asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Soviet commissariat, Gostorg, and other bodies domiciled in Russia carry on business wholly or mainly through the following bodies: Arcos, Russian Oil Products, the Central Association of Flax-growers, Black Sea and Baltic General Insurance Company, Centrosoyos (England), Selosoyos, Anglo-Soviet Shipping Company, the Moscow Naroday Bank and the White Sea Timber Trust; and if these limited liability companies have complied with the Registration of Business Names Act, 1916, Section 2?

Arcos, Limited, is registered under that Act, but the other companies mentioned in the question are not so registered.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department the number of firms at present included in the special register and the corresponding number 12 months ago?

The number of firms on the special register of the Department of Overseas Trade on 8th July, 1931, was 2,585, and on the corresponding date last year, 2,569.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what steps he takes to ascertain that the provisions of Leeman's Act, 1867, are strictly observed by persons dealing in the shares and/or stock of bank and discount companies?

This Act imposed no duty upon the Board of Trade or any other Government Department. Transactions covered by the Act do not come before any Department.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will consider the re-enacting of Barnard's Act, 1733, for the greater protection of the investing public in so far as it would apply to dealing in securities for cash settlement;(2) whether he will take steps to prevent organised bear raids upon securities dealt in on the stock exchanges and to institute regulations similar to those laid down by the Treasury for the opening of the stock exchanges in January, 1915, in so far as they applied to persons being in actual possession of securities before giving instructions for their disposal?

I regret I am unable to adopt these suggestions.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will introduce legislation for the London Stock Exchange to be made a statutory body with appropriate safeguards to protect the public against losses due to the methods of the Stock Exchange, so that the public may be entitled to compensation;(2) If, in view of the losses suffered through manipulations of Stock Exchange securities during recent years, he will take steps to prevent the names of Stock Exchange members being used unless the Stock Exchange is liable for the statements in any prospectus inviting public subscriptions?

I cannot undertake to introduce legislation for these purposes.

asked the Attorney-General the present position with regard to the appeal in the matter of the Cater- ing Trade Board Order; and whether an application has been made to the House of Lords for an early hearing, in view of the important public issues involved and the urgency of the situation?

The hon. Member will appreciate that the Minister of Labour is the respondent in the appeals. The appellants have been ordered to lodge their cases on 20th July and 31st July, 1931, respectively, and steps cannot be taken to fix the hearing until this has been done.

asked the First Commissioner of Works for what reasons he has given the private club at present using the golf course at the Home Park, Kingston-on-Thames, notice to terminate their lease; upon what terms the club lease was held; whether he intends to compensate the club for having made the course and maintained it for 30 years; and, if his intention is to open the course to the public, will he prohibit play on bank holidays and Sundays, in view of public danger and to preserve the amenities of the park to those using it?

Representations have been made to me on several occasions for increased golfing facilities for the public in Richmond Park. As it was not possible to provide these in Richmond Park, I have agreed to open the Home Park course for the use of the public, and have given the club notice to terminate their licence, which was held during pleasure only. No question of compensation therefore arises. It is the present intention to open the course experimentally on bank holidays and Sundays.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether he proposes to increase the amount of space now devoted to the playing of games in the Royal parks; and, if so, in what direction?

There is no present intention of increasing the area devoted to sports in the Royal parks.

asked the Secretary of State for India the nature of the proposals of the General Purposes Committee for retrenchment in India in respect of cuts in the remuneration of Government employés?

I have as yet received no communication from the Government of India on this subject, and my information is confined to what has already appeared in the Press.

asked the Secretary of State for India if he is aware of the practice now being carried on in India of passing off German and Japanese cycles and cycle, accessories as British; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent it?

I have received a letter from the British Cycle and Motor Cycle Manufacturers and Traders' Union stating that such a practice exists. The matter is under consideration.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if, taking the average prices this year for crops which have already been harvested, he can state how they compare with the average prices for the similar crops last year?

A number of fruit and vegetable crops are already on the market, but in the case of some of them it is rather early to make a comparison of prices with last year. The prices of gooseberries, cherries and rhubarb are lower than those ruling last year. Strawberries at the beginning of this season commanded higher prices, but at present they are lower than last year. Peas, beans and potatoes are substantially higher in price, while asparagus and Cornish broccoli have been about the same. Tomatoes were lower at the opening of the season, but have become rather higher in recent weeks. Cucumbers also were lower in the early months, but subsequently recovered to about last year's level.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many meetings have been held by the Agricultural Research Council; who is its secretary; how many paid officers has the council and what are their salaries and other remuneration; whether the council has any funds at its disposal for the purpose of furthering its objects and, if so, what amount; and whether copies are available of the council's charter and, if so, where and at what price?

