asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if his attention has been drawn to the diminution in the number of contracts placed with the Royal Ordnance Factories by the Admiralty, the Royal Air Force and the Colonial Departments; and whether he will approach the Departments concerned with a view to securing additional work for the Royal Ordnance Factories?

I am aware of the decrease in the value of the orders estimated to be placed in 1932 compared with 1931 by the Admiralty, Air Ministry and Colonial Governments. As regards the second part of the question, the question of providing as much work as possible for the Royal Ordnance Factories is discussed each year with the other Service Departments and, with a similar object in view, Colonial Governments are requested to place their orders through the War Office.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office the number of employés of industrial and non-industrial grades, male and female, at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Woolwich, on 1st April in each of the years from 1924 to 1932, inclusive?

The figures for which the hon. Member asks are given in the following statement:

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office particulars of contracts given out to private firms in 12 months, to the last convenient date, by the War Office; and whether the Department has any reason to believe that work of the particular class involved could not be done by the Royal Ordnance Factory?

The hon. Member is no doubt referring to the figures which I gave him on 12th May last, and the main classes of stores included in the portion allocated to the trade are given below. Generally these stores were of a kind not suitable for manufacture at the Royal Ordnance Factories, but certain items, e.g., small arms ammunition and tanks were for manufacture both by the Royal Ordnance Factories and the trade. In those cases the trade orders were placed, broadly speaking, either to ensure that the firm's productive capacity should be retained or in fulfilment of obligations entered into in regard to stores specially designed for Army use.The main classes of stores allocated to the trade were:

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office how many military tattoos are being held this year; whether the proceeds are to be entirely devoted to military charities; and what the total receipts amounted to last year after deducting the cost of production?

Five military tattoos are being held this year, the profits of which are devoted both to military and civilian charities. The information asked for in the last part of the question is not available at the War Office, but I will endeavour to send it to my hon. and gallant Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office for what reasons an Army order or instruction has been issued to Army medical officers instructing them to discontinue the use of boracic lint and of vaccination pads, and notifying them that when the present stocks are exhausted no further issue of vaccination pads, etc., will be made; whether this order means vaccination in the Army is to cease; and, if not, whether he will state the purpose of this order?

The decision not to issue further supplies of boracic lint and vaccination pads was made in the interests of economy. Boracic powder and plain lint will be issued instead. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that a general request at the 1932 Portsmouth Port Welfare Conference for the widows of naval ratings killed on duty to receive the widows' contributory pension for which their husbands are compelled to contribute, as well as the naval widows' pension, was ruled out of order; and if he will say how the men are to represent this request, which they consider of primary importance?

The Commander-in-Chief has not specially reported to the Admiralty the disallowance under the Welfare Conference rules of any proposed general request, but I may point out that, as stated in a reply by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health on 12th April last, this particular question is already being further discussed between the Ministers of the Departments concerned.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in the interests of economy, he will consider with the Secretaries of State for War and Air an amalgamation of the victualling stores, service stores, ordnance stores, etc., of the three services in the home ports of Portsmouth, Devonport, and Chatham, as well as a pooling of rifle ranges, recreation grounds, and hospitals?

The question of amalgamation of services common to the Navy, Army and Air Force has already received much attention. The policy of the amalgamation of hospitals has been accepted for many years and has been carried to the utmost extent possible. The services also habitually co-operate with one another in regard to such matters as recreation grounds, ranges, etc. In its wider aspects, the whole question was investigated by the MondWeir Committee on the Amalgamation of Services common to the Navy, Army and Air Force, whose report was presented to Parliament as Command Paper 2649 of 1926. and who found that in such matters as supply, amalgamation would not be practicable nor economical, but recommended a policy of inter-service co-ordination which is being steadily followed by means of standing committees which have resulted in considerable economies.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that civilian messman for officers' messes are carried in His Majesty's Ships "Courageous," "Furious," "Concord," and "Warspite," and paid privately by the messes concerned; whether he is aware that there are suitable officers' stewards, first class, available for draft as officers' messmen; and on what grounds civilians, to whom the Naval Discipline Act does not apply, are permitted to take charge of active service ratings borne for duty with officers' messes?

Inquiries are being made, and I will let the hon. and gallant Member have the required information as soon as it is available.

asked the Undersecretary of State for Air whether he will consider the advisability of restricting all subsidies to light aeroplane clubs only to those pilots who fly more than 25 hours each year?

My Noble Friend is of opinion that the serious financial loss which would be caused to the clubs by this suggestion renders it impracticable.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the evidence given before the recent Royal Commission on Local Government by the chairman of the Boundaries Committee of the Surrey County Council to the effect that rural districts and parish councils should be abolished, how many rural parishes in Surrey are proposed to be wholly and partially absorbed, respectively, into urban districts under the order which is proposed to be made in pursuance of Section 46 of the Local Government Act, 1929?

