asked the Secretary of State for war whether a decision has now been reached as regards the payment of field allowance for officers?

No decision has been reached to alter the conditions in regard to the payment of field allowance. Various proposals have been considered to get rid of the anomalies that admittedly arise in connection with this allowance, and there are still such proposals under examination.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Secretary of State said that he was aware of these anomalies four months ago, and can he expedite a settlement of this request?

Yes, Sir, my right hon. Friend is very well aware of the urgency of this matter, but my hon. Friend should realise that there always have been anomalies in connection with field allowances and it is very difficult to get rid of them.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider raising the allowances for married subalterns to avoid the hardship which is apparent in so many cases?

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is now in a position to make a statement on allowances for married officers under the age of 30 years?

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now implement his undertaking to look into the question of officers' pay and allowances?

The proposal to increase officers' allowances has raised some very difficult issues, and I regret that I am not yet in a position to give a definite reply.

Can the Minister give an indication whether this matter will be settled at an early date, because in the meantime officers are suffering under this disability?

I can assure my hon. Friend that we are trying to get a settlement as soon as possible. If it is possible to do anything, we want that to be decided quickly, and if, on the other hand, it should prove to be impossible, we also want that to be decided quickly.

If a further Question is put down before The Recess, does my right hon. Friend think that he will be in a position to give a reply?

I can only say that we shall do our best.

Will any settlement be made retrospective?

I do not know whether there will be any change made in the allowance, and I should very much doubt that, if there were, it would be made retrospective.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether it is the practice of commanding officers, and within Army Regulations, to detain offenders in close confinement for as much as two weeks before they are tried, pending information being received that prison or other accommodation is available; and whether this period is deducted from any sentence of imprisonment or detention passed on offenders found guilty?

It is not the practice of commanding officers to detain soldiers before trial for the reasons referred to by my hon. Friend, and such a proceeding would be quite unauthorised. My right hon. Friend's attention has, however, been drawn by my hon. Friend the Member for South Tottenham (Mr. Messer) to a particular case in which irregularities of this kind have occurred, and appropriate steps are now being taken to deal with it.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are many instances of this, and that I know of one case where there was seven weeks' detention. Would he inquire into these various cases?

If the hon. Gentleman will furnish me with particulars of these cases, I will certainly look into them.

asked the Secretary of State for War what arrangements he has made for allotting adequate transport to the Home Guard; when such transport will be issued; of of what it consists; and what steps have been taken to see that the vehicles are in running order?

I am sure that my hon. and gallant Friend will appreciate that it would not be in the public interest to disclose details of the transport arrangements of the Home Guard, but I can assure him that adequate provision has been made to meet all requirements both now and under operational conditions.

But why is not the Home Guard made aware of these arrangements? At present, so far as I am aware, no Home Guard officer has any information about transport if an invasion takes place. Why should they not be told what they have to do when an invasion starts?

It is not customary to publish operational plans of this kind.

Are we to get an invasion actually started before we get the cars out of the garages and the petrol put into the tanks? There would then be no time for these things.

I think my hon. and gallant Friend forgets that the Home Guard is, in the main, static. I can assure him that these points have been looked after.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the uneasiness and anxiety amongst parents and relatives of many of our soldiers who are, or have been, serving in the Middle East, Libya, in Greece and Crete, more particularly the wounded and missing, owing to the lack of information about them; whether he is satisfied that the present organisation of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem is functioning adequately in this matter, both in the Middle East and in London; and whether he will cause a. full inquiry to be made, with a view to securing a rapid improvement in the receipt of authentic information about our men who are serving?

I am aware of the very natural anxiety felt by relatives in this country when news of a soldier's whereabouts is not immediately available, and I can assure my hon. Friend that this question is engaging the closest attention of both the War Office and the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East. Every effort is being made by the latter to hasten the service of information about casualties, and, when the information reaches this country there is no delay in conveying it to the next-of-kin. So far as prisoners of war are concerned, the chief difficulty is that lists are not normally furnished by the enemy governments until the prisoners have reached the camps for which they are ultimately destined, but a consider able number of names obtained at intermediate points have been furnished through the good offices of the International Red Cross Committee. As regards the second part of the Question, my hon. Friend is under a misapprehension, since the War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John is not responsible for preparing lists of missing.

Is my hon. Friend aware that there is a feeling of frustration at the British Red Cross headquarters in this country, among those giving their services for tracing wounded, at the handicap they are working under; that there is lack of harmony in the Middle East among Red Cross workers; and does he think that the lady who is now President of the B.R.C.S. in the Middle East—who is of Italian birth—is the most appropriate person to hold this office?

