asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his atten-

My attention has been drawn to this matter, which is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the reductions of the Australian duties on the importation of woollen and worsted goods since the Ottawa Agreements other than of temporary duties imposed by the Scullin Government to deal with the Australian financial crisis, which is now over?

The following statement gives the information for which the hon. Member asks:

asked the Home Secretary the number of persons injured, fatally and otherwise, in motor accidents on the Kingston by-pass road during the last 12 months; and whether any particular section of the road has proved to be particularly dangerous?

There were 241 persons injured, 12 of them fatally, in motor accidents on the Kingston by-pass road during the 12 months ended 30th November, 1932. The Commissioner of Police states that it is not possible to draw very clear conclusions from the accident figures, but the majority of the fatalities occurred between the Merton Spur Road and Tolworth.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the facts disclosed in the recent cases of Waring and Gillow, Limited, and the Parent Coal Carbonisation Trust, Limited, and the judgment in Morris and Jones against Harman, he will now put in motion, with the assistance of the Law Officers of the Crown, the legal remedies provided by the Companies and other Acts?

In the two first mentioned cases, the Official Receiver has not yet completed his investigations and the question of further action must await his reports. In regard to the third case, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I have given to-day to the hon. Member for the Scotland Division of Liverpool (Mr. Logan).

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the proposed alterations in the local government areas in the county of Surrey, he will introduce legislation to change the territorial boundaries of the Parliamentary constituencies?

No, Sir. Legislation altering Parliamentary boundaries ought to deal with the country as a whole; and, as I stated in reply to a question on the 24th October, His Majesty's Government do not propose to introduce a measure of redistribution.

asked the Minister of Labour whether Grade 111 S-clerks and temporary clerks in his Department are engaged upon the payment of unemployment insurance benefit; what is the scale of pay of those staffs in provincial Employment Exchanges; and whether, in the event of errors occurring involving shortages of cash, any deductions are made from the wages of these clerks?

asked the Minister of Labour what was the total amount deducted from the wages of members of his staff during the last 12 months for which records are conveniently available in respect of cash shortages in connection with unemployment insurance benefit payments; and how many of such staffs were receiving less than 70s. per week?

Grade 111 clerks are not employed regularly on pay duties in Employment Exchanges, but they may occasionally be required to undertake them. The lowest rate of pay of those clerks in provincial Employment Exchanges is 43s. 9d. per week and the highest rate 65s. Hid. per week. In regard to cash shortages, the procedure agreed with the staff side of the Departmental Whitley Council provides that a pay clerk shall not be held liable to refund a cash shortage unless his record of errors is substantially worse than the average. In the result no refund is called for in about 95 per cent. of the cases; in the remaining cases the pay clerk is called upon after a decision by a divisional committee to refund the shortage, wholly or in part. In general, a refund does not exceed 5 per cent. of a single week's pay. In the 12 months ended 30th September, 1932, there were about 37,000 cash shortages of this kind and the total amount refunded by pay clerks of all grades was about £280. It is not possible without undue labour to ascertain how many of the officers concerned were receiving less than 70s. a week.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if, taking the whole Civil Service, he will give the number of persons employed who receive less than £3 a week (salary and bonus included)?

The estimated number of non-industrial whole time civil servants (men, women and juveniles) in receipt of remuneration of £3 per week and under is 135,000. I regret that similar information is not available regarding industrial employés, numbering approximately 115,500 on 1st October, 1932.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, the number of men and boys employed by the commissioners at the Chopwell Woods and Hamsterley Grove Estate, Durham, in November, 1931 and 1932; the wages paid; the hours worked per day, and the days per week; the number of men who have holdings and cottages; and the amount of rent charged for the same?

At Chopwell Woods, the Forestry Commissioners employed seven men in November, 1931, and six men and one boy in November, 1932; the wages paid ranged from 35s. to 38s. per week for men and were 18s. for the boy; the hours worked were on Monday to Friday inclusive from 7.30 to 4.30 and On Saturday from 7.30 to 12 noon; four men have holdings with cottages at rents ranging from £10 12s. to £12. At Hamsterley Grove Estate the commissioners employed 22 men and seven boys in November, 1931, and 26 men and three boys in November, 1932; the wages paid were 35s. per week for men and ranged from 15s. to 26s. for boys; the hours worked were on Monday to Friday inclusive from 8 to 4.30 and on Saturday from 8 to 12 noon; 13 men have holdings with cottages at rents ranging from £15s. 3s. to £20 4s. 10d.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the latest estimates of taxation per head in Great Britain, France, the United States of America, Germany and Italy?

The latest estimates of taxation per head are as follow: