asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that Mr. Diamond, of Herbertsun Street, Glasgow, is having his disability pension taken into account by the Unemployment Assistance Board; that this man has received a letter from the Ministry of Pensions which, in definite terms, states the pension is a disability one; and if he proposes taking any action in the matter?

I understand that the hon. Member has now been informed by the Unemployment Assistance Board that, having regard to the special needs in this case, it is not proposed to take any part of the pension into account.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that arrangements have been made whereby pensions of all kinds are to be paid on an earlier date than they fall due in order to facilitate the Christmas arrangements of pensioners; and whether similar arrangements can be made in the case of all unemployment benefit payments and the allowances of the Unemployment Assistance Board?

I understand that pension payments due up to the Thursday in Christmas week may be drawn before Christmas, but not those due on Friday. The position is the same with regard to unemployment benefit and unemployment allowances.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, under paragraph 2 of Form B3z of the Unemployment Assistance Board, it is intended that all Christmas boxes, whether of money or in kind, should be reported?

As indicated in reply to the right hon. Member for Bow and Bromley (Mr. Lansbury) on the 9th December casual Christmas gifts will not be taken into account by the board's officers in the assessment of allowances. In the applicants' own interests, however, in order to avoid misunderstanding their proper course is to report cash receipts of this kind as directed on the form.

asked the Minister of Labour how many other forms there are in addition to B.L.18, B.3z, B.L.2z, and B.9, with which applicants coming before the Unemployment Assistance Board are expected to be acquainted?

Applicants would be well advised to make themselves acquainted with the leaflet B.L.18, which is handed to every person applying for an allowance. Fuller information as to the operation of the Regulations and as to Appeals may also be found in leaflets B.L.8 and B.L.2z respectively. With regard to forms, applicants are only concerned with those they receive. These they should, of course, read carefully.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of persons who were unemployed and signed the register at Hull for 1931 to 1935, or the latest available date?

The number of unemployed persons, aged 14 and over, on the registers of the Hull Employment Exchange at the undermentioned dates, Was:

Date.	Number.
25th November, 1935	15,330
26th November, 1934	17,335
20th November, 1933	17,056
21st November, 1932	21,218
23rd November, 1931	17,588

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of claims for standard benefit and for transitional benefit on 1st January, 1935, and the latest available date, giving separate figures for the Wales division and for the United Kingdom?

The available figures are as follow:

—	Wales Division.	Great Britain.
17th December, 1934:
Claimants for insurance benefit.	73,168	963,038
Applicantsfor transitional payments.	109,771	769,538
25th November, 1935:
Claimants for insurance benefit.	65,992	851,694
Applicants for unemployment allowances.	110,270	732,338

Corresponding statistics are not available for 1st January, 1935.

asked the Minister of Labour whether His Majesty's Government has initiated any national discussion on the question of the application of the 40-hour week to the textile industry in preparation for the International Labour Conference in 1936?

In accordance with a recent decision of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office the next step is for the Office to take the advice of textile experts from various countries and to make a report relating to the textile industry in preparation for a consideration at the International Labour Conference, 1936, of the application of the 40-hour week to the industry. As soon as the report is available, I intend to consult the National Confederation of Employers' Organisations and the General Council of the Trades Union Congress with regard to the matters dealt with therein.

asked the President of the Board of Education what number of children between the ages of 11 and 14 are attending grant-aided secondary schools?

According to returns submitted to the Board of Education there were approximately 237,000 children aged 11 and under 14 in attendance at grant-aided secondary schools in England and Wales on 1st October, 1935.

asked the President of the Board of Education what facilities exist in rural areas to assist the children of agricultural labourers to attend secondary schools, such as the number of free places, scholarship grants, and the provision of meals and transport?

The local education authorities of rural areas, in common with all other authorities, are required to award special places in secondary schools, that is, places which, in cases of financial need, carry total or partial remission of fees, to the extent of not less than 25 per cent. of the admissions in the previous year, and the number of such places actually awarded is, as a rule, considerably in excess of this minimum. In addition, a number of authorities award maintenance allowances, and defray the cost of meals and transport.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can state the number of children residing in rural areas attending secondary schools?

I find some difficulty in giving the desired figures in the absence of precise information as to the areas which the hon. Member would wish to be included. If he will be good enough to inform me on this point, I shall be glad to give him the particulars for which he asks.

asked the Presiden of the Board of Education what are the number of children attending senior and central schools, respectively; what are the number of such schools; and what number of teachers are employed in such schools?

I regret that I cannot give separate figures for central schools or departments, but the figures for senior departments are as follow:

England and Wales.
Senior Departments of Public Elementary Schools maintained by Local Education Authorities, 31st March, 1935.
—	Number of Departments.	Number on Registers.	Full-time adult staff.
Senior Boys	874	261,596	9,67
Girls	879	259,052	9,478
Mixed	991	286,586	10,385
Total	2,744	807,234	29,530

asked the President of the Board of Education how many schools not in receipts of grants from public funds there are in the administrative county of Surrey; how many have declared themselves open to inspection by the Board; and how many have been inspected since such declaration?

The number of schools in Surrey not in receipts of grants from public funds of which the Board have official cognizance is 649. This total is made up as follows:

(a) Schools which have complied with Section 155 (1) (b) of the Education Act, 1921	575
(b) Schools open to the Board's inspection under Section 147 of Education Act, 1921	17
(c) Schools recogniasd as efficient	57

I am not able to say whether any of the schools under (

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he can give any estimate of the amount spent on school buildings by voluntary bodies in England a id Wales, and in Birmingham, during the past ten years?

