asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department the percentage of British exports taken by our Overseas Empire in 1913 and each of the last five years?

The figures desired by my hon. Friend are being prepared, and I will circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as they are ready.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, for last year, and for one year in each of the last three decades, the percentage of the total capitalisation of joint stock companies engaged in productive industry in this country represented by companies with a capital of £50,000 to £100,000. £100,000 to £500,000, £500,000 to £1,000,000, £1,000,000 to £10,000,000, and above £10,000,000?

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs with how many nations have we treaties with the most-favoured-nation Clause; and what are the earliest dates on which a denunciation can come into effect in different cases?

There are 41 treaties and agreements with foreign countries by virtue of which goods produced or manufactured in Great Britain and Northern Ireland at present enjoy most-favoured-nation treatment as regards Customs Duties. The earliest dates on which denunciation can come into effect are:

Date.	No. of Treaties and Agreements.
26th July, 1937	1
30th March, 1936	1
11th February, 1935	1
9th February, 1933	1
29th. July, 1932	1
8th September, 1930	1
10th December, 1929	1
6th August, 1929	1
25th February, 1929	1
On conclusion of a new Agreement	1
Eight years after exchange of ratifications which has not yet been effected	1
At any time one year after notice	16
At any time six months after notice.	2
At any time three months after notice.	6
No provision made for denunciation	6

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount of revenue received by the Treasury from import duties on imported goods covered by the provisions of the Safeguarding of Industries Act in each half-year during the last six years, and the dates within this period on which new manufactures were brought under the provisions of that Act?

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 15th November, 1928; col. 1105, Vol. 222],supplied the following information:—Approximate net receipts derived from the several Safeguarding duties in force in each half-year during the last six years, namely, duties imposed by the Safeguarding of Industries Act. 1921, Parts I and II, by the Safeguarding of Industries (Customs Duties) Act, 1925, and by various Finance Acts following on the recommendations of Committees made in accordance with the Safeguarding White Paper.

Half-year ended		Revenue.
30th September, 1922	…	158,000
31st March, 1923	…	407,000
30th September, 1923	…	313,000
31st March, 1924	…	318,000
30th September, 1924	…	233,000
31st March, 1925	…	244,000
30th September, 1925	…	263,000
31st March, 1926	…	486,000
30th September, 1926	…	888,000
31st March, 1927	…	1,029,000
30th September, 1927	…	1,032,000
31st March, 1928	…	1,108,000
30th September, 1928	…	1,131,001

Dates of imposition of new safeguarding duties during the same period.Date of imposition and Articles.23rd August, 1922.—Fabric gloves, glove fabric, domestic glassware, illuminating glassware, and domestic hollow-ware of German origin.24th October, 1922.—Mantles for incandescent lighting of German origin.1st July, 1925.—Lace and embroidery.22nd December, 1925.—Cutlery, gloves, and mantles for incandescent lighting.1st May, 1926.—Key industry duty extended to component parts of dutiable optical and scientific instruments, to amorphous carbon-electrodes, and to molybdenum, vanadium, and their compounds.1st May, 1926.—Packing or wrapping paper.19th April, 1927.—Translucent or vitrified pottery.25th April, 1928.—Buttons.13th June, 1928.—Domestic hollowware, wrought-enamelled of iron or steel.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action was taken by him or his Department when his or their attention was drawn to the threat by a firm of flour millers to with- hold supplies of flour to a Newport retailer who was supplying bread at a lower price than other similar retailers in the same district?.

The matter was, in fact, dealt with by the Food Council, as I stated in my answer of 13th November, to the hon. Member for Barnstaple (Sir B. Peto), and not by the Board of Trade.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in considering the revision of reparations under the Peace Treaties, he will direct his attention to the suspension of attachments under Articles 296 and 297 of the Treaty of Versailles and corresponding Articles under other Treaties with ex-enemy countries; and whether His Majesty's Government propose to revise the regulations under such Treaties pursuant to which the Blanesburgh Committee recommend the release of assets in this country of ex-alien enemy subjects expressly named in a will or settlement up to £500, and income according to the circumstances of the applicant, but not the release of assets to beneficiaries entitled to such assets by implication as in the case of children claiming the share of a deceased parent expressly named?

