asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, seeing that the work of issuing forms for declaration of incomes to taxpayers has been transferred to the offices of the inspectors of taxes, he will state the number of additional temporary persons who were employed under the Board of Inland Revenue during the period 6th October, 1927, to 5th October, 1928, and the cost to the Treasury; and the number of hours overtime worked by employés under the Board of Inland Revenue during the period 6th October, 1927, to 5th October, 1928, and the amount paid for this work?

Separate records are r of kept of the time devoted to the work of issuing forms for declaration of incomes or of the staff employed on the work, The preparation of such approximate figures as could be provided would involve a considerable expenditure of time and trouble which would, I think, be out of all proportion to their value.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number and grade, respectively, of women civil servants who resigned on marriage in the Public Trustee office during the year 1927.

I have been asked to reply. The total number is 15, namely, 13 clerical officers, one shorthand typist and one writing assistant.

asked the President of the Board of Education the number and grade, respectively, of women civil servants who resigned on marriage in the Board of Education during the year 1927.

The number of women civil servants who resigned on marriage from the Board of Education during 1927 was four—two clerical officers, one shorthand typist and one typist.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number and grade, respectively, of women civil ser- vants who resigned on marriage in the Board of Customs and Excise during the year 1927.

The number of women to whom marriage gratuities were awarded during the year 1927 on resignation from the Customs and Excise Department was 11. This number was made up as follows:

Women pension officers	7
Clerical officers (general and Departmental classes)	3
Typists	1

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number and grade, respectively, of women civil servants who resigned on marriage in the Foreign Office during the year 1927?

The numbers are as follow:Established—

asked the Minister of Health the number and grade, respectively, of women civil servants who resigned on marriage in the Ministry of Health during the year 1927?

The number and grade, respectively, of women civil servants in my Department who resigned on marriage during the year 1927 were as follow:

Assistant inspectors, outdoor staff (insurance)	2
Higher clerical officers	1
Clerical officers	10
Writing assistants	10
Permanent typists and shorthand typists	4
Temporary typists and shorthand typists	6
Temporary women clerks	13
Total	46

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the average size of school classes in Glasgow schools at present; how this number compares with previous years; and if any further steps are being taken to reduce still further the size of classes?

In the Glasgow schools the average number of children on the roll per teacher (excluding head teachers and specialists) for the last five complete school years ending 31st July was as follows:

1924	…	…	…	…	46.3
1925	…	…	…	…	46.1
1926	…	…	…	…	45.5
1927	…	…	…	…	45.6
1928	…	…	…	…	43.2

With regard to the last part of the question, the provision of additional accommodation and the appointment of additional teachers since July, 1928, will, it is anticipated, result in a further reduction when the figures for the year 1928–29 are available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many scholars at the various intermediate or secondary schools in Glasgow are receiving grants in aid from the Glasgow education authority; and what is the maximum and minimum grant in each case;(2) how many students are receiving grants in aid from the Glasgow education authority and the maximum and minimum grants in each case?

Assistance is granted by the Glasgow Education Authority to 3,513 scholars following courses of post-qualifying instruction of not more than three years' duration, to 677 scholars attending secondary schools, and to 734 students attending universities and other higher educational institutions. The maximum amounts granted for the three groups respectively are £10 10s., £20 10s., and £36 10s. annually. The minimum grant in the last group is £2 2s. In the other two groups it is approximately 30s., the estimated value of free books.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been drawn to the depredations of deer on agricultural land in Perthshire and other parts of the Highlands; what steps his Department proposes to take to protect the interests of the farmers and smallholders concerned; and when he proposes to introduce legislation on the lines of the Report of the Deer Forest Committee, 1922?

A meeting of representatives of the Scottish Land and Property Federation and of the agricultural societies concerned, was held at the instance of the Board of Agriculture for Scotland on 5th instant, at which various proposals for dealing with the depredations of deer were agreed to. My right hon. Friend is hopeful that as a result of this conference a substantial improvement in present conditions may be achieved, and it has been arranged that a similar conference be held next year. With regard to the last part of the question, he regrets that he is not at present in a position to give an undertaking with regard to further legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he can give details of the proposal to convert peat-bog areas in the Isle of Lewis into agricultural land, and state how the proposal will be financed?

