asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what is the basic rate paid by the Admiralty to boilermakers and shipwrights at Home dockyards and at Gibraltar?

The rates of wages, exclusive of bonus, are, at the Home dockyards, 48s. a week for both boilermakers and shipwrights. At Gibraltar for boilermakers the rates range from 27s. to 36s. a week, and for shipwrights the usual rate is 30s. a week.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the terms of the contract for the construction of the Singapore base will be placed in the Library of the House for the information of Members?

No. Sir. I see no reason for this departure from the established practice.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if in the contract agreed upon between the Government and Sir John Jackson, Limited, for the construct-ion of the Singapore base, any conditions were imposed as to materials used or required for the construction being of British manufacture?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stroud (Sir F. Nelson) on 8th November [OFFICIAL REPORT, col. 225].

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in view of the number of English officers' stewards and cooks available for service afloat, he will issue an order forbidding the employment of Maltese non-continuous service officers' stewards and cooks in His Majesty's ships in Home waters?

The issue of such an order is under consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Ring's Regulations and Admiralty instructions admit of an active-service rating borne in the complement of one of His Majesty's ships employing at his own expense a civilian to assist him to perform his duties, as is done by the mess-man of His Majesty's Ship "Furious"; and whether, in view of the possible consequences of an extension of this employment of civilians in His Majesty's ships, he will take action to prevent it?

The Ring's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions do not prohibit the employment of a civilian assistant by an officer's messman. The proceeding is unusual, except on the china station, where it has been for many years the customary practice and has caused no difficulties. If results detrimental to the Service appeared likely to occur consequent on the practice becoming general, the necessary action would he taken to put an end to it.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what percentage of the annual meat supply to His Majesty's Navy is represented by meat of British origin?

The percentage of meat supplied to His Majesty's Navy produced within the British Empire is 88 per cent.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons signing the registers at the Employment Exchanges in the Wigan district who have had their benefits stopped since 1st January, 1928?

Precise statistics on this point are not available but at 22nd October, 1928, there were on the;egisters of the Wigan, Upholland, and Ince Employment Exchanges 253 persons whose claims had been disallowed, and, in addition, 256 persons who were classified as insured non-claimants. This latter class would include some cases in which benefit had been disallowed, but the exact figure cannot be stated.

asked the Minister of Labour how many unemployed persons signing the register at the Employment Exchanges in the Wigan district have been found employment through the medium of the Exchanges since 1st January, 1928?

During the period 3rd January, 1928, to 19th November, 2,716 persons on the registers of the Wigan, Upholland, and Ince Employment Exchanges were placed in employment through the medium of those Exchanges.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of applications for benefit considered by the Wednesbury Employment Exchange for the 10 months ending 31st October, 1928, the number of applications refused, and the grounds on which the refusals were based?

The following tables give the information available:A.—Applications for Extended Benefit considered by the Wednesbury Local Employment Committee during the period 17th January to 18th April, 1928.

Cases considered	1,747
Cases recommended for allowance	1,503

Cases recommended for disallowance:

Not normally insurable and not seeking to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment	4
Insurable employment not likely to be available.	2
Not a reasonable period of employment during the preceding two years	80
Not making every reasonable effort to obtain suitable employment or not willing to accept suitable employment	26
Single persons residing with relatives	52
Married women living with husbands to whom they can look for support	12
Working short time but earning sufficient for maintenance	62
Postponed for a definite period	6
Total recommended for disallowance	244

In addition there were a number of eases in which claims were disallowed by the Insurance Officer, but statistics of such cases are not available.B.—Claims for Unemployment Benefit made at the Wednesbury Employment Exchange during the period 19th April to 12th November, 1928.Fresh and Renewal claims made 17,852 Claims disallowed by Insurance Officers:—

asked the Minister of Transport in how many and what towns and cities in Great Britain trackless electric trolleys are in operation; whether he has any data to show how they compare with tramcars in regard to speed, passenger capacity, cost, and traffic convenience; and whether any municipality has adopted or is about to adopt them in place of tramcars?