The Agricultural Research Council held its first meeting last Thursday, and I am not yet in a position to answer the second and third parts of the hon. Member's question. In reply to the fourth part, I may explain that expenditure for agricultural research in Great Britain amounts, on the basis of this year's Estimates, to more than £300,000 for the year, excluding grants from the Empire Marketing Board; the Council will in future be generally responsible for advising on all such expenditure. Copies of the charter are not yet generally available, but I am sending one to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total number of horses, including ponies, in Great Britain in 1913 and in 1928, 1929, and 1930?

The returns collected by the Ministry and by the Department of Agriculture for Scotland relate only to agricultural holdings exceeding one acre. The total numbers of horses (including ponies) on such holdings in Great Britain in the years mentioned were as follow:

1913	…	…	…	1,606,587
1928	…	…	…	1,204,198
1929	…	…	…	1,160,278
1930	…	…	…	1,117,669

No information is available as to the total number of horses in Great Britain in the above years, but a census taken by the Board of Trade in 1917, 1920 and 1924 showed that the total numbers of horses (including ponies) in Great Britain in these years were:

1917	…	…	…	2,079,122
1920	…	…	…	2,081,457
1924	…	…	…	1,892,205

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can now make a report as to the progress of negotiations concerning the scheme for the Ouse drainage?

No, Sir; I am not yet in a position to make any announcement on this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether schemes for applying the report of the Treasury Committee on Scientific Establishments, presided over by Professor Sir Harold Carpenter, have been drawn up for any of the following Departments: Department of the War Department Chemist, Royal Ordnance Factories, Research Department, Woolwich, Air Defence Experimental Establishment, Signals Experimental Establishment, and Chemical Defence Research Department; and, if so, whether an assurance can be given that full opportunity will be given to the appropriate staff associations for discussion in accordance with normal Whitley procedure?

Schemes are being actively prepared for applying the recommendations of this Committee to the establishments referred to, other than the Royal

Year.					Died.		Rate per 1,000 killed and died.
					Accidents.	Other causes.	Accidents.	Other causes.
1921	…	…	…	…	16	192	7·57	23·72
1922	…	…	…	…	5	123	3·82	14·89
1923	…	…	…	…	9	114	5·51	13·73
1924	…	…	…	…	12	160	4·25	17·60
1925	…	…	…	…	9	183	4·54	20·05
1926	…	…	…	…	15	164	6·13	15·85
1927	…	…	…	…	13	64	5·69	13·45
1928	…	…	…	…	12	64	5·84	16·14
1929	…	…	…	…	12	60	5·29	16·40
1930	…	…	…	…	13	72	6·35	17·79

asked the Secretary of State for War what was the percentage

asked the Secretary of State for War the number and estimated cost during the current year of persons employed at executive and local headquarters in the administration of post-service payments arising from period of employment, disabilities, or other causes?

The collection of this information would involve considerable labour, and, in view of the reply given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. and gallant Member's question of the 9th instant, I trust that he will not press me to have the figures compiled.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of Army horses that have died from accidents and other causes, separately, for each of the last 10 years, together with the rate per 1,000 killed and died from injuries by accidents and other separate causes?

The information is as follows:of those offering themselves for enlistment in the Army who were rejected in respect of physical unfitness in each of the past 10 years; and the total number rejected in each of such years?

Recruiting Year ending (on or about) 30th September.					Number of men served with notice papers.	Total number rejected	Number rejected for physical or medical reasons.	Percentage of men served with notice papers who were rejected for physical or medical reasons.
1921	…	…	…	…	106,071	58,343	51,021	48·1
1922	…	…	…	…	106,954	64,661	59,736	55·9
1923	…	…	…	…	86,039	53,491	49,550	57·6
1924	…	…	…	…	84,506	52,886	49,245	58·3
1925	…	…	…	…	89,277	56,228	52,207	58·5
1926	…	…	…	…	83,092	52,627	48,800	58·8
1927	…	…	…	…	83,814	54,495	50,396	60·1
1928	…	…	…	…	82,938	51,509	47,552	57·3
1929	…	…	…	…	72,268	43,023	39,359	54·4
1930	…	…	…	…	66,717	39,022	35,425	53·1
					861,676	526,285	483,291	56·1

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will introduce legislation to secure that any persons responsible for the collection of tithe when they have demanded and received payment for tithe from persons who are not responsible for the payment shall refund the money upon application and recover payment from the persons who are actually responsible?

The information is as follows:

Under the existing law, a person who has paid tithe rentcharge to a tithe owner under a mistake of fact, including cases where a landowner has paid tithe rentcharge on demand under a mistaken impression that he was owner of the land charged, is entitled to recover from the tithe owner the amount paid by mistake.