asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that a grievance is felt among non-commissioned officers of the Military Engineer Services regarding the question of furlough from India; and whether, since leave reserve is based on 10 per cent. by commands a non-commissioned officer may have to wait approximately 10 to 14 years before he is granted furlough, he will see whether it can be arranged that leave is allowed after the completion of six years' continuous service in India?

My information is that the present leave reserve for warrant and non-commissioned officers of the Military Engineer Services in India is approximately 11 per cent., which should enable leave to be taken on an average once in every ten years. The attention of the Government of India is, however, being drawn to the hon. Member's question, and a report is being asked for.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what was the quantity and value in pounds sterling of potable spirits imported into India during the year 1927–28; the amount of revenue derived therefrom; and the countries from which the spirits were exported?

The following table gives the information asked for:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of women who were involved in the strikes which took place in India during 1928, giving particulars of the total number of working days lost during this year by women and the comparable figures for the 12 months previous?

Separate figures of the number of women involved in these strikes and of the days lost by them are not available.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what was the amount in pounds sterling of the net excise revenue of India for the years 1925–26, 1926–27, and 1927–28, respectively; what was the recorded consumption of country spirits in each of those years in Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Sind, Bihar and Orissa, the United Provinces, the Punjab, the Central Provinces and Berar, Assam, and Burma, respectively; and what was the percentage of excise revenue as compared with the total revenue accruing to the provincial governments in each case for the year 1927–28?

The following statement gives the information asked for:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which three countries make the largest contributions to the expenses of the League of Nations; and what is the amount of money expended thereon?

The three countries are Great Britain, France and Germany. Their respective contributions are fixed at 2,605,166.98, 1,960,078.00 and 1,960,078.00 gold francs. The total to be contributed by the members of the League is 24,460,190.75 gold francs.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs what qualifications, in addition to those of previous land experience, willingness to take up land work and training college courses, and physical fitness, are required of applicants for assisted emigration?

All applicants for assisted passages are required to satisfy the Dominion authorities as to health and character. The question of further qualifications depends upon the nature of the opening available for the settler on arrival. The main openings in the Dominions are for men upon the land and for women in household work. In both cases, previous experience is desirable, but is not always insisted upon. Where settlers wish to go out under the nomination system, whereby they are guaranteed employment and accommodation by friends or relatives already settled overseas, the Dominion authorities verify the suitability of the settlement arrangements before approving the grant of assisted passages. In certain family schemes of land settlement and farm placement, settlers are required to be in possession on arrival overseas of a small sum of money to meet the preliminary expenses of settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet received the Report on the mui-tsai question of Hong Kong; and whether it is proposed to publish this Report at an early date?

My right hon. Friend has received a despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong. A number of points in connection with the enforcement of the Ordinance passed in 1923 to abolish the system require elucidation, and he is asking the Governor by telegraph for further information in writing. My right hon. Friend proposes, when his reply has been received, to lay papers before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement regarding the situation created by the influx into Uganda of great numbers of famine-stricken natives from the Belgian mandated territory of Ruanda; whether the Government were taking any action in so far as Uganda is affected; and what degree of co-operation is there with the Belgian authorities in coping with the situation?

My right hon. Friend has not yet received any Report from the Governor. He is, however, asking by telegraph for an early Report by despatch on the situation.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has any records and can state the number of prosecutions and convictions during the 12 months ended to the last convenient date that have taken place for selling goods after hours?

The total number of persons proceeded against in England and Wales for offences against the Shops Acts during the year 1927 (which is the last year for which figures are at present available) was 3,408, and of these 2,695 were convicted and fined. The returns do not enable me to furnish figures showing separately the number of prosecutions for failure to observe the closing hour provisions and the number taken for contraventions against other provisions of the Acts.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, what understanding has been arrived at as a result of the recent discussions between his Department and the National Trust regarding the preservation of the amenities of Stonehenge; and will he make a general statement of policy?

The land acquired at Stonehenge as a result of the recent appeal is in charge of the National Trust, who are an independent body, working under Statutory powers. There has been no formal understanding between the Office of Works and the Trust regarding the preservation of the amenities of Stonehenge, but both parties have been in close touch since the beginning of the movement for the acquisition of the surrounding land, and the present co-operation and consultation will, I hope, continue.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the annual total import in the years 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, and 1928, respectively, of machine-skimmed milk in tins and the average wholesale and retail prices per tin for such years?

