asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total amount of Sinking Fund applied to the redemption of the National Debt for the 10 years ended 31st March, 1931?

The total for the period was £592,500,000. This figure includes a sum of £110,700,000, representing the net amount applied to Debt redemption out of Budget surpluses, after deducting the deficits in certain years of the period.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the total receipts from Death Duties for the 10 years ended 31st March, 1931?

Following are the figures of the Exchequer Receipt of Death Duties for the past 10 years:

	£
1921–22	52,191,000
1922–23	56,871,000
1923–24	57,800,000
1924–25	59,450,000
1925–26	61,200,000
1926–27	67,320,000
1927–28	77,310,000
1928–29	80,570,000
1929–30	79,770,000
1930–31	82,610,000
	£675,092,000

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that clerks from other Departments are working overtime in the Revenue Department on work in connection with Income Tax to the extent of £3 to £4 a week; and whether, having regard to the number of ex-service men clerks discharged in recent years from the Civil Service, he will arrange that some of these men should be employed in preference to giving overtime to men in full employment?

No clerks from other Departments are employed by the Inland Revenue on overtime. As regards the second part of the question, additional temporary staff is employed where practicable. The technical nature of the work, however, precludes the employment to any large extent of untrained staff, and it is therefore necessary to call upon the existing staff to work overtime.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the Excise figures of the number of barrels brewed in the month of January, 1932, and the amount of Beer Duty collected; and the number of bulk barrels brewed in the same month?

The figures asked for are as follow:

Standard barrels brewed	…	978,700
Excise duty charged	…	£5,215,600
Bulk barrels brewed	…	1,335,500

asked the Minister of Health, whether he proposes to introduce legislation to extend the scope of the National Health and Contributory Pensions Acts so as to include the small trader as a voluntary contributor?

I am afraid that I cannot undertake to introduce legislation as desired by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health the most recent figures showing the result of treatment of tubercular patients at sanatoria in the United Kingdom, with the number of patients admitted, the number who were passed out as cured, and the number where treatment was unsuccessful?

Appended are such figures as are available in respect of England and Wales. Any question relating to Scotland should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Scotland, and any question relating to Northern Ireland to the Secretary of State for the Home Department.The number of persons admitted for the treatment of tuberculosis to approved residential institutions in England and Wales in the year 1930 was 44,517. The number of persons discharged in the same year from such institutions with their disease quiescent was 9,410. The number who died in the institutions in the same year was 5,073. A person who has suffered from tuberculosis is not considered to be cured of the disease until it has been quiescent for five years if it is pulmonary, or for three years if it is non-pulmonary. It is not, therefore, usually possible to say at the date of discharge from an institution whether the treatment has been permanently successful.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to give the House the names of the reorganising committee for the milk industry?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on 10th February to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox). I will communicate the names to the House in due course.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what means are taken to lead local authorities to enforce the distinct labelling of imported meat in the shops, as required by the Sale of Food Order, 1921; and whether he is aware of the laxity of some authorities in this matter?

As my hon. Friend is no doubt aware, the Sale of Food Order, 1921, has now been revoked with the exception of the provisions relating to meat. This portion of the Order has been continued in force from year to year under the Expiring Laws Continuance Act. Power to enforce the provisions lies with the local authorities, and I have no power to compel them in the matter. If, however, my hon. Friend will furnish me with particulars of any cases he has in mind, I shall be happy to bring the question to the notice of the respective local authorities.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he can now state what action he intends to take with regard to the application of designations, such as "Wiltshire" and "Ayrshire," to foreign bacon in retail shops?

I have had this matter under consideration for some time, and, if satisfactory evidence is forthcoming that any person is applying designations such as "Wiltshire" or "Ayrshire" to bacon in retail shops which can be proved to be imported foreign bacon, I shall be prepared to institute proceedings under the Merchandise Marks Acts.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will make a statement before Easter in regard to the policy of the Government on sugar beet?

An announcement of the Government's policy with regard to the sugar beet industry will be made as soon as possible, but I can give no indication as to the date.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will take the necessary steps to make it compulsory for foreign potatoes to be sold in this country by the hundredweight and not by the bag of varying weights, as at present?

