asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange that Members shall have the opportunity of visiting the television station at Alexandra Palace before the House rises?

The television equipment at the Alexandra Palace is still in process of installation, and it is not expected that trial demonstrations will commence before the latter part of August. If any Member is anxious to see the progress of the work and will inform me, I will ask the British Broadcasting Corporation if a private visit can be arranged for him.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he proposes to adopt the Ullswater Report proposals relating to relay wireless?

As my right hon. Friend stated yesterday in answer to the hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight (Captain P. Macdonald), the proposals of the Government with reference to the Ullswater Committee's Report will, he hopes, be available in a White Paper on Monday evening next. I am sorry that I cannot make any announcement before then as regards any of the Committee's recommendations.

asked the Minister of Labour which countries have ratified the convention adopted by the International Labour Conference, 1935, laying down the principle of a 40-hour week?

So far as I am aware, no country has yet ratified the convention to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can now state the number of persons who have registered under the Unemployment (Agricultural Workers) Act?

Up to 6th June approximately 540,000 agricultural workers who became insurable under the Unemployment Insurance (Agriculture) Act, 1936, had applied for and received unemployment books. In addition there is a number, at present unknown, of persons, following agricultural occupations, who on account of other insurable employment were already in possession of current unemployment books.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the police in, British Guiana had any warrant or authority for pursuing and ramming the "Girl Pat" and arresting her crew; and whether any charge or complaint had been lodged against the ship or crew by the owners or underwriters?

The circumstances in which the vessel came to port were described in my reply on the 24th June to a question by the hon. Member for Southwark, Central (Mr. Day). The crew were not arrested but went of their own accord to the police station, which they have since left. I understand that at the request of the local agent of Lloyd's a warrant was issued for the arrest of the captain and the detention of the vessel, but that the warrant was not executed and was withdrawn. I expect to receive a full report on the whole matter from the Governor of British Guiana in due course.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether it is still intended that one of the features of the Hendon air display is to be a squadron of Royal Air Force machines bombing a number of coloured people or men dressed to represent such?

One item of the air display will depict an attack by aircraft on a band of marauders who have been engaged in murder, looting and other outrages. The airmen who will represent them will be dressed in native costumes of a generalised type, but I do not think that the presentation of an imaginary scene of this kind will be misunderstood by public opinion in this country or elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the fact that the Foreign Office recently suggested to a British film company that it should delete scenes in the film Rhodes of Africa depicting the shooting down of natives by machine-gun fire as a purely defensive measure, he will consider making similar representations in regard to the proposed feature in the Royal Air Force display at Hendon which is to show the bombing of an undefended native village by aircraft?

No, Sir.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the total amount received in import duties on foodstuffs during the years 1934–35 and 1935–36, together with an estimate for the year 1936–37?

The approximate amount of Customs duties collected on foodstuffs, including tea, coffee, cocoa and certain foodstuffs used in part as feeding stuffs for animals (which cannot be separately distinguished) was £31,265,000, during the financial year 1934–35, and £33,831,000 during the financial year 1935–36. I regret I am unable to furnish an estimate of the yield of these duties during the present financial year.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will consider the desirability of remitting Income Tax upon all contributions to the King George Memorial Fund?

I regret that I cannot adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion, which would involve a complete departure from the general principles of the Income Tax and would be calculated to have serious repercussions on the Revenue.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the estimated annual cost of allowing established civil servants in the clerical, S, writing assistant, and typing classes to count for superannuation purposes unestablished service rendered prior to establishment?

Some of these officers are already allowed to reckon part of their unestablished service for pension. I assume that the hon. Member desires to know what would be the additional cost of reckoning for all such officers the whole of their unestablished service. It is estimated that, even assuming that such a concession could be confined to the classes in question, the aggregate addition to the annual pensions of these officers would be in the neighbourhood of £500,000 per annum. There would also be a total increased expenditure of about £1,250,000 in respect of lump sums payable on retirement.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what would be the annual cost to the Exchequer if post-war entrants to the clerical and S classes of the Civil Service who have been debarred from establishment on age grounds, were allowed to count unestablished service prior to establishment for purposes of determining eligibility for pension, but not for purposes of determining the amount of pension?