My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to make a statement dealing comprehensively with the details of the proposed experiments in Lewis. As indicated in the reply given to the hon. Member for Leith (Mr. E. Brown) on the 20th ultimo, the cost of these experiments will be met from funds provided by a private donor.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any of the rural housing authorities in Scotland that had not had schemes approved by the Scottish Board of Health under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, on 19th June last have since had such schemes approved; and whether the Government have yet decided how to deal with the rural housing problem in those areas in which the housing authority is unwilling or unable to put this Act into operation?

Since 19th June last, five of the county local authorities that had not at that date had schemes approved by the Scottish Board of Health under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act, 1926, have adopted such schemes and obtained the Board's approval thereto. These five local authorities are the Kilmarnock District Committee of Ayrshire, the Aird, Inverness and Badenoch District Committees of Inverness-shire, and the Kinross County Council. As regards the latter part of the question, my right hon. Friend is not aware of any sufficient reason why county local authorities should be unable to put this Act into operation and he has consistently urged this course upon them. Where local authorities are unwilling to operate this Act, other statutory powers for tile improvement of housing conditions are available to them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider recommending the local parish councils in Scotland to give extra grant, either in money or kind, during the Christmas and New Year celebrations to all persons receiving relief?

My right hon. Friend has no authority to make a recommendation of the nature referred to.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the amount decided upon by the arbiter as a reasonable price to be paid by the Glasgow Corporation for the ground they are seeking to acquire in the neighbourhood of Celtic Park, Parkhead, Glasgow, and the area which is to be acquired?

The ground in question has been acquired by agreement for £5,717. Its area is approximately 4.15 acres.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications have been received in the Rural Districts of Caistor, Louth, and Grimsby for public telephones to be installed; how many have been installed; and how many have been refused?

During the last two years, 18 applications for public telephones in this area have been received and seven call offices have been installed. In the other 11 cases offers, not yet accepted, were made to provide a call office under guarantee.

asked the Postmaster-General if it is intended to take away the existing public telephone at Grainthorpe; and if he will give consideration to the hardship that this will cause to those who may be in need of urgent medical assistance before this step is taken?

The receipts from the public telephone at Grainthorpe are disappointing, but I am prepared to continue the service for another year in the hope that greater use will be made of the facilities.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will issue a statement showing the total number of telephone kiosks which have been erected throughout the country, giving the figures for London and the provinces separately, and distinguishing between the various types?

There are 1,191 kiosks in the London telephone area and 4,732 in the provinces. Of these 5,471 are of the concrete type and 452 of cast-iron type. There are, in addition, 19,460 public call offices in post offices or other premises.

asked the Postmaster-General whether the question of letting out to contract work of constructing air lines, as is done in the case of buried cables, has yet been decided, in view of the length of time it has been under consideration; and what is the average difference in cost of laying a mile of cable by contractors submitting tenders compared with the work when done by the Post Office?

The methods and cost of carrying on the construction of telegraph and telephone lines, both overhead and underground, are the subject of continuous study, and there is reason to hope that appreciable further economies will be possible. The relatively small magnitude of individual overhead works and the wide area over which they are spread render them unsuitable for letting out to contract, and, on present information, I have no reason to suppose that economy would be secured by adopting such a course. Practically all the work of laying ducts for cables is let out to contract, and, as a rule, trunk line cables are laid by the contractors who manufacture the cable In. the few cases where the Post Office has itself laid such cables, the costs compare not unfavourably with those quoted by contractors.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that dissatisfaction has been caused among the staff at St. Albans on amount of the appointment in August to a vacant assistant inspectorship of an officer over the heads of five competent senior officers on the acting list; that the senior officer who was then performing acting duties was one of those passed over; and that since appointment three other officers have been placed on the acting duties over the heads of a number of senior officers; and whether he will have inquiry made into the appointment and the selections for the acting list?

I have had inquiry made as desired by the hon. Member. The officer who was promoted was reported to be a man who in his general qualifications was clearly better fitted for the higher post than the officers whom he passed over. There is no formal acting list on the assistant inspectors' grade at St. Albans; but I am satisfied that the trial on higher duties of the three officers referred to was necessary and involved no injustice to the officers senior to them.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the average number of days' sick leave per head per annum taken by women in the writing-assistant, typing and clerical grades, respectively, in the London telephone service, accounts branch, during the years 1925, 1926 and 1927, and what was the average number of days' sick leave per head per annum in the case of each grade concerned taken on account of nervous troubles?

