asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that' for the first four months of this year imports of horses into this country amounted to 3, 163 as against 1, 465 for the same period of 1933, whereas exports of horses fell for the same period to 663 from 580; what proportion of these figures was accounted for by heavy horses as used in agriculture; and whether he is satisfied that the present assistance given by him to heavy horse breeding is adequate both to supply the needs of domestic agriculture and maintain a satisfactory export trade?

I am aware of the position in regard to imports and exports of horses as indicated in the question. I regret that I have no information as to what proportion of the imports or exports consists of horses suitable for agricultural purposes, though I believe that it is quite small in both cases. As regards the third part of the question, I am satisfied that the grants provided to assist heavy horse breeding are sufficient for the purpose of encouraging the production of heavy horses for agricultural purposes. The grants made, however, are limited in amount and are not intended to cover the wide field mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total amount of fines so far levied on producers by the Milk Marketing Board and the Potato Marketing Board, respectively?

I am informed by the Milk Marketing Board that, in pursuance of the Milk Marketing Scheme, they have imposed penalties amounting in the aggregate to £11,486 on 545 registered producers since the scheme came into operation. The Potato Marketing Board have informed me that up to the present they have imposed penalties on 197 registered producers, amounting in all to £633, in pursuance of the Potato Marketing Scheme.

asked the Minister of Health how many houses have been erected since the War by local authorities under the various Housing Acts, showing the number erected under each Housing Act, and the national and local assistance per house and the total annual payments by the Treasury and from the rates towards assisted housing schemes?

With regard to the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the second issue if the series of half-yearly statements on the progress of housing in England and Wales which will be available shortly, and will show the numbers of houses provided by local authorities under each Housing Act since the Armistice. Particulars of the Exchequer and local annual contributions per house in respect of houses erected by local authorities are as follow:1919

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether the four lodges at the junction of Regent's Park and Park Crescent comply with modern housing standards; and, if not, will he take steps to remove them and rehouse the occupants elsewhere?

I have been asked to reply. The matter is primarily one for the Crown Estate Paving Commissioners. I am in touch with the Commissioners, and will communicate to my hon. and gallant Friend as soon as possible the result of my inquiries.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that Margaret Jane Pinnock, of Staines Road, Laleham, a one-month old baby, died from vaccination performed when the infant was five days old in order to enter an adoption home; and whether he will communicate with the societies that arrange for the adoption of children and remind them of the advice given in the last report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry, to the effect that the authorities of such institutions should abolish their vaccination regulations?

I am aware of the case referred to in the first part of the question. As regards the second part, I. do not find that the last report of the Chief Medical Officer of my Department advised that the authorities of institutions should abolish their vaccination regulations. The passage in the report to which the hon. Member appears to refer is not relevant to this case as it relates to the vaccination of adolescents and children of school age who have not previously been vaccinated.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the advisability of appointing a Royal Commission to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the causes of maternity mortality and make recommendations, in regard thereto?

No, Sir; I am not at present satisfied that an inquiry into the subject by a Royal Commission would be of advantage. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Blackburn (Captain Elliston) on 28th March, of which I am sending him a copy. The hon. Member will see that special inquiries are in progress in those areas where the incidence of maternal mortality is, or has been, most marked, and that when those inquiries are completed my right hon. Friend proposes to lay a White Paper on the subject before the House.

asked the Minister of Health when he expects to be able to make a statement as to any remedial steps which can be taken to meet the loss of medical attendance suffered by those men and women who, having been unemployed for some time, have lapsed from insurance; and whether he can state the numbers which have so lapsed since the beginning of the year?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the memorandum explanatory of the National Health Insurance and Contributory Pensions Bill (Cmd. 4905), and to the report of the Government Actuary thereon (Cmd. 4906), which were presented on 23rd May.

asked the Minister of Health the aggregate amount of loans which have been sanctioned by his Department during the last 12 months for public works to be carried out by local authorities?

The loans sanctioned by my Department for public works in the 12 months ended 30th April amount to £53,574,000, of which £26,500,000 represents housing.

asked the Home Secretary the number of coloured alien people residing in Cardiff; and what proportion of these are registered as seamen?

The statistics in regard to aliens are classified according to nationality, and the information asked for in the first part of the question is, therefore, not available. The number of seamen normally resident in Cardiff and registered under the Special Restriction (Coloured Alien Seamen) Order, 1925, was on 1st January last 2, 404.

asked the Home Secretary whether the British Post-Graduate Medical School, Ducane Road, Hammersmith, is registered as a place for the performance of experiments on animals under the provisions of the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Home Secretary whether applications have been made to register the criminal investigation research laboratory at Bristol and/or the laboratory at the Metropolitan Police College at Hendon as places for experimentation on animals under the provisions of the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876;and, if so, whether such registration has been granted in either case?

