asked the Minister of Transport the names of any iron or steel bridges in Great Britain which are now under construction with State assistance, and the estimated number of men employed thereon?

I am unable to state without inquiry in each case the names of iron or steel bridges now under construction; but the number approved for grant from the Road Fund since 1st April last is as follows:

Spans of 25 feet and under	36
Spans between 25 feet and 50 feet	34
Spans over 50 feet	27

I have no information as to the amount of labour engaged on a number of these works, and am therefore not in a position to answer the last part of the hon. Member's question.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the approved conditions of contracts in respect of compulsory insurance by owners of motor vehicles will secure that, in the event of the death of a defendant following an accident, a claim by the injured person for personal damages may be made against the insurance company concerned?

I have no power under the Road Traffic Act to approve or disapprove of conditions attached to policies of insurance. In the circumstances referred to by my hon. Friend, no claim on the part of the injured person would ordinarily he against the insurance company. The legal maxim that a right of personal action ceases on the death of the person against whom it may be brought is of wide application, and although the point was considered when the Road Traffic Bill was before the House, the decision was reached that it would not be right to introduce an exception to this general principle in a particular case such as that of insurance against third-party risks.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the deadlock between the local authority and the railway companies respecting the proposed alteration of the level crossing at Radstock, he will say what action he proposes to take respecting it?

So far as I am aware, there is no deadlock between the railway company and the local authority. There has been some delay in the preparation of improvement plans, due. I am informed, to changes in the

—	Scheme first brought to notice of Ministry by Surrey County Council.	Preliminary approval	Grant.
Dorking By-Pass:	May, 1927	14.3.30	6.8.30.
Portsmouth Road widening:
(a) Esher—Cobham	12.11.29	14.5.30	(a) 10.9.30.
(b) A.245—Poiuters Road			(b) 10.7.30.
Guildford-Godalming By-pass:
Scheme (1)	26.3.29.	(1) 28.9.29	(1) 28.9.29.
Scheme(2)		(2)30.7.30	(2)30.7.30.
Scheme(4)		(4)30.7.30	(4)30.7.30.
New Road and Bridge, connecting Hampton Court Bridge with Esher Road:
(a) New Road	16.6.27	5.10.27	(a)28.5.29 (land), 21.8.29 (works).
(b) New Bridge over River Ember			(b) 21.8.30.

asked the Minister of Transport whether proposals are being considered by him to restrict the operation of motor coaches in the London area?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave yesterday to a somewhat similar question by the hon. Member for Willesden, East (Mr. D. G. Somerville), a copy of which I am sending him.

asked the Minister of Transport the dates on which the following road schemes of the Surrey County Council were first brought to the notice of his Department by that highway authority; the dates on which approval was given to the preliminary scheme in each case and the dates on which a grant was indicated by the Ministry, namely, Dorking by-pass road, widenings from Esher to Cobham, and from Road A245 to Pointers Road on the Portsmouth Road, Guildford and Godalming by-pass road, Schemes 1, 2 and 4, respectively, new road and bridge connecting Hampton Court Bridge with Esher Road?

The dates are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information as to the recent distubances which have occurred in Soviet Russia?

I have seen Press reports of disturbances, but I have no official information which confirms them.

asked the Minister of Health whether tinned foodstuffs imported from Russia are subjected to analytical inspection to ensure purity; and, if not, whether he will give instructions to that end?

All food imports are subject to inspection in this country both when they are imported and when they are exposed for sale, and they may be seized and destroyed if they are found to be unfit for human consumption. Moreover, samples of any food offered for sale may be taken by officers of the local authority under the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act and the vendor may be prosecuted if the food is found on analysis to be adulterated. I do not, therefore, see the necessity for any special instructions as suggested in the question.

asked the Minister of Health the amount of the grant under the Local Government Act, 1929, per head of the poplation in rural and urban areas, respectively, after taking into consideration the fact that the grant in respect of highway maintenance in rural areas is payable to the county council and in urban areas it is payable to the urban authority, except in so far as it affects main roads?

Before a fair comparison could be made of the kind the hon. Member has in mind, it would be necessary to make a full inquiry for each administrative county into the difference of rate incidence between rural and urban areas not only with respect to the expenditure on highway maintenance to which the hon. Member refers but also with respect to expenditure on other services. Such an inquiry could profitably be made only as part of a general investigation referred to in the reply to another question by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to ascertain the way in which the formula is working, under the Local Government Act, 1929, as between rural and urban areas; whether he is aware that certain authorities are complaining that the grants in urban areas are much larger per head of the population than in rural areas and whether he will consider an alteration in the formula so that rural areas receive as much per head of the population as urban areas?

