asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons, specifying men, women, boys and girls, on the Woolwich Employment Exchange for the month of April, 1931?

The following table gives the information desired:

No special instructions have been issued. Subject to any requirements by the local authority, unemployed farm workers registered for employment are equally eligible with other local men for submission to vacancies notified for work on these schemes.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department, what private organisations offer long-term credits for industrial construction in the overseas parts of the British Empire; and whether he has any information as to the volume of such transactions and the nature of the construction thereby encouraged?

I regret I am not able to furnish a list of institutions undertaking this type of business, nor have I information as to the extent or nature of these transactions.

asked the Postmaster-General what proportion of postmen on rural services are now supplied with motor-bicycles and side-cars; and to what extent has this system enabled a better postal service to be established compared with pre-War practice?

About 900 motor-cycles are in use, the majority of which are engaged wholly or partly on services in rural areas. A considerable number of light motor vans are also employed in rural districts, but the proportion of rural services served by motor transport cannot be stated without extensive inquiries. Their use has resulted generally in earlier delivery and later collection, and in many districts has enabled the Post Office to provide a second delivery and collection daily.

asked the Home Secretary whether the experiment conducted at the Chemical Defence Experimental Station, Porton, in August, 1924, involving 92 living animals, was also classified in the annual official Report of the Home Office as one experiment?

These are reckoned as 92 experiments in the Annual Return for 1924.

asked the Home Secretary whether the 131 experiments involving 719 living animals recorded by the Chemical Defence Experimental Station, Porton, during 1930, are recorded in the annual official Report of the Home Office as 719 experiments, or, if not, how are they recorded?

In the case referred to, the number of experiments recorded in the Annual Return will be greater than 719. The precise figures are not yet available, but the figures for each licensee will be published in the Annual Return when it is ready. The difference between the number of animals and the number of experiments is due to the fact that in some of the cases it was necessary after the initial procedure to withdraw a small quantity of blood for examination, and each such withdrawal is treated for statistical purposes as a separate experiment.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can now state the total number of experiments on living animals performed during 1930 with and without anaesthetics, and the number performed for the purpose of cancer research with and without anaesthetics?

As there are a few returns from licensees still outstanding the final figure cannot yet be given. It is not expected, however, that these will make a material difference to the total. The available returns show that 450,744 experiments were performed under the Act during 1930, of which 432,474 were without anaesthetics and 18,270 with anaesthetics. The number performed for cancer research was 25,259, of which 23,964 were without anaesthetics and 1,295 with anaesthetics.

asked the Minister of Health the toal amount of National Health Insurance money spent on spectacles in each of the years 1928, 1929, and 1930; and the distribution of that expenditure between qualified and unqualified opticians?

The total amounts spent by approved societies and branches in England on ophthalmic benefit during the years mentioned were as follow:

				£
1928	…	…	…	276,600
1929	…	…	…	278,200
1930	…	…	…	353,300

asked the Minister of Health if he can state the number of

		Number of houses completed.			Number of houses under construction.
County.		For Local Authorities.	By Private Enterprise.	Total.	For Local Authorities.	By Private Enterprise.	Total.
Berkshire	…	35	—	35	14	—	14
Oxfordshire	…	56	5	61	52	6	58
Gloucestershire.	…	24	—	24	66	3	69

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses in the administrative counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire which have been improved under the Housing (Rural Workers) Act of 1920 between 1st October, 1930, and 31st March, 1931; and the number of houses on which such work was still in progress at the end of that period?

I will send the hon. and gallant Member the figures for which he asks as soon as they are available.

asked the Minister of Health what items went to make up the 10s. 6d. estimated by the Ministry as the full economic rent, exclusive of rates, of a municipal house costing £400 without Exchequer or rate subsidy?

The rent mentioned would he applicable in the case of a house costing £400 financed by a 5 per cent. loan repayable in 60 years, allowing sinking fund on a 4 per cent. basis and about £5 10s. per annum for repairs.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the houses built and the number on which work is still in progress in agricultural parishes in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire, respectively, between 1st October, 1930 and 31st March, 1931, by local authorities and by private enterprise under State-aided schemes and also without State assistance?

Statistics of the number of houses built in agricultural parishes without State assistance are not available. The other information desired is contained in the following table.amount of the payment to local authorities in England and Wales for the year ending 31st March, 1931, on account of loss of rates by derating?

The amount included, in respect of loss of rate income caused by derating, in the new consolidated Exchequer gram payable under the Local Government Act, 1929, as from 1st April, 1930, is, according to the latest estimate, £22,423,000 in England and Wales. Final figures will not be available until certain derating appeals have been decided by the Courts.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of gold in circulation in the world; how much is held in the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Great Britain; and what is the proportion of gold reserve to currency in each country, respectively?

The monetary gold supply of the world at the end of 1929 was estimated, in Mr. Love-day's Memorandum apended to the first interim report of the Gold Delegation of the League of Nations, at 11,179 millions of dollars, equivalent to £2,297,000,000. This includes an amount "in circulation," in the sense of being outside the reserves of central banks and Treasuries, estimated at 756 millions of dollars (£155,000,000), but this is very conjectural.The gold held in the countries named at the end of 1929 and at the latest available date was (in £ millions):

—		December, 1929.	April, 1931.
United States	…	880·3	969·0
France	…	335·1	447·7
Germany	…	115·1	115·1
Italy	…	56·1	57·4
Great Britain	…	147·7	146·3

The proportion of gold to currency in circulation (exclusive of subsidiary coin) was as follows (in millions):

—		Currency.	Gold.	Proportion.
				Per cent.
United States	$	4,244	4,716	111·1
France	Frs.	77,231	55,616	72·0
Germany	Rms.	3,685	2,348	63·7
Italy	Lire	14,797	5,313	35·9
Great Britain	£	349·8	146·3	41·8

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can now give the House any statement as to the date of the publication of the Macmillan report on currency and banking?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for North-East Bethnal Green (Major Nathan) on the 16th April, and to the statement made in a Debate on the Motion for the Adjournment on that day.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount of royalties paid each year to the Stationery Office between 11th November, 1918, and 31st March, 1931, for, respectively, Ad- miralty charts, Ordnance Survey maps, and the reproducing of war photographs by publishers?

I am obtaining the information asked for from the Departments concerned, and will communicate it to my hon. Friend in due course.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the amount of the gross receipts for the calendar year 1930 of the railway companies of Great Britain, distinguishing between passenger and goods traffic?

The particulars asked for by my hon. Friend are:

Railways of Great Britain.	Year 1930.
	£
Gross passenger train receipts	83,700,000
Gross goods train receipts	99,500,000
Miscellaneous receipts	1,700,000
Total railway receipts	£184,900,000

The foregoing figures are provisional, as full particulars had not been received from some of the smaller railway companies when the aggregate figures were compiled.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the approximate expenditure to which the Road Fund is committed during each of the next five years?

The estimated expenditure on Road Fund account during the current financial year is approximately £33,000,000. Expenditure during future years must depend not only on the rate of progress made by some 1,500 highway authorities on schemes in hand provisionally approved, or in prospect, but also on further commitments which may be undertaken during those years.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether any decision has been come to with reference to the proposal to dispose of the site and buildings of the Duke of York's Headquarters?

No, Sir. The question is under consideration.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a vegetarian diet is provided for all who so desire it in the Army?

No special vegetarian diet has been approved, but vegetables form a balanced proportion of the soldier's standard diet.