asked the Minister of Labour how many British workers went to Guernsey and Jersey under the temporary labour scheme during the 1933 season; and whether similar arrangements will be made for 1934?

In 1933, 2,471 British workers were engaged through the Employment Exchanges for seasonal agricultural work in Jersey. An article giving some details of the arrangements was included in the Ministry of Labour Gazette for December, 1933. Similar arrangements will be made for 1934. Additional labour of this kind is not, so far as I am aware, required in Guernsey.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will consider the desirability of publishing the monthly unemployment statistics with comparative figures for the corresponding month in the previous year instead of for the pre- ceding month, as at present, in view of the fact that such a comparison would more correctly demonstrate the rise and fall of unemployment or employment proportionate to the corresponding period?

The practice is already as suggested by my hon. Friend.

asked the Minister of Labour if he will publish a statement showing the total of the debt due by the Unemployment Insurance Fund to the Treasury, and showing the period of, and the rate of, interest for each separate advance which is outstanding?

Details of the debt of the Unemployment Fund outstanding on the 7th February, 1934, are as follow:

Amount.	Date of expiration of period for which advances were made or renewed.	Rate of Interest.
£		Per cent.
830,000	February, 1934	4⅝
1,480,000	March, 1934	4¾
410,000	April, 1934	4⅞
500,000	May, 1934	4¾
90,000	July, 1934	4⅞
350,000	August, 1934	5
1,180,000	September and October, 1934.	5⅛
3,540,000	November, 1934, to February, 1935.	5
830,000	March, 1935	4⅞
2,280,000	March and April, 1935.	4⅝
10,630,000	May to September, 1935.	4¾
2,830,000	October, 1935	4⅝
15,490,000	November, 1935, to February, 1936.	4½
10,420,000	March and April, 1936.	4⅝
4,100,000	May, 1936	4½
9,190,000	June and July, 1936	4⅜
6,166,000	August, 1936	4⅝
6,360,000	September, 1936	4¾
8,420,000	September and October, 1936.	5⅛
3,380,000	November, 1936	5
5,770 000	December, 1936, and January, 1937.	5¼
2,060,000	February, 1937	5
1,718,000	March, 1937	4⅝
2,540,000	March, 1937	4⅜
1,156,000	May, 1937	4⅜
730,000	June, 1937	3¾
2,530,000	August, 1937, to March, 1938.	3⅝

Amount.	Date of expiration of period for which advances were made or renewed.	Rate of Interest.
£		Per cent.
1,790,000	March to June, 1938	3½
1,520,000	July to September, 1938.	3⅝
710,000	September and October, 1938.	3½
£109,000,000

Each item of debt was borrowed for a period of five years, and if not repaid at the expiration of that time was renewed for a further period of five years.

asked the Home Secretary if he can make any statement as to the result of the action taken by his Department, in conjunction with the Mining Association, to develop the system of mutual insurance in the coal-mining industry in order to ensure the continuance of workmen's compensation payments even in those cases where colliery companies may close down or go bankrupt?

As the hon. and gallant Member will be aware, the object has been to secure that every colliery is insured either through a mutual indemnity association or an insurance company in respect not only of fatal accidents, but also of cases of permanent or prolonged disablement, or as an alternative sets aside adequate reserves to meet its liabilities under a trust deed. It appears from information obtained through the Mining Association that out of about 960 colliery undertakings, employing some 790,000 men, 707 undertakings with 589,000 men have adopted one or other of these alternatives. As regards the remainder, it is right to say that in many cases it is expected that similar arrangements will have been actually adopted by an early date. For example, it is estimated that some 49,000 more men will be covered after the revision of the articles of association of three mutual associations, which is reported to be in hand, is completed; and there are some large undertakings in which the arrangements for the trust deed, though not actually com- pleted, are in process of settlement. There are also a number of undertakings, employing some 60,000 men, reported to be in negotiation with mutual indemnity associations. I expect to receive next week from the Mining Association a full and up-to-date statement of the position.

asked the Home Secretary the number of colliery undertakings which have gone into compulsory liquidation from 1927 to 1932, inclusive; the number of men employed therein; and the total of the sums outstanding at the time of the liquidation on account of workmen's compensation claims?

