asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will make a statement with regard to the conditions which must be satisfied to enable a soldier, called up under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, to obtain a refund of part of any purchase money paid for his previous discharge from the Army; and whether he will indicate the principles upon which the amount of the refund is to be determined?

:A refund of purchase money is not admissible except in the case of re-enlistment into the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army or the Royal Air Force on a normal regular engagement for not less than three years with the Colours. A man who is liable to be called up under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, 1939, may apply to re-enlist on a normal engagement with the Regular Forces at any time prior to his receipt of a calling-up notice. He may also apply to his commanding officer to be considered for re-enlistment on such an engagement after he has been called up and posted to a unit. After completing three months' service on such an engagement of not less than three years, and provided the soldier had at least a "fair" character on discharge, a portion of the purchase money for his original discharge will be refunded to the person who provided it on the following basis:

(1) If discharge was purchased before completion of three months' service—one-half of the purchase money;

(2) If discharge was purchased after completing three months' service—two-thirds of the purchase money.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that officers and non-commissioned officers have in some instances been required to forward Income Tax returns to paymasters through their unit headquarters; and whether, in view of the private nature of such returns, he will take steps to inform all ranks of their right to make returns of income direct to the Commissioners at the War Office?

:It is clearly stated both on the Income Tax form and in the instructions which have been issued on the subject that the return may be sent to the War Office. Paymasters will be instructed to provide with each form an envelope in which the claimant may send the return to the paymaster or the War Office, as he may decide.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he has considered the resolution of the Corporation of Greenock calling for an inquiry into the administration of the Government services, a copy of which has been transmitted to him by the hon. Member for Greenock; and what action he proposes to take in the matter?

I have seen the resolution. If the Greenock Corporation have in mind some specific suggestion for securing economy, I shall be grateful if they will bring it to the notice of the Department concerned. In view of the stringent instructions as to economy issued to all Departments and of the appointment of the Select Committee on National Expenditure, I do not consider that any further general measure is called for at present.

asked the Prime Minister whether an opportunity will be given to the House to discuss the policy of the Air Ministry towards internal aviation, in view of the pledges made by the Air Minister during the passing of the British Overseas Airways Act?

I have no doubt that in the normal course of business opportunities will arise for matters connected with civil aviation to be debated.

asked the Prime Minister whether he can assure the House that His Majesty's Government will agree to no new arrangements concerning the silver deposits in the banks in the International Concession in Tientsin without the consent of the recognised Government of China?

I presume the hon. Member refers to the silver deposited in a Chinese bank in the British Concession at Tientsin. His Majesty's Government have consulted the Chinese Government at all material stages of the negotiations on this subject and are continuing to do so.

asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider making further representations to the Egyptian Government with a view to removing the charge levied upon members of His Majesty's Forces in Egypt upon receipt of parcels sent by their relatives for which postage charges have been prepaid?

:Nor, Sir. A small service charge is normally levied on all parcels arriving in Egypt, but the Egyptian Government have now agreed to waive this in respect of parcels addressed to members of His Majesty's Forces in Egypt.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the acute shortage of agricultural labour in many districts of the country; that it is, in some cases, impossible for farmers and landowners to comply with official requests to plough-up and sow additional land through this shortage; that the shortage is due, for the most part, to the fact that labour is enticed away by factories offering higher wages than are paid by agriculturists; and whether he has in mind any proposals to deal with a situation which is becoming daily more serious?

:I am aware that there is an acute shortage of experienced agricultural labour in many parts of the country, and that it has been seriously aggravated by the movement of agricultural workers to other employment offering higher wages. The demand for labour for war work in rural areas has increased rapidly since the outbreak of war, and administrative action has been and is being taken by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Labour to meet the situation as far as possible. The general situation in regard to the labour supply in agriculture is continuing to receive the close attention of the Government. As in other industries where labour is short, it will be necessary to introduce unskilled labour from other sources, and a number of measures have been devised to supplement the normal labour force.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the training of boys in agriculture under schemes that have proved effective under the administration of the Young Men's Christian Association and similar organisations; whether he is aware that this matter has now been under consideration since November, 1939, and that various opportunities and offers to help these schemes are lapsing on account of the delay in coming to a definite decision in conjunction with the Treasury?

I have been asked to reply. I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture gave to the Question he put to him on 7th March. My right hon. Friend hopes to be in a position to make a statement on the subject in the near future.

asked the Minister of Supply whether, in establishing flax-spinning factories, he will consider using some of the many empty mills now to be found in the East of Scotland; and how many of such factories are to be established in Scotland?

:The Ministry of Supply is not directly responsible for any flax-spinning factories. I assume that my hon. Friend's Question relates to the Government scheme for setting up a green flax fibre industry in this country and in Scotland. The present plans provide for one factory of this class to be set up in Scotland, and arrangements to this end are already well in hand. It is not proposed to extend the scheme any further this year, but my hon. Friend's suggestion will be kept carefully in mind in the event of any expansion being decided upon later.

asked the Minister of Supply, why it has been decided to close the Dundee office of the Timber Control, which has recently served Angus, Perthshire and Fife; and what reply has been sent to the petition presented by a large number of timber merchants, joiners, hackle-makers and others on this subject?

