asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can now make any statement as to the causes of the invasion of Chinese territory in the Jehol district by Japanese troops; and what steps are being taken for the preservation of British commercial interests in that district?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal gave to the hon. Member for East Fulham (Mr. Wilmot) on 4th February.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Polish Government has honoured its 1928 agreement to pay the debts due to the

In view of the fact that there are, as far as I am aware, no British interests in the area involved, the second part of the question would not appear to arise.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government have received any information indicating that Japan has requested China to pledge herself to withdraw from Geneva and not to appeal further to the League of Nations, or whether he will make inquiries on this point?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. In the circumstances the inquiries suggested in the second part of the question would not seem necessary.

asked the Secretary for Mines the output per man-shift for 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934; the number of persons employed in the mines in each of the years mentioned; and the total output for each year?

The information is as follows:

International Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Danzig, in which British capital is invested; and, if not, will he postpone the conclusion of a trade agreement with the Polish Government until that Government has fulfilled its obligations covered by the 1928 agreement?

His Majesty's Government have received from the British interests in the International Company certain complaints which are now under investigation, but at present I am not able to make any further statement on the subject.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can state an approximate figure showing the income per person in this country for any given year?

I regret that no official estimates of the national income are available.

asked the Home Secretary what is the present situation regarding the draft of a Bill for the registration of persons carrying on a business as private inquiry agents, and for purposes connected therewith, submitted for the consideration of his Department; and will he report as to the public need of such a measure of public control?

I have received a copy of the draft Bill to which my hon. Friend refers, but I cannot undertake to make any comment on the provisions contained in it.

asked the Lord President of the Council the amount now standing to the credit of the Cinematograph Fund; whether any grant has been made from the fund since the sum of £5,000 was allocated to the British Film Institute last year; and whether he is now prepared to consider applications for grants from bodies other than that institute?

The amount at present standing to the credit of the Cinematograph Fund is £2,154 5s. 3d. A grant of £6,000 to the British Film Institute in respect of the current year has been approved. With the exception of the £5,000 received by the Institute in 1934 no other grant has been authorised, and the Privy Council are not at present in a position to entertain other applications for assistance.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he can give any information as to the licence agreement between Vickers, Limited, and the Colt Company of the United States of America for the manufacture of Maxim guns for the United States; when this agreement was made; and whether it is still in force?

I have no knowledge of any agreement for the manufacture of Maxim guns between the firms mentioned.

asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether he is aware that Albert E. Fine, who served as private in the East Surreys in India for five years and left the Army on 18th August last to join civil life, has not been supplied with his National Health and insurance cards; and if he will see that this is now done?

I have looked into this case, and I am satisfied that there has been no omission on the part of the military authorities. As regards the action to be taken in the case, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, communicate with him by letter.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the amount of beef and mutton imported from Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, respectively, during the standard year indicated by the Ottawa Agreements, the comparable average for the five years previous and each year since, together with the percentage increase or decrease in each case?

The quantities of chilled and frozen beef and frozen mutton and lamb imported into the United Kingdom from Argentina, Australia and New Zealand during the period July, 1931, to June, 1932, and in the corresponding periods in 1932–33, 1933–34 and the comparable average of the five years 1926–27 to 1930–31, inclusive, together with the percentage changes in each case are as follow:—

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the total cost of maintaining the unemployed who have received transitional payments since the passing of the Order in Council of 1931, and what the total cost would have been during the same period if these persons had been receiving standard benefit without the application of the means test?

(2)the annual cost of maintenance of those who are now on transition if they were receiving the standard rates of benefit of the Unemployment Insurance Act; and if he can state the estimated annual cost of the maintenance of such transitional cases?

, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 31st January, 1935, column 494, Vol. 29], supplied the following information: —

The total expenditure in respect of transitional payments from the commencement of the scheme in November, 1931, up to the end of 1934, was approximately £146,250,000. It is estimated that if during this period the same persons had received unemployment benefit without the application of the means test, the cost would have been about £161,500,000. As stated in Cmd. Paper 4765/1934, the expenditure on Transitional Payments in December, 1934, was at the rate of approximately £41,000,000 a year. If the persons concerned had been in receipt of unemployment benefit in December, 1934, it is estimated that the cost would have been at the rate of about £46,250,000 a year. The above figures do not take account of cases in which "nil" determinations of transitional payments were given.