretary whether, having regard to the many accidents occuring at the junction of High Road, Broad Lane, and West Green Road, Tottenham, he will arrange for a constable to be placed on traffic duty at this point?

I understand that a number of accidents have occurred, but that it is doubtful whether they could have been prevented if a constable had been present. The Commissioner of Police is not satisfied that the employment of a constable on permanent point duty would be justified, but he is considering the question of employing a constable at the point when traffic is particularly heavy, e.g., at week-ends and on bank holidays.

asked the Minister of Transport on what routes it is proposed to run the six-wheel omnibuses on the streets of London; whether any of these omnibuses have commenced to run; and whether they are considered satisfactory?

I am informed by the Commissioner of Metropolitan Police that one six-wheeled omnibus was licensed early in June as an experiment and operates between Victoria and Cricklewood Broadway. It is not yet possible for the police to express an opinion as to whether the vehicle will prove satisfactory.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is now in a position to furnish the following desired particulars as to old age pensions for the year ended 31st March, 1927, namely, the total amount paid in pensions; the total cost of administration; the total number of pensions actually payable on the first Friday in March, 1927, stating those for men and those for women separately in both cases; the number of pensions paid at the varying rates of 10s., 9s., 8s., 7s., 6s., 5s., 4s., 3s., 2s., and is.; the number of applications for pensions, the number of applications rejected, giving various causes of rejection, age, poor relief, means, and other causes; the number of pensioners of whose deaths notifications have reached the office of the pensions officers during the year ended as above; the number of paupers over 70 years of age in England, Scotland, and Wales in institutions, stating the average cost per head per annum; the number of paupers over 70 years of age in receipt of outdoor relief, stating the average cost per head per annum of men and women separately in both cases; the average weekly cost of a convict in penal servitude and a prisoner in ordinary prisons for the year ended as above; and the number of persons over 70 years of age in prisons and in penal servitude during the year ended as above?

The particulars desired by the hon. Member, as far as they are available, are as follow:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give for England and Scotland, respectively, the total numbers and net receipts of all liquor licences, of all publicans' licences, and of on-beer and wine retailers' licences for the year ending 31st March, 1927?

The total numbers of licences for the sale of intoxicating liquor and the number of publicans' and beer and wine on licences issued in England and Wales and Scotland, respectively, during the year ended 31st March, 1927, with the relative amounts of duty, are as under:

asked the Secretary for Mines the total export of coal from this country during the first six months of 1924, 1925 and 1927?

The hon. Member will find the figures for 1925 and 1927 on page 93 of the June issue of the Accounts relating to the Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom, and the corresponding particulars for 1924 in the issue of those Accounts for June, 1926.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total production of coal for Great Britain; the exports, including bunkers; and the home consumption, in millions of tons, in 1924, 1925 and 1926?

Quantities of coal produced in Great Britain, exported and shipped as foreign bunkers, and available for home consumption in the years 1924, 1925 and 1926: