asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is aware that last week herring in the Clyde were fetching as low as is. 6d. a basket; that upwards of 3,000 baskets of herring were dumped in the Clyde; and, while there is a maximum of 24s. 6d. per basket fixed for herring, whether he will, in the interests of the fishermen and of the nation, fix a minimum price of 5s. a basket for herring?

I have made inquiry and find that in the week ended the 29th October, a quantity of herring, aggregating 927 cwts., was dumped in Clyde ports, but that the whole of these herring were of too small size to be saleable either for consumption as fresh herring or for curing or canning.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any arrangements have been made for the supply of Seville oranges and preserving sugar for housewives for the purpose of the making of marmalade?

No restrictions are at present in force covering the importation of Seville oranges, and the question of ensuring supplies is receiving consideration. Special arrangements are already in existence for making sugar supplies available to housewives for jam and marmalade making.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what decrease is shown by the supplies of bacon and ham or the anticipated supplies from overseas in comparison with supplies available in November of last year;(2) what decrease is shown by the supplies of butter in this country or the anticipated supplies from overseas in comparison with the supplies available in November of last year?

It is not in the national interests that the particulars for which my hon. and gallant Friend asks should be published in war time.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what repre- sentatives of shopkeepers and private traders are included in the bodies who are beginning to control the food supplies of the country?

I assume that my hon. and gallant Friend refers to the Food Control Committees established in the area of every local authority by the Food Control Committees (Constitution) Order, 1939, of which I am sending him a copy. Under Article 2 of this Order Food Control Committees in Great Britain must contain 15 members, of whom five must be trade members. The trade members must include a retail grocer, a retail butcher, two other representatives of retail food trades and an officer of a retail cooperative society. All the trade members must be engaged in their respective retail trades in the area of the Food Control Committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is aware that the recently appointed sugar controller at the Ministry of Food is the same person who was elected in 1936 to be chairman of the International Sugar Council, on the nomination or recommendation of His Majesty's Government, but that he was not again nominated for election in 1937 owing to the view held by a large majority of the council that he was unfitted for the post; and what qualifications he has for his new position?

The chairman of the Sugar Control Board of the Ministry of Food has been chairman of the Sugar Commission since it was set up in 1936. I am aware that when the International Sugar Council was set up in 1937, he was appointed as chief British delegate and held this position, together with the position of chairman of the council, during the first year of the currency of the International Sugar Agreement. I do not consider that his resignation from the council has any bearing on the question of his suitability for the post he now occupies in my Department.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his intention to issue travellers' ration books to, or to make other provision for, Members of this House; and whether he has any statement to make on the subject?

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central (Mr. Denville), on 1st November.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the instructions which have been given for the purchase of second-hand motor cars by the War Office at a maximum price of £50,he can state the use which is to be made of them?

These cars are being provided for instructional purposes. They are being bought, not impressed.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the value of shortwave therapy in the relief of pain, the healing of infective wounds, and the rapid restoration of function to maimed and injured limbs, as well as in the treatment of lung affections, especially those following gas attacks; how many of the machines required for this treatment are now available in the military hospitals; and what provision has been made of skilled personnel to use them?

The value of this form of treatment for the various disabilities enumerated is fully recognised. There are two military hospitals at present equipped for this form of treatment, and additional plant is being assembled for issue to other hospitals as occasion demands. Military hospitals have experienced radiologists and members of the Chartered Society of Massage and Medical Gymnastics who are all qualified to administer this type of treatment.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that certain women clerical and typing staffs employed in the out-stations of the War Office have had pressure brought to bear upon them to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and have in certain cases been informed that unless they are prepared to do so they will lose their employment; and whether he will take steps to ensure that this form of intimidation of serving staffs in his Department will be brought to an end?

I am not aware of any such cases. The instructions issued have stressed the importance of avoiding the dismissal of any civilian staff in order to create places for the Auxiliary Territorial Service.

asked the Attorney-General whether he will investigate and, if necessary, take steps to alter the relationship of solicitors to the public in view of the inability of the Law Society so to control solicitors as to prevent further losses to the public arising from fraud, in respect of funds and assets entrusted to solicitors by their clients, as shown by numerous convictions in the criminal courts during the past 10 years?

asked the Attorney-General whether he will consult with the Law Society with a view to agreeing without further delay upon the terms of a legislative enactment designed to prevent fraudulent conversion of clients' property administered by solicitors, and to submitting the draft Bill to public criticism before it is introduced to Parliament by the Society?

