asked the Minister of Agriculture, having regard to the fall in the Bank Rate, whether he will consider the desirability of arranging for a corresponding reduction in the rate of interest charged under the Agricultural Credit Acts?

The rate of interest charged by banks for short-term loans under Part II of the Agricultural Credits Act, 1928, is, I understand, the usual rate charged upon bank overdrafts. The reductions in Bank Rate since last autumn have, of course, led to a reduction in the rate of interest charged by banks to farmers. With regard to mortgages effected under Part I of the Act, the rate depends upon the terms on which funds, out of which advances are made, are raised by the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what were the quantities of barley produced in this country in 1928 and in 1929; and what percentage this formed of the total quantities consumed?

The production of barley in the United Kingdom was 1,124,000 tons in 1928, and 1,101,000 tons in 1929. These figures represent 63.5 per cent. and 64.8 respectively of the total available supplies in those years.

Factory.			Manufacturing Season.
			1927–28.			1928–29.			1929–30.*
			£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
Allscott	…	…	140,757	2	1	144,964	13	0	247,646	7	11
Bardney	…	…	226,688	10	11	104,893	17	10	203,800	9	2
Brigg	…	…	—			72,687	7	3	128,456	11	9
Bury St. Edmunds	…	…	422,160	10	7	354,947	9	0	463,457	4	10
Cantley	…	…	547,380	2	7	363,300	8	3	474,591	3	4
Colwick	…	…	227,059	13	2	112,743	6	0	204,676	12	6
Ely	…	…	558,245	4	1	398,832	2	6	497,787	4	0
Eynsham	…	…	4,159	10	0	6,581	16	11	6,241	8	0
Felstead	…	…	184,036	5	3	81,393	1	6	169,043	9	6
Ipswich	…	…	298,642	4	5	166,342	11	5	268,358	19	5
Kelham	…	…	187,739	12	11	70,334	7	1	129,596	17	2
Kidderminster	…	…	237,316	16	9	151,073	11	10	191,970	7	2
King's Lynn	…	…	120,969	10	7	180,956	10	0	289,426	6	0
Peterborough	…	…	211,770	11	9	172,218	2	9	251,679	8	3
Poppleton	…	…	169,005	3	11	72,106	10	0	113,546	5	0
Selby	…	…	124,958	10	3	100,996	18	1	182,894	1	9
Spalding	…	…	190,949	5	3	118,732	3	0	194,860	16	5
Wissington	…	…	194,669	12	4	129,314	7	11	204,755	4	7
Cupar	…	…	119,955	17	6	22,516	12	0	8,260	11	4
Greenock	…	…	47,595	17	8	—			—
Total	…	…	4,214,060	2	0	2,824,935	16	4	4,231,049	8	1
* Figures are not final—some claims are still outstanding.

asked the Prime Minister if he is now prepared to appoint a committee of inquiry into the whole system of tithe payment?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. Member to replies given to similar questions on 11th December and 8th May, to which there is nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total acreage of all land in Great Britain, exclud-

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total amount of subsidy paid to each of the beet-sugar factories in each of the past three seasons, 1927–28, 1928–29, and 1929–30?

The following statement shows the total amounts of subsidy paid on sugar and molasses produced at each of the beet-sugar factories in Great Britain in the manufacturing seasons 1927–28, 1928–29, and 1929–30.ing small islands in the sea; and the total acreage of any of the individual catchment areas in the proposed Land Drainage Bill?

I. The following statement gives the total area of land in Great Britain in 1929 as revised by the Ordnance Survey Department in September, 1929.

	Acres.
England	32,034,017
Wales	5,098,878
Scotland	19,069,007
Total, Great Britain	56,201,902

asked the Prime Minister when the Second Reading of the Land Drainage (No. 2) Bill will take place?

To-morrow, as the Noble Lord will have seen from the statement which I made on Business on Thursday last.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that, owing to the in-shore fishing of heavy trawlers off Walberswick and Dunwich, it is intermittently impossible for Walberswick and Southwold longshore fishermen profitably to continue their trade; and will he take steps to rectify the position?

I have had no complaints that the operations of British trawlers have been detrimental to inshore fisheries at the places referred to. British trawlers very rarely come within the three-mile limit on that part of the coast, although it is legal for them to do so. Complaints have, however, been made in the past with regard to the operations of foreign trawlers, but during the last two or three years the trouble has been effectively dealt with by the Fishery Protection Service.

asked the Prime Minister when a further report from the sub-committee on the fishing industry will be published?

