:asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information which would show the extent to which steamships registered in this country, and maintaining regular services between this country, the Dominions, and elsewhere, are consistently bunkered abroad for the return journey so that no British coal is used; whether he is aware that the Somerset-shire coalfield is badly affected by the competition which arises from the smallness of our export market; and whether he will urge British steamship owners to use British coal?

There are no figures showing to what extent British coal-burning steamships bunker abroad for the round voyage, but it is doubtful whether it is at all considerable. The practice in such cases is to take as much coal as possible in this country and to draw abroad only the quantities, if any, necessary to bring the ship back. I am aware that the Somersetshire coalfield is, like others, adversely affected by the contraction of the export market, but in view of the general practice already referred to, I hardly think there is occasion to make a special appeal as suggested by the hon. Member.

:Having regard to the nature of the reply, will the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of ascertaining the facts with regard to the Union Castle Steamship Company, of which, I believe, it is true to say that the whole of its bunkering is done overseas; and will he also ascertain if there are other companies in a similar position?

If the hon. Gentleman gives me any information he has, I will gladly look into it. I have already gone generally into this matter, and the information which I got confirmed what I already believed as to the practice, namely, that almost all the lines make a point of carrying as much coal from this country as they can. If they do not, they find they have to buy abroad coal which is dearer in price and less admirable, I think, in quality.

:Is it not the case that the Union Castle line, when bunkering ships overseas, do so with Dominion coal?

:I think what happens is that where a long voyage is undertaken, bunkering has to take place abroad, but it is very often at places like Aden, where the coal in store is British coal.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the way in which this question is framed rather indicates that ship-owners are deliberately giving preference to foreigners; and is it not the fact that ship-owners are bound to buy in the cheapest market, having regard to quality?

What I wish to indicate is that, whatever consideration may animate anybody, it pays any ship-owner to carry as much British coal as he can, because he is able to buy that coal as cheap as is possible and of the best possible quality.

Will the right hon. Gentleman make specific inquiries as to the practice of the Union Castle Steamship Company in order to ascertain if it is not the fact that the whole of the bunkerings of that company is done overseas?

I shall certainly look into the matter.

:asked the Secretary for Mines if he has any information showing what are the pit-head prices charged by the Five Counties Federation to the London and North Eastern Railway and to the Swedish Railways, respectively?

I regret that the information is not available.

Is it not a fact that the London and North Eastern Railway Company are charged from 8s. to 10s. a ton more than the Swedish railways?

No, I have no such information.

:Is it not possible to obtain such information? Has it not a great bearing on the industrial condition of this country?

:Is it not possible for the hon. and gallant Gentleman to ascertain from the London and North Eastern Railway Company and those firms which have contracted with the Swedish railways what the pit-head prices are?

:These are matters of individual contracts, of which I have no details, and it is quite impossible for my Department to enter into details and ask for information regarding all individual contracts that are entered into.

:As this is a simple matter, why did not the hon. and gallant Gentleman, as Secretary for Mines, get this information?

:I do not agree that it is a simple matter. It is not a question of having to find out about one contract, but there are individual contracts into which the railway company have entered.

:Is it not a fact that, owing to the condition of the world coal market at the present time, the British coalowners are selling coal under cost of production in order to secure foreign contracts?

:asked the President of the Board of Trade for comparative figures showing respectively the total world exports of woollen and worsted tissues, quantities and values, respectively, for the six months ending June, 1913, 1914, 1927, and 1928, or the latest available date; and the total exports of this country for the same periods?

:The answer is being prepared in tabular form, and with the hon. Member's permission, I will have it circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as it is ready.

:asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of investigations which have been held under Section 109 of the Companies Act of 1908 during the last three years; and how many applications for investigation have been refused for the same period?

:The answer to the first part of the question is four, and to the second part, eight.

:Does not the right hon. Gentleman think that more use might be made of Section 109 with great advantage to the public?

:I do not think so. This is a very exceptional power which is given to the Board of Trade, and it is only exercisable in very exceptional circumstances.

:asked the Secretary of State for War what reduction he proposes to make next year in his demands upon the Exchequer for the requirements of the Army, as a result of the signing of the Kellogg Pact by His Majesty's Government?

I am not prepared to make any forecast of the Army Estimates for 1929.

:Does the right hon. Gentleman not realise that this is a very important matter and that the country wishes to know?

