asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has received any report from the committee appointed to consider the possibility of increasing the use of coal for bunkering; and can he make any statement thereon?

Yes, Sir. I have received a unanimous report from this committee which is being published in the course of the next few days.

asked the Secretary for Mines (1) whether he will make statistics available to enable a comparison to be made on a basis of man-shifts between fatal and non-fatal accidents on conveyor faces and the total accidents at all faces in coal mines;(2) whether he is aware that the present mode of reckoning accidents at conveyor faces in mines showing, in one division, that whereas the total output obtained from conveyor faces was 74 per cent. of the whole, these faces accounted for 83 per cent. of serious accidents, underrates the dangers of conveyor faces, since it fails to take account of the number of man-shifts worked; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure a more appropriate method of reckoning?

Statistics about accidents are being collected in greater detail this year, and in preparing the annual report to be published next year, the suggestions of the hon. Member will be borne in mind. Some further statistical comparison between the numbers of accidents on conveyor and other faces may be possible, but as regards the accident rates it is doubtful if the available information will enable a reliable general basis of comparison to be found in the form suggested.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has any information as to the use of a coal-burster with hydraulic pressure, instead of shot-firing, in any of the collieries in the Warwickshire minefield?

Information on this subject was published in the annual report for 1936 and 1937 of the inspector in charge of the Midland and Southern division; and fuller information was given in a paper published in the Transactions of the Institution of Mining Engineers in February, 1937.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will state the total profits received in the coal industry in Lancashire and Cheshire in 1936, 1937, and for the period in 1938 for which figures are available?

The estimated credit balances in the coal-mining industry in Lancashire and Cheshire, which were subject to deductions in respect of items such as interest on debentures or other loans, bank charges, amortisation and taxation, were as follow:

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will state the number of accidents due to electric machines in the mining industry in Lancashire and Cheshire during each of the last three years?

Particulars of accidents caused by the use of electric machines are not recorded separately, but the number of accidents caused by the

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is in a position to make any statement with regard to the progress of the negotiations for a trade agreement with the United States of America?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to a similar question by the hon. and gallant Member for Nuneaton (Lieut.-Commander Fletcher) on 19th July.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, as the high price of the new drugs which are used against malaria in the British tropical Empire is an important factor in denying their benefits to Native populations, arrangements will be made for their manufacture, under licence, in this country, with a view to increasing supply and materially reducing their price?

Section 38A of the Patents and Designs Acts, 1907 to 1932, already provides that the Comptroller General of Patents, unless he sees good reason to the contrary, shall grant to any person applying for it a licence to use in the United Kingdom any process employed in the production of a medicine which is the subject of a patent. The Section further provides that in settling the terms of the licence the Comptroller shall have regard to the desirability of making the medicine available to the public at the lowest possible

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can state the policy of the Government relative to the replacement of present stocks of essential commodities by home-grown or Empire prodnucts?

Some of the existing reserves came from home and Empire sources. As it becomes necessary to replace I he existing reserves, the desirability of purchasing home-grown and Empire products will be borne in mind.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the statement in the sixth report of the Tramp Shipping Administrative Committee that the shortage of junior officers and engineers is still acute in British tramp vessels, he will say what steps he proposes to take in the matter, with a view to the seriousness of this situation from the point of view of British trade and defence?

The report to which the hon. Member refers, covered operations in the second half of 1937; as regards the present position, I have nothing to add to my reply to the hon. Member on this subject on the 5th July last.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department possesses any figures showing the extent o which British coastal cargoes are carried in British and foreign ships, respectively; and, if so, whether he will state their nature?

I regret that the Official Statistics do not provide the information desired. Figures are published monthly in the accounts relating to trade and navigation showing the net tonnage of British and foreign vessels (including their repeated voyages) which arrive and depart with cargo in the British coasting trade. The latest figures show that during the first six months of 1938, foreign vessels represented 1·7 per cent. of the total tonnage so employed. I should add that, as indicated in the reply given to the hon. Member for Guildford (Sir J. Jarvis) on 14th April, the incidence of foreign competition in the coasting trade is greater in some trades and in some areas than in others.

asked the Prime Minister when the committee on the location of industry will be reporting?

I am afraid that I cannot add anything to my previous answers on this subject.

asked the Prime Minister whether he has considered a memorandum on the evils of legislation by reference submitted to him by a number of Members; and whether he has any statement to make?

