asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the quantity and the value of rabbits imported into the United Kingdom from Australia and from Belgium and other European countries during the 12 months from February in the years 1913, 1926, and 1937, respectively; and what was the estimated value of rabbits from Scotland, England, and Wales during the same period?

It is not possible, without an undue expenditure of time and labour, to supply the precise information asked for, but the following table shows the total quantity and declared value of rabbits imported into the United Kingdom and consigned from the undermentioned countries during each of the calendar years 1913, 1926, and 1937.Kingdom from Japan in 1936 and 1937 of chilled and frozen salmon, of canned salmon, of canned pilchards, of canned crabs and of other sorts of fish, respectively; and what was the total value of British fish, preserved or fresh, exported from the United Kingdom to Japan in the same two years?

pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 2nd June, 1938; col. 2277, Vol. 336, No. 124) supplied the following statement:

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will give the volume and value of imports of mutton and lamb, respectively, from Australia and New Zealand, respectively, during each of the last six complete months for which figures are available, and how they compare with the corresponding figures for 1937 and 1936?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the "Accounts relating to Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom," in which particulars of the quantity and value of chilled or frozen mutton and lamb imported from Australia and New Zealand are published monthly. Each issue contains particulars for the month to which it relates and the corresponding month of the two preceding years.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take steps to secure a rebate of the import duty on material imported to be used, and in fact used in the manufacture of auxiliary machinery for ships, whether or not work in the form of machining, or other work, is expended thereon, the import duty at present being refunded where the parts are imported solely for purposes of being assembled?

If the cases Which the hon. and learned Member has in mind are not covered by the existing Drawback Order, it is open to the interests concerned to ported from the United Kingdom in trade with Japan (including Formosa) during the years 1936 and 1937:apply to the Import Duties Advisory Committee for consideration to be given to the question of formulating a scheme of drawback under Section 9 of the Finance Act, 1932.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the value of materials sold to Germany and Italy, respectively, known to be acquired for purposes of armament manufacture for the year ending at the last convenient date?

The desired information is not available, as it is not possible to distinguish the exports of materials for the manufacture of armaments from those for other manufactures.

asked the Prime Minister whether the Government will take into consideration the owners of houses who are responsible to the ground landlords for the upkeep of the structures and who, in the case of damage by air raids, will have to rebuild at their own expense; and whether, since such an outlay would prove ruinous in most cases, he will institute an inquiry to see whether the responsibility for the restoration of the structures under these circumstances can be shared between all the parties concerned?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to a question by the hon. Member for South Kensington (Sir W. Davison) on 5th April last, indicating that this matter was receiving close consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the grave anxiety that exists among the people in the East Coast towns, owing to their vulnerability; and whether he has considered some special insurance scheme in the case of bombardment or air attack?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given in answer to questions on this subject by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on and November, 1937, and 17th May, 1938.

asked the Home Secretary what methods of testing gas masks are now adopted, and whether the testing is by sample, selection, or otherwise?

Civilian respirators are not assembled until they are to be issued, but all the components of the face-pieces and filters are examined during manufacture of these articles, samples of the rubber portions and filter components being subjected to physical and chemical tests. There is inspection at every stage of assembly of the filters, and the completed filters are tested to ensure that they will afford protection.

asked the Home Secretary what progress has been made in respect to the provision of shelters and methods of evacuation in the densely-populated areas of South London?

I cannot add anything at present to the statements which were made on this subject in the Debate of 1st June.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the statement in the air-raid precautions handbook No. 3 that all persons not previously exposed are about equally sensitive to mustard gas, he will give details of the experiments by which the conclusions of Professor Marshall and others, published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics for 1929, that some people are 600 times as sensitive as others, were refuted?

The hon. Member, I gather, is referring to a report published in 1919. The experiments described in that report were carried out with comparatively high concentrations of gas, whereas the statement in the handbook reflects recent similar experiments with lower concentrations, and the difference in experience is probably due to that difference in concentration.

asked the Home Secretary why, if one foot of earth-covering is considered sufficient for trenches for householders, as indicated in the householder's handbook, the Defence of Your Home, two feet are needed for factory workers, according to air-raid precautions handbook No. 6?

