asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in urging in the Fourth Committee of the League of Nations a reduction of the expenditure of the League by £40,000, the British delegate was acting upon precise recommendations made by the Treasury; if so, whether such recommendations were formulated as the result of a Cabinet decision; and whether he will publish them for the information of the House?

The resolution which was put forward by the British delegate, owing in part to the Report of the Supervisory Commission that not all the moneys asked for in the estimates could be spent in the forthcoming year, was to the effect that the budget should be referred back to the Supervisory Commission who should be requested (1) to re-examine the budget with a view to finding economies, taking into account the suggestions made by the members of the Fourth Committee in the debate on this resolution; (2) to schedule such economies as it can thus suggest, in order of the importance of the services, up to a total of 1,000,000 francs; in order that the Fourth Committee, in the light of the technical work carried out by the Supervisory Commission, may consider all the questions of policy involved and, after consultation, if necessary with other committees, recommend to the Assembly what economies ought to be effected. This resolution was proposed by the British delegate after consultation with his expert advisers. The matter was not referred to the Cabinet and there are therefore no recommendations to publish.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the proposal made at the Assembly of the League of Nations that a Minorities Commission be constituted, on the analogy of the Permanent Mandate Commission, and also to the acceptance of this proposal by the Foreign Minister of Poland on the understanding that all States with national minorities should be bound by the same obligations in the matter; and whether he will give consideration to the suggestions in order that His Majesty's Government may have a considered policy on the matter by the time of the next Assembly?

A suggestion that such a body might be constituted was mentioned by the Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs in the course of the general discussion on the work of the Council. Monsieur Belaerts clearly stated that be was making no proposal. Further, I can hardly agree with the hon. Member's interpretation of the speech made by the Polish Foreign Minister. What he actually said was:

"If all States members of the League are prepared to adhere to a general convention to that effect, I am sure there will be no objection to a Permanent Minorities Commission. But if in the desire to improve the present system for the protection of minorities you attempt too much, you may achieve a diametrically opposite result and destroy the system altogether."

I am not aware that there is any intention of reviving the matter in any more concrete form.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the serious lack of accommodation for mentally defective persons in Berkshire who urgently need institutional treatment, training and protection; and, as the Berkshire County Council has again refused to join in the scheme now under consideration by adjoining local authorities, what steps he proposes to take in order to ensure that the necessary accommodation is provided without delay?

I am aware of the need for institutional accommodation for mental defectives in Berkshire, and I understand that the Board of Control have urged the county council to submit a scheme for the discharge of their statutory obligations. I have at present no power to compel the county council to provide accommodation under the Mental Deficiency Act, but I hope that they will eventually agree to combine with the neighbouring authorities.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will consider the advisability of equalising the Government subsidy on houses built under the provisions of the 1923 Act and that, given under the provisions of the subsequent Act of 1924?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement which I have just made on the question of housing subsidy in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for Hitchin (Major Kindersley).

asked the Minister of Health the number of local health authorities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which might take action under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918, and the number of such authorities, distinguishing between county councils, county boroughs, urban districts and rural districts, that have submitted for his sanction under that Act arrangements for Provision for expectant mothers and nursing mothers and children under five years of age not in attendance at school?

There are 53 local health authorities (including the two county councils) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which are empowered to take action, with the sanction of my Department under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918. Three county borough councils and three other borough councils in these counties have made arrangements for maternity and child welfare, and in the remainder of the two counties provision has been made by the county councils.

asked the Minister of Health whether, seeing that the Bermondsey Guardians have approved the construction of a new house for the matron of the Rotherhithe Hospital at a cost of £2,350 and also the relaying of a grass tennis court, these two schemes have been approved by the Ministry; and why, in regard to the latter, although the proposal might entail a somewhat increased capital expenditure, the Ministry has advised that a modern hard court entailing a negligible expenditure in maintenance and upkeep would not be preferable?

The proposal of the guardians was only received on the 1st instant, and I have not yet come to any decision or expressed any opinion in regard to it.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the proposal to erect a large slaughter-house in the immediate neighbourhood of Pevensey village and castle, to the lasting injury of the amenities of the place as a holiday resort; and whether he will withhold his sanction from this proposal?

