asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of wholly manufactured goods consumed in Great Britain in the years 1928, 1929, and 1930 were of British manufacture and foreign manufacture, respectively?

I regret that the desired information is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can make any statement as regards the decisions arrived at at the international conference dealing with the better regulation of exports of grain from European countries; and whether the interests of the Dominions as exporters of grain to the Continent were considered in this respect?

The conference to consider the problem of the existing European grain surplus met in Paris from 23rd to 25th February. His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom were represented by Lord Tyrrell, who was accompanied by Sir Sydney Chapman as an expert adviser. The conference drew up a final act which declares inter alia the willingness of countries importing foreign grain (wheat, maize and barley) to participate to the utmost possible extent in the purchase of stocks available in the grain exporting countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Having regard particularly to the interests of the Dominions in this matter, His Majesty's Ambassador did not feel able to associate himself with these declarations and accordingly reserved his signature to the final act. In addition, on 26th-28th February, a committee of the Commission of Inquiry for European Union met to consider arrangements for future years. A report has been made to the Commission which emphasises the importance of consulting overseas countries and indicates that an early opportunity for an exchange of views with those countries may be provided by the conference organised by the International Institute of Agriculture to be held at Rome on 26th March.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what were the total exports from and total imports into Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and India, respectively, in the years 1928, 1929, and 1930, and the exports and imports to and from the United Kingdom, other parts of the

—	Imports.			Domestic Exports.			Re-exports.
	1928.	1929.	1930.	1928.	1929.	1930.	1928.	1929.	1930.
Canada.	£'000.	£ '000	£'000.	£'000.	£'000.	£'000.	£'000.	£'000	£'000.
United Kingdom	39,206	40,031	33,426*	91,655	59,666	48,349*	358	312	Not yet available.
Other British Countries.	13,019	12,837	Not yet available.	19,967	21,022	Not yet available.	164	172
United States of America.	169,638	183,532	134,374	100,842	107,303	81,326	4,349	4,665
Germany	4,088	4,537	Not yet available.	9,379	6,657	Not yet available.	35	24
Other Foreign Countries.	25,201	25,881		53,866	46,754		105	156
Total	251,052	266,818	207,292	275,709	241,402	182,103	5,011	5,329
Australia (Years ended 30th June).
United Kingdom	62,677	57,012	54,357	52,247	52,516	65,998+	2,004	613	Included with "Domestic Exports."
Other British Countries	18,607	19,010	15,680	12,114	17,462	15,684	1,401	1,607
United States of America.	35,039	35,334	30,441	6,795	5,537	5,234	159	295
Germany	4,624	4,547	4,337	11,976	9,692	6,216	50	38
Other Foreign Countries.	25,950	27,377	24,885	52,077	52,659	31,510	641	505
Total	146,897	143,280	129,700	135,209	137,866	124,642	4,255	3,058
New Zealand.			Jan. to Nov.			Jan. to Nov.			Jan. to Nov.
United Kingdom	21,248	22,501	18,775	40,182	40,086	33,353	247	208	Not yet available.
Other British Countries.	9,520	10,632	8,640	5,186	5,526	4,728	494	419
United States of America.	8,202	9,317	7,087	3,981	3,413	2,037	122	96
Germany	899	941	887	1,287	1,218	380	3	3
Other Foreign Countries.	4,973	5,442	4,489	3,328	3,180	1,473	26	21
Total	44,842	48,733	39,878	53,964	53,423	41,971	892	747	667
Union of South Africa.‡			Jan. to Oct.			Jan. to Oct.			Jan. to Oct.
United Kingdom	34,426	35,937	Not yet available.	23,296	22,258	Not yet available.	182	232	Not yet available.
Other British Countries.	10,218	10,087		4,017	4,504		2,742	3,318
United States of America.	12,863	15,036		1,579	1,636		16	25
Germany	5,895	5,335		5,874	4,393		16	17
Other Foreign Countries.	14,331	15,696		11,916	12,175		419	593
Total	77,733	82,091	53,393	46,682	44,966	25,040	3,478§	4,305§	2,854

The following statement shows the value of merchandise imported into and exported from the undermentioned British Dominions and British India, during the years 1928, 1929, and 1930, distinguishing trade with the United Kingdom, other British countries, the United States of America, Germany and other foreign countries.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will consider the appointment of a committee to examine the present condition of the rubber-growing industry in the Straits Settlements and Ceylon and to recommend to His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, can and should be taken to preserve the life of this industry, and also to review the circumstances in which the Stevenson rubber-restriction scheme was removed in 1928?