The hon. Member will appreciate that there can be no absolute standard of protection. The first publication mentioned gives the ordinary householder advice upon the simplest forms of protection. It would be an advantage if the more elaborate system recommended for large establishments in handbook No. 6 could be generally adopted; but it would not, I suggest, be advisable to lay down a standard requiring either material or technical knowledge which might not be readily available to the ordinary householders.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that, in addition to incendiary bombs containing thermite, and therefore approachable, incendiary bombs containing phosphorus and shooting out burning material for many feet are also in existence; whether any reference to this latter type is made in the air-raid precautions handbooks and memoranda; and, if not, whether he will have the statement that incendiary bombs can be approached amended as being misleading?

It has been fully recognised that incendiary bombs throw out burning material, and this fact is recognised in the Householders' Handbook, of which a large number of copies have been circulated to air-raid personnel.

asked the Home Secretary whether the surveys made of possible shelter accommodation in the boroughs of Holborn, Stepney and Wandsworth included any estimate of the cost of providing reasonable shelter in the said boroughs against air raids?

These preliminary surveys were directed towards ascertaining the number of people for whom public shelters might be required and the amount and nature of such accommodation which could be made available.

asked the Home Secretary whether the grant of 50 per cent. to public utility undertakings towards the cost of protection of vital services against air raids will be attracted by any expenditure which is not incurred exclusively for such protection; and whether expenditure by a public utility undertaking, incurred partially for the purpose of protection against air raids, will attract a grant based on a smaller percentage of such expenditure?

The grant of 50 per cent. will be calculated upon, and will be confined to, the expenditure incurred by public utility undertakings on precautionary measures, additional to those falling upon industry generally, which are necessary to ensure their continued functioning in war time.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what proportion of the sugar imported into Great Britain from the British West Indian Colonies for the last financial year enjoyed additional preference under Section 1 of the Finance Act, 1934; and what was the value to the West Indian sugar producers of this preference for that year?

The information asked for in the first part of the hon. Member's question is as follows:The total imports of sugar into Great Britain from the British West Indian Colonies (including British Guiana) (luring the last financial year amounted o 338,800 tons, of which 31,600 tons enjoyed additional preference under Section 1 of the Finance Act, 1934.There is, however, no relation between the amount of sugar which enjoyed the additional preference and the value to the West Indian producers of that preference, since the certificates by means of which the additional preference is administered are transferable, on payment of their value, between colonial producers. The measure of value to producers in the West Indies of the additional preference during the last financial year was the amount of special preference certificates issued to those producers. The tonnage in respect of which such certificates were issued was 189,700 tons, and as the value of the certificate, whether it is used by the person to whom it is issued or sold to another Colonial producer, is in the region of £3 a ton, the total value of the certificates issued to West Indian producers was in the region of £569,100.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has had an opportunity of giving further consideration to the economic position and general situation in the British West Indies, particularly Jamaica; and whether he is now in a position to make a statement?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the request from Jamaica for a Royal Commission to be appointed to investigate conditions in that island; and whether it is his intention to accede to that request?

I shall be making a general statement on the West Indies, including Jamaica, later this afternoon, and I would ask the hon. Members to await that statement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information to give the House as to the position of affairs in Jamaica?

Since I last made a statement on the Jamaica disturbances, in reply to the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mr. Riley) on 1st June, I am glad to report that the situation in Kingston has remained quiet.In the parishes, however, the position is less satisfactory. Notwithstanding the efforts of the Conciliation Board to reach agreement on the question of wages, there has been continued unrest and lawlessness, necessitating regular patrolling by the police and military and the enrolment of a number of special constables.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the economic position of Jamaica and the urgent need of drastic rehousing measures, a grant in aid of housing will be made from the Imperial Exchequer to the colony?

Proposals were approved in January last for the allocation of a sum of £100,000 from Loan Funds for two schemes of slum clearance and rehousing in Kingston, and I recently sent a communication to the Government of Jamaica inquiring whether further schemes were in contemplation and, if so, how it was proposed to finance them. In these circumstances the question of any grant-in-aid from the Imperial Exchequer does not immediately arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can make a statement with regard to the present conditions in Trinidad?

