asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of bankruptcies of farmers in England and Wales in each of the years 1929, 1930, and 1931?

The numbers of bankruptcies of farmers in England and Wales in the years 1929, 1930 and 1931 were 206, 215 and 266 respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the quantity of home-produced beef, mutton, and lamb for the years 1913, 1927, and 1931, respectively, and the quantities of each which were imported from foreign countries and the Dominions for the same periods?

The following table shows the estimated supplies of beef, mutton and lamb in Great Britain during the years named:

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that under the terms of the existing Butter-Marking Order it is possible for cheap foreign butter, to which has been added the smallest quantity of home or Empire produced butter, to escape the obligation altogether of being labeled "Foreign" or giving the country of origin of the bulk of the article; and if he will introduce legislation in order to remedy the grievance?

:Where, under the requirements of the Butter-Marking Order, sellers of blends or mixtures containing foreign butter do not use the word "foreign" in marking such butter or a definite indication of the country or countries from which it came, they are required to use the term, "including imported butter." This indication was among those recommended by the Standing Committee, and the reasons which led the Committee to include it are set out in paragraphs 25 to 30 of their report (Cmd. 3878, 1931). The term conveys a warning to the purchaser that the article is certainly not home produce and is probably not entirely, even if partially, of Empire origin. I very much doubt whether it is practicable to go further in respect of the compulsory marking of blends of butter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the entire cost of Lord Moyne's visit; what proportion of such cost was paid by Kenya and what proportion by the Mother country; whether there has been any protest that Kenya should be charged with the expenditure of an Imperial Commission; and what is the principle of the Government in regard to financial visits of this nature?

Lord Moyne received no fee for his mission. The expenses of his visit are expected not to exceed a sum of £1,150, which is being paid by the Government of Kenya. The cost. of printing his report, estimated at £96, was borne by His Majesty's Government. The elected members of the Kenya Legislative Council recorded their protest in principle against charging Kenya funds with any expenditure incurred on investigations arising out of the recommendations of the joint select committee on East Africa. This protest was communicated to me by the Governor, and I informed him in reply that the question whether the cost of any particular inquiry should be borne by the Colony or Colonies concerned is one for decision on the merits in each case, and that it is not possible to accept as a principle that, because an inquiry may arise on the initiative of Parliament, or as the result of directions from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the cost should therefore be borne by the Imperial Treasury.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether in view of the breakdown in negotiations between His Majesty's Government and the Government of the Irish Free State, he will consider the advisability of referring the dispute to the League of Nations?

As I have made clear in the House on previous occasions, the view of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom is that it would not be appropriate that questions in dispute between Members of the British Commonwealth of Nations should be referred to bodies or organisations outside the British Commonwealth.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how much money has been advanced by the British Government under the Land Purchase Acts since 1885 to tenant farmers in Ireland to enable them to purchase their lands under these Acts; how much money had the British Government to guarantee under the Land Acts passed in the Irish Free State, namely, the Land Acts of 1923, 1926, 1927, 1929, and 1931; and how much money is now due and payable to the British Government for the various advances under all these Acts, having regard to the amounts paid by the tenant purchasers in the Irish Free State through the Sinking Fund included in the Annuities payable by them under all these various Acts?

The total amount advanced in the whole of Ire- land under all the Irish Land Purchase Acts from 1885 to 1925, including the Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1906 and 1911, and the Northern Ireland Land. Act, 1925, was £132,858,456. Of this total of £132,858,456, advances of £9,992,536 under the Irish Land Purchase Acts, 1885–1888, were made from the Local Loans Fund. The outstanding liability for the repayment of advances from this fund in the Irish Free State, both for land purchase and otherwise, was commuted in 1926 for an annuity of £600,000 payable by the Irish Free State Government for 20 years. It is not possible to attribute a definite part of this annuity to the advances for land purchase. A half-yearly payment of £300,000 due on 1st July last is in default. The balance of the advances under the Land Purchase Acts—£122,865,920—has, it is estimated, been reduced by the operation of Sinking Funds to £97,233,052 of which sum £76,443,000 is attributable to the Irish Free State. The payments due from the Irish Free State for interest and Sinking Fund are about £3,000,000 a year. Payments amounting to £1,483,000 due in June and August last are in default. The amount of the Irish Free State 4½ per cent. Land. Bonds guaranteed by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom outstanding on 31st March was £24,226,509.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the presence of air experts on the British delegation to Ottawa enabled any progress to be made in connection with the development of Imperial air routes and, in particular, in that over India to Australia; and if there is now any possibility that an Empire air service to Australia will be inaugurated at an early date?

