asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total receipts from Import Duties on foodstuffs for the financial years ended 31st March, 1929 to 1933, respectively?

The approximate amounts of Customs Duties collected on foodstuffs, including feeding stuffs for animals (which cannot be separately distinguished) and tea, coffee and cocoa, in the financial years 1928–1929 to 1932–1933, were as follow:

			£
1928–1929	…	…	21,246,000
1929–1930	…	…	13,192,000
1930–1931	…	…	13,949,000
1931–1932	…	…	16,522,000
1932–1933	…	…	27,427,000

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the cost to the Exchequer in issuing transfer deeds free to the public for the period 1st April, 1934, to 30th September, 1934; the cost to the Exchequer of the concession granted to Stock Exchange firms under Section 42 of the Finance Act, 1920, and the amendment of 1931 for the same period; the extent to which each Stock Exchange has taken advantage of that privilege; and the aggregate totals since that Section operated?

The cost of the transfer forms issued free to the public in the period from 1st April, 1934, to 30th September, 1934, was approximately £480. The following table shows (a) the effect over the same period of the operation of Section 42 of the Finance Act, 1920, as amended by the Finance Act, 1931, and (b) the aggregate total from 1st Septem-

—	Duty exigible under old law.			Exigible and paid under Section 42.			Difference.
	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.	£	s.	d.
London Stock Exchange	469,928	10	0	87,871	6	6	382,057	3	6
Birmingham Stock Exchange	664	5	0	83	15	6	580	9	6
Bristol Stock Exchange	1,737	5	0	603	15	0	1,133	10	0
Halifax Stock Exchange	64	0	0	7	10	0	56	10	0
Huddersfield Stock Exchange	41	0	0	4	10	0	36	10	0
Leeds Stock Exchange	223	15	0	98	10	0	125	5	0
Liverpool Stock Exchange	649	10	0	209	0	0	440	10	0
Manchester Stock Exchange	939	5	0	480	0	0	459	5	0
Mincing Lane Stock Exchange	52	0	0	52	10	0		10	0
Nottingham Stock Exchange	48	0	0	6	0	0	42	0	0
Sheffield Stock Exchange	6,691	0	0	2,098	2	0	4,592	18	0
Provincial Brokers Stock Exchange	2,372	15	0	373	15	0	1,999	0	0
(a) Total for period, 1st April, 1934, to 30th September, 1934.	483,411	5	0	91,888	14	0	391,522	11	0
(b) Total from let September, 1920, to 30th September, 1934.	7,615,758	5	0	1,463,575	14	0	6,152,182	11	0

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered correspondence from the Kikuyu Central Association requesting that approval of the report of the Kenya Land Commission be suspended pending an appeal by representatives of the Kikuyu on the subject of the transfer of native lands; and whether he will consider in particular the grievances submitted by the Kikuyu Central Association, the Loyal Kikuyu Patriots, and the Progressive Kikuyu Party in their memorandum of 13th October last?

Certain communications have been sent directly to me, but the hon. Member will, I am sure, appreciate that any representations which local bodies wish to submit for the consideration of the Secretary of State must be made in the regular and prescribed way through the Governor, who in forwarding them will express his views thereon. As regards the wider question, the whole object of setting up the Land Commission as recommended by the Joint Select Committee was to have an authoritative and judicial inquiry into the whole of the claims, legal, equitable, historical and economic in regard to native land. I think every

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the quantities of cotton goods of Russian origin imported into British West Africa during the last three years to the latest convenient date?

As until recently the statistics of imports into the West African Colonies were based on country of consignment and not on country of origin, I regret the information desired is not available.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has received any report complaining of the shortage of American hams, so that there is not a sufficient supply to satisfy the Christmas demand; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

Representations have been received from the Liverpool Provision Trade Association and the Scottish Provision Trade Association as to a possible shortage of hams at Christmas. My right hon. Friend and the Minister of Agriculture have considered these representations, but have found no sufficient reason for departing from the existing arrangements.

asked the Minister of Transport why he has not put into operation Section 1 of the Road Traffic Act, 1934; and when he proposes to do it?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on Thursday last to questions on this subject.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the case recently before the West Riding Court in which evidence was produced by the police to the effect that the defendant had driven a heavy omnibus, almost full of passengers, between Alwoodly and Harewood, at a speed which was never less than 45 miles per hour, and at one time reached 62 miles per hour; and whether he proposes to take any steps to secure that cases of gross violation of the law as to speed by the drivers of heavy motor vehicles are subject to penalties appropriate to the danger to public safety attaching to such breaches of the law?

The maximum penalties for exceeding a speed limit are, in the case of a first offence, a fine not exceeding £20 and, in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, a fine not exceeding £50. On a third or subsequent conviction, the driver may be disqualified. A person who drives a motor vehicle at a speed which is dangerous to the public may be convicted of dangerous driving, and on indictment the maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for two years. I understand that in the case referred to by my hon. Friend the driver was fined £5. Parliament recently had an opportunity of reviewing the law relating to these offences. The actual penalties imposed do not depend on my discretion, but the discretion of the Courts.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the approximate cost of the beacons to be erected in the London area to mark pedestrian crossing-places; and for what reason the light on these beacons, in the same way as traffic lights, is not placed at such a height as to be at the eye elevel of the driver of the average motor car?

