asked the Minister of Labour whether he has information of the number of men transferred from Scotland and the county of Fife, respectively, to places in London and the Home Counties under labour transference schemes who are at present without employment; and whether funds are available for repatriating those who stand no chance of obtaining employment within a reasonable space of time?

I regret that these statistics are not available. I would point out that persons who transfer under the industrial transference scheme and fail to settle down within a reasonable time are given a grant of their fare home. Subsequently, however, they do not remain entitled to these exceptional facilities and are treated in the same way as other residents in the area in which they live.

Is the Minister aware that there are a number of transferees from Scotland—and there are some from Fife—who are wandering about London and the Home Counties, who have no means of getting the necessary funds to travel home and have no knowledge of where they can get funds? Will the Minister make it clear where they can be obtained?

I find it difficult to believe what the hon. Member says, because every unemployed man knows that if he goes to the nearest employment exchange he can get advice at once.

Has it been the experience of the Minister that these facilities are much taken advantage of?

It differs from time to time. It depends, of course, on the state of the trade cycle, but, on the whole, we do not get a large number. They are well known and have been known for years.

Do I understand that an unemployed man who has been transferred can by right go to an employment exchange and get his fare home?

No, the hon. Member must not understand that. If a man goes within a reasonable time, say, 12 months, and has got a regular job, he will be entitled to it, but if he is transferred and settles in a neighbourhood, especially if he transfers his whole household, he naturally shares the experience of those in the locality.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will consider establishing a training centre for unemployed men in or near Manchester, in view of the fact that there is a great volume of unemployment in the district and the nearest centre is at such a distance that it cannot be attended without considerable difficulty?

I will consider my hon. Friend's suggestion.

How long will it take my right hon. Friend to consider it? May I put the question down in a week's time?

That will be a little early. I have made a number of improvements and enlargements in the training schemes this year, and I am looking into the facts about the Manchester area to see whether we can in one form or another get this done.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons at present on the registers of Employment Exchanges in Great Britain who are wholly unemployed; the number shown as temporarily stopped; the number of persons on short time; and the number of persons who have been transferred from the depressed areas to the Metropolitan area in general and the borough of Southwark in particular for the 12 months ended to the last convenient date?

At 14th November, 1938, there were on the registers of Em- ployment Exchanges in Great Britain 1,522,607 persons wholly unemployed (including 66,939 normally in casual employment) and 305,496 temporarily stopped. Short time workers not at work on the day of the count are included in the latter category, but are not separately distinguished in the statistics. The number of persons transferred from the depressed areas under the industrial transference scheme and placed in employment by the Department in the Metropolitan area during the year ended 30th September, 1938, was 4,670. A corresponding figure for the borough of Southwark alone is not available.

In view of the extravagant promises that were made by Government candidates at the last two elections in which they said they were the only party that had a cure for unemployment, will the right hon. Gentleman state what is the explanation of these figures?

The hon. Member must be confusing the manifesto of the other side of the House with that of this side.

Is the Minister aware that Government candidates said they were the only party who had a cure for unemployment?

I am not aware of that, but I know the candidates were able to point to a substantial improvement, and still are.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that recently a Huddersfield man who refused work in a local cotton mill on the ground that cotton fabric for gas masks was being woven was allowed unemployment pay by the Board of Referees; whether he is satisfied that such award is in the public interest; and what action does he propose to take?

I am aware of the case which, I think, my hon. and gallant Friend has in mind. The decision to allow benefit was the unanimous decision of a full court of referees, consisting of an independent chairman, a representative of employers and a representative of insured contributors. The finding of the court was that the claimant had satisfied them that he had a conscientious objection which was honestly held. The matter is one for the independent statutory authorities and there is no action which I can take. I understand that the applicant is an "absolutist" by conviction.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that the case of this man is being announced in one organ of the Press as proof of the right of a man to refuse on conscientious grounds any help to militarism, and does he think it is right that this man should take money subscribed by his fellow-workers for unemployment benefit when he has refused work?

The court of referees consists of representatives of those who pay, and an independent chairman representing the community, an employer and a worker all agreed that this man's position was genuine. This was borne out by the fact that he was a conscientious objector in the last war and went to prison, and that he now refuses even to take or to make gas masks owing to his convictions.

Are conscientious objectors to have favourable treatment?

Will my right hon. Friend make it plain that Huddersfield is the centre, not of the cotton industry, but of the woollen industry, and suggest to the hon. and gallant Member that it is better he should confine his attention to his own constituency; and will my right hon. Friend say what is an "absolutist"?

asked the Minister of Labour the present number of unemployed in the plate-glass trade in the Midlands; and whether this represents an increase during the past 12 months?

