asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the resolution of the League of Nations Assembly urging governments to reduce obstacles to international trade and of the action on these lines by the French, Dutch, Swiss, and Italian Governments, His Majesty's Government is contemplating similar action?

I have nothing to add to the reply given on the 12th November by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to similar questions asked by the hon. Members for Birkenhead, East (Mr. White), and Pontypool (Mr. Jenkins).

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the average numbers of workers in each of our industries: and the average annual profits in the last four years, or nearest period?

Statistics showing the estimated numbers of insured work-people at the beginning of July of each year, classified by industries, have been published annually in the November issues of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette." Particulars of the total profits made in the industries are not available.

Period.	Vessels other than war vessels (new), complete.			War vessels (new), complete.
	Number.	Gross Tonnage.	Declared Value.	Number.	Displacement Tonnage	Declared Value
Year:			£			£
1934	978	38,386	1,164,909	2	4,294	597,586
1935	751	63,586	2,203,558	8	4,210	874,226
January-September:
1936	561	86,047	2,693,436	4	58	66,462

As regards the corresponding particulars for the earlier years, I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the answer given to his question on the 9th May, 1935.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that a large number of unmarked sporting-cartridge cases are entering this country and that special foreign machines are sent over to print names of British firm

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the terms of reference of the proposed Departmental Committee to investigate the operations of fraudulent vendors of shares will be so drawn as to enable that committee to examine any remedy for this evil that they may deem worthy of consideration, including, if they think fit, the question of the advisability of a charter being granted to one or more of the existing stock exchanges?

Yes, Sir.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state, in numbers of ships, tonnage, and value, the exports from the United Kingdom of merchant ships and warships, respectively, for each of the years 1905 to 1914, inclusive, and 1925 to 1935, inclusive, and for the first nine months of 1936?

The following table shows the number, tonnage and declared value of vessels (other than war vessels) and of war vessels exported from the United Kingdom during the undermentioned periods.on the cases; and, in view of this contravention of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, will he now consider the granting of a marking order

I am aware that sporting cartridge cases are being imported unmarked and that, after loading, the cartridges are sold bearing the names of British firms. I am advised that this practice is not an offence under Section 1 of the Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, since the name of the British firm is applied to the loaded cartridge as a whole which cannot be regarded as "imported goods" within the meaning of the Section. As regards the last part of the question, it is open to the interests concerned to apply for an Order under the Act requiring imported cartridge cases to be marked, but up to the present no application for such an Order, which complies with the conditions laid down in the Act, has been received by the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the figures of canned goods imports into Britain for the three years prior to, and since, the Ottawa agreements?

Precise information relating to the total imports of canned goods into this country is not available, but the following table shows, so far as the particulars are available from the trade returns, the declared value of the aggregate imports into the United Kingdom during the undermentioned years of meat, fish, condensed milk, fruit and unsweetened vegetables—tinned, canned, bottled or otherwise preserved in airtight containers.

Year.	Declared Value.
	£'000.
1929	25,342
1930	24,823
1931	22,707
1933	16,995
1934	20,204
1935	19,404
Note.—The figures for 1935 are provisional.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the suggestion that vessels of over 50 tons should carry a life-line firing gun: and whether his Department proposes to take any Action in this matter?

The suggestion has been considered, but on the information available it is not thought necessary to extend the existing statutory requirements.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will Arrange that, in future, when any Government Bill seeks to enact a provision by reference to any previous Act of Parliament, copies of such Act of Parliament shall be placed in the Vote Office for the use of Members as soon as practicable after the Bill has been read a First time?

I have carefully considered my hon. Friend's suggestion. Facilities are available in the Library to Members who desire to refer to Acts of Parliament not issuable to them under the ordinary arrangements. These facilities have been in operation over a long period of time, and so far as I am aware have worked satisfactorily. I do not consider, therefore, that I should be justified in adopting arrangements on the lines suggested, especially in view of the additional expenditure and difficulties of a practical kind which would be involved by their adoption.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he can make any statement on the progress of the negotiations with the Egyptian Ministry of Finance on the Sudan debts to Egypt?

