asked the Minister of Transport if he has further considered the adoption of the system of compulsory crossing-places for pedestrians; and what are the views of his Department on the subject?

The question of adopting a system of marked crossing-places for pedestrians in a defined area in London is under my consideration, and I expect to be in a position to make an announcement on the subject at an early date.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the recent dismissal of a case at Chester Petty Sessions against two riders for riding horses on the footpath along the side of the road after it had been pointed out that it was the duty of the highway authority, under the Road Traffic Act, to provide adequate margins for riders as well as pedestrians; and whether, in view of the desirability that the existence of this obligation should be generally known, he will consider the issue of a circular drawing attention to the matter?

I was not aware of this particular case, but the attention of highway authorities was drawn in a circular issued by my Department in March, 1931, to the declaration in Section 58 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, as to the duties of highway authorities with regard to the provision of grass or other margins for the accommodation of ridden horses and driven live stock, as well as of footpaths for the accommodation of foot passengers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in which cases the principal British Colonies permit or refuse to permit rebate of duty on fuel consumed by British air-mail services operating over their territory.; and whether, in view of the advantages accruing to these Colonies and the Empire as a whole from the existence of such services, he will urge the granting generally of such a rebate?

Apart from local services in Fiji and East Africa, the only regular British air-mail services operated in the Colonies are those maintained by Imperial Airways, Limited. This company is accorded, in all the British Dependencies through which its services operate, freedom from Customs duties on fuel and oil used in the operation of those services. I have no information as to the treatment accorded to the local services in Fiji and East Africa, but each of those services is subsidised by the Governments concerned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Palestine Government is considering a restriction on the number of Jews who may become doctors in Palestine; and if this restriction has received the approval of His Majesty's Government?

I have not received any information from the Government of Palestine that such a restriction is contemplated.

asked the Secretary for Mines what was the percentage of the British coal output which was cut by machinery in 1921 and 1932, respectively; and what was the approximate reduction in the number of miners displaced on this account in comparison with the total employed in 1913?

In 1913 8 per cent., in 1921 14 per cent., and in 1932 38 per cent. of the total output of coal in Great Britain was cut by machines. The information asked for in the second part of the question is not available.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give particulars of the reply sent to the questionnaire from the International Labour Office with regard to the desirability of adopting the international regulations concerning the methods of providing rest and alternations of shifts in automatic sheet-glass works?

No reply to this questionnaire has yet been sent, but the matter is receiving consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour what reply he has sent to a communication from the Director of the International Labour Office on the subject of drawing up proposals giving effect to a suggestion of the committee of experts on Article 408 of the Peace Treaty for the organisation of annual meetings of national factory-inspection services?

This suggestion of the committee of experts, which was supported by the British Government, has now received the general approval of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office, and specific proposals by the Director to give effect to this decision will be considered at a future meeting of the governing body.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will give particulars of the reply sent to the questionnaire on the reduction of hours of work sent at the request of the International Labour Office?

No reply to this questionnaire has yet been sent, but the matter is receiving consideration.

asked the Minister of Labour whether a reply has yet been sent to the questionnaire from the International Labour Office concerning the preparation of international regulations for the provision of relief for the involuntarily unemployed?

No. Sir, the reply is under consideration.

asked the Lord President of the Council the amount of money spent and the proportion of time devoted by various industrial research associations during the past three years to work for the Army, Navy, and Air Force?

It is impossible to give exact figures, but the work conducted by the industrial research associations for the Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry certainly represents but a small proportion of their total activities. From inquiries I have made, I should judge that its cost during the last three years may have amounted to about £5,000, which is less than 1 per cent. of the total expenditure of these institutions for the same period.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the amount paid to registered growers of wheat in Scotland in respect of deficiency payments under the Wheat Act, 1932, for the years 1932 and 1933, respectively; what percentages those payments represent of the total deficiency payments made in the United Kingdom; and what is the estimated percentage of the total United Kingdom deficiency payments which will be payable to growers of wheat in Scotland for 1934?

The deficiency payments provided under the Wheat Act, 1932, are payable after the close of the cereal year commencing on 1st August and ending on 31st July, but the Wheat Commission have power to make payments on account during the year. For the cereal year ended on 31st July, 1933, deficiency payments paid to registered growers of wheat in Scotland amounted to £234,636. This sum represented 5.2 per cent. of the total amount paid to registered growers in the United Kingdom. The total amount of deficiency payments payable for the current cereal year, ending on 31st July, 1934, will not be known until after the end of the year. On the basis of the estimated production of wheat harvested in the United Kingdom during 1933, the share of Scottish wheat growers in the deficiency payments to be paid for the current cereal year, would be equivalent to 5.6 per cent. of the total for the United Kingdom.