Figures indicating the number of cases of liquidations and the extent to which these cases have resulted in loss of compensation were published on pages 13 and 14 of the Workmen's Compensation Statistics for 1932, and these were supplemented in an answer given to the hon. Member for Leigh (Mr. Tinker) on 5th February. I regret that the other information asked for is not available.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of miners employed and unemployed in December, 1932, and at the latest available date?

On 27th January, 1934, there were 785,600 wage earners of all ages on colliery books as compared with 782,400 on 24th December, 1932. According to the Ministry of Labour records, there were, at 22nd January, 1934, 207,539 insured persons (16 to 64 years of age) in the coal-mining industry classification in Great Britain recorded as wholly unemployed, and 54,942 temporarily stopped. The corresponding figures at 19th December, 1932, were 238,417 and 66,940, respectively. These two sets of figures are compiled from quite different sources, for different purposes, and to some extent they overlap; they therefore bear no direct relation to one another.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will introduce legislation which will abolish the quota provisions of the Mines Act in view of the fact that many collieries have a potential annual production far in excess of the quota allowed them, and the Carlton group of South Yorkshire mining companies, in particular, are limited to 2,600,000 tons, instead of the 4,500,000 tons which they could produce?

It is inevitable that the quota granted to many individual collieries must be less than their potential production, since the productive capacity of the coal mining industry, in its present state of development, is about 300,000,000 tons per annum, as compared with a demand of only just over 210,000,000 tons. That is indeed the justification for the maintenance of the regulation of output under the Coal Mines Act, 1930, rather than for its abolition.

asked the Secretary for Mines the number of electric storage battery locomotives in use underground in mines, and the number of small, endless-rope, single-drum haulers in use underground for haulage at or near the coal face?

Consent to the introduction of electric storage battery locomotives below ground has been given at 17 mines under the Coal Mines Acts. I regret that the other information is not available.

asked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to outbreaks of animal and bird poisoning in different parts of the country; whether any reports have been made to him as to the causes of such poisoning; and whether, in view of the destruction of animal life which has resulted, the reason for scattering poison in these cases has been cleared up and the responsibility assessed?

I have seen references in the Press to the finding of a number of dead rooks in and around Melcombe Horsey, Dorset, but my attention has not otherwise been called to the matter. I have obtained from the local police a report, from which it appears that after making inquiries they have reached the conclusion that the death of the birds in question was due to eating flesh containing strychnine, which had presumably been put down for the purpose of destroying vermin. Efforts to trace the sale of strychnine during the past year to persons resident in the county have been unsuccessful, and search has failed to reveal any remains of poisoned bait.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will introduce legislation to make it illegal for the citizens of the Irish Free State resident in this country to vote at Parliamentary and local elections in Great Britain and Northern Ireland?

It is not the policy of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to discriminate between different classes of British subjects in the matter of the exercise of the franchise.

asked the Home Secretary the population in the area covered by the Pontypridd stipendiary for 1909, 1912, 1921, 1928 and 1933; and the number of cases tried in the area for each of these years, separately?

I have no information regarding the number of cases tried in the area in the years in question. As regards population, my only information is that contained in the Census Returns. According to these returns, the population in 1911 was 215,782; in 1921, 237,899; and in 1931, 210,258.

asked the Home Secretary (1) at what salary was the recent appointment of a stipendiary magistrate for Pontypridd made; who was responsible for the fixing and payment of the salary; and does it carry with it superannuation, and upon what basis it is paid;(2) who fixed the salary of the previous stipendiary for Pontypridd, Sir Lleufer Thomas; what was the salary paid upon appointment; whether any annual increment was given or any increase in salary and, if so, on what dates; and what was the salary paid at the time of his retirement?

The salary of the stipendiary magistrate for this district is attached to the office, and is not personal to the individual holder of that office. Under the Pontypridd Stipendiary Magistrate's Act, 1872, the salary was fixed at £600, with a provision that it might be raised by the Secretary of State on a memorial being presented to him by the justices in general or quarter sessions. It was so raised in 1881 to £700, in 1891 to £900 and in 1919 to £1,200. Under the Pontypridd Stipendiary Magistrate Act, 1920, which repealed the earlier Statute, the salary was fixed at £1,200, or such other salary as might in future from time to time be fixed by the Standing Joint Committee, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. In 1921 the salary was so fixed at £1,500. It is payable by the county council, to whom "unappropriated" penalties imposed by the court are paid. No annual increments are payable, nor is there any provision for superannuation. Sir Lleufer Thomas was appointed to the office in 1909, and his successor was appointed last year when Sir Lleufer Thomas resigned.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been drawn to the case of David Price, who was charged at Brighton Police Court with cruelty to a cow in calf, and proved to have blinded the animal in both eyes by beating it with a stick; and whether, in view of this and similar cases of cruelty, he will consider extending the powers of magistrates to enable the punishment of flogging to be awarded in such cases?

