asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government have fully considered the report of the British Ambassador in Moscow concerning the instructions recently issued by the Third International to the British Communist party to form nuclei in military units and similar organisations, and to the Communist party of India to support non-payment of rents and taxes and organise a general strike; and, in view of the fact that the promise to abstain from propaganda has been officially held to include the activities of the Third International, can he now state what action he proposes to take in the matter?

This answer is rather long, but I thought that the House would like a full answer.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Ambassador in Iraq has authority to offer the services of the British Air Force in Iraq to the Iraqi Government in the event of internal disorder; and, if so, what means of information are at the disposal of the Ambassador to enable him to decide whether such an offer would be advisable?

I would refer the Noble Lady to the reply given by the Prime Minister on the 16th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton East (Mr. Mander), to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how the emigration of Palestinian arabs to other countries compares now with their pre-War emigration?

I am afraid I am without the material for making the comparison. I have no particulars regarding emigration from Palestine while it still formed part of the Ottoman Empire.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the census returns show an increase or a decrease in the arab population in those districts where most progress has been made in Jewish settlement?

The report on the census of 1931 shows an increase in the non-Jewish population in such sub-districts as those of Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa and Tiberias.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many advisers on East African matters have been sent out to East Africa from this country within the last two years; what has been the nature of their mission; who has paid their expenses; and what is the aggregate cost of these expenses?

As the reply contains much detail I propose, with my hon. Friend's permission, that it should be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can make a further statement as to the policy the Government is adopting with regard to the gold discovery in the native reserves in Northern Kavirondo, in Kenya, and to whom the mineral rights in the district belong

I am not yet in a position to make a detailed statement, but the Government's policy will be directed to Turning the mineral resources of Kavirondo to the fullest benefit of Kenya Colony, while amply safeguarding the interests of the native occupants of the areas in question. In this district, as in the rest of the Colony, property in minerals, other than common minerals, is vested in the Crown.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether there have been any discoveries of radium in that district?

Not that I am aware.

Will the hon. Gentleman tell us whether the natives who may be required to vacate their territories will be given ample compensation in the form of alternative land to occupy?

They certainly will get either alternative land or full compensation. I can answer for that.

Is the full compensation going to be in money, as that does not really compensate a man for losing his land?

I should deprecate answering that question offhand in reply to a, supplementary question when the full details have not been settled. I can assure the right hon. and gallant Gentleman that it will be the policy of His Majesty's Government to treat the natives just as fairly as the settlers.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether tests carried out with the new parachute have been satisfactory; and whether any of this type will be used by the Royal Air Force?

The tests to which my hon. Friend refers have not yet been carried out.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air to what extent there has been a growth or a decline in the work and responsibilities of the Air Ministry since 1921; whether the headquarters staff of the Ministry has been increased or reduced since that date; and what changes there have been in that staff since the 1st January, 1932?

I apologise for a rather long answer. It is difficult to indicate in brief compass the immense growth there has been in the responsibilities of the Air Ministry since 1921. I will, however, cite four examples. Firstly, there are now 2½ times as many squadrons as then existed. Secondly, the Air Ministry had in 1921 no special responsibilities overseas, whereas it is now charged with the defence of areas whose combined extent exceeds that of Germany. Thirdly, in so far as concerns civil aviation, there were in 1921 only 160 civil pilots and 218 civil aircraft on the British register as compared with 3,093 pilots and 1,032 aircraft to-day. Fourthly, as indicating the effect of these and similar developments upon the work at headquarters, I may say that the volume of incoming correspondence is now 48 per cent. larger than in 1921, whilst the number of word-groups transmitted over the Air Ministry wireless telegraphy system in a typical 24 hours' period has risen from about 4,000 to 30,000. As regards the second part of the question, despite the foregoing and difficulties due to the dispersion of the Air Ministry among six different buildings, the number of the headquarters staff is to-day lower by 12 per cent. than it was in 1921. As regards the last part, a further reduction of 29 individuals has been effected since the let January, 1932.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say when he is going to place the whole of the Air Ministry staff in one building to get greater efficiency?

I think that would result in a reduction of about 27 officials.

