asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can state the amount of opium alkaloids manufactured at the Ghazipur opium factory for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date, showing the amount of revenue derived from the sales; and whether this factory is at present running on a profitable commercial basis?

130 lbs. of alkaloids were manufactured at Ghazipur in the 12 months ended 30th September, 1929. Sales of alkaloids amounted to Rs. 17,314. There was a profit on the Ghazipur factory as a whole, but a small loss on the production of alkaloids.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he will state the consumption of opium, per 10,000 population, in the different provinces of India and similar figures for some of the largest cities during the last known year; and the amount required for medicinal purposes, as laid down by the League of Nations, per 10,000 population?

The information asked for in the first and third parts of the question is as follows:

Consumption of opium by provinces 1927–28 (in seers per 10,000, calculated on census figure of 1921).
Madras Presidency	…	8.2
Bombay Presidency Proper	…	14.0
Sind	…	16.0
Bengal Presidency	…	8.5
Burma	…	21.0
Bihar and Orissa	…	7.2
United Provinces	…	5.0
Punjab	…	19.0
Central Provinces and Berar	…	18.0
Assam	…	38.0
North-West Frontier Province	…	8.8
Delhi	…	35.0
Ajmer-Merwara	…	68.0
Coorg	…	1.7
Baluchistan	…	13.0

The League standard, which was suggested for the medical and scientific requirements of countries possessing a highly organised medical system and has little applicability to the conditions of India, was equivalent to about 6 seers per 10,000.With regard to the second part of the question, I regret that figures for individual cities are not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for India what was the quantity and value, in pounds sterling, of potable spirits imported into India during the year 1928–29; the amount of revenue derived therefrom; and the countries from which the spirits were exported?

The following table gives the information asked for:

IMPORTS into INDIA by sea during 1928–29 of potable spirits distinguishing countries of origin. (Values are shown in sterling converted at the rate of 1s. 6d. the rupee.)
Article and Country of Origin.	Quantity in Gallons.	Sterling value.
Brandy.
United Kingdom	7,873	12,773
Other British possessions.	296	237
Germany	33,524	13,244
France	381,238	314,724
Other Countries	3,229	1,236
	426,160	342,214
Gin.
United Kingdom	101,087	69,618
Other British possessions.	268	160
Netherlands	10,250	5,309
Other Countries	2,269	1,104
	113,874	76,191
Liqueurs.
United Kingdom	3,731	7,389
Other British possessions	87	112
France	10,386	11,486
Other Countries	3,656	5,462
	17,860	24,449
Rum.
United Kingdom	6,032	3,877
Other British possessions.	—	—
Germany	6,083	2,303
Java	51,626	5,137
Other Countries	889	518
	64,630	11,835
Whiskey.
United Kingdom	539,821	684,919
Other British possessions.	80	149
	6,287	3,082
Germany	1,943	1,513
Other Countries	548,131	689,663
Other Potable Spirits.
United Kingdom	20,187	65,110
Other British possessions.	6,881	3,112
Java	2,371	185
Germany	3,126	4,307
Netherlands	4,167	3,868
China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao).	6,630	3,986
Other Countries	2,886	5,076
	46,248	85,644
Grand Total of Potable Spirits.	1,216,903	1,229,996

The total receipts derived from the import of spirits and liqueurs in 1928–29 were Rs. 2,14,83,025, equivalent to £1,588,727.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can state the amount of foreign liquor imported into India, beer, wines, and spirits separately,