It will not be possible to draw any general conclusions as regards the working of the financial arrangements of the Local Government Act, 1929, for some considerable time. As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, provision is made in Section 110 of the Act for investigation to be made before the end of the second grant period into the working of the provisions of the Act governing the distribution of grant and for a report of the result of the investigation to be laid before Parliament.

asked the Minister of Health how many members of each county and county borough council were disqualified from membership as from 1st April last owing to the transfer of functions to those authorities from boards of guardians and other local authorities by the provisions of the Local Government Act, 1929?

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims disallowed at the Woolwich Employment Exchange

CLAIMS made at the Woolwich Employment Exchange disallowed on the grounds (a) not genuinely seeking work, (b) not normally insurable and will not normally seek to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment, and (c) not a reasonable period of insurable employment during the preceding two years:
Date.		Number of Claims disallowed.
		(a)*	(b)	(c)
Decisions by Insurance Officers.
19th April, 1928, to 11th June, 1928	…	215	8	487
12th June, 1928, to 10th September. 1928	…	381	7	46
11th September, 1928, to 10th December, 1928	…	877	9	50
11th December, 1928, to 11th March, 1929	…	652	19	81
12th March, 1929, to 10th June, 1929	…	543	12	93
11th June, 1929, to 9th September, 1929	…	371	4	42
10th September, 1929, to 9th December, 1929	…	201	70
10th December, 1929, to 12th March, 1930	…	172	106
Decisions by the Court of Referces.
13th March, 1930, to 9th June, 1930	…	Not in operation	110	Not in operation
10th June, 1930, to 8th September, 1930	…		309
9th September, 1930, to 13th October, 1930	…		70
*Includes decisions by Court of Referees on review after the payment of 78 days benefit.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of women registered as unemployed at the Woolwich Exchange at the last convenient date, and the number of women who have obtained direct employment as a result of schemes initiated by the Government and the Woolwich Borough Council, respectively?

At 17th November, 1930, there were 1,479 women on the register at the Woolwich Employment Exchange. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the right hon. Member to the reply which I gave

I regret that statistics of disallowances are not available in respect of individual Employment Exchanges for any period prior to 19th April, 1928. The following table gives the numbers of claims disallowed on various grounds during the period 19th April, 1928, to 13th October, 1930. The figures for certain grounds of disallowance other than that specified in the question have been added because a comparison between the dates in the table would otherwise be misleading.to the hon. Member for Lanark North (Miss Lee) on 6th November.

asked the Minister of Health the approximate number of girl factory workers who have taken up domestic service; and the number of cases in which payment of unemployment benefit has been suspended as a result of the refusal to do so.

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

asked the Minister of Labour the total number of persons registered as unemployed at the Employment

Numbers of Persons on the registers of Employment Exchanges* in Bootle, at November, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930.
Date.			Men.	Boys.	Women.	Girls.	Total.
8th November, 1926	…	…	10,257	328	1,142	334	12,061
7th November, 1927	…	…	9,035	297	1,082	323	10,737
12th November, 1928	…	…	11,256	311	1,127	343	13,037
11th November, 1929	…	…	10,461	368	1,315	388	12,532
10th November, 1930	…	…	14,587	586	2,695	583	18,451
* These include Bootle Employment Exchange; A. Clearing House, Rimrose Road; B. Clearing House, Regent Road; and Waterloo Juvenile Employment Bureau.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of claims disallowed at the Chatham Employment Exchange on the ground that the applicants were not ordinarily in insurable occupations in each quarter to the last available date since 1st January, 1927?

I regret that statistics of disallowances are not available in respect of individual Employment Exchanges for any period prior to 19th April, 1928. The following table

CLAIMS made at the Employment Exchanges at Chatham, Sheerness and Sittingbourne disallowed on the ground (a) not genuinely seeking work, (b) not normally insurable and will not normally seek to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment, and (c) not a reasonable period of insurable employment during the preceding two years:
Period.		Number disallowed.
		(a)*	(b)	(c)
Decisions by Insurance Officers.
19th April, 1928, to 11th June, 1928	…	222	22	111
12th June, 1928, to 10th September, 1928	…	321	14	58
11th September, 1928, to 10th December, 1928	…	602	17	78
11th December, 1928, to 11th March, 1929	…	798	13	38
12th March, 1929, to 10th June, 1929	…	699	13	72
11th June, 1929, to 9th September, 1929	…	376	8	54
10th September, 1929, to 9th December, 1929	…	247	144
10th December, 1929, to 12th March, 1930	…	201	123
Decisions by the Court of Referees.
			(b) N.N.1.
13th March, 1930, to 9th June, 1930	…	Not in operation.	98	Not in operation
10th June, 1930, to 8th September, 1930	…		86
9th September, 1930, to 13th October, 1930	…		54
* Includes decisions by Court of Referees on review after payment of 78 days benefit.

