asked the Minister of Agriculture what quantity of home-grown barley was purchased by brewers for the manufacture of British beer in the years June, 1932, to June, 1933, and June, 1933, to June, 1934, respectively?

I regret I am unable to give the information asked for, as I have no statistics of the purchases of home-grown barley by brewers.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will arrange for publication in the annual Agricultural Returns of the total number of acres in this country devoted to bulb-growing and the total quantity of bulbs produced, in order to give satisfication to those bulb-growers who wish to extend their acreage and who have asked him for this information?

The items to be included in the Agricultural Returns Schedule for 1935 are now under review and the hon. Member's suggestion for the inclusion of the acreage devoted to bulbs will receive my careful consideration. The provisions of the Agricultural Returns Act, 1925, preclude me from requiring occupiers to state in their annual 4th June return the quantity of bulbs produced.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the Boards to which longterm loans have been advanced in pursuance of Section 14 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931, and the amounts so advanced; and whether any part and, if so, how much of the sums so advanced has been repaid?

No loans have yet been made under Section 14 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the boards to which loans have been advanced in pursuance of Section 13 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1931, and the amount of such loans; which of these loans have been renewed; which were made free of interest; and how much in each case has been repaid?

asked the Minister of Agriculture the estimated quantities of milk, consumed as liquid milk, and bread consumed in England and Wales and Scotland, respectively, during the year 1934 or latest year for which figures are available?

The total quantity of milk sold for liquid use during the year ending 30th September, 1934, through the Milk Marketing Board was approximately 630 million gallons. This figure does not include the considerable quantity

The following table gives the information required:of milk consumed in farm households or sold for liquid use by producers exempted from the Milk Marketing Scheme. I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland as to the consumption of liquid milk in Scotland. The latest information as to the consumption of bread relates to the year 1930 when it was estimated that the total censumi5tion of bakers' bread in Great Britain was approximately 1,650 million 4 lb. loaves. No separate estimate of consumption in England and Wales and Scotland, respectively, is available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received a report upon the value of steel road-studs purchased from France for experimental purposes; and whether he will make a statement?

In pursuance of requests and suggestions made to me I ordered a consignment of round steel studs from Paris. These were laid down for marking pedestrian crossing-places in Westminster and Hammersmith, and have been under the observations of my technical advisers, who report that they are in no way superior to steel studs at present in general use on crossing-places in London, and that under certain conditions at night they are definitely inferior. The round French stud, owing to its slightly higher camber, is, however, more visible than some of the round studs of lower camber used by certain of the highway authorities in London.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will consider favourably the project of extending the existing Western Avenue to form a new trunk road to the West and Wales, in the construction of which the water mains for the provision of the future supply to the London area from Central Wales could be incorporated; and, if so, whether a grant can be made for the early carrying out of this project for road transport, water supply, and employment?

I am prepared to consider a proposal for such a road if it be submitted to me by the responsible highway authorities; but I would remind my hon. Friend that I have no power to make grants from the Road Fund for works of water supply.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that in recent months there has been much irregularity in the service of omnibuses between Fulham, Chelsea, and Central London; and, in view of the inconvenience and loss thereby occasioned to workpeople and others, he will make representations to the London Passenger Transport Board on the matter?

Complaints as to the omnibus services to and from Fulham and Chelsea have been brought to my notice, and I have been in consultation with the London Passenger Transport Board on the matter. I am informed by the board that they are enlarging a garage at Putney to take larger omnibuses which, when brought into use, should improve the service.

asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been called to the death of Audrey Garnett, the 18-months-old child of Henry Major Garnett, of 18, The Holt, Carr Lane, Windhill, Bradford, who died in the Bradford Children's Hospital on 18th January in consequence of the administration of anti-toxin as a precautionary measure against scarlet fever; whether he is aware of a similar death at Bramhope Children's Orphanage in October, 1934; and whether, in view of the facts that scarlet fever is rarely fatal, that no guarantee can be given that the inoculation will protect from scarlet fever, and that the injection may cause fatal results, he will advise local authorities that administer fever and other hospitals to cease the prophylactic inoculation of children admitted into those hospitals.