My attention has been called to the proposal referred to, and I understand that the district council have granted the licence applied for. My sanction is not required, and I have no power to override the decision of the council.

asked the Minister of Health the number of pre-Act widows who have ceased to draw pensions under the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act owing to the youngest child reaching the age of 14 years and six months; and the number of cases in which the child or children remain in full-time attendance at school after the pension of the mother has ceased?

The number of pre-Act widows in England and Wales who have ceased to be entitled to pensions owing to the youngest child reaching the age of 14 years and six months is 22,888: in 8,508 of these cases an allowance continued to be payable for a child who remained under full-time instruction at school.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that Crewe, a town with a population of nearly 50,000 inhabitants, has no public mortuary; whether any action has been taken by the Crewe Town Council in this connection; and, if not, will he cause representations to be made to the authority concerned to ensure that the necessary provision shall be supplied?

My attention has not previously been drawn to this matter, but I am causing inquiries to be made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the £8,684,765 of the value of imported oranges retained for home consumption were imported from Spanish territory in 1927?

The total declared value of the imports of raw oranges retained in Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the year 1927 was £8,275,326. Of this amount, retained imports of oranges consigned from Spain were valued at £5,013,738.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity and value of road material, including granite, broken granite, slag, setts, kerb, etc., imported into this country for the year ending 31st December, 1927, and for the nine months ending 31st October, 1928, stating the country of origin?

The figures which my hon. and gallant Friend asks for are being prepared, and I will circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as they are ready.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department if his attention has been called to the names of foreign honorary and technical advisers recommended by the Nationalist Government in connection with the reconstruction of China, and affecting schemes for a new capital at Canton, a deep-water port, currency reform, modern harbours, and railway and road construction, involving an expenditure of £2,400,000,000; and whether any British names are associated with this proposed scheme of reconstruction?

My attention has been drawn to various reports in the Press on the subject of reconstruction schemes in China, which, however, have not been confirmed. The hon. Member can rest assured that the whole question is being closely watched and reported upon by His Majesty's Minister at Peking.

asked the Chancelloor of the Exchequer the amount of Income Tax and Super-Tax outstanding at the latest available date?

It is estimated that at 30th September last the amount of Super-tax outstanding which will ultimately prove to be collectible was about £9,000,000 after allowing for all discharges and reductions that may be made. A corresponding estimate cannot be given for the Income Tax, as the only information available as to the arrears of Income Tax outstanding relates to the amount due for prior years which it is estimated will be collected during the current financial year. At 30th September last it was estimated that the arrear due for 1927, and prior years (including the arrear of the second instalment of the 1927 tax due on 1st July, 1928), which is expected to be collected before the close of this year, was about £13,000,00.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any representations from the smallholders of the Claigan settlement on the MacLeod Estates, in Skye, that they are unable to pay the price fixed by the Scottish Board of Agriculture for the sheep stock taken over at their ingoing; and why the Board has now withdrawn an offer already made to let the settlers have the stock at sale-ring prices, an offer which the settlers are willing to accept?

I am aware that the Board of Agriculture for Scotland have received representations from the Claigan holders as to their inability to pay the prices at which they agreed to take over sheep stock at their ingoing at Whit-Sunday, 1926. The second part of the question does not accurately represent the facts, if it suggests that the Board has withdrawn an offer which was still open. The offer was one of two alternatives put before the holders at their entry in 1926, but the holders decided to accept the alternative offer, which was sale of the stock at prices named by the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for War, if there is any tear gas or any other kind of gas now in use in the Army for training purposes?

Yes, Sir, to train the troops to protect themselves against gas.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women registered as employed in the drink trade?

The estimated numbers of insured persons aged 16 to 64, inclusive, in Great Britain classified as belonging to the "drink industry" at July, 1928, were 78,200 men, 20,980 women, and 6,170 juveniles. Of these numbers, 4,544 men, 1,953 women, and 239 juveniles were recorded as unemployed at 22nd October, 1928.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been called to the unsatisfactory arrangements existing in the Tredegar district for the payment of unemployment benefit; and whether he will take steps to secure suit- able premises in which this may be done without the necessity for exposing the claimants to all kinds of weather when attending for registration and payment?

I am having inquiry made, and will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Dominions how many schools are receiving the free issues of the frame sets, with leaflets, of the Empire Marketing Board posters?

20,683 schools in the United Kingdom have individually applied for these poster reproductions and leaflets, and are now receiving them regularly as they are issued. In addition a limited number of schools in parts of the Empire overseas are receiving copies as supplies permit.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will give the annual net profit to the State from the telephone service during the last three years, respectively?