Yes, Sir. An agreement was concluded on 5th November, and a White Paper containing its text has now been presented to Parliament [Command Paper 5139].

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that no less than 12,000 westward-bound passengers are conveyed at 8 a.m. daily to Whitechapel Station, whilst seating accommodation is only provided for 4,000 passengers; and whether, in the interests of public safety and the convenience of the travelling public, he will take steps to reduce the ratio of standing to seated passengers, and to ensure that additional seating accommoda- tion is provided during rush hours for such passengers as are now compelled to stand?

It was the purpose of the Treasury guarantee of £40 millions for railway works in and around London to accelerate a programme of urgently needed improvements. These include the rebuilding of Aldgate East Station which will enable Metropolitan Line trains to and from Barking to be increased from six to eight cars, and thus increase the seating capacity of the service.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the possibility of avoiding accidents on the roads where trailers are used if it were made compulsory for ropes to be used from the front to the rear vehicle: and will he consider the suggestion?

I am advised that the adoption of the proposal might lead to danger, since chains or ropes of this kind would often sag and swing and also be an attraction to children for play. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has at my request recommended to manufacturers a standard specification for couplings. The matter is one to which special attention is paid by my examiners appointed under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933.

asked the Minister of Transport the number of accidents, fatal and non-fatal, on the roads of this country caused directly or indirectly by motor trailers, giving figures for each of the last five years, if possible?

In 1935 there were 31 fatal road accidents in which mechanically propelled vehicles with trailers were held to be the sole or main cause and six fatal accidents in which such vehicles were considered to be a contributory cause. The further information desired by the hon. Member is not available.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the order issued by the French minister of public works to compel all motorists in France to use yellow head- lamps on their vehicles as from 1st April, 1937, in the case of new cars, and 1st January, 1937, for all motor vehicles; and whether he proposes to consider similar legislation in this country?

I am aware of the French proposals, but expert opinion in this country which I have consulted holds that the physiological advantages are not proved. The Medical Research Council and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research have undertaken to pursue jointly further investigations and I will certainly take their conclusions into account.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that there are great inequalities between the prices paid in different parts of Scotland for the supply of electricity; and whether he contemplates taking any and, if so, what action to ensure that cheap electricity is made available throughout the country?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the Prime Minister's reply of 9th November, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the High Commissioner for Palestine purposes visiting England shortly; and, is so, will General Dill take charge of Palestine in his absence?

I am unable to say how soon it is likely that the High Commissioner for Palestine will be visiting this country. During the High Commissioner's absence, the government of Palestine is normally administered by the Chief Secretary, and I do not anticipate any departure from this procedure.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can make any statement on the reasons why His Majesty's Government overruled the expressed wishes of the Malay Sultan of Selangor in the matter of the appointment of an heir presumptive, and appointed his third, instead of his second, son; and whether the policy of respecting Malay custom and tradition in these matters has been given up?

The appointment of the present Raja Muda was acceptable because he is considered to be more fitted than his brothers to succeed in due course to the Ruler's responsibilities. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of young men, between the ages of 18 and 24 years, registering at the Salford Employment Exchange on 30th March, 1936, who have been unemployed for three months or over?

Statistics with regard to the duration of unemployment are available only in respect of persons applying for insurance benefit or unemployment allowances. At 23rd March, 1936, the number of male applicants, aged 18 and under 65 years who had been on the registers of the Salford Employment Exchange for three months or more was 2,765, of whom 79 were 18 and under 21