I beg the right hon. Gentleman's pardon. My question was as to whether anything was being done to place the staff of the Air Ministry in one separate establishment.

That does not rest with the Air Ministry.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of fatal accidents caused by the climbing of electricity pylons during the last two years?

During the last two years there have been reported to the Electricity Commissioners four fatal accidents caused by unauthorised persons climbing the supports of overhead lines.

In view of the fact that two or these fatal accidents occurred in my locality, may I ask the Minister if he will make representations to the Electricity Commissioners as to the necessity for providing wire round these electricity pylons?

The regulations issued by the Electricity Commissioners say, with regard to pylons:

"Adequate provision shall also be made to prevent unauthorised climbing."

is the Minister aware that I could take him to a place in my constituency and show him a pylon round which there is no wire whatever?

If my hon. and gallant Friend will do so, I shall be grateful, if opportunity and time can be made for such an outing.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education if he will state for March, 1931–32 the number of local education authorities which provided meals under the Education Act, 1921; the number of individual children fed; the total number of meals provided for payment and free, respectively; and the average cost. per meal?

As the answer includes a number of figures, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what expenses have been incurred by the Ministry of Agriculture, to date, in the measures taken to destroy musk rats which have escaped from captivity?

The amount of expenditure incurred up to the 30th November was £631, exclusive of salaries and travelling expenses of members of the regular staff of the Ministry.

Can my right hon. and gallant Friend say to what extent, if at all, this expense will be covered by the value of the skins?

It is hoped to recover about one-third of it this year, and perhaps twice as much next year.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office to what extent the Scottish section of the Territorial Army is below strength at the present time; and what steps, if any, are being taken by the War Office to deal with the situation?

The shortage of recruits for the Territorial Army in the Scottish Command on 1st November was approximately 3,500. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 8th November to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Kingston-upon-Hull (Brigadier-General Nation).

Is the Minister not aware that the spirit of peace is abroad in Scotland, and not of war?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the quota allocation to the county of Northumberland was exhausted prior to the increase of 150,000 tons recently granted; if not, what was the quantity unused; and whether the increase was required to meet a demand for any particular class of coal?

I would again remind my hon. Friend that the administration of the schemes in force under Part I of the Coal Mines Act, 1930, is placed by that Act in the hands of the coal owners themselves. I have no detailed information on the subject of my hon. Friend's question, but I presume the Northumberland Executive Board is satisfied with its additional allocation, as, so far as I am aware, it has not exercised its right to submit the matter to arbitration.

Is the Minister not aware that the allocation asked for was 350,000 tons, and that they only received an allocation of 150,000 tons; and that, as a result, they may have to stop production altogether or find themselves faced with the necessity of having to pay a fine of 2s. 6d. a ton?

I have already pointed out that, if the Northumberland Executive Board are dissatisfied with their allotted share, they can apply for arbitration. That is their method; I have no powers in the matter.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the best solution of the quota difficulty would be a repeal of Part I of the Act?

There is a disease known as intellectual myopia, and some of my bon. Friends appear to have it in the form ofmyopia quotatis.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the miners' wages are very low now, particularly in that part of the country, and that, if there were no quota and no organisation, they would he much less?

I had that fact in mind when I called attention to the nearsightedness that prevails in some quarters. There are many factors which have to be taken into consideration.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are other districts where production is hung up and men are likely to be put on short time, because, although extra quotas have been applied for, they have not been granted?

I am aware of a great many facts in connection with this difficult subject, but I am now answering a question with reference to Northumberland. If information is desired about any other district, perhaps a question will be put down.

Is it not a fact that the best way to obtain good wages for the miners is to enable the pits to work at full capacity?

asked the Secretary for Mines if he is aware that when an increase of quota is granted by the central council the tonnage allotted is divided amongst owners of collieries who may not need it as well as those who require it urgently, so that the former are at once placed in the position of being able to make profits by disposing of it to the latter, thereby increasing unnecessarily the costs of production?

Section 3 (2) (d) of the Coal Mines Act, 1930, provides, inter alia, "that the quota fixed as respects coal or any class of coal shall be the same proportion of the standard tonnage of coal, or of the class of coal, as the case may be, for all coal mines in the district."

Is there any parallel in any other industry for such a state of affairs as exists in the export trade of the mining industry?