I am not quite clear what the hon. Member means by "net profit to the State," but on the assumption that he means the surplus which in a commercial company would be available for payment of interest charges, after providing for maintenance, depreciation and operating costs, the figures are as follow:

		£
1925–26	…	3,713,379
1926–27	…	3,961,735
1927–28 (estimated figure)	…	4,200,000

asked the Postmaster-General whether there is a time limit on local telephone calls?

Under the terms of the telephone agreement, conversations can be terminated after six minutes. In practice, restriction is enforced only when prolonged use of circuits causes inconvenience to other subscribers, or where public call offices are concerned.

asked the Postmaster-General what communication assets of the cable and Marconi companies will be held by the Communications Company; and what holdings in communications companies in which the cable and Marconi companies' holding is less than 100 per cent. will be acquired by the Communications Company?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 5th December to a question on this subject by the hon. Member for East Bristol (Mr. W. Baker).

asked the President of the Board of Education whether there are any certified residential open-air schools in Hampshire; and, if so, will he give the names of the districts in which they are situated?

There are two certified residential open-air schools in Hampshire, both situated in Hayling Island—St. Andrew's School of Recovery and St. Patrick's Residential Open-Air School.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, in view of the fact that, according to the Hampshire County Council Education Report, 1927, there were 148 children notified during 1926–27 by the local education authority to the local authority under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, for which no provision has been made for special care and instruction in special schools or other institutions, he will consider making a grant to the local authority to enable these children to be suitably attended to?

Grants are payable to local education authorities in respect of the maintenance and provision of special schools for mentally defective children, but the difficulty of making special provision for such children in rural areas is not primarily a financial one, and the various administrative and medical aspects of the problem are under investigation by the Mental Deficiency Committee at the present time.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number of schools for defective children in Hampshire and the places where they are situated?

In the area of the county council or under their jurisdiction, there are two residential open-air schools, two residential hospital schools, and one residential school for mentally defective children. The residential open-air schools are both situated at Hayling Island and the residential hospital schools at Alton and Hayling Island, respectively. The residential mentally defective school is at Winchester. In the autonomous areas of the county there are one day school for mentally defective children, one day open-air school and one residential school for cripples. The schools are situated, respectively, at Southampton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.

asked the President of the Board of Education in which of the distressed mining areas the local authorities have established evening classes for adolescents and adults; and what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to increase such classes?

In all the important mining districts evening classes are being conducted either by the education authorities or, with their support, by voluntary bodies. I feel sure that the authorities concerned are alive to the benefits of this kind of education, especially in present circumstances, and that they require no encouragement from me to extend their provision where the demand exists.

asked the President of the Board of Education what steps have been taken in the West Riding of Yorkshire to reduce the classes in elementary schools to a maximum of 40 scholars; the number of classes containing under 40 scholars, under 50, under 60, and under 70, and if there are any with 80 scholars or more; what action has been taken by his Department during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1928, to reduce the sizes of classes in elementary schools; and in what districts there. Has been any improvement in the direction of reducing the size of classes in England and Wales?

In the area of the West Riding, on 31st March, 1928, the number of classes of 40 and under was 3,062; of 41–50 was 1,284; of 51–60 was 927; of 61–70 was 2; and of over 70 was nil. I understand that the large classes are mainly in the parts of the authority's area where a rapid increase of population has recently occurred, and the position should improve as the new accommodation which the authority are providing becomes available. The Board have, by circular or otherwise, frequently called the attention of education authorities to this matter. A pamphlet will shortly be issued giving information about the size of classes in the area of each authority, which will show in what districts there has been an improvement.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether a resolution recently passed at the annual conference of the National Chambers of Trade, asking that a general instruction be given to increase the time allowance in schools of the elementary subjects inclusive of history and geography, and suggesting that steps should be taken to obtain the advice of members of chambers of trade and mercantile associations in the preparation of the necessary syllabus, has been brought to his notice; and whether he proposes to take any steps in the matter?

