asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a change has recently been made in the practice of supplying Royal Fleet Auxiliary oilers with fresh and dry ships' provisions during their stay in port and for their voyages, and that the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes are thus entering into competition with private traders for the supply of these stores; and whether, seeing that the Navy, Army, and Air Force Institutes have a preferential position over private traders, he proposes to discontinue the new practice which must detrimentally affect the local traders in naval ports?

When the Admiralty are responsible for the provision and cost of messing, we supply these vessels through the ordinary victualling arrangements of the Fleet or by purchase from the institutes referred to. The crews of the large number of vessels who provide their own messing buy where they like, but are not supplied by the institutes. I do not consider that any change is required.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, seeing that many of His Majesty's ships are about to be transferred to the disposal list and with a view to increasing employment in His Majesty's Dockyards, he will arrange for the breaking-up of the condemned warships to be carried out in the Royal Dockyards?

The question of breaking-up condemned warships in His Majesty's Dockyards has been recently fully investigated, and it has been decided that the carrying out of this work in these establishments is not at present a desirable or an economical proposition. Moreover, the Royal Dockyards do not require work of this description at the present time.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of ships in His Majesty's Navy that have now been fitted with sound-film apparatus, and whether these machines are of British or foreign manufacture?

I have no further information on this subject beyond that furnished in my previous replies. I understand that the investigations into the subject are not yet completed.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that large quantities of home-grown potatoes, approved by inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture, are now available for victualling the Royal Navy; and whether any offers have been received by the Admiralty of such potatoes?

A Belfast firm recently offered to supply potatoes, stated to be approved by inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture, Northern Ireland, at the same current prices as those at which they are now supplying English wholesale importers. The offer has been brought to the notice of the firm who hold the present Admiralty contract.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether current Admiralty contracts for potatoes contain a clause that supplies must be from home-grown produce; and, if so, whether any and what steps are taken to ensure compliance with this provision?

As already stated in my reply to the hon. Member of the 22nd instant [OFFICIAL REPORT, cols. 958–9], the answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, but in order to encourage such supply there is inserted in the acceptance letters the remark:

"You are relied on to supply home-grown vegetables in fulfilment of this contract so far as they are available."

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that potatoes for victualling the Royal Navy have recently been delivered at Portsmouth in German vessels; if so, whether there was any indication in the bills of lading or consignment notes or other documents as to the place of shipment; and, if so, what was the place of shipment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, the cargo was consigned, not to the Admiralty, but to the firm who hold the standing contract for supply of vegetables at Portsmouth; by the courtesy of that firm I am able to say that this cargo was shipped from Hamburg.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number to which the complement of shipwright officers will be reduced before further promotions can take place?

Approximately 22 shipwright officers would have to be reduced before promotion to warrant shipwright can be resumed in the ordinary course; the position as regards promotion in the shipwright branch is, however, under consideration.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many shipwrights have passed for promotion to warrant shipwrights; and the number of these who have now gone over age for promotion?

Ten shipwrights have qualified for promotion to warrant shipwright, one of whom is now over the age for promotion.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in view of the Amendment to Sub-section (4) of Section 9 of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1925, whether he proposes to amend the regulations governing the award of naval disability pensions so as to admit of invalided naval ratings, whose disabilities are attributable to service, having the same advantages as the injured civilian workman?

The reply is in the negative.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware of the unpunctuality of the air mail to East Africa; and whether he will propose to Imperial Airways, in view of the subsidy they receive, that they should place more machines on the route so as to provide against the mishaps which have occurred during the initial stages of this service?

I am aware that some of the flights have not maintained their schedule time. This has, I understand, been due to unexpected technical troubles, from which no pioneer service can be exempt. Further, the company has been seriously handicapped through delays, for which they are in no way responsible, in the delivery of additional aircraft, but from inquiries which I have made I understand that these temporary difficulties will shortly be overcome.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of cases of small-pox notified in Northern and Southern Rhodesia separately in each of the years 1926 to 1930; whether any deaths were recorded from that disease in those years; and, if so, how many in each year?

As regards Northern Rhodesia, the following table gives the information available at the Colonial Office:

Northern Rhodesia.		Cases notified.	Deaths notified.
1926	…	306	8
1927	…	1,241	282
1928	…	4,042	267
1929	…	3,856	302
1930	…	not yet received.	not yet received.