:I quite realise its importance.

:In that case, will the right hon. Gentleman not make an effort to reply to my question?

:In due course.

:Will that be before the House rises?

:No; when the Estimates are usually produced—at the beginning of next year.

:asked the Secretary of State for War whether there is any shortage in candidates for Sandhurst and Woolwich; and, if so, of what nature?

:I regret that there is a shortage of suitable candidates for Sandhurst and, in a lesser degree, for Woolwich.

:Are any special efforts being made to fill these vacancies?

:I am always glad of an opportunity such as this of drawing attention to the great prospects open to candidates for both Sandhurst and Woolwich. I am in hopes that candidates will be forthcoming.

:What is the amount of the shortage at Sandhurst?

:I should have notice of that question.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the very heavy cost thrown upon these cadets when they are at Woolwich or Sandhurst; and will he bring down those costs so that people may be able to send their sons there?

:I cannot reply in detail to that question, but the suggestion is not correct. No parent could have a cheaper method of placing his son in life than through Sandhurst or Woolwich.

:Is the shortage not due, in some degree, to the possibility of compulsory retirement at an early age?

:There is no doubt about it. There is a feeling of unsettlement, due to previous retirements and reductions, which does affect the parents of candidates who present themselves at Woolwich or Sandhurst.

:Is careful attention being paid to the field of non-commissioned officers; and are opportunities being given to them to fill these places?

Certainly. I explained at some length that the "Y" cadets who come from the ranks, are doing extremely well at Sandhurst.

:Could not the right hon. Gentleman select some of the out-of-work men from the Employment Exchanges?

That has not occurred to me.

Are not parents, as a whole, showing a greater disinclination to allow their sons to engage in this immoral business of war?

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the total staff at present employed in connection with the Imperial War Graves Commission and the total cost of it; when does he anticipate the main work of construction of cemeteries will be completed; and what permanent staff he estimates will be required afterwards, together with its cost?

:The total staff at present employed by the Imperial War Graves Commission is 1,271 (excluding natives) at a total cost in salaries and wages of £274,000 per annum. It is anticipated that the main work of constructing the cemeteries will be completed early in 1929. As regards the last part of the question, it is still somewhat early to give a definite forecast.

:Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the recommendation that this staff should be at once reduced and put on a permanent basis?

:I think the hon. and gallant Gentleman probably knows that while I answer for this Commission in the House, I am not responsible for its administration. I believe, however, it is a fact that the matter to which the hon. and gallant Gentleman refers is under close consideration.

:Is there any question as to the efficiency with which this body has discharged its duties?

:No. I believe, by general consent, it has been extremely efficient.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of temporary female and male clerical staffs at present employed in each Government Department in Salford?

The particulars are not immediately available. I am having inquiry made, and I will communicate the result in due course to my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the premises used by the Scottish Board of Health in Glasgow for inquiries into matters relating to health insurance, widows' and old age pensions, is almost all day grossly overcrowded and unhealthy for the staff, while lavatory accommodation is deficient; and whether he has considered the finding of more suitable and accessible premises?

The question of the accommodation to be made available for the use of the Scottish Board of Health in Glasgow is at present the subject of correspondence with the Office of Works, and I am not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the £200,000 per annum set aside for drainage grants is still being provided by the Government; whether eleven-eightieths of this sum is being made available for Scotland; and, if so, in what form the balance is being expended after paying the grants under the Board of Agriculture's drainage scheme?

The £1,000,000 promised for land drainage in England will, I understand, be spread over a longer period than the five years originally contemplated. The sum provided for land drainage in Scotland in each year since the £1,000,000 scheme started has been eleven-eightieths of the provision for that year for England. No part of these sums has been spent on purposes other than drainage.

Did not the Government inform us that this £1,000,000 was going to be spent on land drainage in five years, and does this mean that the Government have now altered that decision and their policy and are not going to spend £1,000,000 in five years on drainage?

As I say, I understand it is to be spread over a longer period than five years, simply because in England they do not require the money at the time.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell us what is that longer period than five years?

I cannot without notice.

Is it not the case that Scotland can do with this money within the five years, if England cannot?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland under what authority he exercises powers of compulsory acquisition of the whole or part of an estate for the purpose of establishing small holdings?

Under Section 1 of of the Land Settlement (Scotland) Act, 1919, as continued by successive Expiring Laws Continuance Acts.

