asked the Minister of Health (1) the infantile mortality rates for the boroughs of London, showing eastern, northern, western and southern districts separately, for the years 1930 and 1931; and also the figures for the county of London for the same years;(2) the infantile mortality figures for 1930 and 1931 for the following towns in Lancashire: St. Helens, Warrington, Bolton, Manchester, Preston, Burnley, Liverpool, Salford, Oldham, Bootle and Wigan;(3) the average maternal mortality rates for the years 1923 to 1929, and the actual maternity mortality rates for 1930 and 1931, for the towns of Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Preston, Burnley and Wigan; and the average rate for England and Wales for the year 1931?

The average annual maternal mortality rates per 1,000 live births for the period 1923–1929 inclusive for the towns mentioned in the third question were as follow:—Bolton, 5.23; Bury, 6.81; Oldham, 6.79; Preston, 5.86; Burnley, 4.90; Wigan, 6.44. These figures are based on live births only, since stillbirth registration was not in force during the whole period. The whole of the rest of the information asked for will be found in Table 10 of the Registrar-General's Statistical Review for 1931 (Tables, Part I). The maternal mortality rates contained in that table are based on total (live and still) births.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware of the shortage of the domestic water supplies in and around the neighbourhood of Brough, in East Yorkshire; and if he will institute an inquiry in the interests of public health and sanitation?

I am aware of this difficulty. The duty of providing an adequate water supply for Brough devolves on the Elloughton-cum-Brough Water Company, who have special statutory powers. The statutory provisions do not give me any jurisdiction. I have, however, communicated with the Beverley Rural District Council and they are actively considering, in consultation with the company and a neighbouring water authority, what steps can be taken to improve the supply. I am keeping in close touch with the situation.

asked the Minister of Health what instructions have been issued to local authorities to discourage applicants for advances under the Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts; and whether the Government will countenance the purchase of houses with advances through local authorities, seeing that it means a saving of 1 per cent. in interest for the purchaser?

No such instructions as those suggested by the hon. Member have been issued. Applications from local authorities for sanction to loans for the purpose of advances proposed to be made by them under the Small Dwellings Acquisition Acts will continue to be considered on their merits with due regard to the circumstances in which each individual application is made.

asked the Minister of Health the total number, male and female, respectively, of persons under the National Health Insurance scheme drawing disablement benefit?

The information desired by the hon. Member is not available and could only be obtained by examining the records of the 7,000 approved societies and branches responsible for the payment of disablement benefit.

asked the Minister of Agriculture Whether he has considered a humane method of trapping musk rats by means of a barrel, sometimes used in Canada, of which information has been submitted to him; and whether he will endeavour to secure that, in view of the cruelty inflicted by the steel trap, that instrument should be replaced by this more humane method?

The barrel trap referred to is being tried experimentally in Shropshire, but so far without muck success. It is doubtful if it can be considered to be more humane than the steel trap, which is set so as to ensure that a musk rat caught in it is drowned immediately.

asked the Postmaster-General the amount paid by the Government in respect to wayleaves of telephone wires; and the percentage of such charges to the total Post Office revenue?

The amount in the last published accounts was £45,351, which represents 2 per cent. of the total telephone revenue. Telegraph and telephone wayleaves together represent 1 per cent. of the total Post Office revenue.

asked the Postmaster-General how many supervising officers in Northern Ireland who have not yet reached the normal retiring age have been informed that they will be retained after reaching the normal retiring age?

Seven supervising officers in the Post Office in Northern Ireland who are under the age of 60 have been granted extensions of a few months beyond that age.

asked the Postmaster-General when the Mountview Exchange will be transferred to the automatic system?

The present Mountview Telephone Exchange has a considerable unexpired effective life, and has ample capacity for additional subscribers. In these circumstances, it is not due to he converted to the automatic system for some time yet.

asked the Postmaster-General the approximate number of letters carried by the Christmas air mail which left London for Africa on Wednesday, 14th December?

The weight of letters sent by the African Christmas air mail on the 14th instant was 982 lb., and the number of items is estimated at roughly 20,000. In addition, 277 lb. of parcel mail was despatched by the service.

asked the Home Secretary if he will consider the advisability of amending the Aliens Act, which deprives a British woman of her nationality on her marriage to a foreigner, seeing that a foreign woman who marries an Englishman obtains all the liberties of an English-born woman?