The following table gives the information desired:gives the information desired for the period 19th April, 1928, to 13th October, 1930. The Court of Referees for the Chatham area considers claims made at the local offices at Sheerness and Sittingbourne as well as at Chatham, and figures for the three offices have therefore been included throughout. The figures for certain grounds of disallowance other than that specified in the question have been added because a comparison between the dates in the table would otherwise be misleading.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men in the stone-quarrying industry who were out of employment in this country on the last available date?

At 27th October, 1930, there were 6,475 insured males (including 153 boys under 18 years of age) classified as belonging to the stone, quarrying and mining industry recorded as unemployed in Great Britain.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of men offering themselves for enlistment in the Navy during each of the four weeks from 6th May to 1st June, 1929, and during each of the four weeks from 4th to 30th November, 1929?

The number of men offering themselves for enlistment in the Royal Navy during each of the weeks mentioned was as follows:

1929.
6th May	…	…	745
13th May	…	…	642
20th May	…	…	605
27th May	…	…	692
4th November	…	…	697
11th November	…	…	703
18th November	…	…	577
25th November	…	…	532

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the reasons for the proposed change to man the cruiser His Majesty's Ship "Cornwall," on her return home from the China station for recommission, from Portsmouth instead of Devonport; and whether, seeing that His Majesty's Ship "Cornwall" was built at Devonport mainly by West-countrymen and that the homes of many of the crew are in the westernmost counties, he can see his way to allow the vessel to be manned from Devonport

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 16th April [OFFICIAL REPORT, Column 2917]. As regards the latter part of the question, the hon. Member appears to assume that the present crew of "Cornwall" will remain in her after she is recommissioned and manned from Portsmouth, but this is not the case.

asked the First Lord of the. Admiralty whether time served as warrant officer is taken into consideration when making selections from lieutenant-commanders (ex-mate) for promotion to commander, in view of the relatively higher age and lower seniority when compared with lieutenant-commanders (ex-cadet)?

No matters other than the abilities of the officers concerned are taken into consideration when making selections for promotion to commander.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of executive mates who were awarded corn-missions prior to 11th November, 1918, and who have been promoted to commander on the active list?

363 commissions were granted to mates (executive) with seniority prior to 11th November, 1918. Five of these officers have been promoted to commander on the Active List.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the percentage of lieutenant-commanders (ex-cadet) who have been promoted to commander since 1925?

The proportion of lieutenant-commanders (ex-cadet) promoted during this period was 49¾ per cent.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any requests have been received from the Welfare Conference, 1930, relative to increased opportunities for promotion to officer rank; and, if so, whether representatives of any, or all, of the branches concerned will be called by the Departmental Committee investigating this question?

Requests have been received from the Welfare Conference, 1930, respecting increased opportunities for promotion to officer rank for engine-room artificers, writers, shipwrights, artisans generally, and officers' stewards and cooks. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the Noble Lady to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for North Portsmouth (Sir B. Fa11e) on 5th November [OFFICIAL REPORT, column 842.]

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether ex-fleet reserve men are allowed to count fleet reserve time towards bonus when working as un-established men in His Majesty's dockyards?

I shall be glad if my hon. Friend will postpone this question till next week, as I am not quite clear what he particularly has in mind. Perhaps in the meantime he will consult with me.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty why, having regard to the great reduction of Navy personnel and tonnage since 1914, 252 naval officer: and ratings and 2,780 civilians are still retained on the headquarters staff as against 152 naval officers and ratings and 1,910 civilians in 1914?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave him on 30th July. [OFFICIAL REPORT, Columns 467–9.]

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air which municipal authorities have aerodromes at present in course of construction and which authorities have reserved sites but have not yet commenced work thereon?

Eight municipal authorities—Blackpool, Bristol, Hull, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Plymouth have provided aerodromes; work is not yet complete in the cases of Blackpool, Hull, Liverpool and Plymouth. Sites for aerodromes have been purchased by Carlisle, Leicester, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent and 20 other authorities are now negotiating for sites. Twelve other authorities—Abergavenny, Basingstoke, Blyth, Chorley, Little hampton, Lytham St. Annes, Poole, Rotherham, Skegness, Southwold, Winchester and York—have reserved sites in their town planning schemes.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether, with a View to assisting air navigation, he will take steps to see that owners of gasworks in towns have the name of the town painted in white letters on the top of one of their gasometers?

The adoption of the hon. Member's suggestion by the owners of gasworks would be welcomed by the Air Ministry, as ground markings of this kind are of assistance to pilots in certain circumstances. At the same time, it is necessary, in the interest of safety, for pilots to study the normal methods of navigation which do not rely upon such aids, and therefore my Noble Friend would not feel justified in putting pressure on the owners of gasworks, as suggested.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the training of foreign officers with the Royal Air Force is balanced by reciprocal action on the part of foreign Powers; and, if not, by what means recompense is made for the services of British instructors?

