asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will state the total acreage and the total number of playing fields now provided for State-aided elementary and secondary schools, respectively, in the country as a whole and separately in the various counties and county boroughs in the United Kingdom?

I am afraid I am not able to give a precise answer to the hon. Member's question so far as schools in England and Wales are concerned, partly because complete records have been kept only since 1930–31, and partly because it is not possible to distinguish in every case between a playing field and a school playground. I have, however, a considerable amount of information on the subject which I am sending him. As regards school playing fields in Scotland, I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he will state the number of elementary school classes with more than 50 scholars on the roll at the latest available date; and the progress made in reducing the number in such cases?

On the 31st March, 1936, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 3,404 classes with over 50 children on the registers as compared with 4,262 on the 31st March, 1935, and 8,571 on 31st March, 1931.

asked the Minister of Labour whether, taking the latest date for which information is available, he will state the number of recipients of unemployment assistance in Wales, by counties, who were receiving increased allowances in comparison with the amount they received under the old standstill agreement, the numbers of those who have suffered decreases, and the average payment per person now and before the new regulations became operative?

I regret that information relating specifically to the counties in Wales is not available but in the four administrative districts of the Unemployment Assistance Board situated in Wales and Monmouthshire the numbers of increases and decreases at the latest available dates were approximately as follow:

District.	Increases.	Decreases.
Cardiff	13,100	227
Newport	8,400	69
Swansea	8,300	199
Wrexham	3,000	45
Total	32,800	540

The average payment in Wales in the four weeks preceding the operation of the new Regulations was 25s. 4d.; in the four weeks ended 27th February, 1937, it was 26s. 1d. Separate averages in respect of counties are not available.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he has any information as to the number of persons who have lost employment consequent on the cessation of productive operations by Gaumont-British, Limited, at Shepherd's Bush; and whether he is aware that the majority of men affected are upwards of 45 years of age and cannot readily find employment elsewhere?

I have been in communication with the corporation and they inform me that, while the closing down of the Shepherd's Bush Studio necessarily entails a reduction of staff, they hope to absorb a certain number of those affected when they commence production of films at Pinewood. In these circumstances it is not possible at the present time to state the exact position.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the number of passengers who travelled by sea from the Irish Free State to the United Kingdom in 1936 exceeded those who travelled in a reverse direction by about 29,000; and what action is being taken by the Government to see that these immigrants are not given employment in Great Britain at the expense of unemployed British workers who are excluded from direct employment in the Irish Free State by regulations made under the Control of Manufacturers Act recently passed in the Dail?

The number of passengers is as stated by my hon. Friend; but it should not be assumed that it represents the number of additional residents in Great Britain. As regards the latter part of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 28th April last, by the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that a decision has been given that Mr. N. Leeke, Upper Garth, Knighton, Radnor, is engaged in employment that does not come within the provisions of the Unemployment Insurance (Agriculture) Act, 1936; that Mr. Leeke was employed to perform agricultural and household work for a total of 66½ hours per week of which more than one-third, 29¼ hours, were spent in agricultural duties, including the delivery of milk; whether the Ministry's investigators interviewed Mr. Leeke in the course of their investigations into the facts of the case; and whether he will cause a further investigation to be made and a reconsideration of the decision?

On 3rd March last Mr. Leeke was informed that the Department were of opinion after investigation that his employment between March and December, 1936, was not insurable; and that if he was not satisfied with this ruling, it was open to him to apply for a formal decision on the matter. If he wishes to carry the matter further he should take that course, and in that event the whole matter will be considered afresh.

asked the Minister of Labour when the South-West Durham Improvement Association will be set up; and will he give the names of the persons who will be appointed to serve on this association?

The Commissioner for Special Areas has this matter under active consideration but it is not possible to make any further announcement at the moment.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs what is the total number of Imperial ex-service men in Canada who are unemployed; and what provision is made for them to live?

Inquiries which I have made show that no official information is available as to the total number of Imperial ex-service men in Canada who are unemployed at the present time. I am assured that in the administration of the measures of unemployment assistance adopted by the Canadian authorities, settlers from the United Kingdom receive the same consideration as native-born Canadians. United Kingdom ex-service men who are entitled to a pension of course continue to draw that pension in Canada. Imperial ex-service pensioners who arrived in Canada prior to 1st December, 1924, also receive the additional assistance which the Canadian Government provides for Canadian ex-service pensioners.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he will give particulars of what provisions are being made for the return to this country of emigrants in our Dominions who are at present unemployed and destitute?