The ex-enemy property which has been charged under the provisions of Article 297 of the Treaty of Versailles and the corresponding provisions of the other Treaties of Peace is employed for the payment of the admitted claims of British nationals in respect of pre-War debts and of property, rights and interests subjected to exceptional War measures in the ex-enemy countries. Any surplus which may remain over after these claims have been met will be reckoned as a credit in respect of reparation obligations. His Majesty's Government is unable to entertain any proposals for a general release of the charged property With regard to the second part of the question, the answer is also in the negative. The suggestion here made has been carefully considered, and it has been decided that no extension of the powers of recommendation of Lord Blanesburgh's Committee is desirable.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he is aware that Maltese officers' stewards and cooks are employed in His Majesty's Ship "Furious," Atlantic Fleet, although the Regulations state that Maltese ratings of this branch are only to be employed in ships serving on the Mediterranean Station; and will he inquire into the reasons for this?

Maltese officers' stewards and cooks are not generally employed in ships in home waters, but there is no Regulation against it. Inquiry is being made as to the two Maltese ratings of this branch who are borne in "Furious."

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the amount of the contribution paid by the Government of the Straits Settlements towards the cost of the Singapore base in 1927; what amount has been estimated for the contribution from that Government for the current year; whether contributions towards the cost of the base have been received from any other British Colonial Administrations or from the self-governing Dominions; and, if so, what were the amounts so contributed?

The annual contribution of the Straits Settlements to the cost of defence is governed by the provisions of a local ordinance, but the amount to be paid for 1927 and subsequent years is still under discussion. The sums provided in the Colonial Estimates were:-1927, £426,000 (approximately); 1928, £560,000. At an earlier date the Straits Settlements made a gift of the land required for the naval and air bases. Hong Kong gave £250,000 and the Federated Malay States are giving £2,000,000 in five annual instalments. His Majesty's Government in New Zealand have made legislative provision for a contribution of 21,000,000 towards the cost of the base to be paid in instalments. The first instalment of £125,000 was paid in March, 1928.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, whether the Empire Marketing Board has yet produced any cinema films and, if so, on what subjects, and whether they have been exhibited publicly?

As I intimated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 2nd August, preparations are in hand for the production of at least. one film on behalf of the Empire Marketing Board, but these preparations have not yet reached the stage of public exhibition.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, how much of the fall in Malayan revenues is attributable to the diminution in the rubber export duty subsequent to the decision taken last April by His Majesty's Government to remove restrictions; whether a fall in revenue was anticipated by His Majesty's Government when taking their decision; and was the Government of the Straits Settlements consulted as to this aspect of the question?

I regret that I am not in a position to supply the desired figures. It was obvious that a fall in the price of rubber, from whatever cause, would lead to a fall in Malayan revenues. The Governor of the Straits Settlements —as well as representative unofficial bodies—was given the opportunity of expressing his views on the future of rubber exports restriction from every aspect.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any agreement has been reached between his Department and the Iraq Government in regard to the disposal of the Iraq railways; and, if so, will he make a statement?

No, Sir. Negotiations with the Iraq Government are still proceeding and, in the circumstances, I am not yet in a position to make a statement on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how long it is since any vessel, naval or mercantile, called at the island of Tristan da Cunha; how recently the islanders received any mails; and whether it is intended to arrange for the sending of a ship of His Majesty's Navy there before Christmas?

The latest visit of which information has reached me is that of the s.s. "Author" (Harrison Line) which called at the island with mails and stores on 15th March, 1928. Negotiations are proceeding for the despatch from Cape Town of a merchant vessel with mails and supplies in January, 1929. I understand that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's steamship "Duchess of Athol]," which is due to leave Liverpool on 4th January next, on a pleasure cruise, proposes to call at the island if weather permits.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in January last an agreement was concluded between His Majesty's Government and the Netherlands Government with a view to ensuring mutual support for the two Governments in their East Indian possessions; and whether he will publish the terms of the agreement?

No such agreement has been concluded.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the figures of the imports of gin into Togoland in 1926 and 1927, respectively; and what steps the British administration is taking to discourage the sale of gin and other intoxicating liquors to the natives?

