asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give any reason for the increase in the importation of intoxicating liquor from Syria into Palestine from 226,067 litres in 1934 to 1,515,066 litres in 1935; and whether, if the information is not available, he will endeavour to obtain it?

I am asking the High Commissioner for Palestine for information regarding the increased importation of intoxicating liquor from Syria, to which the hon. Member refers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, and, if so, when, it is proposed to publish the evidence hitherto tendered to the Royal Commission on Palestine?

It is probable that the evidence given before the Royal Commission in open session will be published simultaneously with the Commission's report, but it is not possible to make any definite statement until the report of the Commission and the evidence are in the hands of His Majesty's Government. It is obviously undesirable to republish the evidence before the report.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give, by counties, a list showing the acreage of common lands and manorial wastes in rural parishes outside the Metropolitan area over which the owner of the soil of the common or waste has by deed given the public rights of air and exercise since the passing of the Law of Property Act, 1925, distinguishing between the acreage dealt with before 1936 and during that year; and a list of those counties in which no action has been taken?

The particulars are as follow:Name of County and Acreage of commons or manorial wastes in respect of which public rights have been conferred by deed under the Law of Property Act, 1925.

	Before 1936. Acres.	During 1936. Acres.
Berkshire	1,117	—
Buckingham	213½	0¼
Cambridge (Isle of Ely)	48	—
Cornwall	8½	—
Cumberland	7,245	—

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give the names of any commons in respect of which application was made to his Department during 1936, or was outstanding on 31st December, 1935, under Section 194 of the Law of Property Act, 1925, to make an enclosure, specifying in each case whether a public inquiry has been held; the area of land sought to be enclosed; the purpose for which it was proposed to enclose the land; the area, if any, thrown into the common in lieu of the land enclosed; the result of the application; and the reason, in any case where consent has been given with out an area being thrown into the common at least equal to the land enclosed, for not requiring that course to be followed?

The particulars which the hon. Member requires as to applications under Section 194 of the Law of Property Act, 1925, are as follow:

Applications in 1936.
Name of Common.	County.		Whether Public Inquiry was held.	Area of land affected.	Purpose of Inclosure.	Area of land thrown into the common in lieu of that affected.	Result of application.	Reason for not requiring an equivalent area to be added to the common.
Schoolgreen (Freshwater)	Isle of Wight	…	No	2 perches	Erection of Fire Station	—	Under consideration.
Yateley	Hants	…	No	1 acre, 1 rood, 4 perches.	Erection of Hotel with gardens, garage, etc.	1 acre, 1 rood, 4 perches.	Consent given.
Shepherd's Hill (Haslemere).	Surrey	…	No	24 sq. feet	Erection of electric light transformer kiosk.	None	Consent given.	No material interference with public access.
Bracelet (Swansea)	Glamorgan	…	No	1¼ acres	Public amusement park	5 acres, 3 roods.	Consent given.
Rawdon and Horsforth	Yorks (W.R.)	…	No	16¼ acres	Extension of an aerodrome	16½ acres	Consent given.
Great Kirdford	Sussex	…	No	3 acres	Fencing to protect recreation ground.	None	Consent given	No material interference with public access.
Nant-y-Garnedd	Denbigh	…	No	1 rood	To fence rubbish tip on low lying part of common.	None	Consent given	Fencing to be removed and land returfed when surface is level with adjacent land.
Runnymede	Surrey	…	—	9 sq. yds.	Erection of refreshment hut.	—	Under consideration.

Results of applications which were under consideration on 31st December, 1935.
Shedfield	Hants	…	No	4 acres (approx.)	Erection of cricket pavilion and formation of cricket pitch.	—	Proposal dropped.
Village Green (Lanivet)	Cornwall	…	Yes	1¾ acres	Fencing of part of Green to preserve surface for recreation and for safety against adjoining main road.	—	Proposal dropped.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, whether he will give the total amount of contracts placed, or expenditure authorised, by his Department in the present financial year up to date, including that on the re-armament programme; and state as far as possible how much of this has been allocated to distressed areas?

The total value of the contracts placed by the Admiralty direct with the private trade in the present financial year up to the 31st December amounted to £36,387,400, and of this amount the contracts placed in special and distressed areas accounted for £20,387,800. These figures do not include the sums authorised for expenditure by His Majesty's ships and naval establishments, the collection of which information would involve an undue amount of time and labour.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what seniority is necessary for a captain from the lower deck in order to be given command of a cruiser in a sea-going fleet, observing there are several captains of the same seniority and some junior to a captain from the lower deck now in command of such cruisers?