As I explained in the Debate on the Committee stage of the Empire Settlement Bill, there are no funds at my disposal from which return passages to this country can be provided, but I am having inquiry made into the question of establishing such a fund. Hitherto any assistance given as regards return passages to the United Kingdom has been afforded by Governments overseas or by interested private organisations in the case of certain especially hard cases.

asked the hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, how many persons employed by the Forestry Commission receive holidays with pay and how many do not; and which classes get holidays with pay and which do not?

All persons employed by the Forestry Commission receive holidays with pay. The various classes of clerical and technical staffs, 536 in number, are on the scales for comparable classes in the Civil Service. The workmen, now approximately 3,700 in number, get the holidays with pay provided for in effect in the Orders of the respective Agricultural Wages Committees, or four days annually where there is no such provision or where the provision is for less than four days.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether any communications have been exchanged between the Dominions and this country concerning German propaganda broadcasts to the Dominions and mandated territories held by them; and to what extent the British Broadcasting Corporation is transmitting programmes regularly to the Dominions?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I am informed by the British Broadcasting Corporation that of the six daily broadcasts to the Empire one is timed especially to suit Australia and New Zealand, one to suit Africa, including the Union of South Africa, and one each to suit Eastern and Western Canada respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Jaffa-Haifa coast road in Palestine will be completed during the current year?

While the construction of the road is progressing as rapidly as administrative considerations allow, it is not yet possible to state whether it will be completed during the current year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that a large number of natives have recently been repatriated into Nyasaland by His Majesty's Government in the Union of South Africa; whether he can state the number of such removals; and what steps have been taken to receive them in Nyasaland and to safeguard their welfare?

I am aware that steps have been taken from time to time to repatriate from the Union tropical natives originating from north of latitude 22° S. I have no exact figures, but 616 natives were repatriated by the Union Government to Nyasaland in pursuance of this policy in the first seven months of 1936. The Nyasaland Government paid the fares of these natives from Port Herald on the Nyasaland frontier to the railway stations in the Protectorate nearest their destination.

Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament in Canada and Australia.
	Lower House.	Upper House.	Allowances.
CANADA.
(Dominion Parliament)	$4,000	$4,000
	For each session of 65 or more days (subject to certain deductions for non-attendance).		Actual moving and transportation expenses and reasonable living expenses while on the journey between his place of residence and Ottawa going and coming once each way each Session or, for greater distances than 400 miles from Ottawa, alternatively travelling and living expenses at $15 a day.
Provincial Parliaments:
Alberta	$1,600 a session	No Upper House	Travelling expenses.
British Columbia	$2,000 a session	No Upper House	Travelling expenses.
Manitoba	$1,600 a session	No Upper House	—
New Brunswick	$1,000 a session	No Upper House	Travelling expenses.
Nova Scotia	$1,000 a session	No Upper House	—
Ontario	$2,000 a session	No Upper House	Travelling expenses 10 cents for every mile from place of residence to Toronto.
Prince Edward Island	$400 a session	No Upper House	—
Quebec	$2,300 a session	$2,250 a session	Travelling allowance.
Saskatchewan	$1,800 a session	No Upper House	—
	£A.	£A.
(Commonwealth Parliament).	950	950	Free railway travel.
State Parliaments:
New South Wales	670	No salary	Free railway and tramway travel in the State.
Victoria	50O	200	Free travelling over railways and tramways in Australia and free issue of postage stamps.
Queensland	650	No Upper House	Certain travel allowances.
South Australia	400	400	Free travel on State Railways and certain other travel facilities on other railways in Australia.
Western Australia	500	300	Free travel on State Railways.
Tasmania	400–500	370–500	Free travel on State Railways and small allowances according to distance of Member's constituency from the Capital.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received an expression of the views of the Governments of Hong Kong and Malaya on the

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he can state the salaries and allowances provided for Members of Parliament in the Dominions of Canada and Australia?

I have obtained particulars, so far as they are available here, from the various oversea representatives in London.report of the Mui-tsai Commission; and if he can give the House any information on this matter?

Copies of the report did not reach the Governments of Hong Kong and Malaya until the end of February. I have asked the two Governments to let me have their full views on both the majority and minority reports. But in view of the obvious complexity of the problems raised I expect it will be some little time before I can reasonably expect to receive considered replies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the propaganda sent out by wireless by several foreign countries in the Near East, if he will consider the setting up of a broadcasting station in Cyprus, the main object of which would be to disseminate news in the different languages used in those parts?

Careful consideration is being given to the question of the issue of broadcasts in languages other than English, and in this connection the possibility of making use of Cyprus will not be overlooked.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state how many natives from Northern Rhodesia had migrated for labour purposes to other territories in the last year for which statistics are available, including the census; and what proportion of the adult male population this constitutes?