Yes, Sir. I am aware that the Middle East Commission of the British Red Cross is making certain inquiries on a purely voluntary basis, and I think we must be grateful to them for doing that, but the responsibility for compiling lists and obtaining information about missing men does not rest on the British Red Cross. It is on the military authorities out there.

:Would my hon. Friend go further into this matter and take some urgent and effective action to allay the anxiety of people through the long delay in hearing any news of their families and relatives, who are missing and wounded?

Yes, Sir. The War Office is very much alive to the anxiety which exists at the present time, but my hon. Friend must realise that it is extremely difficult when a campaign is in progress and units are broken up, through evacuation, to get reliable information.

asked the Secretary of State for War the result of the inter- Service discussions which have taken place regarding the grant of honorary rank to retired officers of the Regular Army and Territorial Army Reserve?

:Owing to the varying conditions in the three Services, it has not yet proved possible to reach a decision on this question, but I hope to be in a position to make a statement shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will consider the co-option of hon. Members of this House possessing military experience on the Standing Committee of Army Administration?

:Whilst, as the House is aware, my right hon. Friend is always glad to receive the views of hon. Members on any question of Army administration, he does not think that it is necessary for them to be specially co-opted to the Standing Committee on Army Administration for this purpose. As my hon. Friend is aware, the Committee as at present constituted is representative of both official and outside experience.

Is not the hon. Gentleman aware of the value of the considerable recent experience obtained by those hon. Members who have served in the Forces, and would it not be better to utilise them on this Committee, which is a purely Departmental Committee? Hon. Members know little about this Committee.

:My right hon. and gallant Friend is always very accessible to Members of this House and is anxious to avail himself of any information they have, but I think there would be some disadvantage in co-opting hon. Members on that Committee. If it was done in the case of the hon. Gentleman, for example, my right hon. and gallant Friend would lose the benefit of his advice in this House and of his animadversions in the Sunday Press.

Would the hon. Gentleman publish a list of those at present on this Committee for the information of the House?

I imagine that the list has been published, but I will look into it. I do not think there would be any objections.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he will explain the position with regard to claims for separation allowance of alien members of the Pioneer Corps, in cases where the soldier has a wife, child, parent or other dependant normally dependent on him, but whom he was unable to support during the period immediately before joining the Corps owing to his being interned?

If he is otherwise eligible, the soldier's entitlement to family allowance in respect of his wife or children is not affected in the circumstances to which my hon. Friend refers. Allowances from Army funds to other dependants are only admissible if the soldier is unable by reason of his having joined the Colours to continue a contribution which he had actually been making towards the support of the dependant during the preceding six months. In cases where the allowance is inadmissible, however, the dependant may be considered for the award of a war service grant by the Ministry of Pensions if the circumstances warrant it.

Would it be right to inform the men concerned—they are quite few in number—that if they apply to the hardship committee of the Ministry of Pensions their cases in respect of allowances to dependants will be reconsidered?

It would be in order to inform them that their cases will be considered. I hope that they may see my reply to this Question.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the letter sent to him from the Scottish National Farmers' Union pointing out the damage done to flocks in Scotland by sheep-worrying dogs; and whether he has in mind any measures likely to diminish this offence?

:I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Mathers) on 8th July, of which I am sending him a copy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention has been called to the proposed requisitioning of a certain Highland Folk Museum building; and what steps he is taking to prevent the destruction of many of the exhibits in the only collection of its kind in Scotland and the sacrifice for a temporary need of valuable material for the social history of the North?

Yes, Sir. I hope that it may be possible to find alternative accommodation, and inquiries are being directed to that end.

Do the Government realise the supreme importance of protecting the only folk museum in the whole of Scotland?

The degree of importance attached to this Question is evidenced by my answer.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there has been any increase in the number of cases of tuberculosis reported this year in Scotland; and if so, will he state the age and sex groups where the increase has taken place?

With the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing quarterly tuberculosis notifications for Scotland in the last 4½years. While these figures show that tuberculosis declined steadily until 1940, I regret to say that since the early part of that year an upward trend has been observed. Information as to the ages and sex of patients will not be available until after the end of the year.

:Will my right hon. Friend use his influence to see that young girls do not have to work too long hours in bad workshops and factories?

:I think that is a matter for another Member of the Government, but I will certainly draw his attention to that point.

