asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will take steps, during the forthcoming meeting of the Council of the League of Nations, to initiate conversations amongst the permanent members of the Council on the question of accepting the obligations of a special guarantor under the convention on financial assistance approved by the eleventh Assembly of the League of Nations in September?

As the hon. Member is aware, the Convention has not yet been signed by all the permament members of the Council. My right hon. Friend trusts that the outstanding signatures will not be long delayed; and he will take the opportunity of the present meeting of the Council to inquire of his colleagues about the prospects of signature and ratification by their respective Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of authorities that have adopted the use of the humane killer for pigs; and if he has any figures showing the number of pigs killed by that means in 1929 and 1930?

Six local authorities in Scotland have passed by-laws which require the use of a mechanically-operated instrument for the slaughter of swine, and there is a like requirement in Glasgow under the provisions of a local Act. Eight local authorities have passed by-laws requiring pigs to bestunned before being stuck, the type of instrument not being prescribed. Other by-laws contain a similar requirement, the method of stunning being such as the local authority may prescribe, while others require the implements of slaughter to be such as the authority may fix or approve. In the areas of certain other local authorities a humane killer is probably used for the slaughter of pigs, although such use is not prescribed by by-law or Act, but I have no certain information on this point. I have no information as to the number of pigs killed by that method in the years mentioned.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many civilians are at present employed in working in naval dockyards; and how many were employed at the same date last year?

The numbers of civilian staff (industrial and non-industrial) employed at the six home dockyards, namely, Portsmouth, Devonport, Chatham, Sheerness, Rosyth and Pembroke Dock, in January, 1930, and at the present time, are 39,787 and 39,349 respectively. The figures given include staff on detached duty, e.g., those engaged on overseeing duties at the works of private firms, &c.

asked the Minister of Health how many areas have been scheduled for slum clearance by the various local authorities in Kent?

I regret that this information is not available. I have not as yet received any actual declaration of a clearance area from the local authorities in Kent, but such a declaration involves a large amount of detailed preliminary work and local authorities are not required to inform me of the areas with which they propose to deal until a specific declaration can be made.

asked the Minister of Labour the unemployment figures at the Gravesend and Rochester Employment Exchanges at the last available date and 12 months previously

At 12th January, 1931, there were 2,875 persons on the registers of the Gravesend Employment Exchange and 5,325 on the registers of the Chatham and Rochester Exchange as compared with 1,572 and 3,969 respectively at 13th January, 1930.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can make a statement with reference to representations he has received from local authorities with regard to the compulsory certifications and testing of electric meters; and does he propose to introduce legislation on the subject?

I have nothing to add to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member on 10th December.