asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that the extension of air-mail services to many outlying portions of the Empire is being retarded through the estimated initial revenue therefrom being insufficient to justify air-mail services; and whether, in view of the advantages to Imperial trade in developing such services to all parts of the Empire, he will consider allocating part of the profit derived from existing air-mail services to the development of new services by means of guaranteeing a minimum payment for the initial period?

The profits on air-mail services amounted in 1930–1931 to approximately £1000, and the air-mail charges on a number of routes have since been reduced. Apart from other questions, no funds are available to carry out my hon. Friend's suggestion.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a letter posted at Amberley, Gloucester, before 5.30 p.m. is often not delivered at Great Wishford until the second post on the following day; why these letters are sometimes delivered first post and sometimes second post; and whether he will take steps to see that all letters are delivered by the first post?

A letter from Amberley, Gloucestershire, should be posted by 5.20 p.m. to ensure its delivery at Wishford, Salisbury, by first post on the following day, although a letter posted slightly after that time may frequently receive equal treatment. If my hon. Friend will forward the cover of any letter which has been delayed, I will have further inquiry made.

asked the Postmaster-General the relative cost of using cement poles instead of wooden poles for telegraph purposes in this country?

On the basis of the only definite offer of such poles yet received by the Post Office, their over-all cost would be more than double that of wooden poles.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the imports of cider for the month of May, 1931, and 1932?

The total imports of cider or perry, not containing added spirit, into the United Kingdom registered during May. 1931, and 1932, amounted to 24,530 gallons of a declared value of £982, and 110,335 gallons, valued at £2,923, respectively.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether is aware of the action of the German Government in guaranteeing advances to German fishing-boat owners for the purpose of encouraging them to continue trawling during the coming summer and early autumn; and whether he will inquire of the German Government their intentions with regard to the import into Germany of British-caught herrings until the end of November, 1932?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to-day by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture to a somewhat similar question by my hon. Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Mr. Harbord).

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what is the approximate cost of changes of station between units stationed in the United Kingdom for the present financial year?

Approximately £13,000.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether the wages of civilian clerks employed in pay offices, record offices, and attached to regimental units, etc., have also been subjected to the cuts which were imposed on the pay of the Army last year?

No, Sir, the pay of these employés is regulated on a cost-of-living basis, and, in common with other clerical employés of the Government, has been subject to review at six-monthly periods, the last reduction having been imposed from 1st September, 1931.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many man days were worked in and about the coal mines of Great Britain in the years 1922 and 1931; and the total wages paid for the two periods?

In 1922, the estimated number of manshifts worked by all workers in and about coal mines in Great Britain was 277,000,000, and the estimated total amount of wages paid £138,000,000. The corresponding figures for 1931 were 203,250,000 manshifts and £93,500,000.

asked the Secretary of State for India how many prosecutions have taken place under the Sarda Act and in what Provinces?

The total number of convictions up to 15th March was 34. I have not received detailed figures showing in which Provinces they were obtained, but 19 of them were in the Punjab.

asked the Minister of. Labour the number of unemployed persons registered at the Acton Employment Exchange in the last week of May, 1931, and May, 1932; and whether the licensing of about 100 German workers to work in factories in Northern Acton has effected any improvement in the number of British workpeople employed in the district?

At 18th May, 1931, there were 2,618 unemployed persons on the registers of the Acton Employment Exchange, And 4,006 at 23rd May, 1932. The employment of alien labour is principally in establishments outside the area of the Acton Employment Exchange. There is no reason to doubt that the ad- mission of these aliens has provided employment for some hundreds of British workpeople, but exact statistics are not available.

asked the Home Secretary the normal complement of the Pentonville Prison uniform staff at the present time and on 1st January of this year, respectively?

The numbers are 87 at the present time and 81 on 1st January, 1932.

asked the Minister of Transport the number and names of new arterial or by-pass roads which have been approved since November, 1931, and to which public money has been promised; whether the execution of any of these schemes has since been suspended owing to the state of public finance; if so, which; and whether he will consider representations from public authorities or residents of localities to the effect that unnecessary road work of this nature is still being carried on?

No schemes for constructing new roads have been approved since November, 1931, and schemes of a capital nature, including schemes involving new construction, estimated to cost about £35,000,000, have been retrenched or postponed. A number of schemes, for which grants had been made or promised prior to the financial emergency, are proceeding at least to a stage at which they can be economically curtailed, but if the hon. Member considers that some further works should be stopped, I shall, of course, be willing to receive his representations in respect of particular schemes and to bring them to the notice of the highway authority concerned.

asked the Minister of Transport what proportion distribution costs bear to the total average cost, including capital charges, of electricity in Great Britain, and the number of electricity supply undertakings disposing of between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 units annually, together with the average to capital carried per 1,000 units sold; and in if he will give similar information to that asked for in the second part of the question in respect of the undertakings selling over 5,000,000 units each?

For the year 1929–30, the position was approximately as follows: The average revenue per unit sold by ail authorised undertakers was 1.38d. and the estimated cost of distribution, including capital charges, was about 0.08d. per unit sold, or slightly less than 50 per cent. of the average revenue. There were 139 undertakings selling between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 units and 215 selling over 5,000,000 units, the average capital expenditures on transmission and distribution per 1,000 units sold being £42 and £21 for the respective groups.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of Customs and Excise senior chief clerks, chief clerks, officers with reserved rights blocking departmental higher clerical officer posts, departmental higher clerical officers, departmental clerical officers (men), departmental clerical officers (women), P-class clerks, temporary clerks, casual clerks, writing assistants, and members of the typing grade, employed in the Customs and Excise Department as at the most convenient latest date; and the allocation of such officers to each office or sub-office in London and in the Provinces?

I am sending the particulars requested direct to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can make any statement for the guidance of trustees as to whether the 1 per cent. cash bonus to he received by them on their immediate consent to conversion of War Loan is to be treated as capital or income in dealing with the beneficiaries?

I am obliged to my hon. Friend for drawing attention to the point. The whole operation is governed by Part III of the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1931. This matter is covered by Section 15 (2) of that Act which makes it clear that the life tenant is entitled to the bonus. The actual words are:

"As between persons having any beneficial interest in a holding, any cash bonus payable in respect of the holding shall belong to the persons entitled to the income of the holding on the day when the bonus is payable."

As my hon. Friend is aware, the bonus will not, in the case of the ordinary investor, be chargeable to Income Tax, and this will equally be the position where the bonus passes to a beneficiary under a trust by virtue of the Section I have just quoted.