The available figures do not distinguish the plate-glass industry separately. The number of insured persons, aged 14–64 in the glass industry (exclusive of bottles and scientific glass manufacture) recorded as unemployed at 14th November, 1938, in the Midlands division was 548, an increase of 275 as compared with 15th November, 1937.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the Birmingham area there has been a considerable increase of unemployment in this in- dustry owing to the importation of plate-glass at low prices?

That is a question for the President of the Board of Trade.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that the number of persons unemployed is 1,828,103; that many of those persons have been out of work for long periods; and whether, in view of the failure of existing schemes to absorb the unemployed, the Government have any further proposals to make?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the remainder of the question, I have nothing to add to my previous replies on this subject and to my statements in recent Debates.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman take a serious view of the present situation when so many persons are out of work, particularly in view of the fact that there is plenty of work to be found for them if the Government had a real policy?

I am glad to hear of the hon. Member's faith in the powers of the Government. I have expressed my view as to the seriousness of the position on many occasions.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that my faith in the powers of the Government is being steadily weakened?

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state, taking the latest available date as a basis, the percentage of registered workers unemployed in Shoreditch; and in what other London boroughs this percentage was exceeded?

At 14th November, 1938, the percentage rate of unemployment among insured persons, aged 16 to 64, resident in the mteropolitan borough of Shoreditch was 12.4; this figure was exceeded in the metropolitan boroughs of Southwark (with 13.3 per cent.) and Stoke Newington (with 14.2 per cent.).

asked the Minister of Labour the number of unemployed persons in Shoreditch at the end of October, 1936, and the corresponding figures for October of the present year?

At 26th October, 1936, approximately 3,370 insured persons, aged 16 to 64 resident in the metropolitan borough of Shoreditch were recorded as unemployed. The corresponding figure for 17th October, 1938, was 4,590.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman disturbed by this large increase of unemployment in a typical East-end borough, and is he doing anything about it?

I am always glad to see the figures go down and I regret when they go up. We are always trying to lessen unemployment, as the facts show.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he is aware that for last month there is again a substantial increase in the number of persons unemployed in the administrative county of Durham and the county boroughs generally; has he any statement to make in regard to this matter; and what steps he is taking to deal with the situation?

I am aware of these figures. The hon. Member knows of the remedial measures which the Commissioner for Special Areas is continuously seeking to promote, but so far as the position arises from the general state of the coal industry in the county it is one which neither he nor I can control.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the continual rise in unemployment figures in Durham County is a matter of grave concern to the county generally, and can he not say, as the responsible Minister, what plans he and the Government have to meet the situation?

Certainly not in answer to a supplementary question.

In view of the increase in last month's figures, and particularly in view of the increasing operations of rearmament work, is not that increase very disturbing to the right hon. Gentleman?

My original answer points to the real cause, which is the state of the coal trade, and that is not within my control or the control of anyone within these islands.

asked the Minister of Labour the number of persons in the Isle of Barra receiving unemployment benefit and unemployment assistance, respectively, at the most recent convenient date; and what proportion of the total population of Barra is unemployed, and what percentage?

I regret that statistics giving the information desired are not available.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the level of unemployment is very high and has he not any plans at all for dealing with the situation?

I could not tell without the figures.

asked the Minister of Labour what number and percentage of insured fishermen was unemployed at the most recent convenient date?

At 14th November, 1938, the number of insured men, aged 16–64, in the fishing industry classification recorded as unemployed in Great Britain was 6,886, or 21.1 per cent. of the estimated number insured.

Does not the right hon. Gentleman take a serious view of the situation in view of the fact that one in five are fully unemployed?

The hon. Member must know that the figures for one month would not give a picture of the position for the whole year. Much depends upon the beginning and ending of the fishing season.

Has the right lion. Gentleman forgotten that from month to month and from year to year these figures are getting worse?

asked the Minister of Labour what number and percentage of the insured population of the Western Isles was unemployed at the most recent convenient date?

The statistics on this point regularly compiled by my Department relate to insured persons recorded as unemployed at Employment Exchanges. The only Employment Exchange in the Western Isles is at Stornoway, in the Island of Lewis. The remaining islands are served by offices on the mainland, and separate statistics in respect of persons living on the islands are not available. At 14th November, 1938, the number of insured persons aged 16–64 (exclusive of persons within the agricultural scheme) recorded as unemployed at the Stornoway Exchange was 2,529, or 45.5 per cent. of the estimated number of insured persons at July, 1937.

In view of the fact that the number of the unemployed in these islands is rising, does the Minister not think it is time that arrangements were made for Employment Exchanges to be set up in the islands, in order to save these people having to go to the already overcrowded exchanges on the mainland?

I do not think that is so.

Does the Minister not agree that the numbers are increasing?