The returns under the Liquor Trade Ascertainment Ordinance show that the amount of gin bought by dealers in British Togoland in 1926 was 1,594 gallons and in 1927 4.984 gallons, the latter figure representing about one-twentieth of a gallon per head of the population. According to the Commissioner's report, the increase is due to the increased prosperity and there is no evidence of any increase in drunkenness. The sale of spirits to natives in the northern section of Togo-land is prohibited, the duties on importation in the Gold Coast and Togoland have recently been raised, and proposals for increasing the fees payable for spirit licences and reducing the hours of consumption are under consideration.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department,, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether the contractors who supply men for window cleaning in the Palace of Westminster and other public buildings under his control carry out the provisions contained in the Fair Wages Clause usually inserted in Government contracts; and do these window-cleaning contracts contain such a Clause?

The Fair Wages Clause is inserted in all window-cleaning contracts, and, so far as the Department is aware, it is being observed in all cases. The First Commissioner, however, will be glad to have inquiries made into any case in which the hon. Member has reason to believe that the contractor is attempting to evade the conditions of his contract.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the increasing practice of those persons and firms who let out furniture on the hire-purchase system to make the agreements with the wife of the hirer, whether she has or has not separate estate, taking the husband as guarantor for the wife, whereby the husband is enabled to defeat claims against him for rent; and whether, in order to prevent this practice, he will introduce legislation to amend Section 4 of the Law of Distress Amendment Act, 1908, so as to exclude the goods comprised in any such agreements from the operation of that Statute?

I have been asked to reply. I have no knowledge of the practice referred to: there is no prospect of legislation on this matter during the lifetime of the present Parliament.

asked the Home Secretary if be has considered the verdict of the jury given on 10th October on a fire inquest held under the City of London Fire Inquest Act, 1888, in connection with a fire in the London County Council subway on the Victoria Embankment; and whether he proposes to Lake any action on such verdict?

I have been asked to answer this question. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 15th November to a question on this subject asked by my hon. Friend the Member for St. Georges (Mr. Erskine).

asked the, Under-Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the case of Mr. C. N. R. Smart, a resident engineer in the service of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company; whether he is aware that this officer has been refused the benefit of the Lee Commission's recommendation, though he was domiciled and recruited in England on the terms and conditions of English recruited officers, and that his domicile was accepted by the Government of India on his demobilisation in 1920; and whether, seeing that the result of such refusal is to reduce this officer from Class A to Class C, steps may be taken to place him in the same position as other English recruited officers?

I understand that a memorial on the subject addressed to the Secretary of State by Mr. Smart is being submitted, in accordance with the ordinary procedure, through the Government of India. Until this memorial has been received and considered, I am unable to make any statement.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of mine-workers registered as unemployed at the employment exchanges in the counties of Ayr, Lanark, Stirling, West, East and Mid Lothian, Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan at the latest available date, and the numbers at the same dates in 1925, 1926 and 1927?

It would involve great labour to take out the figures for these counties separately. I am, therefore, giving the figures for Scotland as a whole. At 22nd October, 1928, the number of insured persons in Scotland classified as belonging to the mining industry recorded as unemployed was 26,187, as compared with 19,989 at 24th October, 1927, 20,100 at 25th October, 1926, and 29,687 at 26th October, 1925. The numbers of workers classified as belonging to the coal mining industry included in these figures were 25,853 in 1928; 19,548 in 1927; 19,081 in 1926; and 29,368 in 1925. The figures for October, 1926, are exclusive of persons who were disqualified for benefit by reason of the dispute in the coal mining industry.

asked the honourable Member for Mon mouth, as representing the Forestry Commissioners why a number of men have been discharged from the afforestation scheme near Monmouth; whether these men have been engaged for many years at this work; and whether these vacancies have been filled, and by whom?