According to a recent report received from the Officer Administering the Government of Trinidad and Tobago it appears that conditions in the Colony are fairly satisfactory, though the labour position is not likely to become normal until the present negotiations in regard to matters in dispute have reached finality.It is hoped that the dispute in the oil industry will be referred to arbitration under the recently enacted Trades Disputes (Arbitration and Inquiry) Ordinance.The question of arbitration in the sugar industry has been considered but no final decision has yet been reached.Both the oil and sugar employers have introduced improved conditions for labour since July, 1937. In oil, wages have been increased by 2 cents an hour and many workers have also received merit advances. Special attention is being given to welfare work. In sugar, two-thirds of the industry has received increases in wages—by 10 per cent. in case of men receiving more than one dollar a day, and by ten cents for others. Hours have also been reduced, in some cases without reduction of pay. The remainder of the workers have been granted small increases. Other employers have also increased rates of pay and improved conditions.Generally it may be said that trade unionism is gaining strength, but its success will naturally depend a great deal upon the sense of responsibility of its leaders both towards their followers and the community as a whole.Government is considering statutory wage fixing machinery for those trades and industries in which no adequate machinery exists for effectively regulating wages, but every effort is being made to encourage organised employers and employed to work out their wage problems by joint negotiations, and, where that fails, to place at the disposal of the disputants alternative methods for settlement.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give any estimate of the balance of sugar imported into the British Empire as a whole for the last year for which figures are available?

I assume that what the hon. Member has in mind is the amount of the net imports of sugar into the British Empire. It is not possible to give absolutely accurate figures owing to different kinds of sugar imported and exported, but the net imports of the British Empire during the sugar year September, 1936-August, 1937, converted into terms of raw sugar, have been estimated by the International Sugar Council to be 1,077,000 long tons, raw value.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the average world price of sugar for the year ended April, 1937, and for the period since the International Sugar Agreement was concluded in May last year?

The average price of foreign raw sugar 96 degrees basis, c.i.f. London, was 5s. 2d. per cwt. for the year ended 30th April, 1937, and 5s. 11.9d. per cwt. for the period 1st May, 1937, to 28th May, 1938.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now prepared to take steps to put into operation the recommendation of the West Indian Sugar Commission of 1929–30 to the effect that only a guaranteed price for sugar in the British market will enable reasonable living wages to be paid to West Indian labourers?

No, Sir. It seems to me that the objections which the Labour Government then in power saw to a guaranteed price for sugar in the British market are still valid.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will publish the standard cost-of-living scale for Malta and the date on which such scale was framed?

The scale to which the hon. Member refers was published in the report of the Commissioner for Labour in Malta for 1936–37. This report was published in the Malta Government Gazette, and I am sending the hon. Member a copy. The scale was framed in October, 1936, after an investigation of the budgets of 100 working-class families, and changes in the cost-of-living index are published monthly in the Malta Government Gazette.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the conditions of labour at the ports in Malta; and will he take steps to ensure that the wages are paid direct to the men instead of to certain individuals who divide the sum in shares without consultation with the men or regard for the work performed by the men?

Complaints have been received that port labourers in Malta are not receiving the full rate of wages laid down by the Malta Government, and I hope that it will be possible to enact legislation without great delay to remove the abuses which are alleged.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men employed by the War Department at Malta are pensionable, and what percentage such number is of the total employed?

No men locally engaged by the War Department in Malta are pensionable.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many men were during the last three years discharged at Malta without pension although they had reached the age limit?

During the last three years 25 locally engaged men in Malta were discharged for age with gratuities, none of them being pensionable.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information to give the House as to the position of affairs in Palestine?

I propose to deal with this subject in the course of the Debate on the Colonial Office Vote. With the hon. Member's permission I will defer my reply until then.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the number of British subjects, military, police, and civilian, who have been killed or wounded in Palestine during the last six months, and the number of Arabs arid Jews?

Following are the statistics of casualties in Palestine from the 1st December, 1937, to 31st May, 1938:

	Killed.	Wounded.
British:
(a) Military	8	21
(b) Police	3	7
(c) Civilians	1	1
Arabs:
(a) Police, Supernumeraries and Watchmen	19	24
(b) Civilians	71	95
Jews:
(a) Police and Supernumeraries	9	17
(b) Civilians	21	84

In addition to the Arab civilians mentioned above, 67 Arab terrorists are known to have been killed in encounters with military and police, and approximately 100 more are believed to have been killed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether inquiries will be made into losses sustained from all important tropical diseases in various parts of the Empire, showing, as far as possible, any increase or decrease in their incidence within recent years?

Details of the incidence of the more important diseases are given in the published annual reports of the medical departments of the Colonial dependencies. The hon. Member may be assured that Colonial medical departments are giving constant attention to the question of reducing the incidence of disease.

