Written Answers
Government Departments (Exservice Men)
asked the Home Secretary whether any changes have been made in his Department during the current year as regards the employment of a greater number of ex-service men and, if so, of what nature?
The number of ex-Service men employed on the non-industrial staff of the Home Office on 1st April, 1936, and 1st April, 1937, were 477 and 543 respectively. The numbers of men on the industrial staff on the same dates were 26 and 128 respectively, but the figures as to the division of these numbers between ex-Service and non-Service men are not available. The greater part of the male industrial staff is employed in the Air Raid Precautions Department, and preference is given to ex-Service men in making appointments.
Coal Industry
Production And Exports (Statistics)
asked the Secretary for Mines, whether he will give the tonnage of coal produced, shipped abroad, and available for consumption in Great Britain during the years 1913 to 1936, inclusive?
The information is as follows:
| Year. | Output of Saleable Coal in Great Britain. | Total Quantity of Coal Shipped Abroad.* | Quantity of Coal available for Home Consumption for all purposes.† |
| Million | Million | Million | |
| Tons. | Tons. | Tons. | |
| 1913 | 287·3 | 98·3 | 183·8 |
| 1914 | 265·6 | 81·0 | 179·5 |
| 1915 | 253·1 | 59·9 | 187·9+ |
| 1916 | 256·3 | 55·0 | 196·2+ |
| 1917 | 248·4 | 48·7 | 195·0+ |
| 1913 | 227·7 | 43·4 | 179·6+ |
| 1919 | 229·7 | 51·3 | 173·8 |
| 1920 | 229·4 | 43·7 | 180·7 |
| 1922 | 249·6 | 87·3 | 157·8 |
| 1923 | 276·0 | 104·5 | 168·8 |
| 1924 | 267·1 | 84·5 | 180·4 |
| 1925 | 243·2 | 71·5 | 169·6 |
| 1927 | 251·2 | 71·9 | 179·5 |
| 1928 | 237·5 | 71·6 | 163·9 |
| 1929 | 257·9 | 82·1 | 173·5 |
| 2930 | 243·9 | 75·1 | 166·6 |
| 1931 | 219·5 | 61·6 | 155·7 |
| 1932 | 208·7 | 57·1 | 149·5 |
| 1933 | 207·1 | 56·7 | 148·4 |
| 1934 | 220·7 | 57·1 | 161·5 |
| 1935 | 222·2 | 55·5 | 164·5 |
| 1936 | 228·4 | 50·3 | 175·9 |
| * Including coal shipped for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade and the coal-equivalent of coke and manfactured fuel. From 1st April, 1923, shipments to the Irish Free State are included; previously, such shipments were not classed as exports. | |||
| † These particulars relate to Great Britain only, the necessary adjustments having been made in respect of shipments to and from Ireland. | |||
| ‡ Including some portion of the coal supplied to vessels of the Navy and to auxiliary vessels employed on Admiralty account. | |||
Industrial Undertakings (Coal Consumption)
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will supply the amount of export coke, export manufactured fuel, export for steamers in foreign trade, together with the home consumption for gas, electricity, railways, vessels coastwise, ironworks, steelworks, collieries, and general manufacture?
The information is as follows:
| GREAT BRITAIN—YEAR 1936. | |||||
| Million tons. | |||||
| Exports of coke | … | … | … | 2·3 | |
| Exports of manufactured coal | … | 0·5 | |||
| Coal shipped for the use of steamers engaged in the foreign trade | … | 11·9 | |||
| Home Consumption. | |||||
| Gas Works (excluding the coal equivalent of gas coke exported) | 17·8 | ||||
| Electricity Generating Stations belonging to authorised undertakings and to railway and tram-way authorities | … | 13·6 | |||
| Railway Companies (for locomotive use) | … | … | … | … | 12·7 |
| Vessels engaged in the Coastwise Trade (bunkers) | … | … | 1·4 | ||
| Iron Works (used in Blast Furnaces) | 12·8* | ||||
| Other Iron Works and Steel Works | 8·3* | ||||
| Collieries (engine fuel) | … | … | 11·7 | ||
| General Manufactures and all other purposes (including Domestic use) | 97·6 | ||||
| Total Coal available for Home Consumption | … | … | … | 175·9 | |
| * These figures which are provisional cover only the coal, or its equivalent in coke, used in the manufacture of products coming within the purview of the British Iron and Steel Federation by whom the figures were supplied. | |||||
Portugal (Debt)
asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what annuities are payable by Portugal under the debt settlement of 1927; and what payments have been made to date?
In reply to the first part of the question I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to the White Paper containing the terms of the Debt Settlement (Command Paper 2791). In reply to the second part of the question, the annuities paid up to 15th June, 1931, inclusive, amount to £1,550,000. The subsequent instalments have been suspended under the Hoover Moratorium and the arrangements made at the Lausanne Conference of 1932.
Southern Rhodesia (Beira)
asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether any recent communications have been received from the Government of Southern Rhodesia relative to trading and general transit facilities in the port of Beira?
I have not received any communication from the Southern Rhodesia Government on this subject recently. I am, of course, aware of the importance which they attach to the maintenance of adequate facilities at Beira for Southern Rhodesia traffic.