It is not the intention of my Noble Friend, as at present ad- vised, to appoint such a committee or to initiate any review of the circumstances in which the Stevenson rubber-restriction scheme was removed.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will indicate the nature, quantity and values of the chief exports to Russia for the year 1930?

The following table shows the total quantities and declared values of merchandise exported and re-exported from the United Kingdom during the year 1930, consigned to the Soviet Union (Russia), and distinguishes the principal commodities.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs what are the titles of the voluntary or semi-official emigration societies operating in Great Britain with which agreements under the Empire Settlement Act have been concluded; to which Dominion and how many persons of either sex under and over the ages of 14, 21, and 40, respectively, have gone overseas in 1930 and at what cost to the British taxpayer; and bow do these figures compare with 1924?

The following is a list of the voluntary organisations operating in Great Britain with whom agreements under the Empire Settlement Act were in operation in 1930:

• Dr. Barnado's Homes.
• Boy Scouts Association.
• British Dominions Emigration Society.
• British Immigration and Colonisation Association.
• British Legion.
• Catholic Emigration Association.
• Catholic Emigration Society.
• Child Emigration Society.
• Chisledon Army Vocational Training Centre.
• Christ's Hospital.
• Church Army.
• Church of England Council of Empire Settlement.
• Church of England Waifs and Strays.
• Church of Scotland.
• Dr. Cossar's Farms (Craigielinn Farms).
• Dreadnought Fund of New South Wales.
• Mr. Fegan's Homes.
• Fellowship of British Empire Exhibition.
• Fellowship of the Maple Leaf.
• Glasgow Corporation.
• Hudson's Bay Company Overseas Settlement Limited.
• Liverpool Education Authority.
• Local Migration Committees:
• Bristol, Chesterfield, Derby, Hull, Kent, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Northumberland and Durham and Yorkshire, Oxford, Salford.
• 1820 Memorial Settlers' Association.
• Middlemore Emigration Homes.
• National Association of Boys' Clubs.
• National Children's Home and Orphan-age.
• Officers' Association.
• Orphan Homes of Scotland.
• Royal Naval Benevolent Trust.
• Salvation Army.
• Scottish Council for Women's Trades.
• Society for the Oversea Settlement of British Women.
• Southern Irish Migration Association.

Sailings under the Empire Settlement Act, 1930 and 1924 compared.
—		Men, 19 years and over.	Women, 19 years and over	Male Juveniles, 12–18 years.	Female Juveniles, 12–18 years.	Male Children under 12	Female Children under 12.	Total.
Australia	1930	252	807	326	165	237	188	1,975
	1924	10,481	6,346	1,246	672	2,575	2,325	23,645
Canada	1930	8,700	7,702	4,993	1,231	2,096	2,904	26,626*
	1924	2,022	3,173	1,922	567	996	929	9,609
New Zealand	1930	173	485	300	98	132	124	1,312
	1924	2,094	2,364	878	496	986	932	7,750
Other parts of the Empire	1930	5	53	—	4	8	4	74
	1924	—	20	1	5	8	6	40
	1930	9,134	9,047	5,619	1,498	2,473	2,220	29,987
	1924	14,597	11,903	4,047	1,740	4,565	4,192	41,044
* Includes 17,382 persons who paid their own passages at the special £10 rate for British migrants.
The expenditure by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom on assisted migration, including land settlement and development schemes overseas and training and aftercare overseas, was £451,261 in 1924 and £563,062 in 1930. It will be appreciated that the latter figure includes a portion of expenditure in respect of the settlement and aftercare of persons who had migrated in previous years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of companies in default under Section 110 of the Companies Act, 1929?

The number of companies other than private companies which have not filed an annual return for the calendar year 1930 is 816, as compared with about 2,400 at the corresponding period of 1930 in respect of the year 1929.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information as to the establishment in this country recently of film studios by American or other interests; and if he is contemplating any legislation with this object?

