asked the Minister of Health what precautions are taken by medical officers of health to make sure that they themselves are free from infection by the hæmolytic streptococcus and cannot themselves carry the contagion?

I am advised that the best, and perhaps the only precautions that can be taken are those measures for preserving surgical cleanliness that are familiar to medical practitioners.

asked the Minister of Health how many human disease-carriers are known to his Department; what diseases are thus carried; and what is the general policy of his Department with respect to the surveillance of such cases?

The number of human disease-carriers about whom information is available in my Department is necessarily small, but I am advised that most infectious diseases are capable of being carried in this way, and that all persons may be carriers of some disease at one time or another, though not of course necessarily responsible for the spread of the disease. The policy of my Department is that known carriers of disease should not engage in any occupation which would render them a special source of danger to the public.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that farmers in Morayshire who ignore the regulations of the Potato Marketing Board are being summoned to appear at a court in Edinburgh; and whether he will take steps to arrange that where court action is taken in such cases the venue of trial will be in the sheriff court of the district?

I understand that over 100 registered producers concerned, including four from Morayshire, were notified by the Potato Marketing Board that alleged infringements of the Potato Marketing Scheme would be considered at a special meeting of the Board held in Edinburgh on 26th April last, and were given an opportunity of attending the meeting and of stating their case. The power of imposing penalties is specifically reserved to the Board, and such cases are not dealt with in the Sheriff Court. I have no power to take the action suggested in the question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action has been taken by the Department of Health for Scotland to ensure that Lairg will have an adequate supply of water this summer; whether he is aware that the county council had a scheme to take 1,000,000 gallons of water from Loch Craggie for which they were prepared to pay, but the proprietors have refused to sell; whether the Department of Health has granted or refused the council a compulsory order; and on what grounds?

We are awaiting a report by the county sanitary inspector on the result of certain repairs and improvements to the existing water supply system at Lairg which the county council decided to carry out. When the report is received, consideration will be given to the question how any augmentation which may prove necessary can best be secured. With regard to the second part of the question, the proprietors are not at present prepared to allow water to be taken from Loch Craggie, as they had offered another source of supply to the county council. With regard to the third and fourth parts, the Department refused a compulsory order as they were not satisfied that the deficiency of water supply at Lairg in 1934 was due to an exceptional shortage of rain.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, during the alterations to the prison warders' quarters at Perth, he is satisfied that proper consideration was shown to Warder W. B. Wilson and his wife and family; is he aware that the warder was advised by the local medical officer to vacate the quarters as being unfit for habitation; that equally bad conditions were forced on the occupants of H 3 quarters during the alterations; and whether he will institute an independent inquiry into the circumstances in which the officers, their wives, and families were compelled to live during the alterations to their quarters?

The warder in question was, I am satisfied, treated with due consideration. Structural improvements in quarters inevitably involve temporary inconvenience, and, as explained in reply to a question by the hon. Member on 10th April, the warder referred to took the exceptional course of removing his wife and family. No advice that the quarters were unfit for use was given by the Medical officer. After full consideration, I am satisfied that there are no grounds for instituting an inquiry as suggested.

asked the Minister of Labour the amount of state grants for public works for each respective year during which the Unemployment Grants Committee was in being?

The estimated cost of schemes approved for grant by the Unemployment Grants Committee during various periods from December,1920, to January,1932 (since which date no further grants were approved), is as follows:

Period.	Total Estimated Cost.
	£
December, 1920–March, 1922	26,574,000
March, 1922–June, 1923	15,874,000
July, 1923–June, 1924	24,222,000
July, 1924–June, 1925	20,639,000
July, 1925–June, 1926	17,566,000
July, 1926–June, 1927	792,000
July, 1927–June, 1928	319,000
July, 1928–June, 1929	6,181,000
June, 1929–August, 1930	43,435,000
September, 1930–January, 1932	35,404,000
	£191,006,000

The payments of Exchequer grant made to 31st March,1935, are as follow:

Financial Year ended 31st March.	£
1921	26,636
1922	1,696,310
1923	570,046
1924	1,034,336
1925	1,750,102
1926	2,134,636
1927	2,391,564
1928	2,692,101
1929	2,706,539
1930	2,747,397
1931	2,939,911
1932	3,657,863
1933	4,078,638
1934	4,420,046
1935	4,523,628

The estimated Exchequer liability during following years (up to 1964) is set out in Appendix III to the Final Report of the Unemployment Grants Committee (Cmd. 4354). It should be noted that the figures in the Appendix, also the above figures in respect of grants paid, include some provision for interest charges on loans raised for the purposes of the schemes.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total wages paid in the coal-mining industry of Great Britain in the first quarter of 1932 and in the last quarter for which figures are available, giving separate figures for Lancashire and Cheshire?

The information is as follows:

Quarter ended.	Estimated Total Wages Bill (excluding the value of allowances in kind).	Average Earnings per Person Employed (excluding the value of allowances in kind).
	Great Britain.
	£	£	s.	d.
31st March, 1932.	23,370,000	28	2	1
31st December, 1934.	22,980,000	30	7	2
	Lancashire and Cheshire.
31st March, 1932.	1,891,000	27	11	5
31st December, 1934.	1,732,000	29	17	6

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty how many industrial civil servants who have been rejected for establishment on medical grounds are still in the employment of the Admiralty; the approximate number of such civil servants who are above the age of 55; and how many of them have continued to serve for five or more years since such rejection?

I am afraid that the information is not available, and that it would not be possible to obtain it without a disproportionate expenditure of time and of labour.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education how many of the children attending the schools at Denham and New Denham, Buckinghamshire, were supplied with milk during February and March, 1935; and whether all the milk supplied to these schools came from Dromenagh Farm?

About 68 children in Denham council school and about 90 children in New Denham council school were supplied with liquid milk during February and March,1935. In addition, about 58 children at Denham council school received a form of dried milk. I understand that all the liquid milk supplied at both schools was obtained from Dromenagh Farm.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many cases of killer-dogs have been reported to his Department; whether the number of these animals is increasing; and whether any steps can be taken to reduce their number and diminish the losses caused to farmers by their activities?

Cases of death or injury caused by dogs to cattle, sheep or poultry are not required to be reported to the Ministry. No information is therefore available as to the number of cases of killer-dogs or whether the number is increasing. Regulations have been made by all county authorities in Great Britain (except London) requiring the control of dogs at night; and every dog when in any public place is required to wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner. In addition, the owner of a dog is liable in damages for injury done to any cattle, sheep or poultry by that dog, and the police are empowered to seize and dispose of any dog found straying on a highway or public place. I have no reason to believe that these regulations are not being effectively enforced. If, however, my hon. Friend can supply me with any particulars indicating that the losses caused to farmers by killer-dogs are increasing, I shall be happy to consider the matter further.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether His Majesty's Government still desire to use every means to encourage governments to settle disputes of whatever nature through the medium of the League of Nations, even when such dispute arose prior to the formation of the League?

It is certainly the desire of His Majesty's Government that disputes for which the League procedure is appropriate should be settled by means of that procedure; but, the Covenant does not contemplate that every and any matter which might be regarded as a dispute is necessarily one in which that procedure could appropriately be invoked.