I regret that the Board have no figures on which to base an estimate.

asked the President of the Board of Education how many blacklisted schools still exist in Sheffield?

There are at present 15 public elementary schools in Sheffield which are still on the list of schools with defective premises.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will give the number of elementary schools in Derbyshire not taking a supply of milk during the month of November last, also the number of children attending such schools?

The board's statistics in this matter relate to the several departments of the schools and not to the schools as a whole. Figures are not available for the month of November, but on the 1st October last 76 out of 474 public elementary school departments maintained by the Derbyshire County Council had made no arrangements for the supply of milk. The number of children on the registers of these departments was 6,462.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether figures can be supplied of the number of children throughout the county of Derby who were detained from school more than one day during the months of October and November of this year owing to insufficient footwear; and how many children, if any, have received an allowance in cash or kind for the provision of footwear?

I regret that I have no information on the subject of the hon. Member's question.

asked the President of the Board of Education when he proposes to introduce a Bill to raise the school-leaving age; and whether he will give an opportunity to education authorities to discuss with the board the main principles before the Bill is submitted?

The Bill referred to has bean given its First Reading. Consultations with representatives of local education authorities and other parties interested had already taken place before the main principles of the Bill were published. I am however proposing to discuss with representatives of education authorities the details of, and the machinery for giving effect to, those principles.

asked the President of the Board of Education what action has been taken by local education authorities, in response to the circular issued by the Board of Education on 2nd July, 1935, urging that steps should be taken to meet a threatened shortage of skilled shipyard workers by providing and maintaining facilities for instruction in shipbuilding and naval architecture?

The communication to which the hon. Member refers was sent to certain Tyneside local education authorities only. The board drew the attention of these authorities to the diminution which has recently taken place in the facilities for technical education in shipbuilding and naval architecture on Tyneside, and suggested that they should confer together on the subject. The authorities concerned held a meeting in Newcastle in September last and a committee was appointed representative of the authorities, the shipbuilding industry and Armstrong College. This committee is now investigating the position.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will state the percentage of scholars in the schools of each educational authority in Greater London, north of the Thames, who are taking advantage of the Government scheme for the provision of cheap milk?

The latest figures available in my Department refer to the end of March, 1935; I should be happy to supply complete figures for October in a few weeks.The following list gives the percentages of the number of children on the registers of public elementary schools in educational areas in Greater London north of the Thames, who were receiving milk at the end of March, 1935. The figures on which the percentages are calculated include children receiving free milk as well as those paying for cheap milk and also include a small number of children receiving milk which was stated to be supplied outside the "milk in schools" scheme.

Area and percentage of children receiving milk.
London (North of the Thames)	68.1
Middlesex (County)	50.5
Acton Borough	55.6
Brentford and Chiswick Borough	49.0
Ealing Borough	55.7
Finchley Borough	54.0
Hendon Borough	57.5
Heston and Isleworth Borough	49.4
Hornsey Borough	60.0
Tottenham Borough	55.5
Twickenham Borough	47.9
Willesden Borough	48.6
Wood Green Borough	59.3
Edmonton Urban District	55.6
Enfield Urban District	52.6
Barking Borough	56.6
Ilford Borough	58.5
Leyton Borough	63.8
Walthamstow Borough	54.5
East Ham County Borough	61.6
West Ham County Borough	54.9

Expenditure on Education falling to be met from Rate Fund Moneys.
Local Education Authority.			Year.	Elementary Education.		Higher Education.
				Amount.	Equivalent rate per £ required, no allowance being made for the Block Grant in 1934–35.	Amount.	Equivalent rate per £ required, no allowance being made for the Block Grant in 1934–35.
1.			2.	3.	4.	5.	6.
				£	d.	£	d.
Durham County		…	1913–14	270,588	20·5	52,443	3·1
			1934–35	589,475	60·6	156,451	12·6
Merthyr Tydfil		…	1913–14	26,034	24·4	8,511	8·0
			1934–35	62,811	74·8	23,036	27·4
Glamorgan	…	…	1913–14	207,559	26·9	56,808	4·1
			1934–35	361,381	67·7	232,378	22·8
Monmouthshire		…	1913–14	104,758	24·1	12,126	2·3
			1934–35	221,971	65·9	85,517	21·8
Abertillery	…	…	1913–14	14,546	24·9	—	—
			1934–35	23,787	107·1	—	—
Middlesex	…	…	1913–14	109,299	13·8	59,567	2·1
			1934–35	473,928	21·5	469,114	6·9
Surrey	…	…	1913–14	190,150	11·6	38,862	1·7
			1934–35	615,046	18·2	195,245	4·4

asked the President of the Board of Education whether it is the

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will supply information showing the local rates levied for elementary education and secondary education, respectively, in the years 1913 and 1914, by the following authorities: Durham county, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Monmouthshire, Abertillery, Middlesex, and Surrey?

Since 1st April, 1930, it has not been possible to state what is the equivalent rate in the £ of the cost of any particular servile included in the total rate levied, inasmuch as in arriving at the latter figure account has to be taken of the Block Grant under the Local Government Act, 1929, which is applicable to Local Government services generally and is not allocated between individual services. The figures given for 1934–35 in columns 4 and 6 of the following statement show the estimated requirements for elementary and higher education respectively expressed as a rate in the £, no allowance being made for the Block Grant, and are not comparable with the figures in those columns for 1913–14.intention of the board to give any financial support to the National Central Library?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Lonsdale (Lord Balniel) on the 9th December on the subject of the grant-in-aid from public funds to the National Central Library.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the percentage of the output of coal that was carried by mechanical conveyors in each of the 25 areas mentioned in the annual report of his Department; the amount and percentage of coal transported by electric battery locomotives; the amount and percentage transported by stationary motor haulers at or near the coal face; and the amount and percentage carried by other mechanical means at or near the coal face in 1934?

