asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he can now state the domicile of the 20-year 5½ per cent. Gold Bonds referred to in Command Paper 4338; the number held in this country and in the United States of America at the date of exchange; and the number and value of such bonds surrendered by British insurance companies and other British corporations and companies?

As these bonds were in bearer form, no information is available respecting their place of domicile or ownership beyond what can be gathered from the fact that $61,309,000 were surrendered for conversion in London and $54,957,100 in New York.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what steps are taken by the Customs authorities to ensure that timber imported free of duty into this country as pit props is only used as such, and is not subsequently sawn up for use as box boards and other purposes?

The exemption from duty under the Import Duties Act to which my Noble Friend refers applies to "wooden pit props." The function of the Customs authorities in administering the exemption is limited to determining at the point of importations whether or not timber comes within the scope of the exemption.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of vessels transferred from British ports of registry

asked the Minister of Health the total cost of relieving the able-bodied in each of the last five years, giving separate figures for Lancashire?

The following statement shows the expenditure on out-relief to persons ordinarily engaged in some regular occupation and their dependants during each of the last five financial years. I should add that the figures relate not to the able-bodied as a class, but to persons ordinarily engaged in some regular occupation.

The following table gives particulars of the number and gross tonnage of vessels transferred from ports of registry in the United Kingdom, as sold to foreigners, or whose registry was transferred to a British overseas port.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will take steps to include a proportion of British-bred beef in all His Majesty's Government's food contracts, provided that the price and quality are the same as that now used?

I have been asked to reply. The beef now supplied under Government contracts is almost wholly of British Empire origin. If my hon. Friend meant to refer to home-raised beef, I would refer him to the answer given to the hon. and gallant Member for Taunton (Lieut.-Colonel Gault) on 30th November.

asked the Minister of Health what schemes, in addition to slum-clearance schemes, have been submitted to him by the Manchester City Council for dealing with overcrowding in areas which are not necessarily slum areas, but in which clearance would need to be carried out for the erection of more commodious buildings on the spot)

No definite schemes other than those which provide for the clearance of slum areas have been submitted.

asked the Secretary for Mines what percentage of British coal production in 1932 was mechanically loaded and conveyed; and what was the approximate reduction in labour on this account in comparison with the numbers employed in 1913?

In 1932 25 per cent. of the total output of coal in Great Britain was mechanically loaded and conveyed. The information asked for in the second part of the question is not available.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of mines at which the ponies employed below ground have been equipped with electric battery lamps attached to collars or harness worn by them; how many ponies are now carrying these lamps; and whether, as his inspectors report that these lamps are economical and reduce accidents to both ponies and drivers underground, he will consider issuing a regulation to ensure the general use of such lamps?

During the year ended 30th June, 1933, 472 horse lamps were in use at 29 mines. I hope that colliery owners will give these lamps a trial over a wider area and in larger numbers, and the mines inspectors are using, and will use, their influence to that end, but I should not feel justified at present in proposing to make their general adoption compulsory.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he proposes to introduce

I hope to introduce this Bill before the Christmas Recess; but if this proves to be impracticable, it will be introduced immediately the House re-assembles.

asked the Minister of Labour what was the total number of persons in insurable employment in Widnes and Prescot, Lancashire, on some appropriate day in each of the years 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932, and month by month during 1933?

An approximation to the numbers of insured workers in employment in particular areas at the end of June in each year can be obtained from the statistics of the total numbers insured and the numbers recorded as unemployed, but these figures are available only in respect of Employment Exchange areas and not for local government areas. The following table gives on this basis the estimated numbers insured for Widnes and Prescot, for the end of June in each of the years 1929 to 1933, together with the numbers recorded as unemployed at these dates and in each month in 1933.