I agree that the numbers are high, but I should not adopt the solution which the hon. Member suggests.

asked the Minister of Labour what steps are taken to ensure that wages at trade union rates are paid to the workpeople in industries established in the special areas with the aid of public finance?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Mathers) on 1st December, of which I am sending him a copy.

Does not the Minister think it would be better to ensure that reasonable wages are paid in these factories, particularly in view of the fact that the great majority of the employers are good employers and that the position is being prejudiced by the conditions at a few factories only?

If the hon. Member will look at that answer he will find several supplementaries on the point, and perhaps he will consider the statements there.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has given consideration to the 74th Annual Report on alkali works by the chief inspectors and, in particular, to page 3 of the report which deals with North Staffordshire; is he satisfied with the activities of the regional committee for dealing with smoke abatement; are all the local authorities represented on the committee; and what action is he taking to abate the smoke nuisance?

I have considered the report and have impressed upon the two local authorities chiefly concerned the desirability of forming a regional committee, but one of the authorities, while ready to co-operate, does not favour the formation of such a committee. Both authorities have taken active measures to deal with smoke nuisance, and good results are being obtained. I am keeping in touch with their activities.

Will the right hon. Gentleman use his influence with the local authority which is not desirous of co-operating?

I am anxious to get results, whether by co-operation or by independent action by local authorities.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will take steps to control the world price of radium by the use of the immense purchasing power of this country; whether he has, since announcing his recent scheme for the control of cancer, purchased radium; and, if so, how much and at what price?

I can assure the hon. Member that I have closely in mind the points he mentions, but I would ask the hon. Member to await a statement which I shall be making on this subject on the Second Reading of the Cancer Bill.

Is it not a fact that the world price of radium was £5,000 per gramme before the right hon. Gentleman made his announcement about dealing with cancer some three months ago, and that subsequent to that announcement he has had to purchase 11 grammes at £18,000 per gramme, making a difference of no less than £143,000; and does he not think that a great blunder was committed in announcing the scheme before purchasing the radium?

No, Sir, that is entirely inaccurate. The option was bought at the world price, and no such purchase has taken place as he indicates. The hon. Member is under an entire misapprehension.

Is there anything in the Bill which will give the local authorities some control over the radium that is to be purchased?

I think it will be better if the hon. Member awaits the statement which I shall be making upon the Bill.

Arising out of the statement of the Minister that my figures are inaccurate, will he kindly give us his figures?

Yes, I shall give them on the Second Reading of the Cancer Bill, but I should like to say, for the information of the House, that the figures given by the hon. Member are entirely inaccurate, and that no such inflation of the purchase price has taken place.

asked the Minister of Health whether he is satisfied that present regulations result in adequately high standards being enforced for jam sold in this country and described as being made from fresh and pure fruit-juices; and whether he will consider the desirability of raising these standards in the interests of public health and in the interests of British fruit-growers?

Jam is subject to the general food and drugs law, and I believe that this is being properly enforced by the local authorities who have that duty. Apart from the general law, there are also the standards for jam set up under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Acts, 1928 and 1931, and those instituted voluntarily by the trade, and any question on those Acts should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Is the Minister aware of the horribly low standards set up by the jam manufacturers and the very poor quality of jam which is foisted upon poor people, and will he inquire into the matter, because in many respects it is really a bit of a scandal?

If there are any cases of this kind it is primarily the duty of the local authorities to deal with them.

Is it not recognised that jam is not necessarily made from fresh fruit or from fruit at all?

asked the Minister of Health whether any action has been taken by him under the Food and Drugs Act to meet the desires of British bee-keepers with regard to the labelling of pure honey and to the desirability of enabling the public to differentiate between pure honey and the composite product which, under present conditions, is often sold as honey in this country?

I have received representations asking me to make a regulation under Section 8 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, to control the sale of honey mixtures. I am giving these representations careful consideration, but my hon. Friend will appreciate that I cannot in any case make a regulation to operate before 1st October, 1939, when the Act itself comes into operation.

Will the right hon. Gentleman realise that his predecessors have been giving consideration to this matter for the last 14 years and that bee-keepers are not yet satisfied about the position?

The hon. and gallant Member will realise that I could not act in advance of the authority given me by this House.

Will the regulations be published as soon as the law permits, because action will be not only in the interests of the producers of honey but of the consumers, who have been deceived by misleading labels?

asked the Home Secretary what arrangements have been made with the Government of Northern Ireland for Northern Ireland police to act in Great Britain under the Northern Ireland Special Powers Act?

The Act is not in force in Great Britain, and no such arrangements could be made.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that quite recently a man made a speech against this Act in Manchester and that on his return to Belfast he was arrested and his papers were confiscated; and will the hon. Gentleman look into the case if I forward him the particulars?