The percentage proportion of the total output of coal carried by mechanical conveyors in each district in 1934 was as follows:

District.	Percentage proportion.
England and Wales.
Northumberland	36.0
Durham	15.7
Cumberland and Westmorland	15.2
Lancashire and Cheshire	42.1
Yorkshire, South	39.7
Yorkshire, West	14.1
Nottinghamshire	60.5
Derbyshire, North	41.7
Derbyshire, South	36.2
Staffordshire, North	79.5
Cannock Chase	34.0
South Staffs, and Worcester	4.0
Leicestershire	32.6
Warwickshire	68.5
Shropshire	Nil
Forest of Dean	7.0
Somerset	14.4
Bristol	3.8
Kent	82.5
South Wales and Monmouth	25.6
North Wales	69.6
Scotland.
Fife and Clackmannan	75.8
Lothians (Mid and East)	50.9
Lanarkshire, etc.	37.5
Ayrshire, etc.	24.4
Great Britain	36.9

The remainder of the information asked for is not available.

asked the Secretary for Mines what steps he is taking to ensure that a due proportion of the increased prices of coal and slack now being charged to consumers is being passed on to the miners?

I am informed that the increases in prices to consumers represent the passing on of increases in the pit-head prices. As such they would operate to augment miners' wages.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been drawn to any cases where South Wales coal export licences, instead of being used for the export of South Wales coal, are trafficked in France for the import into that country of Polish coal; and whether he will at once consider what steps can be taken to prevent such traffic, which is detrimental to South Wales coal exports?

I understand that my hon. Friend has in mind the machinery set up in South Wales for the operation of the coal-pitwood agreement. I am not aware that it is possible for licences issued under that agreement to be used for the importation into France of coal from any other source than South Wales. In view of the information he has sent me, I am making further inquiries.

asked the Secretary of Mines whether he is aware that the area of 101 square miles in the counties of Surrey and Southampton covered by his recent order to prospect for oil includes certain lands on the Hog's Back recently purchased by the Surrey County Council for permanent preservation as view points; and if he has imposed any obligation on the prospectors to so conduct their operations as not to injure the amenities of such view points or of the views from such points?

The Hog's Back forms part of the northern boundary of the licensed area referred to, but I have no information as to the particular localities which the licensee may select for his operations within this substantial area of 101 square miles. I would point out that the grant of a licence does not confer on the licensee any right to enter on land, which can only be secured by arrangement with the landowner or by an order of the Railway and Canal Commission under Section 3 of the Petroleum (Production) Act, 1934, and the provisions of the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Act, 1923. The section referred to also provides that the commission, in considering whether to grant a right, shall have regard to the effect on the amenities of the locality. In addition, the Clause relating to the preservation of amenities which is one of the model Clauses scheduled to the Petroleum (Production) Regulations, 1935, has been included in the licence and provides that the licensee shall carry out all operations within the licensed area in such a manner as not to interfere unnecessarily with the amenities of the locality.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what is the acreage planted by the Forestry Commission in Devonshire; the estimated acreage to be planted; and the number of men employed, together with the remuneration of the men engaged in planting?

The area planted by the Forestry Commission in Devonshire, up to 30th September last, is 5,983 acres. The planting programme for the current season is 360 acres, and 85 men are at present employed. The weekly rate of remuneration on a day-work basis is 35s.; but wherever possible the work is done at piece rates, which enable the men to earn approximately 25 per cent. more.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what land has been taken for smallholdings in South Wales; what is the acreage and where situated; what number of men is employed; and what number is likely to be employed within the next three years?

The number and acreage of forest workers' holdings established in the six South Wales counties is as follows:

	Number of Holdings.	Acreage.
Cardigan	18	149
Radnor	12	134
Brecknock	8	103
Carmarthen	35	340
Glamorgan	14	198
Monmouth	37	224
	124	1,148

Each holding provides for at least one forest worker but occasionally two. The above holdings will be maintained, but development over the next two or three years cannot at present be foreseen.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, what acreage has been taken in South Wales for afforestation and where situated; what number of men are now employed; and what number of men will be employed for 1936–37 approximately?

The plantable acreage acquired in South Wales is 39,065 acres, situated as follows:

	Acres.
Brecknock	3,762
Cardigan	6,847
Carmarthen	10,039
Glamorgan	8,291
Monmouth	7,674
Radnor	2,452

The number of men now employed is 274; the number to be employed in the season 1936–27 is estimated as slightly higher.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what proportion of industrial civil servants in His Majesty's dockyard and elsewhere are represented by the National Whitley Council; and whether he proposes to take into account the recommendations of any of the other organisations representing unestablished civil servants with regard to the question of a contributory pensions scheme, in addition to those of the National Whitley Council?

The Civil Service National Whitley Council is the central Whitley body for the administrative and legal departments of the Civil Service and industrial civil servants in the dockyards and like establishments are not within its scope. Other Whitley machinery exists for considering questions affecting these employés. As regards the second part of the question, the matter, as I informed my hon. and gallant Friend on the 12th December, is on the agenda of the appropriate Whitley body, namely the Joint Co-ordinating Committee for Government Industrial Establishments.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether before again pressing the Egyptian Government to prolong the period of the Suez Canal concession on the lines advocated by Sir E. Korst, he will initiate a full inquiry into the probable effect of such action upon commercial relations between European and Asiatic countries and upon the commercial interests of the Dominions and India, and of British possessions and mandated territories east of Suez?

