asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the fact that, the omnibuses operating on the No. 96 route, Wanstead to Victoria, are, although traversing the most congested thoroughfares, of the obsolete type, uncomfortable to passengers, and not up to date in mechanical equipment; and if he will impress upon the London Passenger Transport Board the necessity for their early replacement of this type of omnibus by the most modern style?

I am informed by the London Passenger Transport Board that the omnibuses used on route No. 96 are of the "N.S." type fitted with pneumatic tyres; that new omnibuses are being placed on the streets by the board at the rate of eight to 10 a week, and that these are being allocated to the various routes in accordance with traffic and other requirements; furthermore, that the omnibuses on route No. 96 will be replaced by the latest type at as early a date as practicable.

asked the Minister of Transport how much has been expended from the Road Fund since 1920 on Scottish roads; and how much has been received in the fund from Scotland during the same period?

The grants made from the Road Fund to highway authorities in Scotland from 1st April, 1921, to 31st March, 1934, amounted to £32,020,711. The authorities also received the amounts due to them through the general Exchequer contributions, towards which the Road Fund paid £2,734,076, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929. During the same period the net proceeds of motor licence duties and of penalties for motoring offences collected in Scotland amounted to £24,162,042.

asked the Minister of Transport what was the cost to the Road Fund of the Perth-Inverness and Glasgow-Inverness roads, respectively?

The final cost to the Road Fund of the Perth-Inverness road was £683,649. The final cost of the Glasgow-Inverness road has not yet been definitely ascertained, but it is expected to amount to about £908,000.

asked the Minister of Transport what sum was contributed from the Road Fund during the past financial year towards the cost of motor patrols; and whether it is proposed to reduce this contribution during the current year, in view of the introduction of the speed limit and the new arrangements made for its enforcement?

The sum paid out of the Road Fund during the past financial year towards the cost of motor patrols was £145,026. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the official inquiry into the loss of the four ships "Usworth" "Blairgowrie," "Millpool," and "La Crescenta" will take into consideration the effect of the new load-line?

As the House has already been informed, the position of the load-line has not been altered on any of these ships as a result of the introduction of the 1932 Rules.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Tramp Shipping Subsidy Committee will refer to the National Maritime Board any case in which it is alleged that the Board's agreement was not honoured; and whether the committee will suspend their decision on any claim for the subsidy until they receive the decision of the' National Maritime Board

The National Maritime Board is the appropriate body for deciding cases in which it is alleged that its agreements have not been honoured, and this is fully recognised by the Tramp Shipping Subsidy Committee. But the precise procedure followed by the committee will presumably vary according to the circumstances of the case.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the fact that British fruit-canners are intending to reduce their fruit pack this year; whether he has any information to show why this reduction is necessary; and what is the present approximate proportion of imported canned fruit consumed in this country to that produced in British canning factories?

I am informed that there may be some reduction in the quantity of home-grown fruit canned this year. It is no doubt attributed to ordinary commercial reasons, but it would not seem possible to give any single cause. While precise figures are not available of the production of canned fruit in this country, the proportions of imported and home-produced canned fruit consumed in this country would appear to be in the neighbourhood of 88 per cent. and 12 per cent. respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, whether his Department proposes to print and publish the recent report of the Consumers' Committee on the operation of the milk marketing scheme?

This report of the Consumers' Committee has been issued to the Press and has received wide publicity. Copies have been supplied to all who have made application, and further copies are still available in the Department. In the circumstances, it is proposed, in accordance with normal practice, not to incur the expense which would be involved in printing the report for issue as an official publication.