Statement showing for the cereal years 1930–31 to 1935–36 the acreage and production of Wheat in the United Kingdom, the estimated number of weeks flour supply represented by such production and the average price of Wheat in England and Wales as ascertained under the Corn Returns Act, 1882, and the Corn sales Act, 1931.
Cereal Year.	Acreage	Total Production.	Number of weeks supply of flavor(a).	Average price in England and Wales(b).
				Per cwt.
	Thousand acres.	Thousand tons.	Number of weeks.	s.	d.
1930–31	1,405	1,132	9¼	6	2
1931–32	1,250	1,013	8	6	0
1932–33	1,343	1,168	9¼	5	8
1933–34	1,745	1,612	13¼	4	9
1934–35	1,866	1,869	15¼	5	0
1935–36	1,882	1,753	14¼	6	1
(a) Flour equivalent (at 70 per cent. extraction) of total production of wheat after allowing for the quantity required to seed the acreage in the following year and for the quantity of non-millable wheat (estimated at 4 per cent. of the crop).
(b) The average price in England and Wales during the twelve months August to July, ascertained from returns collected under the Corn Returns Act, 1882, and the Corn Sales Act, 1921. Corresponding figures for the whole of the United Kingdom are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will cause inquiry to be made of all Territorial Army Associations to ascertain how much money they would require to put in a years of age, and 2,686 were 21 and under 65 years of age. Particulars are not available of the number aged 21 and under 25 years.

asked the Minister of Agriculture which of the members of the Forestry Commission has been nominated by him to represent agriculture on that body: and if he is one of the salaried commissioners?

No member of the Forestry Commission is nominated by the Minister of Agriculture, and the last part of the question does not, therefore, arise.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the wheat acreage, the estimated production, the estimated number of weeks of such home supplies of flour for bread, and the average price paid to the wheat producer, for each of the last six cereal years?

The information required is as follows:proper state of repair various drill halls under their supervision: and how much would be required for the erection of new drill halls in places where there has recently been a considerable increase in the population?

It is the responsibility of Territorial Army Associations to maintain the drill halls under their supervision in a proper state of repair and for this purpose an annual grant is made to them in respect of each drill hall. I am satisfied that the associations are fulfilling their obligations. County Associations appreciate the desirability of erecting drill halls in areas where the population has increased and my hon. and gallant Friend may rest assured that when the expansion of the Anti-Aircraft Defences has been completed there will be few such areas without a Territorial Army Headquarters.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether certain requisites for the Territorial Army could be supplied by the Royal Army Ordnance Corps under special arrangements with the County Territorial Associations: and what is the reason why representations on this matter from various Territorial Associations have never received a favourable reply?

I am not clear to which requisites my hon. and gallant Friend refers. County Territorial Associations are required to purchase articles of clothing and accoutrements from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. It is, however, generally undesirable on grounds of policy and administration that associations should rely on the Royal Army Ordnance Corps for purchases of articles which need not be of Army pattern and are obtainable elsewhere.

asked the Secretary of State for War what would be the cost of the issue of walking-out dress to all units of the Territorial Army; whether he is aware that the men have repeatedly made it clear through the proper channels that such a uniform would be very acceptable, and that, if necessary, they would be willing to contribute towards the cost; and whether he is now in a position to make a statement?

As has already been announced elsewhere, I hope that all Territorial Army soldiers taking part in the ceremony of His Majesty's Coronation in London will be supplied with the blue uniform at public expense. To make a further issue of the uniform, in addition to the existing scale of service dress, to all other members of the Territorial Army would cost about £350,000 initially, with a considerable annual expenditure thereafter for upkeep. I am not at present able to make any further statement.

asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence (1) whether any estimate can now be given of the number of men who will be employed at the King's Meadow factory, Nottingham; and what proportion of this labour is likely to be drawn from the Nottingham city area;(2) what conditions have been laid down with regard to the recruitment of labour for the King's Meadow factory at Nottingham; and whether age or residence limits are being applied?

So far as can be estimated at present the number of all grades ultimately to be employed at His Majesty's Factory, Nottingham, will be in the neighbourhood of 3,000. Apart from personnel required to fill certain pivotal posts, who will be transferred from Woolwich, it is the intention to recruit the employés required under the normal procedure through the local Employment Exchange, to the maximum extent possible. Under this procedure the Employment Exchange in the normal course submits primarily names of local residents, and preference will be given to ex-servicemen, wherever suitable, in accordance with the usual practice. The normal maximum age for recruitment at War Department establishments is 45 years, but it is probable that the requirements of the labour situation will necessitate departures from this limit at Nottingham. No other conditions have been laid down as regards either age or residence. It is not possible at this stage to state more precisely what proportion of the labour required will be found from the Nottingham city area.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the hydrogenation plant at Billingham-on-Tees is a commercial success; and, if so, what steps are being taken to arrange for the construction of similar works in other areas?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply on this subject which I gave on the 16th November to the hon. Member for Consett (Mr. D. Adams).

