asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received a protest made by the German Government against the British Government's alleged departure from the basis reached in the Anglo-German Trade Treaty of 1925; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply on this subject given yesterday to the hon. Member for West Leicester (Mr. Pethick Lawrence).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the value of motor cars, cameras, glass and optical glass imported from Canada during the years 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927; the

TABLE showing the VALUES of the undermentioned Articles imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland consigned from Canada, in each of the years 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927.
Articles.			1924.	1925.	1926.	1927.
			£	£	£	£
Motor cars (Private and Commercial)	…	…	649,757	775,642	317,583	806,563
Cameras (not including lenses)	…	…	124,249	134,233	130,455	130,669
Glass and Glassware (except optical)	…	…	18,884	14,176	9,204	2,873
Optical Glass	…	…	66,583	72,707	81,013	77,428

The only information available as to the amount of duty collected on these goods is in respect of those motor cars imported from Canada which are delivered for home use at the preferential rate of duty. The information is as follows:

—							Value on which Duty was paid.	Amount of Duty.
Motor cars (not exempt form duty)—							£	£
1924*	…	…	…	…	…	…	386,188	85,818
1925*	…	…	…	…	…	…	348,039	77,342
1926†	…	…	…	…	…	…	512,211§	113,825
1927†	…	…	…	…	…	…	733,069	162,904
*Duty lapsed 2nd August, 1924: re-imposed 1st July, 1925.
†Includes commercial vehicles from 1st May, 1926.
† Includes rubber tyres and tubes imported with and forming part of complete cars, from 12th April,1927.
§It will be noticed that the value on which duty was paid in 1926 is in excess of the value of the imports for that year as shown in the first table. This is due to abnormal deliveries ex bonded warehouse of cars imported in the previous year.

No duty is chargeable on cameras, scientific glassware, lamp blown glassware and optical glass consigned from Canada if such goods are admissible under preferential conditions, but where these goods and motor cars do not fulfil Preference conditions, duty is charged at the full rate, and the amount of duty is not separately distinguished in the records. No information is available as to the proportion of British materials used in the imports in question, but a condition of the admission of manufactured articles to Preference is that at least 25 per cent. of the value of the article must be attributable to labour within the British Empire. That percentage was raised to 75 per cent. as from 1st March, 1927, in the case of cameras and optical glass.

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

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received representations as to the inconvenience which has arisen in all sections of the cotton hosiery trade owing to the uncertainty which exists as to the result of the recent safeguarding inquiry; whether he has yet received the Report of the committee; and, if so, whether, having regard to the special facts that this was a second inquiry, that the trade is a seasonal one, and that in consequence of this the chairman of the committee himself promised expedition, he will consider the possibility of departing from his usual practice and immediately publish the Report?

The Report of the Committee has been received, but after careful consideration my right hon. Friend cannot see any sufficient reason for departing from the general rule in regard to the publication of the Reports of safeguarding Committees.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that, as from 16th March, the French duties on elastics are to be increased from 17 to 35 francs per kilo; that those on silk, artificial silk, and cotton elastics are to be increased from 17 to 20 francs per kilo, increases representing, approximately, 17 times higher than the duty prevailing in 1914; and if all possible representations have been made to the French Government in respect of these increases, having regard to the fact that through depreciation the franc is only one-fifth of its pre-War value?

The new rates of duty were increased, during the passage of the recent Tariff Bill through the French Legislature, to 38 and 22 francs respectively. Representations against the proposals to increase the duty on silk elastics were addressed to the French Government on the introduction of the Tariff Revision Bill of 1927, when somewhat higher duties were proposed. In addition, representations of a general character have recently been addressed to the French Government in regard to the tariff increases that have taken place.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what are the suitable qualifications which are laid down by the Board of Selection as necessary for candidates for the Foreign Office and diplomatic services?

Nothing is definitely laid down by the Board of Selection with regard to the qualifications required. I think the position is best defined in the following passage from the Fifth Report of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service of 1914:

" It is impossible to describe in detail the qualities demanded by the peculiar conditions of the Diplomatic Service, but among them are powers of observation, good address, readiness to take responsibility, and above all the capacity to mix on easy terms with men of all classes in the countries to which diplomatists may be sent.

We share the opinion that has been expressed or implied by all the previous Committees or Commissions appointed to inquire into the subject, that the test of competitive examination by itself is an insufficient means of selecting the men whom we require for our Diplomatic Service. There is needed in addition some process by which, without favouritism or hardship to the individual, candidates who are unsuited to the Diplomatic Service may be eliminated. We can conceive no process better adapted to the purpose than a well constituted and properly empowered Board of Selection."