In the summer, nine men whose services were no longer required on the afforestation work at Tintern were discharged. Exception was taken to this as these men had been engaged on such work for a considerable time, and more particularly because five ex-miners were employed. These five are tenants of what are called forest holdings, and one of the conditions attaching to these holdings is that the tenants must be given not less than 150 days work in the forest annually. The position with regard to the nine discharged men has since been rectified, as three men have been re-engaged for afforestation work, and the remainder have secured other work in the district.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of applications considered by the local committee at the Walworth Road (Borough) Employment Exchange for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date, the number of those applications which have been refused, and the grounds on which these refusals were based?

Under the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1927, the system of extended benefit and the reference of claims to local employment committees was discontinued as from 19th April, 1928. The following table shows the applications for extended benefit considered by the Borough local employment committee during the period 12th April, 1927, to 18th April, 1928.

Claims considered	13,802
Claims allowed	9,403
Claims recommended for disallowance:—Not normally insurable and not seeking to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment	307
Insurable employment not likely to be available	248
Not a reasonable period of insurable employment during the preceding two years	1,598
Not making every reasonable effort to obtain suitable employment or not willing to accept suitable employment	1,449
Single persons residing with relations	455
Married women who could look for support from their husbands	146
Married men who could look for support from their wives	2
Working short time, but earning sufficient for maintenance	102
Postponed for a definite period	2
Total recommended for disallowance	4,309

asked the Minister of Transport whether any accidents have been reported which have been due to the increased speed rate of omnibuses and tramcars?

My attention has not been drawn to any accidents attributable to the increased maximum speeds recently authorised in respect to certain classes of heavy motor cars fitted with pneumatic tyres. No general increase in the speed of tramcars has been authorised.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that the Monmouthshire local pensions committee consider the restrictions as to means which are imposed on applications for old age pensions under the Acts, 1908, to 1924, are a cause of serious dissatisfaction, particularly the method of calculating the yearly value of property as set forth in paragraph (a) of Section 4 (10) of the Old Age Pensions Act, 1919, which the committee deems excessive: and will the Government take steps at an early date to introduce legislation to deal with the matter?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer to a similar question asked by the hon. Member for Exeter (Sir P. Newman) on 15th December last, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the average number of days taken for sick leave per head per annum during the last three 455 complete years by the men staffs of the London Telephone Service Accounts Branch, the Board of Education, and the Ministry of Health, respectivelys?

The average number of days' sick leave per head per annum taken by the men staffs in the Departments referred to during the years 1925, 1926 and 1927 was as follows:

Department.	1925.	1926.	1927.
London Telephone Service, Accounts Branch.	10·6	7·4	10·2
Board of Education	6·9	7·4	7·4
Ministry of Health	9·0	7·6	8·3

The Board of Education figures relate to the Departmental leave year ending on 31st January, 1926, 1927 and 1928, respectively, the remainder to the financial years. As between Departments the figures are not otherwise strictly comparable, owing to the fact that in some eases Sundays are included, and in others excluded.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that Miscellaneous Rule 3 (Schedule D) having been repealed by the Finance Act, 1926, as from 6th April, 1927, and the special relief given by Miscellaneous Rule 3 having been re-established by Sections 31 and 32 of that Act, but only as from April, 1928, there is no Income Tax relief in the case of a transferred business (as opposed to a business permanently discontinued) for the year April, 1927, to April, 1928: and whether he can give the reason for the difference in treatment?

I am aware of the legal position to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers, but I would remind him that under Rule P of Cases I and II of Schedule D, the liability of a taxpayer transferring a business is restricted to the proportion of the liability appropriate to the portion of the year during which he carried on the business. I would also remind him that the new provisions form part of the legislation which changed the basis of assessment for income Tax under Schedule D from the three years' average to the preceding year. As I have previously stated, over the whole field of industry taxpayers have gained very considerably from this change, and while provision has been made, so far as reasonably possible, to meet cases in which, owing to exceptional circumstances, hard-shin might arise, it was impossible to prevent some isolated cases in which a change of this far-reaching character would be unfavourable to the taxpayer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of bookmakers' certificates which have been cancelled for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date under orders of disqualification made by competent Courts under Section 17 (3) of the Finance Act, 1926; and the total number of certificates cancelled since the inception of this Act?

The numbers of orders for disqualification for holding a bookmaker's certificate made by competent Courts in the year ended 31st October, 1928, and in the period of two years ended on that date, were 69 and 97 respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the yield of the Betting Duty as received by the Treasury for the year ended to the last convenient date, giving the separate amount of duty which was paid at the separate rates?

