asked the Attorney-General whether consideration will be given to the question of introducing legislation to fix an age limit for magistrates who shall be allowed to sit and adjudicate, so that magistrates of over the age of 80 years or 75 years, or as may be determined by Statute, may retire from active administration of the law whilst still retaining the title of justice of the peace?

The Lord Chancellor does not consider it desirable to introduce legislation as suggested in the question, as it is inexpedient to establish a rigid rule fixing the age at which justices of the peace, who give their services voluntarily, should retire. It is the duty of advisory committees to inform the Lord Chancellor from time to time of those magistrates who are no longer able to fulfil their responsibilities, and when this information reaches the Lord Chancellor such action is taken as is appropriate to the particular case. It must be borne in mind that there are many other duties to be performed by justices in addition to administering justice in court which can suitably be performed by men of advanced age.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when negotiations will be opened with the German Government with a view to securing reductions of the German import duties on British goods; and what have been the terms of the preliminary correspondence?

The present position is that proposals have been sent to the German Government conveying the desires of His Majesty's Government in regard to tariff reductions. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Secretary for the Mines Department to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for West Woolwich (Sir K. Wood) and the hon. and gallant Member for Clitheroe (Sir W. Brass) on 18th February.

asked the Home Secretary the number of accidents, fatal and

Statistics of the numbers of workers employed in the various industries are available only for July in each year. The following table shows the numbers of insured persons classified as belonging to the building industry at July of 1925 to 1930, and the number and percentage recorded as unemployed in Great Britain in January of each year from 1926 to 1931.otherwise, caused by wild animals in circuses and travelling menageries during each of the last five years?

I can only refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Reading (Dr. Hastings) on the 4th instant.

asked the Home Secretary the number of local authorities who have taken advantage of the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act of 1925 to appoint officers to visit places where performing animals are trained or exhibited?

I would remind the hon. Member that the Act provides (Section 3 (1)) for inspection either by the police or by any officer of the local authority duly authorised in that behalf. I have no particulars of such authorisa- tions. In many places the inspection is done by the police. In these circumstances, I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by circularising the local authorities for details of authorisations.

asked the Home Secretary how many persons are at present undergoing detention in Borstal institutions and in reformatories or industrial schools, respectively?

On 3rd March, 1,481 persons were undergoing detention in Borstal institutions. On 28th February, there were 2,103 boys and girls in reformatory schools and 3,889 boys and girls in industrial schools who were sent to these schools by order of Court.

asked the Home Secretary the number of persons sentenced to detention in Borstal institutions for whom there is no room in such institutions and who are now located in His Majesty's prisons?

Youths sentenced to Bostal detention are in the first instance brought to the collecting centre at Wormwood Scrubs for the purpose of examination and investigation before it is decided to which of the Borstal institutions each youth shall be allocated. As explained in the answer I gave on the 12th ultimo to a question put by the hon. Member for Sutton (Viscountess Astor), the effect of the pressure on the accommodation at these institutions is that the time spent at Wormwood Scrubs is in many cases longer than would normally be necessary for investigation purposes.

asked the Home Secretary what is the official cost per head to the State of the boys in the Borstal institute?

The net cost to the Prison Vote of a boy in a Borstal institution was, in respect of the year ended 31st March, 1930, £58 18s. 6d.

asked the Home Secretary the number of persons in the borough of Southwark who were committed to prison for non-payment of rates in the year 1930?

The figures collected by the Home Office are not recorded or tabulated so as to give the information desired.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the names of the members of the purchasing commission who will under the China Indemnity Bill lay out the money in this country in the purchase of railway materials?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hallam (Mr. Louis Smith) on 2nd February. My right hon. Friend is communicating a list of names of persons willing to serve on the Commission to the Chinese Government, but he must await the latter s decision before it is possible to make any further announcement.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether steps are being taken to secure a preference for British materials for use in connection with any part of the refund to China of the British Boxer indemnity which is to be used for railway reorganisation and reconstruction?

The answer is in the affirmative. I would refer the hon. Member to the terms of the Agreement with the Chinese Government set out in Command Paper 3715, and to Section 2 of the China Indemnity (Application) Act.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of minority petitions which were received by the secretariat of the League of Nations between 13th June, 1929, and 31st May, 1930, and how many of these petitions were declared to be non-receivable; and whether he will circulate the list of such petitions?

The number of minority petitions received by the secretariat of the League of Nations between 13th June, 1929, and 31st May, 1930, was 57, of which 31 were declared to be receivable and 26 non-receivable. Petitions declared to be non-receivable are not circulated to members of the Council, and my right hon. Friend is, therefore, unable to give the information desired in the last part of the question.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he has had his attention drawn to complaints of the unsuitability of the old Town Hall, Woolwich, as a Court of Justice; and whether he is taking any action in the matter?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; in regard to the second part, I am not satisfied that the complaints are such as to justify the provision of alternative accommodation.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total sum paid to retired officers of His Majesty's Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively, for the year ended 31st December, 1930?

Excluding cases falling within the administration of the Ministry of Pensions, the-sums were approximately as follow:

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he is aware that in the neighbouring boroughs of Chatham and Gillingham, both supplied with electricity from the Kent Electric Power Company, two distinct scales of charges are in operation with the result that residents in Chatham pay considerably more than residents in Gillingham; and will he take steps to equalise the charges to the residents in both districts;(2) whether he will take steps to see that the inhabitants of the Dorland estate, in the borough of Chatham, who are supplied with electricity from Gillingham mains may be charged at the Gillingham electricity rates instead of the Rochester rates?

With regard to the first question, I understand that negotiations are at present taking place between the Kent Electric Power Company and the borough councils of Chatham and Rochester with regard to the supply of electricity in those boroughs, including an offer by the company to charge the same rates as operate in Gillingham. These negotiations are not yet concluded. With regard to the second question, the supply to the Dorland Estate will be given by the company at the same rates as prevail in Gillingham. Any supply at present being given to this estate from the Gillingham mains is in the nature of a temporary arrangement between the company and the corporation.