The hon. Member must realise that under the Sub-section that I have quoted, coal owners may vary the standard tonnages so as to meet the circumstances of particular mines to secure the result that the hon. Member has in mind.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that, whatever they may or may not be supposed to be able to do, in fact the trade is being strangled because the Act is strangling the industry?

I am not aware of that fact. In fact, one of the problems that have now arisen is that, whereas up to the present the Act has had to be operated in a contracting market, at the moment the difficulties are because there is an expansion of the market.

asked the Secretary for Mines if, in view of the fact that holders of unused quota are refusing to sell except at prices which render economic production impossible, thereby rendering the Act of 1930 unworkable, he will introduce amending legislation to enforce sale or transfer of unused quota at the reasonable figure anticipated when the Mines Act of 1930 was passed?

I have received no representations from the coal industry that difficulties with regard to transfers of quotas have made the Coal Mines Act, 1930, unworkable.

Does the hon. Gentleman consider that from 1s. up to is. 6d. or 2s. is a fair price to charge for the transfer of coal quotas?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can make any statement as to the action of the Persian Government in officially notifying the Anglo-Persian Oil Company of the annulment of the D'Arcy concession?

I regret that I cannot yet add anything to the reply which 1 gave to my hon. Friend the Member for East Lewisham on 5th December.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will cause inquiry to be made into the circumstances under which the body of the late H. E. Smith, of Chapel Road, Lang-ham, Essex, was left lying in a barn for five days awaiting the presence of the coroner?

I have received a report from the deputy-coroner, and I shall be glad to discuss the matter with my hon. Friend.

asked the Home Secretary if he will furnish a return showing for the two latest comparable years the number of persons imprisoned for nonpayment of rent in England and Wales, and in each judicial area separately?

I regret that no information is available which would enable me to answer this question, but I understand that the total number is probably extremely small.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the gross cost to this country of the Lausanne Conference and the Ottawa Conference, respectively?

I understand that the expenditure from the respective Votes on the Lausanne Conference and the Ottawa Conference was approximately £5,000 and £12,000 respectively.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, since he appointed a commissioner on 13th October to administer transitional payments under the Unemployment Insurance Acts in the county borough of Rotherham, he has received any protests from organised sections of the community or from individuals as to the manner in which the administration has been carried out?

My right hon. Friend has received in all three letters written by individuals, each dealing with one case, and two of these from the same person. He has received no representations from organised bodies.

How many examinations has the Commissioner made?

The last figure I saw was 3,500.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that the Department received a protest from an organised body through myself?

Not that I am aware of.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the salaries of the 10 area officers, 10 deputy area officers, and two chief officers for the central office who have been appointed to administer transitional payments in the county of Durham in addition to the commissioner and his two deputies?

The salaries of the clerk and deputy clerk to the commissioners are£750–£850 and£400–£550 respectively. In four of the areas the salaries of the officer and deputy officer in charge are respectively£400–£550 and £200–£400; in the other six areas they are respectively£200–£400 and£200–£250. In each case cost of living bonus is added at the appropriate rate.

Can the hon. Gentleman give any idea as to the extra annual cost?

I hope the appointment of the commissioners will produce a saving.

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that the statement is being freely made in Durham that the extra annual cost of this administration is going to be round about £20,000 a year?

I think it would be premature to decide what the total cost will be, but I should imagine that it will be exceeded by the total saving brought about.

If I put down a question as to cost, will the hon. Gentleman answer it

I cannot do that until the commissioners have been there for some little time.

What does the Department estimate will be saved by appointing these commissioners?

As far as I know, we have made no exact estimate.

Is there power to surcharge some of the people who have failed to do their duty?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has noted the resolution on refugees passed by the League of Nations Assembly on 10th October; whether he proposes to take any steps to assist in the obtaining of funds for the Erivan settlement scheme; and whether he can report as to the measures taken to alleviate the situation of the 20,000 Russian refugees in China rendered destitute by recent floods?

