asked the President of the Board of Trade the percentage increase or decrease in volume of British exports and imports, respectively, in 1930 as compared with 1903?

Owing to the treatment since 1923 of the Irish Free State as a separate trade statistical area, direct comparison of the volume of British trade in 1903 and 1930 is not possible. The following particulars, however, will enable the right hon. Gentleman to make an approximate comparison of the kind he desires.ployment; and if he will submit the question of these agreements for the consideration of the committee on restraint of trade?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, but if my hon. Friend will furnish we with particulars of what he has in mind I will consider them.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the value of household furniture Imported into Great Britain from Russia during the years 1928, 1929, 1930, and the first six months of 1931, respectively?

The total declared value of household furniture imported into the United Kingdom and registered during the undermentioned periods as consigned from the Soviet Union was as follows:

Year.		£
1928	…	683
1929	…	3,142
1930	…	11,693
1931 (January to June)	…	1,115

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the surplus shown in Appendix A of the 48th Report of the Comptroller-General of Patents, etc., is funded or whether it is taken by the Treasury as income; whether the estimated pension liability is funded or otherwise dealt with; and what is done

Date.					Men.	Boys.	Women.	Girls.	Total.
1929.
14th January	…	…	…	…	6,784	357	1,105	447	8,693
11th March	…	…	…	…	6,633	289	959	314	8,195
13th May	…	…	…	…	6,199	268	733	261	7,461
1930.
13th January	…	…	…	…	6,543	365	1,114	460	8,482
17th March	…	…	…	…	7,444	374	1,792	416	10,026
12th May	…	…	…	…	7,624	373	1,480	345	9,822
1931.
12th January	…	…	…	…	9,930	603	1,939	479	12,951
16th March	…	…	…	…	10,136	603	2,012	345	13,096
11th May	…	…	…	…	10,042	656	1,884	416	12,998

asked the Minister of Labour for England and Wales, and separately for the seaports, including London, the numbers of unemployed persons in receipt of unemployment benefit

The Patent Office receipts are appropriated in aid of the Board of Trade Vote in so far as they are required to cover the expenses of Patent Office administration borne on that Vote; the balance of the receipts is paid over to the Exchequer and no part thereof is funded. The amount shown annually as interest and depreciation is merely a book entry brought into the statement of account for the purpose of showing the net surplus on the year's turnover. Expenditure on site and buildings is borne on the Vote for the Office of Works, and that for pensions on the Vote for Superannuation and Retired Allowances.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons registered as unemployed in the county borough of Gateshead-on-Tyne at any suitable date in January, March, and May, 1929, 1930, and 1931?

The following table shows the numbers of persons on the registers of the Gateshead Employment Exchange at various dates.and the numbers disqualified from that benefit during each of the past five years?

The following table gives the information desired so far as it is available:

asked the Postmaster-General the number of automatic exchanges which now exist in London and the percentage of subscribers using them as compared with those using the superseded system; and which are the next districts to be taken in hand for transference from the old system to the automatic system?

The total number of automatic exchanges already working in the London telephone area is 37, and the number of subscribers' lines connected with these exchanges is about 28 per cent. of the total number in the London area. It is hoped to open the following automatic exchanges in London during the next 18 months:

Whitehall.	Mayfair.
Southall.	Hither Green.
Acorn (Acton).	Regent.
Prospect (Barnes).	Tulse Hill.
Hampstead.	Wordsworth (Kenton).
Perivale (Castlebar).	Langham.
Byron (South Harrow).	Grosvenor.
	Bethnal Green.
Bayswater.	Bowes Park.
Merton Abbey.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of dwelling houses completed in the county of Renfrew (excluding burghs) during the past 24 months; how many of these were erected under the Wheatley and Slum-Clearance Acts; and the number of such houses at present in course of erection, together with the estimated number of overcrowded and unhealthy dwellings within the county area?

The number of State-assisted houses completed in the landward area of the County of Renfrew during the two years ended the 31st May, 1931, was (a) by the local authority, 8, and (b) by private enterprise, 322. The eight houses erected by the local authority were provided with assistance under the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924. The remainder were provided with assistance under the Housing, etc., Act, 1923. No houses are at present in course of erection by the local authority, but 125 houses are in course of erection by private enterprise. I may say, however, that following upon correspondence and meetings with representatives of the local authority subsequent to the passing of the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1930, the local authority have resolved to erect 388 houses within the county, and the necessary arrangements for the acquisition of sites and the taking in of offers are now being made. The number of houses reported to be unfit for human habitation in the county area is 469. I regret that I am not meantime in a position to state the number of houses estimated to be overcrowded as this information is not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of taxation per head of population in the United Kingdom for the years 1929–30 and 1930–31; the amount of revenue raised under direct taxation and under indirect taxation for the years 1929–30 and 1930–31; and the actual income assessed for Income Tax under each schedule?

The answer to the first two parts of the question is as follows:

	1929–30.			1930–31.
Taxation per head (national only)	£14	15s.	10d.	£15	6s.	5d.
Direct taxation	£434,166,000			£462,781,000
Indirect taxation	£242,615,000			£240,907,000

My hon. Friend will find estimates of the actual income as assessed to Income Tax for the year 1929–30 in Table 47 of the recently published 73rd Annual Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue (Command Paper 3802). The figures for 1930–31 are not yet available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make arrangements to enable motorcar owners to secure a direct six months' car-licence?

I have been asked to reply. Proposals of a similar nature have been considered from time to time, but I have found myself unable to adopt them. The colour scheme, on which the authorities largely depend for checking evasion and misuse of licences, provides a distinctive colour for each current quarter and for the current year or part year. The introduction of fresh types of licences valid for six months would introduce so many complications as to render the colour scheme practically ineffective.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the continued danger to public health involved in the Birchin Lane district of Nantwich, Cheshire, owing to the failure of the authority responsible for sewerage to deal with this matter, which has been previously brought to the notice of his Department; and whether, in view of the report of the Ministry's inspector on this subject, he will take action with a view to the existing danger being obviated and the sewage scheme expedited?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the position here, and on 8th July he sanctioned the borrowing by the local authority of £1,950 for the purpose of sewering Birchin Lane.

asked the Home Secretary how many petitions have been addressed to him by convicts serving sentences of penal serviture and prisoners in local prisons, respectively, during the 12 months ending 31st December, 1930, and the number of such petitions which have, respectively, been granted or resulted in special investigation being made into the case at the instance of the Home Department?

The total number of petitions received during 1930 from prisoners, whether convicted or unconvicted, was approximately 3,440. Many of them related to minor matters of prison discipline or administration; some to events prior to conviction, and some to the sentence or conviction. It is impracticable to say how many there were in each category or how many were from convicts or from other prisoners, or from persons in Borstal detention or preventive detention. They all received due consideration, and in each ease any investigation necessary was, of course, made.