I do not anticipate that this committee will need to submit a further interim report. Their inquiry is already well advanced, and will be completed with as little delay as possible, but that cannot be for a little time yet.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is prepared to receive a deputation from Suffolk with regard to the Mid-Suffolk Railway and the South-wold harbour?

If the hon. Member will be good enough to furnish me with further particulars of the points which it is desired to put forward, I shall be happy to give the matter consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has received any complaints as to the inadequacy of rear lights that are carried on many slow-moving vehicles; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I am not quite clear as to what particular type of vehicle my hon. Friend refers to, but I assume it is the heavier type of vehicle, such as the lorry and the tractor, and I further assume that it relates to the exhibition of a satisfactory red rear light and not to the illumination of the rear identification plate. I have received a certain number of complaints on the subject of oil lights, which are difficult to maintain in a state of efficiency. The general question of the lighting of this type of vehicle, both as to front lights and rear lights, was brought to the notice of the appropriate trade organisations some time ago. I am satisfied that endeavours are being made by the manufacturers to improve the lighting in the case of new vehicles, and that this policy is being pursued. In these circumstances I do not propose to take any further action at present.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the recommendation of the coroner's jury inquiring into the death of John Scarratt, who was fatally injured in a highway accident near the canal aqueduct at Rode Heath, Cheshire; and whether, in view of the number of fatal accidents that have occurred at this approach, he will make representations to the Cheshire County Council with a view to the present danger being obviated?

I have no knowledge of the accident to which the hon. Member refers; but I am causing inquiries to be made with a view to making any necessary representations to the highway authority which the circumstances may warrant.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider loaning the material now in the muniment room of the General Post Office to Bruce Castle Museum, Tottenham, or another similar institution?

The more important objects of Post Office interest, which were formerly kept in the Post Office Muniment Room, have already been lent to the London Museum; and a recently discovered item has been given to the Bruce Castle Museum.

asked the Postmaster-General the surplus, after charging interest on capital, of the Post Office for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date, together with comparable figures for the year 1913?

The surplus for the year ended 31st March, 1930, was, in round figures, £9,370,000. The surplus for the year ended 31st March, 1914, was in round figures, £5,200,000.

asked the Postmaster-General what are the comparative all-in costs (including cost of buildings and equipment, maintenance, staff, depreciation, &c.) of the automatic and manual telephone systems, respectively, in the London telephone service; what is the average time taken per completed call on each of the two systems; and what is the estimated saving of staff per 1,000 lines and per million originated calls effected by the use of the automatic system?

Sufficient experience has not yet been gained of the London automatic system to enable me to say what the all-in costs will be in comparison with those of the manual system. The first Director exchange was opened at the end of 1927, and while a further 26 exchanges have since been converted, the programme contemplates the provision of about 150 automatic exchanges before the conversion is complete; in the meantime the necessity for inter-communication between the automatic and manual exchanges greatly complicates the system. Considerable technical improvements have been effected since the first exchange was opened, and I expect that this process will continue and that it will be a few years yet before stability is reached in costs, but it is already clear that considerable operating savings are being effected. The average time of completion for calls originated by a subscriber on a manual exchange is about 37 seconds, and for calls between two automatic exchanges rather less than 30 seconds.

asked the Postmaster-General the average amount of sick leave for sorting assistants and supervisors of sorting assistants, respectively, in each of the last two years?

The average sick leave of sorting assistants in the Post Office during the years 1928 and 1929 was 11.5 days and 14.5 days respectively. The average sick leave of supervisors of sorting assistants was 13.7 days in 1928 and 22.1 days in 1929.

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of temporary ex-service men recently engaged at the Claims and Record Office, Kew; what number are men with previous temporary Government service; what number were taken from the clearing register of the joint substitution board and what number are non-clearing register clerks; and whether these clerks have been taken on for any definite period and, if so, the length of such period?

The number of temporary clerks recently engaged for the Claims and Record Office, Kew, is 377. Of this number 154 had previous Government service.The total of 377 comprises:

Clerks recruited through the Joint Substitution Board	32
Clerks transferred from staff of Employment Exchanges	2
Non-clearing register clerks	343
Total	377

Of this total, 26 clerks have since resigned or have not been retained. In accordance with the usual procedure, non-clearing register clerks were only engaged in so far as suitable persons could not at the time be obtained from the Joint Substitution Board register or among existing staff of the Department available for transfer. No definite period can at present be set to the retention of the services of the temporary clerks now in post.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can give approximate figures illustrating the increase in business and correspondence dealt with last year as compared with 1909 or any other convenient pre-War year in the following Departments: Treasury, Home Office, Foreign Office, Dominions and Colonial Office, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour, Post Office, and Board of Trade (now comprising the Mines Department and Ministry of Transport), and comparative figures showing the increase of staff in these Departments over the same period?