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the numbers of established civil servants compulsorily retired on health grounds from the following grades of the Civil Service during the last three years in respect of which this information is available, giving the information separately in respect of each year and each grade: general clerical grade, departmental clerical grades, typing grades and writing assistant grade?

The following table shows, as regards the grades in question, the number who retired on grounds of ill-health during the financial years 1923–4, 1924–5 and 1925–6.

Grade.	1923–4.	1924–5.	1925–6.
Clerical Grades* (Established):
Men	29	39	49
Women	33	19	23
Typists, Shorthand-Typists, etc (Established).	9	12	5
Writing Assistants (Established).	10	11	5
* No separate information is available regarding retirements from the gnnernl and departmental clerical grades respectively.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the London scale of pay operates for permanent clerical staff in His Majesty's tax office, Bromley, and that the provincial scale of pay operates for P-class and temporary clerks in that office; and what is the reason for such difference?

The established clerical staff of these offices are remunerated at uniform rates wherever stationed, and it is therefore incorrect to speak of a London scale as applied to this class. Bromley, Kent, is outside the boundary which limits the application of London rates of pay for permanent unestablished and temporary clerks.

NUMBER OF HOUSES completed under the HOUSING ACTS of 1923 and l924, during each month from January, 1926.
Month.				Housing etc., Act, 1923.	Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924.	Total.
1926—
January	…	…	…	5,150	2,757	7,907
February	…	…	…	5,982	3,299	9,281
March	…	…	…	7,329	3,908	11,237
April	…	…	…	6,339	3,895	10,234
May	…	…	…	6,481	5,111	11,592
Juue	…	…	…	7,466	4,675	12,141
July	…	…	…	8,440	5,194	13,634
August	…	…	…	7,261	4,797	12,058
September	…	…	…	9,735	5,438	15,173
October	…	…	…	8,081	4,826	12,907
November	…	…	…	7,664	5,119	12,783
December	…	…	…	9,256	5,496	14,752
1927—
January	…	…	…	6,984	4,904	11,888
February	…	…	…	6,482	4,850	11,332
March	…	…	…	8,417	5,986	14,403
April	…	…	…	7,269	6,339	13,608
May	…	…	…	7,559	6,799	14,358
June	…	…	…	9,392	7,022	16,414
July	…	…	…	9,780	9,030	18,810
August	…	…	…	8,514	10,359	18,873
September	…	…	…	25,675	26,586	52,261
October	…	…	…	5,911	5,173	11,084
November	…	…	…	2,550	4,390	6,940
December	…	…	…	2,426	3,850	6,276
1928—
January	…	…	…	2,256	3,703	5,959
February	…	…	…	2,681	3,939	6,623

asked the Minister of Health the number of slum-clearance schemes sanctioned by his Department for the various local authorities in Cheshire, and the total amount of money granted by his Department to each case?

Two slum-clearance schemes have been confirmed in Cheshire, one in the city of Chester and one at Wallasey. The annual Exchequer contributions in aid of the schemes have not yet been fixed, but on provisional figures

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses built under the Housing Acts of 1923 and 1924 that were completed in each month from January, 1926, to February, 1928?

The following statement gives the information asked for:they are estimated at £1,100 in respect of the two schemes, representing 50 per cent. of the estimated annual loss.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has caused investigation to be made on his behalf into the condition of Little Orford Street, Ives Street, Feltham Mews, Green Street, Francis Street and Leverett Street, all in or near the parish of St. Simon's, Chelsea, and belonging to the Hans Place and Cadogan Syndicate, Limited; whether he has drawn the attention of the Chelsea Borough Council to complaints lodged by representative citizens concerning this area and, if so, with what result; and whether any part of these streets is included in the slum-clearance scheme recently the subject of an official inquiry in Chelsea?

My right hon. Friend has been in communication with the Metropolitan Borough Council of Chelsea in regard to the matter referred to. The sanitary condition of the houses in this area has received the constant attention of the council. Systematic house-to-house inspections are made by the council's sanitary inspectors, and all repairs scheduled by them are executed promptly; where circumstances justify such a course, closing orders are made. In the opinion of the council, it is not an area in respect of which a scheme should be made under Part II of. the Housing Act, 1925, under present conditions. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Health when the decision and Report of his Department upon the slum clearance scheme for the World's End area in Chelsea is expected to be published; and whether his consent has been asked for and given to the proposed lease by the Chelsea Borough Council to the Guinness Trust of the vacant land adjoining that area recently purchased by the council for public building purposes?

