asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims to unemployment benefit admitted and under consideration at the Walworth Road, Borough, employment exchange on each Monday in March, 1928; and the number of vacancies notified to the same employment exchange for the same period?

The following Table shows the number of claims admitted and under consideration at the Borough Employment Exchange on each Monday of March, 1928, and the number of vacancies notified to that Exchange during each week of the same month.purpose of unemployment insurance statistics this industry is included with others in the group "Mining and Quarrying not separately specified."

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women registered RS engaged in the heavy chemical trade and the light chemical trade in March, 1926, 1927 and 1928, respectively?

Chemicals Industry—Great Britain.
Date.	Estimated number of insured persons.				Date.	Insured persons recorded as unemployed.
	Men.	Women.	Juveniles.	Total.		Men.	Women.	Juveniles.	Total.
July, 1926	68,520	18,410	6,460	93,390	22nd March, 1926	6,640	838	161	7,639
July, 1927	69,230	19,150	6,520	94,900	21st March, 1927	5,129	746	158	6,033
July, 1927*	66,420	19,150	6,520	92,090	26th March, 1928*	4,435	693	107	5,235
* The figures on this line are exclusive of persons aged 65 and over.
Separate statistics for the heavy chemical trade and the light chemical trade are not available, nor are figures available with regard to the number of insured persons in the chemical industry in March of each year.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is now able to make a statement on the Report received from the Government of India with reference to the withdrawal of the Burma allowance from the Central Government officials at Rangoon?

No, Sir. The examination of the Report has not yet been completed. I will let the hon. Member know the result in due course.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether His Majesty's Government accept in principle the resolution accepted by the Government of India in 1926 that the Indian delegation to the League of Nations should be led by an Indian; and whether it, is the intention of the Government to give effect to this resolution when appointing future delegations?

My Noble Friend and the Government of India have never accepted and are not prepared to accept any resolution which would limit their discretion in choosing the India.; delegation for the Assembly of the League of Nations. The composition of this year's delegation is under consideration and will be announced in due course.

The following Table gives the available information:

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the actual amount of public rates raised by local authorities in the years ended 31st March, 1911, and 31st March, 1926?

The total amount of assessments raised by local authorities in Scotland in the years ended the 15th May, 1911, and the 15th May, 1926, exclusive of water assessment, was £6,811,167 and £18,601,938, respectively. The water assessment raised was £642,408 in 1910–11 and £1,269,184 in 1925–26.

asked the Minister of Labour the rates of wages for a normal week paid to men and women engaged in the cutlery trade; and what increases, if any, in rates of wages have taken place in that trade since December, 1924?

The following statement shows the recognised time rates of wages, as agreed upon by the organisations of employers and workpeople, for certain classes of workpeople in the cutlery trade at Sheffield. Information is not available as regards the weekly earnings of pieceworkers, who form a large proportion of the whole. There has been no general change in rates of wages in this industry since December, 1924.

asked the Secretary for Mines the rates of wages for a normal week paid to men engaged in the tin-mines of Cornwall?

The rate of wages varies from Ss. to 8s. per shift for the various grades of day-wage men, with, on the average, higher rates for contract men. The average number of shifts worked per man during the year 1927 was 304.

asked the Minister of Health, with regard to the 300 ex-service civil servants of over seven years' Government service who are about to be dismissed from his Ministry, whether there are still many temporary non-service women not under notice whose work could be done by these men; and, if so, in view of the pledge given by Lord Cushendun on 27th July, 1927, whether he will reconsider these dismissals?

There are 108 temporary women clerks employed in my Department upon work of the class described by the Lytton Committee as specially appropriate to women, and, therefore, as ordinarily non-substitutable by men. The answer given by the late Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 27th July, 1927, had reference solely to the displacement of ex-service clerks by successful candidates at the clerical officers' examination held last November, and the latter part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will issue a circular to parish councils recommending that where a vacancy occurs in a parish for the office of a parish clerk and assistant overseer preference should in all cases be given to suitable local ex-service men?

