asked the Postmaster-General how many applications have been received for telephones during the last financial year and to what extent were these demands satisfied; and what is the estimated number of applicants who will take immediate advantage of the new proposal to reduce the rate for lines in rural districts?

During the year ending the 31st March last orders for about 262,000 new telephones were received and executed. On that date there were only about 100 orders outstanding which could not be met owing to plant shortage. As regards the second part of the question, it is not practicable to furnish a reliable estimate.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the usual number of night telephone operators employed in an ordinary telephone exchange; and how this figure compares with the numbers employed during the daytime?

The telephone staff on duty through the night varies at different exchanges from one upwards. It does not bear any uniform ratio to day staff, because the proportion of night calls to day calls varies widely at different exchanges.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why on the first regular mail flight from India the aeroplane left the mails behind at Bagdad through taking off three hours before time?

I have been asked to reply. Although the incident to which the hon. and gallant Member refers was undoubtedly unfortunate, it must be set down to the fact that the service was largely experimental. I understand that the early departure from Bagdad was due to a desire to deliver the first Indian mail punctually in London, anxiety being felt lest the time allowed for the relatively untried and difficult journey from Alexandria to Genoa might prove to be insufficient. I am assured by the company that in future the advertised time table will be scrupulously adhered to.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value and weight of cotton yarn and cotton woven goods, and woollen yarn and woollen woven goods, imported into this country for the first three months of this year?

The following table shows the total weight and declared value of the imports into the United Kingdom of cotton yarns and piece goods and of woollen and worsted yarns and tissues, registered during the first three months of 1929:

Description.	Weight.	Declared Value.
	Cwts.	£
Cotton yarns	29,493	298,589
Cotton piece goods	69,118	1,218,280
Woollen and worsted yarns.	38,668	993,302
Woollen and worsted tissues.	54,566	2,053,634

asked the President of the Board of Trade what decision has been arrived at by the Committee appointed to consider the application of the worsted industry for safeguarding?

As I stated yesterday in this House, the Report of the Committee has been received, but it would be contrary to the general practice to disclose the nature of the Report at present.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether he has any information which shows that overseas markets are being lost to British manufacturers owing to the payment of subsidies or export bounties to competing manufacturers by the Governments of foreign countries; and if he will give particulars?

The information available in my Department does not justify the belief that overseas markets are being lost to British manufacturers in consequence of the payment of subsidies and bounties, as specified by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether important contracts in any branch of trade have been secured in Turkey by British firms since the end of November, 1928; if so, will he give particulars; and will he make a brief general statement on the present condition of our trade with Turkey?

I am not aware of any important contracts secured by British firms in Turkey during the period mentioned. According to recent advices from Constantinople, commerce there is at present stagnant, and an improvement in the situation is not likely to take place before the autumn, when the export season for agricultural produce commences.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is yet in a position to make any statement in regard to increasing the preference on Empire-grown sugar with a view to assisting the growers in the West Indies and other parts of the Empire during the present depression in the sugar-growing industry?

No, Sir.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any in- formation showing the saving in cost of production of beer per barrel of 36 gallons of average gravity arising from the reduction in the duty on sugar of ¼d. per pound in 1928?

The reduction of the Sugar Duty in 1928 is estimated to represent an average saving in the cost of production of beer of little more than 1d. per bulk barrel of 36 gallons at a gravity of 1,043 degrees. The saving in particular cases depends, of course, on the amount of sugar used: in some cases no sugar at all is used in the production of beer.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the weight of copper cable wire that was recently purchased by the Government, and its value?

I am not able to identify any particular purchase of the kind referred to; but, if the hon. Member will supply me with some further details, I will see whether the information he asks for can be given.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men and women employed on the productive side of industry for the financial years ending 1921 and 1929; and the number engaged in the distributive trades for the same periods?

Comparable statistics of insured persons in the various industries are not available for any date before 1923 or since July, 1928; and I am not sure that it would be possible to analyse the figures that are available with sufficient accuracy under the headings of productive and distributive industry. At July, 1923, out of an estimated total of 10,908,000 insured persons aged 16 to 64 in Great Britain, 1,219,900 were classified as belonging to the group described as the distributive trades. At July, 1928, out of a total of 11,629,000 there were 1,582,290 classified as belonging to this group. It should not be assumed, however, that none of the remainder of the insured workers, including, for example, those engaged in commerce and transport, would be included under the heading of distributive industry.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed in the unemployment returns who normally proceed on holiday, such as the crews of ships after the return voyage, and who invariably rejoin the same ship on her outward voyage?

I regret that statistics giving the information desired are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons employed in April, 1924, November, 1924, and April, 1925, respectively, and the comparative figures for April, 1929, dividing the total number into various classes or grades of employment in order to show the decrease or increase in each class in comparison with 1929?

