asked the President of the Board of Trade if he can furnish an estimate of the total imports of lace of all kinds into the United Kingdom by parcel post during the years 1923 and 1924; whether the statistics of lace imports prior to the imposition of the Lace Duty included lace imported by parcel post; and whether the imports since the imposition of the Lace Duty included imports by parcel post?

Prior to 1st July, 1925, imports of lace by parcel post were not recorded separately nor under the heading of lace but under the general heading "Parcel Post—non-dutiable articles," whereas since that date such imports have been recorded under the appropriate lace headings in the official trade returns. I regret that I am, therefore, unable to furnish an estimate of such imports during the years 1923 and 1924.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in order to enable satisfactory comparisons to be made between the present and the pre-duty imports of motor tyres, he can arrange to furnish an estimate of that part of the pre-duty imports in the year 1926 and the first three months of 1927, which consisted of tyres fitted to the vehicles, in view of the fact that the statistics published since the duty relate exclusively to motor tyres not fitted to the vehicles; and whether he can furnish statistics on a comparable basis for the first three months of this year and the first three months of 1927, respectively?

I regret that the information at my disposal is insufficient to enable me to furnish the desired

asked the President of the Board of Trade the import and export figures of tonnage for the following steel products during the four quarters in 1929 and the first quarter of 1930, respectively: wire rods, wire nails, wire, wire manufactures, and steel sections?

The following table shows the tonnage of the total imports into and the domestic exports from Great Britain and Northern Ireland of the under-mentioned descriptions of iron and steel manufactures registered during the periods specified.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the numbers of persons serving on all vessels over 100 tons gross, registered at ports in the United Kingdom, which were engaged in sea trading during the 12 months ended to the last convenient date; and whether he can state separately the number of persons who were of British nationality and the number of foreigners and Lascars?

The reply given to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. West Russell) on 15th May, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy, contains the most recent available information of the kind desired.

asked the Postmaster-General if his attention has been called to the fact that would-be subscribers to the London telephone system have been informed that they cannot be connected up in less than a month, even if their claim is supported by a medical certificate; and what is the reason for this delay, in view of the fact that greater activity in this direction would be beneficial to the relief of unemployment?

Orders for telephone service are met without delay, except in a comparatively small number of cases where wayleave or other difficulties arise. Applications for service on account of illness are dealt with specially, and if the hon. Member will give me details of any cases he has in mind, I shall be pleased to inquire into them.

asked the Postmaster-General the minimum conditions necessary to establish a telephone exchange and a telephone call office?

There is no minimum laid down as regards the number of subscribers required before a rural telephone exchange can be established. In cases where at least eight new subscribers are obtained, a basic rental of £8 a year is chargeable, and when the number of subscribers reaches 15 the ordinary tariffs apply. Where fewer than eight subscribers are forthcoming, the rentals are assessed on a costs basis. Fuller information on the subject is contained on page 121 of the Post Office Guide. A telephone call office would normally be provided as a matter of course at or near the exchange. Telephone call offices are established at rural sub-post offices and railway stations within two miles of an exchange provided a call office does not already exist within a half mile. At sub-post offices distant more than two miles from an exchange, call offices are opened without guarantee if the anticipated loss does not exceed £10 a year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated sum of money required to meet the outstanding claims for War bonus for the single men who enlisted under the Military Service Act, 1916; and whether, having regard to the Post Office circular of March, 1916, the Government intend to meet the liability?

The amount involved in the claim of Post Office servants called up under the Military Service Acts for Civil Service bonus during their service with the forces is estimated at about £150,000. As regards the second part of the question, I am not yet able to add anything to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for the Withington Division (Mr. Simon) on 10th March last, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of soldiers trained at the Army vocational centres in plastering, bricklaying and carpentry work during the past year?

The total number of men trained as plasterers, bricklayers and carpenters at Army vocational training centres during the year ended 30th April, 1930, is as follows: Plasterers, 175; bricklayers, 239; carpenters, 263.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has recently received any representations concerning the position of certain workers at the Woolwich Arsenal in relation to the financial loss which will be sustained by them owing to the result of the new holidays arrangements; whether a number of such employés will lose a number of days of holiday with pay; what is the number of such employés; and what is the estimated annual financial loss to them?

As regards the first part of this question, I am not aware of any such specific representation. As regards the second part of the question, under the new arrangements, as explained in the reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton West (Mr. W. J. Brown) on 11th December last, the employés in question will, if qualified, be eligible for six days' paid leave plus five paid public holidays, making 11 paid holidays in all as compared with eight paid holidays previously. The number of the employés at Woolwich, whom I understand the right hon. Member has in mind, is approximately 800. I cannot agree that there is necessarily any financial loss involved.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether employés at the Woolwich Arsenal will be allowed to arrange the date of their week's holiday?

In the ordnance factories, Woolwich Arsenal, employés will be required to take their week's leave during the week on which the factories will be closed for annual leave. In establishments at Woolwich to which the week's closure is not applied, employés may take their leave at such times as they desire, subject to the exigencies of the service.

asked the Secretary of State for War if there has been any improvement in recruiting during the past five months; and whether the position in this respect is now satisfactory?

Compared with the same period in the previous recruiting year, there was a fall in the intake of recruits during the past five months. I regret that the position cannot be regarded as satisfactory.

asked the Secretary for Mines what progress has been made in the investigations into the extraction of oil by high and low carbonisation methods?