The implication of the question appears to be that each of the individuals in question should now be established, and on retirement be awarded a pension calculated upon the number of years service, however few, rendered after the date of the Civil Service Certificate, provided that the total service amounts to 10 years. This arrangement is contrary to the provisions of the Superannuation Acts which require at least 10 years reckonable service as a condition of pension, and would require legislation. Sufficient data are not available for a reliable estimate of the cost of such a change.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has considered the resolution passed by the Ripley Pension Committee with respect to amending the Old Age Pensions Act, so as to increase the maximum allowance of income to people of 70 years of age and to reduce the yearly value of the capital value of property consistent with the fall in the rate of interest generally; and whether he will consider removing these and other minor pensions anomalies?

I have received and considered a number of resolutions by Old Age Pensions Committees on the lines set out in the question. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 14th May to the hon. Members for West Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) and Sedgefield (Mr. Leslie).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what is the annual cost of the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries; and whether any specific questions have been referred to them for decision since 1934?

As regards the first part of the question the expenses of the Standing Commission for the financial year 1935–36 amounted to £51 3s. 3d. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. In addition to formal references, the advice of the commission is sought informally from time to time on a variety of matters.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in what way and to what extent the Standing Commission on Museums has promoted co-operation between national institutions and provincial institutions?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the first report of the Standing Commission, dated May, 1933, a copy of which I am sending to him, and particularly to paragraphs 3 (1) and (2) and 6 (3). Since that report was issued, certain proposals for the extension of loan facilities to local museums, art galleries, etc., and regarding the grants in aid of local museums and art galleries borne on the Vote for the Board of Education have been submitted by the board to the commission, and the commission's recommendations in regard to those proposals and for improved accommodation facilities in the Circulation Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum have been put into effect.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will make the annual reports of the Standing Commission on Museums available to Members?

The Standing Commission are not by their terms of reference required to make annual reports. Their first general report was issued in May, 1933, and was published by the Stationery Office. Any subsequent report of a general character will also be published by the Stationery Office, and will be available to hon. Members under the ordinary rules affecting non-Parliamentary publications.

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that on the 22nd instant more than 100 houses and shops were flooded in Litherland, Sea-forth and Bootle owing to the failure of the Rimrose Brook drainage scheme; that in Akenside Street, where a man was drowned three years ago by a similar flood, the water reached 10 feet high and was 200 yards long; and can he state when the £267,000 agreed drainage scheme is to be commenced?

I have no official information as to recent flooding at Litherland. I understand that the local authorities concerned in the Rimrose Brook drainage scheme are now in agreement and that application for my consent to the necessary loans will be made at a very early date.

asked the Minister of Health whether any cases of smallpox and, if so, how many, have been found in the surgery or out-patients' department of Guy's Hospital during the last two years; and whether any were discovered during the three preceding years?

I am informed that the number of cases have been as follow:

asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of prosecutions undertaken for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date under the Agricultural Wages (Regulation) Act, 1924, for failure to pay rates at not less than the minimum rates; the total amount of arrears of wages ordered to be paid by the courts; and the total amount of fines imposed?

During the 12 months ended 31st May, 1936, the Ministry instituted 92 prosecutions under the Agricultural Wages (Regulation) Act in respect of failure to pay wages at not less than the minimum rates. The total amount in arrears of wages ordered by the courts to be paid in these cases was £2,068, and the fines imposed amounted to £240.

asked the Secretary for Mines to what extent simultaneous shot-firing is being carried on in the various districts?

Simultaneous shot-firing is, and always has been, permissible in naked light pits and in all stone drifts and sinking pits, but I have no general information as to the extent to which the practice is carried on in the various districts. In addition to normal practice, however, carefully controlled and supervised experiments are in progress at four safety lamp pits, of which two are in Yorkshire and one each in Lancashire and Derbyshire, for the purpose of experiment and research into the possibility of eliminating certain of the risks attendant upon shot-firing, more particularly, risks of explosion.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many persons undergoing a medical examination for work in the coal mines of England and Wales during the year 1935, were rejected as unfit, giving percentage figures?

I regret that I have no information.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will introduce the Bill dealing with salmon fishing and fisheries this Session so that those interested may have the opportunity of advising thereon and so that the Bill may be passed into law at the earliest moment?

