asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state, for each county in Wales, for the years 1913 and 1929, respectively, haw many regular and casual workers were employed on agricultural holdings, stating in each case how many of these were males above and below 21 years of age and how many were women and girls?

I regret that, owing to a difference in the process of collection and the fact that they included farmers' wives and domestic servants, the figures obtained in 1913 are not comparable with those available for later years. The following statement gives the particulars required for the years 1921 (i.e. the first year in which particulars of employment were obtained on the 4th June schedule) and 1929. The table shows the number of workers (excluding the occupier, his wife and domestic servants) returned as employed on agricultural holdings above one acre in extent on the 4th June in each county in Wales:

Counties				Regular Workers						Casual Workers.						Total Workers.
				1929.			1921.			1929.			1921.			1929.	1921.
				Males 21 years old and over.	Males under 21 years old.	Women and Girls.	Males 21 years old and over.	Males under 21 years old.	Women and Girls.	Males 21 years old and over.	Males under 21 years old.	Women and Girls.	Males 21 years old and over.	Males under 21 years old.	Women and Girls.
				No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.	No.
Anglesey.	…	…	…	1,736	588	580	1,771	634	490	591	46	124	704	186	142	3,665	3,927
Brecon	…	…	…	1,655	649	801	1,584	660	763	315	50	97	388	101	150	3,567	3,646
Cardigan.	…	…	…	2,431	1,049	1,604	2,340	1,126	1,418	478	71	178	766	143	325	5,811	6,118
Carmarthen		…	…	3,112	1,619	2,765	2,805	1,464	2,059	687	123	259	925	289	387	8,565	7,929
Carnarvon		…	…	2,218	651	495	2,281	910	594	578	66	92	689	210	179	4,100	4,863
Denbigh	…	…	…	3,173	1,223	1,210	3,221	1,273	828	825	101	180	1,342	306	257	6,712	7,227
Flint	…	…	…	1,814	613	594	1,777	725	549	318	42	81	486	153	126	3,462	3,816
Glamorgan		…	…	2,605	1,192	1,058	2,902	965	906	569	132	142	1,030	319	252	5,698	6,374
Merioneth	…	…	…	1,336	490	619	1,247	552	485	331	53	89	418	133	103	2,918	2,938
Monmouth		…	…	2,442	1,034	652	2,538	1,121	743	649	123	120	879	272	151	5,020	5,704
Montgomery		…	…	2,733	1,142	859	2,597	1,074	1,034	595	94	104	659	206	219	5,527	5,789
Pembroke	…	…	…	2,946	1,186	2,035	2,805	1,234	1,793	670	104	186	808	229	358	7,127	7,227
Radnor	…	…	…	1,228	578	264	1,135	640	427	226	29	24	277	46	56	2,349	2,581
Total—Wales			…	29,429	12,014	13,536	29,003	12,378	12,089	6,832	1,034	1,676	9,371	2,593	2,705	64,521	68,139

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number and acreage of statutory small holdings in each county in Wales in December, 1913, and December, 1929, respectively; and the

Counties and County Boroughs.				Statutory Small Holdings.				Unsatisfied Applications.
				At 31st December, 1913.		At 31st December, 1929.		At 31st December, 1913.‡	At 31st December, 1929.‡
				No.	Area.	No.	Area.	No.	No.
					Acres.		Acres.
Anglesey		…	…	44	1,163	246	6,262	25	126
Brecon	…	…	…	23	417	58	1,169	21	21
Caernarvon		…	…	71	2,057	92	3,031	116	13
Cardigan		…	…	50	3,153	57	3,303	41	2
Carmarthen		…	…	33	613	179	4,024	15	4
Denbigh		…	…	150	3,692	268	5,823	131	97
Flint	…	…	…	46	851	155	3,577	62	77
Glamorgan		…	…	54	2,225	214	6,098	60	54
Merioneth		…	…	66	2,581	129	3,939	26	4
Monmouth		…	…	92	2,755	185	5,637	50	293
Montgomery		…	…	96	2,939	264	7,633	34	123
Pembroke		…	…	47	1,660	189	5,417	9	123
Radnor		…	…	22	374	95	2,640	14	23
Cardiff	…	…	…	1 Assn	258	27	465	1	67
Newport		…	…	6	230	5	248	1	—
Swansea		…	…	—	—	2	19	—	9
Total		…	…	800 & 1 Assn.*	24,968*	2,165†	59,285†	606	1,036
* In addition, 7 holdings with an area of 194 acres had been provided and sold.
† In addition, 76 holdings with an area of 1,698 acres had been provided and sold.
‡ The figures for 1913 only include approved applicants; those for 1929 also include applicants whose credentials had not, at that date, been examined, or whose cases had been postponed for various reasons.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state, for each county in Wales, for the years 1913 and 1929, respectively, how many acres of marshland are unsuitable for rough grazing; and how many acres of marshland are suitable for rough grazing; and how many acres of these two classes of land could be improved by draining?