Can my right hon. Friend tell us what is the reason for the upward move in the number of persons who have contracted tuberculosis?

:I do not think there is one reason; I think there are many reasons. There are the question of the black-out and its effects on the nerves; intensification of effort in workshops, the long winter, and sometimes the fact that workers have had to move from their ordinary habitations and take less comfortable quarters.

Would not my right hon. Friend add to the entertaining list the quality of the milk supply?

Would my. right hon. Friend say that part of the increase is due to the insufficiency of nurses and that patients are being sent from our sanatoria before they are completely well, to contact their families?

I have no evidence of that in Scotland, but if my hon. Friend will give me any evidence on that point, the Department for which I am responsible will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will consider creating central hostels in Scotland where girls of the Land Army can be accommodated under suitable supervision; and whether their physical and moral well-being can be guaranteed?

Some hostels have already been established for members of the Women's Land Army and others are in contemplation. Their establishment is only contemplated when no suitable accommodation on farms is otherwise available. I have no reason to suppose that the accommodation provided on or near farms is generally unsatisfactory but I am making inquiries about certain specific cases which my hon. and gallant Friend has sent me, and I will communicate with him on the subject as soon as possible

Will my right hon. Friend at the same time consider instructing those responsible for these girls in the many parts of Scotland where there is no adequate provision, that this is a matter which really concerns every mother in Scotland?

Yes. Sir, most certainly; but as the hon. and gallant Member knows, we have made every provision at the centre for protection of that kind, and I will readily have inquiries made into alleged breaches of the instruction.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements are in force for ensuring that applicants for the Land Army are physically fit for the duties they are called on to perform?

Applicants for enlistment in the Women's Land Army are required to produce medical certificates to the effect that they are in good health and suffering from no disability likely to unfit them for work on the land.

Will my right hon. Friend make further inquiries? What he says may be true, but it is not carried out in practice, as there is no demand for an examination or a medical certificate. Is there any logical reason why recruits for the Regular Army should go through an examination, whereas those for the Land Army are taken irrespective of whether or not they are in any way fit for the work?

All I can say is that instructions to that effect were given, and if my hon. and gallant Friend will give me particulars of any case where the instructions are not being enforced, I will certainly look into the matter.

Is it not the case that sometimes those who are unfit are passed and those who are fit are not passed?

That may be so, but it is not the Question on the Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will inquire into the methods of working of the Kirkcaldy and District Appeals Tribunal for old age pensioners, in view of numerous complaints of the lack of generosity in their findings as compared with other similar tribunals in Scotland?

The hon. Member has brought a particular case to my notice, and I have asked the Assistance Board to look into it. I will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as I receive their report. I have no evidence that the Kirkcaldy and District Appeals Tribunal proceeds on different lines from other similar tribunals in Scotland.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that there are very many complaints from applicants about the lack of generosity shown to them, and particularly in the Kirkcaldy district, and will he draw attention to the necessity for showing all consideration to old age pensioners?

I have no evidence of that, and I shall be glad if my hon. Friend will give me any particulars he has.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will take further steps to mitigate the sufferings of poor persons evacuated from their homes in Clyde side after enemy bombing, and in particular to repay them the money they must spend on the storage of their remaining goods, to enable them, to draw relief, not in kind but in cash, for necessaries of life, invalid diet and the like, and to increase billeting allowances for these victims of air raids?

The measures for the relief of persons rendered homeless by enemy action are constantly under review. The Minister of Home Security has asked local authorities to help homeless persons to remove and store their furniture where they are unable to do this themselves. Arrangements have been made by the Assistance Board for the immediate provision of relief in cash including where necessary allowances for exceptional needs. Billeting allowances are paid, not to the homeless persons themselves, but to the householders who receive them. The lodging allowances without board which are 5s. per adult and 3s. for each child under 14 have not been generally regarded as inadequate.

Is my right hon. Friend not aware that the London County Council bear all expenses for storing furniture when the people are sent away?

Yes, Sir. That is in accordance with instructions that have been issued by the Ministry of Home Security in cases where the persons themselves do not desire to make their own arrangements for storing their furniture.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that, despite assurances given to him by the Factors' Association and the individual cases already remedied by him, cases still occur over a wide area where poor people are having rent demanded from them by factors for houses which have been demolished in the various bombings of Clydeside; and whether he will take further steps to make known to all the victims of air raids that protection will immediately be afforded to them against such demands?