I have every sympathy with the hon. Members who submitted a memorandum to me in their desire to find a method of making legislation by reference more intelligible. I have considered the memorandum with interest, and I am grateful to them for their suggestion, which is more promising than many that I have previously considered. The suggestion made is, in effect, that a Bill amending or applying an existing enactment by reference should contain a Schedule setting out the enactment as it will read when amended by the Bill and showing by typographical devices the Amendments proposed. This method is not, I understand, put forward as a panacea to be used in all cases, and I think it is conceded by all who have studied this question that it would be quite impracticable to attempt to lay down any standard method of uniform application. For instance, in many cases the suggested Schedule would be misleading because, owing to intervening legislation and other causes, the reproduction of the original enactment as amended by the Bill would not state the law as it would be when the Bill passed. Moreover, in other cases, the amendment proposed by a Clause can be made intelligible to any reader by adopting the well-known practice of inserting in the Clause words in brackets describing the effect of the enactment to be amended.There are, however, undoubtedly some cases where the method suggested by the memorandum would be both practicable and advantageous; and I have instructed the Parliamentary Counsel to proceed experimentally on the lines suggested in suitable cases. I hope that as a result some progress may be made towards making amending legislation more readily intelligible, but I cannot allow my hope to become too sanguine because I realise that much of our amending legislation has to be grafted into so complex a body of existing law that it cannot always be expressed in such a way as to be easily understood without specialised knowledge and some research, if it is accurately to produce the desired result.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will state the nature of the protection and the methods to be employed in protecting British merchant vessels inside the three-mile limit and in the treaty ports in the Far East against attack by hostile aircraft?

I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 19th July to which I have nothing to add. I do not consider it desirable to state the instructions which have been given to officers in command of His Majesty's ships as to the action they should take in circumstances which, I am glad to say, have not yet arisen.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement on the present position of the plan for the withdrawal of foreign nationals from Spain; on what date the progress of the plan was last under discussion with the French Government; and if it is considered that satisfactory progress is being made?

I hope it may be possible to make a statement on this subject during the Debate this evening.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will make a statement respecting the diplomatic conversations between the Japanese Foreign Minister and the British Ambassador; and whether he will state the main points to be raised in these conversations?

The conversations are intended to cover all outstanding matters of importance such as were raised yesterday by my hon. Friends the Members for Preston (Mr. Moreing), Horncastle (Mr. Haslam) and Chertsey (Commander Marsden). In the opinion of His Majesty's Government, the Japanese Government can fairly be expected to give immediate satisfaction to the British and third party interests concerned on such questions.

asked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government have considered the recently published nationalities statute of the Czechoslovakian Government; and what steps they are now taking to further a settlement of the Sudeten problem?

I would refer the hon. Member to my replies to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Hitchin (Sir A. Wilson) on 18th July, to which I have nothing at present to add.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will give the total number of students admitted to universities in 1936–37 and the percentage to the pupils who left grant-aided schools during the year ended 31st July, 1936, and went to a university?

The total number of full-time entrants to universities in England and Wales for the academic year 1936–37 was 10,885, and the number of pupils who left grant-aided secondary schools during the year 1935–36 and went to a university was 3,578. In drawing inferences from these figures it must be remembered that the former figure includes students from overseas who formed over 10 per cent. of the whole body of full-time students, and that a number of secondary school pupils proceed to a university after an interval, and these are not included in the returns furnished to the Board.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will give the number of recruits who applied to join the Army this year; and what number have been rejected and the cause of rejection?

During the six months ended 30th June there were 32,555 applicants for enlistment, of whom 20,737 were finally approved. As regards the remainder, 5,288 were rejected on medical or physical grounds, 4,498 were ineligible on other grounds and 2,032 failed to proceed with their enlistment.

asked the Secretary of State for War what proportion of the new drugs now being employed in combating malaria in the British tropical empire, especially atebrin and plasmoquine, come from countries outside the British Empire; and whether stores of these drugs are maintained with a view to ensuring that, in the event of war, tropical territories and the British Army will be safeguarded from disease epidemics?

I understand that there is no technical difficulty in making these drugs which do come from outside the British Empire. Stocks are held and quantities are reviewed from time to time. The question whether stocks are maintained for use by the civil populations of tropical territories is one for the Governments of those territories.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has now succeeded in placing the three welder instructors and the plasterer instructor who lost their employment at Aldershot, due to the closing of the Army vocational training centre; and whether, in that case, he can state the circumstances?

