asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that, owing to the Iron and Steel Federation refusing to quote and maintain firm forward prices, the export trade will be seriously prejudiced; and whether he will take steps to see that an agreed proportion of raw material can be guaranteed with forward prices for such export purposes?

I am aware that, in view of the uncertainty as to future prices and costs, the iron and steel industry have found themselves unable to quote firm prices for long periods ahead. I understand that the British Iron and Steel Federation are investigating the movement of production costs with a view to fixing prices for a further period and hope shortly to be in a position to discuss these with the Import Duties Advisory Committee.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the serious effect that any hold-up of any supplementary trade supplies must have on the 1,300,000 persons directly employed on building, together with the large number in auxiliary trades, he will take steps to see that an equitable share of pig-iron, scrap, and steel is allotted to these trades by the Iron and Steel Federation consistent with past consumption?

The efforts which are being made to ensure supplies of iron and steel both from the United Kingdom and abroad will, I hope, go far to reverse the present difficulties of supply and in the meantime I have no reason to think that the building and allied trades are not obtaining a reasonable share of the available supplies.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the quantities of hose, stockings and knitted underwear imported into this country from Japan for the three months ended 31st March, 1937; and whether he can indicate the approximate employment that would have been provided for the British hosiery industry by the manufacture of those goods in this country?

The following table shows the quantity of certain descriptions of hosiery imported into the United Kingdom and registered during the three months ended March, 1937, as consigned from Japan (including Formosa). As regards the second part of the question, I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the answer given to him on the 2nd February.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is yet in a position to give the promised information in regard to the proportion of the imports into the United Kingdom from British countries carried in British ships; and similar information as to the imports from foreign countries?

, pursuant to his replies (OFFICIAL REPORT, 9th March, 1937, col. 968, Vol. 321, and 6th April, 1937, col. 7, Vol. 322), supplied the following information:Of the total value of merchandise imported into the United Kingdom during the year 1936, about 93 per cent. of the imports from British countries and 52 per cent. of the imports from foreign countries was carried in British vessels.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement upon the discussions between His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and His Majesty's Governments in Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand about the assistance of British shipping services in the Pacific?

Discussions are proceeding on this subject with the Governments of the Dominions concerned, but I am not yet in a position to make any statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any statement to make regarding an increase in the salaries of the sheriffs and sheriffs-substitute in Scotland?

I am still in communication with the Treasury about revised rates of salary for sheriffs and sheriffs-substitute and am not yet able to make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the relative costs of producing milk in the spring and summer only, and milk all the year round, have been ascertained; and, if so, will he publish the figures ascertained?

The results of the second year of the inquiry to which my Noble Friend refers are now becoming available and the question of publication is under consideration. I understand the inquiry has dealt with a winter period and a summer period in addition to a full year.

asked the Prime Minister when the History of the Great War, France and Flanders, for the year 1917, will be published?

The first volume of 1917, dealing with the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battle of Arras, will not be ready to go to press at the earliest for 18 months.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total output of coal for Northumberland, and how much is machine-cut, for the years 1924 and 1936, respectively?

The saleable output of coal in Northumberland was 13,660,448 tons in 1924 and 14,427,260 tons in 1936. The quantity of coal cut by machines was 3,872,344 tons in 1924 and 12,679,373 tons in 1936.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total number of underground employés in the mines of Northumberland for the years 1924 and 1936, respectively?

The average number of wage-earners employed underground at mines in Northumberland was 51,121 in 1924 and 34,191 in 1936.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the administrative difficulties of many national health approved societies who have a large proportion of unemployed members on the extended insurance period and for whom these societies receive only half the administration allowance; and whether he is now in a position to make any announcement supplementing that allowance, following upon the promise he made to the deputation from the general council of the Trades Union Congress on 28th January?

My right hon. Friend has considered the representations which were made to him on the subject referred to by the right hon. Gentleman and my right hon. Friend is pleased to be able to say that it has been found possible for the allowance referred to to be increased by 50 per cent. as from the beginning of the present year.

asked the Minister of Health how many of the houses condemned for slum clearance before the Housing Act, 1935, came into operation were marked for compensation at site value and at market value, respectively; and how many since this Act came into operation have been so marked or allotted the well-maintained allowance?