I regret that I cannot see my way for the present to introduce the necessary legislation to secure the object which my hon. Friend has in view.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that galloons imported into this country at the present time are being subjected not only to the Silk and Artificial Silk Duties but also to the 50 per cent. ad valorem duty imposed under the Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) (No. 3) Order, 1931, on tissues in the piece made wholly or partly of cotton, with the result that, the total effective duty on such galloons is over 80 per cent.; whether it is his intention that this double duty should be paid on such goods; and, if not, whether he will arrange to take immediate steps to rectify the matter?

My attention has been called to the circumstances to which the hon. and gallant Member refers. The Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) Act, under which the Order imposing a 50 per cent. duty upon tissues in the piece, wholly or partly of cotton, was made, expressly provided that any duty chargeable thereunder upon any article should be charged in addition to any other duties of Customs chargeable on that article. My hon. and gallant Friend will, however, be aware that one of the first duties of the Import Duties Advisory Committee will be to review these Abnormal Importation Duties.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the average wholesale price realised on the market for the butter imported into this country from

—		Average price in
		1929.		1930.		1931.
		Per cwt.
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Butter, New Zealand (salted), 1st quality	…	177	6	137	0	120	0(a)
Butter, New Zealand (salted), 2nd quality	…	173	0	132	6	115	6(a)
Butter, Siberian	…	167	0	131	6	(b)
(a) Provisional figures.
(b) Information not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether information is available on the approximate amount of British capital invested in each of the South American Republics; and if a statement can be prepared setting forth the estimated figure of such investments in loans relating to railways, Government and municipal, banking and insurance, and miscellaneous undertakings?

No official estimates have been compiled giving the information asked for. My hon. Friend may, however, care to refer to the report of Lord D'Abernon's Mission to South America in 1929, and to the more recent report by the Commercial Counsellor at Buenos Aires on economic conditions in the Argentine Republic, which contain some information of the kind in question.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total quantity and value of chemical fertilisers imported into Great Britain from foreign and Empire countries, respectively, in 1930 and 1931?

Particulars of the imports of the various descriptions of chemical fertiliser during 1930 will be found in Volume II of the "Annual

The average prices (wholesaler to retailer) of New Zealand (salted) butter and Siberian butter for the years 1929, 1930 and 1931, according to the statistics compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, were as follow:Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom," 1930. Similar information in respect of 1931 is not yet available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the industrial survey of South-West Scotland commenced by the Economic Advisory Council has been completed; and if the results will be made available to Members?

Yes, Sir. I would refer to the reply which I gave on 16th February to the hon. Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total imports of manufactured and semi-manufactured goods and also of cotton piece-goods, separately imported from this country, British India, and Japan, respectively, into the mandated territory of Tanganyika during the years 1930 and 1931; and what steps he proposes to take to encurage the imports from the United Kingdom?

Appended are the statistics required. All Government purchases of goods, apart from local produce, are made in this country.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he can now make any further statement as to the intended arrangement whereby premises will be provided so that goods can pass through transhipment without undue delay under the Import Duties Bill?

As regards the Customs facilities which already exist for the entrepot trade generally, I would refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the course of the Second Reading of the Import Duties Bill. The Commissioners of Customs and Excise are prepared to consider applications for special facilities from merchants who import considerable quantities of goods wholly or partly for subsequent re-exportation. The policy of the Government is that these matters should be arranged as simply as possible between the Commissioners and the traders of this country, and firms interested should get into touch with the Commissioners in the matter.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the nature of the munitions and the quantity that this country is selling to Japan?

During December, 1931, the value of the domestic exports of arms, ammunition and military and naval stores from the United Kingdom registered as consigned to Japan was £29,648, of which nearly three-fifths was represented by automatic machine and quickfiring guns and parts thereof, and about one-third by high explosives. During January, 1932, the value of these exports was £12,285, practically the whole of which consisted of automatic machine and quickfiring guns and parts thereof.

asked the Minister of Labour how many Regulations are now in operation in connection with the Anomalies Act which have riot received the approval of the advisory committee set up under the Act; and how many minority reports have been received by him from this committee in connection with the present Regulations?