As regards Southern Rhodesia, I have ascertained from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs that the corresponding figures are, according to the information available in the Dominions Office, as follow:

Southern Rhodesia.		Cases notified.	Deaths registered.
1926	…	1	—
1927	…	10	1
1928	…	255	5
1929	…	431	not known.
1930	…	information not yet received.	information not yet received.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of prosecutions by the Post Office in connection with the failure to obtain wireless licences during the last 12 months, and the amount of fines that have accrued to the Exchequer in consequence?

The number of prosecutions undertaken during the 12 months ended 31st March last for the use of wireless sets without licences was 1,433, and the total amount of the fines imposed was £1,110.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what offers of ancient monuments to the Office of Works have been rejected in the last three years?

According to the records of the Department, the guardianship of the following monuments has been declined in the last three years:

• Aberdour Castle, Fifeshire.
• Bardney Abbey, Lincoln.
• Buckenham, The Hall, Norfolk.
• Buittle Church, Kirkcudbright.
• Dunure Castle, Argyll.
• Dale Abbey, Derbyshire.
• Ffynnon-Fair (Holy Well), Pen-Rhys, Glamorgan.
• Kilneuair Church, Argyll.
• Loughor Castle, Glamorgan.
• Lymore, Montgomery.
• Pant-y-Saer Dolmen, Anglesey.
• Paston Great Barn, Norfolk.
• Skelbo Castle, Dornoch, Sutherland.
• Taunton Castle, Somerset.
• Woodhenge, Wiltshire.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the present position of the Anglo-French tariff negotiations?

Country.	Present Customs duties on wheat in shillings per cwt.		Price per 4-lb. loaf of white bread (except where otherwise stated).
			Date.	Original Currency.	Equivalent in Sterling.
					Pence.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland	Nil		1st April, 1931	7 Pence	7
France	6s.	7d.	December, 1930, Paris.	4·33 Francs	8·41
Germany (white bread)	12s.	6d.	July, 1930	1·51 R. Marks	17·78
Germany (rye bread)	—		25th March, 1931, Berlin.	0·655 R. Marks	7·71
Italy	6s.	7d.	End of December, 1930, Rome.	2·82 to 3·64 Lire.	7·30 to 9·42
United States	3s.	3d.	15th January, 1931	32·8 Cents.	16·22
Canada.	2s.	4d.*	Beginning of February, 1931.	26·0 Cents.	12·84
* Rate under General Tariff; the rate under the Intermediate Tariff is 11¼. and under the British Preferential Tariff wheat is free.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give figures of the profits of the companies' and local authorities' gas undertakings in Great Britain for the years 1929 and 1930 and

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which was given yesterday to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Woolwich West (Sir K. Wood), of which I am sending him a copy. To this I have nothing to add.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the rate of import duty on wheat and the retail price of the 4-lb. loaf in France, Germany, Italy, United States, and Canada, respectively, together with the average price in Great Britain?

The present import duties on wheat and the latest information available in the Ministry of Labour relating to the retail prices of bread in the countries concerned are given in the table below. In the absence of information as to the qualities of bread to which the various price quotations relate, it is not known how far the prices shown may be regarded as comparable one with another. Currency conversions have been effected at the rates current at the dates to which the figures relate.the price paid per ton for coal; and similar particulars with regard to the generation of electricity and the production of coke?

The profits of statutory gas undertakings (companies and local authorities) as shown in the Board of Trade Return relating to all authorised gas undertakings in Great Britain for 1929 (Part II, Finance and Prices) and similar particulars as regards authorised electricity undertakings (supplied by the Ministry of Transport) for the year 1929 are given below. The corresponding information for the year 1930

STATUTORY GAS UNDERTAKINGS.
Companies' Undertakings.
Year.			Total Capital (Share and Stock) paid up.	Total loan Capital (including debenture stock) issued.	Revenue Account.
					Receipts.	Expenditure.	Excess of Receipts over Expenditure.
			£	£	£	£	£
1929	…	…	87,793,526	29,264,025	45,420,646	38,377,145	7,043,501

Local Authorities Undertakings.
Year.		Total amount of money borrowed.	Total amount of loans repaid and balance in Sinking Fund.	Revenue Account.			Interest paid on loans, amount of loans repaid and amount placed to Sinking Fund during year.	Net Surplus.
				Receipts.	Expenditure.	Excess of Receipts over Expenditure.
		£	£	£	£	£	£	£
1929–1930	…	71,841,980	40,637,702	22,394,758	18,090,465	4,304,293	3,504,569	799,724

