asked the Minister of Health what State payments were made to the Medical Council during 1926; and for what purpose?

I am informed by my Noble Friend the Lord President of the Council that no State payments were made to the General Medical Council during 1926; as a matter of fact, no State payments are made to that body.

asked the Home Secretary the number of prosecutions that have taken place for motor offences in the Metropolitan Police area for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date and the gross amount of fines imposed on motorists in the Metropolitan area for the same period?

The number of prosecutions in the Metropolitan Police district for motor offences during the year ended 31st October, 1927, was 79,686. The gross amount of fines inflicted in these cases could not be ascertained without unjustifiable expenditure of time, money and labour.

asked the Minister of Pensions if he will have inquiries made in the case of James Wattan, late Private, No. 59,927, Lincolnshire Regiment, who was badly wounded in the great War and is not at present in receipt of a pension, though he is certified by the medical officer of health of the Sleaford Rural and Urban Councils as suffering from a large gunshot wound and operation scar on the front side of the chest below the right collar bone, with a septic discharge from a sinus in the scar tissue, severe pain extending from the wound to the back of the right shoulder joint and limited movement of the arm in certain directions, and as being in the opinion of the doctor unable to follow any hard manual occupation; whether he is aware that the county medical officer certifies that James Wattan is quite unable to follow an ordinary working man's occupation; and if, in the circumstances, he will arrange for an early medical examination of James Wattan with a view to the re-issue of pension under the Dispensary Warrant of 1884?

My attention had already been called to this case, and Mr. Wattan has for some time been in a Ministry hospital. On the conclusion of his treatment his case will be considered, and if further action is then found justifiable it will be taken.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will consider the provision of a sub-post office in Newtown, Wednesbury?

I will have inquiry made, and will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will provide a telephone call-box and automatic stamp machine to cater for the needs of the increasing number of residents upon the municipal housing estate extending from Church Hill and Hobbs Road to Wood Green, Wednesbury?

For the reasons given in my reply to the hon. Member's question of the 15th instant, I regret that I am not at present prepared to increase the existing postal and telephone facilities in this district.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information and can report to the House on the steps that have been taken by either the Governments of the Straits Settlements or that of British North Borneo for the purpose of controlling the production of durgs or enforcing the reduction in opium smoking?

There is no production of drugs in the Straits Settlements or in the State of North Borneo, but in each of those territories there is stringent legislation for the control of the possession, distribution and use of deleterious drugs. As regards opium smoking, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the "Report of the British Malaya Opium Committee, 1924, copies of which are available in the Library of this House. The policy outlined in that Report is being carried out. While, however, good progress has been made in giving effect to the preliminary measures recommended in the Report, there is little prospect of an effective reduction in the amount of opium smoked so long as unlimited supplies of opium are available in China and continue to be smuggled into the Colony. Action on similar lines is being taken by the Government of the State of North Borneo.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies how far inquiries have been made by the Empire Marketing Board as to assisting schemes for the export of pedigree stock from this country to various parts of the Empire, notably Rhodesia and East Africa; and if some statement can be made now to endeavour to publish the scheme before Christmas so that breeders in this country may avail themselves of this assistance in the new year?

The Empire Marketing Board have invited the Governments of certain oversea parts of the Empire, including those referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend, to suggest schemes for assisting the exportation of pedigree stock from this country, and are now awaiting replies to their invitation. This course was taken because inquiry showed that the differing needs of the various parts of the Empire concerned would be better met by that means than by the adoption of a single uniform scheme. The Board are further in negotiation with the Royal Agricultural Society of England and the Highland and Agricultural Society for the establishment, under the management of these societies and at the charges of the Empire Marketing Fund, of quarantine stations designed to ensure that the export of pedigree stock to the parts of the Empire in question may proceed without the interruptions hitherto caused by outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in this country. These negotiations are being pressed forward; but I am not yet able to say definitely when the first station will be opened.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he can arrange to publish a Return, similar to the Fleets Return published by the Admiralty, showing the active and reserve strength of the air forces of the principal countries, together with information as to the equipment of such forces?

I am afraid that there are insufficient official sources from which such a Return of foreign air forces and their equipment could be compiled; reserve strengths are, in any case, not disclosed. The available statistics are published in the Armaments Year Books issued annually by the League of Nations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether this country, under existing treaties, has any liabilities to undertake warlike operations, other than those contained in the Treaty of Versailles and the associated treaties, and the Treaty of Locarno?

As I have stated in this House before, all the international commitments of Great Britain have already been published, and if any new ones are incurred they will likewise be laid before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, under the Treaty of Trianon, the duty is thrown upon the Council of the League of Nations, in case of one of the Governments concerned failing to fill a vacancy on a mixed arbitral tribunal, to choose two persons, one of whom may be chosen by the other Government, to fill such vacancy; and whether he will state for what reason the Council did not choose such two persons at the time the application was made by Hungary?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, seeing that the mixed arbitral tribunal set up under the Treaty of Trianon, to which Great Britain is a party, is the appropriate body to decide judicially on the claims of the Hungarian nationals, he will state why the Council of the League of Nations did not, in March last, take the necessary steps, provided for by such treaty, to enable the claims to be heard by such tribunal according to the recognised principles of international law, unfettered by any conditions imposed upon the tribunal or the parties to the case?

