Written Answers
Local Defence Volunteers
asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has considered the proposal that postmen in rural districts should be provided with arms and trained to their use?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford (Mr. Etherton) on 28th May last.
Tanks (Press Publicity)
asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that certain leading newspapers, on 6th June, published details of tanks now being produced in England; and whether, as this is conducive to a general disregard of official exhortations to secrecy, he will take steps to discourage such disclosures even if they appear of no value to the enemy?
References to tanks published in the Press of 6th June arose out of a Press visit to a tank works carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Supply and with the consent of the War Office. No secret processes or information were disclosed to the Press; all photographs taken during the visit were submitted for technical examination by the Ministry of Supply; and all written matter and photographs were submitted to the Censor before publication. I am satisfied that the very detailed and carefully worked out procedure covering Press visits to arms works thoroughly safeguards the aspect of military secrecy and that on this occasion no information of any value to the enemy was disclosed or published.
Church Magazines (Postage)
asked the Postmaster-General whether church magazines, such as the "Sentinel," issued by the Church of England, are regarded in all cases as newspapers for postage purposes; whether a printed addition inserted, giving information regarding the work of a diocese and of the work of a church circulating such a magazine, is, or is not, so regarded; and whether he will give the reasons for not regarding such magazines as newspapers, and subject to newspaper rate of postage?
To be eligible for registration as a newspaper for transmission at the inland newspaper rate a publication must, under the provisions of the Post Office Act, 1908, be issued at intervals of not more than seven days. Church magazines which are published monthly, such as the "Sentinel," cannot therefore be registered as newspapers at the General Post Office, whether or not they contain a printed insertion of the kind referred to.
Air Raid Precaution Centres (Wireless Sets)
asked the Postmaster-General whether he will grant a free licence for a wireless set to be placed at air-raid precautions centres which are manned by voluntary workers, to be used only when news is coming through?
I have no power under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts to grant free wireless licences to any persons other than blind persons covered by the Wireless Telegraphy (Blind Persons Facilities)Act of 1926.
Government Departments
Ministry Of Economic Warfare
asked the Minister of Economic Warfare whether it has been possible to reduce the staff of his Ministry as a consequence of the changed position in Norway, Holland and Belgium; and whether he will arrange for an immediate inquiry into the staffing position created by the new situation, with a view to enabling any staffs now redundant to be more usefully employed elsewhere?
I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4th June to a Question by the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Culver well), of which I enclose a copy. Since 1st June the staff of the Ministry has decreased by 71, and further reductions are in contemplation. I am glad to say that it has also been found possible to reduce the very heavy overtime which has hitherto been worked over a considerable period. The new situation in Norway, Holland and Belgium has, of course, been one factor tending to facilitate a reduction of staff.
Ministry Of Supply
asked the Minister of Supply what members of the salvage department of the Ministry have scientific or technical qualifications, and whether he will give particulars; and whether, in view of the importance of dealing with the salvage question on a scientific basis, he will consider the desirability of strengthening the salvage staff from this point of view?
The staff of the salvage department of the Ministry of Supply, apart from the Controller, who is a chartered accountant with considerable experience in the administration of businesses in various branches of industry and was Deputy Controller of Contracts in the Ministry of Munitions in the 1914 18 war, includes the following:
| CIVILIAN BKANCH. | ||
| Deputy Controller. | Mr. J. C. Dawes, M.I.Mech.E., F.I.P.C, etc. | Inspector of Public Cleansing and Salvage, Ministry of Health (seconded). |
| Assistant Controller. | Mr. H. Edridge, M I.P.C. | Cleansing and Salvage Officer, Chesterfield Corporation (seconded). |
| Assistant Controller. | Mr. L. N. Holt, A.I.P.C. | With special experience in refuse collection, transport and pig feeding. |
| MILITARY BRANCH. | ||
| Deputy Controller. | Brigadier R. H. R. Benson. | Late Chief Inspector of Armaments, Member of Ordnance Board and Commandant of Military College of Science |
| Assistant Controller. | Lt.-Col. H. S. W. Pennington, C.M.G..D.S.O. | Special salvage experience in 1914–18 War. |
| Deputy Director of Disposals (France). | Lt.-Col. T. A. Ross, M.I.E.E. | Special salvage experience in 1914–18 War |
In making additions to the staff regard is always had to the technical qualifications of the candidates.