The hon. Member will find most of the information desired in the Annual Return of Tramways and Light Railways (Street and Road) and Trackless Trolley Undertakings for the year 1927–28, copies of which are available in the Vote Office. The question of the relative convenience of tramcars and trolley vehicles is largely a matter of opinion which must depend upon the particular local considerations involved.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that in the 10 months ended 31st October the imports of broken road-stone from foreign countries amounted to 280,480 tons as against 192,290 tons during the same period last year; that the September imports alone amounted to 25,507 tons as against 13,090 tons in the same month last year; and that these figures do not include setts and kerbs, of which 136,971 tons were imported last year; and whether, having regard to the fact that several thousand British quarry workmen are at present unemployed, he will now consider the desirability of withholding grants for road making by the local authorities throughout the country unless they stipulate for the use of British stone only?

It has not been found possible within the short time available to verify the figures quoted by my hon. and gallant Friend, but I would point out that these imported materials are not necessarily all used by local authorities or for work eligible for grants from the Road Fund. As I pointed out yesterday in answer to a question by the hon. Member for the Horncastle Division of Lindsey (Mr. Haslam), the local authorities have, generally speaking, and so far as I have been able to judge, responded satisfactorily to the representations made to them by my Department in favour of the use of British materials. I would also recall the figures I quoted in reply to my hon. and gallant Friend's previous question on 19th March last., showing how comparatively small a proportion of the total consumption of road materials is represented by imported stone. As explained on previous occasions, I am not prepared to depart from the policy hitherto pursued by my Department.

asked the Minister of Transport if he can make any Report on the progress of the Joint Committee on the Abatement of Street Noises?

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the Conference convened by me to consider what steps can be taken to mitigate unnecessary noise caused by motor vehicles. The Conference has not yet reported, but I am expecting to receive their Report at an early date.

asked the Minister of Transport the present position in regard to the negotiations between the Southern Railway Company and the Government affecting the proposal that Charing Cross Station should be moved to the south bank of the Thames?

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave on the 13th instant to the hon. Member for Newcastle-on-Tyne, North (Sir N. Grattan-Doyle), and of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of mines that have been closed in the South Wales coalfield during the last six months and the r umber of men who were displaced by these stoppages?

Since 1st June, 1928, the net decrease in the number of pits at work in South Wales is 24, involving 14,700 wage earners.

asked the Secretary for Mines the latest figures ascertained in the South Wales coalfield, showing the wage costs per ton as compared with those shown for the same quarter in 1920 and 1925, respectively?

The wages cost per ton of coal commercially disposable in South Wales and Monmouth was 10s. 4¼d. for May, June and July, 1928, the latest period for which figures are available, 31s. 1d. for the June quarter, 1920, and 14s. 5¾d. for the June quarter, 1925.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been called to the great increase in the number of men disabled as a consequence of rock boring by the use of compressed-air machines; and whether the Department has suggested any special preventive measures to reduce or obviate the worst effect of this kind of employment?

I presume the hon. Member is referring to silicosis, which is not a notifiable disease. There are therefore no statistics of disablement from the disease, but the general evidence is that it is comparatively rare among miners, and I have no evidence of an increase in the number of cases. Preventive measures, such as improved ventilation and the use of water or a mechanical dust abstractor, are necessary where drilling is done in highly silicious rock and His Majesty's inspectors are attending to this.

asked the Secretary for Mines approximately the total amount contributed by employers and insured persons in the coal industry to the unemployment insurance, health insurance, and contributory pension funds for the year 1927–28, and the amount per ton of coal raised which such sum represents?

The estimated figures for the year ended 31st March, 1928, are £6,500,000 and 6¼d. per ton of saleable coal raised.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average monthly yield of the Excise Duty on British wines for the period ended 31st March last at 1s. per gallon, and the average monthly yield at 1s. 6d. per gallon since the increased duty was imposed?