I regret that I am unable to supply the information required, but for an estimate of the amount of land in Wales in need of drainage I would refer the hon. Member to the first part of my reply of to-day's date to the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. C. Davies).

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state, for each

The particulars desired are given in the following table:county in Wales, in the years 1913 and 1929, respectively, the number of owner-occupiers of agricultural holdings, stating the number of such holdings in the following classing: above one acre and under five acres; above five acres and under 20 acres; above 20 acres and under 50 acres; above 50 acres and under 100 acres; above 100 acres and under 150 acres; above 150 acres and under 300 acres; and above 300 acres?

The following table shows the number of agricultural holdings owned or mainly owned by the occupier as returned on the 4th June, 1913 and 1927, in each county of Wales. Information as to ownership has not been collected since 1927, but there is no reason to suppose that any marked changes have taken place since that date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will state, for each county in Wales, for the years 1913 and 1929, respectively, how many acres of arable and grass land required draining; how many acres of such land have been drained since 1st June, 1929, with the help of Government grant; and what was the amount of the grant and the number of men employed?

I regret that I am unable to give the information requested in the first part of the question, but it is estimated that 143,000 acres in Wales are capable of improvement by drainage, of which 115,000 acres are urgently in need of drainage. These figures refer to improvement by means of arterial drainage, and do not include land which might be improved by ordinary field drainage, as to which no figures are available. Since the 1st June, 1929, eight schemes of arterial drainage in Wales have been approved for grants. It is estimated that the grants will amount to nearly £6,500, and that 178 men will be employed, but I regret that it would be impossible to say how many acres of land will be improved. Since the same date, 45 schemes of field drainage in Wales have also been approved for grants estimated to amount to about £1,100. These schemes will employ 135 men and will improve 1,124 acres of land.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received any recent reports from officers of his Department as to their consultations with local authorities with a view to extending the area of land available for allotments; and whether he is satisfied that allotment committees are properly discharging their duties?

As regards the first part of the question, I have nothing to add to the answer given to a similar question put by the right hon. Member on 13th March. In reply to the second part of the question, I have no reason to think that allotment committees generally are not discharging their duties properly, but if any specific cases of neglect are reported to me I shall be glad to inquire into them.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that, in issuing week-end and other cheap tickets, the railway companies do not indicate on the tickets the fares to be paid; and if, in view of the provisions of the Railway Passengers Act and in the interests of the travelling public, he will take steps to have this omission rectified?

The requirement to the effect that fares should be indicated on railway tickets does not apply under certain circumstances to cheap tickets. If, however, the hon. Member will furnish me with particulars of any case he may have in mind where he considers that inadequate notice of the authorised fare was given, I will look into the matter.

asked the Minister of Transport what schemes for by-pass roads out of London are expected to be commenced during the next three years; and when the widening of Putney Bridge is to be taken in hand?

A number of proposals are under consideration for by-passes on roads leading out of London, but I am unable to enumerate these schemes or to give any estimate of the period within which they will be commenced without some knowledge of the particular area which the hon. Member has in mind. I understand that the London County Council expect to let the contract for the widening of Putney Bridge during this summer.

asked the Minister of Transport the result of the discussions with the local authorities with a view to improving the traffic conditions at Camomile Bottom, Blackheath?

The discussions which have been proceeding with the local authorities with a view to improving the traffic conditions at Camomile Bottom, Blackheath, have resulted in an agreement being reached as to the works to be undertaken. A detailed estimate in respect of the agreed scheme has just been received, and is now being examined.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what acceptances have been received of the proposals of the Government to meet the distress in the sugar industry in the West Indies and Mauritius?

The representations hitherto received from the West Indian sugar colonies and British Guiana in regard to the measure of credit assistance proposed by His Majesty's Government have indicated that these proposals are not in themselves likely to relieve the situation, and no acceptances have, so far, been received. The Government of Mauritius have reported that the scheme of assistance cannot be applied in the preparation of this year's crop.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether, with a view to popularising air transport, he will consider the organisation of an Air Week or Fortnight during which all available Royal Air Force machines should visit the chief aerodromes of the country and give displays and passenger flights?