It is impossible within the limit of an answer to a question to give what the hon. Member asks for. In the annual report of the Fuel Research Board a summary is given each year of the progress made in the production of oil from coal by the various carbonisation processes. I must refer the hon. Member to these and to the other reports published on this subject by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, of which I am sending him a list.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the question has at any time been considered, or is now contemplated, of transferring the Central International Office for the control of the liquor traffic in Africa from Brussels to Geneva under the control of the League of Nations; what contributions are made by other signatories to the Convention of St. Germainen-Laye; and to what extent these contributions are in arrears?

The question of establishing at Geneva the International Office for the control of the liquor traffic in Africa was considered in 1921 and 1922. The Council of the League of Nations decided, in view of the past valuable experience of the office, to ask the Belgian Government to continue in Brussels the work begun by the International Office, established in accordance with the General Act of the Brussels Conference in 1892, and to take charge of the duties relating to the control of the liquor traffic in Africa. The last contribution paid by His Majesty's Government was in respect of the year 1928. The contribution for 1929 will be paid as soon as the bureau notifies His Majesty's Government of the amount due. The expenses of the bureau are borne in equal shares by the States which have ratified the Convention of 1919, relating to the liquor traffic in Africa. Those States, so far as I am aware, pay their contributions in due course.

asked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government propose to grant facilities for the early passage into law of the Playing Fields (Exemption from Rating) Bill?

I understand that the operative Clause of the Bill was rejected in Committee, and the question of further facilities does not therefore arise.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he can give figures showing the annual cost to Indian revenues, respectively, of British and Indian cavalry and infantry officers in the Indian Army, with the respective numbers of each?

I am afraid that the form in which the Military Estimates are compiled does not make it possible to give the cost under these separate heads. The numbers of British officers of the Indian Army in the cavalry, infantry and pioneers are 268, 1,404 and 99 respectively, and of Indian officers holding the King's Commission 29, 68 and 8 respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he has received the proposals of the Government of India in regard to the organisation of a separate Indian Air Force?

Not yet, Sir.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what were the respective amounts paid to the Royal naval dockyards and private contractors, respectively, by his Department during the past 12 months for shipbuilding and ship-repairing work?

The expenditure on building and repairing His Majesty's ships in His Majesty's dockyards during the year 1929–30 was as follows:

asked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty if he is now in a position to state whether any decision has been reached to abrogate the one-in-eight rule in the establishment of employés in His Majesty's dockyards?

The modification of the rule referred to by the hon. Member is under consideration, but no decision has yet been reached.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many cases of ex-service men without pensions have been brought to his notice by War pensions committees since his term of office, with the request that they should be reopened; in how many instances has the request been complied with; and how many of these have been successful and how many have been turned down?

The aggregate number of cases of all types in which, during the past year, representations have been made to me by War pension committees, has not been specially noted. In every instance, however, the committee's request has been complied with and the case reviewed, though I have no separate record of the results.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received any representations from farmers' organisations with regard to the Consumers' Council Bill, and what has been their nature?

I am aware that the National Farmers' Union has passed a resolution calling upon Parliament to reject this Bill, but I have received no representations from farmers' organisations on the subject.

asked the Lord Privy Seal the main sources of the supply of the requirements of the Suez Canal Company; and whether, having regard to the large holding of the British Government in the shares of this company, he is prepared to take steps with a view to securing orders for some substantial proportion of the requirements of that company for British manufacturers?

Both the British Government and British commercial interests are represented on the Board of the company, and I am happy to say that a large proportion of the company's requirements are goods of British origin.

asked the Lord Privy Seal, in view of the opening of the River Saint Lawrence, whether he can now give any figures concerning the export of coal to Canada?

Figures for the one month's exports since the opening of the Saint Lawrence, show that British exports of coal to Canada were appreciably higher than for the same period in the previous two years.

asked the Lord Privy Seal the number of men actually employed in the Tyneside area under any of the relief schemes to which official assistance has been given?

I am making inquiries and will send the hon. Member such information as is available in the course of a few days.

asked the Lord Privy Seal if the clerical workers of the country are exempt from the provisions of the schemes of employment he is now considering?

Clerical workers, like all other classes of workers, will benefit from the Government's policy.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men trained at the Ministry's instructional factories in plastering, bricklaying and carpentry during the past year?

During the period from 14th May, 1929, to 12th May, 1930, the number of men who completed courses in these trades at the various centres in England and Scotland was as follows:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of industrial disputes which have occurred since the beginning of the year involving stoppage of work in this country, and the aggregate working days to date which have been thereby lost?

The latest statistics available, relating to the first four months of this year, are given on page 190 of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette' for May, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has yet been approached by the Alsager Urban District Council in respect to the building of State-aided houses to be let on weekly tenancies by the council; and whether, in the absence of any such proposal from the council, he will urge on it the necessity of making adequate provision for the requirements of the district?

The Alsager Urban District Council have now submitted to me proposals for the erection of houses of the kind mentioned. I am awaiting certain further particulars for which I have asked, and hope there will be no delay in the approval of these proposals.

asked the Minister of Health the average annual increase of the population of England and Wales for the years 1927–28 and 1929?

The increase of the population of England and Wales between mid-1927 and mid-1929 is estimated at, approximately, 317,000, corresponding to an average annual increase of 158,500.