ENGLAND AND WALES.
Statement showing the number of new schools completed and/or opened during each year 1933 to 1937 (inclusive) with their accommodation and the estimated cost of construction of the buildings.
Public Elementary Schools.
Year.			Provided schools.			Non-provided schools.*
			Number.	Accommodation.	Estimated cost of construction	Number.	Accommodation.
					£
1933	…	…	116	53,288	2,039,445	18	4,405
1934	…	…	107	42,934	1,449,630	18	4,616
1935	…	…	103	45,826	1,621,958	16	4,842
1936	…	…	118	46,640	1,792,082	16	4,060
1937	…	…	143	55,977	2,374,312	17	5,392
* Information as to the cost of construction is not available.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what are the authorities which exercise Part III powers, and which have given them up since 1902?

I am sending the hon. Member a list of authorities which exercise Part III powers. The following authorities have relinquished these powers since 1902:

Boroughs.
Bangor.	Stourbridge.
Berwick-upon-	Sutton and Cheam.
Tweed.	Thornaby-on-Tees.
Chichester.	Truro.
Grantham.	Twickenham.
Ryde.	Warwick.
St. Albans.	Watford.
Stafford.	Wenlock.
Urban Districts.
Eston.	Halesowen.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will state the total number of schools of all types erected in the years 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, and 1937; the total number of class-rooms provided annually; the total number of scholars catered for annually; and the total cost of construction only of the same, exclusive of others items such as cost of land, etc.?

I am unable to answer the question in the precise form asked by the hon. Member, but the following statement gives such information as is available.

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 May, 1938?

The following table shows, for the area served by the Leicester Employment Exchange and Juvenile Employment Bureau, (a) the numbers of insured persons aged 16–64 years, recorded as unemployed in the principal industries at 16th May, 1938, and (b) these numbers expressed as percentages of the estimated numbers expressed as percentages of the estimated numbers insured at July, 1937:

—	Number.	Per cent.
Building	797	9.6
General Engineering, etc.	417	3.3
Printing, Publishing and Bookbinding.	143	3.8
Hosiery	3,918	11.6
Boots, Shoes, etc.	2,007	9.9
Distributive Trades	1,055	6.7
All other industries and services.	3,886	9.8
Total, all industries and services.	12,223	9.1
NOTE.—The figures given in the table above are exclusive of insured persons within the agricultural scheme; the number of such persons, aged 16–64, recorded as unemployed at the Leicester Employment Exchange at 16th May 1938, was 115.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons who received unemployment allowances in transitional payments in Durham county during 1936 and 1937 and the amount paid each year?

pursuant to his reply (OFFICIAL REPORT, 17th May, 1938; Vol. 336, col. 225) supplied the following statement:Statistics showing the numbers of separate individuals who received unemployment allowances in these periods are not available. The average weekly numbers of payments of unemployment allowances (exclusive of allowances in supplementation of insurance benefit) made through Employment Exchanges in the county of Durham in 1936 and 1937 were 65,964 and 53,441 respectively. The approximate total amounts paid in unemployment allowances during these years were £4,484,001 in 1936 (53 weeks) and £3,613,233 in 1937 (52 weeks).

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will give a list of all directors appointed or nominated by the Government to the boards of public companies?

The following statement contains the names of directors nominated or appointed by the Government to the boards of the public companies mentioned:Suez Canal Company—Sir Ian Malcolm, K.C.M.G.Earl of Cromer, G.C.B., G.C.I.E., G.C.V.O.Colonel Sir Maurice Hankey, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O. (as from 1st August, 1938).Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Limited—Sir George Barstow, K.C.B.Sir Edward Packe, K.B.E.Imperial Airways, Limited—Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Salmond, G.C.B., C.M.G., C.V.O., D.S.O.Sir Francis Joseph, K.B.E.British Airways, Limited—Viscount Monsell, G.B.E.British Sugar Corporation, Limited—Lieut.-Colonel Sir Francis Humphrys, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K.B.E., C.I.E.Sir Louis Kershaw, K.C.S.I., C.I.E.Major John Leslie, D.S.O., M.C.Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, Limited—Sir George Barstow, K.C.B.Scottish Agricultural Securities Corporation, Limited—Sir Joshua Ross-Taylor.Anglo-Scottish Beet Sugar Corporation—Hon. A. A. Vanneck.Electricity Distribution of North Wales and District, Limited—Brigadier-General R. F. Legge, C.B.E., D.S.O.International Power and Paper Company of Newfoundland, Limited—Mr. A. A. Ritchie.Athens Piraeus Electricity Company—Mr. R. M. Meikle.James Powell and Sons (Whitefriars), Limited—Mr. G. E. Fawcett.Sheffield Coal Company, Limited—Mr. G. P. Hyslop.Tata Power Company, Limited—Sir John Abercrombie.Wayagamack News, Limited—Mr. G. C. Heward.Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, Limited—Lord Essendon.Royal Mail Lines, Limited—Mr. S. Malcolm Baird.The Prince of Wales Dry Dock Company (Swansea), Limited [and Palmers (Swansea) Dry Dock Company, Limited]—Mr. G. D. Shepherd.The above statement does not include companies created for special purposes by the Commissioners for Special Areas in connection with the exercise of their functions under the Act, or two Scottish Housing Companies where the position is in essence similar.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what arrangements are being made to enlist Canadian co-operation in the Air Defence plans of the Government?