Members Of Parliament (War Service)
asked the Prime Minister whether he is prepared to request Members of this House forthwith to institute and participate in active constituency campaigns with a view to assisting materially the complete co-operation of the general public in the present national defence policy of the Government?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave yesterday to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Handsworth (Commander Locker-Lampson), in which I drew attention to the opportunities for hon. Members to do service of the kind mentioned in the Question and stressed the importance of such work in the national interest.
Questions To Ministers
asked the Prime Minister whether he will consult the will of the House of Commons as to the desirability of limiting the Questions daily placed on the Order Paper by any Member to one, in view of the urgent necessity for Ministers and permanent officials to get on with the war?
I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which was given to the Noble Lord the Member for Horsham and Worthing (Earl Winterton) on 28th May last. I will convey my hon. Friend's suggestion to Mr. Speaker, who, I am sure, will be ready to consult the wishes of the House. I would, however, remind my hon. Friend that recently the number of Oral Questions placed on the Paper is tending to decrease. I hope that this may continue, in view of the heavy burdens which fall upon Ministers and Departments at this present time.
Tanganyika (Mr G H Nutting)
asked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has considered the correspondence from Mr. G. H. Nutting, of Tanganyika, expressing certain grievances of both a personal and general nature; whether these grievances have been investigated; and how they have been dealt with?
The answer to the first two parts of the Question is in the affirmative. As regards the third part, the Governor of Tanganyika was asked, in April of last year, to arrange for Mr. Nutting to be informed that the Secretary of State had satisfied himself that there was no foundation for his complaints and that he saw no reason to intervene in the matter. It has been decided, after full consideration, to take no action with regard to the complaints which Mr. Nutting has recently made regarding the sale of his mining property.
Unemployment (Leicester)
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour whether he will indicate the course of employment in the city of Leicester by industries, numbers, and percentages, respectively, for May, 1940?
The following table shows, for the area served by the Leicester Employment Exchange and Juvenile Employment Bureau, the numbers of insured persons, aged 16–64 years, recorded as unemployed in the principal industries at 20th May, 1940, and these numbers expressed as percentages of the estimated numbers insured at July, 1939. In some of the industries referred to, considerable changes may have taken place, since July, 1939, in the total numbers of insured persons in the Leicester area, but the available information is insufficient to show to what extent these changes have affected the percentages of unemployment given in the table.
| Industry. | Number. | Per cent. |
| Building | 443 | 6·5 |
| General Engineering, etc. | 139 | 1·0 |
| Printing, Publishing, and Bookbinding. | 174 | 5·0 |
| Hosiery | 427 | 1·4 |
| Boots, Shoes, etc. | 525 | 2·7 |
| Distributive Trades | 593 | 3·7 |
| All other industries and services.* | 1,801 | 4·5 |
| Total, all industries and services.* | 4,102 | 3·1 |
| * The figures given in the table are exclusive of insured agricultural workers: the number of insured persons, aged 16–64, within the agricultural scheme, who were recorded as unemployed at the Leicester Employment Exchange at 20th May, 1940, was 50. | ||
Food Supplies
Pastry And Confectionery
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will prohibit the sale on three days out of seven of all cakes and fancy pastries, and prohibit entirely the sale of iced and surface-sugared confectionery?
My hon. and gallant Friend's suggestions are under consideration in connection with other measures which may be necessary for the conservation of sugar supplies.
Food Control Committees
asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food when the Food Control Committees (Constitution) Order, 1939, is to be amended, as announced on 11th March, 1940, so as to provide that each committee shall include one representative of organised labour?
The amendment of the Food Control Committees (Constitution) Order, 1939, to which the hon. and learned Member refers was made on 24th May by Statutory Rule and Order, 1940, No. 788, of which I am sending him a copy.