As my hon. and gallant Friend is aware, the Suez Canal concession does not expire until 1968. When the time comes to consider the question of the prolongation of the concession, the important considerations mentioned by him will no doubt be borne in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of Italian troops that have passed both to and from Eritrea by the Suez Canal; the dues paid by Italy for the passage of troops, and tonnage of war materials, through the Suez Canal for the past six months to the nearest available date?

While I am not in possession of detailed figures, I understand that from February to November inclusive approximately 250,000 Italian troops passed through the Suez Canal from North to South, and that some 20,000 passed through from South to North. Dues payable at the rate of 10 gold francs are levied in respect of each individual. I have no information as to the tonnage of the war material which has passed through the Suez Canal.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the French Government have subsequently qualified in any way the undertaking given some months ago that they will come to our assistance in the event of an unprovoked attack by Italian forces upon our Fleet?

No, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many nations are taking part in the imposition of sanctions on Italy; how many of these have navies, armies, or air forces large enough to give assistance in the event of hostilities in Europe; and how many of those nations imposing sanctions have armies which are free to serve away from their own countries?

Fifty-two nations are applying, or have undertaken to apply, the measures in question. Of these nations, however, a very small minority have not yet enacted the necessary legislation or are only applying certain, but not all, of the proposals of the Co-ordination Committee. In reply to the second part of the question, I assume that all members of the League, large or small, would fulfil their obligation under the Covenant to afford assistance in the contingency contemplated. I cannot answer the third part of the question without exhaustive inquiries, for which time would be required.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to Italian propaganda sent to Members of this House signed by Lieut.-Colonel Rocke, and dated from the Guards Club; and will he state whether Rocke does in fact hold His Majesty's Commission or is in receipt of any pay or pension?

Yes, Sir. Lieut.-Colonel Rocke is a retired officer and was awarded a pension by the Ministry of Pensions in 1920, of which more than half has been commuted.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement on the negotiations by His Majesty's Government for a treaty with the Egyptian Government on the basis of the treaty which was being negotiated in 1930?

I have nothing to add for the present to the statement which was made on this subject last Monday in reply to a question put by the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Mr. Dalton).

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the number of raids made into British territory by Abyssinian subjects from 1913 to 1923, and from 1924 to 1934, respectively; the number of persons killed and kidnapped and cattle stolen in such raids; and the amount of compensation assessed and paid?

Assuming the question to cover the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, my Noble Friend will find the details of the last serious raids in Command Paper 4153 of 1932, of which I am sending her a copy. I am afraid that in the time available it is impossible to supply all the detailed information asked for.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when the report of the Departmental Committee on the admission of women to the Diplomatic and Consular services will be published?

I regret that it has not yet been possible to fix a date for the publication of the report.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in which of the mandated territories administered by His Majesty's Government Japan possesses most-favoured-nation rights on a reciprocity basis under the Anglo-Japanese Commercial Treaty of 1911; and whether he will consider denouncing this treaty so that the menace of Japanese competition in these mandated territories may be reduced following the departure of Japan from the League of Nations?

The Anglo-Japanese Commercial Treaty of 1911 extends to Palestine and Tanganyika, and Japan therefore enjoys most-favoured-nation treatment on a reciprocal basis in these territories. As regards the second part of the question, I would remind my hon. Friend that even if the treaty did not apply, it would not be in accordance with the provisions of the mandate to impose discriminatory duties except in the interests of the inhabitants of the territories themselves.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how much Danish barley has recently been disembarked at Scottish east coast harbours, such as Lossiemouth, for delivery to distilleries; and whether he can give the figures for the quantity of barley discharged at British ports during the last six months and state how they compare with those for a similar period a year ago?

The imports of barley into the United Kingdom entered at east coast ports in Scotland and registered during the six months ended November, 1935, as consigned from Denmark amounted to 265,073 cwts., but the proportion destined for use in distilleries cannot be stated. The total quantity of barley imported into the United Kingdom from all sources during the same period was 11,265,993 cwts., as compared with 8,163,987 cwts. during the corresponding period of 1934.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the quantity of Danish barley landed at Lossiemouth this year for delivery to Speyside distilleries is seven times last year's aggregate; that the price is understood to be about 6s. per quarter below the market quotation for home barely; and if he proposes to take any action?

I am aware that unusually heavy consignments of foreign barley have been landed in recent months at Lossiemouth at prices lower than those quoted for home barley. The whole question of the duty on foreign barley is at present engaging the attention of the Import Duties Advisory Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the "Moldavia" and the "Mooltan," due to sail from Melbourne, Australia, last October, suffered large losses of cargo due to the operation of the quota system; and, if so, can he take action to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident?

My attention has been called to a statement that space engaged for the shipment of mutton and lamb on these vessels had been cancelled. The arrangements proposed by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom for the second half of this year have not necessitated a reduction of the expected aggregate shipments of mutton and lamb from Australia. The distribution of these shipments among the individual shippers is a matter for His Majesty's Government in the Commonwealth of Australia, and I am not aware of the circumstances in which this cancellation of tonnage became necessary. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the figures of exports to Denmark, showing those wholly manufactured or produced here and those ordered here which are passed through this country with little or no work done upon them but which swell the volume of exports in the returns?

