asked the President of the Board of Trade the meaning of the the Emergency Powers (Defence) Consumer Rationing Order (S.R. & O., No. '245, of 1944) which appears to amend five earlier Orders.

This Order does not amend any earlier Consumer Rationing Order. An explanatory note is on the back of the Order, which requires unregistered manufacturers of fur apparel to give certain information, and to deliver coupons, to the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that Toilet Preparations (No. 3) Order, 1943, as amended by Toilet Preparations (No. 4) Order, 1943, which forbids the manufacture of nail varnish and nail varnish remover if the product contains more than ½ per cent. of acetone, is being contravened by preparations purporting to stop ladders in ladies' stockings, some of which are issued in six shades from natural to carmine; and whether he will take action to prevent such contravention.

I am looking into this matter, but under a recent Order (S.R. & O. 1944, No. 404), made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Supply, at whose request I originally imposed the ban, it has become an offence to put such preparations up for sale in the small quantities in which nail varnish and remover are normally sold.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether people who are obliged to remove their furniture from bomb-damaged houses in order to prevent further damage or deterioration can claim reimbursement of removal expenses under the Chattels Insurance Scheme or whether they can obtain compensation for this necessary expense in any other way.

Local authorities are empowered to reimburse reasonable removal expenses to persons who are compelled to remove their goods from damaged premises. Where such expenses have not been so recovered, the Board of Trade reimburse them, if they are satisfied that the removal was undertaken to avoid further damage to the goods and that the expenses were reasonable.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has any further information regarding the whereabouts of the prisoners of war last heard of, in August, 1943, at the. P.G. 5/4 Camp, Italy.

It is possible that this camp was a working camp under the administration of Camp 5. Several such camps were formed in June and July of last year, but details of the camps and the names of the prisoners sent there have never reached us. After the Italian Armistice, as my hon. Friend is aware, the Germans transferred a large number of British prisoners from the parts of Italy they occupy to Germany and notifications of such transfers are still being received. The next-of-kin are informed as soon as such notifications reach the War Office.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a prisoner of war who, while in captivity, completes 14 years' service is entitled to an increase in pay.

I assume the Question refers to the grant of long service and good conduct pay, which is awarded under certain conditions to soldiers who have completed' 13 years' service. A soldier is not considered for this award so long as he remains a prisoner of war, but if his eligibility is confirmed within 3 months from his repatriation he is granted the appropriate pay with retrospective effect to the date on which he completed the necessary period of service.

asked the Secretary of State for War, if he has considered the copy of a letter from Driver Parry, Field Regiment, R.A., alleging that he was handcuffed to a lorry in the front line in Italy for three nights and, as this form of punishment is contrary to Army Regulations, will he take necessary steps to prevent its repetition and the proper disciplinary action.

Inquiries are being made into these allegations.

asked the Secretary of State for War upon what basis the higher rate of cash allowances in lieu of rations for other ranks in this country is assessed and varied from time to time; and whether any increase is allowed to meet a rise in the cost of living.

The higher rate of ration allowance, in lieu of issue in kind, in the United s Kingdom for other ranks is the retail value of a ration scale based on the requirements of one individual. The assessment is based on retail prices reported in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" (in which are reflected the variations in the cost of living) and is revised every four months.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether a prisoner of war who, while in captivity, completes 18 years' service, war service counting double, is, if a Territorial, entitled to the T.D.

An application on behalf of an officer who is a prisoner of war for the award of the Territorial Efficiency Decoration is investigated, but his name is not submitted to the King until he is repatriated. I should add that the qualifying period for this decoration is 20 years.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will issue instructions that, whenever it is possible to do so, hutments and property under W.D. requisition should be transferred to war agricultural executive committees, upon request, for the temporary accommodation of students and others who volunteer for harvesting; and that if agricultural executive committees so request, redundant Army huts should be vouchered over for demolition and re-erection as harvest hostels.