I regret that it is not possible to agree to the hon. Member's suggestion. How far the Royal Air Force can promote civil flying interests is carefully considered when the training programme of the year is prepared, and, as the hon. Member is aware, arrangements are made for attendance of Service aircraft at flying meetings and for visits of flying boats to seaside towns. As I explained, however, in my replies to the hon. Members for the Isle of Thanet (Captain Balfour) and Northampton (Mr. Malone) on 26th March, the extent to which such co-operation is practicable is very limited, and the assistance which is already being given is the utmost that is possible with due regard to Service training requirements.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of men in employment in each of the Royal Dockyards for the first quarter of 1930?

The figures required to supplement those given in reply to the question of the hon. Member on 17th March, 1930 [OFFICIAL REPORT, Columns 1732–3], are:

	April, 1930.
Portsmouth	10,608
Devonport	10,603
Chatham	7,260
Sheerness	1,855
Rosyth	194

The figures do not now include a total of approximately 200 assistant and temporary draughtsmen, who were previously included in the numbers, and who have now been transferred to salaried grade.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of men, established and hired respectively, employed in Devonport Dockyard in each of the months of March and April, 1930, respectively?

The numbers of work-people at each of the following dates were:

—	Established.	Hired.	Total.
29th March, 1930	3,025	7,717	10,742
26th April, 1930	3,013	7,466	10,479

These figures relate to Vote 8 departments and are in correspondence with those given in reply to the hon. Member's question on 17th March, 1930 [OFFICIAL REPORT, column 1733], except that they do not now include about 53 assistant and temporary draughtsmen transferred to salaried grade.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the arrangements that at present exist for the recruitment of naval ratings from the ports on the North-East coast; what has been the number of ratings recruited from these ports during each of the past five years; and what has been the total number of ratings recruited for the Navy during the corresponding period?

A recruiting station for the Royal Navy is situated at Newcastle-on-Tyne. It is not possible to state the numbers of candidates who have been entered during each of the past five years from the ports on the North-East coast, but the numbers entered from Northumberland and Durham, and the total numbers entered in the Royal Navy during those years are as follow:

—	Entered from Durham and Northumberland.	Total Number Entered.
1924–25	313	7,427
1925–26	352	7,233
1926–27	547	7,628
1927–28	271	4,646
1928–29	137	3,139
1929–30	105	2,658

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether it is proposed to cut down any further trees in Regent's Park in connection with the alterations now in hand or shortly to be commenced?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether any subsidy is paid by the Government of the Dominion of Australia on butter, cheese, or any other produce exported from the Dominion; and, if so, what is the amount of such subsidy?

I am obtaining the information desired by the hon. Member, and will send it to him as soon as it is available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total length of linear feet of negative cinematograph film imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

The total length of negative cinematograph film imported into Great Britain and Northern Ireland, registered during the 12 months ended 30th April, 1930, was 6,238,989 linear feet.

asked the Under-Secretary of state for Air whether his attention has been drawn to the organisation of an American mission to visit this and other European countries for the purpose of opening up new markets for the sale of aircraft produced in the United States; and, seeing that American aircraft manufacturers have large stocks now upon their hands, will he adopt any measures to protect the interests of aircraft manufacturers in this country against competition of the nature indicated?

I understand that an American commercial aviation mission is to visit various European countries, but so far as I am aware Great Britain is not included in its itinerary, and I have no evidence to show that the situation referred to in the second part of the question will arise. In any case, the outstanding excellence of the products of British aircraft manufacturers is so well-known the world over that I feel confident they will be quite able to hold their own against competition.

asked the President of the Board of Education what are the subjects of instruction in elementary schools in the counties of Berkshire and Yorkshire, and in the boroughs of Birmingham and Salisbury, for school children aged 13 or in the last year of the elementary school?

The subjects of instruction in elementary schools are determined by the local education authority in the light of the needs and circumstances of the individual school; but there is a general recognition of the importance of providing some form of practical instruction for the older scholars. I shall be glad to send the hon. and gallant Member such information as can readily be obtained in regard to the instruction given in the areas named.

asked the President of the Board of Education what is the average rate of salary assumed for the 7,500 additional teachers allowed for in his estimate of £2,500,000 as the cost of educating the new age group from 1938 onwards?

The average rate of salary assumed is £250.

asked the President of the Board of Education the total additional expenditure on elementary education contemplated by the programmes of local education authorities for the years 1930 to 1933; and the total capital expenditure contemplated by the programmes on the provision or improvement of elementary school accommodation for purposes of reorganisation?

I am unable to supply the information asked for, as the programmes have not yet been received from all local education authorities.

asked the President of the Board of Education how much of the cost of re-organisation is attributable to the necessity for providing accommodation, equipment, etc., of a superior type for the additional age group of elder children; and whether, in his estimates of £2,500,000, any allowance is made for the cost of re-organisation to provide for that group?

