asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of cadets who have entered the Royal Air Force Cadet College at Cranwell from the separate Dominions during each of the last three years?

The answer is: none in 1925; one Australian and one New Zealand cadet in 1926; one Australian and one Canadian cadet in 1927.

asked the secretary of state for Air what approximately would be the cost of converting a commercial aeroplane as compared with the cost of one fully equipped for fighting purposes?

An ordinary commercial aircraft could be adapted to carry bombs for a comparatively small sum, but unless it were extensively reconstructed at considerable cost it would not be of great service against an organised defence.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether any persons of foreign nationality have received training in the Royal Air Force during the last five years; and, if so, whether he will give figures showing the number under training each year and the nationality of the persons so trained?

The following return gives the information requested:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of officers, non-commissioned officers, and men employed by or loaned to the Army and Royal Air Force establishments, respectively, at Aden?

I have been asked to reply. The present approximate strengths of all ranks of the British Army, Indian Army and Royal Air Force at Aden are 1,238, 528 and 187, respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give particulars of the bombing which took place at Kataba; whether the Zeidis have now discontinued their aggression upon the territories in the Aden Protectorate; and if the two sheikhs who were kidnapped by the Zeidi soldiers have been returned to their towns?

I have been asked to reply. The Zeidi Headquarters at Kataba have been bombed on five several days, and the Zeidi Headquarters at Dala on one day. Whilst operations are still in progress, it would not be in the public interest to give further particulars. As stated in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) on 12th March, the Zeidis have for some years been in occupation of portions of the Aden Protectorate territory and this encroachment still continues. The answer to the last part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs the approximate total cost for the settlement of a family, under the Empire Settlement Act, in Canada and Australia, respectively?

The cost of settling families in the Dominions must vary with the locality to which they go and the nature of the work in which they intend to engage. If, however, the hon. Member's question has reference to the cost of settling families upon farms of their own, the total cost to His Majesty's Government is, in the case of families proceeding to Canada, a recoverable advance not exceeding on the average £300. Settlement on farms in Australia is financed from Commonwealth Loan Funds, and His Majesty's Government makes a cash contribution towards the interest. The contribution to the settlement of a family upon a farm would be, approximately, £300. The assistance given towards passages is additional in each case. My hon. Friend will, of course, appreciate the fact that the number of families settled upon farms of their own is small in comparison with the total number of persons dealt with under the Empire Settlement Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Great Britain has a representative on the Commission appointed by the League of Nations known as the League's White Slave Commission; and if any special instructions have been issued?

Great Britain is represented on the Traffic in Women and Children Committee of the League of Nations by Mr. S. W. Harris of the Home Office. Mr. Harris is fully conversant with this subject, and at present requires no special instructions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the nature of the unofficial protest made by the Chinese Government against recent films alleged to depict Chinese life and citizens; and whether he will take into consideration the effect of such films upon the sentiments of a friendly nation?

No protests have been made by the Chinese Government against recent films. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress has been made with regard to the replacement of the Anglo-American Arbitration Treaty which expires in June next?

The draft of a Treaty communicated by the United States Government to replace the Arbitration Treaty of 1908 is being carefully considered by His Majesty's Government in Great Britain who are in consultation on the subject with His Majesty's Governments in the Dominions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a recent note written by Mr. Kellogg, Secretary of State of the United States, in which he says the Government of the United States desire to see the institution of war abolished, and stand ready to conclude with the French, British, Italian, German, and Japanese Governments a single multilateral treaty, open to subsequent adherence by any and all other Governments, binding the parties thereto not to resort to war with one another: and whether he can make any statement to the House on this proposal?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The note was addressed to the French Government, and as the matter is still the subject of diplomatic correspondence between the United States and the French Governments, I am not in a position to make any statement on the subject.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the present position in regard to the salvage of sunken German warships at Scapa Flow?

The firm who have purchased certain of these vessels have raised one large ship which has been towed in shore at Lyness, and work of breaking her up has been in hand. They still have two more large ships to raise, as well as two smaller vessels, and work is actively proceeding on one of these larger ships as opportunities offer. Their remaining vessels, all of smaller types, have all been raised, and either broken up or largely dismantled.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of established men who were discharged from His Majesty's Dockyards and Admiralty establishments before reaching the age of 60 years during 1925, 1926, and 1927, respectively?

The numbers, exclusive of those who have been invalided or have died, are as follow:

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if there is any prohibition against ratings of His Majesty's Royal Navy visiting Communist or Socialist establishments or against purchasing Communist or Socialist literature; is he aware that Michael Doyle, who admitted visiting the Communist book shop on Saturday, 28th October, 1927, was searched when he returned to His Majesty's Ship "Effingham," on 31st October, and the only literature discovered was a copy of "Punch" and the "War Cry," and that he was then sent to barracks and, after 16 days stay there, leas examined by the commander and an officer of Scotland Yard and questioned as to whether he was a member of the Communist party, which he denied; and will he say why this man was dismissed from the Service on 12th December, 1927?

There is no such prohibition as is mentioned in the first part of the question, but the commanding officer of one of His Majesty's ships is justified in taking steps to prevent literature with a revolutionary or disloyal tendency from being brought on board. In this case the man was known to have obtained a quantity of undesirable literature, and after careful consideration it was decided that he was exercising an unsatisfactory influence amongst his shipmates and was unsuitable for retention in the Service.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when the Admiralty Fleet Order No. 2813a, of 24th October, 1924, was approved by him or any other Minister?

The Fleet Order quoted was based on a formal decision of the Board of Admiralty at a meeting of the 3rd March, 1924. The First Lord at that time was the Noble Lord my predecessor.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when approval was given by the Minister to Admiralty Fleet Order 3349, of 1922?

This order, which was issued on 15th December, 1922, was duly approved prior to its issue.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty when approval was given by the Minister to Admiralty Fleet Order 757, of 1924?

This Order, which was issued on 28th March, 1924, was duly approved before issue.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury has considered the postponement of any of the issue of the new silver coinage?

No, Sir. The position is as stated in my reply to the hon. Member for Oxford University (Sir C. Oman) on the 28th February.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of young persons under the age of 18 on the registers of Employment Exchanges and Juvenile Employment Bureaux in Great Britain on 1st November, 1927?

The number of juveniles under 18 years of age on the registers of Employment Exchanges and Juvenile Employment Bureaux in Great Britain at 31st October, 1927, was 64,456, including 33,371 boys and 31,085 girls.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women of 65 years of age and over who were in receipt of unemployment benefit and were entitled to receive old age pensions when that Section of the new Act came into force by which they were disqualified from receiving their unemployment benefit?

There are no statistics on this point, and I am afraid it would be impracticable to obtain them. I am informed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health, however, that having regard to the conditions for the receipt of a pension, there cannot have been any large number of persons aged 65 and over in receipt of unemployment benefit at the end of last December who failed to qualify for a pension in January.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of women who are receiving training in the London area at any of the centres under the direction of the Ministry; and the amount at the disposal of these training centres for this purpose?

The Central Committee for Women's Training and Employment have at present one home training centre in London, that at Deptford, where there is accommodation for 50 women at a time. No part of the grant paid to the Central Committee is earmarked for any particular centre.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the remuneration paid to the cleaners employed in the Claims and Record Office, Kew, is a direct charge to the public funds?

The wages of cleaners at Kew are borne on the Vote for the Ministry of Labour, but are recoverable from the Unemployment and Health Insurance Funds.