asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the question of import preference and duties as between Ceylon and Britain?

I have nothing to add to the statement issued to the Press for 6th February and to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stockport (Mr. Hammersley) yesterday, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take the opportunity of the presence of the Argentine mission in London to suggest to them the advisability of inducing their Government to withdraw the exchange restrictions imposed by Argentina, which hamper so severely trade between the two countries?

I can assure my right hon. and gallant Friend that in the discussion this important question of exchange restrictions is being borne in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish particulars of the arms and munitions and naval and military stores, not including sporting arms and munitions, in respect of which he has issued licences to export to Japan and China during December, 1932, and January, 1933?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to-day to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton East (Mr. Mander).

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total amount of capital subscribed to the Apex (British) Artificial Silk Company, Limited, 100, Carpenters Road, Stratford, now in voluntary liquidation; the total amount paid in interest to the shareholders; the total amount of capital repaid; whether he will cause inquiries to be made as to bow the capital raised was spent; and whether he proposes to introduce any legislation which will afford investors greater protection in connection with the formation and conduct of companies of this kind?

According to the last available balance sheet of the company, the capital subscribed was £297,896, of which £3,613 4s. 8d. has been returned to shareholders in the voluntary liquidation. The Board of Trade have no information that any amount was paid in interest to shareholders while the company was in operation. Information as to the manner in which the cash capital of the company was expended is shown in the last audited balance sheet of the company which was presumably sent to the shareholders in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act, 1929, and it has been open to the shareholders to raise any relevant questions with the voluntary liquidator who was appointed by them. The suggestion in the last part of the hon. Member's question has been noted for investigation when any amendment of the Companies Act is under consideration.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether the Government have forwarded their observations to the League of Nations on the draft standard Customs nomenclature drawn up by the sub-committee of experts; and to what effect these were?

No, Sir. Observations of Governments need not be in until next October.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what has been the total cost to date of the Singapore Naval base, specifying the amount falling on Naval funds?

The expenditure on the Singapore Naval base, excluding the floating dock, to date is approximately £3,438,000, towards which cash contributions amounting to £2,122,000 have been received from the Governments of New Zealand, Hong Kong and Federated Malay States. The net expenditure borne on Navy Votes is, therefore, approximately £1,316,000.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what were the numbers of persons employed at the Admiralty and the naval out-port establishments, respectively, in July, 1914, and the latest available date, together with the present naval personnel?

The numbers are as follow:

home and abroad on the nearest comparable dates:

asked the Home Secretary the number of applications received and the number of appointments made for the prison service during the two years ended 31st December last, respectively, from ex-Army officers, ex-Naval officers, candidates from the public schools and the existing discipline and clerical staffs?

During the two years in question eight governors, 12 housemasters and 19 assistant housemasters were appointed. Of the eight governors, four were appointed from outside the Service and four were promoted from the rank of housemaster. Of the 12 housemasters, four were appointed from outside the Service and eight from the rank of assistant housemaster; four of the latter had been members of the subordinate discipline staff. Of the 19 assistant housemasters, one was appointed from the subordinate discipline staff and the remainder from outside the Service. The number of applications for such posts from the clerical and subordinate staff was 13, and from outside the Service over 300. I am afraid that I cannot undertake the detailed review of these applications which would be necessary to ascertain how many of the candidates were ex-officers or had been educated at public schools, but of the 39 appointed 11 were ex-officers, 10 had been at public schools, and five had served as discipline officers.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total revenue from Beer Duty for the three months ended 31st December, 1931, and the three months ended 31st December, 1932?

The total revenue from Beer Duty (Customs and Excise) in the two periods mentioned was £19,048,000 in the three months ended 31st December, 1931, and £17,692,000 in the three months ended 31st December, 1932.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the monthly returns of revenue from Beer Duty for the nine months ended 31st December, 1931, and 31st December, 1932, respectively?

The net revenue derived from the Beer Duty (Customs and Excise) during each of the nine months ended 31st December, 1931, and 31st December, 1932, respectively, was as follows:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the question of a settlement of the claims against Soviet Russia is to be a subject for consideration at the World's Economic Conference; and whether a settlement will be negotiated with regard to the Baku Consolidated Oilfields, Limited, the whole of whose concessions, properties, and assets were confiscated by the Soviet without any restitution whatever, thus involving British investors in enormous losses?