The average monthly yield of this duty for the year ended 31st March, last, at 1s. per gallon was £11,863, and the average for the five months from 1st June to 31st October last (payments in May having been partly at the old rate of duty) was £11,614. This figure, however, cannot properly be compared with the average for a complete year, as the larger proportion of the duty is received in the winter months. The average monthly receipts from June to October, 1927, were £9,048.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Commissioners for the Assessment of Claims suffered in Turkey are yet in a position to make a decision in principle or in detail on claims already brought before them; whether Rumanian claims are being considered, in spite of the fact that under the provisions of the convention they are excluded; and whether claims of concessionary companies are being considered notwithstanding provisions of the convention?

The Inter-Allied Commission for the Assessment of Damage suffered in Turkey have dealt with over 13,000 claims and have paid, or are paying, a dividend of 40 per cent. of the amount assessed. It is not the case that Rumanian claims are excluded under the provisions of the Convention of November, 1923 (Command Paper 2028), which expressly provides for the signature of the Convention by Rumania, the only concession made to Rumania being that she was permitted to sign after the coming into force of the Treaty of Lausanne. The claims of concessionary companies are being dealt with in strict accordance with the provisions of Article 6 of the Convention, and there has been no question of modifying or departing from these provisions.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the approximate amount the Treasury will gain under Income Tax Schedules A and D in consequence of the Government's de-rating proposals, on account of the increase in assessment of property now taking place in all parts of the country?

I assume that "by the increase in the assessment of property now taking place," the hon. Member is referring to the revaluation which is being made in England and Wales (outside the Metropolis) under the Rating and Valuation Act, 1925. That revaluation is made solely for rating purposes and does not affect the existing valuations for Income Tax, Schedule A. These were made in 1923 upon a separate and independent valuation which has since been continued in force by the Finance Act of each year. For the rest, I would refer the hon. Member to the Budget statement as to the estimated extent to which the de-rating proposals will lead to increased profits and so to a higher yield of Income Tax, Schedule D.

asked the Minister of Transport if be has received a communication from the Railway Clearing House in relation to the question of freight relief; and will he now give the information contained in the communication?

I do riot know to what communication the hon. Member refers, but if he will inform me more particularly as to what he has in mind, I will endeavour to give him an answer.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has any information that will show the proportion of sickness in overcrowded areas, such as Central Southwark, as compared with districts such as Westminster, Kensington and Hampstead; and can he give particulars?

No such information is available.

asked the Minister of Health (1) what is the number of beds actually available in each Poor Law hospital in London for the sick in wards staffed by trained nurses;(2) what is the actual number of beds in infirm wards served by untrained attendants in the Poor Law institutions in London;(3) what is the number of trained nurses and untrained attendants, respectively, in the Poor Law hospitals and infirm wards of the Poor Law institutions in London?

Wards for the sick and infirm in the separate infirmaries of London which are ordinarily staffed by trained nurses, probationers in various stages of training and ward maids or attendants, contain 16,520 beds. Wards for the sick and infirm included in other Poor Law institutions are usually staffed by trained nurses, assistant nurses and attendants, and contain some thousands of beds. My right hon. Friend regrets that no more precise figures for the number of beds or the number of nurses and attendants are available.

asked the Minister of Health if he will, at a proper time and early date, withdraw the cut which he made in the moneys granted for milk provision for the maternity and child-welfare services?

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the reduction of about £12,000 which was made in the grants available for certain local authorities in aid of their expenditure on milk during the present financial year. This reduction which was purely temporary had to be made in order to keep the grants paid by my Department for the health services within the amount voted by Parliament. I may add that similar action will not require to be taken during the next financial year.

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that the price of slates for repairing roofs after the storm of a week ago was raised from about 3d. per slate to 1s. 11d., he will instruct the Building Materials Committee, if still in existence, to inquire into this increase with a view to preventing this in future?

No such increase in the price of slates as is suggested by the hon. Member has been brought to the notice of my Department. If, however, he has any information in his possession indicating a general increase in prices, and will furnish me with particulars, I shall be pleased to have the matter looked into.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will instruct local authorities to keep in stock a supply of slates for roofing purposes, so as to supply small house owners for repairs at cost price plus the cost of the authorities for storing and delivering same?