The average numbers of days' sick leave per head per annum allowed to women in the clerical, writing assistant and typing grades, respectively, in the London Telephone Service Accounts Branch during the years 1925, 1926 and 1927 are shown below:

—		1925.	1926.	1927.
Clerical Officers	…	14·6	10·9	14·6
Writing Assistants	…	12·3	13·9	19·1
Typing Grades	…	13·7	21·7	15·0

The sick absence is not usually classified according to the nature of the disease; but the figures for 1926 were specially analysed with the following result—

Days of Sick Absence during 1926 per Officer, due to—
—	Neurasthenia, Nervous Debility, Nervous Breakdown, Nervous Shock, Nerves Neurosis.	Neuritis.	Neuralgia.
	1.	2.	3.
Clerical Officers.	1·8	·2	·9
Writing Assistants.	2·0	·2	·1
Typing Grades.	3·4	3·9*	Nil
* Wholly due to one officer.

asked the Minister of Labour the cost of the administration of unemployment insurance in England and Wales under the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1920, by local committees for the quarter ended 31st March, 1928, and the cost of administration by courts of referees under the new procedure for the quarters ended 30th June and 30th September, 1928, and for the months of October and November, 1928?

The allowances paid to members of local employment committees in England and Wales during the quarter ended 31st March, 1928, amounted to £5,897, of which £5,732 was charged to the Unemployment Fund. The fees and allowances paid to chairmen and members of courts of referees in England and Wales were as follow:

	£
Quarter ended 30th June, 1928	4,684
Quarter ended 30th September, 1928	7,936
Month of October, 1928	4,843
Month of November, 1928	4,985

asked the Minister of Labour the cost of the expenses of members of local employment committees for the first quarter of 1928; and the total amount paid for salaries and fees of chairmen and assessors of courts of referees and expenses of members for the quarter ended 30th September?

The allowances paid to members of local employment committees during the quarter ended 31st March, 1928, amounted to £6,556; fees and allowances paid to chairman and the allowances paid to members of courts of referees during the quarter ended 30th September, 1928, was £8,941.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims for unemployment insurance benefit which were disallowed by the Chief Insurance Officer in 1927; how many of these claims were referred to courts of referees; and how many were disallowed by the courts of referees?

The number of claims to unemployment benefit disallowed by the Chief Insurance Officer during the year 1927 was 322,168. The number of claims to benefit considered by Courts of Referees in that year was 110,714, of which 72,403 were recommended for disallowance.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims for unemployment insurance benefit which were referred to the Chief Insurance Officer during 1927; and how many of these were al lowed?

The number of claims to unemployment insurance benefit referred to the Chief Insurance Officer during the year 1927 was 564,560, of which 242,392 were allowed by him.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims for unemployment insurance benefit which were referred to the Umpire in 1927; and in how many of these cases was benefit allowed?

The number of claims to unemployment insurance benefit referred to the Umpire during 1927 was 4,348, of which 1,635 were allowed and 2,713 disallowed.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of employés in the cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery trade in July, 1928, with the number of unemployed from that industry in July and November, 1928, respectively?

The following Table shows the number of insured persons aged 16 to 64 years in Great Britain classified as belonging to the cocoa, chocolate, and sugar confectionery industry at July, 1928, and the number of

INSURED PERSONS in Great Britain, aged 16 to 64, classified as belonging to the brick, pipe, tile (not glazed tiles) and fireclay industry.
—				Estimated number of Insured Persons at July, 1928.	Insured Persons unemployed.
					22nd October, 1928.	26th November, 1928.
Men	…	…	…	67,490	8,691	9,596
Boys	…	…	…	5,620	340	359
Women	…	…	…	6,320	932	929
Girls	…	…	…	660	34	38
Total	…	…	…	80,090	9,997	10,922

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in the engineering trade in November, 1928; and whether this figure includes those who were engaged in clerical occupations in the engineering trade?

At 26th November, 1928, the number of insured persons in Great Britain, aged 16 to 64, classified as belonging to the engineering industry (including the manufacture and repair of motor vehicles, cycles and aircraft) recorded as unemployed was 92,371. This figure represents the total

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women employed in the brickmaking trade in July, 1928; and the number of those registered as unemployed from the brick-making trade in October and November, 1928?