I have been asked to reply. It will be seen from the draft agenda of the Monetary and Economic Conference, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House, that the question of claims against Soviet Russia is not among the subjects for discussion. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the Prime Minister whether all statements on public policy by Ministers of State prepared as signed articles are made available for simultaneous or subsequent publication as signed articles by all such organs of the public Press as may desire to use them for publication?

I am not sure that I fully understood what my hon. Friend has in mind. The ordinary opportunities to quote from, or to reproduce any articles of a kind which it is proper for Ministers to write are afforded to the general Press as a means of protecting the public from mistaken information and inaccurate statements.

asked the Secretary of State for India whether, having regard to the anxiety that is felt by the people of Berar, he will give an assurance that Berar will in no circumstances be handed over to the administration of H.E.H. the Nizam?

I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave on Monday last.

asked the Home Secretary the proportions of the personnel of Royal Commissions and other committees appointed by the present Government whose permanent residences are in London and the provinces, respectively; and whether he will bear in mind, in making future appointments, territorial as well as other considerations?

The information referred to in the first part of the question is not available, and could not be obtained without a disproportionate expenditure of time and labour. As regards the second part of the question, the hon. Member may rest assured that in selecting personnel all relevant considerations, including territorial considerations where appropriate, will be borne in mind, the objective in each particular case being the appointment of a committee composed so as to promise the very best possible guidance on the subject referred to the committee.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has yet received the report upon the tests carried out with the Ringrose firedamp alarm; and at what date he will make an announcement?

No, Sir. I have previously stated that, if the trials were not completed, I would ask for interim reports at the end of six months, but only one of the three trials has yet been in operation for that period, and time must be allowed for the examination and correlation of the results and the preparation of the reports, whether interim or final. I cannot say when I shall be in a position to make an announcement on the subject.

asked the Minister of Health if he can provide any estimate of the value of public works schemes put forward by local authorities during the past two years and which have now been postponed or cancelled?

The records of my Department do not enable me to give my hon. Friend any such estimate beyond that of the value of the schemes for which I have refused to sanction loans since 1st February, 1932. In the 12 months from that date the estimated cost of works for which I have refused to sanction loans amounts to about £2,500,000.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether it is the intention of the Privy Council to invite an independent advisory committee to advise it regarding the administration of the Cinematograph Fund and to undertake an inquiry as to the need for a national film institute, representative and independent of the control of the trade?

No payments will be made into the Cinematograph Fund until after the end of March, and the Privy Council has not yet come to any decision with regard to the administration of the fund.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what amount has been spent on the Singapore base borne by the Air Department Votes?

The total expenditure to date is approximately £520,000.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the date of the purchase of Filton Aerodrome by the Ministry and the price paid, including the cost of erecting hangars, buildings, and other necessary fitments; the date of its sale and the price paid by the purchasers; and the amount of the rent now paid by the Ministry for the use of part of the aerodrome?

Filton Aerodrome was not purchased by the Air Ministry. The site was occupied during the War under compulsory powers, and was subsequently purchased by the Disposal and Liquidation Commission in order to facilitate disposal of the buildings which had been erected at a cost of about £250,000. Full particulars of these transactions are not available in the Air Ministry, but I understand that the Commission effected the sale of the land and War-time buildings to the Bristol Aeroplane Company early in 1922 for a sum of about £60,000. The Air Ministry has rented the major portion of the buildings and the use of the aerodrome for an annual rental of £2,500.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the value of eggs imported from foreign countries in 1932, he will take steps to amend the Horticultural Imports (Emergency Duties) Act so as to remove eggs and poultry from the purview of the Import Duties Act and to impose a special duty of 33⅓ per cent, on imports of eggs and poultry?

I would remind my hon. Friend that the Horticultural Products (Emergency Customs Duties) Act, 1931, expired in December last.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he has considered the representations made to him in favour of the reduction of the weight of a national-mark egg from 2 ounces to If ounce; and whether it is proposed to give effect to this reduction, which is supported by the whole of the poultry-breeding industry?

I understand that although a reduction in weight of the "standard" egg is desired by a number of poutry breeders, a large section of the poultry industry and bodies representative of the distributive trade do not desire any such change. I do not propose, therefore, to amend the existing regulations under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Acts in the way suggested.