Since he has that power, will the right hon. Gentleman inform the House why he is not exercising it in a greater degree, in order to give small holdings to the people of Scotland who desire them and have applied for them?

I am providing them within the limits of the finance which is available.

But is it not the case that the right hon. Gentleman is allowing people who have had applications lodged with the Board of Agriculture for 16 years to be still without holdings, and how does he reconcile that fact with the statement that he has just made?

Many of those who have applied for land are deficient either in capital or experience, and those factors have to be taken into consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of widows who received pensions under the Act of 1925 on the condition that they had children under 14 years of age; and the number of such widows who have since ceased to receive pensions because their children have reached 14 years of age?

As at 19th July, 1928, 16,014 widows had received pensions in the category mentioned and of these 3,870 had ceased to receive payment at the expiry of the statutory period of six months after their children had reached the age of 14.

In view of the great hardship that is imposed upon those widows, will the right hon. Gentleman consider the introduction of an amending Clause in order to provide for them?

Obviously, that does not lie with me.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell me with whom it rests? I thought he was responsible for the matter in Scotland.

Of course, it is a general matter of policy for the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of people who have applied for widows' or old age pensions under the new Act at a date some time after they became eligible for pension; whether arrears of pension are paid in such cases after the claim is established; and, if not, under what Clause or Regulation are such arrears refused?

The records of the Scottish Board of Health are not arranged on such a basis as to enable the information desired in the first part of the question to be given. As regards the second part Sub-section one of Section 28 of the Contributory Pensions Act provides that, normally, where claims are submitted within one month from the date of entitlement arrears of pension will be paid from that date, and that where the claim is not submitted within that period payment will be made as from the date of claim. Where, however, in the latter category of cases, the failure to make timeous application was due to circumstances over which the claimant had no control, such as are prescribed in Article 12 of the Claims and Payment Regulations, 1927, arrears of pension are payable as from the date of entitlement.

Could the right hon. Gentleman, in sending me the answer, send me also a copy of the Regulations?

Yes, certainly.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether cooperative buildings in which fishermen cure their own fish and open spaces where fish-curing is carried on are treated as industrial subjects for the purposes of the Rating and Valuation (Apportionment) Bill?

I would refer to the answer given to the hon. Member on the 21st June with regard to fish-curing premises generally. It is provided by Section 149 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, that a place or premises shall not be excluded from the definition of a factory or workshop by reason only that the place or premises is or are in the open air. The fact that places or premises where fish-curing is carried on are in the open air will therefore not exclude them from the category of industrial subjects for the purposes of the Rating and Valuation (Apportionment) Bill. As regards premises used on a cooperative basis, the question whether these come within the definition of a factory or workshop depends on the circumstances of each case.

Is the definition of a factory or workshop to be based upon the parties who are owning or conducting the operations within the factory or workshop?

The definition will be according to the Workshop Act, 1901.

Does that Act define that any co-operatively-owned undertaking is not to be considered a workshop under the Act?

I cannot express any opinion. Each one of these cases must be decided on its merits.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, taking the working of the formula in paragraph 29 of Command Paper 3135, he will give the figures as they are estimated to apply to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Glasgow, respectively?

The figures referred to in the question will be found in the table on page 20 of the Command Paper. These, however, I assume, the hon. Mem- ber has seen, and if he has any other point in his mind, perhaps he will communicate with me.

I have another point in mind, and I will communicate with the right hon. Gentleman.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware of the difference in the number of arrests of young persons between 14 and 21 years of age in the Glasgow, Queens Park, and southern districts, respectively, for minor offences; whether he has -made or will make inquiry into the reasons for this disparity; and how far it is the result of the difference in police administration?

I am aware that the number of persons between the ages of 14 and 21 convicted in the Southern Police Court, Glasgow, is larger than the number convicted in the Queens Park Police Court. As regards the reasons for this difference, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question of the 6th March last, from which he will see that the disparity does not arise from any difference in police administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of new schools at present being built in Glasgow and where they are situated; and when it is proposed to proceed with a new school for Catholic children in the Gorbals Parliamentary Division?

The number of new schools at present being built in Glasgow is nine, of which two are in Possilpark, two in Knightswood, two in Springburn, one in Parkhead, one in Robroyston and one in Hillhead. A tenth, which is for Roman Catholic children in Gorbals, will be begun within about a week.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of entrants, male and female, to the teaching profession in Scotland in each year from 1912 to 1927, inclusive, and the number of students, male and female, who will take the qualifying examination in 1928?

