asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can state the approximate date of the completion of the next audit of the accounts of the town council of Aberdeen, under paragraph (4) of the Third Schedule of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929?

The accounts of the town council for 1937–38 were certified by the auditor on the 1st September, 1938, and it is anticipated that the audit of the accounts for 1938–9 will be completed about the same date in 1939.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will call for a report by the public auditor in respect of the feu of the site in Anderson Drive South by the town council of Aberdeen to the Ice Rink Company, Limited, with particular regard to the fact that owing to the degree of particularisation of the purposes for which the site was to be utilised other purchasers prepared to pay a higher feu duty for the site were excluded from bidding there for?

As the duties of auditors and of the Secretary of State in regard to the audit of a local authority's accounts are set forth in the Third Schedule to the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, I should not feel justified in taking the action suggested.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he relies solely upon information given him by private persons upon which to proceed against breaches of Section 98 of the Town Councils Act, 1900, or if he takes steps to have transactions under this section examined in his Department to see that no breach of the law takes place?

It is no part of the duty of the criminal authorities to supervise transactions by Town Councils under this section. So far as I can trace, no such case has ever been reported to my Department.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he will state the references to any actions which have been brought under Section 98 of the Town Councils Act, 1900, since the date of that enactment?

I have been unable to trace any reported case under this section.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will state the difference in the cost of chartering between British ships and Greek ships in respect of the wheat bought in Rumania and carried to this country by Greek ships?

pursuant to his reply (Official Report, 12th December, 1938; col. 1636, Vol. 342) supplied the following statement:

asked the Minister of Health, how many separate companies or authorities are supplying water to the public in England and Wales?

There are 231 companies and 838 authorities supplying water to the public in England and Wales.

asked the Minister of Transport, whether his attention has been called to the strong feeling against the proposal to carry new lines of electric wires, pylons and transformers between Littlebrook and Hastings; and what would be the estimated cost of laying these wires underground as compared with carrying them overhead on pylons?

The Central Electricity Board modified the route of their proposed transmission line in the vicinity of Bodiam Castle in response to representations made to them by local authorities who intimated that they did not desire to exercise their statutory right to be heard. Subsequenly I gave my consent to the placing of the line above ground. Certain landowners refused to give consent to the Board to place the line across their land. The Board applied for my consent and an Inquiry was held to give the parties concerned an opportunity of being heard, and after considering the representations made at the Inquiry I gave the consent for which the Board asked. In reply to the second part of the Question, I am informed that the cost of an underground line would be about ten times the cost of the overhead line.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will state the number of disabled ex-service men who are employed under the King's National Roll in the following districts: Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Leicester, Plymouth, Bolton, Southampton, Sunderland, Birkenhead, Middlesbrough, Derby, Blackburn, Stock-port, Preston, South Shields, Hudders-field, Cardiff, Swansea, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and Aberdeen?

The following is the information desired:

Sheffield	…	…	4,939
Bristol	…	…	4,125
Newcastle-on-Tyne	…	…	2,520
Nottingham	…	…	3,492
Portsmouth	…	…	980
Leicester	…	…	2,807
Plymouth	…	…	534
Bolton	…	…	1,250
Southampton	…	…	685
Sunderland	…	…	988
Birkenhead	…	…	957
Middlesbrough	…	…	2,009
Derby	…	…	1,601
Blackburn	…	…	630
Stockport	…	…	659
Preston	…	…	1,505
South Shields	…	…	221
Huddersfield	…	…	1,109
Cardiff	…	…	1,666
Swansea	…	…	307
Glasgow	…	…	7,352
Edinburgh	…	…	3,647
Dundee	…	…	979
Aberdeen	…	…	901

In certain cases where firms give comprehensive undertakings covering all their branches the figures for the whole undertakings are given under the district in which the enrolment is recorded by the local King's Roll Committee.Disabled ex-Service men employed by Government Departments and the four great railways, who are engaged in various districts throughout the country, are not included in the figures quoted.

asked the Minister of Labour whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that transferred factory workers may lose their present employment not only at the age of 21 but at a later stage when they get married, since in many cases the wages which they receive in the South are not sufficient to support a family; and whether he will take active steps to deal with this problem?

It is frequently the case that the industrial employment of women workers ceases on marriage. I do not understand in what way the hon. Member thinks this is due to the alleged inadequacy of their wages to support a family. Perhaps he will be good enough to see me on the matter.

asked the Minister of Labour how many firms have received financial assistance from the Special Areas Commissioner under the Special Areas (Amendment) Act, 1937, from the Nuffield Fund or from the Special Areas Reconstruction Associations; and what amount of assistance was given in each case preceding October, 1938?

I am having this information collected so far as available and will write to the hon. Member.