The estimate of £2,500,000 includes provision for accommodation and equipment for the additional age-group of older children, but does not include any provision for the cost of the general re-organisation required for children below the age of 14.

asked the First Commissioner of Works if he can now make any statement as to the Government's decision with regard to the preservation of Hadrian's Wall as an ancient monument or under conditions which guarantee its effective protection?

If the hon. Member will put down a question for Monday next, I shall be able to announce a decision.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been called to the complaint made on behalf of the Danzig Senate to the League of Nations with reference to the competition between Danzig and Gdynia; and what action the League proposes to take in the matter?

I have seen a statement in the Press that the President of the Danzig Senate has addressed a note on this subject to the High Commissioner of the League of Nations at Danzig; but the matter has not yet been brought before the Council of the League, and, consequently, I am not in a position to answer the second part of the question.

asked the Postmaster-General if his Department accepts full responsibility if it can be proved that the words of a telegram handed in, and accepted, are by transmission by telephone between various offices altered in meaning, thus causing serious loss in the case of code words?

It is laid down in the statutory regulations governing the acceptance and transmission of telegrams that the Postmaster-General is not liable for any loss or damage due to any mistake or default in the transmission of a telegram; and I could not accept responsibility for any consequential loss due to a mistake in a telegram transmitted by telephone.

asked the Postmaster-General whether two years' auxiliary service as postman is treated as counting as one year appointed service for the purposes of pension?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of parcels that were delivered during the 12 months ended to the last convenient date on the cash-on-delivery system; and particulars of the manner in which the Post Office makes known the advantages of this system to the public?

The total number of inland cash-on-delivery parcels delivered during the year ended 30th April last was, in round figures, 2,300,000. This figure excludes parcels returned to the senders as undeliverable. The cash-on-delivery services have received considerable publicity in the Press, and have been advertised by the exhibition of posters at all post offices and by the distribution of descriptive Pamphlets. The railway cash-on-delivery service has been widely advertised by the railway companies also. Arrangements are at present in hand for the issue of a revised pamphlet.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any intimation from the Soviet Government of its acceptance of the intimation of the Australian Commonwealth Government of its willingness to receive a consular officer in Australia?

Yes, Sir. I have received the reply of the Soviet Government, and it has been communicated to His Majesty's Government in the Commonwealth of Australia for their consideration.

asked the Prime Minister whether it is his intention to make further proposals for accelerating Private Bill procedure respecting measures which provide work for the unemployed?

The hon. Member is no doubt aware of the power which my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal last year sought and obtained, to certify Private Bills of this nature. My right hon. Friend has exercised this power in regard to a number of Bills, the passage of which is by this means being appreciably accelerated.

asked the Minister of Labour the number registered of unemployed on the Stockport Employment Exchange on the last available date in May, 1930, and in May last year, and the trades and categories of the persons so registered on these respective dates?

At 19th May, 1930, there were 10,585 persons on the registers of the Stockport Employment Exchange as compared with 6,968 at 27th May, 1929. The principal industries in which the greatest number of insured persons were recorded as unemployed at both dates were: the cotton textile industry, general engineering, the distributive trades, the building industry, and hat and cap manufacture.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury for what reason it is considered impracticable that the system prevailing should be abolished by which the Revenue Department authorises brokers and dealers in stocks and shares to issue vouchers for reclaim of tax deducted at source to buyers of stocks and shares cum dividend, and that in lieu of brokers and dealers in stocks and shares selling shares cum dividend, issuing such vouchers to buyers, the original voucher issued to the seller by the company should be secured from the seller by the broker or dealer and endorsed at the back thereof in favour of the buyer in order to prevent the possibility of fraud already admitted by the Treasury?

My hon. Friend's suggestion is impracticable by reason of the intricacies of Stock Exchange procedure which it is not possible to explain within the limits of a Parliamentary answer.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the annual sum now being paid to the United States Government in respect of our War debt; what are our receipts from the Allies for their respective War debts to this country; and what is the annual amount at present received by Great Britain under the German reparation scheme?

The figures up to the end of the financial

Financial year.		Receipts from		Total.	Payments to U.S.A. Government.
		Allied War Debts.	German Reparations (including annuities payable by France, Belgium and Italy under the Hague Protocol of 31st August, 1929).
		£	£	£	£
1930	…	17,700,000	16,800,000	34,500,000	33,038,000

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether all the Crown Colonies permit citizens of the Soviet Union to enter their territory; and, if not, which are those

So far as I am aware, no distinction is made between citizens of the Soviet Union and other aliens as regards admission to Colonies not possessing responsible Government.