asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will instruct collectors of taxes to participate in the national economy campaign in connection with paper by making use of old envelopes and discontinuing the practice of issuing new envelopes containing an envelope for reply?

Instructions have been issued to the Inland Revenue staff with a view to economy in the use of paper, and the subject is constantly under review. The hon. Member's suggestion presents certain difficulties, but I can assure him that it will be carefully examined.

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury when he proposes to extend the seven day working week to all employés in Government Departments?

In the case of Departments closely linked with the war effort staff are on duty all seven days of the week. It is, however, the normal practice of Departments, in accordance with the policy announced by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and National Service on 13th June, to allow individuals one day off in every week.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that certain schoolmasters employed by the London County Council in evacuated schools in reception areas have been permitted to join the Local Defence Volunteers on condition that the work involved does not interfere with school work; and, as it is impossible for men undertaking military service to ensure compliance with this condition and undesirable that they should be deterred by it from joining, will he state what is the position of such schoolmasters if their military and civilian duties conflict?

I understand that persons are permitted to join the Local Defence Volunteers on the understanding that their services will normally be available only outside the hours of civil employment. The position of teachers in this respect is no different from that of other persons in full-time employment.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the various classes of internees are given rations on the civilian scale or whether they receive the extra ration allowed to the services?

Interned civilians who are rationed in kind are fed on a scale approved by the medical authorities as suitable for the conditions under which they are living. The scale includes meat and sugar in quantities corresponding to the ordinary civilian ration. It does not include butter and bacon.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will instruct the county war agricultural committees to get in touch with all local authorities within their areas, with a view to establishing machinery for the collection of waste materials and their subsequent preparation as feeding-stuffs for livestock?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Sir P. Hurd) on 6th June.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that grass by the wayside, which might very usefully be preserved for animal food, is being cut by local authorities and largely wasted; and whether he has been in negotiation with the local authorities and also with the railway companies which own grass embankments with a view to securing better arrangements for handling vegetation of this kind?

I would invite the attention of my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply which I have given to the Question put to me by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Portsmouth, South (Sir J. Lucas).

asked the Home Secretary whether measures are being taken to mount armed guards at police stations, fire stations and telephone exchanges?

My hon. Friend may rest assured that the importance of the places he mentions has not been overlooked, but it would not be in the public interest to give details of the protective arrangements made.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that under 11,000 Germans and Austrians have been interned out of an estimated total of 60,000, he will take measures to make a further large reduction in the number still at liberty?

It would not be in the public interest to disclose in advance what further measures may be in contemplation for the control of the Germans and Austrians in this country.

asked the Home Secretary whether, in view of the fact that many thousands of enemy aliens are still at large, he will restrict the private telephone facilities of these persons, at least in so far as conversations in foreign languages are concerned?

I have this question under active consideration, in consultation with my right hon. Friend the Postmaster-General.

asked the Home Secretary whether he will place restrictions on the sale of road maps of this country?

This matter is under consideration.

asked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to a speech, at Evesham, by the Reverend A. D. Belden, a member of the Peace Pledge Union, advocating peace with security now; and, as the aim of this meeting was to hamper Britain's war effort in every way, will he make arrangements to have gatherings of this kind carefully watched, with a view to taking action against the promoters?

I have called for a report on this meeting. My hon. Friend can be assured that the police do not hesitate to take action whenever an offence against the Defence Regulations appears to have been committed.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the new military situation, he will now use compulsory powers to enforce the evacuation of children of school age from vulnerable areas?

For the reasons which I explained to the House on 13th June, the Government take the view that evacuation should be compulsory only in case of military necessity. If for military reasons compulsory evacuation from certain places should become necessary it would cover a large proportion of the population, and not only school children.

asked the Minister of Health the number of children evacuated to Henley-on-Thames last week; the total number who failed to pass the doctor's examination, and the causes of such failure; and the areas from which these rejected children came, stating numbers in each case and the salary of the medical officer in charge of each of such areas?