The following Table gives the information desired:number unemployed from the engineering industry irrespective of occupation, and includes clerical workers.

asked the Minister of Labour what action is to be taken on the Report of the Trade Board inspection of the works of Messrs. E. A. Brough at Liverpool; and is there a further investigation to he held as to the non-payment of trade board rates to the workpeople concerned?

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on 11th December and 20th November on this subject.

asked the Minister of Labour whether the trade board for the made-up textiles trade has agreed noon the number of learners to be employed in the trade; and, if so, what is the ratio of learners to journeymen?

The determinations of the Made-up Textiles Trade Board lay down no ratio of learners to journeymen. A certificate has to he obtained from the Board in respect of each person to be paid at the learner's rate, and where it is proposed to employ more than one learner for every three journeymen, it is the practice of the board before granting a certificate to require evidence that effective instruction will be given. Where such evidence is forthcoming the board are under a statutory obligation to issue a certificate.

asked the Minister of Labour whether any portion of the cost of transfer of juveniles from distressed areas to Rochdale was borne by the funds raised for the assistance of families in the distressed areas?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the distribution of the imports of wheat, including the equivalent of wheat for imports of flour, between the five chief importing ports, together with the total for all ports for the United Kingdom?

The following table shows (in terms of grain) the weight of the imports of wheat and wheat meal and flour into Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the year 1927, and the proportions entered at the five principal ports of discharge.

Port.	Imports of wheat, and wheat meal and flour in grain equivalent.
	Weight.	Proportion of Total Imports.
	Thousand
	cwts.	Per cent.
London	33,137	26·4
Liverpool	24,255	19·3
Hull	18,840	15·0
Manchester	10,455	8·3
Bristol	9,734	7·7
Other Ports	29,238	23·3
Total Imports	125,659	100·0

The grain equivalent of imported meal and flour has been estimated on the basis of an extraction, of 72 per cent. flour and 28 per rent. Offals.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of bricks imported into this country in 1926, 1927, and to the latest date in 1928?

The total number of bricks of brick earth or clay imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the period specified was as follows:—

Period.	Number.
1926	228,892,000
1927	278,444,000
1928 (January to November)	238,679,000

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of raw rubber imported into the United States of America from British sources and its approximate value expressed in sterling between 1st April, 1927, and 1st December, 1927, and between 1st April, 1928, and 1st December, 1928?

The following statement shows, for the periods stated, the total weight and value (expressed in £ sterling) of crude rubber, including milk of rubber, imported into the United States of America from the United Kingdom, British Malaya and Ceylon. Corresponding figures for October and November, 1928, are not yet available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the total quantity of beans imported into Great Britain, the produce of China, from 1st January to this date?

The total quantities of beans imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland, registered as consigned from China (exclusive of Hong Kong, Macao and leased territories), durin gthe 11 months, January to November, 1928, were as follow:

		Tons.
Beans, not fresh (for food)	…	25,866
Soya beans	…	142,705

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, at the International Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the 1914 Convention on Safety of Life at Sea, which His Majesty's Government have taken the initiative of summoning, the question of overloading, in its national and international aspects, will be discussed?

The object of the Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, which meets next April, is to revise the 1914 Convention, which dealt mainly with ocean-going passenger ships and did not deal with questions of overloading. The coming Conference will, I think, be fully occupied with the revision of the 1914 Convention. It would not be practicable to have an international discussion on the question of overloading until the revision of the present load line rules by the Load Line Committee has been completed and the revised draft has been considered by the other Governments concerned. No time will be lost in pushing on with this preparatory work, but I am afraid there is no chance of it being completed by April.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in numerous cases when seamen are being engaged the ship's articles are not read out in accordance with the Board of Trade Regulations; and will he, in the interests of seamen, issue instructions that this must be done in every case?

The Merchant Shipping Act requires that, where seamen are engaged for service in a foreign-going ship, the Board of Trade Superintendent shall cause the agreement to be read over and explained to each seaman, or otherwise ascertain that each seaman understands the same before he signs it. Superintendents have standing instructions to this effect, and I have no reason to think that the instructions are not followed. A Superintendent is not required by the Act to read over the agreement to a seaman if he is satisfied that the seaman understands it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the fact that the crew of s.s. "Eltham" was not in accordance with the recommendations laid down by the Reed Commission of 1906, he will say whether the vessel was inspected by the detaining officer of the Board of Trade in accordance with the instructions issued by the Board of Trade?