Following is the answer:Compulsory Purchase Orders made by local authorities under Part r of the Housing Act, 1930, and confirmed by my right hon. Friend up to the 31st July, 1935, authorised the acquisition of 25,376 houses. Of these houses 23,589 were classified as unfit for human habitation and to be purchased at site value, and 1,787 as not unfit and to be purchased at market value. The number of 1,787 included 538 houses originally classified as unfit and subsequently adjudged by my right hon. Friend to be not unfit. Corresponding figures for the period from the 1st August, 1935, to the 28th February, 1937, are 25,132 houses of which 22,593 were unfit and 2,539 not unfit. The latter number includes 565 houses removed by my right hon. Friend on confirmation from the unfit category. My right hon. Friend has given directions to local authorities to make payments in respect of 2,659 well maintained houses.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the incidence of sickness during the early months of the present year, he proposes to make special provision to ensure that the Drug Fund shall be able, at the end of the year, to meet in full its liabilities to chemists and bodies corporate dispensing under the National Health Insurance Acts?

As the Drug Fund relates to the calendar year, it would be premature at this stage to estimate the extent, if any, to which payment of the chemists' accounts will be affected by the sickness experience early in the year. My right hon. Friend undertook at the time the present agreement with the chemists was made to consider representations regarding any abnormal deficit in the fund.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, whether he will state the type of building which it is proposed to build, on the site of the houses in Abingdon Street to be pulled down and not required for the King George V Memorial; and whether he will give an assurance that any building permitted shall be in keeping with the architecture and traditions of the neighbourhood?

(for the First Commissioner of Works): No scheme for the erection of new buildings in Abingdon Street has yet been submitted to my Noble Friend. Any such proposals must be submitted to him by virtue of Section (8) of the London County Council (Improvements) Act, 190o. In considering any scheme which may be submitted the necessity for securing that the elevational treatment of any new buildings shall be in harmony with the architecture and traditions of the neighbourhood will, of course, be kept constantly in view.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of commissions in the Army granted in each of the last three years to university candidates; and the percentage these numbers formed of the total number of commissions?

Following is the answer:

asked the Secretary of State for War how many cadetships to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, have been awarded in each of the last three years to boys from State-aided schools; and what percentage these numbers represented of all the cadetships granted in each year?

I regret that the information cannot be obtained without a considerable expenditure of time and labour, which I do not think would be justified in present circumstances.

asked the Secretary of State for War the approximate total cost to the parent of the 18 months course undergone by a cadet at Sandhurst or Woolwich, in those cases where the full fees are required to be paid?

The approximate total cost at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, is £370, and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, £380.

asked the Secretary of State for War by what method boys below the age of 13 are selected for King's cadetships, as appears from paragraph 24 of the War Office publication, Regulations respecting admission to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; and will he state whether these boys, once selected, are bound to proceed later to Sandhurst or Woolwich?

Boys below the age of 13 years are not eligible to be selected for the award of a King's cadetship but they may have their names registered at the War Office for consideration on attain- ing that age. The main consideration to which regard is had in making selections for King's cadetships is the financial position of the boy and his surviving parent or guardian. A boy awarded a cadetship under paragraph 24 of the Regulations respecting admission to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, is expected to take the first or any subsequent entrance examination for which he is eligible, in accordance with the written promise given by the parent or guardian that the boy will enter the Army unless prevented by medical or educational unfitness or by unsatisfactory conduct.

asked the Secretary of State for War what method, if any, is open to the private soldier for the collective expression of grievances or the presentation of requests?

No provision exists for the collective expression of grievances or the presentation of requests by private soldiers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, especially having regard to the rising prices now being obtained, he will instruct governors to use their influence with plantation and other companies producing raw materials so as to ensure better rates of remuneration for both British and native employés?

I have every sympathy with the desire that all classes should share in any increase of prosperity in the Colonial Empire, but I do not think that I can usefully issue any general instructions of the nature suggested. The hon. and gallant Member is no doubt aware that minimum wage legislation has been enacted in a large number of Colonial Dependencies. I shall be happy to furnish him with details if he so desires. I must point out, in addition, that in several cases actual wage rates are at present substantially in excess of the statutory minimum rates; and with increasing prosperity further increases may be anticipated. The matter is under constant review by Colonial Governments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in any ordinance dealing with the squatters on European estates in Kenya under consideration, with a view to regularising their position, consideration will be given to include provision for native tenants with security of tenure?