The approximate amounts derived from the Betting Duty at the separate rates during the year ended 31st October, 1928, were as follow:

Rate.			Amount.
1 per cent	…	…	39,000
2 per cent	…	…	892,500
3½ per cent	…	…	1,347,500
Total	…	…	2,279,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the estimated cost of collecting the Betting Duty of £150,000, which was furnished by the Select Committee in 1923, has been exceeded in any 12 months up to the last convenient date?

I have no reason to suppose that the estimated cost of collecting the Betting Duty, namely £150,000, has been exceeded in any period of 12 months

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the recent importations of malting barley; whether his Ministry is co-operating with the Empire Marketing Board to encourage distillers and brewers to do as is being done in Norfolk, namely, produce all-English beer and whisky?

The total imports of barley during the three months August to October of the current year are below average, and from inquiries made at the four chief importing centres, it would appear that imported malting descriptions have been in rather smaller supply than usual this season. I am aware of what is being done in Norfolk, and I am considering whether any action is practicable along the lines referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to resolutions of agricultural bodies asking for the prohibition of the export of milling offals in the interests of stock farming; and what deductions his advisers draw' from, the latest figures bearing on this subject?

The answer to the first part is in the affirmative. As regards the second part of the question, as I stated on 21st November, 1927, in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Basingstoke (Sir A. Holbrook), it is by no means clear that the prohibition of the export of milling offals would have the effect suggested in the resolutions. I would add that under the Convention for the Abolition of Import and Export Prohibitions and Restrictions signed at Geneva last year, His Majesty's Government would be precluded from adopting such a prohibition as is suggested in the question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in connection with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Devonshire, any Reports have been made to him of the danger that the Ministry's inspectors themselves may spread infection by not changing or disinfecting their clothing as well as their boots when moving from an infected into a non-infected area; if not, whether he will cause an investigation to be made into the point; and whether the Ministry is still convinced that the present system of wholesale slaughter of supposedly affected animals is preferable to a policy of isolation?

The answer to the first part is in the negative. Every inspector of the Ministry is required to wear special waterproof overall clothing when engaged on foot-and-mouth disease duties, and to disinfect the whole of his clothing and his hands at the time of entering and leaving premises. Experience proves that the precautions are adequate, and I am satisfied that the inspectors do not spread disease. With the support of the Departmental Committees of 1922 and 1924, the Ministry considers that the policy of slaughtering animals affected with foot-and-mouth disease and exposed to infection is the only policy which, with the existing knowledge of the disease, will be successful in preventing it from becoming endemic in this country.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is in a position to give any information as to the suspected source of infection which has caused the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Devon?

The first animals affected in the series of outbreaks which have recently occurred in the neighbourhood of Plymouth were pigs which had been fed on swill, containing scraps of meat of foreign origin. The swill had not been boiled in accordance with the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Boiling of Animal Foodstuffs) Order, 1928, which makes it an offence to bring any meat. bones or offals into contact with animals or to feed them to animals until the materials have been boiled. Although investigation has failed to find a more probable means by which infection was introduced in this case, I would point out that in the majority of outbreaks which occur in this country swill has not been taken on the farms.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, when egg marking comes into force, steps will be taken whereby purchasers of foreign eggs marked "new laid" can be assured that these have not, been for six months in cold storage?

The answer is in the negative. Under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of last Session, foreign cold-stored eggs will not be required to bear an indication of storage. I have, therefore, no power to take the steps referred to by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Ordnance Survey Department is about to begin the revision of the one-inch map of England and Wales; whether the proposed new map is to be replotted and redrawn for reproduction by the process known as heliozincography; and, if so, is it intended to take this opportunity to restore the traditional style of lettering and decorating, which is both more artistic and more readable than the style of lettering and decoration adopted increasingly ever since the eighteenth century?

The reply is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary of State far Scotland what is the total estimated amount of grant for education in Scotland next year?

The Estimates are still under discussion with the Treasury, and I am, therefore, not in a position to make the statement for which the hon. Member asks.