The only Regulations made under the Unemployment Insurance (No. 3) Act, 1931, are the Unemployment Insurance (Anomalies) Regulations, 1931. These Regulations were considered in draft by the advisory committee and incorporate all the amendments suggested by the committee. The committee's report (House of Commons Paper 150) was unanimous, and I have received no minority reports.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons on the register of the Rochester and Gravesend Employment Exchanges at the end of January or the latest convenient date?

At 25th January, 1932, the total number of persons on the register of the Gravesend Employment Exchange was 2,858. The corresponding figure for Rodhester and Chatham was 6,681.

asked the Minister of Labour if he can give some explanation of the entry in Command Paper 17 showing that between 1st April, 1930, and 31st March, 1931, the sum of £44,762 was paid in error in respect of unemployment benefit?

The sum of £44,762 is the amount recorded in the financial year 1930–31 in respect of benefit paid in excess of the amount properly due under the Unemployment Insurance Acts. In the same period the sum of £22,268 (part of £22,479 shown in Paper 17) was recovered in respect of benefit paid in error. Of the £44,762 overpaid, about £29,000 was due to revised decisions given by the statutory authorities consequent upon new facts coming to light. The remainder was due to errors on the part of officers of the Department. These figures should be considered in relation to the total amount of benefit paid in the year, namely, £92,289,145.

asked the Minister of Labour up to the last convenient date,

Determinations made by Public Assistance Committees.
Area.	Total number of determinations.	Total number of determinations, included in column (2), in which the needs of applicants were held not to justify payments being made.	Column (3) as percentage of column (2)
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Great Britain	1,884,074	275,537	14·6
Scotland	353,200	46,059	13·0
Birmingham	37,058	10,231	27·6
Staffordshire Administrative County.	41,763	4,592	11·0
Walsall	6,988	1,315	18·8
Figures showing the average money reduction in each case are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider his decision regarding the request of the national organised unemployed for a deputation to be received to make representations against the application of the means test?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the present amount of the loan by the Post Office Savings Bank to the Unemployment Insurance Fund?

The figure is £74,158,000.

Statistics giving an analysis of the determinations made by public assistance committees on applications for transitional payments are available only in respect of the total number of determinations made, including revisions and renewals, and cannot be given in respect of the number of separate individuals concerned. The following table gives the information available for the period up to 23rd January, 1932.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of clerks unemployed in the London area; and whether any of the clerks in his Department are working overtime for the Revenue Department in connection with the Income Tax?

At 25th January, 1932, there were 13,111 wholly unemployed men and women on the registers of Employment Exchanges in the London Division who were applicants for work as clerks, book-keepers and cashiers. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour the total cost, including interest and sinking fund charges, of State-aided relief works assisted from the Unemployment Grants Committee or from the Road Fund to the Exchequer and to local authorities, respectively, from the earliest available

Grants from Exchequer and Road Fund.
Financial Year.			Exchequer Grants in respect of schemes to promote employment, recommended by the Unemployment Grants Committee.	Payments out of the Road Fund (and during 1920–23 out of the Exchequer) in respect of Special Road Schemes earmarked for relief of unemployment.
1.			2.	3.
			£	£
1920–21	…	…	26,636	513,800
1921–22	…	…	1,698,310	1,693,690
1922–23	…	…	570,046	2,581,283
1923–24	…	…	1,034,336	2,998,629
1924–25	…	…	1,750,102	3,804,059
1925–26	…	…	2,134,836	4,927,283
1926–27	…	…	1,524,006	5,740,941
1927–28	…	…	1,693,373	5,274,737
1928–29	…	…	1,763,108	3,226,975
1929–30	…	…	1,937,617	3,443,320
1930–31	…	…	2,190,087	6,444,237
NOTES.—(a) The Exchequer grants (column 2) in aid of works assisted through the Unemployment Grants Committee are for the most part a proportion of interest or of interest and sinking fund on the capital cost of the works which is estimated to amount in total to about £160,000,000. The capitalised value of these Exchequer grants outstanding at 31st March, 1931, on works approved to that date, was about £37,000,000.
(b) The total cost of the schemes grant-aided from the Road Fund cannot be stated.

