Written Answers
India
Army (Capitation Tribunal)
asked the Secretary of State for India (1) whether it is the intention of His Majesty's Government and the Government of India to publish the report of the Indian Capitation Tribunal; and, if so, when the report is likely to be isssued;(2) whether it is the intention of the Government of India to allow the Legislative Assembly full opportunity of considering the Capitation Tribunal Report before final decisions are taken?
| — | Officers. | Men. | Women. | Children. | |||||
| Admissions. | Deaths. | Admissions. | Deaths. | Admissions. | Deaths. | Admissions. | Deaths. | ||
| 1923 | … | 3 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 5 | — | 2 | 1 |
| 1924 | … | — | — | 31 | 4 | 8 | — | 7 | 2 |
| 1925 | … | 2 | — | 24 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 1926 | … | 1 | — | 11 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 7 | — |
| 1927 | … | — | — | 5 | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1928 | … | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 3 | — |
| 1929 | … | 1 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1930 | … | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — |
asked the Minister of Health the revised figures of the numbers of small-pox deaths in British India during the years 1927 and 1928?
The final figures for small-pox deaths in British India for the years 1927 and 1928 were 118,197 and 96,123, respectively.
I cannot yet add anything to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Morgan Jones) on 20th March.
Small-Pox
asked the Secretary of State for India whether any cases of small-pox or deaths from that disease occurred among officers, women or children with the British Army in India in any of the years 1923–31; and, if so, will he give details of such cases, including the year they occurred and the class in which they occurred?
The details available are as follow:
Detenus (Dependants' Allowances)
asked the Secretary of State for India the number of State prisoners in custody under Regulation III of 1818 and the Bengal Ordinance (Bengal Criminal Law Amendment Act); the total number of such prisoners receiving no allowance for their families and their dependants; and the total number receiving allowances from the State, with the equivalents in sterling of such allowances and their varying amounts?
The answer to the first part of the question is roughly 1,350. As regards the rest of the question, the position is that every person detained under these powers is provided with an allowance for his own support; his family, if dependent on him, must also receive an allowance. I am unable to furnish the details of individual allowances, and as regards family allowances my latest information is that contained in my answer to the hon. Member for Doncaster (MT. Molson) on 31st October.
Land Drainage (River Cuckmere Scheme)
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that a scheme for the River Cuckmere (Pevensey levels) had been prepared by the catchment area authority and sanctioned by the late Government with a promise of grant; what progress has been made with the scheme; and whether the Government are now prepared to contribute to the cost?
The River Cuckmere Catchment Board submitted a partial scheme of works in April, 1931, and, subject to the submission of a comprehensive scheme, this was approved in principle for a Government grant, although no indication was given of the amount. Before the comprehensive scheme was submitted, the Ministry was, however, obliged to inform all catchment boards that no applications under Section 55 of the Land Drainage Act could be entertained, except in cases of the utmost emergency.
Milk (Marketing Schemes)
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he intends to hold an inquiry under the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931, into the scheme for setting up a milk producers' board by the National Farmers' Union; what will be the date of that inquiry; and whether any other milk schemes have been submitted to him?
I anticipate that it will be necessary to hold a public inquiry in connection with the scheme referred to, but I am not yet in a position to inform my hon. and gallant Friend of the date. No other scheme for the marketing of milk has been submitted to me, but two schemes, for regulating the marketing of milk in defined areas in Scotland, have been submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Sunday Entertainments
asked the Home Secretary whether he has received any return and, if so, of what nature, showing the percentages of Sunday takings at cinemas which are allocated to charity; and, if not, whether he will consider the desirability of obtaining such returns for the guidance of the public?
I have received no such return. The Sunday Entertainments Act does not require any such return to be made, and at present I do not think that I should be justified in asking local authorities for information on the point.
Police (Appeals)
asked the Home Secretary how many appeals had been received up to 31st March, 1933, under the Police (Appeals) Act, 1927, from men who had been dismissed or ordered to resign in lieu of dismissal from the Metropolitan Police, the City of London police, county police, and borough police, respectively; in how many cases were inquiries held; in how many cases was legal aid allowed and in how many refused; in how many cases were the appeals dismissed without an inquiry being held; in how many cases were the appeals dismissed after inquiry; in how many cases were the punishments appealed from varied; in how many cases were the appeals allowed; and how many appeals were outstanding on 31st March, 1933?
