Written Answers
National Defence Contribution (Assessment)
asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether the basis of assessment for National Defence Contribution will in general follow the lines of that adopted for Excess Profits Duty; and whether, in the interests of uniformity, recommendations will be given by the Board of Inland Revenue to local assessment authorities on lines similar to the recommendations issued by the Central Valuation Committee on rating matters?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, East (Mr. T. Morris), of which I am sending him a copy.
Somerset House (Search For Wills)
asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Principal Probate Registry at Somerset House will not make searches for wills or letters of administration nor send copies by post where the deceased person died before 1853, and that this involves the personal attendance at Somerset House for those who desire such searches or copies; and, as the wills now at Somerset House go back for centuries and are used to an ever increasing extent by historians, genealogists, writers and the public generally who, if they live in the provinces or out of England are put to needless expense in paying an agent to do a search and procure a copy, will he alter the regulations so as to permit of the authorities at Somerset House making a search and posting the copies in return for a reasonable fee which would be profitable to the revenue and convenient to the public?
I have been asked to reply. I am aware that those desiring to see wills or letters of administration prior to 1853 have to make a personal search or have one made on their behalf. The documents prior to 1853 are not indexed or arranged in lexicographical order, and there would be diffi- culty about arranging for this work to be done by the existing staff or in fixing a fee which would be commensurate with the time and labour involved.
British Army (Soldiers' Beds)
asked the Secretary of State for War whether the War Office will follow the example of the Admiralty in supplying mattresses for soldiers' beds with curled hair, or some closely allied substance, to replace the hard felt substance which is at present used?
My hon. Friend will see from paragraph 13 (c) of the White Paper issued yesterday (Cmd. 5696) that steps are being taken this year to provide more comfortable bedsteads and bolsters for soldiers. The new bolster filling is to be hair. The new bedsteads will have spring mattresses.
Scotland
Prison Service
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether Scottish prison officers are to receive a weekly allowance in lieu of boots, plus a repair allowance; and, if so, will he give the amount of the allowance and how it compares with a similar allowance to the police?
The question of the substitution of a cash allowance for the present free issue of boots, plus a repair allowance, is presently under consideration in consultation with the Scottish Prison Officers' Representative Board. No decision has yet been taken.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will state the procedure in the prisons service when a governor or the Prison Department wishes to bring a charge against an officer for an alleged offence; whether the charge is always made in writing for the officer to see; if the officer always sees the full evidence on which the charge is based; whether the officer is allowed to make a copy of the full evidence and decision so that he may, if he so desires, lodge an appeal against the decision; and, if not, is he prepared to issue instructions that when an officer is charged with an alleged offence he shall be allowed to make a copy of the full evidence?
Where a charge is made against the conduct of a prison officer the procedure is to set out the charge in writing and it is the practice to communicate any relevant written evidence to the officer, with a request for an explanation. It is open to the officer to make a copy of the charge, of any written evidence and of the decision and I do not propose to make any modification in this practice. The usual procedure is modified in any case which may give rise to criminal proceedings.
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the petition for an improvement of the pay rates of prison officers submitted to him by the Prison Officers' Representative Board; whether a reply has been given; and, if so, what was the nature of the reply?
Yes, Sir. A reply has been sent to the Scottish Prison Officer's Representative Board to the effect that I am not aware of any change of circumstances since the last general revision of pay in January, 1936, to justify a variation in the scales then approved. It is open to the Board, with the consent of the Prisons Department for Scotland, to refer the claims for increases of pay to arbitration, subject to the conditions applying to arbitration in the Civil Service; and the Board have been informed that there would be no objection to this course.
Polmont Borstal Institution
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that a civilian instructor has been appointed to instruct the inmates at Polmont Borstal institution in acetylene welding; whether he will give the daily number of hours' instruction given and the salary attached to the position; and whether this instructor receives an allowance for house rent, subsistence and travelling expenses?
A civilian instructor has been appointed on a temporary basis to give instruction in electric welding to suitable lads at Polmont Borstal Institution. Instruction is given for approximately seven hours daily and the instructor receives pay of £6 a week, plus the cost of a season ticket from Glasgow, where he lives. No separate allowance is made for house rent or subsistence.