I was not aware of the case.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the expenditure of the Northern Ireland Government has been steadily increasing with consequent reduction of the amount of the Imperial Contribution since the principles recommended by the Special Arbitration Committee in 1924 and 1925 were adopted; whether, as the Agreement of 1938 provides that the Exchequer makes good any deficit in the Northern Ireland Budget in future, he will say whether, in the past five financial years, the total payments to Northern Ireland by the Exchequer have exceeded the contributions by Northern Ireland to the Exchequer; and, if so, by what amount?

I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT the figures for which the hon. Member asks. The Imperial Contribution has been increasing in the past five financial years. As stated in the Memorandum embodying the Agreement referred to in the question, it is not considered under present circumstances that there is any prospect of a deficit on the Northern Ireland Budget.

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the Government are spending approximately £15,000,000 annually in assistance to the agricultural industry in this country without having succeeded in placing the industry on a secure basis, he will reconsider his refusal to set up a Royal Commission to examine the whole question of agriculture in relation to the national economy and social stability in peace time, and food supply in war time?

asked the Prime Minister whether he will appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into the whole position of the agricultural industry, with a view to creating a permanent and comprehensive long-term agricultural policy?

I do not think that a Royal Commission could elicit any material information which is not already available to the Government or the House. Nor do I think that it would be helpful to farmers to undertake at the present juncture a review of the very wide scope that is suggested, which would be bound to raise the question of altering the present balance of agriculture and the assistance that is being provided for various branches of it by the long-term measures already taken by the present Government.

As the suggestion of a Royal Commission is probably not appropriate, would my right hon. Friend consider a smaller, swifter and simpler inquiry to examine the situation now?

The answer I have given is a reply to that question.

Would not the Prime Minister admit that there is a growing uneasiness within the industry at the way in which the policy of the Government is working out, and is not this the stage at which to review the situation?

That is another point altogether.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will find time for a discussion of the Motion standing in the name of the hon. Member for Evesham relating to comprehensive long-term policy for agriculture?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to him on Monday last, in reply to a question which he addressed to me.

Does the Prime Minister realise that one of the vital requirements of the agricultural community is a standard price; and that that standard price should be such as will enable the producer to live?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has yet taken any decision concerning the scheme for short-term credit, as pressed for by the National Farmers' Union?

The proposals of the National Farmers' Union for short-term credit are still the subject of communications between the union and my Department.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the figures he gave in reply to the hon. Member of the fixed charges indicate that the farmer's income is already mortgaged for next year?

I could not agree to that conclusion.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can now state the Government's intentions in relationship to the recommendations in the report of the Poultry Commission?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies which I gave on 10th July last to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Mathers) and yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Sir S. Reed), to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is yet in a position to state whether the Government intend to grant any emergency assistance to barley growers; and whether, as a long-term measure, he will consider expanding the forthcoming Wheat Act Amendment Bill into a Cereals Bill to place barley growers in a guaranteed position similar to that enjoyed by wheat growers?

The question is receiving urgent consideration, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement. Long-term policy is being considered at a conference of growers, merchants, brewers and other users of barley, which is holding its first meeting this afternoon. Pending the deliberations of this conference I cannot say what legislation may be necessary.

Is it possible for the right hon. Gentleman to give an assurance that he will not single out barley-growers as against oat-growers in the North-East of Scotland whose need is equally great?

There will be no question of penalising the oat-growers.

Cannot my right hon. Friend announce the long-term policy for agriculture generally which is required?

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the decision of the Sugar Commission not to fix the price of pulp to which growers are entitled under their sugar-beet contracts; and whether he will consult with the Sugar Corporation with a view to ensuring that they will not raise the price of pulp thereby nullifying to a considerable extent the increased contract price for sugar-beet?

I am aware that in fixing the terms of the contract for the purchase of the 1939 beet crop the Sugar Commission have discontinued fixed f or-ward prices for pulp sold to growers. Growers will still have first call on pulp to the extent of at least 1½ cwt. for each net ton of beet estimated to be delivered by them and will be able to obtain it at the net wholesale market price to merchants. This price must necessarily be determined by commercial considerations, including the price of other feeding stuffs, but I would point out that in fixing beet prices for 1939 the Commission have included a full allowance by way of compensation to growers for the loss of a fixed forward pulp price.

Are we to understand then, that there is a possibility that pulp prices will go up, and does not this involve to a great extent an increased contract price?

No, Sir, it is not a question of that sort. Pulp prices have been subject to some speculation among growers, and it is a reform which, in my opinion, is a very necessary one.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the approximate percentage increase in the value of agricultural land since 1930?

I regret that the information asked for by my hon. Friend is not available.