asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has power to obtain a report from the International Beef Conference on their activities during the past year; and, if he has, does he propose to use that power?

His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are not empowered to require the submission of such a report; it would be for the participating Governments as a whole to decide whether the Conference should be asked to make one. A communiqué is usually issued to the Press after each meeting; but I will bring the hon. Member's suggestion to the notice of the Conference.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the increasingly adverse conditions in the Lancashire cotton industry; and whether action will be taken at the earliest opportunity to enable the industry to put its house in order by means of enabling legislation?

My right hon. Friend is aware of the difficult conditions which now confront the Lancashire cotton industry; but as regards the second part of the question I can add nothing at present to the reply which he gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bury (Mr. Chorlton), on 22nd March.

asked the President of the Board of Trade with reference to the 32 foreign countries to which licences for the export of war material have been granted during the six months ended 31st March, 1938, what kinds and quantities of war material are covered by these licences; the approximate cost in each case; the port of embarkation and port of destination, respectively; and the date fixed for the departure of the said war material from this country?

I would refer the hon. and learned Member to the answer I have given to-day to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. Gallacher).

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will give the number of cases in which claims to benefit made at the Walworth Road (Borough) Employment Exchange have been disallowed for the 12 months ended, to the last convenient date?

During the twelve months ended 31st March, 1938, 4,217 claims for benefit made at the Borough Employment Exchange were disallowed.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will indicate the course of employment by numbers, industries, and percentages, respectively, for the City of Leicester for the month of March, 1938.

pursuant to his reply(OFFICIAL REPORT, 14th April, 1938, col. 1337, Vol. 334),supplied the following statement:The following table shows, for the area served by the Leicester Employment Exchange and Juvenile Employment Bureau, (

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the existing situation in the Mediterranean, he will appoint a commander-in-chief of all military forces and fixed defences in the Mediterranean?

His Majesty's Government are always ready to recommend any arrangement which is called for by necessity, but at present the course suggested does not seem to be called for.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is considering the appointment of an officer as the head of a central recruiting agency and information bureau for the Territorial Army in Liverpool, so that those who apply to join units with no vacancies may be informed of units which have vacancies; and, if so, when such appointment will be made and where the office of such officer will be?

I understand that the West Lancashire Territorial Association, whose headquarters are in St. George Building, Lime Street, Liverpool, have in fact set up an information bureau at that address where applicants who wish to join the Territorial Army are put in touch with units wherein there are vacancies.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has given his sanction to the Hollinwood (Lancashire) Town Council for the purchase of 19,171 square yards, being the site of the Oldham Twist Company's former No. 1 mill and adjacent to the Collier Hill estate; and, if so, what price is being paid and what was the rateable value of this property?

A loan for the purchase of the site to which the hon. Member refers at the price of £1,500 has been sanctioned by me. The net annual value of the property is £526 and the rateable value £131.

asked the Minister of Health whether the number of applicants in connection with the black-coated-workers scheme is in accordance with actuarial anticipations; and how many his actuarial advisers did anticipate would come forward in the first year to benefit under the scheme?

The scheme is purely voluntary and the number of persons who will elect to take advantage of the opportunity to insure is not capable of actuarial estimation, and no such estimate has been attempted. The Government Actuary estimated that 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 men and about 500,000 women would be eligible to enter the scheme, but these estimates were given with considerable reserve because of the inadequacy of the available information.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has considered a resolution passed at the conference of the Essex Federation of Ratepayers' Associations held on 9th April, 1938, with regard to interim valuations during the proposed postponement of the third quinquennial valuation; and whether he proposes to take any action with regard to the subject matter of this resolution?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I made to my hon. and gallant Friend, the Member for Waterloo (Captain Bullock) on 14th April.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the new design on the copper coinage is intended to be permanent; how long the figure of Britannia has been depicted on such coinage; and why it has been discarded this year?

My right hon. Friend does not expect that any change in the designs of the current coinage will be made for some considerable time. The figure of Britannia has appeared on the copper or bronze coinage since the reign of Charles II. It was felt that the opportunity of a new issue should be taken to introduce new designs on the reverses of the three coins concerned. The traditional figure of Britannia has been retained with certain modifications for the reverse of the penny, and new designs were adopted for the farthing and the halfpenny after full consideration by the appropriate authorities.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can state the number of convictions for thefts from un attended motor-cars in the Metropolitan police district during the years 1935 to 1937?

The numbers of persons found guilty of larceny from unattended vehicles in the Metropolitan police district during the years 1935, 1936 and 1937 were respectively 701, 751 and 910.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury the number of men and women employed in the collection branch of the Inland Revenue Department in December, 1936, and March, 1938?

On 1st December, 1936, the number of persons employed in the collection service in the Inland Revenue Department was 3,605, consisting of 2,087 men and 1,518 women. On 1st March, 1938, the number was 3,497, consisting of 1,986 men arid 1,511 women.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has received from British representatives in countries where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken any criticisms on, or suggestions for, the improvement of the Spanish and Portuguese broadcasts now being carried out by the British Broadcasting Corporation; and, if so, can he state their nature?

The reports which have been received from His Majesty's representatives in Latin-American countries regarding the British Broadcasting Corporation's transmissions of news bulletins in the Spanish and Portuguese languages have so far been very favourable. The only major criticism is of the late hour at which the news in Portuguese is given, but owing to the previous commitments of the British Broadcasting Corporation in connection with their Empire transmissions no other time is available.