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the answer to the second part is in the affirmative. The death referred to in the second part occurred in August, 1934. As regards the third part, this is a matter within the discretion of local authorities acting on the advice of their medical officers, and I should not be justified in taking the course suggested by the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he receives information from medical officers of health regarding fatal cases of diphtheria in immunised children?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Health the method by which fever hospital doctors compile their records respecting cases of diphtheria in immunised and unimmunised children, seeing that there are no marks on the arm to indicate whether a child has been immunised or not?

No, Sir. The method in each area, is a matter for determination by the local authority concerned.

asked the Minister of Health the number of cases of diphtheria notified, and the deaths registered, in Leeds and Bradford (Yorkshire), respectively, in each of the years 1913 to 1934?

The figures are as follow:

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air how many Japanese officers or members of the Japanese military air service have been trained in the Royal Air Force since 1919; how many are attached to the Royal Air Force at the present time; where they are stationed; and for what period of training?

Nine Japanese officers have undergone instruction in Royal Air Force establishments since 1928. Precise information for earlier years is not readily available, but only a slight addition to the above figure would be involved. At the present time one officer is undergoing a course of instruction, of two months' duration, at the Home Aircraft Depot, Henlow.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has any information as to the extent to which foreign bricks are still imported into this country; and, if so, whether he will give the names of the countries from which such supplies mainly come?

Imports of bricks into this country come almost entirely from foreign countries. During the year 1934, the total number of bricks of brick earth or clay imported into the United Kingdom and consigned from foreign countries amounted to 338,253,000, of which 312,682,000 were consigned from Belgium and 24,589,000 from the Netherlands.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the total value and tonnage of imports and of exports dealt with at the Welsh ports in 1921 and in each of the years 1929 to 1934, inclusive?

The total value of imports and exports at individual ports is published in Volume I, and also in Volume IV of the Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom. Particulars of the total tonnage of the trade at individual ports are not compiled, but particulars in regard to the weight of certain commodities are available and are published in Volume IV of the Annual Statement. Volume IV for 1933 will be published shortly; the other volumes for 1933 have already been published. The Annual Statement for 1934 will not be available until towards the end of this year. Each volume of the Annual Statement contains comparable particulars for a period of five years.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether it is proposed to grant any general school holidays in connection with the celebration of Their Majesties' jublee?

Yes, Sir. The King has been pleased to express a desire that all schools should in some appropriate manner share in the celebrations in connection with his Silver Jubilee. His Majesty wishes the particular form in which this should be done to be left to the discretion of the responsible school authorities, but in many cases it will probably be found that the most convenient way of associating the schools with the Jubilee celebrations would be by the grant of some extra holiday. In the case of day schools, Monday, 6th May, will generally be found the most suitable date; in the case of boarding schools, special arrangements will no doubt be made to suit each particular case.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total quantity of coal exported from Goole during each of the last six years; and the average f.o.b. price per ton?

The information is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any further statement to make regarding the dispute between Italy and Abyssinia?

Negotiations are continuing in Addis Ababa, but I am, not in a position to add to the answer I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald) on Monday.

asked the Postmaster-General the total loss to the Post Office on all telegrams for the last 12 months for which figures are available?

The loss on the Telegraph Service Account for the year ended 31st March, 1934, computed on a commercial account basis, amounted to £653,591.

asked the Home Secretary whether the numbers of persons prosecuted this year under the Betting and Lotteries Act, 1934, to the latest available date, is above or below the number of prosecutions for similar offences during the six weeks ended 14th February, 1934, 1933 and 1932; and whether he will give the figures for each period?

The volumes of the criminal statistics which are published annually include figures relating to prosecutions for betting and gaming, but no figures are available showing separately the number of prosecutions under a particular Act or for a particular part of the year. I regret, therefore, that it is not practicable to give the information for which my hon. Friend asks.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in respect of how many houses in Scotland in each of the last five years, including an estimate for the current year, have Exchequer grants been paid under the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts; and how much the charge in respect of these grants has amounted to in each year?

The following statement contains the information desired: