Written Answers
China And Japan
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the military occupation of Shanghai by the Japanese has in any way affected the status of the International Settlement; and whether there has been any interference with the forces anti representatives of Foreign Powers?
The status of the International Settlement at Shanghai is governed by the Land Regulations, which have not been altered as a result of the Sino-Japanese hostilities. With the exception of certain isolated incidents of which the House is already aware, there has been no interference with the forces or representatives of Foreign Powers.
League Of Nations (Refugees)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any statement to make concerning the future of the Nansen Office and the work which it performs?
According to previous decisions of the Assembly, the Nansen Office will be liquidated at the end of 1938. His Majesty's Government are strongly of the opinion that arrangements should be made for the work hitherto undertaken by the Office to be carried on after its liquidation for a further period of years under the auspices of the League. They are further of the opinion that a decision of principle as to the arrangements to be made should have been taken at the last session of the Assembly. This view was shared by a very large majority of other Members of the League, and after exhaustive discussions a resolution was drawn up in favour of continuing for a specified period the work carried on under the auspices of the League on behalf of refugees. For various reasons the Soviet Government did not feel able to take this view. Certain delegations believing that the resolution would as a result fail to obtain the necessary unanimity in the Assembly, therefore proposed a reference of the question to the Council for examination. This proposal, which has the effect of postponing the issue for a year, was accepted by the Assembly by the votes of 25 countries. The delegations of 23 countries abstained from voting upon it.It will now be for the next Assembly to take the decision of principle as to whether or not the work of international assistance to refugees hitherto undertaken under the auspices of the League should be continued. In the meantime the Council will no doubt take such measures as may be appropriate for the further examination entrusted to it by the Assembly.
Greenock Schools (Telephones)
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the name of the school in Greenock which has a telephone; and which are the three schools in Greenock to which further telephones are in the meantime to be restricted?
The Special School in Forsyth Street, Greenock is provided with a telephone. The other schools referred to in the question are the Academy, the High School and St. Columba's Roman Catholic Secondary School.
Government Departments (Messengers)
asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether there are any regulations indicating the direct supervisory agents in relation to the grade of unestablished Government messengers?
I would refer the hon. Member to Treasury Circular of 18th April, 1921, of which I am sending him a copy.
Defence
Aeroplane Production
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the number of new factories being built for the production of aeroplanes as well as the number completed; and whether he can also give the total estimated annual output of such factories?
I understand the hon. Member is referring to factories for airframes only and not for engines and accessories. Of the two new Government aeroplane factories being built under the shadow scheme one is complete and the other should be completed next spring, while of the three other new factories for the production of aeroplanes one is complete and the other two nearly so. I should add that this represents only a part of the new production facilities as there have in addition been extensions to many existing factories. It would not be in the public interest to give the information requested in the last part of the question.
Munition Factories
asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence the total number of new munition factories being built or completed since his appointment; and in how many cases production has begun?
Since my appointment 19 special factories for the production of munitions, including aircraft and aero engines have been, or are in the process of being, built, and of these II are already in production. These figures include shadow factories, but do not include extensions to Government factories normally operating in peace, or to the works of commercial firms, or Government factories approved but not yet under construction.
Unemployment
Public Assistance, Special Areas
asked the Minister of Health how many persons in each of the Special Areas were in receipt of public assistance at the nearest date to 13th September in each of the seven years 1931 to 1937, inclusive?