My hon. and gallant Friend will appreciate that the needs of the Army must have first call on any such accommodation. Subject to this Army Commands already have the power to meet local requests of the nature described in the first part of the Question and each case is dealt with on its merits.

asked the Minister of Health if his attention has been called to a proposal to abstract water from a source at Draycott Cross, in the Cheadle (Staffs) Rural District, to augment supply in the area of the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board, and the strong feeling held in the Cheadle area against this on the grounds that it would ultimately affect the wells at Teanford waterworks, approximately only 2,000 yards away; and what steps he is taking to protect and ensure an adequate supply of water for that area.

I am aware that the Staffordshire Potteries Water Board have under consideration a proposal to abstract water from a disused mine shaft near Draycott Cross in the Cheadle rural district, and I have asked the Board to inform me of the statutory powers on which they rely for the works. My consent to the abstraction of the water will be required only if the Board apply for an Order under Defence Regulation 50A, in which event an opportunity would be given to all interested bodies and persons to be heard when the application is received, and full consideration would be given to the steps required to protect water supplies in the neighbourhood.

asked the Minister of Supply in how many cases and in respect of what total acreage the home-grown flax department has cancelled contracts it had made with Scottish farmers, in some instances after delivery of the seed and after preliminary cultivations had been done; and what arrangements he proposes to make to compensate farmers for losses they have incurred in respect of these last minute cancellations.

Contracts with 20 farmers, covering 130 acres, were cancelled through the War Agricultural Executive Committees, on more suitable land becoming available. The cancellations were made with the consent of the farmers concerned and no claim was made for loss incurred. No charge is being made for the seed which had been delivered in one instance.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any plans have been, or are being, evolved by the Department of Agriculture in Scotland in conjunction with the forestry authorities for intensive planting of suitable hedges for protection of arable land in the Outer Hebrides from the strong winds that damage grain and vegetable crops.

No plans have been under consideration by the Department of Agriculture for the planting of hedges in the Outer Islands. But if the hon. Member has any proposals of the kind which he thinks are feasible or operable, I will be glad to have these examined.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the activities and prospect of extension of the Cefoil industry in the Outer Hebrides.

Messrs. Cefoil Ltd. are the tenants of two factories on the West Coast of Scotland. The Scottish Council on Industry, in collaboration with the commercial firms interested, including Messrs. Cefoil Ltd., are actively exploring the possibility of developing and expanding the collection and processing of seaweed in the Highlands and Islands.

asked the Minister of Production how the volume of war production in Lanarkshire in March of this year compares with that' of March of the three preceding years.

I regret that information is not available on which it would be possible to found a comparative statement such as that for which the hon. Member asks.

asked the Minister of Food when he proposes to introduce the new loaf; whether it will contain a greater percentage of flour than at present; and whether this will necessitate any alteration in the chemicals added to improve its medical value.

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to my recent announcement that the use of barley for dilution was ceasing. This step has already been taken, and in most areas now the bread on sale is made from flour which contains no barley. In consequence of this step, the present national loaf contains a higher percentage of wheaten flour. As regards the last part of the Question, the answer is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Food if he will arrange for the Potato Marketing Board either to pay for ware potatoes on the basis of their weight when freshly pitted, or to accept delivery before they have shrunken and sprouted through over-long retention in the pit.

Growers contracting to sell ware potatoes to my Department for end of season reserve have the option of being paid either for the estimated quantity in the pit at the time of inspection early in the season or for the quantity delivered late. Under the former method the risk of normal deterioration in store is borne by the Ministry and under the latter by the grower, Who then receives for the ware potatoes delivered a higher price calculated to offset normal shrinkage and wastage in the pit. My Department also pays an increased price to growers who are unable to find a market outlet for surplus ware potatoes where delivery is taken late in the season.

asked the Minister of Food whether retail shopkeepers are entitled to refuse to sell vegetables and other produce to those who cultivate their own allotments.

I have no power to compel a trader to make a sale to a particular customer; but certain rules are laid down by my Department for the guidance of retailers receiving allocations of tomatoes and imported fruit. If my hon. Friend will send me particulars of any case where there is evidence that a retailer is denying supplies of these commodities to a class of customers such as allotment holders, I shall be glad to inquire into them.

asked the Minister of Food if it is with his approval that a club in the South-Eastern Area under the direct control of N.A.A.F.I. and licensed for the supply of food and refreshment to canteen staff only, is being frequented by civilians who are enrolled as honorary members, although the whole of the food is being supplied by N.A.A.F.I.