Presumably my hon. Friend has in mind the distinction between exports of the produce and

Description and Month.					Unit of Quantity.	Quantity.		Declared Value.
						1934.	1935.	1934.	1935.
Olive oil, refined:								£	£
August	…	…	…	…	Cwt.	2,146	1,949	7,200	5,945
September	…	…	…	…	Cwt.	1,394	1,313	4,179	4,478
October	…	…	…	…	Cwt.	1,692	716	4,889	2,400
Olive oil, unrefined:
August	…	…	…	…	Ton	12	11	409	426
September	…	…	…	…	Ton	12	1	453	67
October	…	…	…	…	Ton	10	—	313	—
Natural essential oils (other than turpentine):
August	…	…	…	…	Lb.	34,598	48,892	7,687	12,259
September	…	…	…	…	Lb.	31,415	48,177	6,694	11,844
October	…	…	…	…	Lb.	16,856	102,356	3,828	36,583
Wine:
August	…	…	…	…	Gallon	20,529	39,708	5,742	14,597
September	…	…	…	…	Gallon	18,084	84,502	5,197	31,310
October	…	…	…	…	Gallon	41,734	178,522	14,215	64,499

asked the President of the Board of Trade how imports from Italy for November, 1935, compare with the figures for November, 1934?

The particulars for November, 1935, will not be available until next week, and as soon as they are ready I will send the hon. and gallant Member the information for which he asks.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how imports of oil and wine from Italy for August, September, and October, 1935, compare with those for the corresponding periods in 1934?

The following table shows the total quantity and declared value of the undermentioned commodities imported into the United Kingdom and registered during the months of August, September, and October, 1934 and 1935, respectively, as consigned from Italy.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, to afford openings for employment, especially in the distressed areas, the Government will appoint a small expert committee to investigate what wholly, or mainly, manufactured goods now imported into this country could profitably be produced here, and to make recommendations in view of such findings as to what assistance could usefully be given by the Government to that end?

The question whether certain kinds of goods could be manufactured profitably either in the special areas or elsewhere must be decided in relation to the circumstances of each particular case by the manufacturers concerned, and I do not think that the appointment of a small expert committee as suggested by my hon. Friend is likely to be of assistance in this matter. Any question of protection against foreign imports is a matter, in the first instance, for the Import Duties Advisory Committee.

Description.	Unit of Quantity.	1913.	1922.	1934.
Cotton piece goods	Mill, Linear yds.	573	276	17
Woollen and worsted tissues	Thous. Sq. yds.	7,415 (b)	7,928	3,628
Piece goods of silk mixed with other materials.	Thous. Sq. yds.	194 (b)	113	1
Linen piece goods	Thous. Sq. yds.	590 (b)	315	4,697
(a) The figures for 1934 also exclude exports consigned to Manchuria.
(b) Linear yards.
NOTE.—The quantity of artificial silk piece goods exported was not recorded before 1925.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs by what date it is anticipated that the inquiry of the Canadian Tariff Board into an application for a reduction of the import duties on British cotton and rayon textiles into Canada will be completed?

I have no information in regard to the date on which the report of the Tariff Board will be available, but I understand that the final public hearing of this inquiry took place on 11th December.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what European countries prohibit the importation into them of liquid eggs and upon what grounds; if he will consider the desirability of similarly prohibiting these importations into this country; and whether he has any statement to make upon the matter?

I am not aware of any European country which prohibits the importation of liquid eggs.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state in volume the British trade in textiles with China in 1913, 1922 and 1934?

Following is a statement showing the quantity of the exports of the undermentioned textiles of United Kingdom manufacture consigned to China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and leased territories (a)) during the years 1913, 1922 and 1934.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the pending suspension of the service of Empire ships between Australia and New Zealand and San Francisco; and whether, in view of the growing competition between the British liner trade and the liner trade of foreign countries, he proposes to investigate the causes with a view to adopting remedial measures?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which was given on the 17th December to questions on this subject by the hon. Members for South-West Bethnal Green (Sir P. Harris) and Sunderland (Mr. Storey).

asked the Minister of Transport what road schemes for improved communication between the Wirral Peninsula and other parts of Cheshire have now been approved for Road Fund grant as part of the five-year plan; and how many weak bridges on classified roads are included in these schemes for strengthening or reconstruction?

The five-year programme of the Cheshire County Council is only just to hand, and as soon as the material is in clarified form I will send my hon. and gallant Friend the information for which he asks.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that, on the recommendation of the watch committee, the Liverpool City Council recently passed the resolution that certain roads within the city boundaries should not be de-restricted from the 30 miles per hour limit; and is he prepared to sanction this arrangement?

I will consider the matter.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will be in a position to make any statement regarding the Forth and Tay road-bridges before the House rises?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, as a result of the safety measures introduced last year, there has been a tendency for such accidents as do occur to be less severe?

Yes, Sir. This would appear to be the case, because the rate of reduction in fatal accidents (12.5 per cent.) has been much greater than that in non-fatal accidents (5.6 per cent.).

asked the Minister of Transport how many fatal and other road accidents have taken place in the Borough of Shoreditch during 1934 and to the end of November, 1935, respectively; and in which streets the greatest number of accidents occur?

The figures are as follow:

Period.	Fatal accidents.	Other accidents involving personal injury.
1934	14	645
1935 (11 months)	15	507

The roads in Shoreditch on which accidents involving personal injury most frequently occur are Old Street, Great Eastern Street, and Kingsland Road.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any information regarding the relative rate of reduction in road accidents in city and town areas as compared with county areas?