As the answer is in tabular form, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer:

The number of persons awarded the Teacher's General Certificate in each of the years specified by the hon. Member was as follows:—

The number of students who are candidates for the Teacher's General Certificate in 1928 cannot at the moment be precisely ascertained, but may be approximately stated as 1,660 (men 352, women 1,308).

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state the number of married women teachers, not widows, who are employed in the teaching profession?

I have been asked to reply. The only figures available relate to teachers in public elementary schools. The number of married women teachers (exclusive of widows) employed in pensionable service in such schools on the 31st March, 1927, was 14,109.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of able-bodied men and women in receipt of Poor Law relief in Glasgow and Govan, respectively, to the latest available date, and the number last year and 1924, respectively?

As the answer involves a number of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer:

The latest date for which separate figures for men and women are available is 15th May, 1928. At that date the figures were:

asked the Minister of Health whether he proposes to revise the regulations imposed by certain boards of guardians under which casuals are compelled to apply to the police for tickets of admission to the casual ward?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on this subject on the 28th ultimo.

Seeing that this practice is followed in some areas and not in others, is it necessary to make it applicable all over the country?

I think this system of relieving officers in certain cases is better for the casuals themselves.

May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that it distinctly associates unemployment with crime, both in the mind of the tramp and of the public?

No, Sir, I do not think it does that.

asked the Minister of Health what reply he has sent, if any, to the representations from the Darlington Board of Guardians urging him to make the cost of the medical inspection of casuals a national, rather than a local, charge?

My right hon. Friend does not appear to have received representations on this subject from the Darlington Guardians. He would refer the hon. Member to the replies recently given to the hon. and gallant Members for Norwich (Captain Fairfax) and Tiverton (Lieut.-Colonel Acland-Troyte), copies of which I am forwarding to the hon. Member.

Is not the object of the inspection of casuals to try and prevent the infection spreading nationally, and ought not a burden of that kind to be borne nationally?

That is a matter for argument.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that in districts where the system of bread stations for casuals is the practice food that is stale or unfit for human consumption is sometimes imposed upon the casuals; and will he therefore require his inspectors to test bread stations with a view to preventing this abuse?

No, Sir. My right hon. Friend has received no complaints to this effect, but if the hon. Member has any information of this abuse my right hon. Friend will be glad to inquire into the case.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that while in most cases the magistrates treat the men very well indeed, there are cases where they do not, and may I ask whether his inspectors test these places?

The hon. Member's supplementary question points out the desirability of furnishing specific cases instead of putting general allegations on the Order Paper. If the hon. Member will refer me to specific cases my right hon. Friend will gladly inquire into them.

:Is it not desirable, in the public interest, to reduce the number of casuals wandering about the country in that way, and is it not the case that severe treatment by the workhouse authorities is a very good policy?

Why not put them in a lethal chamber?

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to another accident at the forest gates, Savernake Forest; and whether he will instruct his regional officer to confer with the local highway authority on the suggestion that a short road should be made on the other side of the lodge so as to allow of one-way traffic at this dangerous point?

I was not aware of this accident, and my hon. Friend does not mention at which of the gates it occurred. The inconvenience caused to traffic at these points has, however, frequently been brought to my notice and has been the subject of correspondence between my Department and the parties concerned. I am glad to say that as a result of negotiations agreement has now been reached between the Wiltshire County Council and the owner of Savernake Forest, whereby at each of the four points where single gates now span the highway, wide double gates will be substituted with a wicket gate for foot passengers. This improvement, towards the cost of which a grant will be made from the Road Fund, will, I am sure, conduce very considerably to the public safety, and should obviate the need for the new road construction suggested by my hon. Friend.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the owner of Savernake himself is not of opinion that this is an adequate safeguard to the public, and that the best way would be to have one-way traffic on the lines I have suggested?

With all deference to the owner of Savernake Forest, I would rather take the opinion of the county council.

Has this specific suggestion been put by my right hon. Friend to his regional officer for consultation with the local authorities on it?

I have considered that.

asked the Minister of Transport the total mileage of arterial roads constructed since the War; to what extent has development been on boulevard principles, with the provision of grass strips and trees; and what has been the cost of such tree-planting up to the present?

