asked the Secretary for Mines whether he intends to continue the lectures by His Majesty's inspectors of mines to colliery officials and employés in regard to questions affecting the welfare of horses and ponies employed in mines; and whether special attention will

Inspection Division.			Accident rate per 1,000 horses and ponies employed.
			Killed or destroyed in consequence of injury or accident.			Injured by accident.
			1924.	1928.	1932.*	1924.	1928.	1932.*
Yorkshire	…	…	75	70	42	176	152	143
North Midland	…	…	48	42	32	193	149	161
Cardiff and Forest of Dean	…	…	46	37	30	126	108	144
Swansea	…	…	42	29	32	98	81	84
Great Britain	…	…	47	39	31	125	102	110
*Year ended 30th June, 1932.

The disparity in the rates is due partly to differences in the local conditions of the various coalfields, but a special investigation which was carried out last year made it evident that there is a lack of uniformity in the compilation at the collieries of the present form of return.

Subject to their statutory duties, which are onerous and must come first, those of His Majesty's inspectors who have aptitude for work of lecture and safety instruction are encouraged to take part in it, and they do so, often at the sacrifice of their leisure, on many matters, including those mentioned. I am in full sympathy with the general object of this question, and His Majesty's inspectors will continue work along the lines suggested, but I take this opportunity to repeat a suggestion made by my predecessors, that work of this character—particularly among boy pony drivers—could with advantage be further developed from other sources also.

asked the Secretary for Mines the rates per 1,000 at which horses and ponies employed underground were killed and injured in the Yorkshire, North Midland, and South Wales divisions in 1924, 1928, and in the year ended 30th June, 1932; the average rate per 1,000 horses and ponies killed and injured by accidents in mines for all coalfields in the same years; and the reasons for any disparity among the rates?

The particulars are as follow:I have at present under consideration a revision of the form in order that ambiguities may be removed and comparison facilitated.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether, in view of the statement made in the 1931 report of the Cardiff divisional inspector of mines as to the quantity of coal-dust produced, particularly in the steam-coal pits of this division, and the necessity to treat all roads with a layer of inert dust, he will make an inquiry as to the effect that coal-dust and inert stone-dust has upon the lungs of the horses employed; and whether these dusts tend to cause any affection or give rise to broken wind?

Such inquiry has already been made, including post-mortem examinations of the lungs of horses employed in mines in different parts of the country (including South Wales). It has revealed no evidence of the lungs of horses being adversely affected by stone-dust or coal-dust.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the remarks in the last report of the Cardiff divisional inspector of mines to the effect that, generally, road-laying in the mines of that division receives nothing like the attention it deserves as the frequent derailment of trams affords evidence, and that roads tend too often to become mere tracks rind a frequent cause of accidents, refer to horse-haulage roads as well as to rope-haulage roads; and whether special steps may be taken to see that the suggestions of the divisional inspector are carried out in regard to horse-haulage roads, particularly in view of the reminders of the divisional inspector as to the heavy nature of the work done by horses in the mines of South Wales?

The remarks quoted by my hon. Friend apply to all types of haulage road in the division referred to. The condition of these haulage roads is already being given the special attention of the divisional inspector and his staff, and that is the reason why he dealt with the matter in such detail in his annual report.

asked the Secretary for Mines if he will issue instructions to prohibit the use of metal rivets in the repairing of the harness of horses used in some mines of South Wales, as recommended by the last report of the Cardiff divisional inspector, on the ground that such rivets may bend and chafe the skins of the horses; and will he couple instructions to ensure that all collars and breechings used shall be dry and in proper condition and properly fitting in every case?

These matters are already governed by the existing law, which provides that no horse may be worked otherwise than with harness properly fitting and in good condition, and that any defect in the harness likely to cause pain or injury to the horse must be at once reported to the proper quarter. In the event of such a report having been made, that horse may not go out to work again until authority is given by the manager or under manager. The observance of these requirements, as of the many other requirements of the law, receives the constant attention of His Majesty's inspectors.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the general pamphlet setting out directions suitable for the care and treatment of horses and ponies in the mines of the various coalfields that was mentioned to a joint deputation in March, 1931, has now been completed; and if it will soon be published by his Department?

The preparation of a pamphlet for horse and pony drivers was attempted, but it was not found possible to frame in general terms a pamphlet sufficiently explicit to be really effective. Attention has been turned therefore to the development of measures taken locally with the same object in view.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1) what is the present number of Customs officials at Harwich and how this number compares with the number employed in September, 1931; what is the present ratio of the cost of passing imports through the Customs at this port to the value of the goods imported; and how such ratio compares with that of January of this year;(2) what is the approximate ratio of the cost of Customs collection to the value of goods imported into the country; and how such ratio compares with the average in 1929 and 1930?

The present number of Customs officials at Harwich is 151, as compared with 108 in Sep- tember, 1931. The staff of the Department of Customs and Excise is engaged upon the collection of both Customs and Excise duties, and information as to the separate cost of the collection of Customs duties could not readily be obtained. A comparison of costs with the values of goods imported could only be misleading, but I may say that the costs of collection of Customs and Excise duties is estimated at 1.71 per cent. of the estimated revenue for this year as compared with 1.76 per cent. in 1931–32, and 1.88 per cent. in 1930–31.

Description.				1913.		1931.		1932.
				s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Cherries	…	…	…	46	0	44	9	73	9
Gooseberries	…	…	…	15	6	25	0	32	3
Plums*:—
Egg	…	…	…	10	3	14	9	26	3
Rivers Early	…	…	…	25	9	35	6	42	9
Victoria	…	…	…	21	6	42	0	51	6
* The prices for plums relate to August only.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received any reports regarding the testing of the Spahlinger vaccine on cattle in this country; and whether any conclusions have been reached regarding that vaccine as a preventive of tuberculosis?

I have seen the report of the trial of Mr. Spahlinger's vaccine which was carried out in 1929–30. After his public announcement at the beginning of this year as to the method of preparation of his vaccine, Mr. Spahlinger was invited and agreed to supply vaccine for independent test in this country. Arrangements are now in progress for the test, concerning which the Ministry is in communication with Mr. Spablinger; and it will be undertaken as soon as the supply of vaccine arrives.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the number of bulk barrels of beer produced in England and Scotland, respectively, during the year ended 31st March, 1932, and the average specific gravity for the said countries and for Great Britain?