The number of children recently evacuated to Henley-on-Thames Borough was 123 of whom three were found to be suffering from minor ailments. The children sent to this district came from Stepney and Ilford. The number of children evacuated to the Henley-on-Thames Rural District was 373, of whom six were found to be suffering from impetigo and one from an injured leg. The children sent to this district came from Stepney and Edmonton. The medical examination of the children before departure was carried out under ad hoc arrangements which varied according to the locality.

asked the Minister of Health whether emergency medical service hospitals in country areas, and especially those on the East and South-east coasts, have been advised to arrange for alternative accommodation in case they should be put out of action or should be faced with excessive numbers of cases which could not easily be transferred to other hospitals?

Arrangements are made by my regional officers to meet the contingencies described in the Question.

asked the Minister of Health (1) whether the chief medical officers of emergency service hospitals are in any cases surgeons who might be too busy with professional work to exercise control of other arrangements at times of emergency?(2) whether the staffing of emergency service hospitals is restricted to persons who will have no other duty posts during air attack; or whether it includes doctors and others who will not be available at such times?

I have no reason to believe that in arranging the staffs of emergency hospitals the competent authorities have not taken account of their availability for the duties assigned to them.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether any arrangement has been made for the remuneration of the grain trade for the services which members of the trade are rendering in the importation and distribution of cereals during the war?

Yes, Sir. The National Federation of Corn Trade Associations have accepted an offer which my Noble Friend recently made to the negotiating committee appointed by the federation. A formal agreement is accordingly being prepared which will provide that firms in the trade will place at the disposal of the Ministry of Food the services of their principals, staff and offices as well as the staff and offices of Port Corn Trade Associations, in return for which the Ministry will pay to the federation for subdivision among members of the trade a sum equivalent to 2s. 7½d. per ton of all wheat and other cereals imported into the United Kingdom on account of the Ministry of Food, subject to a maximum payment of £1¼ million in respect of the first year of war. This agreement will apply to the first year of war only. The arrangements to be made in respect of any subsequent period are under consideration.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food to what extent he is encouraging the provision of communal meals at factories and other places where large numbers of persons are employed, in view of the waste that can be avoided by such schemes?

My Noble Friend welcomes the provision of communal meals at factories and other places where there are a large number of persons employed as a means of securing that the best and most economical use of available foodstuffs is made, and he has taken steps to facilitate the allocation of supplies for this purpose.

asked the Home Secretary whether the sum of £324,000 proved the maximum contribution paid by the Treasury for the purposes of the relief of refugees, German and other, in this country; whether this sum includes the £100,000 that has been paid to voluntary organisations in respect of the last four months of 1939 based on a £ for a £ contribution paid by the public for this purpose; and what has been the total sum expended on the maintenance of refugees in this country both by local authorities and the Exchequer between August, 1939, and June, 1940?

The contribution made by the Treasury towards the expenditure of the voluntary organisations who have been befriending refugees from Nazi oppression amounted up to the end of May to the sum of £234,000 and this sum includes the £100,000 contributed in respect of the last four months of 1939. It is not possible to say what additional expenditure may have been incurred by local authorities in respect of persons admitted to hospitals or by the Assistance Board, but these sums are quite small, since the main burden of maintaining the refugees who have been unable to obtain employment has been borne by the voluntary committees. The Treasury contribution has been considerably less than half their expenditure, and the major share has been met by voluntary contributions.

asked the Minister of Supply whether he can indicate the result of salvage work for each Metropolitan borough and for the large cities outside London, respectively, for the month of May, 1940?

The following table shows for each of the Metropolitan Boroughs, and the larger cities outside London, the value of the sales of salvaged material for the month of May, 1940. These figures do not include material collected by merchants or voluntary organisations.

asked the Minister of Supply (1) whether he will instruct the director of factory production to request the insurance companies to allow their competent trained surveyers immediately to examine all factories to see what is required to limit the risk of loss by fire, and report to him, so that heavy loss may be reduced, the machinery saved, and production of output thus maintained;(2) whether he is aware that fires in factories are usually caused by faults in old heating and lighting plants, such as stoves or electric lighting liable to fuse, as well as carelessness in leaving waste material lying about; and what steps are being taken to minimise these risks in the many factories working overtime where it may be expected that tired workers may fail to take adequate precautions?