Experience has shown that the volume of business transacted by the Timber Control in the East coast area of Scotland is not such as to justify the maintenance of separate area offices at Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee. In order, therefore, to economise in administration it has been decided to amalgamate these offices with the area office at Edinburgh. In arriving at this decision full weight has been given to the petition referred to by my hon. Friend. A reply to this effect is being sent to the agents for the petitioners.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he can now implement the assurances which he gave recently to the Member for South Midlothian to the effect that he would make every effort to secure the delivery of sufficient timber for the roofing of the otherwise completed structure of the church at Newton grange, Midlothian?

:While I cannot agree that I went so far as to give my hon. and gallant Friend any such assurances, I am glad to be able to inform him that on 21st February, after a meeting with the architect at which certain economies were agreed to, the Department of Health for Scotland authorised the purchase of the timber required to complete the church.

asked the Minister of Supply what steps have been taken to increase the supply of esparto grass for paper mills; and why such mills as now have considerable stocks of raw material for paper-making are not allowed to continue production?

:Every effort is being made in conjunction with the Ministry of Shipping to augment supplies of esparto grass. As regards the second part of the Question, the necessity for conserving existing stocks of raw materials and for producing paper only for essential purposes necessitates production being limited to meet such deliveries as are permitted under the Paper Rationing Orders.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Home Security, as representing the First Commissioner of Works, when Brasenose College was taken over by the Government; what use has been made of it up to the present time; and what is the cost to the State of the reservation of the college to the end of March?

:I have been asked to reply. Brasenose College was requisitioned in September, 1939, and, though circumstances have not necessitated its occupation up to the present, it is being held for an important purpose against possible contingencies. The cost to the State to the end of March cannot yet be stated, as the rental compensation due under Section 2 (1) (a) of the Compensation (Defence) Act remains to be settled, and the Government's liability for domestic and other services undertaken by the college is the subject of negotiation.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has any figures to show the number of slum-condemned buildings which, owing to the shortage of houses, are still being used for tenants; and what was the nature of the response he has had from local authorities to his suggestion that they should use such houses for the purpose so long as there is an acute shortage of available accommodation?

:I am not in a position, at present, to give the information asked for. In response to a request which I recently made to them, however, local authorities are now furnishing returns which include such information, and, as soon as complete returns have been received and summarised I will inform my hon. Friend of the result.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in connection with the proposals made by the West India Royal Commission, he is able to make any statement regarding the problems of the West Indian sugar industry?

I would invite the hon. Member's attention to the answer which I am giving to-day to a similar Question by the hon. Member for Stourbridge (Mr. R. Morgan), of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary for Mines the numbers of fatal and non-fatal accidents to youths in the age groups 14 to 16 years, 16 to 18 years, and 18

Number of Boys and Youths Killed and Injured* during 1939 by Accidents at Mines under the Coal Mines Act, 1911.
Inspection Division.				Killed.			Injured.*
				Age 14 and under 16.	Age 16 and under 18.	Age 18 and under 21.	Age 14 and under 16.	Age 16 and under 18.	Age 18 and under 21.
1.	Scotland	…	…	3	3	7	13	21	22
2.	Northern	…	…	4	6	10	43	49	41
3.	Yorkshire	…	…	3	3	2	44	45	43
4.	North Midland	…	…	1	5	2	16	18	18
5.	North Western	…	…	2	5	7	14	23	20
6.	Cardiff and Forest of Dean.			—	3	7	26	28	15
7.	Swansea	…	…	1	2	1	12	14	11
8.	Midland and Southern		…	—	—	1	7	11	10
Totals		…	…	14	27	37	175	209	180
* Includes only those accidents which are required to be notified to the Divisional Inspector at the time of their occurrence.
Of the boys and youths injured in the Yorkshire Division, 11, 11 and 12 respectively were all injured in one winding accident (at Hatfield Main Colliery).

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Palestine Hebrew dailies, "Davar," "Haaretz" and "Hatzsfe," were not permitted to resume publication until 25th March, although the permits were reissued on 2nd March?

:Since my answer to a Question by the hon. Member on 10th April, I have received a fuller report on this matter, and I regret that some of the information on which I based my earlier answer was not entirely accurate. The three papers in question, whose permits to publish had been temporarily revoked on 29th February, were informed by telephone on 1st March that application could be made for the re-issue of their permits. Such applications were not, however, submitted until 10th March, 12th March and 10th March respectively. In the meantime, on 3rd March, "dummies"—that is, newspapers registered by the presses affected and held in reserve to take the place of the main publication in case of suspension—had been published and continued to appear to 21 years, in the different mining areas in the coalfields for 1939?

Following is the information:until permits were re-issued on 22nd March and the main newspapers were able to appear again. For all practical purposes publication of the three newspapers was interrupted for only one day, 1st March, 2nd March being the Jewish Sabbath.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now inquired into the reasons why the Hebrew weekly "Hafsel Hatzair," organ of the Palestine Labour party, published at Tel-Aviv, was prohibited on 20th March for printing in its issue of 1st March, the statement of the Jewish National Council of Palestine, Vaad Leumi, against the Land Transfer Regulations; and whether he will make a statement?

