asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any agreement has been reached, or is likely to be reached, in the negotiations going on between the British and Dutch Governments as to the restriction of the output of rubber; and, if so, whether the terms of any agreement will be made public as soon as possible?

No such negotiations are being carried on. The second part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has any information showing whether the regulations respecting the import into the United States of America of Soviet timber have been relaxed within recent weeks?

So far as I am aware, there has been no relaxation of the regulations, under which importers of timber into the United States of America from certain districts in Soviet Russia are required to produce evidence that convict labour has not been used in connection with each particular cargo. I have, however, seen reports in the Press that a cargo of such timber was recently admitted on the production of the required evidence.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether His Majesty's Government propose to give any assistance to the Government of Mauritius to meet the damage and loss caused by the hurricane which visited the Colony in March last?

His Majesty's Government gave early and sympathetic consideration to the difficulties of the Government of Mauritius in view of this natural disaster, and they propose to seek the approval of Parliament for the following measures of assistance:

(a) A grant of £5,000 in aid of the relief of distress.

(b) The guarantee by His Majesty's Government of the interest and sinking fund payments of a loan to be raised by the Government of Mauritius and to be used for—

(1) The repair and replacement of Government property damaged in the hurricane;

(2) Loans on security to planters and others up to the amount of the losses suffered by the hurricane by way of damage to property, stock, etc., and loss of growing crops; and

(3) The construction of public works.

The assistance is subject to the condition, which has been accepted by the Colonial Government, that a Financial Commission shall be appointed as soon as possible to visit the Colony and advise on measures to secure a balanced Budget at the earliest possible date, and to certain detailed conditions as regards the advances to planters and others.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many collisions have occurred in mid-air between British machines in this country or overseas in the course of the last 12 months; what has been the loss of life and the value of the machines wrecked; and whether the investigations have shown it to be possible to reduce the frequency of these occurrences?

During the last 12 months 12 collisions in mid-air involving 11 deaths have occurred between Royal Air Force aeroplanes. The original price of the machines involved in these accidents was roughly £50,000, but the actual value at the date of loss is of course very much less; the value of the parts salved cannot be estimated without undue labour. The question of the prevention of accidents is one which engages the continuous attention of my Noble Friend and his expert advisers, with a view to safeguarding by all means in their power the lives of flying personnel. Every individual accident is studied in detail at the Air Ministry with the utmost care, with a view to the incorporation in training instructions of any lessons which may be learnt from it. The attention of all concerned has recently been again specially drawn to the Regulations which are designed to reduce to a minimum the risk of collision.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if the late Flight-Lieutenant Waghorn, the winner of the Schneider Trophy, was engaged upon high-speed experimental flying; and whether it is routine policy to transfer Schneider Trophy pilots to duties of this kind?

The late Flight-Lieutenant Waghorn was engaged upon experimental flying at the time of his death, but not in connection with high speed work. There is no fixed rule as to the subsequent appointments of officers who have participated in the Schneider Trophy contest, and they are employed as may be required in the interests of the Service.

Month.	Men.	Boys.	Women.	Girls.	Total.
Average of 4 weeks ended 24th November, 1930.	2,627	46	2,094	63	4,830
Average of 5 weeks ended 30th March, 1931.	3,033	57	1,968	57	5,115

asked the Minister of Labour the comparative numbers, separately, of men and women disallowed benefit at the Walsall Employment Exchange during each week in April, 1929, and April, 1930, giving the reasons for their disallowance?

Claims to Benefit Disallowed by the Walsall Court of Referees.*
Ground of Disallowance.	Total for 4 weeks ended 14th April, 1930.		Total for 4 weeks ended 13th April, 1931.
	Men.	Women.	Men.	Women.
Less than 8 contributions paid in past two years and less than 30 contributions paid at any time.	11	—	—	—
Not normally insurable and will not normally seek to obtain a livelihood by means of insurable employment.	81	134	35	54
Not unemployed	10	—	54	2
Not capable of work	—	1	1	3
Not available for work	—	1	3	2
Employment left voluntarily without just cause	21	7	11	10
Employment lost through misconduct	10	2	18	4
Failure or refusal to apply for or accept suitable employment.	3	1	3	39
Failure to carry out written directions	—	—	—	—
Other grounds	2	5	60	7
Total	138	151	185	121
* The figures include claims made at Walsall and Cannock Employment Exchanges.

asked the Minister of Labour the average number of men, women and juveniles receiving unemployment benefit at the Dewsbury Employment Exchange for the months of November, 1930, and March, 1931, respectively?

Statistics of the numbers actually in receipt of benefit are not available. The following table gives the average numbers of men, boys, women and girls on the registers of the Dewsbury Employment Exchange with claims to benefit admitted or under consideration in the months of November, 1930, and March, 1931:

Statistics of the number of claims disallowed by courts of referees in each week are not ordinarily compiled. The following table gives the information desired for the four weeks ended 14th April, 1930, and 13th April, 1931, respectively:

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons registered as unemployed at the Borough Employment Exchange as at the last convenient date, showing figures separately for men, women, and juveniles?