I can find no ground for the statement in the first part of my hon. Friend's question as to evidence given to the Royal Commission by the Chairman of the Surrey County Council Boundaries Committee. As regards the second part of the question, of the 89 rural parishes in Surrey, 22 are being wholly, and 22 partially, absorbed in urban areas.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will set up a committee to inquire into the working of the grant system and to ascertain what have been the effects of the reduction in the percentage grant?

I am not at present satisfied that any useful purpose would be served by setting up a committee such as my hon. Friend suggests.

asked the President of the Board of Education how often the Burnham Committee has met since 30th September, 1931, and how many meetings of the Committee have taken place this year?

Since 30th September, 1931, there have been two meetings of the Standing Joint Committee on the salaries of teachers in elementary schools, and one joint meeting of the Secondary and Technical Committees. One of the two meetings of the Elementary Committee took place this year.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total number of cases of compulsory acquisition of land for allotments where official arbitration has been resorted to since the passing of the Acquisition of Land (Assesment of Compensation) Act, 1919; the total area of land rep resented; the total rent payable before and after arbitration; the amount of compensation awarded under the various heads; and what proportion of the costs of such arbitrations has been awarded to and against the acquiring authorities?

I regret that the information asked for by the hon. Member is not in the possession of my Department.

asked the Prime Minister which countries have reduced armaments since the War, and which countries have increased armaments, giving the percentage of increase or decrease in each case?

The hon. Member will find some information on the strength of the armed forces of all countries in the League of Nations Armaments Year Book. But he will no doubt be aware of the difficulty, owing to various causes, of presenting reliable figures of comparison as between one country and another. No official figures are available from which such a comparison of armaments could be made.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he has yet received the answer of the German Government to his representations with respect to discrimination against Britain in their quota restrictions on coal exported to Germany; and, if so, will he state the nature of the answer?

Yes, Sir. The German reply cannot be considered satisfactory, but it makes certain proposals which are now under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that there is discrimination against this country when licences are being granted by the French Government for the import of coal from Britain to France; and what steps he proposes in order to gain equality of treatment for this country?

As the House has already been informed, the French quota restrictions apply to coal imported from all countries, but the method of operating the quota and the administration of the licensing system are considered to be inequitable to this country, and representations to that effect have been made to the French Government. I understand that the question of improving the machinery for the distribution of the licences is under consideration by the coal trade interests in France and in this country.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider the advisability of setting up a special committee of inquiry for the purpose of ascertaining the cause of the industrial decline in Scotland and making recommendations for the development of new industries, with a view to providing work for people displaced by the slump in the engineering shipbuilding, and heavy industries?

I understand that inquiries are being instituted by the Scottish National Development Council into the position of the chief industries of Scotland with special reference to the question of industrial development, and, in the circumstances, there does not appear to be any need for the appointment of a special committee as suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the amount of honey imported into this country in 1931; and what was the amount of honey exported in that year from the United Kingdom?

During the year 1931, the total imports of honey into the United Kingdom amounted to 78,228 cwts., and the exports to 7,285 cwts. (including re-exports 6,204 cwts.)

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the names of the territories, other than the Dominions, within the British Empire in which no preferential tariff is given to the products of the United Kingdom?

On 13th April, in reply to a question by the hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain Macdonald), my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies circulated a statement showing the Colonies which give preferences and t)he extent of the preferences given. I am sending a copy of this to my hon. Friend. Since then, a preferential tariff has been introduced by the Unfederated Malay State of Johore, and proposals for preferential tariffs have been submitted by the Governments of Gibraltar and of the Turks and Caicos Islands. My hon. Friend will thus see that the only cases in which preferences are not given are the following:

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of non-civil servants who have been brought into the service since 1st November last; and the aggregate annual cost of their salaries?

Figures in the precise form desired by my hon. Friend are not readily available, and could not be obtained without disproportionate expenditure of time and labour. The six-monthly return of staffs which is about to be published will, however, show that between 1st October, 1931, and 1st April, 1932, there was a net decrease of the total numbers of civil staffs amounting to 2,635.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the rate of interest, 4 per cent., on the postponed debts to the United States under the Hoover plan has been arrived at by agreement between the Government and the United States Government; and whether other affected Governments agree to this rate of interest?

The answer to both parts of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if debts owing to this country and postponed in accordance with the Hoover plan will bear interest; and, if so, will he give particulars of the countries affected and the corresponding rates of interest?

The debts owing to this country which were suspended under the Hoover plan will be repayable with interest at 4 per cent. per annum in all cases on similar terms to those agreed to in regard to the Debts to the United States Government.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount in money of the relief granted to manufacturers, to the last convenient date, under the Derating Act since its introduction?

It is estimated that the occupiers of industrial hereditaments in England and Wales were relieved of rates to the extent of about £7,000,000 in respect of the half-year ended 31st March, 1930. Similar information is not available for subsequent rating periods, but there is no reason to suppose that the amount of relief has varied substantially. The initial arrangements in Scotland were somewhat different from those in England, but the equivalent figure for relief for a half-year was about £825,000.