asked the President of the Board of Trade the names of the factories which have already been opened in this country by foreign firms for the purpose of manufacturing tyres since April, 1927; and the names of any other firms who contemplate erecting and opening factories for this purpose in the near future?

I understand that the Michelin Tyre Company are producing tyres at Stoke-on-Trent, and the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company at Wolverhampton. It has been reported in the public Press that tyre factories are being built or equipped by the India Tyre and Rubber Company at Inchinnan, near Glasgow; the Overman Cushion Tyre Company at Birmingham, the Firestone Tyre and Rubber Company at Brentford, and the Pirelli Company at Eastleigh.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is cognisant of any agreement to supply Australian zinc concentrates to the British spelter industry; and, if so, whether he can communicate to the House a short statement as to the terms of this agreement?

In 1923 the Board of Trade entered into contracts to sell to British smelters the whole of the available zinc concentrates which the Board had purchased from the producers; these contracts expire on 30th June, 1930. The quantities deliverable under the contracts vary according to the output from the Broken Hill mines, and the prices obtained for the concentrates vary according to the market price of spelter at the time of delivery.

asked the Minister of Transport what have been the number of fatal and non-fatal street accidents in London since 1st January, 1928, at places where the one-way traffic system has been adopted; and if he has any evidence as to the effect of the one-way system on the number of accidents to pedestrians?

I have been asked to reply to this question. Figures have been compiled showing the number of accidents at the several places where roundabout or one-way traffic systems have been introduced (1) from the inception of the system to 31st March last, and (2) for the corresponding period prior to the inception of the system. The aggregate figures are as follow:—

asked the Minister of Health whether he is taking any action and, if so, what to terminate the grant made to friendly societies in respect of those members affected by Section 15, Sub-section (2) (e) of The National Health Insurance Act, 1911, reproduced in The (Consolidated) National Health Insurance Act, 1924, Section 24 (2) (e); and whether he will state his reason for this action?

I beg to refer the Noble Lord to the reply which I gave on the 7th instant to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for Deritend (Mr. Smedley Crooke).

asked the Minister of Health why the sums paid to friendly societies for medical treatment for those persons affected by Section 15, Subsection (2) (e) of The National Health Insurance Act, 1911, reproduced in The (Consolidated) National Health Insurance Act, 1924, Section 24, (2) (e), are less than those paid in respect of insured persons?

The noble Lord appears to be under a misapprehension in this matter. The cost of the medical treatment of persons affected by the Subsection cited, not being insured persons under the National Health Insurance Acts, has to be paid out of voluntary side funds, by the friendly societies of which they are members. Under arrangements formerly in vogue special Exchequer grants were paid in respect of each insured person entitled to medical benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts, to supplement the amount available for that benefit out of the national health insurance funds of approved societies. So long as those special Exchequer grants towards the cost of medical benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts continued, grants of corresponding amount for each member affected were paid to any society which provided medical treatment for persons of the class specified in the Sub-section cited. The special grants in the case of persons insured under the National Health Insurance Acts came to an end at 31st March, 1922, since which date the cost of the medical benefit of such persons has been met wholly out of the national health insurance funds of approved societies. Ag a special concession, however, a special Exchequer grant in respect of persons affected by the Subsection referred to in the question continued to be paid for some years longer as an ex gratia grant to the societies of which they were members.

asked the Minister of Health if it is proposed to relieve of rates all park lands or other uncultivated land retained for purposes of sport or pleasure by including them in agricultural land?

The Government's proposals with respect to this matter are set out in Clause 2 (2) of the Rating and Valuation (Apportionment) Bill, in which provision is made that

"land occupied together with a house as a park …. pleasure grounds, or land kept or preserved mainly or exclusively for purposes of sport or recreation, or land used as a racecourse,"

asked the Minister of Labour the cost for the year 1927, in connection with employment exchanges and unemployment services, of salaries, travelling expenses, and other administrative expenses; payments to associations and local education authorities for administration of unemployment insurance; stationery, printing, etc.; premises, rent and capital expenditure; rates and services rendered by other Government departments; superannuation; accruing liabilities; and any other expenditure.

Pursuant to his reply, [OFFICIAL REPORT, 24th May, 1928; col. 2081, Vol. 217] supplied the following statement:—The cost of the Employment Exchanges and services ancillary thereto during the Financial Year 1927, and the amount thereof attributable to the administration of Unemployment Insurance are not yet available, but the following statement gives the cost for the year ended 31st March, 1927.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he has any information to show that the railway strike is being encouraged by agitators, and financed by funds, from outside; and, if so, from, what source?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. Various small sums of money have been sent to the railway strikers from organisations outside, the most important of which was a remittance of 7,000 roubles from the Red International of Labour Unions.

asked the Postmaster General, whether he will consider the institution of penny postage for letters and halfpenny postcards transmitted to and from people within the limits of the same city; and how much this would cost.

My Noble Friend's suggestion, though interesting, is administratively almost impossible to work, and the differential rate would involve wholly inordinate expense. I cannot pretend to give any exact estimate of the cost but, allowing for administration, it would probably be of the order of £2,000,000 per annum.

asked the Postmaster General, if he is aware that the present position of affairs in respect of telephone communication at Web-heath, Worcestershire, means that a subscriber would have to pay approxi- mately 1s. a day, plus the cost of calls, for the use of a private telephone; and whether under the circumstances and considering the increase of housing in the neighbourhood, he can see his way to establishing a trial exchange.

For a resident of Webheath living within two miles of the Redditch Telephone Exchange the annual rental would be £11 if the telephone were required for business purposes, and £9 10s. if the private residence rate were applicable. My right hon. Friend is prepared to establish an exchange to serve the neighbourhood as soon as the necessary support is forthcoming. The establishment of a trial exchange would involve the same amount of irrecoverable expenditure as for a permanent exchange, and I regret that the revenue prospects do not warrant this expenditure.

asked the Postmaster General the total cost to the British Government of working the transatlantic telephone service from Great Britain for the three months ended to 19th April, 1928

Statistics for the period asked for are not available but for the three months ended 31st March last the cost was £15,864.

asked the Postmaster General whether he will give an explanation of tie delay in delivering a telegram which was despatched at 5.50 p.m. on 23rd May from Euston to the House of Commons and was not delivered at the House of Commons until 6.43 p.m.

I am having inquiries made, and will write to the hon. Member.