At 4th May, 1931, there were 13,486 persons on the registers of the Borough Employment Exchange, including 9,951 men, 348 boys, 3,054 women, and 133 girls.

asked the Minister of Labour what amount was borrowed for the Unemployment Insurance Fund in addition to the Exchequer payments of £35,500,000 for the year ended 31st March, 1931; and, assuming the live register remains the same, what will be the estimated amount to be borrowed, in addition to the estimated Exchequer contribution of £45,342,000, for the year ending 31st March, 1932?

The amount borrowed, as distinct from the Exchequer contribution of £35,500,000, for the Unemployment Fund during the year ended 31st March, 1931, was £36,440,000. If the average live register for 1931–32 remained the same as at present, namely, about 2,500,000, the amount to be borrowed in 1931–32 may be estimated at about £43,000,000, assuming that the cost of transitional benefit is £30,000,000.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if those dockyard apprentices of fourth and fifth year standing in 1914 who joined up in the Royal Navy, Army, or Territorial Force are eligible or entitled during their service to receive dockyard half or other pay due to journeymen or the half pay of apprentices?

I assume that the hon. Member's question has reference to the rate of civil pay issuable to dockyard apprentices who enlisted in His Majesty's Forces during the late War, and whose periods of apprenticeship expired while they were so serving. These employés continued to receive civil pay, if eligible for such, at the rates applicable to apprentices.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is yet in a position to state when he proposes to give effect to the report of the Deer Forest Commission of 1921?

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to my reply to the question of the hon. Member for Kincardine and Western Aberdeen (Mr. Scott) on 20th April, in which I stated that while fully appreciating the importance of this matter, in view of the Government's programme. I cannot give any undertaking in the meantime as to when I may be able to introduce legislation on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any experiments in crop-drying have recently been carried out by the agricultural colleges in Scotland; and, if so, with what degree of success?

Experiments in crop-drying have been carried out by the agricultural colleges in Scotland from time to time, but so far the results have not been satisfactory. The Department of Agriculture for Scotland are at present in communication with the Advisory Committee on Agricultural Machinery appointed last year by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and also with the Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Oxford, with a view to considering the possibility of further research on the subject.

asked the Home Secretary whether any provisional Orders have been made under Section 45 of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1925; and, if so, the trades or industries in respect of which such Orders have been made?

No Order has been made under the Section in question, or under the provisions of the Act of 1906 which the Section re-enacted. The inquiry in the latter part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the fact that over £1,000,000 worth of foreign door and window frames was imported in each of the last three years, he will now reconsider the previous decision and take steps to institute some system of bulk-tendering for British steel door and window frames for use in local authorities' housing schemes?

Local Authority.		Number of houses completed between 1st January, 1919, and 31st March, 1931, under the—				Total.
Local Authority.		Housing, Town Planning, etc., Act, 1919.	Housing, etc., Act, 1923.	Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924.	Housing Act, 1930.
Pontefract T.C.	…	316	34	332	—	682
Goole U.D.C.	…	47	53	274	—	374
Knottingley U.D.C.	…	42	—	48	—	90
Castleford U.D.C.	…	35	—	—	—	35

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Prices of Building Materials for the period ended March, 1931, shows that the prices of bricks in Leeds and Birmingham have not decreased since 1924 in spite of the general fall in prices; and whether he can now state what action he proposes to take to ensure the lowest practicable prices of building materials?

Yes, Sir. I understand, however, that in Birmingham the price of bricks has since fallen by 5s. per 1,000. As regards the second part of the question, I have asked the Inter-Departmental Committee on the Prices of Building Materials to undertake an inquiry into the present position.

asked the Minister of Health the percentage increase or

I am aware of the facts to which my hon. Friend refers, but am still unconvinced that any such arrangements as he has in mind would be practicable.

asked the Minister of Health the number of houses built under each of the Housing Acts by the Pontefract Borough Council and by the urban district councils of Goole, Knottingley and Castleford, respectively?

The following statement contains the desired particulars:decrease in deaths from cancer each year since the Imperial Cancer Research Fund was started, taking the figures for the first year as a basis?