The following table shows the total quantity and declared value, and the average value (c.i.f.) per hundredweight, of the imports into the United Kingdom, of sweetened condensed milk, separated or skimmed, in each of the years 1924 to 1928. Similar particulars are not available for unsweetened condensed milk, separated or skimmed. It is understood that the great bulk of these imports was in tins.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he is aware that in the specification issued to asphalte contractors for the supply of asphalte for damp courses and for basements the use of foreign materials is stipulated; and whether this is being done to the exclusion of British and Empire products?

The use of natural rock asphalte is specified by the Office of Works, and, so far as is known, there are no British or Empire sources of supply of this material. It is stipulated that the asphalte shall be manufactured in Great Britain.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that applicants for dental treatment who are members of approved societies in the London area are being inconvenienced through delays in dealing with their claims; and will he inquire as to how far this is due to the methods employed by regional officers and take steps to expedite decisions in such cases?

I am aware that owing to a large and rapid increase in the number of cases referred to the Regional Dental Staff, there have been delays of the kind suggested. Steps have been taken to deal with the position, and a considerable improvement has already been effected, the clearance of references in London itself being now up to date.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the possibility of public danger from the indiscriminate distribution of drugs through automatic machines; and whether he is prepared to take legislative or other action to deal with this danger?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a similar question on 13th February by the hon. Baronet the Member for Anglesey (Sir R. Thomas) from which he will see that consideration of any action in this matter must await the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Poisons and Pharmacy Acts.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of houses and cottages built under the various Acts and without assistance in the districts of Louth, Mablethorpe, Sutton, Market Rasen, Grimsby Rural District Council, Caistor Rural District Council, and Louth Rural District Council; and how many were for working-class occupation?

asked the Minister of Health the number of persons in receipt of parish relief in the towns of Devonport and Plymouth,

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the casual ward accommodation at Helston, Cornwall, has long proved totally inadequate; whether any schemes have been considered by his Department for its increase; and will he give particulars?

The answer to the first and second parts of the hon.

The following statement gives the particulars desired by the hon. and gallant Member so far as they are available.respectively, specifying the various categories, during the month of March, 1929?

The following statement shows the number of persons in receipt of Poor Law relief on Saturday, 30th March, 1929, in the Parishes of Devonport and Plymouth.Member's question is in the negative. The third does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has received any reports with reference to the inadequate accommodation in casual wards of the Droxford workhouse, Hampshire; and what action his Department is taking in the matter?

I am aware that the accommodation for casuals at Droxford is not entirely adequate. The Vagrancy Committee for the county are examining the whole question of the vagrancy arrangements of the county, and I am awaiting the proposals which they will submit as the result of their review.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the date upon which the marking order under the Merchandise Marks Acts for imported rose trees will come into effect?

The Draft Order in Council provides that the Order shall come into operation three months after the Order is made. The Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, requires that the draft Order shall lie before each House of Parliament for 21 days during which the House is sitting before the Order is made. If, as I anticipate, the Order is made about the middle of May, it would come into operation about the middle of August in time for the autumn trade.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the names of the experts upon whose advice he has decided that the only suitable place to mark imported roses is at the collars of the trees?

It is a well-established practice not to disclose the names of departmental experts upon whose advice a Minister relies and for which he takes complete responsibility, and I am not prepared to do so in this case.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of foreigners employed as technical officers in the beet sugar factories of the country; and the names of the factories where only British management is employed?

The latest available figures are for November last, at about the middle of the manufacturing season. There were then 71 foreigners in the total of 443 of higher technical staff in British beet sugar factories. The only factories without foreign technical staff were those at Spalding and Kidderminster. Many of the foreign staff return home after the end of the manufacturing season.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that tenants on the Crown estate in Regent Street, London, have been compelled to pay large fees to certain architects for approving the design of the facades; and if he has any information as to the total amount of fees charged to the tenants for this purpose?

