Written Answers
Electricity Supply (Sir Reginald Blomfield)
asked the Minister of Transport the total sum paid by his Department and the Electricity Commissioners to Sir Reginald Blomfield, R.A., for the last three years.
I cannot find that any payments have been made to Sir Reginald Blomfield either by my Department in connection with electrical matters or by the Electricity Commissioners during the last three years. Sir Reginald is retained by the Central Electricity Board to advise them in matters of landscape and architecture, but I am not aware of the fee he is paid.
Hay And Llangrwyney Toll Bridges
asked the Minister of Transport for what reason the proposed grants enabling the purchase and freeing of Hay and Llangrwyney toll bridges have been withdrawn; what are the amounts involved; and whether he will reconsider this matter, in view of the great convenience which would result to traffic in Radnor and Breconshire if these toll bridges could be freed?
An application for a grant from the Road Fund towards the cost of acquiring the Hay Toll Bridge was made in October last. The application is now receiving consideration, but no grant has yet been indicated. The estimated total net cost is £1,000. I am not aware that any application has been made in the second case.
Department Of Scientific And Industrial Research
asked the Lord President of the Council whether the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research publishes any list of its grants to senior students engaged in scientific research; and, if so, where the list is accessible to university authorities?
The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research publishes annually in its report to Parliament figures showing the numbers of the students in training in research, of the senior research awards and of the grants made to assist in various special research investigations. On page 146 of the Annual Report for 1930–31 these details will be found. On the following page further details of the subjects in which the grants are made are furnished. The Annual Report is, of course, procurable at His Majesty's Stationery Office.
Late Medical Officer, Bristol Prison
asked the Home Secretary the number of years Dr. William Cotton, M.D., held the position of medical officer at Bristol Prison; the dates of appointment and cessation of his service; was he engaged on part-time or established medical duties; did he relinquish voluntarily the post; if not, why was be asked to resign; and was the doctor given any allowance under the Superannuation Acts?
Dr. Cotton held an appointment as medical officer at Bristol Prison from 15th March, 1901, till 30th September, 1927. The appointment was a part-time one, terminable with notice at any time; and it was terminated on the latter date after notice given to Dr. Cotton by the Prison Commissioners. The post was not pensionable, and no retiring allowance was payable.
Consuls And Vice-Consuls
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many consuls and vice-consuls are of non-British birth or extraction and in what countries they are employed?
There are 116 unsalaried consuls and vice-consuls of non-British birth and extraction in foreign countries as follow:—Czechoslovakia 1, Denmark and Iceland 13, Finland 11, France and French Colonies and dependencies 5, Germany 2, Greece 5, Guatemala 3, Honduras 1, Italy 3, Luxemburg 1, Netherland and Netherland Colonies, etc., 4, Norway 20, Portugal 4, Rumania 2, Spain 11, Sweden 10, Switzerland 5, Syria 1, United States of America 5, Venezuela 2, Yugoslavia 2. Included in the foregoing figures are nine naturalised British subjects. These officers are all in the unsalaried consular service.
Chemical Warfare Research
asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what are the amounts spent on chemical warfare research in the following countries: France, Germany, Italy, Russia, United States of America and Japan for 1931–32, or for the latest year for which figures are available?
No figures for the amounts spent on chemical warfare research are published in respect of any of the countries named with the exception of the United States of America, where appropriation under this head for the year ending 30th June, 1932, was given in their Estimates as 323,050 dollars.
Mental Treatment Act, 1930 (Patients)
asked the Minister of Health how many voluntary patients have been received under Section 1 (1) of the Mental Treatment Act, 1930; how ninny of them have been permitted to leave; and how many of them have been turned into compulsory patients under Section 3 (2) or otherwise?
The Mental Treatment Act came into operation on 1st January, 1931, and the latest figures available are for the year ending 31st December, 1931. During that year 3,984 persons were received as voluntary patients and 2,420 left. Fifty-five became temporary patients and 205 were certified. The number of patients in respect of whom action was taken under Section 3 (2) of the Act is negligible, but a precise figure cannot be given without an examination of a large number of documents which cannot be undertaken at the present time.