The question of amending the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act as it affects the nationality of married women has been engaging the attention of His Majesty's Government for a considerable time. I am not in a position to make any statement in the matter beyond saying that any amendment of the law would have to be made in agreement with the Dominions.

asked the hon. Member for Bosworth, as representing the Charity Commissioners, why the Charity Commissioners have made a scheme fur the parish of Diptford, South Devon, for the disbursement of the parish charities, in face of unanimous opposition by the parochial church council and the parish council, and without any public inquiry, by which two-thirds of the profits from property purchased out of the common stock of this parish by the rector and churchwardens, which for centuries has been recognised as an ecclesiastical charity, has now been taken from the parish charity for other objects?

The scheme established on 11th October last for the charity known as the Parish Lands was made on the application of the trustees in accordance with the provisions of the Charitable Trusts Acts. The draft scheme was duly published in the locality. The parish council at first objected, but, on the facts being explained, withdrew their objection. As all the facts were known, there appeared to be no need to incur the unnecessary expense of a public inquiry. The income of the property purchased out of the common stock of the parish was applicable under the trusts on which it was held for three purposes, the repair of the parish church, the relief of the poor of the parish, and such other charitable uses as the trustees should think fit. The scheme apportions the charity between ecclesiastical and non-ecclesiastical purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act and places the ecclesiastical charity under the administration of trustees appointed by the parochial church council and gives the parish council representation to which it is entitled under the said Act on the governing body of the eleemosynary charity. Too large a share has, in fact, in past years frequently been applied to ecclesiastical purposes, but it is not the fact that the scheme takes anything from the church to which the church is legally entitled.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office if he can state the area of the land owned by the Government in the parish of Weedon, Northamptonshire; when it was purchased; the purchase price or prices; and the name or names of the vendors?

The total area is approximately 190 acres, of which some 170 acres were purchased in 1803 for 212,923 from Richard Hewitt and Others, and the remainder in 1924 for £850 from C. Craig.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether it is the intention of the Government to fill the vacancy of Constable of the Tower of London; and if he will state the salary and emoluments for such appointment?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative, and to the second part. £200 a year.

asked the Secretary of State for India the names of the European firms in Bombay who signed the statement demanded from them as a preliminary to the ending of the boycott in the Bombay cotton market; whether the intimation of the Government's disapproval of their action was communicated to them before the signatures were given; and, if so, whether these firms gave any reasons to the Government for acting in contravention of the advice they had received?

The firms were Chrystal and Company, Gill and Company, Langley and Company, Ralli Brothers, Rodoconachi and Company, Spinner and Company, the Bombay Company and Volkart Brothers. The first intimation received by the Government of the decision of the firms to issue a public statement against the advice of the Government and of the text of the statement was when the statement appeared in the newspapers after it had been issued. The firms had previously been told that Government definitely disapproved of their issuing any statement which introduced political considerations into the management of a commercial market, and they were advised that if they insisted upon rejecting the Government's advice they should at least safeguard their own position by making the withdrawal of civil disobedience a condition precedent to any expression of opinion as to the desirability of the withdrawal of the Ordinances and the release of Mr. Gandhi. With regard to the last part of the question, inquiries are being made in accordance with the undertaking given to my hon. Friend last week. So far as my present information goes, the firms were not satisfied that the recently enacted Cotton Contracts Act held out a sufficient prospect of the restoration of normal conditions and decided to act according to their own judgment to secure a settlement in the cotton market.

asked the Secretary of State for India how many persons are certified as registered members of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway Trade Union?

The membership was 28,952 on 31st March, 1932.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons serving as assistant supervisors in the London telephone service that it is his intention to appoint to posts in the Ministry; and in what capacities it is proposed to employ them?

It is not, at present, intended to make any such appointments.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education, if he will give figures for the year ended March, 1932, showing the number of local education authorities providing milk for school children; the amount provided daily per head; the number of children supplied and the cost per head; the same particulars for the same period of the number of local education areas where milk is supplied without financial aid by the local education authorities through national milk publicity council schemes; the age range of the children fed, all meals and milk meals, free and for payment separately; and the percentage of children fed, all meals and milk meals, to the population in the same age group?