The returns made to my Department by public assistance authorities relate to county boroughs and administrative counties as a whole, and separate
| Area | Number of persons in receipt of poor relief on the second Saturday in September in the undermentioned years. (The figures include dependents but exclude rate-aided patients in mental hospitals, persons in receipt of domiciliary medical relief only and casuals.) | |||||||
| 1931. | 1932. | 1933. | 1934. | 1935. | 1936. | 1937. | ||
| County Boroughs: | ||||||||
| Gateshead | … | 6.939 | 8,968 | 9,560 | 10,021 | 9,816 | 9,406 | 6,098 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | … | 6,300 | 6,722 | 6,992 | 7,962 | 7,108 | 7,364 | 5,509 |
| Newcastle-u pon-Tyne | … | 14,138 | 19,273 | 21,367 | 22,544 | 21,755 | 20,101 | 12,310 |
| South Shields | … | 3,665 | 4,143 | 4,150 | 4,462 | 4,606 | 4,730 | 4,442 |
| Sunderland | … | 8,547 | 10,313 | 11,830 | 13,898 | 15,774 | 15,776 | 12,097 |
| Tynemouth | … | 1,266 | 1,987 | 2,617 | 2,814 | 3,062 | 3,219 | 2,441 |
| West Hartlepool | … | 1,969 | 2,691 | 3,224 | 3,177 | 3,211 | 3,312 | 2,846 |
| Administrative Counties: | ||||||||
| Durham | … | 52,463 | 60,838 | 65,065 | 67,000 | 67,168 | 65,154 | 56,735 |
| Northumberland | … | 7, 265 | 9,331 | 10,957 | 11,488 | 11,500 | 11,277 | 9,614 |
| Cumberland | … | 5,623 | 6,895 | 7,547 | 7,719 | 6,971 | 7,225 | 6,301 |
| Monmouth | … | 14,869 | 17,165 | 18,758 | 20,006 | 18,389 | 18,101 | 15,111 |
| Glamorgan | … | 43,993 | 48,165 | 48,237 | 50,826 | 49,466 | 52,257 | 44,878 |
| Brecknock | … | 2,069 | 2,153 | 2,250 | 2,448 | 2,288 | 2,273 | 1,991 |
| Pembroke | … | 2,123 | 2,742 | 2,462 | 2,668 | 2,635 | 2,561 | 2,218 |
Southwark (Statistics)
asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of persons from other Employment Exchange districts who have been found employment through the Walworth Road (Borough) Employment Exchange for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date; and the number of local workers that are still unemployed?
The total number of vacancies filled through the Borough Employment Exchange by persons from other Employment Exchange areas during the year ended 25th October, 1937, was 6,974. At 18th October, 1937, there were 9,986 unemployed persons on the registers of the Borough Exchange.
Infantile Paralysis
asked the Minister of Health whether there is any increase in the number of cases of infantile paralysis in this country; and whether he can give the number of such cases which have been recorded in each of the different counties of England and Wales?
figures for Special Areas forming part of an administrative county are therefore not available. Figures are given in the following table for the county boroughs which are scheduled as Special Areas and for the administrative counties containing Special Areas.
The numbers of notified cases of acute poliomyelitis and acute polio-encephalitis are published in the Registrar-General's Statistical Review of England and Wales for the Year 2936 in the volume "Tables. Part I. Medical" Table 28 gives the total figures for a series of years, and Table 29 gives the figures for each county and county borough for the year 1936. The total number of cases of the two diseases notified during the current year up to the 30th October is approximately 705 as compared with an annual average of 698 for the last five years.
Dominions (Trained Boy Immigrants)
asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs the number of boys who have been placed in the Dominions after training in this country within the last three years, and from which training colonies they have been sent?
In view of the virtual suspension, at the time of the economic depression, of the agreements under which the United Kingdom Government and certain Dominion Governments co-operated in the grant of passage assistance, no boys have proceeded from training colonies in this country to the Dominions with Government assisted passages during the past three years. I understand that a certain number of boys proceeded overseas from such colonies at the cost of private funds, but I have no detailed particulars.
Air-Raid Precautions
asked the Home Secretary what number of local authorities have appealed for offers of service as air-raid wardens; what response has been made; and what deficiency of offers eixsts?
A large number of local authorities throughout the country have appealed for volunteers for their various air-raid precautions services, including the Air-Raid Wardens Service. My right hon. Friend has no actual returns as yet of the numbers of persons enrolled in the various services in different localities. It is understood that in some centres the response has been very good.
Transport (Road Accidents,Nottingham)
asked the Minister of Transport what was the number of road accidents in the City of Nottingham during the last three years; and whether any plans are being considered for by-passing this city?
The numbers of road accidents in the City of Nottingham during each of the last three years have been as follow:
| Year. | Fatal Accidents. | Non-Fatal Accidents. | Total | |
| 1934 | … | 35 | 1,360 | 1,395 |
| 1935 | … | 34 | 1,189 | 1,223 |
| 1936 | … | 29 | 1,253 | 1,282 |