The Order confirming this scheme is being printed and will be issued at an early date. No application has yet been received from the borough council for consent to the proposed lease referred to in the second part of the question.

asked the Minister of Health what is the present constitution of the Metropolitan Asylums Board; the number of members selected by the various boards of guardians; the number, if any, co-opted by the Metropolitan Asylums Board itself; and the number appointed by the Ministry of Health and the period of service allotted to each section?

The Metropolitan Asylums Board consists of 55 members elected by the several boards of guardians in London, and 18 members nominated by the Minister of Health. The ordinary tenure of office is for three years, and the present period of office expires on the 15th May, 1928. There are no co-opted members on the board. The following statement shows the numbers of members elected by the various boards of guardians:

Union or Parish.			No. of Members.
Bermondsey	…	…	1
Bethnal Green	…	…	1
Camberwell	…	…	2
Chelsea	…	…	1
City of London	…	…	5
Fulham	…	…	1
Greenwich	…	…	1
Hackney	…	…	2
Hammersmith	…	…	1
Hampstead	…	…	1
Holborn	…	…	3
Islington	…	…	3
Kensington	…	…	3
Lambeth	…	…	3
Lewisham	…	…	1
Paddington	…	…	2
Poplar	…	…	1
St. Marylebone	…	…	3
St. Pancras	…	…	3
Shoreditch	…	…	1
Southwark	…	…	2
Stepney	…	…	4
Wandsworth	…	…	3
Westminster	…	…	6
Woolwich	…	…	1

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the increasing use of emulsifiers for the reconstitution of cream as a result of the enforcement of the Public Health (Preservatives, etc., in Food) Regulations; how many prosecutions have taken place in cases of the fraudulent sale of the synthetic article as cream; and what further steps, if any, are contemplated by his Department with a view to the suppression of the practice;(2) whether he regards synthetic cream as a foodstuff for the purposes of the Public Health (Preservatives, etc., in Food) Regulations; and what steps, if any, have been taken by his Department to deal with the sale, as cream, of the synthetic article containing preservative?

My right hon. Friend's attention has been drawn to the increasing use of emulsifiers for the reconstitution of cream, but it does not seem likely that the Preservatives Regulations are responsible for the increase; I would point out that the prohibition of preservatives applies equally to natural and to reconstituted cream. A more probable explanation can be found in the fact that the latter article is said to be prepared at a cost much lower than that of the former. I am unable to state how many prosecutions have been instituted by the local authorities in respect of the sale of the synthetic article as cream. As my hon. Friend is probably aware, the constituents of cream can be emulsified so as to produce an article which is very similar to natural cream. Investigations are, however, being made as to the possibility of distinguishing between the two articles by scientific methods. Pending the completion of these investigations, I am not in a position to indicate what further steps can be taken by my Departemnt.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what arrangements were made for the towing of the floating dock to Singapore, and where this dock now is?

The dock is now approaching completion at the works of the builders, Messrs. Swan Hunter and Wigham. Richardson, Limited, Wallsendon-Tyne, and as stated in the Explanatory Statement accompanying the Navy Estimates, arrangements have been made to commence towage of the dock about June. The arrangements for towing the dock to Singapore are in the hands of the builders.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what articles and fittings required for store, hitherto supplied by outside contractors, have been made in the dockyards during the current financial year; and what are the comparative figures for the two previous years?

The articles and fittings are numerous and various, but the following may be taken as examples, namely, valves, clips for cables, bread trays, boxes for fire control instruments, deck plates and sockets. The comparative figures for the two previous years are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of Dominion and Indian Army officers receiving training at the Royal Air Force Staff College at Andover, and the contributions received in respect of these students from the separate Dominions concerned and India during each of the last three years?

The number of Indian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Australian Air Force officers, respectively, who received training at the Royal Air Force Staff College in the three years in question were: In 1925, one, one, two; in 1926, one, two, two; in 1927, one, two, two. No charge is made against the Indian Government in respect of Indian Army officers trained at the Royal Air Force Staff College in view of the provision by that Government of reciprocal free training at the Staff College, Quetta. Payment is made by the Governments of Canada and Australia at the rate of £400 a year in respect of each officer under training at the Royal Air Force Staff College and particulars of the actual receipts, which do not necessarily relate to training within the year of receipt, are as follow:

	Australia.	Canada.
Financial year.	£	£
1925	600	600
1926	800	879
1927 (to date)	479	479

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of coal mines and the number of share mines in Linlithgowshire that have been closed in the years 1925, 1926, and 1927, respectively?

