asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women registered as employed in the cocoa and chocolate trade; and the number in the sugar confectionery trade in March 1926, 1927, and 1928, respectively?

The following Table shows in respect of July, 7926, and July, 1927, the number of insured persons in Great Britain classified as belonging to the cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery industry, and the number of such persons recorded as unemployed at March, 1926, March, 1927, and March, 1928, respectively. Statistics of the numbers insured at the latter dates are not available.mentioning that the figure for 16th April, given by me in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member on 18th April, namely, 1,073,500, was partly based on estimated figures, and has been found to require correction as stated.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of boys and girls registered as unemployed in Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton districts in; March and April, 1928?

The following table shows the number of boys and girls respectively, under 18 years of age, on

Area.		5th March, 1928.	12ih March, 1928.	19th March. 1928.	26th March, 1928.	2nd April, 1928.	16th Apr 1928.
		Boys.
Manchester*	…	605	431	545	375	430	733
Rochdale	…	21	21	25	30	56	64
Oldham†	…	228	290	211	224	314	281
Ashton	…	93	79	71	73	67	146
		Girls.
Manchester*	…	485	467	452	371	365	510
Rochdale	…	17	25	26	25	49	45
Oldham†	…	140	117	123	115	122	173
Ashton	…	61	46	92	78	67	117
* Including Openshaw, Levenshulms, N wton Heath and Trafford Park.
† Including Chadderton, Failsworth and Royton.

asked the Minister of Labour if his Department has prepared an estimate of the number of unemployed in the engineering trade, with the cost to the industry?

Figures can only be given from June, 1923, at which date the present classification of industries was adopted. The average numbers of work-people unemployed in the engineering trade (including engineers' iron and steel founding, electrical, marine, and constructional engineering, and the construction and repair of motor vehicles, cycles and aircraft) were as follow:

1923 (June to December)	176,517
1924	132,221
1925	110,616
1926	140,549
1927	93,040
1928 (January to March)	81,726

No separate record is kept of contributions and benefit in respect of particular industries. A rough estimate can, however, be made on the assumption that the payments of contributions and benefit and the cost of administration is at the same average per head as for all insured trades taken together, due allowance being made for the rate of unemployment

asked the Minister of Labour the rate of wages for a normal week paid to men and women engaged in the plain net trade; and what increases, if any, in rates of wages have taken place in that trade since March, 1925?

Workpeople employed in the plain net trade are mainly pieceworkers, and no information is avail- able as regards time rates of wages except in the case of warpers at Nottingham for whom there is a recognised rate of 60s. for a week of 48 hours. There has been no general change in rates of wages since March, 1925.

asked the Minister of Labour the rates of wages for a normal week paid to men and women engaged in the glove trade; and what increase, if any, in rates of wages has taken place in that trade since February, 1925?

The time rates of wages agreed upon by the Joint Industrial Council for the Glove-making Industry for workpeople employed in the leather section of the industry are as follow: skilled men, 20 years of age and over, 60s. per week of 47 hours; unskilled men, 51s. 5d. per week of 47 hours; women, 20 years of age and over, 29s. 4d. per week of 44 hours. The minimum rate of wages (based upon the average worker's output) for male pieceworkers is 1s. 6d. per hour. In. the fabric section of the industry the recognised time rates are 12½ per cent. less than in the leather section. There has been no general change in rates of wages since February, 1925.

asked the Minister of Health whether any instructions have been given to Government auditors to lay down scales of relief which boards of guardians must adopt, and which if departed from by any board will render such boards of guardians liable to surcharge?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief is 15 per 1,000 more in Scotland than in England and Wales; and whether he is now in a position to give the results of the Scottish Board of Health's investigation into the causes of the growing disparity between the figures for the two countries?

Inquiries have now been made by the Scottish Board of Health in regard to the disparity in the pauperism rates in England and Scotland respectively. From these inquiries it would appear that in the main the higher rate of Scottish pauperism is the direct result of the heavier incidence of unemployment in Scotland in past years. The rate of unemployment in the two countries is now almost equal, and it is expected that the disparity in the pauperism figures will gradually diminish. The inquiries would also appear to show that, in administering relict to the able-bodied, Scottish parish councils are handicapped by the absence of sufficient powers of testing the bona fides of applicants, e.g., by the imposition of a work test such as obtains in England, and that, if the councils were vested with further powers of the nature indicated, they would be better able to eliminate doubtful cases and thus reduce pauperism figures.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has arranged, or will arrange, that his Department send acknowledgments immediately of the receipt by them of claims for pensions by virtue of the Old Age Pensions Acts, 1908 to 1924, the Blind Persons Act, 1920, or the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, namely, in each case, either on the day of the receipt or on the next weekday at latest?

