asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can hold out any hopes that the Nansen office for refugees at Geneva will be enabled to continue its work for a further period of three years after 31st December, 1938, in view of the increasing difficulty of the unsolved problems which it was set up to deal with, in view especially of the present situation in Syria, Alexandretta, Palestine, and Iraq?

The Assembly of the League of Nations at its last session instructed the President of the Governing Body of the Nansen Office to draw up for the consideration of the Assembly at its next ordinary Session a plan for the liquidation of the Office by 31st December, 1938. While I see no prospect of a reversal of the Assembly's decision to liquidate the Office, my hon. and gallant Friend will recall that the President of the Governing Body has also been instructed to prepare for the 1938 Assembly recommendations for the allocation of the tasks undertaken by the Office up to the date of its liquidation in the light of the situation existing at that time.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in the case of the Japanese proposals for the improvement of the trading relations of Powers economically interested in China, His Majesty's Government will keep in touch with the Government of the United States of America to ensure unity of action?

The Japanese Government have made no definite proposals on this subject, but His Majesty's Government will certainly bear in mind the consideration put forward by my hon. and gallant Friend. There are in fact treaty obligations affecting trade in China which cannot be overlooked.

asked the Minister of Transport what is the average price of electricity available to factories in South Wales; and whether he proposes to take any steps to cause a reduction in such prices in order to provide a greater inducement for new industries to settle in that part of Great Britain?

The average prices for power supplied by the principal undertakers in South Wales range from 0.4d. to 0.7d. per unit for high tension supplies, and from 0.94d. to 1.65d. per unit for low tension supplies. The only power I have in regard to prices is to vary the authorised maximum prices if an application is made to me in accordance with the Electricity Supply Acts.

asked the Attorney-General why the rules ordered to be made as soon as may be by Section 5 of the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1933, for the abolition of procedure by order nisi in the case of prerogative writs have not yet been issued; and whether it is intended in the near future to give effect to the Act by rules under Section 99 of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Consolidation) Act of 1925, which will put into practice the direction given in Section 5 of the Act as recommended by paragraph 9 of the third and final Report of the Business of the Courts Committee?

Legislation will be necessary to carry out the recommendations of the Committee with regard to prerogative writs and other matters in Part I of the Report. Until that further legislation is passed, rules cannot effectively be made under the Section to which the hon. Member refers. I hope it may be possible to introduce the required legislation before very long.

asked the Attorney-General whether, in view of the valuable results which have accrued from the work of the Law Revision Committee and of the large number of matters suitable for and urgently needing consideration by such a committee, the Government will consider the possibility of appointing at least three more law revision committees to deal with criminal, equity and statute law, respectively, under the chairmanship of the Master of the Rolls, in order to ensure effective co-ordination?

I do not think that my hon. Friend's suggestion would be practicable. The question of referring further subjects to the Law Revision Committee is constantly under the consideration of my Noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor. The Committee as at present constituted is probably producing as much matter for the consideration of Parliament as can be dealt with in such Parliamentary time as is available. My Noble Friend fully realises the importance of the work referred to.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will state the names of the persons comprising the panel of official arbitrators under the Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919; and how many of these have the special knowledge of the valuation of land in Wales and of the Welsh language required by Section 1 (2) of the aforesaid Act?

The names of the persons comprising the Panel of Official Arbitrators under Section I of the Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919, are:

• Mr. John Willmot,
• Mr. Hugh Calthrop Webster,
• Mr. Francis Joseph Kirby, and
• Mr. Frank William Hunt.

Two have had considerable experience in the valuation of land in Wales. None of the present members of the Panel are acquainted with the Welsh language.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what are the qualifications necessary of fulfilment by a foreign ship wishing to be transferred to the British flag; whether there is any stipulation regarding the nationality of the crew serving on it; and whether there is any length of time which must elapse before the registration can be approved as valid and genuine?

In order to obtain the registration of a ship as British, the owner has to prove, first that he is qualified to own a British ship, and second that he is the owner of the ship. The qualification for ownership of a British ship is that the owner is a British subject or a company established under, and subject to the laws of, some part of His Majesty's Dominions and having its principal place of business in those Dominions. The registration becomes effective without any lapse of time. No stipulations with regard to the nationality of the crew are involved in connection with registration, but when the ship has become British, the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Acts with regard to crews become applicable.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the number of ships in the British mercantile marine and their aggregate tonnage in 1914, and the corresponding figures for the last available date in 1937?

The following table gives, for the 1st July, 1914, and the 1st July, 1936 (the latest date available), the number and tonnage of steam and motor vessels of Too tons gross and over registered under the British flag. The figures are those compiled by Lloyd's Register of Shipping.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what, in the view of his Department, constitutes a recognised stock exchange; whether such trading places are private institutions; to what extent his Department apply the provisions of Section 77 (3) of the Finance Act (1909–10), 1910, to associations of persons who form themselves into an institution termed a stock exchange; and if the letter addressed to the Mincing Lane Tea and Rubber Share Brokers' Association, Limited, by his Department, under date 17th May, 1913, constitutes that body a recognised stock exchange?