No coal mines in Linlithgowshire were closed in 1925 or 1926; in 1927 two mines employing 629 persons were closed. As regards oil shale mines, two were closed in 1925, two in 1926 and one in 1927; the total number of persons employed at these mines was 823.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the serious hindrance caused to traffic by the parking of motor cars outside private houses newly built on many of the many new arterial roads; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this nuisance?

My right hon. Friend has been asked to reply to this question. The Commissioner of Police informs him that he is not aware of any serious hindrance to traffic arising in the Metropolitan Police District in the way suggested by the hon. and gallant Member, but the police would be quite ready to give attention to the matter, with a view to the prevention of obstruction, if he would let my right hon. Friend know the locality he has in mind.

asked the Home Secretary what progress has been made in the appointment of the panel of referees under Clause 21 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, 1927; how many of the persons appointed are members of the Law Society and of the Surveyors' Institution, respectively; and how far it has been found possible to carry out the promise made in the Committee stage of the Bill to appoint members of other professions having an intimate knowledge of the class of question to be referred to them?

The duty of appointing the panel of referees under Section 21 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, 1927, is placed by the Statute on the Reference Committee. I understand that the Committee have met and that the work preliminary to the making of such appointments is proceeding. No appointments have, however, yet been completed, as it is desired first to formulate the rules regulating the proceedings under the Statute. Substantial progress in this direction has been made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the representations of the Palestine Arab executive, sent in in November, 1927, and in view of the danger of Zionist foreign capitalists exploiting the Dea Sea salts concessions, he will reconsider his decision and leave the undertaking in the hands of the Palestine and Transjordanian Governments?

As I have already stated, I do not consider that the undertaking is one that could suitably be carried out by the Governments in question.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider the erection of a verandah in front of the Employment Exchange at Grimsby, to afford some protection for the large number of persons who are obliged to wait there during inclement weather?

If applicants will adhere to the timing system, there is no need for undue waiting outside the Exchange premises. In these circumstances, I am afraid the Department cannot go to the expense of providing additional shelter.

asked the hon. Member for Monmouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, the areas which were denuded of timber during the War in the counties of Aberdeen, Perth, Banff, Elgin, Nairn, Aberdeenshire, Ross and Cromarty, and Sutherland, respectively and how much of those areas have since been replanted?

I have been asked to reply. The Forestry Commissioners have no precise figures as to the areas which were denuded of timber during the War in the counties specified. The Census of Woodlands in 1924 dis closed the extent of the total area of woodlands in those counties which had been felled and not replanted. Particulars

—	Felled woodlands not replanted.		Acreage planted by Forestry Commission.
	Acreage.	Percentage of total woodland area.	To end of last season.	Programme for current season.
Aberdeen	40,493	31·8	1,483	855
Perth	27,615	23·6	4,077	150
Banff	5,556	20·5	—	—
Elgin	12,628	25·3	4,300	675
Nairn	4,067	23·	—	—
Aberdeenshire—See above.
Ross and Cromarty	17,243	22·8	3,013	673
Sutherland	5,935	23·4	989	165
Totals	113,537	25·8	10,862	2,518

asked the Prime Minister when it is anticipated that the Empire Conference on cable and wireless communications will make its Report?

It is not possible to forecast a date when the Imperial Wireless and Cable Conference will render its report. I understand the Conference is making every effort to do so as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if arrangements have been made by the Ministry for a visit to this country of Dr. Serge Voronoff in connection with the improvement of livestock; if experiments are to be arranged under the Board of Agriculture and, if so, will

Dr. Serge Voronoff has not been invited to visit this country in connection with the improvement of livestock, but a scientific mission was recently sent to Algiers by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Board of Agriculture for Scotland for the purpose of inquiring into the results of Dr. Voronoff's experiments. The report of the mission has recently been published by the Stationery Office. Arrangements are being made for carefully controlled experiments to test the claims made on behalf of Dr. Voronoff's work. These experiments will not be carried out by the Ministry, but by university workers, whose work is aided by Government grants. All experiments on living animals calculated to give pain are subject to licence and inspection by the Home Office under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876.