As I explained on the 21st June last in reply to a similar question by the hon. Member for the Abingdon Division (Major Glyn), there is no precise definition of an arterial road. It has been the general practice, in the construction of new roads outside built-up areas, to obtain a sufficient width between fences to provide room for at least one foot-path and for grass verges. There is, however, a wide range of variety in the design and dimensions of these new roads. The Annual Report upon the administration of the Road Fund gives a general survey of the more important works carried out during the year. No separate record is kept of the cost of tree-planting, and it is only since the passing of the Roads Improvement Act, 1925, that expenditure for this purpose has become eligible for grants from the Road Fund.

asked the Minister of Transport the terms of reference and the names of the members who are to constitute the Royal Commission to inquire into the traffic question?

asked the Minister of Transport if he can make any statement as to the composition of the inquiry into the problems of road traffic and give the terms of reference?

I am glad to say that the Commission is now complete. The terms of reference are as follows:—

"To take into consideration the problems arising out of the growth of road traffic and, with a view to securing the employment of the available means of transport in Great Britain (including transport by sea coastwise and by ferries) to the greatest public advantage, to consider and report what measures, if any, should be adopted for their better regulation and control, and, so far as is desirable in the public interest, to promote their co-ordinated working and development."

The following gentlemen have been appointed members:—

Chairman: Sir A. S. T. Griffith-Boscawen.

Members:

The hon. and gallant Member for Dover (Major Astor).

The Earl of Clarendon.

The hon. Member for Walthamstow West (Mr. Crawfurd).

Sir E. V. Hiley.

Mr. J. Learmonth.

Sir W. G. Lobjoit.

The hon. Member for Islington West (Mr. Montague).

The Marquess of Northampton.

The hon. and gallant Member for Harrow Division of Middlesex (Major Salmon).

Mr. W. R. Smith.

Sir M. G. Wallace.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that consignments of bulky and heavy freight, suitable only for rail transport, are being increasingly carried by road, causing injury to the roads and consequent expense to the taxpayer; and whether he will set up an impartial committee, representing all interests, including the taxpayers, to consider limiting the permissible weight per axle of freight-carrying vehicles and regulating the diameter and the width of surface and tread of driving-wheels of such vehicles?

The Departmental Committee on the Taxation and Regulation of Road Vehicles has already considered and reported fully upon the use and construction of all classes of mechanically-propelled road vehicles. I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by appointing another Committee to cover the same ground, but certain aspects of the relations between road transport and transport by rail will no doubt come under review in the course of the general Inquiry into Transport.

To what extent has the recommendations of that Committee been put into operation?

Some of them have been put into operation, but I shall require notice in order to give the exact details.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the slow running of certain London General Omnibus Company's omnibuses at slack times of the day, notably after 7 p.m.; and whether, in view of the inconvenience to passengers and the increased difficulty of maintaining traffic at a steady pace, he will inquire into the necessity for this slowing down?

I am not aware that there is any slowing down in the running of omnibuses at the times mentioned in the right hon. and gallant Member's question, but if the hon. and gallant Member will send me details of such cases I will make inquiries.

:Is the right hon. Gentleman accustomed to travel on these omnibuses? If he is, he will not require details from me. It is what they call running to time.

Perhaps the right hon. and gallant Gentleman will define more precisely what he means.

:Are we to understand that the right hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Colonel Wedgwood) does travel, as a matter of fact, from day to day in omnibuses?

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that some of the private omnibuses, competing with the London General Omnibus Company, get along faster by not stopping at the recognised stopping places, and can he force them to do so?

I will go into that matter with the hon. and gallant Gentleman, if he so desires.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, having regard to the number of accidents in which motor vehicles are involved, he will reconsider the question of a test of -physical fitness and ability to drive before a driving licence is issued, to applicants?

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave on this subject to my hon. Friend the Member for the Barnstaple Division (Sir B. Pete) on the 22nd May, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the adverse Report of the Police Committee of the City Corporation on the experimental period of one-way traffic in the streets near the Mansion House, he proposes to take such steps as may be necessary to rescind the provisional Regulations so far as they affect the City of London?

I have not yet received any communication from the City Corporation upon the subject of the "one-way" traffic system in the streets near the Mansion House. I may add that such communication would be referred by me to the London Traffic Advisory Committee, and I should not be in a position to arrive at a decision until I had had an opportunity of considering their advice.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is with his approval that the Commissioner of Police has decided not to prosecute motorists for first offences; and if he will give the reason, for this leniency to law breakers?