My hon. Friend's question appears to be based on a misapprehension. In the case of certain blocks in Regent Street which have been rebuilt in sections by more than one lessee, the architect employed to design the first section has prepared an elevation for the whole front, and in negotiating lettings of the other sections the Commissioners of Crown Lands have arranged for the lessees to pay a fair charge to the original architect for copies of so much of the approved design as was necessary to enable them to carry out their sections of the rebuilding. I regret that I have not the information asked for in the last part of the question.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will take action to prevent the smuggling by British nationals of alcoholic liquor into the United States of America, in violation of the law of a friendly Power, by requiring certificates that spirits shipped from bond are actually delivered at a specified port, and by issuing orders that clearance papers shall be refused to ships known to be bound for American waters with cargoes of liquor?

I have been asked to reply. These, among other questions, were discussed at the conference with the United States officials in regard to which a statement was made in this House on 27th July, 1926, by my right hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. While it was not found practicable in the present state of the law to take measures in the precise form described in the hon. Member's question, there is every reason to believe that the United States authorities were then, and are still, satisfied with the co-operation which has in fact been afforded as the result of that conference, and appreciate that these measures form a valuable extension of the facilities in respect of the right of search and seizure of vessels suspected of liquor smuggling outside territorial waters provided under the terms of the Convention between the United Kingdom and the United States of America respecting the regulation of the liquor traffic concluded on 23rd January, 1924.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of Customs and Excise Departmental clerical officers who made application for promotion to the officer grade in consequence of invitations issued in that Department in August, 1928; the number interviewed by the selection board; the number it intends to promote; and when it is anticipated that the appointments will be made?

The number of applications referred to was 183; the number of departmental clerical officers interviewed was 32; the number of promotions to the officer grade to be made is not yet finally decided, but it is anticipated that the appointments will be made at an early date.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether there are any women tax collectors employed by the Inland Revenue authorities?

There are 79 women collectors of taxes. Sixty-five hold their appointments from the local independent bodies of General Commissioners of Income Tax, 11 hold appointments from the Board of Inland Revenue, and three hold appointments from the local Income Tax Commissioners and from the Board of Inland Revenue severally.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can give figures for 1900, 1905, 1910, 1914 and each post-War year as to the total numbers of Income Tax-paying persons, with the percentage in each case, of the total population and of the total adult population, and with the percentage of increase or decrease in each case?

My Noble Friend will find in Table 68 of the 64th Report (Command Paper No. 1436) and Table 50 of the 71st Report (Command Paper No. 3176) of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue estimates of the numbers of individuals who paid Income Tax in the years 1913 to 1927. No information is available for the earlier years mentioned. It will be observed that the estimates published in the Inland Revenue Reports include the whole of Ireland for years prior to 1922. As regards the latter part of the question, I can only refer my Noble Friend to the general statistics of population.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of relief has been accorded to farmers during the last four years for loss in farming, under Section 34 and Rule 6, Schedule B, of the Income Tax Act, 1918?

The relief in question may be allowed either by way of discharge of Income Tax assessments or by way of repayment. No statistics are collected of relief by way of discharge and the only information available relates to the amount of income on which repayment was made in respect of farming loss or diminution of income. The income on which repayment was made in the years 1925 to 1928 was as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether the general Commissioners, in considering claims for relief under Section 34 and Rule 6, Schedule B, of the Income Tax Act, 1918, have regard to the amount of wages paid, for example, in a case where, but for the fact that high wages had been paid, the accounts showing a loss would have shown a gain, would relief be granted for the loss;(2) whether, in considering claims for relief under Section 34 and Rule 6, Schedule B, of the Income Tax Act, 1918, the general Commissioners have regard to any limit of loss per acre, for example, would a loss of £30 per acre in bringing poor or run-down land into a state of high cultivation be allowed, whilst the average loss in large farms was only £1 or £2 per acre?

Under Section 34 the General Commissioners are required to be satisfied as to the amount of the loss and under Rule 6 as to the actual amount of the profits or gains arising from the occupation of lands for the purpose of husbandry only. I can only answer the hon. Member's question by saying in general terms that if the loss or profit, as the case may be, shown by the accounts produced by a claimant does not, in the opinion of the Commissioners concerned, correctly represent the true result for purposes of Income Tax, it is open to those Commissioners to decide on the facts of the case what the correct figure should be.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of grants that have been made for repayment to date under Part III of the Finance Act, 1921?

