asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total tonnage of vessels of the British Empire Navy, excluding trawlers, scrapped and not replaced between 11th November, 1918, and 1st June, 1931?

The total tonnage of vessels, other than trawlers and such small craft, scrapped without replacement is 2,020,195 tons for the naval forces of all the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Vessels building at the time of the Armistice, a very large number of which were cancelled, have not been included in this calculation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if arrangements can be made, or accommodation provided, for the relatives of naval ratings to see their friends off from the Royal Dockyard at Devonport when ships are leaving for foreign service commissions, similar to those granted to the relatives of officers of the Royal Navy?

I understand that the usual practice at Devonport is for ships to proceed to the Sound on the day previous to sailing and give leave to the men on that night, but that, in the exceptional case of the ship leaving direct from the dockyard, such facilities as are possible are already given.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can now say whether the scheme for improving the technical instruction of apprentices in the civil engineering departments in the Royal Dockyards has been decided upon?

In order to improve the efficiency of future foremen of works and-leading men, it has been decided, as an experimental measure, to allow apprentices in the Superintending Civil Engineer's Department of the three principal home dockyards to receive at the expense of the Admiralty evening instruction during their third and, subject to satisfactory reports, fourth year, at local technical or municipal colleges. Not more than two apprentices at each yard will also be allowed, at the discretion of the local officers, to receive six or 12 months training in the main drawing office.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of attendants employed on telephone duties in each of His Majesty's dockyards, respectively; the rates of pay at each yard; and whether there is any prospect of increases being made?

The number of men rated as telephone attendants in the home dockyards is, Portsmouth 7, Devonport 2, Chatham 5 and Rosyth 1. The scale of pay is from 47s. to 51s. a week. An increase of 2s. a week on the maximum rate was given in July, 1930, and no further increases are in contemplation.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the number of men, established and hired, respectively, employed in Devonport dockyard during the months of March, April and May, 1931, respectively?

The numbers of workpeople employed on the under-mentioned dates were:

—	Establishhed.	Hired.	Total.
28th March, 1931	2,882	7,395	10,277
25th April, 1931	2,873	6,989	9,862
30th May, 1931	2,859	6,908	9,767

The figures relate to Vote 8 (shipbuilding and Ship repairing) departments, and are in correspondence with those given in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 6th March, 1931.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the total number of men in employment in each of the Royal dockyards for the quarter ended March, 1931?

The numbers of industrial workpeople borne in the Vote 8 (shipbuilding and ship repairing) departments of His Majesty's dockyards during the last week in March, 1931, were:

Portsmouth	10,579
Devonport	10,277
Chatham	7,489
Sheerness	1,963
Rosyth	199

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if training in destroyers will now be given to ratings who are commissioned in a similar manner to midshipmen, and thus enable them to graduate for command of this type of vessel?

Midshipmen are appointed to destroyers as an integral part of their early training, but not with any intention of graduating them for command of destroyers in particular. The Admiralty appreciate that experience in destroyers will be of value to officers commissioned from the lower deck, and it will be borne in mind when considering them for appointment. As regards graduating for command of this type of vessel, officers promoted from the lower deck will have exactly the same opportunities as ex-cadet officers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the numbers of the personnel borne in the British, American, Japanese, French, and Italian fleets on 1st August, 1914, 11th November, 1918, and 1st January, 1931, respectively?

The approximate figures for the dates mentioned are as follow:

—	1914.	1918	1931.
Members of the British Common wealth of Nations.	152,000	427,000	101,750
United States of America.	67,258	503,792	109,350*
Japan	50,645	64,122	79,567*
France	69,585	80,000	60,949†
Italy	40,023	127,401	46,430‡
*Includes Naval Air Service personnel.
†Excludes 5,256 Air Service personnel paid by Air Ministry funds.
‡Includes Air Service personnel.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the estimated average labour cost per acre of growing sugar beet in Great Britain, including the delivery of the crop to the factory?

An inquiry carried out by the Agricultural Economics Research Institute of the University of Oxford during the season 1928–29, showed that the average labour cost per acre incurred in growing sugar beet was £10 8s. 4d. on some 415 farms over the whole country. The total area to which this average refers was 4,380½ acres. The average cost of transport to the factories of the beet grown on this acreage was £2 11s. 11d. per acre or 5s. 9d. per ton of unwashed beet. Costings were also carried out by the Farm Economics Branch of the University of Cambridge Department of Agriculture on 100 farms in East Anglia in the 1928 season. The total acreage of beet involved in this case was 2,036½. The average labour cost was found to be £10 15s. 4¾d. per acre. The average transport cost per acre was not given, but per ton of unwashed beet it amounted to 8s. I would point out that the cost of transport includes the cost of haulage on the farm and the cost of transport from the farm to the factory by rail, road or water. These costs are difficult to analyse, and I regret that I cannot say what proportion of them should be charged to the account of labour.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the estimated average labour cost per acre of growing turnips in Great Britain?

No survey of the cost of growing turnips has been carried out for Great Britain as a whole, but during the years 1923 to 1927 inquiries on the subject were made in respect of certain groups of farms in East Anglia by the Farm Economics Branch of the University of Cambridge Department of Agriculture. According to the report on these inquiries, which was published in 1929, the average cash cost of cultivating turnips and swedes on a total area of 222¼ acres was £10 6s. 4d. per acre. The average cost of manual labour was £3 11s. 2d. per acre, and of horse, tractor and steam cultivation £2 14s. 2d. per acre. I regret that there are no more recent figures available.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the finding of the Court of Appeal in the case of Inspector of Taxes versus Beloe, the pensions now paid to civil servants will be governed by the decision recorded in this case?