I am quite unable to accept the assumptions which lie at the root of the hon. Members' questions. The Council of the League has, in this matter, acted strictly in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Trianon.

The question of the appointment of supplementary Judges to the Mixed Rumano-Hungarian Tribunal was first brought to the notice of the Council in March last by the Rumanian Government under Article 11 of the Covenant which forms an integral part of the Treaty of Trianon.

The Council in its consideration of the question was bound to have regard to the terms of this Article. I feel it my duty to protest very respectfully but very earnestly against the attempts which are being made to secure an ex parte declaration here on a matter which has been referred to the Council by the parties and is still sub judice by the Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that appointments to fill the vacancies then arising were made in pursuance of the Report of Mr. Ador, mentioned in page 629 of the League of Nations Journal of 1923, and that the mixed arbitral tribunal so constituted dealt with the cases that had arisen; and if he will state why the same procedure has not been followed in regard to the Rumano-Hungarian Mixed Arbitral Tribunal under the Treaty of Trianon?

My hon. Friend is misinformed. The report to which he refers was drawn up by a member of the Council of the League, not Monsieur Ador, whose functions had ceased as soon as the Council had been set up. This report merely states that it was desirable to appoint the supplementary judges to the tribunals men- tioned in the report in order to give effect to Article 304 of the Treaty of Versailles and the corresponding Articles in the Treaties of St. Germain (Article 256), Trianon (Article 239), and Neuilly (Article 188), to which the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs had appealed. The case now before the Council was brought to their notice by the Rumanian Government under Article 11 of the Covenant, and the action of the Council has been in strict conformity with the duties imposed upon it by that Article. I must very respectfully decline to enter further in this House upon the discussion of a question of this nature which is still pending before the Council.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of Land Tax collected during the last three years and the cost of collection and administration during the same periods?

The net receipt of the Land Tax for the year 1926–27 was £632,364. Particulars of the receipts in earlier years will be found in Table 42 of the 69th Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Command Paper 2783). It is not possible to distinguish the cost of collection of this tax from the cost of the duties of the Inland Revenue Department generally. The Land Tax is assessed and collected with the Income Tax, and its cost, which is very small, is merged in the general cost of assessing and collecting the Income Tax.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the annual number of individual claims for the repayment of Income Tax which had been deducted at source: what is the aggregate amount of the income on which the tax had been deducted in these cases; and what is the aggregate amount of such repayments?

The total number of Income Tax claims of all kinds in respect of which repayment of Income Tax was made in the year 1926–27 was approximately 1,540,000, and the aggregate amount of tax repaid was £43,777,000. The total income in respect of which tax was repaid in the year is estimated to have been about £180 millions. No record is available as to the number of these claims that related to Income Tax deducted at the source, but it may be assumed that the great majority fell into that category.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the actual income upon which repayment of Income Tax has been made in England and Wales in 1926–27 on account of farm losses and actual income falling short of the amount assessed?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given to him, in response to a similar question on 9th May last, to which I can add nothing.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that extended benefit has been refused to William Heron, Campie Road, Mussel-burgh, on the ground that he was not making reasonable effort to find employment; that this man was able to produce six separate letters from different contractors certifying his search for work and willingness to employ him if work was available; and, if so, will he be prepared to have inquiries made into this case, with a view to giving the case another hearing before the local unemployment committee?

I am having further inquiry made, and will review the case in the light of what I find.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of registrations at Employment Exchanges, the vacancies notified and the vacancies filled in Great Britain for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

The following table shows the number of persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain in one week of each month of the year ended 24th October, 1927, together with the number of vacancies notified and vacancies filled during that year.

Men. Boys. Women. Girls. Total. Number on Register. 22nd November, 1926 1,182,240 38,141 256,418 37,934 1,514,733* 20th December, 1926 1,040,617 29,865 209,829 29,428 1,309,739* 24th January, 1927 1,059,574 40,001 208,567 40,577 1,348,719 21st February, 1927 955,348 33,091 171,646 35,974 1,196,059 21st March, 1927 875,206 27,713 145,553 30,058 1,078,530 25th April, 1927 841,762 31,834 139,185 31,976 1,044,757 23rd May, 1927 786,263 28,128 134,813 28,972 978,176 20th June, 1927 797,596 25,226 138,914 25,612 987,348 25th July, 1927 816,031 33,062 148,190 29,619 1,026,902 22nd August, 1927 819,306 36,111 155,382 33,556 1,044,355 26th September, 1927 835,786 32,111 149,908 32,312 1,050,117 24th October, 1927 858,918 31,112 154,092 29,910 1,074,032 Average of foregoing 12 months 905,720 32,200 167,708 32,161 1,137,789 Vacancies notified. During 12 months ended 24th October, 1927. 667,116 166,035 390,089 148,049 1,371,289 Vacancies filled. During 12 months ended 24th October, 1927. 611,305 136,101 309,864 121,002 1,178,272 * Exclusive of persons in the coal mining industry who were disqualified for unemployment benefit by reason of the dispute which commenced on 1st May, 1926.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of people in Reading insured against unemployment on 1st July for the last four years and the number of such persons recorded as unemployed at the same date?

