Written Answers
Shipping Industry
asked the President of the Board of Trade, how many British ships are now bunkering abroad either with coal or with oil which used to bunker in this country before the War?
I regret that this information is not available.
Vaccination
asked the Minister of Health the number of cases in which conscientious objection to vaccination of infants has taken place in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage these figures bear to the birth-rate in each of those years?
The particulars asked for are as follow:
| Number of Statutory-Declarations of Conscientious Objection. | Number of Declarations as Pecentage of Births registered. | |
| 1923 | 280,252 | 37.0 |
| 1924 | 271,176 | 37.2 |
| 1925 | 292,417 | 41.2 |
| 1926 | 284,122 | 40.9 |
| 1927 | 266,668 | 40.8 |
| 1928 | 280,815 | 42.5 |
| 1929 | 287,753 | 44.7 |
| 1930 | 295,792 | 45.6 |
| 1931 | 294,695 | 46.6 |
| 1932 | 291,015 | 47.4 |
Non-Provided Schools
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will consider issuing a White Paper embodying the reports of his inspectors on inquiries leading to the sanction or refusal of sanction for the erection of non-provided schools since 1931?
My Noble Friend does not consider that the public utility of such a document would justify the cost of its preparation. Persons interested, however, may obtain a copy of the report of a public inquiry held by the Board into a proposal for a new school on payment of a prescribed fee.
Coal Industry
Horses And Ponies
asked the Secretary for Mines, whether he can provide a complete list of mines at which horses and ponies were not employed below ground at the end of June, 1934?
Such a list as that desired by the Hon. Member would include over 1,000 mines, and obviously I cannot publish it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. If, however, the hon. Member wishes to have the information, and will speak to me, I can no doubt arrange to furnish him with it.
asked the Secretary for Mines the general reasons why the number of horses and ponies employed in mines has been reduced from 73,024 in 1913 to 37,571 in 1934; and whether he anticipates that this rate of reduction will continue?
The chief causes of this reduction in the number of horses employed underground are the general reduction in the output of coal and the substitution of mechanical for horse haulage. I anticipate a further reduction from the second cause mentioned, but I would rather not speculate as to the rate at which it is likely to proceed.
Consumption, Industries
asked the Secretary for Mines the percentage of the total home consumption of coal used in generating electricity, the production of gas, and used by the iron and steel industry in 1913, 1925, 1929, and 1933; and whether less coal per unit of electricity, gas, and iron and steel products was used during those years?
The following information is available:
| Year. | Percentage proportion of the total home consumption of coal in Great Britain used | |||||
| In generating electricity.* | In the production of coal gas. | By Iron and Steel Industry. | ||||
| 1913 | … | … | … | 2·7 | 9·1 | 17·0 |
| 1925 | … | … | … | 4·8 | 9·7 | 12·5 |
| 1929 | … | … | … | 5·7 | 9·7 | 13·5 |
| 1933 | … | … | … | 7·0 | 10·9 | 8·8 |
* At works belonging to authorised undertakings and to railway and tramway authorities. | ||||||
There has been a progressive reduction in the quantity of coal used per unit of production in these industries during this period.