I am obliged to my hon. Friend for 'bringing this case to my notice. I understand that instructions have now been issued prohibiting the enrolment as honorary members of the club of persons who are not employed by N.A.A.F.I.

asked the Minister of Information if he will take steps to see that London newspapers and the B.B.C. do not announce after an air-raid that a hospital has been hit, as this results in every hospital in London being rung up on the telephone by friends and relatives of the patients in order to find out whether it is the one in question.

I sympathise with the difficulties which arise on such occasions, but I am afraid they cannot be avoided. Censorship is and can only be concerned with matters of security and no security is involved in reports of hits on an unnamed hospital, although it would be if the hospital were named and the enemy thereby enabled to identify the exact area in which his bombs had fallen.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he is aware that, although Euston and St. Pancras Stations are now clearly marked by day, the L.N.E.R. at King's Cross still has no clearly visible identification signs; and will he expedite the marking of this station as well as the erection of illuminated signs visible at night.

I am informed that the signs, daylight and illuminated, have been ordered, but owing to shortage of labour and materials, delivery cannot be effected before the middle of May. They will be installed as soon as they are received.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what is being done to terminate the strike on some of the London Transport omnibus routes which is seriously inconveniencing workers and retarding the war effort.

As my hon. Friend will have seen from the Press, this strike is now over.

asked the Minister of Health if he has considered the Order submitted for his approval by the Wembley Borough Council for the compulsory purchase of six playing fields, covering a total area of 48 acres, for the purposes of Part V of the Housing Act, 1936; and whether such purchases, reducing the limited opportunities for games and recreation in Greater London, will be sanctioned in areas where other sites are available.

I understand that the local authority has made such an order but it has not yet been submitted to me. When it is submitted I shall have to consider it together with any objections that may be made to it and I shall at that time 'bear in mind the points mentioned in the last part of my hon. and 'gallant Friend's Question.

asked the Postmaster-General why Post Office telephone accounts are sent out six months in arrear; and, as it is impossible for subscribers to check these, if he will have them sent at least quarterly.

Six-monthly accounts were introduced as a war-time measure. The change has effected a substantial saving in man-power and paper, and I regret that circumstances do not at present permit of a return to the previous arrangement of quarterly and monthly accounts.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the amount now held by him as subscribers' deposits which have been paid by subscribers on installation; and why it is now necessary to charge one quarter's rent in advance.

The amount now held by the Post Office as subscribers' deposits is, roughly, £837,000. These deposits, which relate only to agreements taken before 1934, were intended to safeguard the revenue against loss on call charges, which are payable in arrear. Subscribers have always been required to pay rental in advance, which results in reducing the number of bad debts and the amount of correspondence.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether recipients of the D.C.M. are taxed on their special emolument of 6d. a day; and, if so, whether he will consider exempting this from tax.

The payments to which my hon. Friend refers represent an addition to the pension in respect of military service and as such are liable to Income Tax in accordance with the general rule applying to payments from public funds. The amount of tax, if any, payable in a particular case would, of course, depend upon the total income of the pensioner and the Income Tax allowance he could claim. I am afraid that I do not see my way to propose legislation to exempt these pensions from tax.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he is prepared to increase the quota of one unit electric fires which may be sold, having in mind the large stocks at present held by wholesalers and, in view of the necessity, on health grounds, of enabling some slight heating facilities to be made available in buildings affected by the ban on central heating.

No, Sir. Except by official permit the use of electric fires, and other alternative forms of heating, is forbidden in the premises covered by the Control of Fuel (Restriction of Heating) Order, 1944.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power when he intends to impose the same regulations on the Houses of Parliament in respect to central heating restrictions as are now imposed on factories and other places of business and Government establishments.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which your predecessor in the Chair, Mr. Speaker, gave to the hon. Member for The High Peak (Mr. Molson) on 23rd June, 1942.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the cost of production and the average selling price of opencast coal from Yorkshire sites stating whether the latter is on site or delivered.