The following table shows the estimated number of persons insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts in Reading at the beginning of July, and the number of such persons recorded as unemployed at the end of June, in each of the years 1923 to 1927.

Year. Estimated number of Insured Work people. Number of Insured Persons recorded as Unemployed. 1923 25,760 1,912 1924 26,510 1,797 1925 26,850 1,244 1926 28,930 1,192 1927 29,210 1,001

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed now on the Exchange registry in Blackpool; and the number of seasonal workers who in the last 12 months have been refused unemployment benefit in consequence of being such workers?

At 20th November there were 2,946 persons on the registers of the Employment Exchange at Blackpool. I regret that the information asked for in the last part of the question is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can furnish an estimate of the number of insured workpeople in employment at the end of October, 1927, and also at the end of October, 1924?

The only figures I can give are the difference between the numbers of unemployment books lodged and the estimated totals of insured persons. These differences were 10,776,500 at the end of October, 1927, and 10,223,600 at the end of October, 1924.

asked the Minister of Labour the six chief industries of the country from the point of view of capital invested and workers engaged therein?

Out of the 100 industries for which unemployment insurance statistics are obtained the five which include the greatest number of workers are the distributive trades, coalmining, the building industry, general engineering (including engineers' iron and steel founding), and the cotton textile industry. To these five must be added agriculture. I understand from my right hon Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, that except in the case of railways there is no official information as to the amount of capital invested in particular industries in the United Kingdom.

asked the Minister of Labour the estimated number of men and women, respectively, over the age of 65 who will cease to be insured under the Unemployment Insurance Act on qualifying for the old age pension at 65 in January next?

It is estimated that, approximately, 342,000 persons aged 65 and over who are now insured under the Unemployment Insurance Acts will cease to be insured as from 2nd January, 1928,

Home Production. Net Imports. Total. Thousand Tons. Thousand Tons. Thousand Tons. Wheat (including flour as wheat) … 1,366 5,801* 7,167 Barley … … 1,027 645* 1,672 Oats … … 2,533 249* 2,782 Potatoes … … 5,185 237† 5,422 Beef and veal … … 550 776‡ 1,326 Mutton and lamb … … 230 293‡ 523 Pigmeat (of all kinds) … … 242 474‡ 716 Butter … … 46 279 325 Cheese … … 52 147 199 Million Gallons. Million Gallons. Million Gallons. Fresh milk … … 925 —§ 925 * Net import during the cereal year ended 31st August, 1927. † Imports during the 12 months ended June, 1927. ‡ Imports during the 12 months ended May, 1927. § Small quantities of fresh milk are imported, viz., 73,600 cwt. in 1926, or say 798,000 gallons. The net imports of condensed milk in that year were 2,260,621 cwt.,the equivalent in fresh milk of approximately 73.5 million gallons.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the district court-martial held at Aldershot on a sergeant of the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles, who was acquitted; and whether he has official information as to who was responsible for allowing such a case to be sent for trial?

under the provisions of the Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated total supply, showing home produce and net imports, of the following agricultural products in 1926 in Great Britain: wheat and fiour, barley, oats, beef, mutton and pork, dairy produce (including milk), and potatoes?

The following table gives an approximate estimate of the total supply of the commodities in question in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1926. The estimates of production are subject to amendment when complete results are available of the censuses of production in Scotland and Northern Ireland and must be regarded as provisional.

I have not yet received all the relevant papers in this case, but as soon as I do so I will communicate with my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for War the strength of the British Army, inclusive of Territorial Forces, on 1st July, 1913, and on 1st July, 1927?

The establishments included in the Estimates for 1913 and 1927 respectively were as follow: 1913. 1927. Regular Army: British Establishment (Vote A) including permanent staff of the Territorial Army 181,233( a ) 152,501( b ) Territorial Army: Establishment( c ) 312,854( d ) 181,875( e )

( a )Excluding additional numbers (3,300), Royal Flying Corps (1,005), Central Flying 522 School (62). See p. 12, Army Estimates, 1913–14. ( b ) Excluding additional numbers (11,999) and Indian Troops in Middle East (2,000). See p. 11, Army Estimates, 1927. ( c ) The Strength of the Territorial Army was not up to establishment on 1st July in either 1913 or 1927; on 1st July, 1913, it was 250,142, and on 1st July, 1927, 142,214. ( d )Pages 49 and 168, Army Estimates, 1913. During the course of the year the establishment was reduced by 20 officers and 434 other ranks. ( e )Page 66, Army Estimates, 1927.