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the instructions on the subject of manning, and he will see that no definite scale is laid down for home trade ships. The "Eltham" was manned in accordance with the practice prevailing on vessels of her class and size.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will inquire into the treatment of casuals at Cannock where three men last month were sentenced to seven days' imprisonment each for refusing to perform their tasks as their only means of protest against their treatment with regard to feeding and sleeping?

I have made inquiries into this case and am satisfied that these men had no reasonable cause for complaint and were properly treated by the Poor Law officials of the Cannock institution.

asked the Minister of Health if he will give for the West Riding of Yorkshire the cost of rural roads to be taken over by the West Riding County Council, the cost of Poor Law to be taken over by the West Riding County Council, and the loss in rateable value in the county area due to de-rating, respectively?

According to estimates made for the year 1926–27, the rate-borne expenditure on rural roads in the Administrative County of West Riding of Yorkshire was £414,000, and the corresponding rate-borne expenditure of the Poor Law guardians was £1,160,000. The estimate of the loss of rateable value used for the purpose of the illustration in the White Paper was £2,200,000.

asked the Minister of Health whether, as the formula in the Local Government Bill relating to low density of population means a percentage addition in the case of the area of the West Riding County Council of 45 per cent. addition to the actual population and for the area of the North Riding County Council 134 per cent. addition to the actual population, he will say whether the formula is based on lineal measurement of roads or whether it takes account of total road-area user and cost of upkeep?

The low density factor in the formula which with other factors is used as a measure of general needs is based on the estimated number of persons per mile length of public roads.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he call give the numbers of recorded cases of swine fever for the last complete year before and the last complete year after the coming into force of the present Swine Fever Order; and whether, in the opinion of himself and his scientific advisers, the results accomplished towards the stamping out of the disease are worth the large loss suffered by traders and farmers due to the dislocation of trade caused by the requirement of isolation for 27 days?

The numbers of outbreaks of swine fever during the year 1921 before the issue of the Regulation of Movement of Swine Order, 1922, and for the year 1927, which is the last complete year since that Order, were 1,285 and 1,794 respectively. I would point out, however, that the incidence of the disease fluctuates considerably, and a truer picture is obtained by a comparison of the average annual number of outbreaks per 1,000 of the pig population for the 14 years while the more onerous restrictions of the 1908 Order were in operation and for the five years since 1922. These figures are 1.05 and 56 respectively. The Order of 1922 was designed to prevent infected swine spreading disease from market to market and to cause the minimum inconvenience to the industry. I am satisfied that the Order has had this effect, and I may add that I have received no evidence from any representative agricultural organisation of dislocation of trade on the grounds mentioned by my hon. and learned Friend.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of Income Tax assessed in England and Wales for the consecutive years 1920–27, inclusive, which is still unpaid, being under appeal or unsettled; and what steps it is proposed to take to clear these accounts and complete the ingathering of this money?

I regret that information as to the total amount of Income Tax outstanding for the years in question is not available. The settlement of liabilities and the recovery of tax in default for past years are constantly proceeding, and the Revenue authorities take all possible steps to secure the payment of any tax that may be outstanding.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of children who have been killed or injured by traffic on their way to or from school in London during the last complete year; whether he will ascertain how many main roads near schools are without refuges; and will he draw the attention of the responsible authorities to the need of remedying this lack?

The information asked for in the first part of the question is not available, and could only be obtained, if at all, by an examination of each individual police record, A review by the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee of all the main streets in the London area is in progress, and particular attention is being directed to the provision of refuges with a view to the prevention of accidents. The attention of local authorities has already been drawn to the importance of this matter.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the lighting of most country villages is inadequate for safety in view of the increase in motor traffic; and has he any data to show the number of fatal or nonfatal accidents, during any given period, which have occurred in villages or rural localities and have been attributed to inadequate lighting?