Advantage was taken of the presence of air experts at Ottawa to discuss a number of questions of common interest. These discussions did not, however, cover the proposed extension of the existing Indian air service to Australia, since this was already—and still is—under active examination by the Governments primarily concerned. Whilst I am not yet in a position to make any definite statement, I aim glad to be able to report that considerable progress has been made during the past few months, and that I am hopeful of early further developments.

asked the Minister of Health the names of the members of the consultative committee of approved societies which were consulted on the National Health Insurance and Contributory Pensions Act recently passed?

The proposals which were embodied in the recent National Health Insurance and Contributory Pensions Bill were submitted to the Consultative Council on National Health Insurance (Approved Societies Work) as a whole. The proposals were approved by the Council as a whole and the consultation did not take the form of eliciting the views of each individual member, though all members were at liberty to express their views at the meeting when the proposals were under consideration. The proceedings of the Consultative Council have always been treated as confidential.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can arrange for a more frequent publication of the Stationery Office Import and Export List as a Command Paper, in view of the extensive tariff changes which have been and are being made?

I regret that it would not appear to be practicable to adopt my hon. and gallant Friend's suggestion, since its adoption would upset the basis on which the annual trade statistics of the United Kingdom are compiled. These statistics ("The Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom") are compiled on the basis of the trade accounts which are published monthly throughout the year, and it is essential for the purposes of the Annual Statement that the classification adopted for the monthly accounts, which is the Import and Export List classification, should remain constant and not be varied during the course of the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give any information as to what proposals have been made to His Majesty's Government by the Government of Latvia on the subject of a contract for the construction of a hydro-electric station on the Dvina, above Riga; if this project has been brought to the notice of firms in this country with the object of securing the contract for Great Britain; and if any steps can now be taken to provide that some portion of the necessary plant shall be purchased in this country?

The answer to the first part of the question is that the Latvian Government brought this project to the notice of His Majesty's Government on 21st November, 1929, and requested that the attention of British firms should be drawn to it. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the third part of the question, I understand from statements in the Press that there is nothing in the main contract to limit the freedom of the Latvian Government in placing supplementary orders where they like. My hon. Friend may rest assured that if a real prospect of remunerative business arises it will be brought to the notice of British manufacturers through the usual channel.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can make a statement on the extent to which the introduction of the quota system in Germany in relation to imports of goods from this country has affected British export trade; and if any arrangement is contemplated with the Government of the Reich to secure better treatment for British goods in the German market?

His Majesty's Government are now examining the extent to which the export of goods from this country is likely to be affected by the early introduction of a quota system in Germany, designed to protect certain branches of that country's agricultural production. His Majesty's Government will further consider in the light of that examination what action may be necessary for the protection of British trade.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been called to the fact that the Soviet Government are about to impose a charge of £2 per grave on graves in which the relatives of foreigners have been interred, and that if such registration of graves as may be prescribed is not complied with graves of foreigners will become State property and will be disposed of as the Soviet Government decide; and if he will take measures to prevent such treatment of graves of British subjects in Russia?

I have no official information on this subject, but I am asking His Majesty's Ambassador at Moscow to furnish me with a report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give any information as to what reports have been made to the League of Nations as to risings against the Yugoslav Government among the people of Croatia, and the reasons for these risings?

I have no information as to any reports having been addressed to the League of Nations regarding risings on the part of the Croats against the Yugoslav Government.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to increase the facilities for coastal and inland water transport?

In the last few years material assistance has been given to developing the facilities for coastal and inland water transport by grants towards harbour improvements and the improvement of certain navigation. Dock and canal undertakings were also included in the scope of the derating scheme on the basis that the benefit of rate relief was transmitted to the users of those undertakings. From these various steps coastwise shipping will have benefited like other shipping. I can only add that in the formulation of any proposals for the better co-ordination of transport the interests of coastal and inland water transport will be duly considered.

asked the Minister of Transport if he will now take steps to prevent the congestion of traffic in the streets of London by prohibiting crawling taximeter cabs in certain areas?