The answer to the first part of the Question is in the negative. The town clerks of certain Clydeside burghs and the Secretary of the Property Owners' and Factors' Association of whom I have made inquiries are not aware of any case of this kind. But I shall, as my hon. Friend knows, be glad to look into any case of which he sends me particulars. As regards the second part of the Question, a Bill dealing with the rent to be paid in respect of houses suffering from war damage is at present before the House.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the difficulty is to get the factors to put it in writing, and what does he think of the following communication:

I shall be glad if my hon. Friend will let me have those particulars, and I will lose no time in having inquiries made.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in the Glasgow Sheriff Court the sheriff has decided that rent is payable for this class of house, and that certain factors have taken advantage of this; and will he make inquiries into the matter and see that the sheriff in question bears in mind common decency?

All I can say is that I have seen the circular in which the Property Owners' and Factors' Association have advised their members not to charge rent for any blitzed house which is not occupied.

But this is signed by David Paterson, who is chairman of the Factors' Association. What do you propose to do about it?

I should be delighted if my hon. Friend would come and talk to me about it, and if there is any injustice, I will look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that feu duty is still being claimed for land on which houses have been demolished by enemy action or are being pulled down as a result; and whether he will ensure that this practice is stopped in future, and that refund will be made to all persons who have already been obliged to pay?

I have received no representations about the matter referred to. Under Section 4 of the War Damage to Land (Scotland) Act, 1939, the court may, on application being made to it, modify or suspend any term of a disposition or feu charter where war damage has occurred to the land or buildings to which it relates.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will enable coal rations, instead of being ton deliveries in every month, to be taken all together when the consumer so desires and can obtain delivery, so as to relieve the congestion through transport when the winter comes, and so making more transport available for those who have not the facilities for taking in a larger quantity at one time?

As I explained in the House on Thursday last, it is quite incorrect to regard the new restrictions on coal deliveries as a rationing scheme, as commonly understood. The main object is to prevent the accumulation of excessive stocks by fortunately placed individuals to the prejudice of other consumers at a later date, and action on the lines suggested would tend to defeat this object.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether, in order to lessen the strain on the railways in the coming winter, consumers with sufficient storage accommodation will be allowed now to purchase coal up to the quantity consumed last year?

I am fully alive to the need for reducing the winter strain on our transport and for that reason have consistently pressed, this year as last year, for the maximum possible dispersal of coal stocks over the country during the summer months. But, as the hon. and-gallant Member knows, we are short of coal this year, and if essential war production is to be maintained, household supplies must be cut down. To permit those consumers with ample storage accommodation to lay down stocks equivalent to their last year's consumption, must result in others having to go short next winter.

If these people cannot now get coal equivalent to the amount of stocks, what possible chance is there for people who have no. cellar accommodation getting coal in the winter when there is a general strain on the railways?

I am sure that my hon. and gallant Friend would like to see everybody have the same opportunity to put by a little coal, and that is our object.

Do we not take it from that answer that the Minister is desirous to see that big consumers do not get stocks if that is going to prevent small householders from obtaining a fair supply?

There is no discrimination against anyone. We have to safeguard as far as possible the spreading of stocks so that everyone gets a little. We are not going to run the risk of sending all the coal now being produced to large consumers so that the small consumers are left out entirely.

:Is not a small surplus of coal now being produced in excess of the summer consumption; and would it not be better to get that into the cellars of those who have the accommodation, and so clear the way for poor people who have not the accommodation to store coal before the winter?

I am sure that if my hon. and gallant Friend looks into the answer closely, he will see that we are doing the right thing in the interests of the majority.

Does the Minister give full weight to the present allocation, whereby a person who necessarily has to consume more coal than another is prejudiced by the distribution of one ton per month, irrespective of the needs of the household?

There is permission to supply more than one ton of coal per month, but a case must be made out. Machinery has been devised to give full weight to all the considerations that hon. Members have mentioned.