The proposal is that cases in which persons are reported for the first time for certain offences of a minor character shall be dealt with by warning instead of by pro- secution. This involves no new principle in police practice. It is based on the assumption that in the case of such minor infractions of the law it is possible to maintain due observance of the law, without subjecting members of the public to Police Court proceedings in all cases, and at the same time to reduce the burden on both magistrates and police. These are objects of which my. right hon. Friend entirely approves, and he hopes that the proposals will serve the purpose in view.

Is the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that harassed pedestrians are very much concerned about any relaxation of the law against motorists?

No, Sir, I am not aware of that fact.

How can it be shown that these motorists have broken the law if they have not had a trial? Is not this a very dangerous precedent?

I never said that they had broken the law.

But if they receive a warning!

Would this not be an admirable precedent to apply to all other offences in this country?

asked the Minister of Transport if he can now grant permission to the Glamorgan County Council to proceed with the completion of the inter-valley road between Abergwynfi and Rhigos; and is he aware that there is a large number of unemployed workers in the Neath and Afan valleys?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday to the hon. and gallant Member for East Rhondda, of which I am sending him a copy.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that he did not reply to the question yesterday, and that there is a sum of £40,000 after allocating the money required to complete the road now under construction; and, having regard to the enormous amount of unemployment in the two valleys, will he now take steps to expedite the release of that £40,000?

If the hon. and gallant Member will expedite the reply of the Glamorgan County Council to the communication which I sent to them last week asking for their statement of accounts, we shall be able to get on with the business.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the accounts in question were completed more than two months ago, and we have been waiting and putting questions repeatedly to the Minister with regard to the release of the money allocated for these two sections of road?

They may have been completed, but they have not reached me.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the wayleave officer of the company operating in Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire, has selected for electric cables some of the most beautiful sections, studded with ornamental timber, although there are other routes which could be selected without seriously spoiling the countryside; and whether he will invite the Members of Parliament representing those counties to confer with him and the company in order to do no more than the inevitable damage to the beauty of the country?

My hon. Friend does not state the precise locality he has in mind. I may, however, say that the company to which he refers have generally succeeded in arranging routes for their overhead lines to which no objection has been taken. If, however, objection is taken in any particular case, it would have to be determined by me in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity (Supply) Acts, and in the case of disputed applications for wayleaves it is my duty to have regard to the effect on the amenities of the land of the proposed lines.

Can the right hon. Gentleman secure the co-operation of the Postmaster-General with the Electricity Commissioners and private undertakers so as to ensure joint co-operation in keeping these lines as far as possible along the main lines of communication?

The question has nothing to do with the Postmaster-General and his activities. This scheme deals with the lines for sending electric current.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that it is owing to the objection of the Postmaster-General to the propinquity of the cables to telegraph lines that they have not been able so far to keep to the main lines of traffic?

Apart from that, I do not know that there is room on the highways for any more of these lines. I think that they are bound to go across country in some cases.

Cannot they use both better and stronger standards to carry the two?

I will go into the matter with my right hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Transport the name of the Royal Academician whom he is inviting to advise as to the high standards and other erections to be distributed over rural England in connection with the new schemes of electrification; and with what matters is he being asked to deal, with whom and by what methods will he deal, and on what terms of remuneration?

I am informed that the Central Electricity Board have appointed Sir Reginald Blomfield, M.A., B.A., to advise them on questions arising in connection with the design and colouring of the towers for carrying transmission lines. I have no information as to the methods or the terms of remuneration.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether this distinguished Royal Academician's advice will be taken when it is given?

No body of people would call for the opinion of a person and pay a fee to that person without paying some attention to his advice.

asked the Postmaster-General if he can give any return illustrating the use made of the facilities for the despatch of agricultural produce by the cash-on-delivery system?

I regret that I have no means of determining what proportion of the goods despatched under the cash-on-delivery system, whether by rail or by post, consists of agricultural produce.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the fact that at the present rate of progress it will take 58 years to instal telephones in rural stations in Essex, he will take some steps to expedite the provision of these telephones?