Ninety-four appeals have been received, of which six were withdrawn or not proceeded with. Of the remainder, one is outstanding and the rest were disposed of as shown in the subjoined schedule.
| POLICE (APPEALS) ACT, 1927. | |||||||||
Particulars of Cases.
| |||||||||
| — | Total No. of Appeals. | No. of Inquiries held. | Legal Aid. | No. of Appeals Dismissed without Inquiry. | No. of Appeals Dismissed after Inquiry. | No. of Cases in which Punishment was varied. | No. of Appeals Allowed | No. of Cases outstanding | |
| Allowed | Refused | ||||||||
| Metropolitan Police Force | 39 | 4 | 4 | — | 35 | 4 | — | — | — |
| City of London Police Force | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| County Forces | 22 | 8 | 7 | — | 13 | 7* | 1 | *
| 1 |
| City and Borough Forces | 26 | 7 | 7 | — | 19 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Total | 88 | 19 | 18 | — | 68 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
* In two cases the Appeal was allowed in respect of one of the charges, but this did not affect the punishment. | |||||||||
Trade And Commerce
Russia
asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of commercial debts owing to the Soviet Government by British importers?
I regret that I am not in possession of the desired information.
Meat And Dairy Products (Imports)
asked the President of the Board of Trade the imports of beef, mutton, pig products, butter and cheese, respectively, from each of the most important export countries for each of the last five years; and what are the amounts of each product for each country to be restricted by the recent agreements?
Detailed particulars of the imports of meat, butter, cheese and lard during each of the years 1927 to 1931 are contained in Volume 11 of the "Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom," for 1931, and the issue for December last of the "Accounts relating to Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom" contains particulars of such imports in considerable detail for the year 1932. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Sir D. Newton) on 9th March, to the hon. Member for Bolton (Sir J. Haslam) on 16th March, and to the Noble Lord the Member for Newark (Marquess of Titchfield) on 23rd March, of which I am sending him copies. So far as beef and mutton are concerned, maximum quantities have not been assigned to individual foreign countries either under the Ottawa Agreements or the voluntary arrangements, the restrictions being in terms of total imports of certain descriptions of foreign meat.
New Schools
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he can give an assurance that proposals of local education authorities for the provision of new schools which satisfy the criterion laid down by the Minister of Health, namely, that they are required on grounds of public urgency, and which satisfy also the planning and other ordinary requirements of the Board shall receive the approval of the Board?
The provisions of Circular 1413 already empower the Board to sanction proposals for new schools where, in their opinion, the conditions set out in the question are complied with. In the circumstances, my Noble Friend does not consider that any modification of the provisions of the Circular is called for.
League Of Nations (Epidemiological Report)
asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the misrepresentation of the English conscience clauses in the Epidemiological Report R.E. 131, issued by the Health Organisation of the League of Nations; and whether he will instruct the representative of this country on that organisation to take steps to have a correct statement of the English vaccination law published?
I agree with the hon. Member that in the document to which he refers the effect of Section 2 of the Vaccination Act, 1898, is incorrectly stated, but as that section was repealed in 1907 and the substance of the enactment which replaced it is correctly reproduced, I do not think-it necessary to call attention to the inaccuracy. These reports are issued solely on the responsibility of the Health Section of the Secretariat of the League of Nations, and not on that of the Health Committee of the League.
Naval And Military Pensions And Grants
asked the Minister of Pensions if he will inquire into the circumstances attending the fact that the widow of the late Private E. A. Toms, 517,783, is not recognised as being entitled to any pension?
This case has now been identified from the further information supplied by the hon. Member. Mrs. Toms is in receipt of a pension under Article 17A of the Royal Warrant.
Kenya (Frontier)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any further rectification of the frontier between Kenya and Italian Somaliland has been proposed by Italy at any time during the last 12 months and, if so, with what result?
No such proposals have been made.