asked the Minister of Pensions what is the position in connection with the application of Mr. Charles E. Trevis, now in the officers' ward at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, and previously of the South Staffordshire Regiment, in regard to his claim for allowance from the date of his reporting his inability to work longer owing to a War injury, namely, 17th December, 1930

Additional retired pay is being paid to Mr. Trevis as from the date of his admission to hospital. There are no grounds upon which be would be entitled to any special allowance in respect of any period preceding his admission.

SUMMARY.
—		Number of Men employed on:
		Normal Work.		Unemployment Relief Work.
		Labourers.	Tradesmen.	Labourers.
North, East, South and South-West England	…	38	64	868
South Wales	…	10	14	100
North Wales	…	19	16	130
Scotland	…	44	72	232
Totals	…	111	166	1,330

asked the Prime Minister whether the Arab executive were in any way consulted or an agreement reached with them before he wrote his letter to Dr. Weizmann?

As has already been explained, the letter deals only with the interpretation of certain passages in the Statement of Policy presented to Parliament in December last, which at once became the subject of misconception. It was not, in the circumstances, considered necessary to take the Arab executive into consultation in explaining and elucidating the policy already announced by His Majesty's Government.

asked the First Commissioner of Works if he will give a list of the buildings, ancient monuments, etc., under the Office of Works which are being restored, cleared, or excavated at the present time or which it is intended to deal with in the near future, and the number of men for whom employment has been found on this work?

The following statement contains the required information as regards monuments already under the control of the Commissioners of Works. Certain other monuments will probably be taken over within the next few months, but it is not possible to say when work will start on their preservation, since this depends on the availability of funds.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Russian timber is being imported into Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland, and being resold by timber exporters in those countries to Western Europe as Baltic or Finnish timber; and whether he has had any complaints as to the labour conditions of those handling that timber?

I have no knowledge of the facts alleged in the first part of the question. As regards the second part, my hon. Friend is aware that allegations have been made with regard to labour conditions in Russia. No similar complaints have been made to me with reference to the Baltic countries.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the report of the Lord Chancellor's committee with regard to the Hauxton case, and the power of a Consistory Court to attach and imprison persons for contempt, it is proposed to bring in a Bill to give effect to the recommendations of the committee and alter the present state of the law?

A Bill to give effect to the recommendations of the committee to which my hon. Friend refers is in a forward state of preparation, but it is impossible in the present state of Parliamentary business to give any indication as to whether it will be possible to find time for its passage during the present Session.

asked the Minister of Labour what are the names of the representative large towns selected for the purpose of calculating the rent item in the cost-of-living index figure?

Following are the names of the towns: Aberdeen, Barnsley, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bootle, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, London and suburbs, Manchester, Merthyr Tydvil, Middlesbrough, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Newport (Monmouthshire), Norwich, Nottingham, Paisley, Reading, Rochdale, St. Helens, Salford, Sheffield, Smethwick, South Shields, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall, West Bromwich, Wigan, Wolverhampton.

asked the Minister of Labour if she will give a list of the industries classed under mining and quarrying not separately specified in the Ministry of Labour Gazette

The industry group designated "Mining and quarrying not separately specified," includes the following: "Oil shale mines and oil wells, salt mines, brine wells and salt works, alum, gypsum, etc., mines and quarries, and any other kind of mining or quarrying

—	Average Price in
	1913.		1924.		1930.
	Per quarter of 480 lbs.
Wheat.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
English "Gazette Average"	31	8¾	49	8¼	34	3
Imported, Argentine, spot Liverpool	35	1¾	54	2¼	34	10½
Imported, Northern Manitoba, No. 2 description ex. ship, London.	36	0¼	54	6¼	38	0½
Imported, average declared value (c.i.f.) of all Wheat imported into the United Kingdom.	35	6	50	4¼	35	1¾
	Per sack of 280 lbs.
Flour.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
London Town-made straights ex-mil	28	3	41	4¾*	29	10½
	Per 4 lbs.
Bread.	d.		d.		d.
Average retail price in the Un ted Kingdom, as compiled by the Ministry of Labour.	5¾		9		8½
* Estimated on the actual selling price to bakers.

asked the President of the Board of Education what proposals he has to make for dealing with children who, through physical and not mental disability, are receiving little or no education; and whether he will prepare a scheme for the purpose of giving them some particular training compatible with their defective condition?