Aviation
Privately-Owned Aircraft
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the number of privately-owned aircraft for each year between 1920 and 1932?
The number of aircraft owned by private individuals prior to 1925 was practically negligible, but no precise record is available. The number for each year from 1925 to 1932 is as follows:
| 1925 (31st December) | … | 16 |
| 1926 (31st December) | … | 37 |
| 1927 (31st December) | … | 80 |
| 1928 (31st December) | … | 125 |
| 1929 (31st December) | … | 184 |
| 1930 (31st December) | … | 333 |
| 1931 (31st December) | … | 385 |
| 1932 (to date) | … | 411 |
Subsidy
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the amount of subsidy earned to date by each of the approved flying clubs in this financial year?
The following payments have been made to approved light aeroplane clubs during the current financial year:
| Club. | £ | |
| Bristol and Wessex | … | 625 |
| Eastern Counties | … | 110 |
| Hampshire | … | 415 |
| Herts and Essex | … | 468 |
| Leicestershire | … | 190 |
| Lancashire | … | 352 |
| London | … | 476 |
| Liverpool and District | … | 237 |
| Midland | … | 290 |
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne | … | 250 |
| Norfolk and Norwich | … | 150 |
| Northamptonshire | … | 70 |
| Scottish | … | 258 |
| Southern | … | 70 |
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the total amount paid in subsidies for civil aviation in the years 1930 and 1931 in England, France, and Germany
Information regarding the actual payments by way of subsidy to civil aviation in France and Germany is not available, but the amounts provided in the Estimates of the central Governments of the three countries were approximately as follow:
| Country. | Financial Year, 1930. | Financial Year, 1931. |
| France | 201,000,000 Francs. | 217,000,000Francs. |
| Germany | 22,390.600 Reichsmarks. | 22,792,000 Reichsmarks. |
| England | £128,000 | £385,000 |
Diesel Engines (Tests)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the Air Ministry has made any experiments with Diesel engines during the last year; and whether any trials have taken place and with what results?
Experiments with several types of engines embodying Diesel principles have been carried out during the past year and considerable progress has been made. A full type test for airworthiness has been satisfactorily completed with one such engine, which was developed from a standard Rolls Royce Condor petrol engine at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, and night tests are about to take place.
Commercial Services, Russia
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what commercial air services are operated by the Union o1 Socialist Soviet Republics, and how many aircraft and pilots are employed in operating these services at the present time?
I have no information as to the number of pilots and aircraft employed in connection with commercial air services operated by the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics nor as to which services are operated during the winter months. The following list gives the services which have been operated this year:
Civil Air Services in the Union, of Socialist Soviet Republics.
(1) Operated by All Union Combine of Civil Aviation:
Moscow-Sverdlovsk-Omsk-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok, with branches as follows:
- Sverdlovsk-Obdorsk.
- Sverdlovsk-Magnitogorsk.
- Omsk-Semipalatinsk-Bakhti.
- Novosibirsk-Stalinsk.
| Country. | Pilots employed by regular air transport companies at the end of 1931. | Passengers carried during 1931. | Passengers carried during 1931 per pilot employed. | ||
| Great Britain | … | … | 35 | 23,484 | 671 |
| France | … | … | 135 | 32,700 | 242 |
| Germany | … | … | 160 | 98,167 | 614 |
| Italy | … | … | 61 | 33,650 | 552 |
| Holland | … | … | 23 | 11,628 | 506 |
| These figures take no account of the mileage flown per passenger. | |||||
Coal Industry (Horses And Ponies)
asked the Secretary for Mines if he will publish as a pamphlet for general circulation among the mining
- Irkutsk-Vitim-Yakutsk-Aldan.
- Ulan Bator-Irkutsk.
- Khaborovsk-Okhotsk-Petropavlovsk, with connection to Saghalien Island.
- Moscow-Kharkov-Odessa.
- Moscow-Kharkov, Sokhum-Baku.