Yes, Sir; my right hon. Friend has seen this resolution, but it left him in doubt what subjects its authors desired to eliminate from the curriculum of elementary schools. The whole question has been dealt with in the Report of the Malcolm Committee on Education and Industry, to which I would refer the hon. Member. My right hon. Friend welcomes the interest shown by the National Chamber of Trade in the work of the schools, and he hopes that local Chambers of Trade will consult with their local authorities and teachers, as many are already doing. As the hon. Member is aware, the Board do not themselves prepare the syllabuses of the schools, and their Regulations no longer contain directions as to curriculum.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has approved and can give the names of the special committee appointed by the London and Home Counties Electricity Authority to review the charges and conditions imposed by electricity undertakers in its district; whether any previous investigations have taken place into the charges made by four separate private electric undertakers who charge 10d. per unit; and is he aware that in some cases local authorities are able to charge only 3d. and per unit, whilst many private electricity undertakers charge 9d. and 10d. per unit?

The desirability of carrying out a review on the lines indicated by the hon. Member in the first part of his question was, with my approval, suggested by the Electricity Commissioners to the London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority, but the appointment by that body of any committee is entirely a matter for them. The charges made by the various undertakers are within the maxima fixed by the Special Acts or Orders relating to the various undertakings, as modified by any subsequent Orders that may have been made for the revision of such maximum charges.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has knowledge of any other railways besides the Southern Railway that is placing orders for steel sleepers in place of the present timber sleepers?

I understand that the railway companies view with sympathy the suggestion that steel sleepers should be used wherever possible, provided that their particular requirements can be met, and that they are at present conducting tests on various sections of their lines.

asked the Secretary of State for Air the number of fatal accidents which have occurred in the Royal Air Force in 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928?

Including accidents to personnel of the Special Reserve and of the Reserve and Auxiliary Air Force, the figures are: 43 fatal accidents in 1925, 54 in 1926, 40 in 1927 and 48 in 1928. The size of the Force, and consequently the amount of flying done are, of course, increasing year by year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total amount of grants made to drainage authorities by the present Government under schemes not in operation under previous Governments?

I assume that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to drainage programmes and not to individual drainage schemes. On this assumption the answer is that, apart from land drainage and water supply schemes for the relief of unemployment, which were continued in the winters of 1924–25 and 1925–26, a new programme of State-aided land drainage schemes was initiated in April, 1926, under which grants amounting to, approximately, £390,000 have so far been allocated.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs the names of the firms of experimental packing stations in this country which are being assisted by the Empire Marketing Board, and the amount of assistance in each case?

I have been asked to reply. From the funds placed at my disposal by the Empire Marketing Board grants have been made to the following experimental or demonstrational packing or grading stations, £1,500 to the Per-shore Co-operative Fruit Market, Limited. a capital grant of £600 and a demonstration grant of £300 a year to the Gloucestershire Fruit and Vegetable Co-operative Marketing Society for an egg packing station, and £100 to Cottenham Fruit Growers, Limited.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether it has yet been ascertained what was the source of the meat that caused the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Devon and Dorset; and what does the Government propose to do in regard to similar imports of meat from abroad?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the oral reply I gave to-day to my hon. Friend and Member for Devizes (Mr. Hurd).

asked the Minister of Agriculture what are the relative average

—	New York—Dollars per 1b.
	1910.	1813.	1918.	1925.
Beef (native aides)	0·103	0·125	0·209	0·159
Mutton (dressed)	0·101	0·103	0·198	0·144
	Paris (Halles Centrales)—Francs per kilog.
	1910.	1913.	1918.	1925.
Beef	1·56	1·60	4·02	8·53
Mutton	1·79	2·10	5·52	10·95

	Berlin—Marks per 50 kilogs.
	1910.	1913.	1925.
Beef (young unfattened, and old fattened oxen).	70	73	78
Mutton (fat lambs and fat young sheep).	76	89	94
	Bulgaria—Levas per kilog.
	1910.	1913.	1925.
Beef	0·78	10·1	25·78
Mutton	0·84	1·02	27·82

NOTES.—The prices given in the preceding table are as quoted in—"Wholesale Prices" (Bureau of Labour Statistics, U.S.A.);"L'Annuaire Statistique" (France);"Statistisches Jahrbuch für den Freistaat Preussen" (Prussia); and"L'Annuaire Statistique du Royaume de Bulgarie" (Bulgaria).In the case of Bulgaria it is not stated whether the prices are wholesale or retail.

The following statement shows the average wholesale prices of certain descriptions of beef and mutton in New York, Paris and Berlin, together with the officially recorded prices of beef and mutton in Bulgaria during the years stated. Information in respect of Italy is not available for those years.