The following table gives the estimated number of insured persons aged 16 to 64 in employment in Great Britain at the dates mentioned, after deducting from the total numbers insured, the numbers recorded as unemployed, the numbers directly involved in trade disputes, and an allowance of 3½ per cent. in respect of sickness and other forms of unrecorded non-employment other than temporary holidays:

Date.	Estimated numbers of insured persons aged 16–64 in employment.
April, 1924	9,584,000
November, 1924	9,547,000
April, 1925	9,634,000
April, 1929	10,146,900

Statistics analysing these figures by various classes or grades of employment are not available.

asked the Minister of Health the total number of houses built each year in England and Wales since the War down to the latest available date, showing those built with and without State assistance separately?

The total numbers of houses built each year since the War in England and Wales, with and without State assistance, have been as follows:

Years ended 31st March.	State assisted houses.	Non-assisted building.*	Total.
1920†	715	‡53,800	251,988
1921	28,549
1922	101,071
1923	67,853
1924	18,664	67,546	86,210
1925	67,669	69,220	136,889
1926	106,987	66,439	173,426
1927	153,779	63,850	217,629
1928	178,582	60,332	238,914
1929	104,792	64,740	169,532
Totals	828,661	445,927	1,274,588
* Excluding houses having a rateable value exceeding £78 (or £105 in the Metropolitan Police Districts.
† Period of 15 months.
‡ Partly estimated.

asked the Minister of Health if he can give the latest figures showing the number of persons of each category who have received benefits, which were not previously available, under the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Act, 1925?

The following statement shows the number of persons in England and Wales who were awarded pensions or allowances under the Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, up to 31st March, 1929:

Widows	283,923
Children	336,000
Orphans	20,000
Persons between 65 and 70	605,211

In addition 265,172 persons over the age of 70 received unrestricted old age pensions under the Old Age Pensions Acts of 1908 to 1924 by virtue of the Contributory Pensions Act, 1925, but it is not possible to say how many of these persons could have satisfied the means test under the old Acts and would, therefore, have been entitled independently of the Act of 1925. The figure, however, includes 16,000 persons who were formerly in receipt of pensions at reduced rates under the old Acts.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will publish the syllabuses of each county council as to religious education in provided schools?

I have been considering this possibility, but I fear that any publication which I could undertake would not include all the County Council syllabuses.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, if he can make a statement regarding the disease which is reported to be destroying the trees in the Forest of Dean; what measures are being adopted to deal with it; and are woodlands in other parts of the country similarly threatened?

Alarmist reports with reference to the Forest of Dean are in some degree exaggerated. In the past the oaks have suffered severely from caterpillar and fungus attacks, but for the last three years they have enjoyed almost complete immunity from the caterpillar, as have the oaks in other parts of the country. Owing to the possibility of a recrudescence of the trouble investigations are proceeding with a view to discovering methods of controlling future outbreaks of the caterpillar.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that certain statements relating to the value of skimmed milk contained in the Annual Report of the Scottish Board of Health have created an impression that skimmed condensed milk should not be labelled unfit for babies; and if he will take steps to reaffirm the danger to health of feeding infants and young children on skimmed milk?

I am not aware that anything in the Annual Report of the Scottish Board of Health has created the impression that skimmed condensed milk should not be labelled "Unfit for Babies" and I do not see anything in the Report to justify such an impression. There is no doubt that skimmed condensed milk is quite unsuitable for the feeding of infants. As regards the last part of the question, the food tests in Scotland dealt with in the Report have shown the value of good fresh skimmed milk as a supplement to the diet of school children.

asked the Home Secretary the number of factory inspectors and inspectors' assistants at present appointed in Great Britain; and whether this staff is at full strength?

The total authorised staff is 207. There are three vacancies.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any new regulations have been issued by his Department for the purpose of preventing steam wagons which emit smoke and smuts from driving through the streets of large cities at busy hours?

I have no power to make any such regulations.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the inquiry into traffic noise, set up jointly by him and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, is yet complete; and, if so, when will the conclusions arrived at and the line of action to be taken be made public?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given to-day to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Brigadier-General Warner).

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has received replies from the various railway companies with whom he communicated asking them to have one or more compartments set aside and labelled for ladies only on all non-corridor trains; and will he give particulars?

I am informed by the railway companies that they have under consideration the question of the desirability of the reservation and labelling of compartments for ladies only on all non-corridor trains, but that they have not yet reached a conclusion in the matter.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why no payment has been made in respect of the sum of £2,840 16s. 4d. stated in the Schedule to the Report in 1839 of the commissioners for investigating the claims of the sufferers by seizure of ships and goods by the Danes in 1807 as the amount of the loss sustained by Alexander Downie, owner of the ship "Cecilia Downie" and to whom application should now be made?

I have been asked to reply. I have ascertained that successive British Governments throughout the nineteenth century declined to ask Parliament to provide any compensation in respect of ships and their cargoes seized by the Danish Government in 1807. In these circumstances I am unable to entertain any application in the case mentioned.