Average number of men* directly employed.
Financial Year.			Average number of men directly employed on
			Schemes assisted through the Unemployment Grants Committee.	Special Schemes as above, assisted from the Road Fund.
1923–24 (last five months).			34,492	12,745
1924–25	…	…	36,215	14,573
1925–26	…	…	35,260	18,725
1926–27	…	…	20,044	16,811
1927–28	…	…	11,712	12,506
1928–29	…	…	6,777	9,701
1929–30	…	…	14,239	15,147
1930–31	…	…	43,982	28,764
* It is generally estimated that these schemes have provided an equivalent amount of indirect employment.

It should be noted that some of the works covered by the Tables were in progress after 31st March, 1931, and allowance for this should be made in relating the expenditure to the number of men employed.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons unem-

The following tables give such information as is available:ployed in the various industries affected by the abnormal importation duties at the end of October, 1931, and at the end of January, 1932, respectively?

In a number of instances the industries affected by the Abnormal Importations (Customs Duties) Orders are included, for the purpose of statistics of employment and unemployment, in industry groups of which they constitute only a relatively small part, and in these cases the figures for the group as a whole are not representative of the section affected by the Orders. The industries for which representative figures are available are shown in the following table, which gives the numbers of insured persons recorded as unemployed in Great Britain at 26th October, 1931, and 25th January, 1932.

Industry.	Numbers of insured persons recorded as unemployed.
	26th October, 1931.	25th January, 1932.
Cotton	189,083	155,098
Woollen and Worsted	52,146	41,631
Linen	4,889	3,697
Jute	15,500	14,618
Hosiery	15,102	13,833
Carpets	4,531	3,046
Tailoring	36,461	38,897
Dressmaking and Millinery.	10,076	14,396
Pottery, Earthenware, etc.	23,919	28,963
Hand Tools, Cutlery, Saws, Files.	13,308	12,403
Glass Bottles	5,149	4,961
Oilcloth, Linoleum, etc.	2,337	2,870

asked the President of the Board of Education if he will furnish a statement giving, annually from 1928 to the latest available year, figures of gross expenditure per regular pupil in secondary schools maintained by local education authorities, showing the amount spent on salaries and other expenses, together with the sums received from fees, etc., and the net expenditure per pupil?

The particulars of the expenditure per registered pupil in secondary schools maintained by local education authorities in England and Wales for the financial years 1928, 1929, and 1930, are as follow:

asked the President of the Board of Education what was the net expenditure for each child on elementary education in England and Wales for the year 1930–31?

The expenditure in question amounted to £13 2s. 6d. per child.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether he can give any information as to the future provincial finance of the newly-created North-West Frontier Province, a unit of 2,500,000 inhabitants?

The details of the financial arrangements for the North-West Frontier Province under its temporary constitution are still in process of being worked out, and I am not yet in a position to make a definite statement.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what net expenditure was involved by the closing down of the British Embassy in St. Petersburg and the establishment of a British Embassy in Moscow?

The Embassy house at St. Petersburg was a hired building and the lease was not renewed on expiry. The cost of acquiring the existing Embassy house in Moscow was approximately £40,000, in addition to an annual rent of £4,500 per annum.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what was the cost of temporary buildings erected for the accommodation of the British Embassy at Tokio after the earthquake of 1923?

The cost of clearing the site and erecting temporary buildings at Tokio amounted to approximately £23,000.

asked the Minister of Transport if he can now state when he expects to receive the report of the committee of the Economic Advisory Council investigating the question of the Severn river-barrage?

I hope to receive the report within the next few months.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will recommend traffic commissioners to give greater weight to the objections of railway companies to the granting of coach licences, when such objections are made on the ground that adequate alternative services are available by electrified lines, than to objections made in respect of non-electrified lines; and, if not, whether he will take an early opportunity of announcing his policy in this connection with a view to accelerating the electrification of suburban lines?

I have no doubt that where there are alternative facilities in the form of electrified railway services, the railway companies bring this fact to the notice of the commissioners, and that the commissioners are in a position to give it such weight as they think proper. I do not think that, in these circumstances, any action on my part is called for at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will place in the Library of the House an English translation of the League of Nations official publications, C/741/1931/1, Protection of Minorities in Poland, Petitions concerning the situation of the Ukrainian Minority in Poland; C/144/1932/1, the Report of the Rapporteur on the Ukrainian Minority in Poland, and a verbatim report of the discussion on this report which took place at the meeting of the Council of the League of Nations on 30th January, 1932?