Coal Industry
Mines Accidents, South Wales
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has any statistics to show what is the general effect of machine mining in South Wales upon the number and severity of underground accidents?
| South Wales and Monmouth. | ||||||||||
| Mines under the Coal Mines Act, 1911. | ||||||||||
| Percentage of Total Output. | Output per manshift worked belowground.* | Accident rate per 100,000 manshifts worked belowground. | ||||||||
| Year. | Cut | Conveyed | Killed (belowground). | †Injured (belowground). | ||||||
| by machinery. | Falls. | Haulage. | Total belowground. | Falls. | Haulage. | Total belowground. | ||||
| Cwts. | ||||||||||
| 1927 | … | 7 | Not available. | 23.63 | .34 | .15 | .68 | 38.97 | 13.43 | 81.01 |
| 1928 | … | 8 | 16 | 24.38 | .28 | .20 | .55 | 39.18 | 12.65 | 80.47 |
| 1929 | … | 9 | 16 | 24.44 | .32 | .13 | .54 | 42.76 | 14.94 | 87.68 |
| 1930 | … | 10 | 17 | 24.06 | .30 | .19 | .55 | 41.95 | 15.96 | 89.11 |
| 1931 | … | 12 | 20 | 23.48 | .32 | .13 | .51 | 38.81 | 16.70 | 82.87 |
| 1932 | … | 12 | 20 | 23.61 | .34 | .15 | .57 | 36.96 | 17.88 | 79.11 |
| 1933 | … | 13 | 21 | 23.80 | .36 | .15 | .56 | 36.86 | 16.02 | 77.58 |
| 1934 | … | 15 | 26 | 24.11 | .29 | .18 | .52 | 38.30 | 17.24 | 82.82 |
| 1935 | … | 18 | 32 | 24.86 | .32 | .15 | .52 | 40.10 | 17.17 | 85.49 |
| 1936 | … | 21 | 36 | 25.59 | .24 | .20 | .52 | 40.58 | 16.50 | 86.25 |
| 1937 | … | 24 | 40 | 25.08 | .34 | .15 | .57 | Not available. | ||
| * Relates to years ending 31st January, 1928–1938. | ||||||||||
| † i.e. Injured and Disabled for more than three days. | ||||||||||
British And French Mines (Statistics)
asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can give comparative figures for the British and French coalfields for the years 1930 to 1937, respectively, giving particulars of the numbers
| GREAT BRITAIN—MINES UNDER THE COAL MINES ACT, 1911. | ||||||||
| Average number of persons employed. | Production of Coal. Statute Tons. | Death rate per 1,000 persons employed. | Number of shots fired per million tons of production. | |||||
| Year. | Below-ground. | Surface. | Below-ground. | On Surface. | ||||
| Explosions of Firedamp or Coal Dust. | Other Causes. | |||||||
| 1930 | … | 748,657 | 194,785 | 243,862,100 | .09 | 1.16 | .37 | 217,767 |
| 1931 | … | 693,386 | 183,755 | 219,439,620 | .16 | 0.98 | .38 | 220,277 |
| 1932 | … | 652,018 | I75,421 | 208,727,764 | .11 | 1.13 | .42 | 224,921 |
| 1933 | … | 625,260 | 172,034 | 207,105,847 | .06 | 1.15 | .38 | 233,755 |
| 1934 | … | 624,437 | 173,262 | 220,721,028 | .47 | 1.13 | .43 | 241,396 |
| 1935 | … | 608,316 | 171,186 | 222,236,855 | .06 | 1.21 | .51 | 244,664 |
| 1936 | … | 605,720 | 172,154 | 228,434,148 | .12 | 1.09 | .34 | 256,801 |
| 1937* | … | 624,900 | 177,500 | 240,393,000 | .10 | 1.15 | .39 | Not yet available. |
| * Provisional. | ||||||||
It is extremely difficult to relate changes in accident rates to specific causes, but I append statistics from which the hon. Member may be able to draw some conclusions. In examining these figures it should be borne in mind that they make no allowance for the changes which have been made during the period in the length of the shift.employed, the tonnage of coal produced, the death rate from explosions and from other causes, and the number of shots fired per million tons of coal produced?