As I explained in the House on 9th July last, the resident labourers referred to by the hon. Member are not tenants in the ordinary sense, but have been permitted as part of the conditions of their employment to reside, and to keep a certain number of cattle and other animals, on their employers' farms. The natural increase in the numbers of these natives and their stock is already creating serious problems in the European areas, and the Kenya Land Commission recommended that steps should be taken to make it clear that these natives have no vested interests or rights in the land which they are permitted to occupy. The hon. Member's suggestion would be incompatible with this recommendation. On the other hand, it was recognised that if a native who has been absent from his reserve for a number of years is required to remove his family and stock from the farm on which he has been employed, he may experience difficulty in finding suitable accommodation in his reserve and may suffer hardship. The Commission accordingly recommended that Government should accept the obligation of finding land to which time-expired labourers can go, and this recommendation has been accepted by the Government. For this reason the process of removal must be gradual.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now receiving full information with regard to the mui-tsai and their treatment from the High Commissioner to the Malayan Governments; and whether these reports can be made available to Members of the House?

Returns of mui-tsai on the registers throughout Malaya are received at intervals of six months and copies are always placed in the Library of the House. Reports on individual cases in which protective action is taken together with a summary of cases in the courts under the Mui-tsai Ordinance, the Children's Ordinance and the Protection of Women and Girls' Ordinance are also received each year from the Straits Settlements and copies placed in the Library. Similar reports are also to be made available in respect of all the Malay States.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the nature, amount and purpose of the new quotas imposed in the Gold Coast and Nigeria on certain goods from all foreign countries; what is the reason for this new departure; and what is the estimated effect on the cost of living of the native population?

The quotas relate to piece goods of cotton and artificial silk. Imports of these goods from Japan into Nigeria and the Gold Coast have been subject to quota since May, 1934. Following on the denunciation by the French Government of part of the Anglo-French Convention of 1898, the imports of all such piece goods into the Gold Coast and of all such foreign piece goods into Nigeria have been regulated by quota since the 1st January last. The object of this step was to protect the old-established suppliers of this market, foreign as well as British, against disturbance by excessive imports of goods from new sources. With the object of avoiding undue dislocation of trade the quotas have been fixed at a figure equal to the rate of imports during 1935, increased by 5o per cent. It is not anticipated that these quotas will increase the cost of living in any way.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs how many deaths from tuberculosis have been recorded in Newfoundland in 1936, and how the figures compare with previous years?

I understand that the returns for deaths from tuberculosis in Newfoundland in 1936 are not yet complete, but that in 15 out of the 18 registration districts, deaths from this disease total 544. This gives a mortality rate of 1.9 per 1,000. The total number of deaths from tuberculosis and the mortality rates per 1,000 of the population in previous years were as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he can supply information as to the old age pension scale introduced by the Government of New Zealand, and as to new legislation introduced by that Government with regard to the minimum wage, hours of labour, and holidays with pay?

I am informed that the position is as follows:As regards old age pensions, in accordance with the terms of the Pensions Amendment Act, 1936, the amount of the old age pension in New Zealand was restored to £52 a year as from the 1st April, 1936, and provision was made for a further increase to £58 10s. a year from the 1st December, 1936.The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act, the Factories Amendment Act, the Shops and Offices Amendment Act and Agricultural Workers Act, passed by the New Zealand Parliament during the 1936 Session, all deal with matters of minimum wage, hours of labour and holidays. In these Acts provision is made for a 44-hour week in the case of shops and a 4o-hour week in the case of factories. In the case of other occupations governed by Arbitration Court awards, a 40-hour week is also provided for, except in cases where the Arbitration Court is satisfied that the circumstances of any particular industry render it impracticable to carry on that industry efficiently if the hours are so limited. In such cases the maximum working week must not, however, exceed 44 hours. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Act also requires the Arbitration Court, in making awards, to provide for a five-day working week wherever practicable.Statutory provision for an annual holiday period with pay is made by the Agricultural Workers Act in the case of workers on dairy-farms, and provision is also made in the Factories Amendment Act and Shops and Offices Amendment Act for full wages to be paid in respect of certain statutory whole holidays specified in those Acts. The question whether any additional annual holiday period with pay is to be granted is a matter determined by the award made by the Arbitration Court in respect of any particular industry.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make the appropriate representations to those concerned with a view to securing the release of Mr. Arthur Koestler at present detained at Malaga by the Spanish insurgents?

Mr. Koestler is not a British subject, but, in view of the fact that he was a correspondent of an English newspaper, His Majesty's Ambassador at Hendaye has already been instructed to inform the insurgent authorities unofficially that His Majesty's Government are concerned for his welfare and would be glad of information concerning his position.