The Board of Trade are not concerned with the administration of the legal provisions to which my hon. Friend refers. As regards the third and fourth parts of the question, I am informed that for the purposes of Section 77 (3) of the Finance (1909–10) Act, 1910, the Board of Inland Revenue regard the following as Stock Exchanges:Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greenock, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Newport (Monmouthshire), Nottingham, Sheffield, Swansea, Provincial Brokers' Stock Exchange (Hull), the Stock Exchange, Union Street, Oldham, Oldham and District Stock Exchange, Mincing Lane Tea and Rubber Share Brokers' Association, Limited.In their letter of the 17th May, 1913, the Board of Inland Revenue granted the request of the last named association that their members should be entitled to the benefit of Section 77 (3), and consequently agreed to regard the association as a stock exchange for the purpose of that section.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he will take the opportunity of the visit of the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia to make it clear that His Majesty's Government is not prepared to remove its right to veto legislation which discriminates against natives?

It will be seen from the despatch from the Governor of Southern Rhodesia which was published in the Parliamentary Paper Cmd. 5218, that the views of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom on this point were made clear to the Southern Rhodesian Government in the discussions which took place prior to the recent amendment of the Constitution.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present sugar output and export of each of the British Colonies; what proportion of the imported sugar requirements of Great Britain is now supplied by the Colonies; and whether lie proposes to take any steps to ensure the increase of this proportion during the next three years?

Exact figures for output in each Colony for 1936 are not yet available. At present about 3o per cent. of the sugar requirements of the United Kingdom comes from the Colonial Empire. If any obligations are entered into as part of an international sugar agreement it is proposed to ensure that the Colonies shall be able at least to maintain that proportion.

Exports of sugar from the Colonial Empire, 1936.
Colony, etc.	Quantity in Tons.
Mauritius	274,783
Fiji	140,864
Barbados*	119,685
British Guiana	176,500
Jamaica	77,733
Leeward Islands (Antigua and St. Kitts Nevis)	46,000
Trinidad and Tobago	142,671
St. Lucia	7,706
St. Vincent	500
East Africa† (Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika Territory)	14,557
Total	1,000,999
* Includes equivalent of fancy molasses.
†Includes jaggery and refined sugar.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the terms of the exclusive licence for oil exploitation granted in Kenya to the D'Arcy Exploration Company and the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company; and whether any of the territory covered by the licence is in the possession of Africans?

With my approval the Government of Kenya proposed to grant to the D'Arcy Exploration Company and the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company jointly, a licence to explore for oil over the whole territory of Kenya or over so much of it as might be considered suitable for exploration. I understand from Press reports that such a licence has been granted, but I have not yet received information as to the precise conditions. The hon. Member will realise that any such licence is purely exploratory and does not involve the grant of any rights to exploit any mineral resources which may be discovered. I should add that mineral oil is everywhere the property of the Crown in Kenya, and that none has yet been discovered.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the number of prosecutions against street traders in the City of London for each of the calendar years 1934, 1935, and 1936; the total of the fines inflicted and/or the total number of days of imprisonment served in lieu thereof; if he is aware that on five days in each week the thoroughfare named Throgmorton Street is obstructed by street traders in public securities and that all traffic is impeded; if he will state the number of prosecutions in respect thereof during the years above-named and the total of fines inflicted for obstruction; what steps he proposes to take to keep Throgmorton Street clear of street trading and free for traffic; and whether any steps in that direction have been taken since 19th March, 1895?

The following table gives the number of prosecutions of street traders for obstruction in the City of London, and in Throgmorton Street in particular, during each of the years 1934, 1935 and 1936 and particulars of the penalties imposed:

	Number of prosecutions.
	1934.	1935.	1936.	Total.	Amount of fines imposed.			Number of cases in Throgmorton Street.
					£	s.	d.
Street traders registered under Part VII of the City of London (Various Powers) Act, 1911.	4	4	4	12	4	16	0	Nil.
Street traders not registered under the Act of 1911.	1	3	11*	15	4	13	0	Nil.
Total	5	7	15	27	9	9	0	Nil.
* I case—II days' imprisonment served in default of payment of fine.

As regards the latter part of the question, I am informed that it has been the practice for more than 5o years for stockbrokers to congregate in Throgmorton Street for an hour or so after the closing of the Stock Exchange at 4 p.m. Additional police are posted in the street after that hour to prevent obstruction. The street, the premises in which are confined to business connected with the stock markets, is seldom used by through vehicular traffic, practically the only vehicles using it being those calling at premises situated there. No difficulty has been experienced by the police with regard to the regulation of traffic in the street, and since the business conducted there after the closing of the Stock Exchange is carried on in an orderly manner it is not proposed to interfere with the long-established practice.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, having regard to the provisions of Section 25 (3) of the Finance Act, 1932, the Exchange Equalisation Account shows a profit after reckoning the net result of any losses and gains by purchases and sales of gold in recent years at sterling prices in excess of the fixed value as defined in the Act?

My statements that the operations of the Exchange Equalisation Account have shown a profit up to any particular date have naturally taken into account both the accounting losses and gains incurred by the Account on transfers of gold to and from the Issue Department of the Bank of England, and also the accounting profit on revaluation at the market price of amounts thus transferred.