In the great majority of cases foreign officers come for instruction with the Royal Air Force because of the special facilities available in this country, and for that reason the question of reciprocal action does not in practice arise. In any event foreign officers are normally charged a substantial fee in respect of their training.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the number of men offering themselves for enlistment in the Air Force during each of the four weeks from 6th May to 1st June, 1929, and during each of the four weeks from 4th to 30th November, 1929?

The weekly numbers of men who offered themselves for enlistment in the Royal Air Force during the periods in question were as follow:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the number of airmen cadets and officers promoted there from who are drawing less pay per annum than cadet-entry officers who are junior to them, as a result of the revised pay regulations?

The answer is, none.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether it will be one of the functions of the Chief Industrial Adviser to His Majesty's Government to study and suggest a remedy for the foreign competition to British industries caused by the dumping in this country of foreign manufactured goods at uneconomic prices or at prices below the level at which such goods can be produced in this country as a result of the higher wages paid to British workers?

I fear I can add nothing to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 13th November when he defined the functions of this post.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the approximate volume of exports, namely, values after eliminating changes in price, expressed as percentages of 1924, of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, respectively, for the years 1913, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1929; and of the monthly averages for each of the same countries for the first nine months of 1930, expressed as a percentage of the monthly average for 1929?

I am having the desired particulars extracted so far as they are available, and will circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT as early as possible.

asked the hon. Member for Carlisle, as representing the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, what is the annual total sum now accruing to Queen Anne's Bounty and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in respect of tithe rent-charges in England; and what is the estimated total sum that would accrue if the tithes were gathered in on the originally fixed basis?

I am not in a position to give any answer on behalf of Queen Anne's Bounty. The total gross annual value of the tithe rentcharge in collection by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners at the close of the last rental year (to 31st March, 1929) for which accounts have been received was £287,000. I have no information to enable me to say what would be the value to-day of the tithes in kind for which these rentcharges were substituted under the Tithe Act, 1836.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the Bill introduced last Session to make reductions of wages illegal would not effect its purpose, the Government are prepared themselves to introduce a Bill for this purpose and to pass it into law this Session?

Wages, either real or nominal, cannot be fixed by legislation for the wage-earners generally. The Government's policy is to maintain standards of living and secure as equitable a distribution of wealth as is possible.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information about a disturbance at the town of Appam, Gold Coast, on 26th September last, when many persons, including women and children, were killed and several houses destroyed?

I have seen reports of the disturbance in the Gold Coast press, but no official information concerning it has been received, and my Noble Friend has called for a full report from the Governor. There is reason to believe that the accounts of the cause and nature of the affray as given in the local papers are substantially correct, namely, that it was purely a domestic quarrel between two sections of the Appam people.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the approximate average number of persons engaged on forced labour in each colony of the British Empire; and, if not, will he take steps to obtain such information?

Act 22 of the Draft Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour, which was adopted at the recent session of the International Labour Conference, provides that members of the International Labour Office which ratify the Convention shall furnish annual reports containing "as full information as possible, in respect of each territory concerned, regarding the extent to which recourse has been had to forced or compulsory labour in that territory." I am afraid that, until the necessary administrative arrangements have been made to give effect to the Convention in the various Dependencies, it would not be possible to obtain the desired information.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will withhold his approval from the Oxford-shire Education Committee's scheme for a new infant school at Henley-on-Thames on a low-lying site adjacent to gas-works and inconveniently distant for infants living in the south part of the town?

The site, to which my hon. Friend refers, has not yet been submitted by the local education authority for the Board's approval. If the proposal is submitted, the considerations to which my hon. Friend refers will be borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to state the names of the committee which he is appointing to inquire into the conditions of rural housing?

The members of the committee recently appointed by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health and myself to inquire into the conditions of occupation of agricultural cottages, are as follow:

• My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Chairman).
• Mr. D. Black.
• My hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Dallas).
• Mr. H. H. George.
• The Noble Lord the Member for Basingstoke (Viscount Lymington).
• Mr. J. C. McGrath.
• My hon. Friend the Member for the Wrekin Division of Salop (Miss Picton-Turbervill).

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the totals of Post Office Savings Bank deposits on 31st March in the years 1912 and 1913, and 1928 and 1929?

Figures cannot conveniently be given for 31st March, as the Post Office Savings Bank year runs to 31st December.

Date.		Total deposits.
		£
31st December, 1911	…	176,518,508
31st December, 1912	…	182,104,564
31st December, 1913	…	187,248,167
31st December, 1927	…	284,649,940
31st December, 1928	…	288,619,186
31st December, 1929	…	285,000,000
		(approximate).