asked the Secretary for Mines whether, in view of the frequency of disasters in coal mines, and the appeals made to the public from time to time for donations to funds for the relief of distress among dependents arising, from such disasters, he will consider taking steps to centralise the administration of all such funds in order to eliminate unnecessary administrative expenditure, and with a view to providing a source from which dependents of men losing their lives in minor disasters could also be provided for?

Average Number of Wage Earners on colliery books and output of coal per man-shift worked in Great Britain and Lancashire and Cheshire in the December Quarters of 1921 and 1935.
Quarter ended	Average Number of Wage Earners on colliery books.		Output of coal per man-shift worked.
	Great Britain	Lancashire and Cheshire.	Great Britain.	Lancashire and Cheshire
			Cwts.	Cwts.
31st December, 1921	1,062,400	105,100	17·73	14·42
31st December, 1935	750,700	59,200	23·89	19·82

asked the President of the Board of Education how many of the 360 State scholarships awarded this year were honorary, awarded to pupils whose parents' income was below £800, and awarded to pupils whose parents' income was between £800 and £1,000, respectively: and whether he will give the number of pupils in grant-aided and

—	Scholars from
	Grant aided-schools.		Non-grant·aided schools.
	Grant awarded.	Honorary.	Grant awarded.	Honorary.
Income below £800 per annum	194	1	5	1
Income £800–£1,000 per annum	—	3	4	—
Income over £1,000 per annum	—	1	—	2
Income not stated	—	2	—	2
Total	194	7	9	5

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 12th November to the hon. Member for North Tottenham (Mr. R. C. Morrison).

asked the Secretary for Mines (1) whether he will give the number of mine-workers in Lancashire and Cheshire at the end of 1935: the number in 1921; and the output per man-shift for each period;(2) the number of mine-workers in Great Britain for 1935; the number in 1921: and the output per man-shift for the same periods?

The information asked for is as follows:non-grant-aided secondary schools under each classification

Of the 360 scholarsips awarded in 1936, 144 scholars have postponed taking up their awards until 1937 or later, and one vacancy remains to be filled. The Board have as yet received no information regarding the incomes of the parents in these 145 cases. The following table gives the particulars required for the remaining 215 awards:

asked the Home Secretary whether, and, if so, when, further legislation will be introduced to give effect to the recommendations of the Departmental Committee on imprisonment in default of payment of fines and other sums of money made in July, 1934?

I am unable to add anything to the reply which I gave the hon. and gallant Member on the 9th July last.

asked the Home Secretary whether Rule 17 of the Summary Jurisdiction Rules has yet been revoked and what, if any, rule has been made in its place?

Yes, Sir. This was done by the Summary Jurisdiction Rules made on 7th November, 1935, of which I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will take steps to secure to convicts in His Majesty's prisons the right to talk and see that men are not put on report for failing to obey an order by not stopping talking when ordered so to do?

There must be power to limit the amount of talking when prisoners are assembled together, especially in the workshops, but in order to make it clear that an exchange of remarks does not in itself constitute a prison offence the Commissioners in 1922 laid it down that when a prisoner has to be reported for talking in a manner inconsistent with the preservation of discipline, the report should show that the offence was not mere talking but talking after being told to stop. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the instructions on this subject which were issued in 1922 for the guidance of prison officials.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state the number of women who have been proceeded against for infanticide during the five years ended to the last convenient date and the number who were convicted?

A conviction of infanticide may result not only from an indictment for that offence, but also from an indictment for murder or manslaughter. The following table gives in column (1) the number of women who were indicted for an offence involving the killing of their newly-born children, and in column (2) the number who were convicted of infanticide, during each of the years 1931 to 1935:—

	Col.(1)	Col.(2)
1931	31	12
1932	21	12
1933	23	10
1934	14	7
1935	19	11