I have no doubt that parish councils generally, like other local authorities, are alive to the claims of ex-service men. So far as a reminder is desirable, this would probably most effectively be given through local organisations.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the vehicles supplied to the mechanised cavalry regiments will all be equipped with Rolls-Royce engines; and, if not, what engines will be fitted?

A certain number of Rolls-Royce armoured cars with Rolls-Royce engines are being issued to the mechanised cavalry regiments. The question of the type of car and engine to be purchased to complete the establishment is under consideration.

asked the Home Secretary the number of firms known to be engaged on the two-shift system for women and young persons: whether any orders for the working of this system have been issued this year; and the number of workpeople concerned?

Orders have been granted up to date to 570 firms in respect of 636 works, but inquiries have shown that probably not more than a third of the Orders are in actual use at any one time. Thirty-six Orders have been granted this year: the total number of women and young persons whom it was proposed to employ on the shifts in these cases is about 1,900.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is intended to publish the Report made by the official of his Department who attended the road transport illumination demonstration held at Richmond Park on 29th March; and, if so, when this Report will be published?

It is not intended to publish any official Report by my Department on this demonstration.

asked the Minister of Transport if he has had brought to his notice the heavy cost of the upkeep of roads, other than of class 1 and class 2, owing to the use of such roads by heavy vehicular traffic; and if he is prepared to consider the making of substantial grants from the Road Fund to assist towards such upkeep?

It is largely on the grounds mentioned by the hon. Member that in rural areas grants of 25 per cent. are made from the Road Fund towards the upkeep of scheduled roads which are not included in class 1 or class 2. The provision made in the financial year which has just begun for grants under this head amount to £1,650,000.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the large and growing use of electricity in farming and in market gardening in Sweden. and to the fact that this has been rendered possible by the use of a simple and cheaply constructed overhead distribution system, and to the fact that current can be sold for agricultural purposes as cheaply in Great Britain as in Sweden provided the requirements of such authorities as the Postmaster-General, the Electricity Commissioners, local authorities, and other public bodies, such as the Thames Conservancy, are modified, and unnecessary delays in the granting of way-leaves are put a stop to; and what steps he is taking to alter the existing conditions so as to make the erection of overhead distributing systems commercially possible in Great Britain?

The development of the supply of electricity in rural areas in Sweden has been brought to my notice. The question of simplifying and cheapening the construction of overhead line distribution systems in this country has been receiving the attention of all parties concerned. Revised regulations which will, I hope, assist this end are being issued this week by the Electricity Commissioners, who are also in communication with the Postmaster-General in regard to certain aspects of the matter.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what quantity of oil was supplied to the Navy in the years 1912, 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927, and the cost each year separately?

It is not desirable in the national interest that this information should be furnished.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what quantity of South Wales coal was supplied to the Navy in the following years, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1925, and 1927, and the cost each year separately?

The quantity of South Wales coal supplied to the Navy and the cost each year were approximately:

Years.			Tons.	£
1912	…	…	1,648,000	1,895,000
1913	…	…	1,704,000	1,928,000
1920	…	…	957,000	5,123,000
1925	…	…	392,000	662,000
1927	…	…	321,000	450,000

The amounts shown include the cost of transport from South Wales to port of storage or to His Majesty's ships when issued direct from collier.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he has received communications from the Risca Urban District Council, the Risca Ragustone group of school managers, the Free Church Council, etc., protesting against the action of the Monmouthshire County Council in selecting a site for a new school at Pen-y-fan Ragustone, to accommodate the children residing at Ty Isaf, Risca; whether he is aware that at the latter place a large population already resides, and that if the school is built these children will have to travel a long way on the main road, which is narrow and dangerous owing to the large amount of motor traffic; and what action he proposes to take in response to these protests?

My right hon. Friend has received representations from the Risen, Urban District Council in the sense indicated in the first and second parts of the question, but no proposal to provide a school at Pen-y-fan has so far been submitted to him by the local authority. If and when such a proposal is submitted, the representations of the urban district council will receive careful consideration.