No foreign interests have, so far as I am aware, built a studio in this country, but the renting

asked the President of the Board of Trade the estimated percentage of British shipping now laid up and idle as compared with the corresponding dates in 1930 and 1929?

According to the quarterly returns of laid-up tonnage issued by the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom, the net tonnage of British shipping reported as laid up in ports of Great Britain and Ireland on 1st January, 1931, was 1,570,115 tons, the corresponding figure for 1st January, 1930, being 359,822 tons, and for 1st January, 1929, 311,657 tons. These totals represent 12.6 per cent., 2.9 per cent. and 2.5 per cent. respectively of the total net tonnage of vessels registered at the respective dates under Part I of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, at ports of the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The figures for 1st January, 1929, do not include vessels laid up at other than the principal ports, estimated by the Chamber of Shipping at not more than 4,000 tons net.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many horses and ponies have been imported into this country from foreign countries during the years 1928, 1929 and 1930 respectively, and the respective countries from which such horses and ponies, respectively, have been exported?

The following table shows the total number of horses (including ponies) imported into the United Kingdom during the years 1928, 1929 and 1930, and consigned from foreign countries, distinguishing the principal countries whence consigned. Separate particulars for horses and ponies are not recorded in the trade returns of the United Kingdom.

Countries whence consigned.	1928.	1929.	1930.
	Number.	Number.	Number.
Iceland	429	309	179
Poland (including Dantzig).	484	380	425
Germany	236	670	400
Netherlands	321	274	188
Belgium	177	130	110
France	17	223	349
United States	194	213	212
Argentine Republic.	106	96	102
Other Foreign Countries.	27	26	68
Total Foreign Countries.	1,991	2,321	2,033
NOTE.—The figures for 1930 are provisional.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the result of his further inquiries into the destruction of cod nets by foreign trawlers in the Moray Firth; and, in particular, whether he can give any information as to the amount, of the losses sustained by the fishermen, and as to individual trawlers responsible for any of the damage?

So far 23 complaints of damage attributed by the local fishermen to foreign trawlers have been received, and the total loss involved is estimated at about £789. Reports made by the Commander of His Majesty's Ship "Spey" and by the local fishery officers, after investigation of cases, have been sent by my Department to the Board of Trade, who are considering the evidence available for proceedings in foreign. Courts against particular trawlers. In view of the serious damage reported, the Foreign Office at my request sent an urgent telegram last week to His Majesty's Representative at The Hague in order to ensure that the request issued to Dutch trawlers to take measures to avoid damage to the cod nets may be made completely effective. The hon. and gallant Member may be assured that everything possible will be done by the Government to make representations in each case, and I am so impressed with the serious situation which has arisen, and which may develop from the present unsatisfactory position of affairs in the Moray Firth, that I am making special inquiries into the whole situation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the amount of money expended by the public assistance com-

County.			Amount Expended.
			Outdoor Relief.	Indoor Relief.	Administration.	Miscellaneous (including interest on loans and bank overdraft).	Total.
			£	£	£	£	£
Midlothian	…	…	145,338	8,902	3,282	5	157,527
Westlothian	…	…	6,234	35	197	670	7,136
Fife	…	…	22,628	693	25	999	24,345

asked the Secretary for Mines the amount of financial assistance granted by the Government towards experiments in the use of pulverised coal?

About £5,000 has been expended at the Fuel Research Station during the last 18 months on

The expenditure on poor relief by the parish councils in the counties mentioned during the year ended the 15th May, 1930, was as follows:plant for pulverised fuel experiments, and approximately £650 on time of staff and for materials. During the next financial year it is estimated that expenditure on staff and materials will amount to £1,500.

asked the Minister of Health which local authorities have established a crematorium under the Act of 1902, and the total number of cremations that have taken place at each place for each of the last five years available?

I have been asked to reply to this question. Crematoria have been established under the Cremation Act, 1902, by the following local authorities in England:

City of London.	Leicester.
Bradford.	Liverpool.
Brighton.	Nottingham.
Ipswich.	Sheffield.
Hull.	Pontypridd.
Leeds.