I would refer the hon. Member to the charging words of Schedule E, namely: "Tax under Schedule E shall be charged in respect of every …pension …payable by the Crown or out of the public revenue of the United Kingdom."

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the report and the opinion therein expressed in Circular 1203, pages 65 and 66, as to the desirability of making direct admission the rule at all casual wards, he proposes to take any action in the matter, seeing that in a large number of eases admission can only be obtained through the police or relieving officer?

In paragraph 3 of a circular (No. 1183) issued on 20th March, 1931, I have already drawn the attention of the authorities responsible for the relief of the casual poor to the desirability of making direct admission the rule at all casual wards.

asked the Home Secretary if he will consider a change in the regulations which permit registrars of births and deaths to charge a search fee, however recent the entry, in addition to other charges for a certified copy, seeing that the cost of obtaining copies of entries bears heavily on poor persons?

I have been asked to reply. The charge in question is a statutory one; and legislation would in any case be necessary to amend it. I do not think, however, that this charge presses heavily upon poor people in general, since for nearly all the purposes for which certificates are required by such persons special cheap rates are prescribed by law which are exempt from the payment of any search fee.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he proposes to introduce legislation to fix the periods for the opening and closing of the herring fishing seasons; whether Sunday fishing will be prohibited; and whether the opportunity will be taken of giving full effect to the proposals of Lord Mackenzie's Committee?

The matter dealt with in the first part of the question is receiving the attention of the Departments concerned in connection with the representations recently made by the British Herring Trade Association. The scope of any proposed legislation cannot be determined at present, but I may say that the outstanding recommendations of the Trawling (Scottish) Committee, of which Lord Mackenzie was chairman, relate to matters which are not closely connected with the herring fishing industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider what can be done either to prevent or compensate for the loss of time and money suffered by those householders of Millport, in the island of Cumbrae, who are called for service as jurors in the sheriff court of Rothesay, on the adjacent island of Bute, during the months when the summer communication between those islands is not available?

After consideration of the circumstances in consultation with the sheriff of Renfrew and Bute, I am prepared to approve that Cumbrae should be excluded from the area of selection of jurors for criminal trials in the sheriff court at Rothesay, and an order to this effect is being made in terms of Section 27 of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act, 1838.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether any representations have been made to the Government of Brazil in respect of the recent increases in the tariffs on goods entering Brazil; whether any reductions have been secured; and, if so, on what articles?

With regard to the increased duties now in force on jute, jute yarns, and some cotton yarns, I would refer to the answer given on 27th April to the hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald), of which I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy. In addition, increased duties on wool, wool yarn, wool piece goods and other wool goods are to come into force about the middle of July. As regards wool yarns, the increase is not, I think, so heavy as that which was in contemplation in March, when His Majesty's Ambassador at Rio made representations on the subject to the Brazilian Government. His Majesty's Ambassador has been instructed to approach the Brazilian Government as regards the duties on all these wool products; but I have so far no information as to the results of this further action.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in order to avoid the congestion in the narrower streets in the metropolitan area, he will consider experimenting with the Paris system of car parking where cars are only allowed to park on one side of a street and for a short time and the parking side is alternated daily?

Consideration has been given to a proposal to introduce the unilateral system for waiting vehicles in certain streets in London, but in view of the objections which were made it was decided not to pursue the proposal further at the present time.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of applications for motor coach services in Lancashire which have been granted and the number which have been refused?

I am not in possession of the information desired by the hon. and gallant Member. As regards the North-Western Traffic Area, which includes nearly the whole of Lancashire, as well as Cheshire, North Wales and a part of Derbyshire, the position up to 31st May was that 132 applications for road service licences or backings had been granted and none refused.

asked the Minister of Transport the present position of the work in connection with the Well Hall Road roundabout; and when it will be further proceeded with?

The laying of the tramtrack is now proceeding, and it is anticipated that the entire work will be completed by the middle of September next.

asked the Minister of Transport what conclusions were arrived at by the European Road Traffic Conference under the League of Nations in March last; and what conventions were signed by Great Britain and other countries?

Four subjects were discussed at the conference referred to:(1) A draft Convention dealing with the international circulation of commercial motor vehicles was considered but the conference came to the conclusion that the time was not yet ripe for the promotion of a multilateral agreement.(2) A Convention concerning the unification of road signals was concluded and was signed by the representatives of 11 countries. The British representative, however, did not sign the Convention as certain of the signs agreed upon are unsuited to the special traffic conditions obtaining in Great Britain.(3) An agreement between Customs authorities was drawn up in order to facilitate the procedure in the case of undischarged or lost triptychs. This agreement was signed by the representatives of nine countries, including the representative of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.(4) A Convention was concluded providing for the reciprocal exemption from vehicle taxation of foreign motoring visitors for a period of 90 days per annum. This Convention was signed by the representatives of 10 countries, including the representative of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

asked the Minister of Transport the cost per mile of the upkeep of the main roads of England; and whether he can give comparable figures for France, Germany, Italy, and the United States of America?

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to Appendix 14 of the report on the Road Fund for the year 1929–30 for information regarding the estimated cost per mile of the ordinary maintenance and repair of Class I and Class II roads and bridges in Great Britain. The tables show the estimated cost of England and Wales and for Scotland separately. I have no information as to the comparable figures for other countries.

asked the Minister of Transport the cost of construction of main roads in England; and whether he can give comparable figures for France, Germany, Italy, and the United States of America?

Information in the form desired by the hon. and learned Member is not available, but I would refer him to Appendix 15 of the report on the Road Fund for the year 1929–30, in which information is given as to the cost of construction of roads and bridges in Great Britain. I am afraid I have no comparable data for other countries.