The question of introducing legislation dealing with salmon fishing is receiving consideration. I am not in a position at present to give any undertaking on the subject but I will keep in view the suggestion contained in my hon. Friends question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the Board of Agriculture discriminate between machines used for cutting and exterminating bracken by giving grants to the owners of one machine, and that much the most costly, and refusing any grant to the owners of other machines equally well adapted for the purpose?

No discrimination has been made, as suggested. Grants are given in aid of the purchase of any machine approved after passing tests applied by a small committee of experts appointed some time ago for this purpose. As explained in the printed scheme distributed in April last and of which I am sending a copy to my hon. and learned Friend, two makes of machine, one motor driven, the other horse drawn, which passed this test have been approved.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that men who came out in support of a recent strike at Cardowan colliery were receiving the full able-bodied scale of relief of 26s. per man and wife and 3s. for each child; that the men directly involved in the dispute were only receiving 12s. for wife and 3s. for each child from the Glasgow town council, operating the Provisional Order of 1926; that the Lanarkshire county council refuse to operate the procedure adopted by the, Glasgow town council and are only paying 12s. for wife and 3s. for each child to all directly and indirectly involved in the dispute; and why there is such a wide difference in the methods and scale of payments of the two local authorities?

I understand that, on the information originally supplied to Glasgow town council, the miners who stopped work in sympathy with the brushers were regarded by the council as not being directly involved in a trade dispute and relief was granted at the rate of 26s. per week for man and wife and 3s. per week for each child. Subsequent information having shown that the miners were directly involved in the dispute, relief, after the first week, was only given to their dependants under the powers of the Poor Law Emergency Provisions (Scotland) Act, 1927. In the case of the brushers relief was granted by the Glasgow town council to dependants only throughout the dispute and this was the procedure adopted by the Lanark county council in the case of both the brushers and miners. The question of the amount of relief to be afforded to an applicant is primarily a matter for the local authority to whom application is made, but any applicant dissatisfied with the amount of relief afforded is entitled to complain to the Department of Health for Scotland.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state the number of shops conducted as lending libraries in this country and the approximate number of persons employed?

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Home Secretary which local authorities have refused to take action with regard to the Government circular dealing with air raid precautions; and whether he intends to take action to stop the activities of the organisations which are attempting to dissuade local authorities from taking such action?

Following is a list of the local authorities which have intimated to the Home Office that they do not propose to co-operate with the Government in this matter. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the Windsor county magistrates, in refusing to grant a licence to sell intoxicants in the car park at Ascot, stated that the bench felt it was highly undesirable to have a bar associated with a car park; and whether the Ministry has considered any policy or any advice to be given to its own officials or to the local authorities concerning the undesirability of the large parking places which are now being opened in association with licensed premises on all main roads?

This is not a matter in which I have any jurisdiction.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will extend the national highways grant system to parish roads in rural areas which are unable to keep the said roads in condition owing to motor transport thereon far beyond their capacity, and whose revenues have decreased through depopulation, partly caused by inadequate means of communication and partly by de-rating?

The answer is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to fatal accidents on roads in Leeds that have recently been de-restricted and the protest of the Leeds coroner against de-restriction; and whether he will review the list of roads recently de-restricted in Leeds?

Yes, Sir: and I am having inquiries made. I am always ready to consider any proposals submitted to me by the responsible local authority for the revocation of a direction under which the 30 miles per hour speed limit has been removed from a length of road.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the Lanark County Council propose to build a new bridge over the Clyde and to close Telford's Bridge to traffic; and whether he will consider making representations to this council with a view to preserving the present bridge as a memorial to Telford, using it for one-way traffic alongside a narrower structure than the one proposed?

Yes, Sir. I made a grant from the Road Fund towards the cost of the new bridge to be constructed over the Clyde, and have already announced that it has been decided to preserve Telford's Bridge as an example of his work. I am, however, un- able to adopt the hon. Member's suggestion that the old bridge should be used for one-way traffic, because it is structurally unfitted to bear the loads imposed by modern traffic and is situated on a dangerous bend.

asked the Minister of Transport whether the Government agreed to the Great Western Railway temporarily closing the Penarth Dock; and, if so, under what condition was the request granted?

No Government permission is required for the temporary closing of Penarth Dock: the second part of the question does not therefore arise.