One of the welding instructors is now in other War Department employment. Another has found employment with a private firm, after having declined an offer of employment under the Admiralty. Every effort is being made to place the third welding instructor and the plasterer.

asked the Minister of Health whether he can give any revised estimate of the probable charge on the Exchequer of the Widows', Orphans' and Old Age Contributory Pensions (Voluntary Contribution) Act, in view of the fact that there are up to date only 207,442 approved applications?

I am afraid that a reliable estimate is not yet possible. For the purpose of the estimate it is necessary that the total number of the initial entrants of each sex and their age distribution should be known. This information will not be available until after 2nd January, 1939, when the time within which applications by initial entrants may be made will expire. My right hon. Friend proposes in the autumn to take every possible step to bring to the notice of those concerned the advantageous terms which are open to initial entrants.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Wallingford Rural District Council has been petitioned to make into a recreation ground for children a site of about three-quarters of an acre in Mereland Road, Didcot, which the council had bought for purposes of building; when that land was purchased and at what price; and what revenue the council has been obtaining from it since?

The land forms part of a site of about 1 acre purchased by the Council in March, 1933, for £500 for the erection of public conveniences. The land was let temporarily until March, 1938, at a rental of £2 a year.

asked the Minister of Health whether his Department has considered the working of the 98-hour fortnight for nursing staffs in general, with special reference to the London County Council scheme; if he is aware that aspects of this scheme, so far as night duty is concerned, are resented by the staff; and whether he will consider the possibility of evolving some agreed system of hours affecting all nurses which local authorities can introduce without essential modification?

My attention has been drawn to the decision of the London County Council to introduce a 96-hour working fortnight for nurses in their employment, but I am unable to make any general statement on this subject pending the issue of a Report by the Inter-Departmental Committee which is considering the conditions of service of nurses under the Chairmanship of Lord Athlone.

asked the First Commissioner of Works what progress has been made in implementing the resolutions passed by Parliament to erect memorials to Lord Jellicoe and Lord Beatty?

The scheme for the memorials, which, as the House is aware, is to take the form of new fountains in Trafalgar Square has been further developed, and, with the permission of the authorities of the House, I am arranging for sketches to be placed in the Tea Room forthwith.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether His Majesty's Government contemplate any inquiry into, or changes in, the existing constitution of the Ceylon Government?

The Governor of Ceylon was invited by my predecessor to report fully on the working of the Constitution. I have just received a despatch from him on the matter. Pending my examination of this I am not in a position to make any further statement on the question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when it is proposed to ratify the International Labour Office Convention on the recruitment of native labour; and what reservations or modifications have been made or are being made by the respective Colonies in regard to its terms?

The necessary consultations with Colonial Governments are virtually completed and a White Paper summarising the action proposed by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom in regard to the ratification of the Convention will be laid as soon as Parliament reassembles. So far as concerns the non-self-governing Dependencies under the control of the Colonial Office, it is hoped that it will be possible to apply the Convention without modification to all territories in which recruiting as defined in the Convention exists or is likely hereafter to exist.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, since the report of the Commission to Trinidad, steps have been taken to implement the recommendations; and what progress has been made?

Considerable progress has been made towards implementing the recommendations of the Trinidad Commission.Under the heading "Medical and Health Services," a draft Ordinance has been prepared to transfer the executive functions of the Central Board of Health to the Director of Medical Services.As regards housing, I understand that the Governor contemplates the establishment of a town-planning and housing authority, which would carry out a far-reaching plan of slum clearance. Legislation is being drafted for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action is now being taken to counteract the damage being done by blown and encroaching sand at Eoligarry, Isle of Barra, on Department of Agriculture land?

No works are at present in progress at Eoligarry but further action will be taken by the Department of Agriculture as soon as their technical advisers, who have the position under observation, are satisfied that remedial measures can be continued with advantage and at a reasonable cost. The hon. Member is no doubt aware of the difficulty of effectively preventing the encroachment of sand.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses are required by each of the Scottish local authorities to meet slum clearance and overcrowding requirements, and the numbers completed by each authority during the latest 12 months for which he has details?