I have been asked to reply. The Factory Department has no evidence that factory fires are usually due to the causes mentioned by my hon. Friend. I am advised that, while the main precautions are independent of the day-to-day conduct of the workpeople, factory managements are generally alive to the danger from accumulations of oily waste and other refuse, and receive advice, not only from the Factory Inspectors, but also from the Fire Insurance Offices, whose practice it is to carry out surveys at the factories of policy holders and make recommendations of detailed precautions for reducing the risk of loss or damage. In the circumstances, further action on the lines suggested does not appear to be necessary.

asked the Attorney-General when the promised Bill, amending the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, will be introduced?

The Courts (Emergency Powers) Amendment Bill to which the hon. Member refers, was read a Third time in another place on 13th June. The Bill was ordered to be printed by the House of Commons on 18th June and copies are now available at the Vote Office.

asked the Secretary for Petroleum whether he will disallow the use of petrol by motor-car owners for any other purpose than business, trade, or national defence?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Tuesday last to the hon. Members for Elland (Mr. Levy) and Bradford, Central (Mr. Leach).

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the good offices of His Majesty's Government will be used to prevent the dismissal of key members of the staff of the League of Nations in order to keep the machinery of the League in being for the future?

The Secretary-General of the League of Nations is aware of the importance which His Majesty's Government attach to the preservation of the Secretariat of the League as a working organisation in so far as circumstances permit. I am confident that he is doing all in his power to achieve this end.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour whether, in view of present availability of medical examiners, he will consider taking steps to accelerate the medical examination of further age groups?

Medical examinations have already been very considerably accelerated. The number of examinations has been more than doubled within the last month and will be conducted at whatever rate is necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Forces.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour whether his decision to cancel all holidays is binding only during the present serious crisis; and whether, in view of the possible loss of efficiency due to influenza and other winter epidemics, he hopes to be able to advise the granting, later in the season, of leave to workers of all kinds where this can be arranged without interference with effective production?

In present circumstances it is obviously impossible to add anything to the statement I made on this subject last week. I would, however, remind the hon. Member that I then emphasised the necessity for the provision of rest periods for individuals even on urgent priority work.

asked the Minister of Pensions whether he can now announce what improvements are likely to be embodied in the revised Royal Warrant; and whether they will beneficially affect mothers of sons killed or injured during the war and ex-service men of the last war, the real value of whose pensions have declined considerably?

With regard to the first part of the Question I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 13th June. The revised warrant is concerned only with officers and men disabled, and the dependants of officers and men killed in the present war.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether he has considered the resolution regarding the senior council school, sent to him by the Parish Council of Great Sankey; and whether he has decided on the partial completion of the building to enable specially necessary subjects to be taught?

The resolution has been received and is under consideration.

asked the President of the Board of Education whether the public library services in Great Britain are regarded by the Government as services of national importance; and whether these public library services will be entitled to the necessary materials for maintaining their stocks in a reasonable condition of service?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. The question of the supply of materials for bookbinding is one for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he will make provision so that the widest possible publicity may be given in scientific papers to detail drawings of the German magnetic mine so that every advantage may be taken by scientists in this country of adapting its principles and details for other purposes?

No, Sir. The hon. Member's proposal would entail revealing to the enemy the knowledge we possess of his weapons. Scientists outside the Government service who are qualified to assist in these matters are kept fully informed of developments.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether his attention has been called to a case before the courts where the defendant was the German wife of a sergeant in the Royal Air Force, the sister-in-law of a staff officer serving in the German High Command, and employed in a domestic post by a senior naval officer engaged on important work for the Admiralty; and whether, in view of disclosures of this nature, he will satisfy himself that the progress made in preventing naval officers from employing alien servants is being accelerated?

Instructions have been issued prohibiting the employment of aliens of enemy origin by naval and civil officers serving under the Admiralty: other aliens may not be employed without permission. The person my hon. Friend refers to is a British subject of enemy origin.

asked the Minister of Health whether he has made inquiries into the complaints received from Wednesbury respecting the nuisance caused by the emission of smoke and dust from the works of Messrs. John Golcher, Limited, of Bright Street, Wednesbury; and whether he has any information as to what steps the town council are taking to prevent the inconvenience and actual ill-health caused by the operations of this firm?

At the instance of the town council the company have been carrying out experiments with apparatus designed to reduce the emission of grit. One of my alkali inspectors has been in touch with the company on the technical problems involved and he will shortly be visiting the works again.