Is the Minister aware that a case was so made out and permission given me for 60 tons for the nursery school in my house?

asked the Secretary for Mines how the new coal-rationing scheme will be applied to hotels, blocks of flats, and large houses, respectively, which employ central heating; and whether, in the case of large houses where there is no central heating but a large number of occupants, the ration will be the same as in the case of a small dwelling where the residents are very few?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether, in the new domestic coal-rationing scheme, it is proposed that all households, regardless of the number of persons or size of house, shall receive the same allocation of coal per month; and, if so, whether he will reconsider the matter, with a view to allowing extra rations to households, both large and small, who are accommodating evacuees from dangerous areas?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether the announcement made by his Department, on 3rd July, is intended to mean that a flat-rate issue of coal and coke for domestic consumption is intended, irrespective of the locality of the consumer, the size of the house, the number of persons in it, the methods of consumption installed, and all the other factors governing needs?

asked the Secretary for Mines whether fuel-rationing schemes are meant to apply so that, for example, a provincial dwelling-house with six permanent occupants will be allowed the same basic fuel rations as a large provincial dwelling containing six permanent occupants plus eight evacuees, of whom some are children, but subject to the claim for hardship and local test, or will ration schemes be first based on so much per occupant without a test arising from a hardship claim and its irritating delays; and why were not automatic per head rations announced originally, so as to avoid uncertainties in applying the schemes at the outset?

As I have already explained, the restrictions which have been imposed for the present on the stocking and delivery of domestic coal, are not a rationing scheme designed to limit consumption, but are meant to prevent the accumulation by fortunately placed individuals of excessive stocks during the next few months at the expense of the public generally. I am satisfied that the figures which have been fixed are reasonable for the great majority of house-coal consumers, but in any case where, on account of the size of the premises, the number of occupants, the method of heating or any other factor, the occupier is of opinion that hardship will result from the application of the specified limits, he may make application to the local fuel overseer who will, if satisfied that the case has been made out, issue a licence under Article 5A of the Fuel and Lighting Order for the delivery of a larger quantity of coal.

Is the Minister aware that where households do not normally use one ton per month, it may conceivably happen that those householders, fearing they may not obtain a supply later on, may start hoarding now to the maximum quantity?

Yes, Sir, but it would not be a very large amount compared with some larger stocks which may be set aside unnecessarily.

Is the Minister aware that in Coventry to-day you cannot get a ton of coal per month, because the coal is not there?

I beg to give notice, in view of the nature of the answer, that I will raise this matter on the Adjournment.

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he will accept the principle that where house coal, anthracite or coke is available, farms and houses in outlying country districts, which are difficult of access in inclement wintry weather, are permitted to store coal, etc., during the good weather period to cover the winter period, on condition that the total amount does not exceed the one ton per month allowed by the order; is he aware that the cost of delivering coal to outlying districts, sometimes many miles from the depot, in one ton lots will be excessive and consume unnecessarily large quantities of petrol and save heavy demurrage charges; and will he indicate a policy to meet these seasonal difficulties?

Instructions are being issued to my local officers that in dealing with applications from consumers for per-mission to acquire in any month a larger quantity of coal than than specified, they should have regard to various factors including those enumerated by the hon. Member. The amount which such consumers should be permitted to acquire would, of course, be determined by the available supplies and the reasonable requirements of the premises in question.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the scheme is so confusing and lacking in simplicity that he would be well advised to scrap it and confine his energies to getting more coal out of the ground?

I am sure that if we scrapped it, the evils would be much more serious. My hon. Friend may not yet know that there is a great disparity in the opportunities for stocking, and it is my Business and concern to act in the interests of the largest number

Is my hon. Friend aware that people do not stock coal for the fun of the thing but because they want it?

I am sure that I have more information on this matter than my hon. and gallant Friend has.

Will my hon. Friend see, that people with large houses are not able to yield an undue influence on controllers to get more coal than they are entitled to?

Will my hon. Friend consider allowing persons who have the means of stocking up to their ration to do so provided the coal is available?

It is not intended to curtail supplies for any consumer where the coal is available, but when it is short it is the duty of the Mines Department to see that the supplies are made equally available to all classes of consumer.

When coal supplies are short, why is it allowed to be exported?

My hon. Friend knows that the quality of the coal which is exported is not the same as the coal which is consumed for domestic purposes.

asked the Secretary for Mines the total amount of coal and coke exported from this country in the first six months of the present year?

It would not be in the public interest to provide the figures required, but I will send them to the hon. Member for his own information confidentially.

If it is not in the public interest to inform the House and the country what volume of coal and coke has been exported to other countries, is it not in the public interest to assure us, in view of the shortage of coal and the prospects of severe privations due to the shortage, that we should be certain that no coal is being exported? When the Minister states that he will send the documents to me, will he also give particulars of the amount of coal exported to Spain?

Yes, Sir, if that is the information the hon. Member especially requires. He can rest assured that we are paying attention to the need for conserving coal for home requirements. I would not be wrongly divulging any special information if I told the House that we are going to cut down exports.