Section 56 of the Education Act, 1921, provides for the establishment of special schools in order to give suitable education for physically defective children who are unable to attend the ordinary elementary schools. I am aware that there is a need for further special schools of this type, and

asked the President of the Board of Trade the average price of wheat and of flour in this country in 1913, 1924, and 1930; and the average price of bread in each of these years?

The prices are shown in the following table:I am always ready to consider proposals for the provision of additional accommodation. Since the present Government took office, 25 new special schools for physically defective children have been certified by the Board, and proposals have been approved for 10 new schools which have not yet been opened. Provision will be made in these 35 schools for 3,708 day and 631 residential pupils. In addition, local education authorities are encouraged to establish orthopaedic schemes, not necessarily involving attendance at a special school, for the cure of crippling defects. The total number of such schemes is now 212, and of these 29 have been approved since the present Government took office.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how much money has been contributed by each of the Dominions and Crown Colonies towards naval defence during the year 1930; what proportion the money contributed by the Dominions and Crown Colonies during this period bore in each case to their total import and export trade and per capita of their population, respectively; and how these figures compare with Great Britain's contributions under these heads?

The amounts provided in the Estimates of the undermentioned parts of the Empire for the year 1930–31 in respect of naval defence are as follow:

Great Britain	£51,739,000
Canada	$3,600,000
Commonwealth of Australia	£1,778,633
New Zealand (including £125,000 as a contribution towards the naval base at Singapore, and £100,000, interest and sinking fund on account of His Majesty's ship "New Zealand" approximately.)	£675,480
Union of South Africa	£78,560

The proportion of expenditure on naval defence to the total import and export trade of these parts of the Empire is as follows:

		Per cent.
Great Britain	…	3.04
Canada	…	.15
Commonwealth of Australia	…	1.06
New Zealand	…	.77
Union of South Africa	…	.043

Exenditure, per

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it is the intention of the Government to establish an additional naval station on the West Coast of Africa; and the amount of money which it is intended to spend?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; the second part does not therefore arise.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether he will have inquiries made to ascertain the vaccinal condition of all cases of diseases of the central nervous system notified by medical practitioners;(2) whether, in view of the fact that diseases of the central nervous system have been caused by vaccination, he will ascertain the vaccinal condition of all cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis that have occurred during the present year or may occur in the immediate future?

For some time past medical practitioners and medical officers of health have been asked to inform my Department of any cases coming to their notice in which acute disease of the central nervous system occurs within four weeks of vaccination. A number of cases of this kind were reported during the past eight years and were investigated by the Committee on Vaccination whose reports were published in July, 1928, and January, 1931. Further cases are still occasionally reported and these are investigated by medical officers of my Department. There is no reason to think that medical practitioners are not aware that any cases of this kind should be reported, and I do not think it is necessary to make the special inquiries suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will inquire as to the desirability of quoting two rates for the carriage of eggs, one without liability for breakage, as at present, and the other to cover such a liability?

The conditions under which the parcel post is carried on are such that I do not see my way to accept liability in respect of breakage of eggs or of any other exceptionally fragile or brittle articles.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether there has been any increase in poaching by foreign trawlers in British territorial waters and, if so, in which areas?

There has been a decrease in recent years in the number of convictions for trawling by foreign vessels in the territorial waters of England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will introduce legislation to deal with the remission of tithe?

I cannot hold out any hope of introducing legislation on the lines suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he is yet in a position to state the decision regarding the appointment of a High Commissioner in Australia?

No, Sir.