In reply to the first part of the question regarding costs of production, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Ness Edwards) on 18th April. In reply to the second part, the selling price of Yorkshire open cast coal at sites or disposal points ranges between 26s. and 31s. 6d. per ton, depending on the seam from which the coal is mined and whether or not the coal is screened.

asked the Minister of Feel and Power if he can give any estimate of the number of colliery screens equipped to deal with the loads from 20-ton waggons.

I regret that the information asked for is not available.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how many of the coal mines of Great Britain are supplied with coal cutting machinery; how many with conveyors; how many have been fully mechanised since the war began; and to what extent coal production has been increased thereby estimated on the number of mine workers employed.

I regret that it is not possible to give this informtion in the form asked for, since the latest return available of mining machinery in use at mines under the Coal Mines Act is that for 1942, complete figures for 1943 not yet having been received from collieries.The following table shows the number of mines working and the number using coal cutters, conveyors and gate end loaders for each year from 1938 to 1942.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of days of coal production lost through abstention from work on the day or days following a fatal accident in coalmines; whether this cessation of work is general throughout the industry; and whether there has been any decrease in such stoppages during the war period.

Information as to the number of shifts lost owing to men leaving their work following fatal accidents is not readily available prior to 6th September, 1942. From that date up to 15th Aril, 1944, some 200 pit shifts (involving over 100,000 man-shifts) were lost through this cause. Though fairly general in peace-time, the custom has not been observed in all districts during the war.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether, taking the aggregate reduction of output in the coalfields since 1st March or at any more convenient date, he can state the subdivision of such reduction according to the different coalfields.

During the five weeks ended 1st April, 1944, the aggregate reduction in output was 2,284,000 tons, as compared with the corresponding period of last year. More than one and a half million tons of the reduction were lost owing to disputes, mainly in the Yorkshis p and South Wales coalfields. Apart from two small districts where there was a slight increase in production, the remainder of the decrease was spread more or less evenly among the other coalfields.

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether it is the policy of his Department to encourage in this country after the war intensive vegetable cultivation so as to increase our own supplies of these commodities and what advice he is giving to that end.

This is one of the matters to be considered in connection with postwar agricultural policy generally.

asked the Minister of Agriculture the results during the past 12 months of the tuberculin testing of milch cows; and the number of animals which have reacted.

Official tuberculin tests are made of all cattle in T.T. herds and attesicd herds. During the twelve months ended 31si March last, 662,000 cattle were included in tests of T.T. herds, of which 5,100 or 0.8 per cent. reacted, and 704,000 cattle were included in tests of attested herds of which 2,600 or 0.4 per cent. reacted. Separate figures for mulch cows only are not available. Since some herds were tested more than once during the year, the figures do not represent the number of individual cattle in the herds tested. The figures for those T.T. herds which are also attested are included both in the figures for T.T. herds and in those for attested herds.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why, in the Visiting Forces (Royal Canadian Air Force) (Amendment) Order, 1944 (S.R. & O., No. 332, of 1944), the words "Sixteen Dollars, Canadian" are substituted by the words "Twenty-five Dollars, Canadian," and if he will state the meaning of the Order.

Under recent amendment to Royal Canadian Air Force regulations the maximum fine which a court-martial may award for drunkenness was increased from 16 to 25 dollars. The Canadian authorities desire that airmen of the Royal Canadian Air Force attached to the R.A.F. shall be in the same position in this respect as those serving under Royal Canadian Air Force regulations. The Order referred to has this effect.

asked the Secretary of Slate for Air what regulations govern R.A.F. bandsmen's acceptance of orchestral engagements in off-duty periods.

Subject to Service requirements, individual members of R.A.F. bands may, with permission, accept private orchestral engagements during off-duty periods, but contracts for a series of engagements may not be accepted and, except during periods of leave of seven days or longer, not more than one engagement a fortnight may be undertaken. Special leave is not granted for private engagements. Remuneration must not be accepted at a rate lower than that usually paid to civilians for similar services.

The Sitting will now be suspended for two hours.