I am not clear as to the precise nature of the matter which my hon. Friend has in mind, but the general position is that His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom are in close touch with His Majesty's other Governments on defence matters of common concern. In the case of Canada, His Majesty's Government has under consideration certain tentative proposals in regard to aircraft manufacture in that country formulated as a result of discussions by the recent Air Mission.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will expedite inquiries into the circumstances of the application for a contributory pension of Ernest F. Smith, 29, Beck Road, Stratford, E.15?

I have been asked to reply. According to the records of his Approved Society, Mr. Smith had ceased to be an insured person some years before he attained the age of 65. Inquiry was made to see if there was any possibility of extending insurance to his sixty-fifth birthday and satisfying the other statutory conditions. It was found that there were three separate periods of insurance which it has been possible to link up and make the insurance continuous to the sixty-fifth birthday, with the result that title to pension has been established. Mr. Smith has been informed accordingly.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can give any information in connection with the charges made against the Sutton Company, haulage contractors, of Radium Street, Manchester, who were summoned on Monday, 31st May, for a breach of their licence by allowing drivers to work longer hours than the prescribed hours; and, in particular, what was the charge against their 28 drivers?

I understand that this company was recently convicted on 44 charges of permitting their drivers to drive for continuous periods exceeding 5½ hours. The aggregate fines totalled £44. Twenty-four drivers were each charged with driving for a continuous period exceeding 5½ hours, and four drivers were each charged with failing to keep a current record. Each driver was fined 5s.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the-number of one-, two-, three- and four-roomed houses in the Administrative County of Durham and the County Boroughs of Sunderland and South Shields, respectively, and the percentage of overcrowding in each of the above areas?

As regards the first part of the question, the latest information available is contained in Table 10 of Part I of the 1931 Census Report for the County of Durham, to which I would refer the hon. Member. As regards the second part, the percentage of working-class families found to be overcrowded following the surveys made by local authorities under the Housing Act, 1935, in the County of Durham and the County Boroughs of Sunderland and South Shields, were 12.0, 20.6 and 13.1. respectively.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can state the number of cases that have occurred since 1st January, 1938, in which he has declined to approve tenders for houses to be provided by local authorities or has suggested the postponement of housing schemes?

In the course of this year approval of tenders was refused in three cases affecting 152 houses. In two cases, affecting 79 houses, the local authority were recommended to defer the schemes.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is now in a position to make a statement with regard to the proposed committee to consider the law relating to distress for rent and its terms of reference?

I hope to be in a position in the near future to make a statement on both these matters.

asked the Minister of Health when a decision is to be reached in connection with the appeal by the old age pensioners in Saffron Walden about the reduction of their pensions?

Appeals were received from 20 old age pensioners in the Saffron Walden institution on 11th of May, and the necessary inquiries are still in progress.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a considerable number of inmates in the Maldon public assistance institution have had their pensions reduced on the grounds that the cost of their maintenance has increased; whether there has been an appeal in this case; and, if so, when a decision is likely to be made?

The reply to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, I have received one appeal. My decision on the appeal was given on 24th May.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has, and can give, an estimate of the total amount being paid annually by county and county borough councils in supplementary old age pensions; and whether he proposes to take any action to relieve these authorities of this burden?

I regret that I am unable to give the information desired in the first part of the question, as it is not shown separately in the returns made by local authorities. As regards the last part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14th March last to the hon. Member for Leigh (Mr. Tinker), a copy of which I am sending to the hon. Member.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of a growing body of opinion to the effect that British hospital finance is in need of fundamental overhauling; and whether he will consider the possibility of instituting a corporation on the lines of the British Broadcasting Corporation, including representatives of the central Government, of local authorities, of voluntary hospitals, and of the medical profession, to be put in complete charge of all hospital finances?