The seniority necessary to enable a captain from the lower deck to be given command of a cruiser in a seagoing fleet is exactly the same as that required by any other captain. At the present time the required seniority is 2½ to three years. The captain from the lower deck referred to in the latter half of the question is the first captain of his batch to be given a command at sea. He was appointed in command of a sloop at one year's seniority and completed this command two months ago. He is not, therefore, immediately due for another sea command. There are a number of captains senior to him who have not yet had a cruiser command.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware of the hardship to workers in the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory, Greenock, because there is no official arrangement whereby deductions may be permitted from salary or wages for the payment of subscriptions to the Greenock Royal Infirmary and other such institutions; and if he will have A.F.O. 2008/32 altered so as to allow of the addition of the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory Employés Hospitals Fund, or some similar fund, to be added to the list of associations and funds therein mentioned or, otherwise, to allow of systematic deductions from salary or wages being permitted and arranged for in the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory, Greenock, so that facilities be made available for the treatment of such workers in medical and other institutions in and near Greenock?

Prior to the issue of A.F.O. 2008/32, an arrangement existed at Greenock whereby contributions to the Hospital and Local Charities Fund were deducted from wages of employés at the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory. The scheme set out in that Fleet Order was intended to regularise the procedure for such deductions from pay and it was of general application throughout the Civil Service. It did not cover the arrangement at Greenock, and it became necessary, therefore, to review that arrangement. It was decided, as a special concession, not to withdraw the privilege from those employés who were already enjoying it, but at the same time not to extend it to new subscribers having regard to the clerical labour involved and to the necessity for restricting exceptions to the general rule. There is, of course, nothing to prevent any person who so desires from paying his subscriptions direct to the appropriate officer of the fund, and, in the circumstances, there are no substantial grounds for varying the decision already reached.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will state the number of promotions made to gunner, gunner (T), and boatswain on 1st January, 1936, the number made on 1st January this year, and what the number should have been if there were sufficient fully-qualified candidates; and whether, in view of the shortage of candidates for executive warrant officers, he will consider appointing a committee on the lines of the Hyde-Parker Committee of 1918 fully to investigate the conditions of service, emoluments, and disabilities of executive warrant officers?

Six promotions to gunner, four to gunner (T), and 10 to boatswain were made on 1st January, 1936, and eight promotions to gunner on the 1st January, 1937. Twenty promotions to gunner, 37 to gunner (T), and 14 to boatswain would have been made on the 1st January, 1937, had those numbers of qualified candidates been available. The Admiralty is at present considering the recommendations of a committee appointed to enquire into the reasons for the present shortage in these three classes of warrant officer, and to report what steps should be taken to remedy the deficiency. I hope that a decision will be reached in the near future.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the reasons why the number of warrant officers from the lower deck in the executive branch have been cut down to approximately one-half of the 1914 figures, whereas the total of cadet-entry executive officers, from captain to sub-lieutenant, is now practically the same as in 1914?

The reduction to which the hon. Member refers is due to a variety of causes connected with the requirements of the Service into which it would be difficult to enter within the scope of a question and answer. I may, however, mention in particular, first, the greater complexity of modern warships, and especially the development of the Fleet Air Arm, which necessitates a higher proportion of commissioned officers than obtained before the Great War, and secondly the fact that an examination of the duties of warrant officers undertaken some 10 years ago showed that a number of duties in which they were employed did not require the services of an officer. A substantial reduction in the requirements of warrant officers necessarily followed. I might add that at present, exclusive of the Fleet Air Arm, the requirements of warrant officers are increasing proportionately on a level with those of commissioned officers.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what is the approximate number of established and unestablished men which will be employed in all Departments of Chatham Dockyard during the current year; and how these figures compare with those for 1936?

The numbers of workmen employed in Chatham Dockyard in 1936 were approximately 1,7oo established and 7,800 unestablished. In 1937 the number of established men will be approximately the same, but it is anticipated that the number of unestablished men will be increased by about 300.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the great dissatisfaction of local authorities in Staffordshire and the Midlands by reason of the recent appointment by his Department of a traffic commissioner and deputy traffic commissioner; and whether, in view of the fact that the operation of Section 63 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, involves a considerable amount of work for the authorities concerned and provides in the result no indication of the wishes of the various authorities or of public opinion, he will consider whether more consideration can be given to nominees of local authorities who receive widespread support?

No, Sir.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has yet received the report of the consulting engineers appointed to examine the Menai suspension bridge; and whether he is in a position to make a statement as to the future of this bridge and of road communication between the mainland and Anglesea?

Yes, Sir, and I hope shortly to be in a position to reach a decision upon it.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is prepared to do anything to remedy the following grievances of owners of commercial motor vehicles; that the period of currency of licences is too short to provide security for their business; that restrictions for expanding business are irksome; that they must disclose confidential evidence in public which often proves detrimental to them; that legal charges are becoming onerous; that the procedure for renewing licences is too cumbersome and slow; and that they are not allowed, like other commercial undertakers, to dispose of their business?

The Bill now before the House, if it becomes law, will enable me to extend the period of validity of carriers' licences.

asked the Minister of Transport whether, before introducing the regulations prohibiting horse-drawn vehicles in certain streets in Central London, he consulted organisations representing the users of such vehicles in the London area and the organisations representing the breeders of horses; and whether he has modified the original draft regulations in any way to meet the representations of such bodies?