I think that most drivers of motor vehicles use their headlights when street lighting in villages is insufficient to give a clear view of the road. My attention has not been specially drawn to accidents due to inadequate lighting, and I regret that I have not the data to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Secretary for Mines what is his estimate of the average cost per ton upon the saleable coal of the local rates chargeable upon collieries in each coalfield in Scotland; what was the total output of coal in each Scotch coalfield for the 12 months ended 30th September, 1928; and what was the total quantity shipped as export and as bunkers during the same 12 months?

Figures showing the amounts paid by collieries in respect of local rates are only available for Scotland as a whole. For the six months ended 30th September, 1928, the average cost of such rates per ton of saleable coal raised was 1.57d. The total output of saleable coal during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1928, in each coalfield of Scotland was as follows:

	Tons.
Fife, Clackmannan, Kinross and Sutherland	8,069,000
Lothians (Mid and East)	4,453,400
Lanarkshire, Linlithgow, Stirling, Renfrew and Dumbarton	16,246,600
Ayrshire, Dumfries and Argyll	4,229,900
Total	32,998,900

The total quantity of coal* shipped abroad during the 12 months ended 20th September, 1928, was as follows:—

				Tons.
Cargo	…	…	…	5,766,733
Bunkers	…	…	…	2,415,187
Total	…	…	…	8,181,920
*Excluding coke and manufactured fuel.

asked the Secretary for Mines the amount of coal raised in Great Britain per year since 1913, the amount exported per year, the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents per year,

Year.		Quantity of coal raised in Great Britain.	Quantity of coal exported from Great Britain.*	Number of persons killed or injured by accidents.†		Accident rate per million tons of mineral raised.†
				Killed.	Injured.	Killed.	Injured.
		Million Tons.
1913	…	287·3	73·4	1,753	177,138	5·81	587
1914	…	265·6	59·0	1,219	158,842	4·37	569
1915	…	253·1	43·5	1,297	Particulars not available	4·90	Particulars not available
1916	…	256·3	38·4	1,313		4·92
1917	…	248·4	35·0	1,367		5·27
1918	…	227·7	31·8	1,401		5·86
1919	…	229·7	35·3	1,117	117,384	4·67	490
1920	…	229·4	24·9	1,103	117,244	4·60	489
1921‡	…	163·2	24·7	755	86,325	4·49	514
1922	…	249·6	64·2	1,105	185,497	4·32	725
1923	…	276·0	78·0	1,297	212,256	4·57	747
1924	…	267·1	59·2	1,201	195,423	4·36	710
1925	…	243·2	48·6	1,136	178,060	4·53	710
1926‡	…	126·3	19·6	649	90,862	4·95	694
1927	…	251·2	48·7	1,128	173,449	4·36	670
1928	…	Provisional figures based upon the eleven months January to November.
		238·0	47·6	986	Not yet available	4·01	Not yet available
* Excluding shipments to Ireland.
† These particulars relate to accidents at mines under the Coal Mines Act in Great Britain (including the stratified ironstone mines, shale and fireclay). In 1924 and subsequent years accidents which disabled the person injured for more than three days were reportable, the limit in 1923 and earlier years being seven days.
‡ The majority of the coal mines were idle during a considerable period of the years 1921 and 1926 owing to protracted disputes.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many colliery companies have gone into liquidation since 1st January, 1927, to date; what is the name and situation of each such company; and what was the total number of miners employed by each such company; and can he designate which, if any, of them have since been scheduled as abandoned mines?

According to the information in my possession, which is not yet necessarily complete, 83 colliery companies, owning 160 pits and levels, have gone into liquidation since 1st January, 1927. These companies employed, before liquidation, about 36,000 workpeople. Of the 160 pits, 60,

The figures are as follow:Previously employing about 6,000 work people, are now abandoned; 44, previously employing about 12,000 work-people, are closed but not notified as abandoned, and 56, previously employing about 18,000 workpeople, are still working and employing 17,000 work-people. The complete list of companies is too long to give in answer to a question, but I am having a copy placed in the Library for the information of hon. Members.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of main grid transmission lines have been erected during the current year; and how many miles in England and Wales since the passage of the Electricity Act, 1926?

I am informed by the Central Electricity Board that contracts have been let for approximately 246 miles of grid main line transmission in Scotland, and 550 miles in South-East England. The erection of the line has been commenced on two routes in Scotland—52 miles in length—and on one route in England—10 miles in length.