It was estimated at the end of 1935 that the number of natives from Northern Rhodesia working outside the Protectorate was 49,000 or about 13 per cent. of the adult male native population.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that increases of pay awarded to departmental clerks serving in his Department by the Industrial Court on the 12th October last, to which effect was to be given as from the 1st October last, have still not been paid out; whether he can state the reason for this delay; and what steps he has taken to secure payment to the officers concerned without further delay?

The application of the Award of the Industrial Court has involved the settlement of various points of interpretation, but instructions have now been given for payment of the increases in certain cases, and further instructions in regard to all cases will be issued as soon as the few points still outstanding have been settled.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many of the employés at Arborfield remount depot have been given notice to terminate their employment; how many of these men have now found work or been provided with another job; and how many of these men are ex-service men?

Notice has been given to all the 161 employés at the Arborfield remount depot, of whom 147 are ex-service men; 82 have been found or have found employment, of whom 78 are ex-service men. A further 68 employés, of whom 65 are ex-service men, will be retained at Arborfield remount depot until the depot is closed.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what steps have been taken to furnish and equip the new club for boys serving on the Bermuda naval station?

This club for boys serving in ships on the America and West Indies Station has been opened in Ireland Island, with a reading room, restaurant, gymnasium and bathing pier. The equipment needed to open the club has been provided by ships' companies on the station and a private gift has been made to the club to provide amenities for the boys. Proposals for completing the furnishing and equipment, forwarded on 18th February, have now been received at the Admiralty, and are being considered. I shall be pleased to keep the Noble Lady informed of the arrangements which are made.

asked the hon. Member for Central Leeds, as representing the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, whether the property in the entrance archway to St. James's Church, Piccadilly, which it is proposed to pull down in connection with the erection of a Coronation stand, is vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; whether such archway is erected upon or forms part of the boundary fence to consecrated land; and whether it is with the approval of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners that such archway is to be destroyed or for a purely temporary purpose?

The archway in question is not vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, nor is their consent necessary to its demolition.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware that the British Iron and Steel Federation has given notice to the railway companies that the price of steel will be raised after 31st May; and what effect this rise will have upon development programmes already announced by railway companies?

The railway companies inform me that the matter is now being considered by them.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will make arrangements to permit youths of 17 who have already a licence to drive, and who in many cases drive sports cars along main roads at 60 miles per hour, to be allowed to drive farm tractors along country lanes at a maximum speed of six miles per hour?

I have no power to vary the general provisions of the law.

asked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been drawn to the excessive traffic now using the Cambridge arterial road; whether it is his intention to deal with it; and what methods he will adopt to solve this problem?

Yes, Sir. Measures for improveement now being examined include duplicating the carriageway and installing traffic control signals at important junctions.

asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to revise and modernise the lesser ports of the country for the extension of coastal trade facilities and/ or, in case of need, the diversion of certain tonnage from its customary destination?

Responsibility for improving the ports of the country rests primarily with the bodies which control them, but as my right hon. Friend the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence indicated to the hon. and gallant Member for the Ayr Burghs (Lieut.-Colonel Moore) on 17th February, the value of the smaller ports to the coasting trade and in the general distributive system of the country is not being overlooked.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the present shortage of steel is being intensified by the fact that hoarding is being carried on by manufacturing firms on the one hand who are fearful of not being able to get supplies and suppliers on the other hand who anticipate inflated prices; and whether, in view of the damaging effect this will have on our export trade, he will take steps which will have the effect of releasing these frozen stocks and so alleviating the present shortage of material?

I am not aware that either suppliers or users of steel are holding unduly large stocks; in fact my information is that stocks are smaller than usual. The second part of the question does not therefore arise.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the output of pig iron and steel during the year 1932 and each succeeding year in the United States, Germany, Canada, Czechslovakia, Sweden, Russia and Great Britain; and the price per ton in Great Britain for each of the years referred to?

The following tables show the output of pig iron (including ferr-

I.—Production of Pig Iron.
Country.				1932.	1933.	1934.	1935.	1936.
					Thousand tons (2,240 1bs.).
United States	…	…	…	8,781	13,346	16,139	21,373	30,619
Germany (including Saar)		…	…	5,199	6,750	10,400	12,639	15,061
Canada	…	…	…	160	258	435	655	753
Czechoslovakia	…	…	…	443	491	591	799	1,122
Sweden	…	…	…	278	340	549	603	576
Russia (Soviet Union)	…	…	…	6,079	7,018	10,329	12,407	14,093
Great Britain	…	…	…	3,574	4,136	5,969	6,424	7,686

II.—Production of Steel Ingots and Castings.
Country.				1932.	1933.	1934.	1935.	1936.
					Thousand tons (2,240 1bs.).
United States	…	…	…	13,681	23,232	26,055	34,093	46,919(a)
Germany (including Saar)		…	…	7,119	9,141	13,648	16,187	18,847
Canada	…	…	…	335	403	741	915	1,115
Czechoslovakia	…	…	…	640	692	897	1,177	1,535
Sweden	…	…	…	520	620	848	882	966
Russia (Soviet Union)	…	…	…	5,833	6,780	9,540	12,401	16,083
Great Britain	…	…	…	5,261	7,024	8,850	9,859	11,698
(a) Excluding crucible and electric steel, which amounted to about one and a half per cent, of the total steel production in the United States in 1934 and 1935.