A Bill dealing with this matter and others was introduced in Parliament this Session and this matter was investigated and considered by a Joint Committee who made certain recommendations. As I have stated in reply to other questions, it was felt to be not possible to proceed with the remaining stages of the Bill this Session, but the Law Society are anxious to introduce a Bill embodying the recommendations of the Committee as soon as practicable.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether it would be possible, without detriment to the public interest, to publish the names of the commanders-in-chief afloat and ashore, and of the flag officers commanding the battle squadrons, the battle-cruiser squadron, and the Dover and Harwich patrols?

The information asked for by my hon. Friend appeared in the August edition of the Navy List which is available to the public. The information there available is still correct.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will take steps to improve the arrangements at Scapa Flow for distributing mail to officers and men, in view of the fact that there are letters which have been awaiting distribution for nearly a month?

From inquiry made it has been ascertained that no undue delay is occurring in the disposal of mail to officers and men of the Fleet at Scapa. If, however, my hon. and gallant Friend will furnish particulars of specific cases of which he has knowledge, further inquiry will be made.

asked the right hon. and gallant Member for Rye, as representing the Forestry Commissioners, whether the Forestry Commission is to continue its normal programme of afforestation during the war; whether it is taking steps to assist in the supply of timber from its own plantations and from private woodlands; whether it has organised felling, marketing and transport of homegrown supplies; whether the Commission has been empowered to control the entire production, and to fix prices; and whether it has sufficient labour and technical personnel to carry out any additional work which may be deemed necessary in the national interest?

The answer to the first part of the question is that the Forestry Commissioners are continuing to carry out afforestation operations to the extent which circumstances permit; the answer to the second part is in the affirmative; the operations referred to in the third part of the question are in process of organisation; as regards the fourth part the Commission has not been empowered to control the entire production or to fix prices, such duties being vested in the Minister of Supply; as regards the last part of the question I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Salford, West (Mr. Emery) on 31st October last. Additional technical personnel are being recruited as required. The position with regard to labour is becoming more difficult.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information how many members of the Advisory Council have earned their living in journalism or publicity?

While I am not in a position to give a precise answer to the hon. Member's question, I can inform him that at least 8 out of the 24 members of the Advisory Council have been in the course of their careers, or are still, closely associated with journalism or publicity work.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information whether he will investigate the possibilities of travelling cinemas, such as those utilised for troops, being also used to show films to evacuees in rural areas?

My noble Friend, in consultation with the Departments concerned, is investigating the possibility of arranging for the display of films, in rural areas outside the range of existing cinemas, by means of travelling cinema units; but I am not yet in a position to make any definite statement.

asked the First Commissioner of Works whether, to assist the British bulb industry, he will arrange for the planting of as many Lincolnshire-grown bulbs as possible in the parks and gardens under his control?

It is the settled policy of my Department to buy only British-grown bulbs, as far as possible, for planting in the Royal Parks. Arrangements were made at the end of last summer for the purchase of over 250,000 British bulbs for next spring.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that retired Post Office workers who are re-employed during the national emergency are receiving less than the standard rate of pay now prevailing; and whether, in view of the fact that their superannuation pay is placed in suspense and that they are in effect working for less than half pay, he will bring their remuneration up to the standard of the other workers?

The conditions of service for Post Office pensioners who accept re-employment during the present emergency are those laid down by the Treasury for re-employed Civil Service pensioners generally. My hon. and gallant Friend is, I think, under a misapprehension as to the effect of those conditions, and I am sending him a copy of a reply given on the 9th October by my right hon. and gallant Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the right hon. Member for East Edinburgh (Mr. Pethick-Lawrence).

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that letters written from this country to New York arrive there only after a long delay; is he able to state the reason for this and the steps he proposes to take to hasten the delivery of letters to New York?

Correspondence for the U.S.A. is despatched from this country without avoidable delay and is transmitted as speedily as the available transport services permit. I fully realise the importance of the expeditious delivery of overseas mails and no suitable sailing is being overlooked.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he has any statement to make regarding the resumption of football pools?