I am aware that opinions have been expressed on the lines indicated in the first part of the question; but I could not commit myself to the view that the action proposed by the hon. Member would provide an appropriate solution.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make as to the position of affairs in Czechoslovakia?

I am glad to be able to say that since the meeting between the Czechoslovak Prime Minister and Herr Henlein on 23rd May the two parties have remained in contact. The remaining communal elections appear to have passed off without serious incidents. In several recent interviews with President Benes and members of the Czechoslovak Government, His Majesty's Minister in Prague has continued to emphasise the urgent importance of reaching a comprehensive and lasting settlement by negotiation with the Sudeten Party. I am hopeful that with the good will which both parties are now showing such a settlement can be reached. But if these delicate and difficult negotiations are to be carried on in a suitable atmosphere it is essential that the utmost patience and restraint should be exercised both in Czechoslovakia itself and elsewhere.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make with regard to the situation in China?

On 20th May a Japanese force landed at Laoyao, the port of Haichow, at the eastern terminus of the Lunghai railway. About the same date Hsuchow, at the junction of the Lunghai and Tientsin-Pukow railways, fell into the hands of the Japanese, together with a large amount of rolling stock. The Japanese subsequently occupied Kaifeng, the capital of Honan Province, early in June, and fighting is now proceeding in the neighbourhood of Chengchow, at the junction of the Lunghai and Peking-Hankow railways. There has also been some Japanese advance in the province of Anhwei.In South China, Japanese aeroplanes have carried out a number of raids against Canton, which have unfortunately been attended with considerable loss of civilian life. Representations have been made to the Japanese authorities by His Majesty's Ambassador in Tokyo.Reports which have been received from Shanghai indicate that a better atmosphere exists between the Japanese and British authorities there, and two or three outstanding cases have been satisfactorily settled.

asked the Prime Minister whether the British diplomatic representatives in China have reported on the new tariff imposed by the Japanese along the China seaboards which they control, and especially on its effect on British trade; and whether he can make any statement on the subject?

Details of this tariff have been received from His Majesty's Embassy in China, but it is too early as yet to estimate its effect on British trade.

asked the Prime Minister whether any Powers, including ourselves, subscribing to the recent resolution of the Council of the League of Nations at Geneva in favour of the grant of all possible assistance to China, have yet been able to implement the undertaking; and, if so, in what form?

As I informed the House on 25th May, His Majesty's Government have done their best within the limits which the situation imposes on them to implement to the full their obligations to China under the League resolutions. His Majesty's Government are continuing their examination of this question which raises many difficulties, and I am not in a position to make any detailed statement on this subject for the present, nor can I report on action taken or contemplated by other Governments.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any statement to make on the situation in Spain?

Further progress has been made with a proposal that a small independent international commission shall be set up to report on aerial bombardments at the request of either party in Spain. I hope shortly to be able to make a statement on this matter. Proposals put forward by the Spanish Government for the appointment of an international commission in connection with the exchange of prisoners are at present under consideration.

asked the Prime Minister what reply he has had to his representations to the Spanish insurgent authorities protesting against the deliberate attack by insurgent aircraft upon shipping flying the British flag?

Perhaps my hon. Friend will be good enough to await the statement which I propose to make at the end of questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement respecting the attempts at mediation in Spain; whether he has received communications concerning this either from the Spanish Government or the insurgent authorities; and whether His Majesty's Government have taken, or will be taking, any steps in the direction of mediation?

No proposal of this nature has been received by His Majesty's Government either from the Spanish Government or from the authorities at Burgos, but His Majesty's Government will continue to watch the situation and they will be ready to propose mediation either alone or in conjunction with other countries at any time when the prospects of successful action appear favourable.

asked the Prime Minister whether any British ship has been damaged in Spanish territorial waters since 1st June?

The following ships have been sunk or damaged as a result of air bombardment in Spanish ports since 1st June: at Alicante the steamships "Maryad," "Saint Winifred," "English Tanker" and "Thorpehaven"; at Valencia the steamship "Thurston"; at Gandia a dredger and at Castellon the "Isadora."

asked the Prime Minister whether the Lausanne pact, signed by the then Prime Minister and other Government representatives on Saturday, 9th July, 1932, is now recognised by the various Governments that signed the pact?