—				1924–25.	1925–26.	1926–27.	1927–28.	1928–29.
Imports in Gallons.
Beer	…	…	…	3,338,294	3,498,345	3,820,048	4,487,178	4,370,402
Cider, etc.	…	…	…	13,490	12,424	9,984	12,736	12,242
Spirits	…	…	…	1,659,119	1,909,902	2,135,491	2,214,503	2,114,913
Wines	…	…	…	309,736	273,455	295,720	304,141	292,068
Revenue in Rupees.
Beer	…	…		1,623,168	1,801,420	1,948,462	2,912,391	2,159,115
Cider, etc.	…	…
Spirits	…	…	…	21,998,747	22,190,389	22,661,352	21,523,669	21,183,025
Wines	…	…	…	1,410,284	1,407,224	1,518,668	1,450,082	1,476,587

asked the Secretary of State for India (1) whether the provisions of the Police Acts for employing extra police at the cost of riotous towns, villages, or communities have been or will be used;(2) whether the provisions of the Village Police Acts, for disallowing the stay in villages of persons likely to cause disturbance of the peace, have been or will be used against seditious agitators; and, if the village officers are not strong enough for this purpose, whether they will be stimulated and reinforced?

I have no reason to suppose that any of the provincial Governments are unaware of their powers under the Acts mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he is satisfied that the police force is adequate in numbers, standard of recruits, training, and equipment?

I should hesitate to commit myself in the unqualified terms suggested in respect of the police forces throughout India. The hon. and gallant Member is doubtless aware that these are organised on a provincial basis, and that while their efficiency in each province is primarily the responsibility of the local Government of each province, the appropriations in aid of them are subject to the vote of the provincial legislatures.

The following table gives the desired information:

asked the Secretary of State for India whether there are any persons at present detained under Regulation 3 of 1818; and can he state the number of persons who are still under obligation to report themselves to the authorities under the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act, as provided in Section 2 of that Act?

The total number of persons now under detention under Regulation III of 1818 is 43, of whom detailed particulars were given in answers to questions on 8th July and 29th November, 1929, subject to the correction that the Manipuri detenu has since been re-interned and the number of Afghans has been increased by three. There were orders requiring 27 persons to abstain from revolutionary activities in force under the Bengal Criminal Law until that Act was recently repealed when the order lapsed. Since then my latest information is that 65 persons have been arrested and detained under the Ordinance which re-enacted these provisions.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India have received any proposals for the constitution of an inter-university medical board, consisting of representatives of the Government and of the University, pending the establishment of an All-India General Medical Council; and, if so, whether they propose to take any steps in the matter?

This proposal was made by a conference of Indian universities last October. It was referred to the General Medical Council, whose executive committee adopted on the 24th February a resolution stating that it was unable to accept the proposal as furnishing a satisfactory method of supplying the Council with authoritative information on medical qualifications and standards in India, and with the necessary guarantees of sufficiency.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether it is proposed to revive the competitive examinations for admission to the Indian medical service; and, if so, whether he will consider the desirability of ordering these examinations to be held in India only?

I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the report of a debate on this subject in the Indian Legislative Assembly on the 28th January last, in which the present position is explained. It will be seen that the Government of India propose to review the situation and send me their considered views, which I am expecting shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether his attention has been called to the recent strictures by Mr. Justice Sulaiman in the Allahabad High Court on the conduct of a civilian magistrate who, in his explanation of a mistake, stated that there was no copy of the Criminal Procedure Code in his court; and whether he will consider the advisability of instructing the Government of India to supply a copy of the code to civilian magistrates?

My attention has not been called to this incident.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India have been officially advised or consulted with regard to the contract made by Afghanistan with the German firm for the construction of a railway linking Kabul with Torkhan, the last Afghan post on the Indian frontier; if the proposal contemplates the connection of the main line from Kabul with the Russian rail-heads at Kask and Termez; and whether the Government of India have communicated to him their observations on the proposal?

I have no official information of the existence of any such contract, though I have seen the newspaper report to which my hon. Friend no doubt refers.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he can inform the House of the number of grants that have been made under special sanction to officers and men who have unsuccessfully appealed to the independent tribunal established by the 1919 War Pensions Act, but who have subsequently been able to produce additional material evidence of such a nature as to warrant the assumption that the court would have allowed the case bad such information been in front of it at the time of the appeal?

The number of cases in which grants have been made in the circumstances referred to since the Act of 1919 is about 217

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he will inform the House of the number of appeals that have been made to the Entitlement Appeal Tribunal since the tribunal was established by the 1919 War Pensions Act; the number of such appeals allowed; and the number disallowed?