I have seen a Press report in which it is stated that a sentence of three months' imprisonment was imposed in this case. I do not see my way to initiate legislation as suggested in the second part of the question.

asked the Minister of Health which county councils have taken action under Circular 1338, dated 12th May, 1933, by carrying out or initiating surveys in their areas as to conditions of existing water supplies and the availability of new supplies; which county councils have reported that existing supplies are inadequate; which county councils have considered schemes for improvement; and how many joint advisory committees have been set up?

Forty-four county councils have taken action in the carrying out, initiation or co-ordination of surveys in their areas. In addition, six county councils have rural schemes under consideration. Details are appended. These surveys are proceeding. The undertaking of surveys may be taken as evidence that improvement is needed in parts of the counties concerned, and that it is being considered. Six regional advisory committees have been formed. Measures have been taken for the appointment at an early date of two additional committees covering large areas.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that the water supplies of the chief Lancashire towns are adequate in view of possible droughts; and, if not, whether he is taking any action, in the light of the experiences of 1933, to suggest improvements?

I am in close touch with the position in the Lancashire towns. The local authorities of the towns have withstood remarkably well the severe test of the exceptional drought in 1933. Improvements have been and are being made where necessary.

asked the Minister of Health when the Government propose to take any steps to implement the recommendations of the Hadow Committee?

The report recommends measures to be taken by local authorities. Legislation is not required. I propose to communicate with the London County Council and associations of local government authorities when they have had time to consider the report.

asked the Minister of Health whether vaccine lymph manufactured at the Hendon Institute is diluted; and, if so, in what proportion?

The hon. Member will find full information on this subject on page 16 of the report of the Committee on Vaccination: Cmd. 3148, published in 1928.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of ex-civil servants in receipt of pension and/or superannuation allowances, and the annual charge to the Exchequer?

The number of ex-civil servants in receipt of pensions is approximately 49,100, and the annual cost of their pensions £6,112,000. In addition, lump sum payments are made to or in respect of established civil servants on retirement from or death in the service. The total provision for such payments in the Estimates for the current financial year is about £1,750,000. The above totals include about £130,000 per annum which is recoverable from Northern Ireland by deduction from the residuary share of reserved taxes, and about £120,000 which is repayable by the Irish Free State Government.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what would be the approximate cost on the latest information available to him of remitting the Entertainments Duty on prices of admittance to entertainments under 6d.?

My right hon. Friend is not prepared to make estimates of the effect of modifying existing taxation in particular directions in advance of his Budget statement.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the approximate average annual cost of a regular service squadron as compared with an auxiliary squadron?

Under present conditions the comparable annual costs of a regular and an auxiliary Air Force squadron may be put at £70,000 and £40,000 respectively.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what further progress has been made during the past two months with regard to the provision of a British commercial air service to China; and whether, in view of the anxiety of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and other British trade organisations that such facilities should be available at the earliest possible date, he will ensure that there shall be no delay on account of the need for assistance, financial or otherwise, in his Department?

The matter is still under active consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make any statement. The points raised in the second part of the question will, of course, be borne in mind.

asked the Minister of Transport (1) if he will provide information showing the amount which has been expended upon purchasing and freeing toll roads and toll bridges in Great Britain during each of the past three years, giving details in each case as to the method by which the freeing was achieved;(2) the number of toll roads and bridges in existence in Great Britain belonging to private individuals or companies, railway companies, local authorities, or his own Department, respectively, at the latest available date and in each of the previous five years;(3) if he can provide a list giving the names of toll roads and toll bridges in Great Britain, together with the name of the highway or other authority in whose power it lies to take action for their freeing and the class of road on which they are situate?