The Agreement with Germany signed at Lausanne on the 9th July, 1932, has up to the present not been ratified and has therefore not come into force. Consequently reparation payments and Inter-Allied War Debts remain suspended in accordance with the arrangements made at the Lausanne Conference.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will give particulars of the number of occasions that direct representations or protests have been made to the Italian and/or German Governments during the three years ended at the last convenient date?

His Majesty's representatives are in continual touch with the Governments to which they are accredited and representations and communications are frequently addressed to those Governments on a very wide variety of subjects of greater or less importance. I regret that it would be quite impossible for me to furnish, in reply to a question, particulars such as the hon. Member desires, which would amount to the compilation of a diplomatic history of the last three years.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the strong British feeling on the subject of the wanton bombing of the civilian populations in Europe and the Far East, he will take steps to broadcast such opinion to the Empire and in British wireless services generally?

Statements made by His Majesty's Government and other expressions of British sentiment on this subject have doubtless been adequately reported in wireless news broadcast to the Empire and foreign countries, and it does not appear necessary for His Majesty's Government to take any special action in the matter.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether he will indicate the extent and nature of the official participation by His Majesty's Government at the forthcoming Canadian national exhibition at Toronto?

His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom will be represented by a prestige display in a specially constructed pavilion occupying an area of some 40,000 square feet. The general theme of the display is "Communications and Transport," their importance in facilitating contacts between the various British countries, and the developments which have taken place in the United Kingdom in the design of the principal forms of transport.The Travel and Industrial Development Association of Great Britain and Ireland are arranging a stand in the pavilion.

asked the Home Secretary what is the retired pay of a police constable?

The amount of a constable's pension depends upon his years of service and his rate of pay on retirement. Men who have joined the service since 1st July, 1919, will be entitled to a pension of one-half of their pay on retiring after 25 years' service and after 30 years' service to a pension of two-thirds of pay. In the case of a constable retiring at the maximum of his scale of pay the respective pensions are approximately £117 and £156 a year. The pensions of men who were serving before the date mentioned and did not accept the scale introduced by the Police Pensions Act, 1921, will depend upon the scales of pensions which applied to them in the particular forces to which they belonged. In most cases such constables will be entitled to retire on a pension of about £145 after 25 years' service and on the maximum pension (£156) after completing 26 years' service.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the recent attempt upon Lord Nuffield, he will consider the introduction of legislation imposing sufficiently deterrent penalties upon kidnapping and attempts at kidnapping?

The offences in question are, I am glad to say, of rare occurrence in this country, and my right hon. Friend has no information tending to show that the penalties provided by the existing law are not sufficiently deterrent.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what surveys have been set afoot with regard to the dietary habits of the people and their nutritional consequences; whether any reports have yet been received and when is it anticipated that the full results of the inquiries will be available?

The Advisory Committee on Nutrition are carrying out extensive dietary surveys in England and Scotland. In Scotland the work is in the hands of Professor Cathcart and Sir John Orr and it is expected that the studies will be completed in the course of the summer. Sir John Orr is also undertaking on behalf of the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust a scheme of research to determine the relationship between the diets and the state of development and health of children and adolescents. This research includes a dietary survey carried out by a team of trained investigators. The experiments cover a period of 12 months and it is not expected that any results can be published until 1939.

asked the hon. Member for West Swansea, as representing the Charity Commissioners, whether he will state the number of seamen's missions and sailors' homes in Great Britain catering for the Mercantile Marine, including King George's Fund for Sailors; the total annual income of these societies for the last ascertainable period from subscriptions and from investments, respectively; the total invested funds of these societies; the total annual cost of administration; and the amount annually disbursed as charity?

The information asked for in this question is not available as the Charity Commissioners have no list of charities classified according to their subject matter. In all probability a considerable number of seamen's missions and sailors' homes are maintained wholly by voluntary subscriptions and are not within the jurisdiction of the Commissioners; the Commissioners possess no information about charities outside their jurisdiction.

asked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether he has any information to give the House as to the position of affairs in Newfoundland?

A full account of the work of the Commission of Government in 1937 was contained in the Annual Report of the Commission which was recently presented to Parliament as Cmd. 5741. This indicates that substantial improvement in conditions took place during the year.I regret to say that there has recently been a set-back in the economic prospects for the immediate future as a result of trade difficulties affecting both the fishing and the paper industries, but the Governor reports that the revenue of the Island has so far been well maintained.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he can indicate the upswing of wages for the year ended 31st May, 1938?