As I stated in reply to a question by the hon. Member for North Southwark (Mr. Isaacs) on the 24th October, the Football Pools Promoters' Association submitted a modified scheme designed to reduce the burden which would have been placed on the Post Office by the resumption of football pools run on pre-war lines. Under this scheme the members of the Football Pools Promoters' Association, acting as one concern, will publish the coupons in the newspapers instead of sending them by post to many millions of individual clients, as under pre-war arrangements: the completed coupons posted by clients will be delivered to the promoters' agents at a large number of places throughout the country. This scheme overcomes the objection on postal grounds to the resumption of football pools.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will further reduce the special parcels post rates for parcels going to the fighting forces in France to the prevailing inland parcels post rate, in view of the fact that such parcels are addressed Care of the Army Post Office, and the Post Office is therefore relieved of the cost of delivering such parcels from door to door?

The postage rates which are the same for parcels for the armed forces not only in France, but also overseas wherever they may be serving and for His Majesty's ships in foreign waters, were substantially reduced on the 18th October.The present charge of 9d. for parcels up to 3 lb., which constitute 50 per cent. of the traffic, compares favourably with the charge of 1s. for the British Expeditionary Force in the last war, and with the existing charge of 1s. 6d. for parcels up to 2 lb. for civil addresses in France. I regret that I cannot see my way to make a further reduction.I should like to emphasise that the address "Care of the Army Post Office" is now obsolete. Correspondence for a soldier in France should be addressed" British Expeditionary Force, "while correspondence for a soldier serving elsewhere overseas should be addressed to the actual place or country where he is serving.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he can make any statement on the subject of allowing free postage for letters sent by men on active service in the Royal Navy?

Yes, Sir. I am glad to say that I have now arranged, with the consent of my right hon. Friends, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the First Lord of the Admiralty, to transmit and deliver, free of postage, letters and postal packets not exceeding 2 oz. in weight, posted by officers and men serving in His Majesty's sea-going ships and transports on Active Service at home or abroad.To benefit from this concession the letters and packets must be posted on board a sea-going ship and must be forwarded in the ship's mail.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will state between what hours the radio-telephone service from London to Copenhagen is available for the transmission of journalists' despatches; whether any extension is contemplated in order to improve the existing facilities; and whether there will be a suitable adjustment of the hours when summer-time ends?

The hours of working of this service have to be arranged by agreement with the Danish telephone authorities. They have recently been extended and are at present from 8.0 to 11.30 a.m., from 5.45 to 9.0 p.m. and from 10.0 to 11.30 p.m. These hours can be slightly extended on any occasion when the needs of the traffic require. The hours of service will be adjusted when summer-time ends.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether officers of the Royal Air Force who are under 30 years of age can be granted marriage allowance similarly to those of the Navy and Army?

An order has recently been issued to the effect that as from nth September and for the period of the present emergency, all married officers, whether of the regular or non-regular branches of the Royal Air Force, shall receive married allowances without any age limitation.

asked the Secretary of State for Air at what age are marriage allowances paid to married officers of the Royal Air Force Reserve after mobilisation?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to-day to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams).

asked the Secretary of State for Air why officers of the Royal Air Force receive worse treatment with regard to marriage allowances than officers of the Army and Navy; and whether he will consider taking immediate steps to put the Royal Air Force on the same basis as the other two services in this respect?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Henley (Sir G. Fox) on 1st November.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether normal time promotion is still the policy of the Air Ministry, irrespective of the efficiency of those recommended for promotion by commanding officers?

Certain ranks are filled by time promotion, subject to reports from Air Officers Commanding as to fitness. In the general duties, equipment and accountant branches and for commissioned specialist officers, time promotion operates only up to the rank of flight-lieutenant. In the medical and dental branches, time promotion operates up to the rank of squadron leader. In the administrative and special duties branch, promotion is entirely by selection. As circumstances may require, commands and groups are authorised to make acting promotions in all branches pending the posting of officers of the appropriate ranks to fill the vacancies.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will consider granting the same rates of pay to officers of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as those of the Royal Air Force in view of the fact that they are doing identical work; and what is the distinction in war time, especially in view of the fact that most Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve officers have lost their civil occupations?

Officers of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve receive the same rates of pay as officers in corresponding branches of the Royal Air Force?

asked the Home Secretary whether the negotiations with the South-wark Borough Council with reference to the use as an air-raid shelter of the disused tube railway tunnel have now been brought to a completion; and whether instructions have been given for the work in this connection to be put in hand?

