asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that a certain contractor, presumably by orders of a branch of the Air Ministry, of which he has been informed, has done considerable damage to some 60 acres of growing crops of wheat, barley, oats and seeds, by dumping poles and timber for making obstructions and crushing crops down by his motor-lorries without giving notice to the owner or to the local member of the war agricultural committee; and whether he will take steps to see that the orders he gave last July are still adhered to, as stated in his answer on 9th July 1940?

:I have made investigations into the case referred to by my lion and gallant Friend in his Question, and I regret to say that the instructions issued last July, and which still stand, were overlooked in this instance. I can assure my hon. and gallant Friend that every effort will continue to be made to avoid such occurrences in the future and to ensure that proper consultation takes place with owners of land and local war agricultural interests.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what control is exercised in the Royal Air Force over the speed of Royal Air Force vehicles; how is the speed of such vehicles checked on the road; and will Royal Air Force mobile: traffic police be established on lines similar to those recently formed for the Army, which have led to an immediate and considerable decrease in accidents involving Army vehicles?

:In general, R.A.F. vehicles are subject to the normal regulations governing traffic control. An exception is, however, made in the case of certain classes of heavy vehicles provided that the journeys are of an urgency which wan-ants exemption and written authority is obtained in advance. Control over speed is exercised by the civil police in the Metropolitan Police area and elsewhere by the Army Mobile Traffic Police. A separate organisation of R.A.F. mobile traffic police is therefore unnecessary.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production in how many instances since the Ministry was formed have papers been lost, temporary or permanently, from public service vehicles of any kind or from privately owned vehicles.

:Since the Ministry was formed eight cases have been reported in which official documents have been lost from vehicles, but on only two of these occasions were secret or confidential papers involved.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production whether he can now make a statement concerning papers lost in a motor-car in the Harrow Road dis- trict; who was responsible; and what action was taken by the Ministry?

:Yes, Sir. The papers were in the custody of an officer of the Ministry, whose locked car containing the documents was stolen from a car park. The papers were neither secret nor confidential, and contained no information which would be of value to the enemy. In these circumstances no disciplinary action has been taken, beyond a reprimand and a warning to take the greatest care of official documents in future.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will consider the advisability of fixing the maximum prices of soft fruits only after the danger of loss by frost is past and a better estimate of the crop is known?

:The maximum prices for soft fruits have already been fixed by the Soft Fruits (Maximum Prices) Order, but Section 10 of the Order provides that these prices shall not come into force until such date or dates as may be appointed by the Minister. The intention is to defer the fixing of a date for each of the varieties of fruits covered by the Order until after the late spring frosts, when it will be possible to estimate the yield, and the date when the bulk of the crop will come upon the market. It would not have been practicable to defer the fixing of the maximum prices until so near the time of marketing, without serious inconvenience both to the agricultural and trade interests concerned.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will reduce the percentage of sugar now laid down for the production of jam, as there is now no need for such a high percentage when jam finds an immediate sale, and this reduction of sugar would make it possible for a larger quantity of jam to be made?

Consultations on this subject are taking place with the manufacturers very shortly and perhaps my hon. Friend will be good enough to repeat his Question at a later date.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will broadcast an appeal to people to drink less strong tea and ration themselves on tobacco with a view to economising shipping?

As tea is already rationed to 2 ounces per head it is improbable that an appeal to the public to drink less strong tea would result in any reduction in the quantity distributed. I understand from my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade that the Tobacco Controller will be broadcasting to-morrow and will refer to this difficult subject.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the great destruction in property in Liverpool, and loss of rateable value, he is prepared, as in the case of the city of London, to make a grant to Liverpool?

If the Liverpool Corporation are of opinion that owing to war-time conditions they will not be able to maintain essential services out of ordinary revenue, it is open to them to make an application to my right hon. Friend for financial assistance.

asked the Secretary for Petroleum whether he will consider prohibiting the supply to private motor-cars of petrol now obtainable on commercial coupons?

The acquisition of petrol on commercial coupons for use in private motor-cars is already prohibited.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works and Buildings whether any Report has yet been received from the Uthwatt Committee; and whether he proposes to make such Report available for Members of this House?

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to-day to Oral Question No. 24.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what form the legislation required to repeal the medicine stamp duties will be introduced?

It has been decided that the separate Bill referred to in my Budget speech will contain the repeal of the Medicine Stamp Duties as well as the provisions consequential upon that repeal. The Bill will be presented to Parliament shortly.

asked the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the whereabouts of Mr. George Antonius and Jemal Husseini; and whether he has any information as to their relations with the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem?

Jemal Effendi Husseini, to the best of my information, is still in Iraq where, according to our reports, he has been in close association with the Mufti for some time past. Mr. Antonius was resident in Palestine at the end of last year, and as far as I know is still there. His honourable record is well known, and there are no grounds whatever for suspecting him of undesirable dealings with the Mufti.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange for the same cheap telegram service to be made available to the officers and men of the Merchant Service as is at present granted to our Fighting Forces in the Middle East?

I have been collaborating with my right hon. Friend the Minister of War and with other Ministers concerned in working out arrangements to provide facilities for the despatch of telegrams to officers and men of the Merchant Navy similar to those available for communication by the next-of-kin to the Fighting Forces in the Middle East. It is hoped to announce details of the new service at a very early date.