I am informed that "Hafsel Hatzair" printed its issue of 1st March without including the Vaad Leumi manifesto, which had been banned by the Censor, and a copy of this issue was submitted to the District Commissioner in accordance with the requirements of the Press Ordinance. Subsequently it was ascertained that a supplementary issue of the paper had been published later on the same day with additional pages containing the manifesto. No copy of this supplementary edition was submitted to Government, and the paper's permit was accordingly cancelled by an order of 20th March. The proprietor was informed at the same time that an application for the issue of a new permit would be considered after two weeks.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the burden of Colonial indebtedness referred to in the recent Statement of Policy on Colonial Development and Welfare, he proposes, in connection with the new plans for Colonial development, to take the opportunity to arrange for a review of the indebtedness of certain Colonial Governments to the United Kingdom Exchequer?

Yes, Sir. A review of debts due from Colonial Governments to the Exchequer has been in progress for some time, and it is proposed that Parliamentary sanction should be sought for the remission of a number of loan advances from United Kingdom funds to certain Colonial Administrations which we are satisfied are not now in a position to make repayment.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that the Commander-in-Chief's office at Portsmouth recently Use done sheet of notepaper and 12 sheets of bill paper, measuring 15 inches by 9 inches, to request a newspaper to give publicity to an Admiralty warning consisting of 46 words; and, in view of the shortage of paper, will he take steps to stop such waste?

:The enclosures to the letter to which my hon. Friend refers were notices warning the public of the danger of approaching mines washed ashore. Such a warning needs the widest circulation, and as the newspaper office to which the enclosures were sent controls more than one newspaper, a number of copies were enclosed to be distributed to the various publications. The need for economy in the use of paper is well understood in the Navy, but a Fleet Order is being issued impressing on all personnel the importance of avoiding all forms of waste of paper.

asked the Minister of Labour (1) the number of men and women registered as unemployed at the central Exchange for the printing and allied trades, Snow Hill, E.C., on Saturday, 30th March, 1940, and the number registered on the corresponding Saturday of March, 1939;

(2) the number of men and women registered as unemployed at the Newington Employment Exchange, Walworth Road, S.E., on Saturday, 30th March, 1940, and the number registered on the corresponding Saturday of March, 1939?

:The table below shows the numbers of unemployed men and women, aged 18 and over, on the registers of these Employment Exchanges at 11th March, 1940, and 13th March, 1939. Corresponding statistics are not available for any other date in these months.

Employment Exchanges.	11th March, 1940.	13th March, 1939.
City of London (Snow Hill):
Men	4,929	3,741
Women	139	109
Borough (Walworth Road):
Men	8,325	9,504
Women	4,235	3,116
The City of London Employment Exchange deals with applicants from all trades and not solely those from the printing and allied trades.

asked the Minister of Information whether he will consult with the British Broadcasting Corporation, with a view to issuing, wherever the occasion arises, warnings as to the origin of any Nazi broadcasts just delivered?

Steps are taken to prevent the public from being misled as to the origin of these broadcasts. In watching future developments, I will bear the hon. Member's suggestion in mind.

asked the Minister of Information what steps he is taking, in view of the attitude of the Italian Press, to see that a true version of events reaches the Italian people?

:Four news bulletins in the Italian language are broadcast daily from England. The Press Attaché to His Majesty's Embassy in Rome undertakes the local supply of information, pamphlets and photographs produced by the Ministry of Information. In London all the leading Italian newspapers have their own correspondents, at whose disposal the Ministry is always glad to place all the facilities needed for obtaining and transmitting a full account of the current news.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the presence of thousands of men in the employ of his Department in the London area whose wages are as low as 51s. and55s. per week, and that these men are engaged on split duties which necessitate their making journeys to and from their homes more than once each day; that the fares already mean a considerable burden which will be intensified by the increase of 10 per cent., and will he give early consideration as to ways and means whereby such hardship shall be mitigated?

:The hon. Member apparently refers to postmen. There are no split duties in the central, or head district, areas of London, but a considerable number of postmen's duties in the outer, or sub-district, areas necessarily involve two separate attendances daily. These conditions were taken into account when the present wages were fixed, little more than a year ago, by arbitration in the case of the permanent postmen and by agreement with the staff association in the case of the temporary staff. The only subsequent change in circumstances has been the rise in the cost of living since the commencement of the war. This, however, is a question which affects the Civil Service as a whole and is one which I understand by right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has at present under consideration.

asked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the increased revenue now derived from the sale of postage stamps, he will arrange to discontinue the advertisements in postage stamp booklets of appeals to the public to spend money upon alleged remedies and appliances of which the British Medical Association disapprove, and the publicity given to which all responsible medical authorities deplore?

:The alteration in long standing policy suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend means forgoing the revenue derived from these advertisements; and I am not prepared to give this up, in view of the present heavy expenditure on national services.