- Kharkov-Makhach Kala, Baku-Pahlavi
- Moscow-Bodriki Donskoi
- Moscow-Stalingrad.
- Moscow-Samara, Orenburg-Tashkent.
- Moscow-Leningrad.
- Tashkent-Bokhara-Krasnovodsk.
- Tashkent-Stalinabad-Khorog.
- Tashkent-Samarakand-Termes-Kabul.
- Tashkent-Alma Ata-Semipalatinsk.
- Semipalatinsk-Karaganda-Magnito-gorsk.
- Archangel-Ust Zilma-Izama.
- Archangel-Kotlas-Ust Sysolsk.
- Archangel-Onega.
- Berlin-Konigsberg-Moscow.
- Berlin-Konigsberg-Leningrad.
European Transport Companies (Statistics)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the number of pilots employed, respectively, by the British, French, German, Italian and Dutch air transport companies, and how the passengers carried per pilot compare for any recent and similar period?
The following table gives the latest information available on this subject.people of the South Wales coalfield, the suggestions made in the recent annual reports of the two divisional inspectors in that area; and whether he will include in such a pamphlet the 10 points dealing with the proper care and general welfare of the horses used underground, enumerated in the 1929 report of the Cardiff divisional inspector?
These suggestions have already recently been published in the reports mentioned, expressly for the guidance of mining people in South Wales, and I doubt whether the results of a second official publication would justify the expense during this period of strict public economy.
asked the Secretary for Mines the number of horses and ponies employed in mines over the ages of 14, 16, 18, and 20 years; and whether he will take steps to bring out of the mines the aged horses that are so described in recent reports of some divisional inspectors?
I regret that the figures asked for are not available. The present regulations prohibit the employment of horses, whatever their age may be, immediately they become unfit for their work, and I repeat the statement made in the last Annual Report of the Secretary for Mines, and based on the results of a special investigation of the condition of some 18,000 horses, that, except in a very few cases, special care and consideration are shown in respect of the older horses. In those few exceptional cases prompt remedial action has already been taken by His Majesty's inspectors, and the matter will continue to receive their close attention.
asked the Secretary for Mines whether the examinations for the obtaining of the first and second-class mine managers' certificates include a test of knowledge in regard to the use of horses and ponies in the special conditions in which they are employed below ground; whether this test includes some measure of the candidates' veterinary knowledge, as well as that relating to the proper care and general welfare of horses and ponies; and whether, if not, he will take steps to include such tests in all future examinations for these certificates
The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the last part, I see no need for requiring prospective mine managers to pass tests in veterinary science. The duty of the manager is one of general supervision of competent horsekeepers and others immediately responsible for the care and treatment of the horses; and it is the common practice of mine owners to employ consulting veterinary surgeons to guide them and the manager in matters requiring expert veterinary knowledge.
asked the Secretary for Mines the number of underground stables, and the number of mines, in the Swansea, Cardiff, Northern, Yorkshire, Midland and Southern and North Midland Divisions, at which bedding is provided regularly for the horses and ponies; and the kinds of bedding used in these divisions?
No statistical information is available, but it is the general practice both in the districts named and throughout the country to use sawdust, moss litter, or some similar material in underground stables.
asked the Secretary for Mines the number of underground stables, and the number of mines at which they are electrically lighted; whether there are serious technical difficulties in the way of electrically lighting all underground stables, if only to ensure the proper shoeing of the animals; and the number of mines and underground stables where automatic drinking bowls have been installed in the stables or in the working districts to ensure a supply of fresh drinking water always for the animals
The Coal Mines Act, 1911, requires that all horses shall be housed, when not at work, in properly constructed stables and shall be provided daily, both in stables and while at work, with a sufficient supply of pure water. The administration of those requirements receives the daily attention of His Majesty's inspectors, and I am satisfied that in general they are very well carried out; but I cannot say in how many cases the stables are lighted electrically or the drinking bowls are automatic. In those mines in which electric power is available in the vicinity of the stables there should not normally be much difficulty in the way of lighting the stables electrically; and it is certainly desirable that electric lighting should be provided wherever it is safe and practicable to do so.