I am sending the hon. Member a statement giving the information asked for.

asked the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been drawn to the case of Walter Cowan, 53, Murray Place, Stirling, who has been debarred from taking part in what is termed a game of skill called "Shoot your own Penny," because he won a few shillings at stall No. 3 of Butlin's, Limited, Empire Exhibition, on Tuesday, 31st May, 1938, and then was refused permission to play on Saturday, 4th June, and ordered off the game; whether he is aware that the manager of the exhibition backs the action of this stallholder; and whether he will make inquiry with a view to taking action when a game of skill is not open to persons possessing skill?

According to the report which I have obtained, this is not a matter in which I have power to take any action. Notices are displayed at the stall to the effect that the proprietor reserves the right to bar anyone, and according to my information he properly exercised this right.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware that an aeroplane towing an advertisement streamer flew in the immediate vicinity of the garden of Buckingham Palace, where a large concourse of the public was assembled, on Monday afternoon, 18th July, without the permission of the Secretary of State for Air, which is required under the Air Navigation (Amendment) (No. 5) Order, 1937; and whether the Commissioner of Police is prosecuting the offender?

I am aware that an aeroplane was seen from the gardens of the Palace on the occasion mentioned, and I am informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the question whether an offence against the Air Navigation Order was committed is under investigation.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether he will give the present position of the experiments relating to the internal combustion engine using powdered coal as a fuel; and what successful progress has been made in other Continental countries in this matter?

The Fuel Research Station has been conducting investigations for some years into a number of the underlying problems, particularly those concerned with the wear of cylinder liners, piston rings, etc., due to the abrasive action of the ash and to the chemical composition and the degree of fineness of the fuel. A commercial Diesel engine has recently been installed and its conversion to operate experimentally on powdered coal is in progress. Experimental work is known to have reached an advanced stage on the Continent, but I am not aware that any but experimental engines are yet in operation.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will state the area of land under allotment cultivation in England and Wales each year from 1931 up to 1937?

The latest information available for the whole of England and Wales is that returned as at the 31st December, 1934, when the estimated total area of allotments was 134,000 acres. No information is available as to the position at the 31st December, 1931, but the corresponding figure as at 31st December, 1930, was 146,000 acres. Returns obtained for the years 1932, 1933 and 1935 to 1937 were confined to urban authorities and the figures as regards these are as follow:

asked the Minister of Agriculture what progress has been made towards the production of a cheap portable crop-drying machine; and whether a prize for such a machine has been offered?

Several types of grass-drying machines have recently been marketed, most of them being non-portable. So far as I am aware, there is no portable machine on the market at a price sufficiently low to satisfy the demand for a cheap and efficient grass drier. I have no information as to the offer of a prize for such a machine.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can give any information as to the success or otherwise of the growing of the soya bean in this country?

There is a considerable amount of published material describing the various attempts to grow the soya bean in this country. I am sending the hon. Member particulars of the chief sources of information. I am advised that varieties of the soya bean so far tested in this country cannot be grown economically as an ordinary farm crop.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can state the number of persons working on their own account in agriculture to-day compared with 1931 and 1921, respectively?

The number of persons in England and Wales working on their own account in agriculture, according to the returns published by the Registrar-General, was 147,116 in 1921 and 144,584 in 1931. Corresponding figures are not available for 1938 or any other year since 1931.

asked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of complaints regarding speeding and the breaking of pedestrian crossing-place regulations in Albert Bridge Road, Battersea; and will he take action to secure the more effective observance of the law by motorists in that road?

The Commissioner of Police tells me that several complaints of this kind were received last year. Regular observation is maintained by the police, and since the 1st December, 1937, proceedings have been taken in 63 cases for offences alleged to have been committed by motorists on this particular stretch of road. Of these 46 were charges of exceeding the speed limit, and the remaining 17 included charges of dangerous driving, breach of the Pedestrian Crossing Regulations, and failure to conform to traffic lights.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will suggest to county councils the importance of timing their work on roads in rural areas to coincide with the periods of the year when there is least work available in agriculture, thereby spreading the demand for labour in those areas more evenly throughout the year?

County councils are already aware of the desirability of timing work on roads in rural areas so as to coincide so far as possible with slack periods in agriculture. Road construction, however, is dependent to a large extent on weather conditions, and unfortunately the most suitable times for the execution of road works, from the point of view of efficiency as well as that of economy, happen to be those that are most favourable to agriculture.