asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what contracts in respect of the new buildings at Geneva for the League of Nations have been placed with British firms?

Three important contracts in respect of steel windows and one large contract covering the whole of the internal work in the library book-stack, including structural floors, stairs, lifts, etc., have been secured by firms in the United Kingdom. Further orders are very likely to be placed in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in what countries contracts have been placed for the new League of Nations buildings at Geneva and the numbers in each case?

Orders have been placed with about 27 contracting firms or groups of contracting firms. Of these, eight are groups involving firms of different nationalities consisting for the most part of Swiss, French, German and Italian elements. Of the individual contracting firms, three are British, three are German, one is Italian, one is Hungarian and 11 are Swiss. It would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to give the exact number of contracts placed with each of these firms or groups of firms as many of them have received additional orders which might either be regarded as extensions of their original contracts or as fresh contracts.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury if he will state for each year since contributory pensions became payable, what is the approximate additional amount which would have been payable by the Treasury if the provisions of the original old age pension scheme had continued to be applicable to persons receiving contributory pensions?

The whole cost of old age pensions to persons over 70, whether payable by virtue of the Contributory Pensions Acts or otherwise, falls on the Exchequer, and those Acts have involved a substantial increase in the Exchequer charge for old age pensions. I am not clear, therefore, to what the hon. Member is referring when he speaks of "an additional amount which would have been payable," but if he refers to the amount which has been paid by way of old age pensions additional to what would have been paid had the contributory pensions scheme not been introduced, I would refer him to the estimates in column (4) of table VIII of the Government Actuary's report on the Bill of 1925 (Command Paper 2406) of which I am sending him a copy. No figures are available to show what extra cost has actually emerged.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the letter of the law as to payment of War Debts to America; whether the British War Debt to America was incurred in payment for goods received by Great Britain or for a guarantee for goods supplied to the Allies; and, in view of the declared purpose of Great Britain to pay America what she received from other debtors, whether the agreement is affected by unilateral agreements between America and her European debtors?

The terms of the Funding Agreement of 1923 are contained in Command Paper 1912: the proceeds of the United States Grovernment's advances to His Majesty's Government, with the exception of a sum of about $140,000,000 which was re-lent to Russia, were applied towards meeting the expenditure of His Majesty's Government in the United States of America. In reply to the last part of the question, the inter-connection between the British War Debt and other inter-govermental obligations arising out of the War is based on evident and practical, rather than purely legal, considerations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the annual payment due by this country to the United States of America if our debt had from the outset been settled on the same basis as the Italian debt and taking into consideration all past payments, in eluding the token payments recently made, on the basis of the exchange rate previous to 1931?

If the British War Debt to the United States Government had from the outset been settled on the same basis as the Italian War Debt to the United States Government, the amount which His Majesty's Government have already in fact paid would exceed the amount due on such a basis by approximately $1,240,000,000 (equivalent to £255,000,000 at $4.86 to £1), and no further payment would be due until 1955. Thereafter annual payments would be due on a scale rising from $77,750,000 (£16,000,000) in 1955 to $176,000,000 (£36,000,000) in 1984.

asked the Minister of Pensions how many orphans have had their pensions extended beyond the age of 21 on the ground of total mental or physical incapacity; and what is the annual cost of such grants to the State?

On 31st March last pensions had been continued in payment to 117 young persons beyond the age of 21 who were motherless as well as fatherless and who had been certified to be totally and permanently incapable of self-support. The annual cost of these pensions is £3,650.

asked the Minister of Pensions (1) the number of war orphans receiving pension allowances from the Ministry at the end of April, 1934; and the number at the same date in 1933;(2) the number of war orphans who have had their pension allowances extended beyond the age of 16 years on grounds of mental or physical incapacity?

The total number of fatherless children in receipt of pension or allowance was approximately 20,750 at 31st March last. The number at the corresponding date in the previous year was about 35,700. Of the former number, it is estimated that some 2,500 children were drawing pension or allowance which had been extended beyond the age of 16 on account of infirmity.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that railway companies are putting pressure on recognised travel agencies to restrict or prevent the sale of the tickets available by small un-subsidised air passenger-carrying companies; and whether he will make representations to put an end to this practice?

I am aware that under the conditions of their appointment railway ticket agents are precluded from selling tickets for air services without the consent of the railway companies, and that such consent has been refused in the case of certain air services operated in competition with services provided by the railway companies. I see no reason to intervene in the matter.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in reference to the case of Mr. Alfred Edward Carr, of 1, Burbidge's Yard, Upper Broad Street, Trowbridge, Wilts, who, as the right hon. Gentleman admitted in a letter dated 20th March, 1934, was wrongfully classified when imprisoned in Horfield Gaol, Bristol, and not classed as a first-class misdemeanant as required by the law relating to parents sent to prison in default of payment of a vaccination fine, he has considered offering Mr. Carr some compensation for his treatment; and what action he proposes to take towards the persons concerned who were responsible for the mistake?

As I explained to the hon. Member in the letter to which he refers, Mr. Carr was received in prison on a Saturday afternoon and, as the warrant of commitment contained no direction that he should be treated as an offender of the first division, he was for the time being classified as an ordinary prisoner: but the position was rectified after communication with the court on the Monday morning: and the only practical effect of the delay was that Mr. Carr was exercised on the Sunday with other prisoners. The prison authorities have expressed their regret for the error, and the incident does not appear to call for any further action on my part, or to justify any payment to Mr. Carr.

asked the Home Secretary how many experiments on animals were reported as having been performed during the year 1933; how many of the experiments were actually witnessed by the inspectors appointed for that purpose; where such experiments took place; and under what certificate or certificates those experiments were performed or if under licence alone?

The information asked for in the first part of the question is not yet available. The number of instances during 1933 where the inspectors witnessed the whole of, or the initial procedure of, an experiment was 70. Twelve of these were under licence alone; three under Certificate B; and 55 under Certificate A. In addition, the inspectors in the course of their visits saw and examined many thousands of animals under experiment. The 70 experiments in question and the animals under experiment were seen in various registered places, a complete list of which will be given in the Annual Return.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the present position in regard to the new draft penal code of Palestine; and whether the High Commissioner's observations on certain criticisms which have been made on the code, especially in relation to corporal punishment, have yet been received?

I under stand that the draft criminal code of Palestine has been under review, and that I shall shortly receive the High Commissioner's recommendations in regard to the provisions in the draft Code, to which the right hon. Member refers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will publish a memorandum showing the extent to which the textiles of United Kingdom origin have been displaced by textiles from Japan in the markets of the British Crown Colonies?

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 29th May, 1934; col. 7, Vol. 290] supplied the following statement: