asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether by reason of recent legislation in China the foreign collectors of the branch salt revenue offices will be abolished; and what steps he has taken to ensure that payments due on the Anglo-French loan of 1908 and the British loans secured on the salt revenue are not thereby imperilled;(2) How many British and other foreigners are affected by the new Chinese law abolishing the foreign staff of the branch offices of the salt revenue in China; and what compensation the Chinese Government are prepared to pay to the persons concerned for loss of office;(3) whether he has received any report from His Majesty's Embassy in China on the new organic law of the directorate general of salt revenue?

His Majesty's Government have at present no information regarding recent legislation in China on this matter, His Majesty's Chargéd'Affaires at Peking has, however, been requested by telegraph to furnish a report on the subject.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the amount provided and guaranteed, in the form of subsidies and guarantees, by the Treasury during the financial year 1935 to 1936, showing the amount attributable to each separate item?

The following statement shows the amounts provided and guaranteed during the financial year 1935–36. This statement excludes loans, grants to local authorities, and grants from the Colonial Development Fund.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, as the returns of the Suez Canal authorities indicate that poison gas, or the constituents of poison gas, are being shipped through the Suez Canal by the Italian Goernment, in view of the illegality of such shipments under various conventions and treaties prohibiting the use of poison gas, he will say what steps His Majesty's Government are taking to stop such traffic?

In reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, East (Mr. Mander) on 22nd April, I described the. action taken by the League of Nations, with the full co-operation of His Majesty's Government, with regard to the alleged use of poison gas by the Italian forces. The policy of His Majesty's Government towards the Italo-Ethiopian dispute has throughout been based upon collective action through the League, and they cannot therefore take any unilateral action in this matter.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence whether, before reaching a decision to construct new capital ships, His Majesty's Government have had, or will have, the advantage of advice upon the value of such ships from other than naval advisers; and, if so, from whom?

Before new capital ships are laid down His Majesty's Government will have had before them all the relevant information, including the report of the Sub-Committee referred to in the replies which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member on the 1st and 8th of April. It is not usual to give the names of those asked to give evidence before Sub-Committees of the Committee of Imperial Defence, but it may be taken that the Sub-Committee is obtaining evidence from all persons who are likely to assist it in its inquiries, and not from naval witnesses only.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, in view of the difficulties attending the parking of cars in the London area, and particularly of ascertaining in which streets parking is permitted by the police, he will take early steps to have erected at the end of every street a notice indicating under what conditions, and for how long, cars may be parked there?

This is the existing practice at all authorised parking places or streets.

asked the Minister of Health in what proportions the £18,860,000 paid in old age pensions, 65 to 70, during the year 1934–35 was distributed as between male contributors, wives of male contributors, and female contributors, respectively, and the number of pensioners in each of these groups?

The information asked for by the hon. Lady is as follows:

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he can give any statistics showing the number of retired shipwrights and retired fitters who have now been reemployed in Chatham dockyard; and what steps are taken to ensure that there is always a supply of younger skilled labour in the dockyards?

The numbers are: 21 shipwrights, nine fitters. These trades are normally recruited by the entry of apprentices and by direct entry of journeymen from outside. Since the period of apprenticeship in these trades is five years, the number of apprentices entered in any year must be based on the requirements anticipated five years ahead.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the reason why the number of established industrial employés for which provision has been made in His Majesty's naval establishments during 1935–36 is less than for 1934–35, whereas the number of hired men provided for has increased; and whether, as the total numbers required in the dockyards are likely to be 30,000 or more for several years to come, he will consider raising the number of established men to 10,000 at least at the earliest opportunity?

The reduction to which the hon. and gallant Member refers was due to the operation of the rule by which only one vacancy out of every four arising in the Established List in the various naval establishments was filled. This rule was enforced owing to the very high proportion of established workpeople employed in the larger departments of the dockyards. Since the 1st April and pending the settlement of the future established complement the rule has been modified to a proportion varying from one in three to one in one according to the ratio of established to establishable men in the various departments. In determining the complement the Admiralty will certainly take account of the numbers employed in the various establishments and the prospects of employment in the future. A complement will have to be fixed for each establishable grade in each department of each establishment, and I should prefer to postpone any statement as to the total complement until these details have been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the grounds upon which native inhabitants in Somaliland and Nigeria are refused the right to employ counsel for their defence in capital charges?

Native inhabitants in Nigeria are not in general refused the right to employ counsel in capital charges. The prohibition only applies in the case of certain native courts in the north of Nigeria where the employment of counsel would be contrary to the long-established custom and tradition of these courts. In the case of Somaliland this is one of the questions which I hope to discuss with the Governor when he shortly comes home on leave of absence.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that no person, British or foreign, or a native of the protectorate, whether literate or illiterate, is permitted to be defended by a lawyer or any other British subject in any court in the Somaliland Protectorate; under what provision of the Somaliland Order in Council this prohibition is enforced and for what reasons; and whether there is any precedent elsewhere in the British Empire for this procedure?

There is no statutory authority in Somaliland providing that accused persons are not to be defended by counsel, but in practice counsel have not been permitted to appear in any court, as no rules of procedure governing their appearance have been framed under Article 36 of the Somaliland Order-in-Council, 1929. As my hon. and gallant Friend was informed on the 2nd April I am reviewing the position in consultation with the Governor. There is no precedent in other dependencies for the position in this matter as it exists in Somaliland.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the Arabs are finding it difficult to form a delegation to visit London in connection with the suggested Palestinian legislative council owing to the Grand Mufti's hostility to the proposal, he will consider withdrawing the invitation?

I understand that the leaders of the Arab parties in Palestine have informed the High Commissioner that they do not think that it would be in the public interest for the proposed deputation to come to London at this moment. I see no reason for considering the suggestion made by my hon. Friend.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many sentences of death have been passed in each of the Crown Colonies of West Africa during the past 15 years; in how many cases these have been reversed or commuted on appeal; in how many cases in each category the accused person was not allowed to be heard by counsel; and whether refusal of judges to hear counsel in such cases in certain native courts in the Protectorate of Nigeria is a matter of native practice and custom or was introduced by British officers administering the protectorate?

I will obtain the information desired in the first three parts of the question, if it is available, from the Governments of the West African Dependencies. As regards the last part of the question the legal provision excluding counsel from certain native courts in the Protectorate of Nigeria is based on native practice and custom.

asked the President of the Board of Trade, in respect of which colonies and mandated territories, for which figures are available, Great Britain enjoyed a favourable trade balance during the year 1935; and the amounts involved in each case?

My hon. and gallant Friend will find particulars of the total value of the imports and exports of this country in the trade with individual British countries during 1935 on pages 184 to 187 of the Trade and Navigation Accounts for January last.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement as to the significance of the new calling up of 50,000 reserves in Austria; and whether the British Government has made or received any representations on the subject from other governments?

Inquiries were received by His Majesty's Government regarding the compatibility of the Austrian law regarding compulsory service with the Treaty of St. Germain before the subsequent developments, referred to in the first part of my hon. and gallant Friend's question, occurred. As I stated in the House on Monday, the whole position is under careful review, and I would prefer to make no statement in advance of other parties who are signatories of the Treaty of St. Germain.