No application for the registration under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, of either of these places has yet been received, but I understand that the question of applying for the registration of the laboratory at the Metropolitan Police College at Hendon under the Act is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, taking the latest six months for which figures are available, he can state the imports of British coal into the different countries of South America; and how these figures respectively compare with the similar figures for the corresponding period of 12 months previously?

The following is the answer:

asked the Secretary for Mines whether in view of the number of idle pits and unemployed miners in West Scotland, any special consideration has been given to the possibility of establishing in Scotland a factory for extracting petrol from coal?

By preferential treatment in regard to taxation of oil produced from indigenous coal and by a guaranteed preference on petrol so pro- duced, the Government have taken definite action designed to encourage the production of oil from coal. As regards the commercial development of particular processes, however, the view of the Government is that this is not a suitable object for Governmental action. The possibility of establishing an oil-from-coal industry in Scotland has been under consideration by the "Oil from Coal "Committee of the Scottish National Development Council, and the first report of the Committee, which has just been published, contains much useful information on the subject matter of the question, to which I would invite my hon. and gallant Friend's attention.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give figures for the last period available showing the quantity of oil, of all kinds, imported into this country in foreign tankers and the quantity imported in British tankers?

The statistics relating to the imports of oil into this country are not subdivided so as to distinguish the quantities imported in foreign and in British tankers.

asked the Minister of Transport how many miles of the 91 miles of the Class I road from Westminster Bridge to Brighton sea front, via the Croydon by-pass and Crawley route, are restricted; and what length of this restricted mileage has been built or widened with the assistance of advances from the Road Fund or from its predecessor, the Road Improvement Fund?

Section of the London-Brighton road amounting to 24 miles are restricted and, of these, about 94 miles have been widened with assistance from the Road Fund. No part of this road was built or widened with assistance from the Road Improvement Fund. Various proposals for derestricting parts of the mileages mentioned are under the consideration of the local authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Labour whether there are any quarries in this country which are either closed or working short time; and, if so, whether he can state the reasons, in view of the demand for stone for all purposes?

I have been asked to reply. The number of quarries over 20 feet deep which were worked at some time during 1934 was 5, 170 out of a total of 6, 130. It should, however, be remembered that work is carried on intermittently at a large number of quarries in the ownership of county and local authorities and others, as required. I should add that the output of mineral from quarries in 1934 was 79,000,000 tons, or one-sixth more than the record figure for 1933, and more than two-thirds greater than in 1913.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether any and, if so, how many school places are vacant in non-provided and in provided schools in Stepney, respectively?

The latest figures at present in the Board's possession show that in public elementary schools in the borough of Stepney on 31st March, 1934, there were 2, 227 vacant places in non-provided schools with a total recognised accommodation of 15, 374 places and 5, 253 vacant places in provided schools with a total recognised accommodation of 29, 522 places.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the proposed new election laws regarding the manner of nomination and election of members to the Polish seym and Polish senate, which will eliminate the party and group system in Poland and drastically reduce Ukranian and other minority representation in the Polish parliament; and whether His Majesty's Government will make representations to the Polish Government or to the League of Nations that these proposals are contrary to the provisions of the Minorities Treaty signed by Great Britain, Poland, and other countries at Versailles in 1919?

I understand that a new Polish Electoral Bill is at present under discussion by the Constitutional Committees of the Senate and Diet of Poland, but that the text of the Bill has not yet been published in its entirely. It is impossible for His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom to express any opinion on a Bill which is not only at present the subject of the parliamentary procedure in another country, but with the text of which they are unacquainted. In these circumstances the hon. Member should not assume that I accept the interpretation which he places on the provisions of the Bill.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether representations have been received recently by the League of Nations with regard to the contravention of Article 73 of the League's Danzig Constitution by the legal and administrative disadvantages which operate against persons of Jewish birth in the Free City of Danzig; and will he report the substance of the representations and make any evidence offered in support available to the House?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part of the question, the communication to the general public of the substance of petitions submitted to the League Council and of any evidence offered in support of such petitions may only be made at the request of the State concerned, or by virtue of a resolution to this effect passed by the Council of the League after the matter has been duly submitted to it.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the services in Scotland to which the Goschen formula applies, and the amounts paid to each of those services in accordance with that formula in the years 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, and 1934?

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 20th May, 1935; col.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the report of the Government Actuary on the finances of the Widows', Orphans', and Old Age Contributory Pensions Acts, 1925 to 1932, that the existing rates of normal contributions are insufficient to meet future liabilities, he proposes to investigate the matter, and especially with regard to the future of State commitments?

My hon. Friend appears to be under a misapprehension. The Government Actuary's report does not indicate that the contributions of employers and workers, which are to be raised in January next as required by the provisions in the principal Act relating to decennial increases, together with the Exchequer contributions on the increasing scale at present fixed by Statute, are likely to be inadequate on any reasonable forecast of the future course of unemployment. In the circumstances, I see no reason for any investigation additional to that which the Government Actuary has just completed.