The approximate cost of providing and erecting a beacon is 30s. The globes are fixed, in the same way as traffic light signals, at about seven feet above the footway so as to allow sufficient clearance for pedestrians.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the problem of the delay and congestion of vehicular traffic which may be caused on busy thoroughfares at pedestrian crossings which are not controlled by the police or light signals by the operation of the regulation recently announced which provides that every foot passenger who is on the carriage-way at such crossing shall have precedence over all vehicular traffic at such crossing; and what measures are being taken to prevent such delay?

The effect of the pedestrian crossing regulations upon the movement of vehicular traffic is being carefully watched by the officers of my Department and by the police. The evidence so far is that time lost by vehicles at the crossings is made up between the crossings, as pedestrians are more and more using the crossings in preference to other parts of the carriageway.

asked the Minister of Transport what additional services have been provided since the London Passenger Transport Board took over the responsibility for London transport; and whether any information is available as to how the average speed of omnibuses and underground transport has increased since such date?

Since the inception of the London Passenger Transport Board, omnibus services have been introduced on 10 new routes; 13 routes have been extended, 10 routes have been altered to improve travelling facilities, and on 11 routes increased services are now provided. The operation of coach services has been coordinated. A through tramway service has been instituted between West Croydon and Harrow Road, by way of Mitcham, Tooting, Putney and Hammersmith. The trolley omnibus service previously terminating at Tolworth has been extended to the Portsmouth Road. The Piccadilly Tube has been extended from Enfield West to Cockfosters, and the service on the Picea dilly line extended from South Harrow to Uxbridge, so that there is now a through service between Uxbridge and Cock-fosters, a distance of nearly 32 miles. Increased services have been provided on the Stanmore branch line, and a connecting service between the Metropolitan and District lines has been instituted at Whitechapel. In the central congested areas there has been a slight reduction in the speed of omnibuses, but the increase in speed elsewhere has brought the average above that of June, 1933. On the railways the journey time on the Inner Circle has been reduced by 3½ minutes in slack hours. Accelerations have also been made in the journey times on the Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Central London Tubes.

asked the Minister of Transport whether and, if so, when he proposes to lay upon the Table regulations to restrict the speed of motorists in built-up areas and to diminish the danger to life and limb of dazzling lights on motor vehicles?

As regards the speed limit, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on Thursday last to questions on this subject. I propose shortly to circulate draft regulations under the Road Transport Lighting Act, 1927, dealing with dazzling headlights.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Council of the League has considered the effect of the action of San Salvador in recognising the Manchurian Government, contrary to the wishes of the League of Nations, upon its position as a member of the League?

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement as to the proposed creation by the Manchukuo Government of a petroleum monopoly to be financed by Japanese capital; and whether the British Government have made any protest in view of British commercial interests?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6th November to a similar question put by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton East (Mr. Mander).

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has been made aware of the strike in September last of about 300 workpeople employed by a French firm at Mossley, Lancashire; and will he state the reason for the strike and the outcome of the dispute?

The dispute to which the hon. Member refers was due to the dissatisfaction of the operatives with the wages and working conditions. The operatives returned to work after increases had been granted to certain classes.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the margins, per hundredweight, by which the prices of beef have advanced or declined since the beginning of the subsidy period on 1st September, 1934?

With occasional exceptions, wholesale prices of beef have shown a steady decline since the beginning of the subsidy period. The following statement shows the average wholesale prices

Average Weekly Prices of Beef and Fat Cattle for the Weeks ended 29th August and 31st October,1934.
Description		29th August		31st October		Variation in Price.
Beef (per cwt.)—		s.	d.	s.	d.		s.	d.
English Longsides, National Mark, Prime	…	64	2	57	2	—	7	0
English Longsides, Cow and Bull	…	44	4	40	10	—	3	6
Argentine, Chilled, Hindquarters	…	60	8	51	4	—	9	4
Argentine, Chilled, Hindquarters Forequarters	…	31	6	31	6	—
Australian, Frozen, Hindquarters	…	31	6	30	4	—	1	2
Australian, Frozen, Forequarters	…	24	6	24	6	—
Fat Cattle (per live cwt.)—
English, Fat Steers and Heifers	…	38	3	34	8	—	3	7
English, Fat Cows	…	24	2	22	1	—	2	1
Note 1. The prices for beef are wholesaler to retailer and those for cattle represent transactions between producer and purchaser.
Note 2. In all cases except National Mark prime beef, the prices are the mean between first and second quality.

asked the Minister of Agriculture in how many counties agricultural labourers' wages were reduced, or hours increased, during the years 1932 and 1933; and in how many counties were wages increased, or hours decreased, during 1934?