The available information is as follows:
| France. | ||||||||
| Average number of persons employed.† | Production of Coal (excluding lignite). Statute Tons. | Death rate per 1,000 persons employed.† | Number of shots fired per million tons of production. | |||||
| Year. | Below-ground. | Surface. | Below-ground. | On Surface. | ||||
| Explosions of Firedamp or Coal Dust. | Other Causes. | |||||||
| 1930 | … | 208,800 | 83,800 | 53,049,019 | 0.043‡ | 1.015 | 0.632 | Not available. |
| 1931 | … | 195,600 | 80,900 | 49,220,889 | — | 0.925 | 0.457 | |
| 1932 | … | 176,300 | 76,900 | 45,536,277 | — | 0.839 | 0.416 | |
| 1933 | … | 167,900 | 74,900 | 46,146,465 | — | 0.840 | 0.507 | |
| 1934 | … | 157,000 | 73,300 | 46,879,876 | — | 0.955 | 0.437 | |
| 1935 | … | 147,800 | 71,600 | 45,482,687 | — | 1.008 | 0.531 | |
| 1936* | … | 144,900 | 70,800 | 44,514,000 | 0.007 | 0.967 | 0.311 | |
| 1937* | … | 154,600 | 73,800 | 43,618,000 | Not yet | available | ||
| * Provisional figures. | † Includes lignite mines. | |||||||
| ‡ Includes 7 deaths at a lignite mine. | ||||||||
Trade And Commerce
Great Britain And Russia
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the value of the imports from and of the exports and re-export to the Union of
| Imports consigned from the Soviet Union. | Exports consigned to the Soviet Union. | ||||||
| Year. | Produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom. | Imported merchandise. | |||||
| £'000. | £'000. | £'000. | |||||
| 1933 | … | … | … | … | 17,491 | 3,341 | 957 |
| 1934 | … | … | … | … | 17,327 | 3,640 | 3,905 |
| 1935 | … | … | … | … | 21,764 | 3,483 | 6,244 |
| 1936 | … | … | … | … | 18,903 | 3,507 | 9,838 |
| 1937 | … | … | … | … | 29,097 | 3,083 | 16,433 |
| NOTE.— The figures for 1937 are provisional. | |||||||
Cotton Textile Industry
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has yet received any scheme from the Lancashire cotton associations concerned with reference to an Enabling Bill to give certain statutory powers; and whether he can say if it will be taken this Session?
In pursuance of my suggestion that the Joint Committee of Cotton Trade Organisations should consider the problems of the cotton industry as a whole, the committee have recently placed some proposals before me. These are now
Soviet Socialist Republics for the respective years from 1933 to 1937, inclusive?
The following table shows the total declared value of merchandise imported into and exported from the United Kingdom in trade with the Soviet Union during the undermentioned years.under consideration and I am obtaining the views of the other textile interests concerned. I appreciate the importance that is attached to an early decision on these proposals; a decision will not be unduly delayed.
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has considered the communication from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce with relation to the almost complete cessation of orders for cotton goods from West Africa, due to difficulties arising out of the fall in prices and non-purchasing of the cocoa trade; and what does he propose to do about it?
I have not received a communication from the Manchester Chamber of Commerce on this subject, but my hon. Friend may be referring to a letter which has been sent to me by the Cotton Spinners' and Manufacturers' Association. I regret that the dispute between the producers and the buyers of cocoa in West Africa is having a detrimental effect on the sale of United Kingdom cotton goods, but the only remedy appears to be to try to settle the cocoa dispute. As my hon. Friend will be aware, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies has recently sent to West Africa a commission to examine the situation with this object in view.
Agricultural Workers, Lancashire
asked the Minister of Agriculture the number of agricultural labourers employed in Lancashire in 1931 and at the latest date on which figures are available?
I have been asked to reply. The number of agricultural workers employed in Lancashire on holdings exceeding one acre in extent, as returned by the occupiers of the holdings on 4th June, 1931, was 27,813. The corresponding figure for 4th June, 1937, the latest date for which such information is available, was 24,660.