My right hon. Friend cannot give any such direction to local authorities; they have, in fact, no powers enabling them to do what the hon. Member suggests.

asked the Minister of Health how many schemes for the reconditioning of cottages under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, he has received from local authorities in Shropshire; and how many cottages have been reconditioned under that Act in Shropshire up to the latest ascertainable date?

Twenty-eight local authorities in the County of Salop have submitted and received approval of schemes under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926. Up to 30th September last, applications for assistance had been made in respect of 79 dwellings, assistance had been promised in respect of 76, and in the case of 19 dwellings the work of reconditioning had been completed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of outward-bound British nationals who have embarked for any of the British Colonies or Possessions from 1st January, 1928, to the last convenient date, distinguishing the principal countries for which these passengers have embarked?

The hon. Member will find the particulars he seeks, for the first nine months of the year, in the current issue of the Board of Trade Journal.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if there is any evidence showing that recent serious losses in the mercantile marine are due to the raising of the load line; and if it is proposed to restore the Plimsoll line?

Alterations were made in the load line tables on the advice of technical experts in 1906 and statements were subsequently made that these alterations had caused increased danger. These statements were fully investigated by a Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Philip Watts, which reported in 1915, and were found to be without foundation. The matter has been carefully watched since 1915, and there is no reason to question the view that the alterations made in 1906 have not caused increased danger.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether an agreement has been reached between Imperial Airways and the Persian Government with regard to the establishment of bases in Persian territory to facilitate the England-India air service which is to commence next year; and, if so, whether the terms of the agreement will be published?

Agreement has been reached, and I understand that the letters in which it is recorded are to be signed in Persia this week. The question of publication will be considered in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether negotiations have taken place with the Sultan of Muscat, with the Sultan of Nejd, and with the Sultan of Koweit, in regard to the establishment of air bases within their territories in connection with the proposed weekly air service between London and Karachi; and, if so, what is the result of the negotiations?

No, Sir. The recent settlement of the questions which had been outstanding with the Persian Government in this matter has rendered it unnecessary at the present time to seek for any alternative route for the Imperial Airways service to India.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many British troops, and for what length of time, cooperated with the French army in the recent autumn manoeuvres in the occupied German Rhineland; and what was the cost involved for this action by the British troops?

One cavalry regiment took part in the recent French army manoeuvres. The operations, which lasted seven days, formed part of the regiment's annual training, and no excess was involved on the Training Grant.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many prosecutions, trials, punishments, and warnings have been held or administered by the British military authorities in the occupied territories of Germany for the offence of playing the German national anthem; how many persons have been involved; and whether gramophone records of the German national anthem are allowed in the occupied territory?

I regret that I am not in a position to give the information asked for in the first two parts of the question. Such information is not available at the War Office, and to examine the local records for it would involve disproportionate labour. As regards the last part of the question, I understand that the playing of the German national anthem on the gramophone is subject only to such general restrictions as were indicated in the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member on the 13th of this month.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether consultation with the Governors of Tanganyika and Kenya is to precede any publication of the Hilton Young Commission's Report; whether the Report was unanimous; whether the Report of the Parliamentary group which visited Tanganyika will be taken into account; and whether Sir George Schuster will also be consulted before any Report is acted on?

With regard to the first part of the question, I must explain that I have asked the Governors of Tanganyika and Kenya to arrange to reach England by the middle of January, by which date I hoped that it would be possible to publish the Report. Should it be necessary to delay publication for a short period, any discussions which may take place in the interval will be of a preliminary nature. With regard to the second part, it would not be proper for me to anticipate publication of the Report by answering a question of this nature. As to the third part, if the Report by the four hon. Members who recently visited Tanganyika should be published, it will, of course, receive my attention. As to the fourth part, the duties of members of a Commission terminate on the presentation of their Report. Should reference to the members of the Commission be necessary at a later date, Sir George Schuster would be in the same position as the other members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he is taking to deal with the new stone construction by the Moslems on top of the Wailing Wall at Jerusalem, in violation of the status quo; and why this construction was allowed to be begun by His Majesty's Government in Palestine?