The total number of appeals which have been made under the Act referred to was, up to the end of March, approximately 225,000, including appeals by disabled officers and men and by widows and dependants. Of these, about 55,500 were allowed; the number disallowed, including appeals withdrawn or lapsed, was about 169,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he proposes to recommend to Parliament the abolition of Section 5 of the 1921 War Pensions Act; and, if not, what are his reasons for the decision?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Hexham (Colonel Brown) on the 26th November last, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how much of the £4,000,000 saving, referred to at the top of page 5 of Command Paper 3547, is expected to be effected in the present financial year?

The saving to be effected on account of the reduction in the number of capital ships falls under several heads—personnel, repairs, fuel, etc. Precise details to give effect to the policy not yet having been settled, an exact estimate of the saving and its distribution under the various heads cannot be given. Only a small amount, however, can be realised during the present financial year.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the clocking-in system introduced at Portsmouth is economical and efficient; and whether it is to be extended to Chatham?

The clocking-in system at Portsmouth is both economical and efficient; its extension to other establishments, including Chatham Dockyard, is under consideration.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether the structural alterations of the offices of His Majesty's Inspectors of Taxes and staffs at Government House, Dee Hills Park, Boughton, Chester, have now been sanctioned; and when it is proposed to commence the work of reconstruction?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and, as regards the second part, I am unable to state when the work of reconstruction will be commenced until a definite scheme has been agreed with the Departments concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any and, if so, what hew appointments have been made by his Ministry in connection with the audit of the road accounts of local authorities; what additional expenditure this involves: and whether these local accounts are already subject to an audit by the Ministry of Health?

As I informed the hon. Member on the 15th April last, the highway accounts of local authorities in England and Wales are audited by auditors appointed by the Ministry of Health. I have a small staff who examine current expenditure on schemes assisted by Road Fund grants (an essential proceeding in view of the high proportion of the cost borne by the fund), but they do not audit the accounts of the local authorities.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what were the arrears of Super-tax and Surtax due to the Treasury for the period of the last three years and how far these figures show an annual increase of money not paid?

The amount of Super-tax (or Surtax) assessed but not paid at the end of each of the last three years has been estimated as follows:

			£
At 31st March, 1928	…	…	14,500,000
At 31st March, 1929	…	…	14,000,000
At 31st March, 1930	…	…	15,600,000

These figures represent the estimated amount of tax which will ultimately prove to be collectible, after allowing for all discharges and reductions that may be made. I may add as regards the higher arrear at 31st March, 1930, that a greater amount of the current year's tax had been assessed at the end of last financial year than at the end of the two preceding financial years.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what sum has been collected as Schedule B income for the years 1913, 1920, 1925 and 1928; and in each case how far short of the anticipated revenue does this sum fall?

The net produce of the tax under Schedule B in 1913 was approximately £190,000; owing, however, to the system of graduation and differentiation introduced by the Finance Act, 1920, the total yield of the Income Tax can no longer be divided between the respective schedules, and I am accordingly unable to give similar figures for the other years named.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will give the estimated national revenue obtained from investments within the United Kingdom, investments in the overseas Dominions and Colonies, investments in foreign countries, together with the capital value involved; and will he state the respective Income Tax and Surtax derived from these sources of wealth for the fiscal years 1921 to 1930?

I regret that this information is not available. Certain classes of income received from abroad are summarised in the annual report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (paragraphs 45–50 of the 72nd Report—Cmd. 3500), but these are only a part of the total. An unofficial estimate of both capital and income of those external investments which are quoted on the Stock Exchange has been compiled by Sir Robert Kindersley (see "Economic Journal" for March, 1929), but this omits all those investments which are not so quoted. It is not possible to divide either of these figures between the oversea Dominions and Colonies on the one hand, and foreign countries on the other. Nor is it possible to say how much tax is derived from the income from external investments. Nor can particulars of investments in the United Kingdom be given.