Colonial Loans (Interest Rates)
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the high rate of interest now being paid on various Colonial loans, he will consider the desirability of placing on the market a conversion loan which will embrace all these issues at a lower rate of interest?
Colonial loans represent the obligations of a variety of different Governments and are subject to widely different terms of issue; they could not be replaced under any conversion scheme by a single issue. My hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured, however, that advantage will be taken of any opportunities that may present themselves to effect such reduction as is possible in the interest payments falling upon Colonial Governments
Agriculture
Egg Packing, Gloucester Marketing Society
asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of eggs handled by the egg-packing station near Cheltenham for the years 1930 and 1931, and for the first 10 months of 1932?
I presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the National Mark Packing Station of the Gloucester Marketing Society, Limited. In the periods mentioned the following numbers of eggs passed through that station:
| 1930 | … | … | … | 5,785,980 |
| 1931 | … | … | … | 7,100,868 |
| 1932 | … | … | … | 7,643,076 (Jan. to Oct. inclusive.) |
Meat (Import Restrictions)
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will inform the House of any further trading agreements with meat importers since Monday last?
I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the reply I am giving to-day to a question on this subject by my hon. Friend the Member for Cumberland, North (Sir F. Graham).
Post Office (Employes, Pensions)
asked the Postmaster-General (1) how many male retired Post Office employés are in receipt of pensions, and the number whose total pension does not exceed 35s. a week;(2) how many retired Post Office employés are in receipt of pensions; and what is the number whose total pension does not exceed 35s. a week;(3) how many retired male manipulative officers of his Department are in receipt of pensions, and the number whose total pension does not exceed 35s. a week?
I am making inquiries as to whether it is practicable to obtain this information without undue expense.
Corps Of Custodians
asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether it is proposed to make the Corps of Custodians civil servants; and what will be the duration of their engagement?
The Corps of Custodians will be appointed by, and under the control of, the Lord Great Chamberlain. I understand that they will be appointed in an unpensionable capacity and will be subject to a week's notice.
Trade And Navigation (Monthly Accounts)
asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will include in future issues of the Monthly Return of Accounts relating to United Kingdom Trade and Navigation, details showing the principal countries of origin of our imports of raw apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, grape fruit, tomatoes, onions, plants, and bulbs?
The question of distinguishing in the Monthly Accounts relating to Trade and Navigation the principal countries of consignment of the commodities mentioned is already under consideration, and it is hoped that it will be possible to give the required information, as from the beginning of next year, in respect of most of the specified commodities.
Transfer Deeds And Stock
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost to the Exchequer in issuing transfer deeds free to the public for the period 1st April, 1931, to 30th September, 1932; and the cost to the Exchequer of the concession granted to Stock Exchange firms under Section 42 of the Finance Act, 1920, and the Amendment of 1931, for the same period, and the extent to which each Stock Exchange has taken advantage of that privilege?
| — | Duty exigible under old law. | Exigible and paid under Section 42. | Difference. | |
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| London Stock Exchange | … | 612,670 | 105,158 | 507,512 |
| Birmingham Stock Exchange | … | 35 | 13 | 22 |
| Bristol stock Exchange | … | 813 | 132 | 681 |
| Halifax Stock Exchange | … | 35 | 15 | 20 |
| Leeds Stock Exchange | … | 52 | 19 | 33 |
| Liverpool Stock Exchange | … | 76 | 15 | 61 |
| Manchester Stock Exchange | … | 343 | 114 | 229 |
| Nottingham Stock Exchange | … | 27 | 3 | 24 |
| Sheffield Stock Exchange | … | 3,958 | 890 | 3,068 |
| Provincial Brokers Stock Exchange | … | 699 | 137 | 562 |
| Totals | … | £618,708 | £106,496 | £512,212 |
The cost of the transfer forms issued free to the public in the period from 1st April, 1931, to 30th September, 1932, was approximately £800.The following table shows the effect over the same period of the operation of Section 42 of the Finance Act, 1920, amended, as from 31st July, 1931, by the Finance Act, 1931.