III.—Iron and Steel Prices in Great Britain.
Commodity.	1932.	1933.	1934.	1935.	1936.
		Shillings per ton.
Pig Iron—
Hematite, West Coast, mixed numbers d/d Sheffield.	83·50	83·50	83·50	84·70	90·04
Cleveland No. 3 foundry G.M.B. North-East Coast d/d Middlesbrough.	62·50	62·50	66·88	67·87	73·00
Northampton No. 3 foundry d/d	62·50	62·50	66·88	68·42	75·50
Scottish No. 3 foundry d/d	68·90	65·26	69·48	70·58	78·35
Steel billets, soft d/d	101·6	101·8	110·0	110·0	119·4

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether there has been any rise this year in freight charges on oil cargoes; whether any countries are building up large reserves of oil; if any shortage of tanker tonnage is anticipated in consequence; and, if so, what steps are being taken to meet such shortage?

There has been a substantial increase in the rates of freight paid for oil cargoes since the beginning of the year. With regard to the remaining

asked the President of the Board of Trade what, if any, considerations prevent him from eliminating or revising the policy pursued by this country of granting most-favoured-nation treatment to foreign countries; whether he is prepared to give notice for the termination of existing treaties which, include most-favoured-nation clauses; and, if not, for what reasons?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him yesterday on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and to those given on the 3rd March, 1936, and 30th June, 1936, to the hon. Members for Moseley (Sir P. Hannon) and Hallam (Mr. L. Smith), of which I am sending him copies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the number and total value of horses imported into Great Britain from Belgium and Holland, respectively, during the last 12 months for which statistics are available; and whether any duty was paid on horses so imported?

During the year 1936, 3,211 horses, valued at £120,386, were imported into the United Kingdom from Belgium, and 507 horses, valued at £23,603, from the Netherlands. No duty was payable on these imports.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the number of merchant ships sunk in May, 1917, and in the year 1917, respectively?

I presume my hon. Friend is referring to British merchant ships sunk by enemy action. According to Parliamentary Return 199 dated the 1st August, 1919, the number of British merchant ships sunk by enemy action in 1917 was 1,197, of which 122 were sunk in the month of May. In addition to the losses dealt with in the Parliamentary Return there were 33 merchant ships lost in 1917, including two in the month of May, which were subsequently regarded as having been lost through enemy action.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether His Majesty's Government intend to ratify the convention on the repatriation of seamen in view of the fact that 17 countries have now ratified this convention, including such maritime Powers as France, Germany, Italy, and Poland?

His Majesty's Government indicated in Command Paper 3336 of 1929 that they are prepared to reconsider their decision not to ratify this convention as soon as at least six of the principal maritime Powers have registered their ratification with the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. This position has not yet been reached.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many cases have been brought to court under the Oil in Navigable Water Act; and what total fines have been imposed for infringements by shore works and by shipping?

The information desired by my hon. Friend is being collected, and I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to introduce legislation to continue or amend the Cinematograph Films Act, 1927, which expires in 1938?

My right hon. Friend cannot at present add anything to the reply given on 2nd March on this subject to the hon. Member for Central Southwark (Mr. Day).

asked the President of the Board of Trade upon what, if any, conditions did Mr. Isidore Ostrer offer, on 22nd May, 1931, to transfer a controlling interest in Gaumont-British, Limited, to the British Government; and what, if any, reply was given thereto by the Board of Trade?

On 22nd May, 1931, Mr. Isidore Ostrer's solicitor, in a letter to the President of the Board of Trade, suggested that any danger of an undesirable control of the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, Limited, might be avoided by a gift to the nation of certain voting shares in the Metropolis and Bradford Trust Company, Limited, or by the creation of a special voting trust. The terms of the offer have recently appeared in the Press. The offer of the shares to the nation was carefully considered and discussed in detail with Mr. Ostrer's legal advisers, and on the 29th July, 1931, Mr. William Graham, who was then President, replied that it was not one which he could recommend the Government to accept; but that Mr. Ostrer would no doubt consider whether there were not other ways in which he could attain the object he had in view.