Regulations prohibiting taxi-cabs from loitering are already in force in certain congested streets in the central area of London. A proposal to extend them to other streets led to protests from the taxi-cab trade. I was anxious to give every consideration to their views, and therefore asked the London Traffic Advisory Committee to reconsider their recommendations. I hope to receive a further report from them in the near future.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that tramcars stopping to pick up or put down passengers in congested thoroughfares give no signal of their intention, thereby causing danger to following motor traffic; and whether he will circularise local authorities and tramway undertakings to the effect that all tramcars should be compelled to show a red light at the rear when they are about to stop and a green one when they are about to move on?

Illuminated warning signals are already in use on certain tramcars in London and elsewhere and I am at present carefully watching the result of these exepriments. I do not consider that the use of such signals should be made compulsory at present, and I should not favour the use of a green light when a tramcar is about to start.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the proposal of a private group to build a new bridge over the River Severn at a cost of £250,000 and to recoup the cost by means of charging tolls thereon; whether it is the policy of the Ministry of Transport to permit a gradual reversion to toll bridges; and whether he is satisfied that the proposal is in accordance with the recommenda- tions in this connection made by the Royal Commission on Transport?

I have seen no particulars other than those appearing in the Press, and I should, therefore, not he justified at this stage in expressing an opinion upon the project.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the fact that, when a Green Line coach driver was fined by the Hendon Court on 22nd August for exceeding the 30-mile-per-hour speed limit, it was stated that drivers of the Green Line coaches were under a disability through not having speedometers fixed to their vehicles; and whether he will issue regulations requiring the fitting of speedometers to these vehicles before the stage carriage department issues licences?

The vehicles to which the hon. Member refers fall, for purposes of licensing, in the same category as the London short stage omnibus. I have not up to the present thought it necessary to require vehicles of this general class to be fitted with speedometers. As a first step, however, I have made a Regulation which requires that as from 1st January every vehicle when used as an express carriage (that is on a journey with a minimum fare of one shilling) shall be fitted with an efficient speedometer so placed as to be easily read by the driver.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider the possibility of amending the Road Traffic Act, 1930, so as to give compensation to persons who have conducted an efficient and profitable omnibus service, but who are now being deprived of their livelihood and financially ruined through the refusal of licences or curtailment of their omnibus services?

I do not consider that provisions of the nature suggested would be in the public interest. In the general directions, however, which I issued to the traffic commissioners last December I asked them to have proper regard to any hardships which might result to an individual operator if the services provided by him were curtailed or discontinued.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the reduction of motor omnibus services in the West Riding of Yorkshire and elsewhere is in some cases causing considerable inconvenience to the public; and whether he will consider the advisability of amending the Road Traffic Act, 1930, so that the public demand for an extended service may be met without delay?

When deciding whether or not to grant a road service licence, the traffic commissioners are required by the Road Traffic Act, 1930, to take into account, amongst other things, the extent to which the proposed service is necessary or desirable in the public interest. From my examination of the appeals made to me against their decisions I have no reason to think that the commissioners are unmindful of that consideration.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the existence of a toll bridge at Selby is handicapping the locality in attracting new industries; and whether he will consider the possibility of financially assisting an approved scheme for the abolition of the toll?

I am aware of the existence of the toll bridge at. Selby, but am not at present in a position to entertain favourably an application for financial assistance towards a scheme for the abolition of the tolls.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that registration officers in this country have disallowed Irish peers from being placed upon the register of Parliamentary voters; and if he will take steps to amend the law so that these Irish peers who are domiciled in the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland and are not qualified to sit in the House of Lords may vote at Parliamentary elections?

The matter which appears to arise is one which falls to the particular registration officer to decide, subject to such appeals as are provided by Statute, and the Secretary of State has no power to intervene. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention has been called to the effect of Rule 1 of No. 7 of Schedule A of the Income Tax Act, 1918, which compels tenants of property to be responsible for debts due to the Inland Revenue Commissioners from the owner of such property; and whether he will give consideration to the amending of the Act so that the debtor will be responsible for his own debts and liable to distraint upon his residence, wherever situate, in the event of default?

I am aware of the rule in question. A tenant has, however, a right to deduct the tax on payment of his rent, and I see no reason for any alteration of the law.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of trainees placed in public houses as barmen and cellarmen by his Department; and what financial arrangements are made with publicans for maintenance and wages of such trainees?

No such training is given by or on behalf of the Ministry. I assume the reference is to a scheme conducted by the Association for Promotion of Restaurant Public Houses in Poor Districts. The Department takes no part in the scheme beyond assisting in the recruitment of suitable volunteers, at present numbering 14 in all, from the depressed areas.