His Majesty's Government have given careful and sympathetic consideration to the resolution of the 10th of October, as they have done to all Assembly Resolutions dealing with the problem of Armenian refugees. They have come to the conclusion, however, that the present time is hardly suitable for setting up in this country a national committee for the specific purpose of obtaining funds for the Erivan Settlement Scheme. I would at the same time refer the hon. and gallant Member to the statement made by the United Kingdom representative before the Sixth Committee of the Ninth Assembly of the League of Nations on the 19th of September, 1928, when he pointed out that His Majesty's Government had already spent a sum of approximately £5,500,000 on the settlement of Armenian refugees in Iraq, this sum representing, moreover, only a small fraction of the £60,000,000, which His Majesty's Government had spent since the War in order to relieve refugees throughout the world. I regret that I have no information as to the measures taken to alleviate the situation of Russian refugees in China rendered destitute by recent floods.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the position as regards the Workmen's Compensation Bill which was introduced in the Legis lative Council in British Guiana, and subsequently forwarded to him for his consideration; and whether the Government proposes to accede to the request made in the petition addressed to it by the British Guiana Labour Union for the introduction of a compulsory old age pension scheme?

So far as I am aware, no Bill has been introduced. A draft Bill has been under consideration, together with similar Bills submitted by other Colonial Governments, in consultation with the Home Office, and I hope shortly to be able to communicate my views on the matter to the Governor. I have no information in regard to the petition referred to in the second part of the question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to relieve unemployment in the Colony of British Guiana?

The Government of British Guiana are carrying out a variety of public works for the relief of unemployment. Existing roads are being reconstructed and improved: considerable sea defence works are being constructed and important repairs effected: further coast lands are being drained and opened up for settlement and cultivation: and buildings for public welfare are being erected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the Colonial Office legal adviser was sent to Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the Gold Coast last February with a view to bringing about closer co-operation between the native courts and the higher tribunals, he will say whether those districts where Moslem law is not in force will be included; and whether it is intended to set up machinery of appeal other than to the Emir's courts?

Certain recommendations in connection with appeals from native courts in Nigeria other than the courts of the Emirs have been discussed with the Governor. I am not yet in a position to announce the decision, but I hope to do so shortly.

asked the Attorney-General if he has considered the case of many women in this country who married soldiers from the Dominions during the War but have been deserted by their husbands for over 14 years and are now left with children and no means; and will he consider some amendment of the divorce laws to enable these women to secure their freedom without incurring the expense of instituting proceedings in the Dominions instead of at home?

It is not possible to state within the limits of an answer to a question the many difficulties in the way of legislation of the kind suggested. It would involve, among other things, an alteration of the law of this country so as to make desertion alone a ground for divorce. It would also involve legislation, similar to that which was in force for a short period after the War, conferring a separate domicile upon the wife for the purpose of divorce proceedings; and even if this alteration was made, a divorce granted to a wife would not be recognised in the Dominion concerned without reciprocal legislation. The situation is to some extent met by the Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Act, 1920. The reciprocal legislation which most of the Dominions have passed in relation to this Act enables a deserted wife to enforce a maintenance order against her husband in those Dominions.

asked the Minister of Health, having regard to the number of artisans and low-paid workers resident in rooms in houses of a rateable value of £45 or over in the London district, what action is proposed to secure that excessive rentals shall not be charged if the houses are decontrolled?

My right hon. Friend thinks the question raised by the hon. Member could be most conveniently dealt with in the discussions on the Bill.

asked the Home Secretary if he can make a statement to the House as to recent events at Dart-moor prison; and what action has been taken in the matter?

I am obliged to my hon. Friend for giving me an opportunity to make a statement on this subject. As regards the two convicts who escaped from the prison on the 16th November, and were recaptured on the 22nd November, I have received from, the Prison Commissioners and am now considering the report of an inquiry into the circumstances in which these two men succeeded in breaking out of prison. With regard to events at the prison since the two convicts were recaptured, a number of misleading statements have appeared in the public Press. It is true that on the November the Governor was assaulted by one of the convicts referred to, but apart from this and certain complaints about food, there has been no abnormal incident or indication of unrest. Misleading inferences appear to have been drawn from the facts that during the Governor's temporary absence on leave, his place has been taken by the Deputy-Governor of Pentonville, and that certain vacancies in the established staff have been filled in the ordinary course by the transfer of probationers from the training school.