My hon. Friend will understand that it is impossible for me to answer his question in the precise form in which he asks it. I can, however, inform him what the percentage increase has been in the certificates of cause of deaths classified to cancer in England and Wales in each of the years from 1903 to 1930 as compared with the number of deaths registered and so classified in the year 1902. The figures are as follow:

1903	…	…	…	4.37
1904	…	…	…	6.49
1905	…	…	…	8.43
1906	…	…	…	13.62
1907	…	…	…	13.90
1903	…	…	…	17.38
1909	…	…	…	22.18
1910	…	…	…	24.16
1911	…	…	…	28.81
1912	…	…	…	33.91

1913	…	…	…	39.71
1914	…	…	…	41.78
1915	…	…	…	42.96
1916	…	…	…	45.77
1917	…	…	…	47.67
1918	…	…	…	47.92
1919	…	…	…	51.21
1920	…	…	…	56.74
1921	…	…	…	65.12
1922	…	…	…	68.28
1923	…	…	…	74.61
1924	…	…	…	80.79
1925	…	…	…	86.35
1926	…	…	…	90.94
1927	…	…	…	94.02
1928	…	…	…	101.83
1929	…	…	…	104.13
1930	…	…	…	107.67
				(based on provisional figures).

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered the complaints made to him regarding the supply of coal in 1928 and 1929 to Park-side Mental Asylum, Cheshire; and, if so, what action he has taken to investigate the charges?

The matter to which my hon. Friend refers was not the subject of complaints to my Department, but I understand that an investigation was conducted on behalf of the County Mental Hospital Committee, and that as a result arrangements were made to obviate a recurrence of certain irregularities which had occurred.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is "ware that in the West Ham district some of the persons engaged on the recent Census as enumerators only received £3 10s. 3d. for three weeks' service; and whether this scale of remuneration was in accordance with his instructions?

I have no knowledge of the cases to which my hon. Friend refers, but if he will give me particulars, I will make inquiries.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a number of unemployed who assisted as enumerators at the recent Census were disallowed benefit from the Employment Exchange; that these people have been told they will not be paid for their work as enumerators until the returns have been checked, which will not be until the end of June; and whether he can make some arrangement by which the work that has been performed will be paid for at a much earlier date?

With regard to the first part of the question, the hon. Member should address an inquiry to the Minister of Labour. With regard to the latter part of the question, so far as it relates to England and Wales, advance payment has already been made to each enumerator of the fixed fee of £2 which forms part of the remuneration due to him. The balance will be paid as soon as possible: but I cannot hold out any hope that payment can be made until it has been ascertained that the work has been properly done and the figures upon which the balance is calculated have been examined and verified.

asked the Minister of Health the nature of the task work now being generally insisted on by public assistance committees in the case of able-bodied men receiving outdoor relief; whether there are any public assistance committees which do not impose any such task work; and what are the specific recommendations of the Ministry as to what this task should be and for how long it should last?

As regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member generally to the special report on test work (Cmd. 3585) published in May, 1930. Since the date of that report, the new public assistance authorities, while to a large extent continuing the same types of test work, have made substantial progress in the development of the training and instructional side and reducing the amount of useless mechanical work. As regards the second part of the question, the number of authorities which do not require any form of work from any men receiving outdoor relief is 24. As regards the last part of the question, the Relief Regulation Order, 1930, provides that the work, training and instruction shall be suitable to the age, physical capacity and intelligence of the several classes of able-bodied men, and I have, by means of circulars and correspondence, laid particular stress on the importance of the training and educational side. As regards the duration of the work or training, I have made no specific recommendation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of State demonstration farms in existence in this country; whether any of the Dominions possess such farms; and, if so, how many?

There are no State demonstration farms in this country. Apart, however, from farms attached to research institutes, there are how 33 farms in England and Wales conducted by universities, county councils and similar bodies, with aid from my right hon. Friend's Department, for educational and demonstrational purposes. So far as my right hon. Friend's information goes, the number of stations in the Dominions either conducted or subsidised by the State for such purposes is as follows:

Canada	…	…	237
Australia	…	…	57
New Zealand	…	…	14
Irish Free State	…	…	5

My right hon. Friend has no information concerning the Union of South Africa or Newfoundland. It should be added, however, that many of these stations, particularly in Canada, are of the nature of demonstration plots conducted by a farmer under supervision, rather than demonstration farms in the full sense of the words.

asked the Minister of Health, for the last convenient date, the percentage of claims or other material particulars concerning the claims of married women on the funds of approved societies under the National Insurance Act; and how these compare with the original estimate of the Government actuary and the basis upon which married women's contributions were calculated?

The claims of married women have not in recent years been separately tabulated, but, in view of the facts brought out in the report of the Government actuary on an investigation into the experience of a representative sample of the insured population (Cmd. 3548), arrangements have been made for the separate tabulation of these claims in the future. In reply to the second part of the question, the report referred to showed that in the year 1927 the sickness claims of married women were 130 per cent. of the provision made by the valuation standard, while those of unmarried women were 117 per cent. In regard to disablement benefit, the respective percentages were 171 and 119. In the case of both benefits, the relative increase in the claims of married women over the previous six years had been much more marked than in the case of the unmarried. For a due appreciation of these figures it should be added that the valuation standard itself provides for a considerably greater amount of claims from the married than from the unmarried.