During the year ended 31st March, 1932, 91 local education authorities provided milk for children in public elementary schools under the powers derived from Sections 82 to 84 of the Education Act, 1921. The practice in these areas in regard to the quantity of milk provided daily for each child is not uniform, and the amount varies between one-third of a pint and a pint. No information is available of the cost per head of milk apart from other meals provided by local education authorities, or of the number of children who were given milk as distinct from supplementary nourishment in other forms (e.g., cod-liver oil, etc.); but more than 195,000 children received during the year some form of supplementary nourishment and the large majority of these were provided with milk. With regard to the latter part of the question, it is not possible to furnish details of the extent of the provision of meals in particular age groups

—	Free.	For Payment.	Total.
	Per cent.	Per cent.	Per cent.
Individual children provided with meals of any type (including supplementary nourishment).	3·7	2·0	5·7
Individual children provided with supplementary nourishment.	1·67	1·85	3·52

The scheme of the National Milk Publicity Council for the supply of milk to children on a voluntary, self-supporting basis, is understood to be in operation in upwards of 200 authorities' areas, and the amount of milk provided for each child is one-third of a pint per day at the cost of one penny. The latest information is to the effect that some 800,000 children participate in the scheme.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will take steps to ensure that there will be no restriction of credit as a result of a transfer of gold in payment of the December instalment of our debt to the United States of America?

I would remind my hon. Friend of the statements which my right hon. Friend made last Wednesday on this subject, when he explained that the control of credit and currency lies with the monetary authorities and is necessarily governed by circumstances which cannot be evaluated in advance. Subject to that, he indicated that there is no reason to anticipate any shortage of credit or any departure from recent monetary policy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the amounts of the obligations of the Austrian Government to the British Government, and on what dates were these obligations undertaken?

The only obligation of the Austrian Government to the British Government is the debt in respect of the relief supplies granted to Austria in the years 1919 to 1921. All the Governments which held Austrian Relief Bonds agreed to fund thorn in 1928 on terms which provided for a considerable reduction in the debt and for the payment of the reduced amount in 40 annuities as from 1929. The aggregate amount of the annuities thus payable to His Majesty's Government now outstanding is £8,825,000.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the estimated revenue in the present financial year from import duties on all dairy produce, including liquid and dried milk, and all other imported foodstuffs, excluding meat, bacon and ham?

I regret that the information required by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of interest paid up to 31st October, 1932, on £100 stock in each of the Government loans raised in the period August, 1914, to August, 1921, inclusive?

The figures required, so far as they are available, are shown in the attached table. It is not practicable to make such calculations in the case of securities which by reason of conversion or partial redemption lost their original identity before the end of the period.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he is aware that Albert Close, publisher of the deep sea fishermen's charts for 28 years, was prosecuted and fined £11 5s. at Bow Street Police Court on 13th November, 1930, on a charge of infringing the copyright of Admiralty charts which bore no "Crown copyright reserved" inscription on their title pages, as required by Treasury Minute No. 12,292/12, of 28th June, 1912; that this Treasury Minute was suppressed at the prosecution and its existence was only discovered 10 months later at the British Museum; that the Stationery Office denied its existence until Mr. Close procured a photograph of the copy in the British Museum; that two hours before Mr. Close's appearance at Bow Street Police Court, with a photographic copy, to apply for a rehearing, the Stationery Office sent 12 copies, although they had returned his money nine days previously; that Mr. Close has been compelled to dismiss his employés and cease all further publication of new fishermen's charts; and will he therefore order a refund to Mr. Close of the fine and costs and in future permit the free use of Admiralty charts for British deep sea fishermen?

I am informed that the facts are as stated in the first part of the question. Crown copyright is not affected by the terms of the Treasury Minute, and, as the hon. Member is aware, the existence of the copyright has more than once been explained to Mr. Close. There was no suppression of the Minute, which was originally incorrectly described by the applicant and when identified was found to be out of print; copies were supplied as soon as possible. I have no information with regard to the fifth part of the question, and the answer to the last part is in the negative.