The question of acknowledging the receipt of claims for pension in my Department has received careful consideration. Provision for the purpose would mean an addition to the cost of the Department, and I do not think there is sufficient reason for it.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether any women are holding posts above that of staff officer or higher executive in the Pension Issue Office; what is the reason for this limitation of higher pests for women in a Department which was originally almost entirely staffed by women, and which it was officially the intention to make a women's department; whether the work of the Ministry is segregated into men's and women's branches; and, if so, whether all the work dealing with the administration of widows' and children's pensions has been allocated as more suitable to the women's Branches or, if allocated to a men's branch, has a higher executive woman to advise thereon?

There is in the Pension Issue Office one woman's post carrying a salary above that of the staff officer and higher executive grades. On the reorganisation of that branch, following the Report of the Joint Committee on the Organisation of the Civil Service in 1920, the majority of the higher posts were assigned to men, but this does not preclude the appointment of a woman to a higher post should a vacancy for which she possesses the necessary qualifications occur. With re-

—	Men.	Women.	Total.	Ex-Service men in eluded in (c).	Women's posts with basic salary over £400.	Men's posts with basic salary over £400.	Ex-Service men included in (f).
	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)	(f)	(g)
Sanctuary Buildings	850	159	1,009	741	Nil.	120	47
Pension Issue Office	454	1,112	1,566	445	1	16	7

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what increase has taken place during the past two years in the number of officials of all grades employed in the Civil Service; what the increase in the total salaries has been resulting therefrom during the corresponding period; and what the reason is for collectors of the Inland Revenue Department having had their salaries recently reduced by 22½ per cent.?

The total of non-industrial staffs of Government Departments on 1st January, 1928, was 296,825. Of this total 190,387 was Post Office staff. In respect of the balance there was a decrease of roughly 4,500 on 1st January, 1928, as compared with 1st January, 1926. During that same period owing to growth of Post Office work the Post Office staff increased by about 5,200. These changes will probably entail a net increased charge on balance for salaries of a sum not exceeding £140,000 per annum. The answer to the third part of the question is that the remuneration of

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of men and women, respectively, employed in the Ministry of Pensions at Sanctuary Buildings and at the Pension Issue Office; the number of ex-Service men included in the total; the number of women's posts carrying basic salaries of over £400 and the number of men's posts carrying basic salaries of over £400; and the number of ex-Service men in the latter category?

The following are the desired particulars:collectors has recently been reduced because they make only one collection of property tax (Schedule A) in the year, instead of collecting two instalments. My hon. and gallant Friend is under a misapprehension as to the reduction for 1928–29. It is not 22½ per cent. but about 4 per cent. of the total remuneration for the year preceding.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of incoming and outgoing calls that have been passed between America and Great Britain in the Transatlantic telephone service for the three months ended to the last convenient date; and the total number of calls that have passed in either direction since the introduction of this service?

During the three months ended 19th April, there were 634 outgoing calls and 692 incoming; a total of 1,326. The corresponding figures since the introduction of the service are 1,723 and 2,005; total 3,728.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received an application for the basket industry to be brought within the scope of the Safeguarding of Industries Act, in view of the existing poverty among withy growers; and, if so, whether it is receiving favourable consideration?

I could not depart from the established rule not to give information as to whether applications have or have not been received under the safeguarding procedure.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Food Council has any information as to the quantity of fish which remained unsold at Billingsgate Market during the week preceding Good Friday owing to the increased prices which were being asked?

There is no record of the quantities of fish that remains unsold at Billingsgate Market on any particular day. I am informed that supplies and prices were normal during the week ended 31st March and the early part of the following week. In the middle and towards the end of the latter week the arrival of exceptionally large supplies of the commoner kinds of fish, combined with a demand which did not come up to expectation, resulted in low prices for these kinds. I am informed, also, that no fish was held up for high prices.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what will be the individual cost of the three wireless beams which are being erected at the Caskets, Lundy and Start; when it is expected that these wireless beams will be in operation; whether it is proposed to erect any further wireless beams around the coast; and can he give particulars of them?

I am informed by the Trinity House that the estimated cost of the wireless beacons at Caskets and Lundy will be about £4,000 each, and at Start about £3,500, and that the signals at Caskets and Start will be in operation in about four months, and that at Lundy in about six months from the present time. Sanction has been given to the erection during the current financial year of further beacons at South Bishop, Dungeness and Cromer in England and Wales, and at Sule Skerry and Kinnaird Head in Scotland, and it is expected that sanction will shortly be given to others at Tory Island and Mizen Head in Ireland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information as to the assault on Indians and an African in the Masai reserve when the white jury stopped the proceedings in spite of the judge; and whether, in view of the effect of such incidents on the relations between Indians and Europeans in Kenya, he will call for a report to consider what steps should be taken to avoid such incidents in Kenya?

I have now seen an account of these proceedings in the local Press, but they are not sufficient to lead me to any conclusion. I am asking the-Governor to forward me a copy of the evidence and a report on the case.