Are we to understand that it is the policy of the Mines Department, and the Government, to continue to export coal when we are told we may shiver this winter? Is it intended that that should be the policy?.

I do not think we are going to shiver; I think we shall have sufficient coal for our use. The first claim for the consumption of coal produced in this country is to be given to the people of this country and the industries of this country.

:May I give notice now that on perusal of the figures which my hon. Friend proposes to send me, I may desire to ask permission to raise this matter on the Adjournment?

On a point of Order. The Secretary for Mines has offered to send these figures to my hon. Friend who proposes to raise the matter on the Adjournment. In view of the fact that other hon. Members may wish to take part in that Debate, are they also entitled to that information if they so desire it?

No doubt the figures could be supplied to other hon. Members who desire to have them.

asked the Secretary for Mines how many working shifts are lost at mines owing to the refusal of managements to allow workmen who arrive late to proceed to their work; and whether he can take steps to secure that when the late arrival of the workmen is due to circumstances outside their control arrangements will be made to enable the men to proceed to their work?

:No figures of the kind asked for are available. The question raised is one more suitable for discussion locally between the two sides of the industry—either through the Coal Production Committee or otherwise—than for action centrally.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the amount of absenteeism in mines is due to men who, through no fault of their own, have arrived late, and will he make representations to the owners that they should relax this rule?

I am glad that my hon. Friend has given the House that informa- tion. The owners are well aware of the difficulty of getting full attendance at the collieries, and I hope that better facilities will be provided.

Is my hon. Friend aware that referring it back to the local areas where the trouble exists will do no good, and is his Department prepared, where these difficulties exist locally, to step in and take definite action?

I do not even know the number of these cases. They occur locally and are known to the people locally, and they are the only people who can judge whether there has been any fault on the part of the workmen. Until it is laid down that the local machinery is inadequate, it is useless my Department stepping in.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give an assurance that no further War Loans will be raised at a greater rate of interest than 2 per cent.?

No, Sir.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there will be great concern in the country if he attempts to raise a loan at a higher rate of interest, and that there is a growing body of opinion which is conscious of the fact that the war can be financed at a low rate of interest if we set about it in the right way?

I am indebted to the hon. Member for suggestions that he has made, which, however, I have not hitherto been able to adopt.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consult the Secretary of State for Scotland, who wrote a pamphlet during the last war on interest-free loans?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Treasury recently requisitioned dated Indian loans without giving choice between refusal and acceptance of the market, or any other price, so that holders might, if they had preferred to do so, retain their investment until the earliest contractual repayment date; how, in this case the principle has been observed which he has laid down that there should be no infraction of an agreement calculated to undermine the contractual basis upon which borrowers invited the public to subscribe to dated loans; and whether the contract as to earliest date of repayment had been previously cancelled by agreement between lenders and the Treasury or the Indian Government?

:As I have already stated, the securities were acquired by the Treasury at the market price and there was no infraction of an agreement between lenders and borrowers. The grant to the holders of an option such as that suggested by my hon. Friend would have defeated the essential object of this transaction, which was to purchase the securities at market price from the holders for re-sale by the Treasury to the Government of India.

asked the Chanceller of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that the Treasury does not sustain losses by reason of the large-scale cash transactions in the fruit and vegetable black market, of which transactions the traders keep no book records?

:I presume my hon. Friend has in mind the due taxation of trading profits arising from cash transactions. inspectors of Taxes, whose duty it is to satisfy themselves so far as possible that traders are charged to tax on their full profits are alive to the possible absence of cash transactions from the normal trading records, and take appropriate steps to ensure that the full profits are assessed where they have reason to believe that a correct return has not been delivered.

Is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to examine representations which have recently been made by the London and Liverpool Chambers of Commerce, and is he aware of the allegations that they make that it may be very diff-cult in a few months' time to point to an honest man in the fruit and vegetable market at all?

I regret to hear the latter statement. I will gladly examine any particulars that are sent to me; I should like individual cases.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consult with the Minister of Food. as he has the evidence?

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sum has been paid as interest on bills issued by tap between 1st January and 30th June, 1941; and what has been the average monthly sum so borrowed?

:The total amount of interest paid on tap Treasury bills during the six months ended 30th June, 1941, was rather less than £4,000,000: generally speaking, this sum accrued directly or indirectly for the benefit of the Exchequer. It has never been the practice to publish monthly averages of the sums so borrowed.

What is the rate of discount?