This is a scheme of a quite special kind. My right hon. Friend is assured by the borough council that the disused tunnel can, within a short space of time, at reasonable cost, and with due economy of labour and materials, be made available for shelter purposes; and that, in their considered view, the problem of finding sufficient and suitable shelter in this busy part of the Borough of Southwark would be difficult to solve on other lines. My right hon. Friend has, therefore, decided that, if the borough council are able to make a satisfactory agreement with the London Passenger Transport Board and can arrange for the work to be done on the terms they have indicated to him, they may proceed with the scheme; and the council are being informed accordingly.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give an assurance that an employer with over 50 employes, who provides an air-raid shelter for these employes in accordance with the Civil Defence Act, will not have it taken away and used as a public shelter, with or without compensation, by the local authority under the Emergency Regulations?

It would be contrary to the sense of the instructions which local authorities have received if they exercised the powers delegated to them under the Defence Regulations in such a way as to interfere with the use of shelters provided, and required, for the accommodation of employes in factories or commercial buildings. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any case in mind and will send my right hon. Friend particulars, he will examine it.

asked the Home Secretary whether newsagents and tobacconists who are allowed to keep open till 8 p.m. can be permitted to sell their usual goods, such as periodicals, magazines and stationery, between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., on the ground that there is a public demand in that period for all these articles?

I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply given on 2nd November to the hon. Member for Bradford Central (Mr. Leach).

asked the Home Secretary how many Government officers have been summoned for not adequately obscuring lights in Government offices; and how many have been fined?

Several such cases have come to the notice of my right hon. Friend; exhaustive information for the whole country is, however, not available.

asked the Minister of Transport how many of the 139 loans, amounting to £4,394,365, granted by the Electricity Commissioners during September and October, 1939, were for undertakers in Scotland; and what was the corresponding amount?

Four loan sanctions, amounting to £15,896, were granted to public authority undertakers in Scotland during the period mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what British dependencies have voted grants or made gifts to Great Britain for use in connection with the prosecution of the war; what amounts were borne by the respective Colonies for military, and other such preparation and war emergencies in the year before the outbreak of war; and what amounts have been incurred since?

Since the outbreak of war the following sums have been offered to and gratefully accepted by His Majesty's Government as gifts towards the cost of the war:

	£
His Highness the Sultan of Mukalla	1,500
His Highness the Rajah of Sarawak	116,000
Government of Barbados	25,000
Government of Kedah	116,000

I regret that information is not available in the form asked for in the second part of the question since it is not practicable to extract figures for a period which covers part of two financial years. The statement given below shows, however, the expenditure which Colonial Governments expected to incur on defence measures in the financial year 1939, but it is not possible to give any figures showing separately expenditure since the outbreak of war.

asked the Home Secretary whether he can make any statement as to the proposed review by a special tribunal of the cases of Czechs in this country?

As previously stated nationals of Czecho-Slovakia are not subject to the special restrictions applicable to enemy aliens; but, in case there are amongst the persons claiming Czech nationality any who ought on security grounds to be subjected to such special restrictions, arrangements have been made to review all such cases individually: and I am glad to be able to say that Sir Ronald Macleay, who was British Minister to Czecho-Slovakia from 1927 to 1929, has consented to act as a tribunal for the review of these cases. It is anticipated that in a number of such cases the information already available will render it unnecessary for the individual to appear personally for examination, but that will be a matter for decision by the tribunal in each case after a review of the available material. The question of appointing additional persons to assist Sir Ronald Macleay will be considered after it has been ascertained whether the number of cases which cannot be disposed of without personal examination is likely to be substantial.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he will state the names of the several undertakings now under the control of the Railway Executive Committee?

The undertakings of which I have taken control, and which are now subject to the directions of the Railway Executive Committee as my agents, are the undertakings or portions of undertakings in Great Britain wholly owned by, leased to or operated by the following undertakers:

1. The Southern Railway Company.

2. The Great Western Railway Company.

3. The London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.

4. The London and North Eastern Railway Company.

5. The London Passenger Transport Board.

6. Any joint committee of any two or more of the above.

7. The East Kent Light Railway Company.

8. The Kent and East Sussex Light Railway Company.

9. The King's Lynn Docks and Railway Company.

10. The Mersey Railway Company.

11. The Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Light Railway Company.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he can now arrange for some form of cheap-day tickets on the railways in order to enable parents of evacuated children to visit them?