Yes, Sir. I am making arrangements to have the first two of the documents referred to placed in the Library of the House. A copy of the report of the discussion will similarly he placed in the Library as soon as the final text is received from Geneva.

asked the Home Secretary whether the report of the commission sent by the League of Nations to investigate the opium traffic has yet been published in full; and, if not, what is the reason why part of the report is withheld from publication?

The first and second volumes have been published. The fourth volume which contains the replies of Governments to the questionnaire issued by the commission was treated in the first instance as confidential, at the request of certain Governments, but has now been released for publication. The third volume, which will contain the laws and regulations in force in the various territories, has not yet, so far as His Majesty's Government are aware, been completed.

asked the Home Secretary whether, before introducing any further measure dealing with Sunday performances, he will consider the advisability of setting up an inquiry into the whole matter, with a view to consulting all the interests concerned?

The facts are well known, and the matter can only be decided by Parliament itself.

asked the Home Secretary how many persons have been imprisoned on account of charges of inciting to mutiny in the Navy or Army or on similar seditious charges; and whether, if they are not being treated as political offenders, he will take steps to arrange for such treatment?

I presume the hon. Member has in mind the question whether there are any prisoners who, under Section 40 of the Prison Act, 1877, and Section 6 of the Prison Act, 1898, are entitled to treatment as offenders of the First Division. The only prisoners so entitled are those under sentences inflicted for sedition or seditious libel and, so far as I can ascertain, there is no prisoner under such sentence. There are five under sentence for incitement to mutiny. Parliament in the enactments referred to has definitely laid down the procedure for the classification of prisoners, and I could not authorise a departure in these cases.

asked the Home Secretary whether the attention of the police has been called to some of the newspaper competitions now in progress in which the element of chance is the greatest factor; whether he is aware that in one such competition the odds against arriving at a correct solution were 30,421,755 to 1 against; and whether he will consider treating such competitions on the same plane as sweepstakes?

I do not know to what particular competitions the hon. Member alludes, and I should be glad to receive any information which the hon. Member has in his possession. Proceedings have been taken on occasion in the case of newspaper competitions which appeared to contravene the law; but the question whether such competitions are or are not illegal is not for me but for the Courts to decide on the facts of the particular case.

asked the Prime Minister whether he is now in a position to make a statement with regard to the recent reductions in the salaries of judges?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to-day in reply to a Private Notice question by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Central Nottingham (Mr. O'Connor).

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what experiments in mechanisation will be carried out during the current year; what is the estimated cost of these; and whether he will arrange for Members of Parliament to witness some demonstrations with mechanical vehicles?

For information on this subject I must ask my hon. and gallant Friend to await the introduction of Army Estimates.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what British forces are maintained at Tientsin; and what is the annual cost involved?

There is in the Tientsin area, which includes Peking, one infantry battalion together with ancillary troops. The estimated effective cost in 1932 is approximately £170,000.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether any arrangement has yet been entered into between the Mines Department and the National Association of Colliery Managers affecting lighting in the pits; and, if so, will he state the terms of the arrangement?

The Mining Association and the National Association of Colliery Managers have assured me of their firm conviction that improved mine lighting is urgently desirable, but they represented to me that they themselves were taking action and making progress towards that end. They pointed out also that standardisation at the present stage of development would result in fixing a less satisfactory minimum standard than could probably be fixed if they were allowed a further period of unfettered development. Both associations, at my request, gave me definite assurances that they would forthwith take energetic steps voluntarily to secure continued improvement in lighting in mines; and, relying on these assurances, I have felt justified in suspending, for a limited period, further action by regulation. The matter, to which I attach great importance, will be fully reviewed at the end of the year, and in the meantime my Department will watch the position closely, and will co-operate with the industry in seeking improvement along the best lines.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he can give the House any information in regard to the agenda for the Ottawa Conference?

The Ottawa Conference will no doubt deal, in the widest possible form, with the development of the economic relationships between the various parts of the British Commonwealth. So far as I am aware, however, no detailed agenda has yet been prepared.