I regret that the repayments made under Part III of the Finance Act, 1921, cannot be distinguished from other repayments of Excess Profits Duty.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that Mr. McNab, of Pierpoint Street, Warrington, was recently disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit on the grounds that he was not genuinely seeking work, with the result that he applied for relief to the local board of guardians and entered the workhouse, where he worked 41½ hours each week for four weeks; that an appeal was made in the interim against the decision of the court of referees and the umpire conceded benefit; and that the local Employment Exchange, upon the receipt of this benefit, handed over the whole of the amount to the board of guardians; and what action he intends taking in the matter?

Mr. McNab's appeal to the court of referees against the disallowance of benefit by the insurance officer was successful, with the result that seven weeks' arrears of benefit, amounting to £11 4s., were due to him. During the seven weeks he received in outdoor relief from the guardians the sum of £6 12s. 6d., which he would not have received if he had been in receipt of benefit. In accordance with Section 14 of the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1922, this sum was paid to the guardians out of the benefit due to Mr. McNab, and the balance of £4 11s. 6d. was paid at the same time to Mr. McNab. I am informed that during four weeks the guardians required Mr. McNab to perform task work, averaging 27 hours a week, as a condition of receiving relief.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will supply a table showing the numbers of unemployed men and women registered within the area of the county borough of Northampton for each month from January, 1925, until the present date?

I am sending the hon. Member a table giving the information desired.

asked the Minister of Transport what are the proposed alterations that will take place after October next for better travelling facilities on the District Railway; whether it is proposed to increase the seating capacity of the carriages or lengthen the trains to avoid overcrowd- ing and whether it is intended to lengthen the platforms of the intervening stations between Aldgate and Barking?

The railway company have informed me that two additional trains per hour, morning and evening, will be put into service between Barking and Aldgate East and through to the District line on 6th May, and that by October a further five trains per hour, morning and evening, over this section of the District Railway will be lengthened from six to eight cars. It is not, I understand, proposed to lengthen the plat-forms at the intervening stations as they already accommodate eight-car trains, the maximum length of trains operating on this service.

asked the Minister of Transport the date when the two new trains per hour were put into commission on the District Railway between Barking and Aldgate; and whether the proposed new type of carriage and engine to be put into commission on the Piccadilly and Brompton Railway will be duplicated on the District Railway between Barking and Aldgate?

I am informed that two additional trains per hour were put into service between Barking and Aldgate East and through to the District line on 5th March, 1928. I understand that the new type of cars now being constructed for the District Railway offers increased accommodation as compared with the type of cars which will be replaced.

asked the Minister of Transport the total amount of grant paid out of the Road Fund during the year ended 31st March, 1929?

Approximately £17,000,000.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that in the case of pre-War pensioners who are employed in the Post Office the uniforms they are required to wear and which are provided by the State are counted as additional benefits when calculating amounts under the provisions of the Pensions (Increase) Act; and can he see his way so to amend the regulations as to exempt uniforms from being included in the calculation referred to?

The conditions under which increase of a pension is granted under the Pensions (Increase) Acts or the corresponding Royal Warrants require that the whole income of the pensioner, whether in cash or in kind, shall be taken into account. The value of free uniform is calculated on an average at about £2 and I regret that I am unable to exclude it.

asked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether Major Shaw took the stock at Jamaica in 1925, and was such stock verified by Major Shaw as correct; and was this Report signed by Captain Coleman as correct;(2) who reported the deficiency in the stocks in store at Jamaica; and when such Report was made;(3) the date when stock was taken at the stores at Jamaica and declared to be correct; and was such Report endorsed by Captain Coleman as officer in charge?

As stated in my reply to the hon. Member's question on 12th March, the stock of boots was taken on 31st August, 1925. The officer responsible was the Ordnance Officer at Jamaica who has stated that the stocks were then correct; no signature or endorsement of stocktaking reports by officers superior to the officer who takes the stock is required by the Regulations. The officer who subsequently held the position of Deputy Assistant Director of Ordnance Stores of the Command, was not serving there on 31st August, 1925. According to the information at the War Office, the deficiency in stocks which was discovered apparently by a storeman in December, 1927, was reported by the foreman in January, 1928, to the Deputy Assistant Director of Ordnance Stores and the Ordnance Officer.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of girls employed in the Wiltshire Army canteens?

This is a detail of administration of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes which does not come within the purview of the War Office.