I have no official information as to the number of cremations performed in each of the crematoria concerned, but the report of the Cremation Society for the year 1929 gives the following statistics in respect of the years 1925–9:

—	1925.	1926.	1927.	1928.	1929.
City of London	66	84	95	103	99
Bradford	32	32	50	45	47
Ipswich*	—	—	—	2	37
Hull	42	55	70	72	97
Leeds	48	40	59	60	66
Leicester	57	70	68	61	124
Liverpool	75	96	101	103	103
Sheffield	48	43	57	51	81
Pontypridd	14	13	22	20	28
* Opened in 1928.
The crematoria at Brighton and Nottingham were opened in 1930.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that threshing machine proprietors are being required to take out insurance policies, not only in respect to third-party risks, but also in respect of the risks of boiler explosions; and whether he will relieve the agricultural industry of the burden placed upon them by the Road Traffic Act, 1930?

I am aware that the user of a steam-driven agricultural vehicle is required under the provisions of Part II of the Road Traffic Act to obtain cover against any liability in respect of personal injury to third parties (other than employés in the, course of their employment) caused by or arising out of the use of the vehicle on a road, including any liability arising out of a boiler explosion while the vehicle is being so used. As regards the second part of the question, I explained on 25th February, in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for the Chippenham Division (Captain Cazalet) that. I understood that agricultural vehicles used to a very limited extent on public roads could be insured against third-party risks in respect of use on such roads at specially low rates.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what naval expenditure has been incurred at Singapore; what is the revised total estimate; and when the naval works will be completed?

The total expenditure on the Singapore Base, including the floating dock, which has been met front Navy Votes to date, is approximately £2,772,000. As regards the second and third parts of the question, I would refer the right hon. Member to my reply of 9th July last (OFFICIAL REPORT, cols. 405–6) and to page 40 of the Summary of the Proceedings of the Imperial Conference (Cmd. 3717). The date for completion of the main works (Jackson) contract is September, 1935.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, seeing that British officers who are seconded for service in the Sudan, and who are wounded on active service operations there, receive no gratuity or wound pension, he will look into the matter and put them in the same position as officers wounded during the Great War?

The hon. and gallant Member is probably not aware that wound gratuities and pensions no longer form part of the post-War disability code for Army officers, having been replaced by the disability element of retired pay. Officers seconded to serve in the Sudan receive exactly the same treatment if wounded as other British officers.

asked the Secretary of State for War the present position of the negotiations between the War Office and the London County Council in relation to the further utilisation of Woolwich Common for the use of the public?

I am still awaiting the proposals of the London County Council.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will cause a memorandum to be circulated again drawing the attention of magistrates to the provisions of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, especially as regards children and young persons charged with offences triable summarily, and urge that first offenders should be dealt with under that Act and avoid registering a conviction?

The juvenile courts are well aware of the probation system, and there is no reason to believe that they do not apply it in all suitable cases. I do not think that any advantage would be gained by a further circular on the subject from the Home Office.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will circulate a memorandum to call attention to the provisions of Section 111 of the Children Act, 1908, so that where it is possible to arrange for children and young persons not to be brought into a court the provisions of the Act shall be complied with, and that where a children's court has to be held, either before or after the usual sitting of the court, children and young persons shall not be required to wait in the general waiting-room of the court with adults charged with offences?

The arrangements for holding juvenile courts were carefully considered by the Young Offenders Committee and the attention of justices was drawn to the recommendations of the Committee in a circular issued by the Home Office on 30th September, 1927. The question has also been fully dealt with in the reports of the Children's Branch of the Home Office, copies of which have been sent to the justices. It is proposed to amend Section 111 of the Children Act, 1908, as soon as opportunity can be found for a Bill dealing with this and other matters relating to the treatment of children and young persons. I do not think that any advantage would be gained by issuing a further circular to justices at present.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will introduce legislation to make it compulsory, and not permissive as at present, for all first offenders charged with an offence which may be tried summarily before magistrates to be dealt with under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907?

I regret that I am not prepared to introduce legislation of the nature proposed. Such legislation would, in my view, place a restriction which would be quite contrary to the general principle of our law, upon the discretion of Courts to deal with every case upon its merits. The powers given to Courts by the Probation of Offenders Act, 1907, may be used whether the offence is the first committed or not; many offenders have in fact committed several offences before their first appearance in Court. Courts of Summary Jurisdiction gave the benefits of the Act in 1928 to more than 85,000 offenders, of whom nearly 25,000 had committed indictable offences.