In those industries for which statistics are regularly compiled, the changes in rates of wages reported to the Department during the year ending 31st May, 1938, are estimated to have resulted in a net increase of nearly £700,000 a week in the full-time weekly rates of wages of about 5,000,000 work-people, and in a net decrease of nearly £20,000 a week in the weekly full-time rates of wages of nearly 100,000 work-people. These statistics are exclusive of changes in the rates of wages of agricultural labourers, domestic servants, shop assistants, clerks and Government employés, and they relate in the main to changes collectively arranged between organised groups of employers and work-people. It is estimated that, in the industries for which information is available, the average level of full-time weekly rates of wages rose by nearly 3½ per cent. during this period.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will state the number of directors of Cable and Wireless, Limited, and of its constituent subsidiaries; and whether, under the Imperial Telegraphs Bill, the number will be further reduced in accordance with the policy foreshadowed in the 1928 arrangement?

In 1928 there were 22 directors of Cable and Wireless Limited and of its constituent subsidiaries. Last year this figure was reduced to a maximum of 15 and a minimum of eight directors. The number is at present 11.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any statement to make on the progress and present position of the building of timber houses in Scotland?

The Department of Health have approved tenders for the erection of 302 timber houses, of which two are completed and 38 are under construction. I understand that 13 local authorities have decided to build 2,040 timber houses for which tenders have not yet been received, and that several other authorities have the preparation of schemes under consideration. In addition, the Scottish Special Areas Housing Association have decided to build 761 timber houses. Of these, two are completed, tenders have been received by the association for 52, and plans have been prepared or are under preparation for the remainder.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of houses in Greenock that are occupied but are at present condemned, either as being overcrowded or insanitary or unfit for human habitation; and the total number of families that have been rehoused from such houses during the past 12 months?

The corporation of Greenock estimate that at the 15th May, 1938, there were 4,977 overcrowded fit houses in the burgh. At the same date there were still occupied 231 houses which have been condemned under the Housing Acts as unfit for habitation and 1,227 additional houses in respect of which the corporation propose to take action as alternative accommodation becomes available. With regard to the second part of the question, a total of 373 families were re-housed from unfit or overcrowded houses during the year ended 15th May, 1938.

asked the Secretary of State for War what amount of money has been paid by his Department for the taking of the Pembrey camp from the social service and local authorities, and to whom the money has been paid?

No money has yet been paid. Arrangements for the acquisition of this land are in progress.

asked the Minister of Transport the total estimated cost of the principal schemes of major road works authorised, or in progress, during the year ended 30th April, 1938?

A list of major road works authorised or in progress at the 31s March, 1938, is published in Appendix II of the Roads Vote (Class VI, No. 16). The total estimated cost of the schemes in the list is approximately £31,000,000.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether it is within the power of his Ministry to authorise back payments in compensation for disability, and not merely as from the date of application?

The date from which any award of pension is properly payable is the date from which it is certified that the man's condition justifies that award, but this general rule has been allowed to be modified in the practice of the Ministry to the extent that payment is normally made from the date of the application which results in the establishment of the claim. The circumstances in which an award could be authorised from an earlier date would be wholly exceptional.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the increased prosperity which has accrued to the nurserymen of the Lea Valley as a result of the Government's tariff policy, he will take steps to restore to the workers in this industry the wage rates they formerly enjoyed under a decision of the Hertfordshire Wages Committee at a time when the industry was less prosperous?

The fixation of minimum rates of wages for the various classes of workers employed in agriculture (including market gardens and nursery grounds) is a matter solely within the discretion of the Agricultural Wages Committees.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the number of mines in each district where shot-firing takes place and the types of safety stemming plugs that are at present in use?

The following table shows the number of mines in each inspection division in which any explosive was used during the year 1937. There were 1,751 such mines out of a total of 2,120 at work. I am informed that the Voortman stemming plug is used at certain mines, but I do not know of any other type of patent plug in use.

Mines under the Coal Mines Act in which explosives were used during the year 1937.
Inspection Division.	Number of mines where any explosive was used.
1. Scotland	382
2. Northern	320
3. Yorkshire	193
4. North Midland	149
5. North Western	212
6. Cardiff and Forest of Dean.	168
7. Swansea	177
8. Midland and Southern	150
Great Britain	1,751

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will now consider the Voortman safety stemming plug as a measure to be adopted in all cases of shot-firing?

The advantages of this plug have been considered, but as at present advised I am not prepared to make its use compulsory.