AUTHORISED ELECTRICITY UNDERTAKINGS.
(1) Local Authorities—Year 1929–1930.
Capital Expenditure at end of Year.	Gross Surplus.	Appropriation of Gross Surplus.
		Interest.	Sinking Funds.	Balance, other purposes.
£	£	£	£	£
200,291,250	15,538,862	5,847,449	6,198,557	3,492,856

(2) Companies—Year 1929.
Capital Expenditure at end of Year.	Gross Surplus.	Appropriation of Gross Surplus.
		Interest.	Dividends.	Depreciation and other purposes.
£	£	£	£	£
126,778,903	12,158,128	2,323,106	4,681,725	5,153,297
(3) Coal.
The average cost in 1929–1930 per ton of coal and coke used in the generating stations of all authorised undertakers was 15s. 5d., the amount of coke representing between one and two per cent. only of the total coal tonnage.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many petitions from or on behalf of national minorities have been presented to the League of Nations Secretariat from 1919 to date; how many of these petitions have been declared receivable; how many have been considered by the Council of the League; and how many decisions have been arrived at by the Council?

In reply to the first two parts of the question, it is only since June, 1929, that the Secretariat of the League has been instructed to prepare and publish each year a return of petitions declared receivable and non-receivable respectively. The figures for 1929–30 were given in a reply to the hon. Member for Flintshire on 9th March last. The returns for 1930–31 will be available shortly. Before June, 1929, such figures were not issued, and I am unable to supply them. In reply to the last two parts of the question, the Council has dealt with and given decisions on eight minority petitions coming before it under the ordinary procedure. This does not include 32 petitions relating to Upper Silesia, which are dealt with under a different procedure in accordance with the German-Polish Convention of 1922.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of Recommendation XXIV. of the Royal Commission on Transport that they cannot support any scheme which would involve the expenditure of very large additional sums of public money on the provision of new arterial roads, he will consider the necessity of a concentrated programme for the elimination of level-crossings by bridges and tunnels?

I am fully alive to the desirability of the elimination of level-crossings, but the initiation of such schemes is a matter which must rest with the highway authorities concerned, who are well aware that grants of 75 per cent. of the net cost falling upon the highway authority are available from the Road Fund towards carry- ing out approved works of this nature. All the influence at my command is exercised to encourage and assist local authorities in this work.

asked the Minister of Transport what action has been taken to carry into effect Recommendation XXXII of the Royal Commission on Transport that the ownership of privately-owned bridges should be vested in the appropriate highway authority?

The policy and practice of my Department tend towards the attainment of the end recommended by the Royal Commission. This my hon. Friend will see from the two circulars which I issued to all local authorities and of which I am sending him copies, namely, No. 315 (Roads) dated 17th March, 1930, and No. 356 (Roads) dated 2nd March, 1931. These explain the powers of which local authorities may now avail themselves and the assistance obtainable from the Road Fund.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is in a position to make any further statement with reference to the rebuilding of the bridges crossing the River Thames?

As the hon. Member is no doubt aware, the London County Council have under consideration the report of the Advisory Committee upon Charing Cross Bridge, and pending a decision as to the future of this bridge have deferred a decision as to the reconstruction of Waterloo Bridge. The county council are proceeding with the reconstruction of Lambeth and Putney Bridges, and are also engaged on the preparation of plans for the reconstruction of Chelsea Bridge; new bridges are being erected by the responsible authorities at Hampton Court and Chiswick, and preliminary works have commenced for the new bridge at Richmond.

asked the Minister of Transport whether there is any organisation, and, if so, what, which is concerned with representing at the proceedings before the different Traffic Commissioners the reasonable claims of pleasure seekers and ordinary tourists in respect of the provision of motor coach traffic; and, if not, whether he will consider the desirability of ensuring the representation of this point of view at all inquiries?

I am not aware of any organisation of the nature referred to. The Traffic Commissioners are required when considering applications for road service licences to have regard to the extent to which any proposed service is necessary or desirable in the public interest, and it is open to the applicants and local authorities concerned to argue before the Commissioners that there is a public demand for the service in question and to call evidence in support of their contention.