The Railway Companies are being urged to, have telephones in their rural stations; and throughout the country generally considerable progress has been made during the last year. I am taking steps to bring to the notice of the Companies the recent reduction in the amount of the guarantees required for unremunerative rural call offices.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that last year only one station was provided with a telephone in Essex, and can he expedite the provision of such telephones in view of the fact that they mean a profit not only for the Post Office, but for the country generally?

Essex was singularly unlucky last year. In every other part of the country the telephones provided at rural stations were a record.

The right hon. Gentleman spoke of the guarantee system. When is his intimation going to be circulated, and has he communicated with the women's institutes in the country?

Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put down a question.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of post offices in England and Wales where there is no collection at the week-end for a period of at least 40 hours?

Detailed information is not available without considerable labour and expense, but at the great majority of Post Offices even in rural districts there is a collection on Sunday afternoon or evening. I shall be glad to make inquiry in any particular instance the hon. and gallant Member may have in mind.

asked the Postmaster-General what reduction has been made in the number of deliveries of letters in the larger provincial towns as compared with 1914; and what are the times of the last delivery in these places as compared with 1914.

There are now four deliveries in nearly all the larger provincial towns, and with a few exceptions the last begins between 4 and 5 o'clock. In 1914 the number varied from four to seven and the last began at times varying from 6 to 8 o'clock: one or two deliveries were in some cases confined to the business area.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, with regard to the new telephone exchange shortly to be erected in the centre of Acton, he is aware of the desire of the council that this exchange should bear the name of the borough; and whether, although under the automatic system the department finds difficulties in carrying out this wish, he will endeavour to surmount these difficulties and satisfy the request of the Acton corporation.

As my hon. Friend doubtless knows, under automatic working subscribers obtain communication by dialling the first three letters in the name of the called subscriber's Exchange and then the number. It is impracticable therefore that the names of any two Exchanges should have the same dialling equivalent. The first three letters of the name "Acton" have the same equivalent as those of " Battersea," an existing Exchange serving more than 5,000 subscribers. Some other name than "Acton" has, therefore, to be chosen for the new Exchange.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give careful consideration to the latest suggestion which has been received by him from the Acton corporation?

Certainly. The Acton Corporation have made a suggestion for a possible name for this exchange, but, as a matter of fact, the name has to satisfy not only the mechanical requirements of the dialling apparatus, but also the requirement of the ordinary system, and I am having this particular suggestion tried out at this moment.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that I shall get into great trouble if he does not accept this suggestion?

Can the right hon. Gentleman suggest changing the name of the borough to accord with the new telephone name?

asked the Postmaster-General if he will publish the correspondence which has passed between himself and the Government of the Isle of Man on the telephonic communication with the mainland.

No Sir, I do not think that publication, at the present juncture, of the correspondence would be helpful.

Why are we refused this correspondence when people in the Isle of Man can have it?

I am not aware that the correspondence has been published in the Isle of Man. If it has been, I should see no objection to publication, but I do not think it has been.

asked the Postmaster-General why the engineering department of the Post Office has suggested to manu- facturers of telephone cable that they should temporarily close down this section of their factories and disband their staffs?

No such suggestion was made by the Post Office. It is, however, the fact that development will be for the present more in the direction of local lines than of main cables, and, consequently, the requirements for the latter type of cable are likely to be smaller.

May I ask why it is that these people have been told that, so far as the Post Office requirements are concerned, they must ease off in their production, as the Department is determined to spend less money?

The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. There are two different types of cable used by the Post Office; one is for main line cable purposes and the other for local lines. As our trunk schemes are becoming more and more complete we want less main cable and more local cable.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at present it takes nearly an hour to get through to Manchester, on the average, and in view of that does he consider that his trunk line system is complete?

asked the Postmaster-General what additional precautions he has taken to obtain the use of all sources of information before new schemes of telephone extensions are embarked upon, with a view to avoiding a repetition of the circumstances under which the contractor for providing equipment for a relief telephone exchange at Manchester received compensation of £10,820 in respect of the cancellation of a contract for equipment in consequence of the decision to abandon the provision of that exchange?

In the case to which my hon. Friend refers, a serious falling-off in trade affected business in Manchester and invalidated the earlier forecast of telephone development on which it had been decided that this relief exchange was necessary. Elaborate measures are taken before embarking upon new schemes of telephone extension to ensure, so far as possible, accurate forecasts of future growth, and, while experience shows that the figures thus obtained are in the main reasonably accurate, it is, of course, in the nature of things impossible to eliminate all risk of error.