During the 39 weeks ended 7th December, 1935, as compared with the same weeks of last year, the number of deaths resulting from road accidents decreased by 18 per cent. in city and town police areas and by 8.1 per cent. in county police areas. The corresponding percentage reductions in the numbers of persons injured were 8 and 2.6 respectively.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can state the names of those boroughs in London, north of the Thames, which have adopted the recommendations of the departmental committee on street lighting that on main traffic routes a mounting height of 25 feet with 6 feet overhang should be adopted by all local authorities; and what progress is being generally made in the Greater London area towards securing improvement of lighting?

The authorities to whom the report was recently circulated have hardly yet had time to give it consideration, and I hope my hon. Friend will appreciate that it would be premature for me to make any statement on their intentions.

asked the Minister of Transport whether it is proposed to run a central kerb dividing the Kingston by-pass road?

I am at present discussing with the Surrey County Council the practicability of providing dual carriageways on the Kingston by-pass, separated by a central reserve.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that trio steps have yet been taken by the London County Council to make provision for a bridge over or a subway beneath the Strand to carry the expected large volume of north-bound traffic from the new Waterloo Bridge; and whether he will draw the attention of the London County Council to this matter?

Yes, Sir.

asked the Minister of Transport whether any statistics are available as to the effect on the public health of exhaust fumes emitted by omnibuses and motor lorries?

No, Sir, not so far as I am aware.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the fact that a large number of owner-drivers of taximeter-cabs are obliged to pay their licence duty quarterly owing to the fact that they do not possess adequate funds to pay it annually in advance, he will consider the introduction in due course of amending Regulations laying down that the sum total of these quarterly payments shall not exceed the annual payment?

My hon. and gallant Friend will appreciate that the same arguments, if valid, do not apply exclusively to owner-drivers of taximeter-cabs. He will further appreciate that the granting of four quarterly licences involves four times as much administration work as the granting of one annual licence, and that on these and other grounds an extra charge is not unreasonable. He will, therefore, I hope, agree that there is less ground than might superficially appear for making the suggested discrimination.

asked the Minister of Transport how many employers grant monetary awards to those of their drivers of motor vehicles who avoid accidents; and whether he approves this practice and intends to encourage it?

I have naturally no detailed information before me, but I welcome with enthusiasm any steps which employers may take to encourage their drivers in the practices of safety.

asked the Minister of Transport the results of the experimental use of the rubber road-surface laid in New Bridge Street, London, E.C.?

The results as reported to me are satisfactory, but in relation to other paving materials the cost is of course a relevant factor.

asked the Minister of Transport to what extent British road tar has in the past been used in the construction of new roads; and whether this material is particularly specified in contracts, in view of the help its use would be to the coal trade in this country?

It is not the usual practice of my Department to place contracts, but highway authorities, whose responsibility this is, have had their attention drawn by me not only to the necessity for using the most suitable materials for the purpose, but also to the requirement that these should be, as far as practicable, of United Kingdom origin.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the inadequacy of the passenger transport services to Tottenham on those occasions when football matches are played at White Hart Lane; and, if the resources of the London Passenger Transport Board are unable to meet the demands on their carrying capacity, will he consider granting additional licences for alternative services?

I have no authority to issue any licences for services, and the operations of the board are not under my control, but I will with pleasure convey any specific suggestions which the hon. Member may have in mind for the consideration of the board.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will give the names of the owners of the land and the easements about which negotiations are being carried on in connection with Carmarthen Bridge; and how long these negotiations have been proceeding?

These negotiations are in the hands of the highway authority.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of crossing places for pedestrians which he has approved in the London traffic area, in county boroughs and large boroughs, and in counties?

The following table gives the information which my hon. Friend desires:

NUMBER OF CROSSINGS included in schemes approved to 14th December, 1935.
England and Wales—
London traffic area		11,417
Outside London traffic area—
County boroughs	9,174
Boroughs	1,261
Urban districts	1,154
Counties	239
		11,828
Scotland—
Large burghs (excluding Glasgow as an amended scheme has not yet been submitted)		471
Small burghs and counties		112
Total—Great Britain		23,828

asked the Minister of Transport whether the accounts of the Central Electricity Board are kept in such a form as to show separately the capital expenditure incurred in each area, and the working results, including capital charges, in each area?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Central Electricity Board have fixed the grid tariffs in such a manner that, after taking into account central or overhead expenses, each area will be self-supporting, or whether the grid tariff has been fixed on the basis that some areas will subsidise other areas?

In the case of each of the grid tariffs at present in force, the tariff has been so fixed by the Central Electricity Board that over a term of years approved by the Electricity Commissioners the receipts of the Central Board on income account are estimated to be sufficient to cover the expenditure of the board on income account, including interest and sinking fund charges, with an appropriate margin.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that on Monday, 16th December, there was a 40 minutes' delay between 9 and 10 p.m. on calls between London and Glasgow; and whether he will take steps to obviate this delay?

The reduction from 2s. 9d. to 1s. of the charge for an evening call between London and Glasgow led to such an increase in those calls that the available channels had to be increased from 21 to 33. At the beginning of this week with the approach of Christmas there was a further sharp rise in the traffic and seven additional channels, making 40 in all, have now been brought into use. No further channels are available and, though every endeavour will be made to avoid delay, I am afraid that while the present seasonal pressure continues some measure of delay must be anticipated.

asked the Postmaster-General what telephone facilities, if any, are enjoyed by newspapers under more favourable conditions than the general public?

No discrimination is made between newspaper proprietors and others in regard to charges for telephone facilities.

asked the Postmaster-General (1) whether British mails are being carried to Bathurst, West Africa, by foreign air lines;(2) whether British mail to South America is being carried by foreign air lines?