My hon. Friend's inquiry would, I think, be more appropriately addressed to the responsible Ministers, though even so I doubt whether, within the normal limits of an answer to a Parliamentary question, it would be possible to present an adequate account of the many important changes which have taken place in the functions and scope of business of the Departments referred to.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the present personnel of the Admiralty, including all ranks, grades, etc., both naval and civilian?

The personnel of the Admiralty on 1st April, 1930, totalled 2,998.

asked the Secretary of State for War what is the present personnel of the War Office, including all ranks, grades, etc., both military and civilian?

The War Office staff for which provision is made in the Estimates for 1930 consists of 354 officers and other ranks and 1,947 civilians. These figures include attached officers, typists, messengers and cleaners, and personnel in audit offices, but excludes Metropolitan Police and staff on loan to other Government Departments.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has made the necessary arrangements for a larger supply of the second volume of the Simon Report to be made available on 24th June, in view of the demand for the first volume; and, if so, to what extent?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The number of copies of the second volume actually available on the day of publication will be four times those of the first volume on the corresponding day.

asked the Secretary of State for India the name of the counsel who has been appointed by the Government of India, in the place of the late Mr. Langford James, as senior prosecuting counsel in the Meerut conspiracy case?

Mr. K. McI. Kemp is now senior counsel for the prosecution.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he proposes to invite the Congress party to nominate all or the major proportion of Indians to attend the proposed roundtable conference next autumn; and what are the terms of reference for the said conference?

It is intended that the conference should be fully representative of different parties and interests in British India and of the Indian States. I am not in a position at present to say more of the conference than has been already announced in the Viceroy's published declarations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action was taken by the Council of the League of Nations at its last meeting with reference to a request from the International Wine Office in Paris to be placed under the protection of the League under Article 42 of the Covenant; and whether the Government will oppose such application as not coming within the definition therein contained?

At its last session the Council of the League of Nations instructed the Secretary-General to conduct a preliminary inquiry into this application, and to report on it in due course. His Majesty's Government will not, therefore, be in a position to decide what attitude they should adopt towards the application until the results of this inquiry are known.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, with a view to deciding definitely whether it is necessary for treaties registered with the League of Nations under Article 18 of the Covenant in order to be valid to be pub- lished complete, the Government are prepared to submit the matter for an advisory opinion to the Permanent Court of International Justice, with particular reference to the Franco-Belgian exchange of notes of the 10th September, 1920, the Czech-Rumanian Alliance of the 23rd April, 1921, and the Franco-Polish Political Agreement of the 19th February, 1921?

No, Sir. His Majesty's Government could not take the action suggested by the hon. Member, as by the terms of Article 14 of the Covenant, only the Council or the Assembly of the League are entitled to ask the Permanent Court of International Justice for an advisory opinion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the present position of minorities in Jugoslavia. Macedonia and Bulgaria; and what efforts are being made by the League of Nations to secure to the populations concerned their Treaty rights?

The position of minorities in Yugoslavia is governed by the Treaty concluded at St. Germain-enLaye on the 10th September, 1919, between the principal Allied and Associated Powers and the Serb-Croat-Slovene State. Articles 7 and 8 of this Treaty declare that Serb-Croat-Slovene nationals who belong to racial, religious or linguistic minorities shall enjoy the same civil and political rights and the same treatment and security in law and in fact as the other Serb-Croat-Slovene nationals. Under Article 9, which is intended to apply to Southern Serbia annexed after the Balkan Wars as well as to the territories transferred to the Serb-Croat-Slovene Kingdom after the Great War, such minorities are accorded special privileges in the matter of education and the enjoyment and application of public funds. Furthermore, under Article 11 the Serb-Croat-Slovene State agrees that the stipulations in the Treaty, so far as they affect the minorities, constitute obligations of international concern, and should be placed under the guarantee of the League of Nations. Corresponding provisions for the protection of minorities in Bulgaria are contained in Articles 53, 54, 55 and 57 of the Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Bulgaria, concluded at Neuilly on the 27th November, 1919. Inasmuch as Macedonia is not an autonomous political entity, there are no special treaty rights relating to its inhabitants.As regards the latter part of the question, I am sending the hon. Member the report of the Committee of the Council of the League of Nations of the 18th May, 1929 (League Document G.C.M.I. 1929), which shows the measures which the League have taken to ensure the due observance of the rights secured to minorities under these and other treaties, and a copy of the resolution of the Council taken thereon in June, 1929.