During 1932, 19 of the 47 agricultural wages committees reduced the minimum rates of wages for adult male workers and five committees increased the hours on which the weekly minimum wage was based. During 1933, 10 committees reduced the minimum rates and two increased the weekly hours. Since 1st January, 1934, 15 committees have increased the minimum rates of wages for adult male workers and eight other committees have issued proposals for increases; six committees have decreased the weekly hours and one other committee has issued a proposal to that effect. In addition to the above, two committees have both increased the rates and reduced the weekly hours.

asked the Minister of Labour the percentage figure of unemployment in the shipbuilding and ship-

Statistics of the numbers unemployed in this industry are not available, on a comparable basis, for dates prior to June, 1923, and the figures for the second half of that year were greatly affected by a trade dispute which lasted from April to November. The following table, however, shows for 1924 and 1933 the percentage of unemployment obtained by relating the average of the insured persons recorded as unemployed at or near the end of March, June, September and December to the estimated number of insured persons at the beginning of July in each of these years.

Area.			1924.	1933.
Barrow	…	…	33·2	58·7
Tyne	…	…	35·0	74·8
Clyde	…	…	28·6	76·8

Statistics are not available, on a comparable basis, of the numbers unemployed in these districts in 1913, but the average percentage unemployed in the United Kingdom in that year among persons in the shipbuilding industry who were insured under Part II of the National Insurance Act, 1911, was 3·4.

asked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that certain posts at the Building Trades Employment Exchange, Tavistock Street, are filled otherwise than by civil servants; and what are the reasons for this?

There are at this Exchange four temporary posts of technical officer for placing work. Candidates for appointment must have practical experience in the building trades and in filling vacancies in these posts the Department have regard to the views as to the technical qualifications of the candidates expressed by the local employment committee, which represents employers and trade unions in the building trades. In view of certain criticisms of a recent appointment to which my attention has been called, I should like to emphasise that these arrangements, though special to this Exchange, are in no way irregular, and that allegations of trade union threats in connection with that appointment are entirely without foundation.

asked the Home Secretary whether he has considered the disabilities under which borrowers are labouring in taking legal action against unconscionable transactions of moneylenders, inasmuch as the borrower is financially embarrassed and cannot find the money to take legal action, and that in any case he dislikes the publicity that would come of taking such legal action; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter?

I am aware of the difficulties which may hamper borrowers in having recourse to their legal remedies for the reopening of a moneylending transaction, but I am not aware of any practicable steps which could be taken to meet these difficulties.

asked the Minister of Health the amounts received by county and county borough councils for the last financial year in respect of each of the other licences referred to at page 222 of his annual report for 1933, including, in particular, licenses for male servants?

The total amount of £365,482 collected in respect of the local taxation licences referred to was made up as follows:

		£
Male Servants	…	119,052
Game	…	113,222
Gun	…	84,718
Armorial Bearings	…	35,098
Game Dealer	…	7,936
Game Keeper	…	5,456
		365,482

asked the hon. Member for Bosworth, as representing the Charity Commissioners, the number of public funds that have been initiated in connection with the various colliery and other disasters in Wales during the past 60 years, giving the amounts subscribed, distributed, and the balance, if any, also the liability in each case; and what is proposed to be done with the dormant balances?

The Charity Commissioners are unable to supply the information required. Any public fund initiated in connection with a colliery or other disaster is exempt from the jurisdiction of the Charity Commissioners, unless and until it is found that a surplus of such fund exists which cannot be applied for the purposes for which the fund was subscribed. Many, if not a majority, of such funds never become subject to the jurisdiction of the Charity Commissioners. I understand that a similar question relating only to colliery disaster funds IS being answered by the Secretary for Mines.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what arrangements are made for the dredging of Portsmouth Harbour; whether the work is carried out by the Admiralty or by contract; and, if the latter, who are the contractors?

Dredging in Portsmouth Harbour is carried out as necessary to maintain the berths and channels at the depths considered adequate for the safe berthing and passage of His Majesty's ships. The work is normally done by Admiralty craft, manned by employés of the Department.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the tonnage and value of naval shipbuilding constructed under Admiralty orders on the Tyne and Clyde and at Barrow, respectively, in the years 1913, 1923 and 1933?

I understand the question to refer to the contracts placed under the programmes of New Construction for the years mentioned. There was no contract programme for the year 1923. The tonnages placed under the 1913 and 1933 programmes are approximately as follow:

—		Tyne.	Clyde.	Barrow.
1913	…	41,000	33,000	28,000
1933	…	*10,200	20,000	4,430

The values are approximately as follow:—

—		Tyne.	Clyde.	Barrow.
		£	£	£
1913	…	3,450,000	2,130,000	1,440,000
1933	…	770,000	2,710,000	†1,130,000
* Includes "Minotaur" for which the machinery is to be made at Barrow.
† Includes the value of the machinery for "Minotaur."