asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many shipwright officers are due for retirement between the years 1931 and 1937 on account of the age clause?

The total number of shipwright officers due for retirement on account of age during the period 1931–1937 inclusive is 80.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the cessation of promotion of shipwrights to the rank of warrant shipwright is re-acting to the detriment of shipwright ratings who have qualified for promotion to warrant shipwrights for many years past; and whether, as this tends to discourage this branch of the service, he will restore this promotion?

The question of making promotions to warrant shipwright pending absorption of the surplus of shipwright officers is under consideration.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the number of shipwright-lieutenants borne can be maintained at 11 during the years 1931–32?

It is estimated that after the next retirement for age on 17th June next, which will not create a vacancy, 10 shipwright-lieutenants will be borne for the remainder of 1931 and during 1932, including one shipwright-lieutenant who is supernumerary to the list.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that men who entered as yard boys in the blacksmiths' shops at Devon-port Dockyard, and who have had from 30 to 35 years' service, have not yet reached their maximum pay; and whether, seeing that many of these men will soon reach the age limit for retirement, he will take steps to adjust their grievance?

I am not aware that the case is as stated by the hon. Member. The award of the higher rates of pay is a matter for the dockyard officers, who must necessarily take into account the competency of the individuals as well as length of service. It is not improbable, therefore, that there are some men in all branches who reach the end of their service without attaining the highest rate.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of convictions in Kenya for breaches of the native pass regulations during the year 1930; and the number of boys under 15 years of age included in the total?

I understand that the hon. Member refers to convictions for breaches of the Native Registration Ordinance. The figures for which he asks are not available in the Colonial Office, but my Noble Friend is asking the Governor of Kenya whether they can be supplied. On receipt of the Governor's reply, I will communicate with the hon. Member.

asked the First Commissioner of Works why the road in Hyde Park over the Serpentine has been allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair; and when it is proposed to mend it?

The repair of this road has been deferred for financial reasons, but provision has been made for the service in the Estimates for the current year, and the work will be carried out in the autumn.

asked the Postmaster-General the number of hours of overtime worked by male established clerical officers in the London engineering district of his Department for the last financial year, and the cost of same; and whether any overtime is being performed in that department by such officers at the present time?

The establishment in question comprises about 330 male established clerks, and during the last financial year the amount of overtime worked was about 32,050 hours at a cost of £4,890. The chief cause of the overtime was that the establishment was under constant revision, and that some delay in filling vacancies inevitably resulted. A certain amount of overtime is still necessary for similar reasons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the decrease of British cycles and component parts imported into India during the year 1930 as compared with the year 1929; and what steps he is taking to prevent this market being lost to the British cycle industry?

The attention of the body representing the cycle manufacturers in this country has been drawn by the Department of Overseas Trade to the decreased proportion enjoyed by this country of India's imports of cycles: the Trade Commissioners are carefully watching the position.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can now make any further statement as to the position of the controversy regarding flag discrimination by Portugal; and whether he will call the attention of the Portuguese Government to the effect of the continuance of their present policy upon her commercial relations with this country?

I have been asked to reply. The attention of the Portuguese Government has been called to this matter on more than one occasion. As has been stated in answer to previous questions in the House, the whole question is under serious consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make any further statement on the subject.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any decision has yet been made as to the yard where the second ship covered by the agreement between the Government and the Cunard Company is to be built.

The matter referred to by the hon. Member is entirely one for the Cunard Steamship Company, but I understand that no decision has yet been reached by them.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, if he is aware that difficulty is being experienced in getting ancient Greek and Roman coins through the Customs; and if he will take steps to prevent the delays and interference at present occurring?

I am not aware of the difficulties to which the hon. Member refers, but if he will give me particulars of the importations which have given rise to them, I will have inquiries made.

asked the Secretary of State for War what are the percentages of reduction in the national expenditure on military services in Great Britain, France, Italy, United States of America, Japan, and Russia, respectively, in the year 1930 compared with the expenditure in the year 1924 on a gold basis, excluding the effect of any variation which may have occurred in the purchasing power of the currency as between 1924 and 1930?

I have been looking carefully into the practicability of giving the hon. Member the figures for which he asks, and I have come to the conclusion that calculations which make no allowance for the purchasing power of money either inside or outside the particular country would not only serve no useful purpose but would be uninformative and misleading. It is not, I regret, possible to give figures which would make proper allowance for the variations in purchasing power.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the names of the countries which have now ratified both the Optional Clause and the General Act?

The following countries have now ratified the Optional Clause of the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice: Union of South Africa, Abyssinia, Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Irish Free State, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Salvador, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Yugoslavia.The following have acceded to the General Act for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes: Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Luxemburg, New Zealand, Norway, Spain; and in regard to certain provisions the Netherlands and Sweden.

asked the Home Secretary the number of British subjects who had migrated to British Dominions who have been repatriated during the past 12 months, indicating from which Dominion they have returned and to what extent have they had assisted passages; how many have funds or work to go to; and how many are in receipt of relief?

I have been asked to reply to this question. The number of British migrants repatriated during 1930 was 2,634 from Canada, 218 from Australia and one from New Zealand. Of these, 1,651 in the case of Canada and 144 in the case of Australia had received assisted passages. Figures for the period subsequent to 31st December last are not yet available. I regret that I have no information regarding the last two parts of the question.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the representations from the inhabitants of Laindon and district protesting against the refusal of the traffic commissioner to grant running powers to the Southend express services; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

The company concerned are exercising their right of appeal to my right hon. Friend and he proposes, in due course, to arrange for an inquiry to be held into the matter.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in cases where railway companies oppose the granting of licences to competing suburban and inter-urban road transport, the quality of the service provided by the railway company and the question whether the railway company are taking any steps to give adequate service to the travelling public will be taken into consideration?

Under the provisions of Section 72 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, the Traffic Commissioners, in the exercise of their discretion to grant or to refuse a road service licence, are required to have regard, amongst other matters, to the needs of the area as a whole in relation to traffic (including the provision of adequate, suitable and efficient services, the elimination of unnecessary services and the provision of unremunerative services) and the coordination of all forms of passenger transport, including transport by rail.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any decision has now been arrived at as to the procedure to be adopted for the hearing of appeals against the decision of the traffic commissioners; and will he give particulars?

The Public Service Vehicles (Licences and Certificates) Provisional Regulations, 1931, of which I am sending my hon. Friend a copy, require that an appeal shall be made in writing within one month of the date of the decision appealed against and shall state the grounds on which it is made. They also provide that a copy of the appeal shall be sent to the traffic commissioners concerned and to any objector or to the applicant, as the case may be. The appeal will be heard at an inquiry before a representative appointed by me for that purpose, and all parties concerned will be notified of the time and place at which the inquiry is to be held. The traffic commissioners will not be represented at the inquiry, but will be asked to furnish me with a statement in the form of observations on the appeal, indicating shortly the grounds of their decision and any conclusions of fact at which they had arrived. A copy of this statement will be forwarded to each of the parties before any inquiry is opened.