I am not satisfied that there has been a violation of the status quo by the Moslem authorities. According to the latest report received from Jerusalem it would appear that the small wall constructed above the building that surmounts a portion of the Wailing Wall is an integral part of a structure begun many months ago. So far as I am aware, it was never suggested, at the time that the work was started, that it would involve any infringement of the status quo.

asked the President of the Board of Education if the Leather-sellers' Company made any conditions which would exclude London University from benefiting by the Elliot, Moseley, and Humble Foundations providing exhibitions for university students; and why the Board of Education have made conditions confining these exhibitions to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, whereas the Rogers and Holmdel' Foundations, administered by the same company, are tenable at London University as well as at Oxford and Cambridge?

The condition as to the tenure of these exhibitions exclusively at Oxford and Cambridge, which at present applies to all the exhibitions referred to by the hon. Member, is im- posed not by the Leathersellers' Company nor by the Board of Education, but by the existing Trusts. The Board have published the draft of a scheme for these endowments, by which it is proposed to relax this condition in the case of the Rogers' Foundation, and any objections to this draft, including of course objection received from the University of London, will receive careful consideration.

asked the Home Secretary what amounts of the drugs covered by the Geneva Opium Convention of 1925 have been exported from this country since that Convention was ratified; and what measures are taken to ensure that such imported drugs will all be used for medical and scientific purposes only?

The Convention only came into force at the end of September last, and I am not in a position to give the hon. Member the information he asks for in the first part of his question. The statistics of exports are compiled after the close of each year, and are made public in due course. Exports from this country require the sanction of my Department, and that sanction is not given except upon the production of an import certificate from the Government of the importing country or, in the absence of such a certificate, except after a very careful scrutiny of the application and only if the Department is satisfied that the consignment is desined for medical or scientific uses.

asked the Home Secretary what steps have been taken to carry out the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Sexual Offences against Young Persons, which reported in December, 1925, and also those of the Departmental Committee on the Treatment of Young Offenders, which reported in March, 1927, other than those covered by the Home Office Circulars issued on 30th September, 1927, and 20th July, 1928?

It would be impracticable in the course of an answer to a Parliamentary question to refer in detail to the various matters dealt with by the two Committees, which, as my Noble Friend is aware, covered a very wade field. A new Report of the Children's Branch will be issued in the course of a few days and this will give some account of the progress made. The two Circulars mentioned dealt fully with many aspects of the subject of young offenders, including the important questions of the organisation of Juvenile Courts and the use of hostels and homes in connection with the probation system as an alternative to imprisonment, and showed how much could be done by the Justices under their existing powers. I understand that in many places the Justices have carefully considered these Circulars and have arranged to modify their practice in accordance with the recommendations. A Circular was issued to Justices on 17th September, 1926, as regards the recommendations of the Sexual Offences Committee, and I am considering, with the aid of the best advice I can obtain, whether it would be right at a suitable opportunity to propose changes either in law or in the practice of the Higher Courts in some of the many directions indicated by the Committee. As to those recommendations which cannot be carried out without legislation, the Government are most anxious to introduce a Bill to amend the Children Act as soon as Parliamentary time can be found.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to carry out the recommendations contained in the Report of the Departmental Committee of Inquiry into the Treatment of Young Offenders, which has recently been printed under the title "Protection and Training"?

This Report has been receiving careful consideration by the various Departments concerned, and it is proposed to issue at an early date Circulars dealing with such matters as do not involve legislation. Many of the recommendations involve legislation and these are being considered in conjunction with the legislative recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Sexual Offences against Children and Young Persons in Scotland with a view to the introduction, when Parliamentary time permits, of legislation amending the Children Act, 1908, and dealing with probation and other matters.