Yes, Sir, but it was riot in modification so much as withdrawal that the organisations referred to were interested.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will state the number of road accidents, fatal and otherwise, that have taken place in the borough of Southwark for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

Seventeen fatal accidents and 988 accidents involving injury to persons are recorded as having occurred in the borough of Southwark during the year 1936.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of new pensions awarded to widows, children, and others during each of the years 1930 to 1936, inclusive, and the total amount paid to pensioners in respect of their disabilities for any recent year?

The number of new pensions awarded by the Ministry to widows, children and disabled officers and men, during each of the financial years 1930–36 was:

Year.	Number.
1930	3,446
1931	3,397
1932	2,532
1933	1,624
1934	1,454
1935	1,315
1936	1,279

The total amount paid to disability pensioners in respect of their disabilities, either as pension or allowance, during the financial year ended 31st March, 1936, was about £23,150,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions the number of ex-service men in receipt of disability pensions at the beginning of each of the financial years 1930 to 1936, inclusive, and the number of deaths of pensioners during each of those years?

The number of ex-service men of the Great War and previous wars in receipt of disability pensions at the beginning of each of the financial years 1930 to 1936 was:

Year.	Number.
1930	477,700
1931	469,300
1932	463,000
1933	456,250
1934	448,300
1935	441,350
1936	434,675

The number of disability pensioners who died during each of the financial years 1930 to 1936 was:

Year.	Number.
1930	7,l88
1931	6,838
1932	6,877
1933	7,278
1934	6,625
1935	6,696
1936	7,331

asked the Minister of Pensions the death rate among adult male pensioners for each of the groups, 30 to 40 years of age, 40 to 45, and 45 to 50?

The death rates per thousand of adult male disability pensioners (other ranks) calculated for each of the age groups specified, for the year ended 31st March, 1936, were as follows. For comparative purposes the death rates for the corresponding groups of the civil (male) population have been added.

asked the Prime Minister how many meetings of the Economic Advisory Council were held during 1936; and whether it is proposed to continue to maintain this committee during 1937?

Eleven meetings of the two principal Standing Committees by which the work of the Council is conducted were held in 1936. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why no provision is made for the relief of unemployed Asiatics in the Federated Malay States, whereas such provision has been made in the Straits Settlements; whether he is aware that His Majesty's High Commissioner recently declared that in Selangor the unemployed were cared for by the Kuala Lumpur sanitary board, although that board is a Government Department without control of its own finances; and whether, in view of the Federation's mounting surplus, His Majesty's Government propose to take any step to assist those whose sole relief is now private charity?

I gather that this question is based on a statement made at the meeting of the Federal Council in August last, but I am not in a position to estimate the nature and present scale of the unemployment which may exist in the State of Selangor. I am asking the High Commissioner for a report, and will communicate with the hon. Member when I receive it.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the monthly imports of iron ore from Spain into this country from the outbreak of civil war in that country up till and including December last?

The total quantity of iron ore and concentrates (except chrome iron ore and pyrites) imported into the United Kingdom and registered during each month from July, 1936, as consigned from Spain was as follows:

1936.	Tons.
July	114,677
August	89,462
September	87,592
October	74,129
November	90,128
December	86,464

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in connection with the next Budget, he will consider suggesting some increase in the Income Tax allowance in respect of a dependent mother unable to work?

I would ask my hon. Friend to await the Budget statement.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether any steps are being taken to reopen the market for British coal in Italy; and whether he can make any statement with regard to this matter?

The Commercial Agreement with Italy concluded on the 6th November last provided that the Italian Government would authorise the importation of United Kingdom coal, coke and manufactured fuel up to a quarterly c.i.f. value of 43,500,000 lire. As soon as the agreement was concluded four delegations, representative of the coal trade of South Wales, Durham, Scotland and the Humber, visited Italy to discuss with the Italian Coal Monopoly the resumption of purchases from the United Kingdom. I am informed that the discussions proceeded very satisfactorily and that in consequence substantial orders were placed by the monopoly in the United Kingdom. Shipment has already begun. I trust that the promptness with which the coal industry took advantage of the opportunities offered by the agree- ment will be rewarded by further developments in this important branch of our coal export trade.

asked the Lord President of the Council what steps have been taken to test the claims made for the Freeman process for extracting oil from coal; and whether he is satisfied that this process is a more economical one than the Bergius process?

In reply to the first part of the question, I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on 21st January. The Freeman and the Bergius process differ so materially that it is not possible to draw comparisons. So far as I am aware, no plant for working the Freeman process on a commercial scale is in existence. I am unable to express any opinion on its economics.

asked the Secretary for Mines what quantity of Diesel oil has been produced at the Billingham coal-oil plant; and what steps are being taken to ensure adequate supplies of oil for Diesel engines in the event of war?

In regard to the first part of the question no commercial supplies of Diesel oil have been produced at the Billingham hydrogenation plant. In this connection I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on the 19th January to two questions by the hon. Member for the Springburn Division of Glasgow (Mr. Hardie). As regards the second part, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on the 26th January by my right hon. Friend, the Minister for the Coordination of Defence.