During the last three years one toll road and six toll bridges have been purchased and freed by local authorities in England and Wales with the assistance of grants from the Road Fund. The number and amount involved in each year are as follow:

—		Toll Roads.		Toll Bridges.
		Number.	Total Expenditure.	Number.	Total Expenditure.
			£		£
1933	…	—	—	3	43,340
1932	…	1	2,850	2	5,050
1931	…	—	—	1	3,500

In 1931 the construction of a new bridge enabled an existing toll bridge to be "by-passed" by traffic.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that, although it has been the policy of the Ministry for a number of years now to bring as many road vehicles as possible on to pneumatic tyres, no special speed limit is scheduled for tractors equipped with pneumatic tyres as with goods vehicles, and pneumatic-tyred tractors are not, like other vehicles, given the benefit of a lower licence duty; and whether there is any possibility of these anomalies being rectified in the near future?

I have noted the hon. Member's suggestions for consideration, but am unable to make any statement on a matter partly affecting taxation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why Russians are employed in the Hong Kong police force when there are a number of British ex-service men unemployed in Hong Kong?

I am informed that Russians are not normally employed in the regular police force of Hong Kong on ordinary land duties, although a number are serving as anti-piracy guards under the control of the police department. Since 1930, only a very few applications have been received from British ex-service men unemployed in Hong Kong to take the places of the Russian guards, and in no case was the applicant fitted to undertake the duties he would be called upon to perform. I am advised that there are no employable British ex-service men at present unemployed in the Colony. Further, the cost of such guards is borne by the shipping companies, and it is unlikely that those companies would be willing to pay wages on a scale higher than those adequate for Russian guards so long as the present arrangements fulfil their purpose.

Description.	1932.	1933.
Hosiery (knitted, netted or crocheted goods):
Stockings and hose:	Dozen pairs.	Dozen pairs.
Of cotton, or of which the chief value is cotton	780,517	906,292
Of wool, or of which the chief value is wool	200	501
Of silk, or of which the chief value is silk	—	134
Of artificial silk, or of which the chief value is artificial silk	63,049	49,890
Underwear:	Dozens.	Dozens.
Of cotton, or of which the chief value is cotton	467,339	568,902
Of wool, or of which the chief value is wool	15	77
Of silk, or of which the chief value is silk	321	12
Of artificial silk, or of which the chief value is artificial silk	5,389	215
NOTE.—The figures for 1933 are provisional.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the recent declaration of the Prime Minister of Australia that complete co-operation

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the rise in the price of bacon; and whether it is his intention to issue such revisionary order as will enable further quantities to be imported pending the time when British products will be available?

I am aware of the rise in the price of bacon. The quantity of bacon to be imported from foreign countries in the current period ending on 28th February was arranged with due regard to anticipated home and Empire supplies, and I have no ground for believing that such supplies will fall short of their expected volume, or that there is any need to depart from the existing arrangements.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the quantity of stockings, hose, and knitted underwear imported into the United Kingdom from Japan for the years ended 31st December, 1932, and 31st December, 1933, respectively?

The following table shows the total quantity of the undermentioned descriptions of hosiery imported into the United Kingdom and consigned from Japan during the years 1932 and 1933.with Great Britain was essential in any measures to be taken in respect of Empire shipping, he will state whether arrangements are in hand to secure such co-operation?

His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom welcome the statement of the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, and my hon. Friend may rest assured that we shall not fail to consult fully the Governments of the Dominions whenever the occasion arises.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will consider co-operating with the Milk Marketing Board with a view to extending the present arrangements for the provision of supplies of good milk to school children at the lowest possible cost?

The hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware of the rapid increase in recent years in the number of school children receiving milk under arrangements organised by local education authorities or by the National Milk Publicity Council. My Noble Friend will be glad to co-operate with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture in any practicable proposals for securing a further extension.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated acreage under hops and the total estimated crop (in cwts.) of hops for the seasons 1932 and 1933, respectively?

The following table gives the information desired:

Acreage under Hops in England*, as returned by occupiers of agricultural holdings in June, 1932 and 1933, together with the estimated total production of the crop in those years.
—		Acreage.	Estimated Total Production.
		Acres.	Cwt.
1932	…	16,531	188,000
1933	…	16,895	216,000
* No hops returned in Wales.