The answer in each case is in the affirmative.

asked the Postmaster-General what was the total amount paid by the Government for mails passing from Great Britain to America and Canada for the year ended December, 1934; and what proportion of such payment was made to British and foreign steamship companies, respectively?

The total amount was £160,000 of which £143,500 was paid to British steamship companies and £16,500 to foreign lines.

asked the Postmaster-General what special postal facilities are accorded to newspapers by the Post Office?

Newspapers which are registered for transmission at the inland newspaper rate under the Post Office Act, 1908, Section 20, are accorded the following preferential rates of postage:For every copy (including any Supplements):

Not exceeding 6 ounces in weight	1d.
For every further 6 ounces (per copy)	½d.

The total weight of a newspaper packet may be as much as 2 pounds.Newspapers which are registered for transmission at the inland newspaper rate are eligible for conveyance to Canada and Newfoundland under magazine post conditions by direct steamship at the following preferential rates:

For a packet up to 6 ounces in weight	1d.
For a packet over 6 ounces but not over 1½ pounds	1½d.

and after that at the rate of an extra ½d. per additional half pound up to a maximum weight of 5 pounds.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he proposes to publish annually an account showing the purposes to which expenditure from the Post Office Fund has been devoted?

Section 39 (8) of the Finance Act of 1933 provides for an account showing issues out of the Post Office Fund to be laid before Parliament annually. The purposes for which the money issued has been used, as defined in Section 39 (4) of the same Act, will be shown in the Account.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can state the number of letters posted, during September, October, and November especially, by football pool bookmakers with whom the Post Office has special arrangements in each of the following towns, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield?

I am having inquiry made to ascertain whether the information is available, and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can state the number of 6d. and 1s. postal orders, respectively, issued in each month in the years 1932, 1933, and 1934?

As the answer contains a long table, I will send the figures to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will state the present regulations governing Press telegrams?

The regulations governing Press telegrams are the Telegraph (Inland Written Press Telegrams) Regulations, 1927, a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will give in tabular form the amounts received for and the volume of words contained in various classes of Press telegrams for the years 1913, 1923, 1933, and 1934, or such information as can be prepared with reasonable convenience on these lines?

The only figures readily available are as follow:

Financial Year.	Revenue for Year from Press Telegrams.	Estimated total number of words handed in as Press Telegrams.
	£
1913	140,600	Not available.
1923	91,200	73,074,000
1933	86,500	68,510,000
1934	91,800	71,812,000

The words in Press telegrams repeated to multiple addresses, and charged at the "copy" rate, are not included in the above figures, no particulars of the number of words in "copy" messages being readily available.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can give an assurance that he will require the British Broadcasting Corporation to present their accounts in a more informative and detailed form than hitherto, as in the case of those of the London Passenger Transport Board?

I understand that evidence on this subject has been given before the Broadcasting Committee and I will consider the hon. Member's suggestion in the light of the committee's report.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether in connection with the fact that naval dispositions during recent months have necessitated the bearing of a larger number of officers and men in His Majesty's Navy than was allowed for in the Estimates, he can state whether it has also been necessary to increase the number of employés in His Majesty's Dockyards and other naval establishments; and whether an increase in the number of such employés is contemplated during the next few months?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative; the possibility of a further increase depends on the amount of work which may be allocated to the dockyards and other establishments during the next few months.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what arrangements are being made with regard to holidays for Admiralty employés in His Majesty's Dockyards and other naval establishments during Christmas week; and which of the yards and establishments will be closed on the Friday and Saturday following Boxing Day?

Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be observed as holidays for civilian employés in His Majesty's Dockyards and other naval establishments; in Scotland the closed day will be New Year's Day instead of Boxing Day. These establishments will be open on other days in Christmas week.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether it has been decided yet what proportion of the proposed new naval constructional work will be allocated to Chatham Dockyard?

The proportion of the 1935 programme allocated to Chatham was one "S" class submarine, and the hon. Member may rest assured that, in allocating future programmes, the claims of Chatham Dockyard will be kept in view.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the case of Miss Florence Annie Parkes, who in 1917 was convicted of manslaughter at Exeter Assizes in respect of the death of a baby born in her nursing home and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment; and whether he is in a position to make a statement?

Yes, Sir. My attention has recently been called to certain signed statements bearing upon the question of Miss Parkes' responsibility for the death of the baby, and I have carefully investigated the source and authority of these statements. They were not admitted as evidence at the trial on the ground of privilege, and I am satisfied that if they had been available from the outset, a wholly different situation would have been created, and Miss Parkes would not have been convicted of the offence for which she was sentenced and punished. In these circumstances I have felt it right to recommend that a free pardon should be granted to her in respect of the conviction, and suitable compensation is being given to her.

asked the Home Secretary when the report may be expected from the commission appointed to inquire into the conditions of service, etc., in Home Office schools?

I am informed that the Report of the Departmental Committee is likely to be presented early in the New Year.

asked the Home Secretary whether electric immobilisation or injection of starch grains into the carotid artery are held as complying with the provisions as to anaesthetics under the Act 39 and 40 Vic., c. 77, relating to experiments on animals; whether he is aware that these respective methods are in use for the purpose of producing anaesthesia in experiments on animals; and whether there are any specific regulations laid down in connection with the granting of licences for such experimentation as to what does, or does not, constitute an anaesthetic within the meaning of the Act?

