Written Answers
British Army (Temporary Commissions)
asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office what was the number of officers not holding permanent regular commissions who were employed with the Regular Army at the latest available date and their departments?
The number of officers employed with the Regular Army on 1st June, 1934, who held temporary War time commissions only, or were serving as commissioned officers on contract, was as follows:
| Royal Engineers | 4 |
| Royal Army Medical Corps | 38 |
| Royal Army Ordnance Corps | 2 |
| 44 |
Animals (Poisoning)
asked the Home Secretary whether, having regard to the large number of cases of poisoning dogs and other animals which have occurred recently, he will consider the desirability of further restricting, by the introduction of legislation or otherwise, the sale of poisonous substances?
It is already an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding £10 to put any poison or poisoned food or liquid in any place to which dogs and other domestic animals have access, and I have no information that would lead me to believe that any amendment of the law in this respect is necessary.
Vermin (Steel-Toothed Teaps)
asked the Home Secretary whether having regard to the suffering involved to rabbits and other animals when caught in steel-toothed traps, he will consider the desirability of introducing legislation to make the use of such traps unlawful?
As my predecessors have stated in reply to similar questions on previous occasions, the farming industry was of opinion in 1924 that these traps were the only available method of preventing the serious economic loss which would be caused to agriculture by the multiplication of vermin. I am not aware that the position has changed since that time, but I will consult with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture on this point, and I will communicate again with my hon. Friend.
Street Collections, London
asked the Home Secretary whether he is now in a position to make a statement as to what action he proposes to take with regard to the recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Street Collections for 1933 to the effect that the number of charity street collections in the Metropolitan police district is excessive and should be limited in future?
The Commissioner of Police is considering with the local authorities concerned the possibility of reducing the number of street collections in the Metropolitan area, and it is hoped that a satisfactory solution of the difficulty may be found, but any reduction can only be made gradually.
Property Tax (Allowances)
asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the sum of £101,384,564 shown on page 67 of the Seventy-sixth Annual Report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue as the assumed cost of repair and maintenance of property, whether he will state the total expenditure actually incurred as revealed by the applications for supplementary allowances on the ground that the actual expenditure taken over a period of five years exceeded the flat-rate allowance made in the assessment; and how much of this expenditure was covered by the flat rate and the proportion covered by supplementary allowances?
The sum of £101,384,564 may be divided into slightly over £95,000,000 in respect of allowances made at the flat rate and about £6,250,000 in respect of supplementary allowances in cases where the actual expenditure on lands and buildings taken on a five years' average exceeds the flat rate allowance. I regret that the available statistics do not enable me to say what was the total of flat rate allowances in respect of the particular properties for which the supplementary allowances were given.
Hops Marketing Report (Brewers' Qualifications)
asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received from the parties concerned any communications arising out of the Report of the Hops Provisional Committee [Cmd. 4628] and annexed agreement?
Yes, Sir. I have received, through the Chairman of the Hops Provisional Committee, the following letter and statement from the Brewers' Society.The Brewers' Society,5, Upper Belgrave Street,London, S.W.1.23rd June, 1934.Dear Sir John,HOPS.I am informed by the Brewer members of the Joint Committee that in signing the report and agreement at the final meeting on the 21st instant it was arranged that, in deference to your desire not to add a reservation to the report, you would forward to the Minister with the report a short statement of certain qualifications which those members desire should be placed on record. These qualifications are attached.Yours very truly,(Signed) EDGAR SANDERS.Lt. Col. Sir J. R. Chancellor,G.C.V.O., K.C.M.G., D.S.O.23rd June, 1934.
Beport Of The Provisional Hops Committee
The Brewer members of the Committee desire to bring to the attention of the
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and to place on record the following objections to the report which they have made throughout the proceedings of the Committee, notwithstanding that they have signed the report in their desire to assist the Minister in arriving at a working arrangement for the marketing of hops:
1. Brewers are opposed to the principle of the limitation of the production of English hops as provided for in the amendments to the Hops Marketing Scheme, 1932, whereby quotas for individual growers are fixed; 2. Brewers consider that the difficulties which the said amendments make for the entry of new producers of hops, confer a practical monopoly on the existing growers which is not in the interests of the hop industry generally; and 3. Brewers are opposed to the limitation of the import of hops, as they believe that since the imposition of the £4 per cwt. duty, the use of foreign hops has never materially affected the English hop industry.
(Intld.) E. S.
This letter and statement were communicated by me to the Hops Marketing Board, the other party to the Agreement, and I have received from the board a letter in the following terms:—
The Hops Marketing Board,
30–33, Central Buildings,
Southwark Street,
London, S.E.1.
29th June, 1934.
Sir,
We have to thank you for your letter of 27th June and copy of the letter of the Brewers' Society to you of 23rd June.
We were aware that the Brewers' Society wished to record their dislike of the principles underlying the regulation of output, and we must consider this letter as an indication of their desire to have their attitude officially noted.
We fear, however, that this letter may be used in a manner prejudicial to the good relations between ourselves and the Brewers' Society. It will be recalled that in the preliminary state of the negotiation an understanding was reached that if a satisfactory agreement could be concluded between the Brewers' Society and the Hops Marketing Board the opposition of the former to the Quota Amendments now before Parliament would not be pressed.
If the opponents of the Quota Amendments attempt to use this letter as a weapon of attack, it might create the false impression that the Brewers' Society were in some way responsible for this and were therefore not keeping faith. Such an impression would engender suspicion and resentment and make the task of the Joint Committee in working the agreement more difficult.
While we think it our duty to call attention to this danger, we desire to assure you that we ourselves are convinced that the representatives of the Brewers' Society who have signed the report and the agreement intend to live up to their undertaking and to make every effort to work the new arrangements to the mutual interest of all parties concerned, with the same loyalty which we ourselves will bring to this task.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) CECIL M. HIGGINS
(on behalf of the Chairman).
The Minister of Agriculture,
10, Whitehall Place,
S.W.1.