The whole question of issuing special cheap day tickets, where these are not already in existence, to enable parents to visit their children in the reception areas is under active examination, in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Minister of Health and the President of the Board of Education, and I hope it may be possible to make an announcement very shortly.

asked the Minister of Transport whether he has considered the position of persons who, having purchased transport vehicles on the hire-purchase system and subsequently had those vehicles requisitioned, are now being pressed by the companies to pay interest upon the purchases at the rates applicable for the whole period of the purchase agreement, although the purchase has now been settled by the payment of a lump sum; and whether he will intervene on behalf of the purchasers?

I have no power to intervene between the parties to a hire-purchase agreement nor would it be proper for me to express an opinion on the question whether requisition or acquisition of the vehicle has the effect in law of modifying or terminating the agreement. I can only suggest that the parties to such agreements would be well advised to ascertain both their legal obligation to make further payments under the agreement and their right to apportionment of the compensation under Section 13 of the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that printers in Scotland are on short time and many are unemployed while large contracts for posters and other Government work are being executed in England; and whether he will take steps to secure that a fair proportion of Government printing, in relation to personnel employed, will be given to Scotland?

Short time and unemployment in the printing trade obtain in England and Wales no less than in Scotland. The greater part of the printing required for the Government service is provided for under long-term contracts, some of which are held by printers in Scotland.Certain war emergency printing is, however, a matter for

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury how many printers were employed in His Majesty's Stationery Office on 1st September, and how many are now employed?

The number employed on the 1st September, 1939, was 2078. The number on 3rd November was 2270.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will take steps to ensure that rationing of coal shall not be operative in any district so long as coalmines in that district are below their full level of employment?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Farnworth (Mr. Tomlin-son) and other hon. Members on this subject.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of marriages reported from the thirty-first to the forty-fourth week, inclusive, of the current year, as compared with the corresponding weeks in 1937 and 1938, in the 162 principal towns which render weekly returns to the Registrar-General?

Marriages are not included in the weekly returns received by the Registrar-General from registrars of births and deaths in the principal towns. Statistics of marriages are derived from the statutory quarterly returns of certified copies of marriage entries. Those for the quarter to the end of September last were due to be furnished by clergymen, ministers and registrars of marriages to superintendent registrars during October, and transmitted by the latter to the Registrar-General at the beginning of the present month. I regret, therefore, that no statistics of war marriages are as yet available. It would not be possible to provide comparative figures for the periods specified in the question, but I should be glad to indicate to my hon. Friend periods for which comparable figures could be supplied.

asked the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department what steps have been taken to make effective immediately the guarantees given by His Majesty's Government to Rumania; and what is the total sum actually advanced in any form to Rumania since the guarantee was given?

I assume the hon. Member refers to the Anglo-Rumanian Guarantee Agreement of the 12th July, 1939. Substantial contracts have already been placed by the Rumanian Government under this Agreement, and still more are under active negotiation, but it would obviously not be in the public interest for me to disclose details thereof.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he can furnish an approximate estimate of the number of children of school age now in the county of London; and when it is proposed to take steps to resume their full-time education?

I regret that the information asked for in the first part of the question is not available. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the statement which I made in the House on 1st November announcing the Government's decision to allow the re-opening of schools in certain circumstances in evacuation areas.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he has considered the offer from Messrs. Perkins, Limited, of Nottingham Road, Derby, for the production of war requirements; and whether he can say when arrangements will be made to use the plant of this company in the national service?

The firm of Messrs. Perkins, Limited, which manufactures dairy equipment, is at present under consideration with a view to seeing whether any use can be made of their services, and they have been informed accordingly. There are already many hundreds of similar offers, each of which requires careful investigation, and this must necessarily take some little time.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will reconsider, in the case of medical students due for service or actually in training, the present ruling necessitating the completion of two terms of anatomy and physiology?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for London University (Sir E. Graham-Little) on 26th October.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what objections there are to issuing monthly returns showing the percentage proportions of the total milk production utilised in liquid consumption and manufacturing, respectively; and the average price per gallon paid for the latter?

I have been asked to reply. My right hon. Friend will consider the hon. Member's suggestion in consultation with the Milk Marketing Board, and will communicate with him.