I am advised that electric immobilisation and the injection of starch grains into the carotid artery are effective methods of causing complete insensibility in animals, but they are never used in the laboratories as substitutes for the recognised anaesthetics. There are no specific regulations defining anaesthetics and there is no definition in the Act, but there is attached to every Certificate B (the certificate permitting cutting operations with subsequent recovery) a condition requiring that the anaesthetic administered must be of sufficient power to prevent the animal feeling pain.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the reason for the delay in issuing the Return of Experiments on Living Animals for 1934, which was presented to the House and ordered to be printed on 30th July, 1935, but was not issued and publicly available until the latter part of September?

I regret the delay in the issue of the Return for 1934 which was due mainly to the prolonged absence following an accident of the Clerk responsible for the preparation of the tables and the figures in the introductory statement. The addition to the list of registered places of the information as to ownership asked for by the hon. Member on the 29th April, 1935, necessitated an examination of the files relating to registered places, which further delayed the preparation of the Return.

asked the Home Secretary whether there is any regulation as to the age at which a licence to experiment on animals, under the Act 39 and 40 Vic., c. 77. may first be held; and, if so, what is this limit?

No regulation as to age has been laid down, but a licence would only be granted on the recommendation of the scientific authorities named in Section 11 of the Act and provided the Secretary of State is satisfied as to the fitness of the applicant to hold a licence.

asked the Home Secretary whether and, if so, what action has been taken to give effect to the recommendations of the report of the Departmental Committee on the Employment of Prisoners (Cmd. 4462, 1933)?

Active steps are being taken to reorganise the employment of prisoners on the general lines of the Departmental Committee's report, and this has been facilitated by a considerable increase in the volume of orders from Government Departments during the past year. A Director of Prison Industries was appointed on 1st October, 1934, and he is engaged on a general examination and reorganisation of prison industries and workshops. To assist him in this work three Industrial Managers are about to be appointed. As staff becomes available the hours during which prisoners work in association are being extended, so as to approximate as nearly as possible to an eight-hour day. The system of payment to prisoners has been extended to all Borstal institutions for lads, and to Maidstone Convict Prison, and is being continued at Wakefield. The question of psychological training for selected Borstal housemasters is under consideration in conjunction with the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. Land has been acquired for a new Borstal institution in Lincolnshire, where work is to be done on reclamation of the salt marshes, additional land has been acquired at Borstal, Exeter, Feltham and Manchester, and negotiations are in progress in regard to additional land for the Borstal institution at Camp Hill.

asked the Home Secretary what proportion of the original £2,000,000 loan has been repaid by the Betting Control Board; and how much has been written down, to date, for depreciation?

The accounts of the board, which are published annually, show that of the total amount borrowed by the board there had been repaid at the 31st December, 1934, a sum of £301,918. No specific provision has been made for depreciation, but up to the 31st December, 1934, sums amounting to £159,555 have been applied from the revenue and expenditure account in writing down the book value of the assets.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can make any statement as regards the camp proposed to be held at Haltwhistle, Northumberland, during 1936?

I regret that I am not yet in a position to make a statement on this question.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether arrangements have been or are to be made for the Army to be supplied with tinned milk manufactured in the United Kingdom?

With the exception of two trial orders placed in a Dominion, the tinned milk purchased by the War Office since April, 1932, has been manufactured in the United Kingdom. This milk consists of a small quantity required by hospitals at home and tinned milk issued from this country to troops overseas. The troops at home purchase their milk, whether fresh or tinned, regimentally from the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes out of a daily cash allowance. The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes supply no foreign milk.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air (1) whether he is aware that none of the machines owned by Imperial Airways, Limited, are fitted with devices for the prevention of ice formation on the wings; and whether, in view of the fact that this company receives a large Government subsidy and in view of the recent accident to a Belgian air liner, probably due to ice, he will insist that all new machines bought by this concern for use in Europe should be fitted with some safety device;(2) whether he is aware that German, French, and American air liners are, in many cases, fitted with a device to prevent ice forming on the wings; and whether he will endeavour to secure, in the best interest of British aviation, that all British concerns receiving subsidies and operating in Europe should be equipped with these safety devices?

I am aware that some foreign air liners are equipped with devices for preventing ice formation, and, as already stated, Imperial Airways are about to fit such a device to one or two aircraft. The use of the device is, however, at present experimental, and it would be premature to consider making it obligatory, which has not, so far as I am aware, been done to date in any other country.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the total number of services run by Imperial Airways, Limited, that have been cancelled since 1st January, 1932, on account of ice-forming conditions?

I am informed that no flights have been cancelled by Imperial Airways solely on account of ice-forming conditions.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether Imperial Airways was the only company which they had under consideration when discussing their contemplated North Atlantic air-mail service; and, if so, why?

No, Sir. The question was approached with a perfectly open mind, though I may say that no concrete proposals from any other source than Imperial Airways were before His Majesty's Government when they took their decision in this matter last year. Otherwise, there is nothing that I can usefully add to the replies given on the 11th and 16th instant respectively, to my hon. Friends the Members for Duddeston (Mr. Simmonds) and Blackpool (Mr. J. R. Robinson).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the new arrangement with Imperial Airways to operate the contemplated North Atlantic air-mail service will be brought to the notice of this House before final arrangements are made; and will he state if this new arrangement will affect the existing mail-carrying contracts now in force with the shipping companies?

The arrangements will be brought to the notice of Parliament at the appropriate stage in accordance with the usual procedure. I am informed by the Postmaster-General that it is impossible at the present time to state whether or not the new scheme will affect the existing mail contracts with the shipping companies.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the Government experimental station at Farnborough has conducted any experiments with regard to ice formation on aeroplane wings; and, if so, with what result?