asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware of certain concoctions advertised as sherry and whisky mac, sold at extortionate prices, containing little sherry or whisky; and whether steps will be taken to put a stop to these frauds.

Regulation 1 of the Defence (Sale of Food) Regulations, 1943, makes it an offence to supply these products under a label which is misleading as to their nature, substance or quality. The enforcement of this Regulation is in the hands of Food and Drugs authorities, and I am glad to say that recently some offenders have been successfully prosecuted and other prosecutions are pending.

asked the Under Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs whether the coming British Commonwealth discussions, prior to the San Francisco International Conference, are to be held in London; and if he can indicate the approximate date and which delegates are likely to attend.

The meeting will be held in London in the near future. For security reasons it is undesirable at present to announce the exact date of the meeting. The names of the Delegates who will attend will be announced in due course.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will take steps to remedy the present arrangements whereby insufficient taxi-cabs meet late trains at the London stations, so that taxi-cabs are overloaded and carry up to six persons; that the taxi-cab has then to take a long and roundabout route to the various passengers' destinations and that the different passengers are charged up to 2s. 6d. per passenger

There is no legal power to direct cabs to particular places at particular times, but the need for an adequate supply of cabs at main line stations in London has repeatedly been impressed on the trade. Cabs are in short supply, like many other things in war time; and as a means of alleviating this difficulty the sharing of cabs wherever possible has been and will continue to be encouraged by the police. I quite appreciate that cab sharing may involve over- loading and, on occasion, some deviation from the direct route; but I think most passengers would rather put up with any such inconveniences than have no cab at all, and in this matter I think that there will be general agreement that the principle of the greatest good of the greatest number should be observed. As regards fares, as my hon. Friend the Member for Maldon (Mr. Driberg) was informed on 2nd March, the total amount legally payable for a tax-cab hiring in London, whether or not the cab is shared, is that shown on the taximeter.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that permanent civil servants are being appointed to act as lay members of Pensions Appeals Tribunals, England and Wales; and whether he is satisfied that such appointments are in the public interest.

I am aware that there are at present two lay members of the Pensions Appeals Tribunals, in the ex-Servicemen's other ranks class, who are also permanent civil servants. These two members only sit occasionally when their services are required in an emergency due to illness or other similar reason, and where an adjournment of the sittings might cause hardship to the appellants. The question whether this practice ought to be abandoned on grounds of principle is at present under consideration by my Noble Friend the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Attorney-General why, in the recent case of Jones and Hulton, the accused were tried together and not separately; and whether he will introduce legislation to amend such conditions.

It is often right that persons should be jointly indicted. When persons are so indicted the question whether it is in the interests of justice that they should be tried separately is one within the discretion of the trial judge. Any person so charged can apply to the judge to be tried separately, but in the particular case to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers no such application was made on behalf of either of the accused. I do not think there is any need for amending legislation.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Regional Commissioners and Deputy Regional Commissioners have now resigned their offices; and in how many cases he has decided not to appoint a successor.

Seven Regional Commissioners have now resigned their appointments. Four of these have already ceased duty and three will terminate their appointments on 31st March, 1945; nine Deputy Regional Commissioners have already resigned their appointments and have ceased duty. Other resignations are pending and will be announced shortly. In no case has a successor been appointed. I should add that circumstances vary as between Regions, and in some cases I consider it to be desirable in the national interest that the Regional Commissioner should remain in office.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, with a view to the adequate punishment of the felony of receiving stolen property well-knowing it to have been stolen, in connection with black market offences, he is prepared to introduce legislation to amend the law so as to make it possible for courts of competent jurisdiction to impose a fine in such cases in addition to a sentence of imprisonment as is now only possible with certain statutory exceptions in the case of misdemeanours or where the charge is laid under the Defence of the Realm Regulations.

A fine may be imposed in addition to imprisonment on a person convicted of receiving controlled articles under Regulation 55 of the Defence Regulations, and the police have been advised that a charge should be preferred under the Regulation, rather than under the Larceny Act, in any case which appears to be connected with the black market. Legislation does not therefore appear necessary to achieve the object which my hon. and learned Friend has in mind.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries have been reported in the Metropolitan area during the last 12 months.

361 burglaries (that is, housebreakings known to have been committed during the night) were reported in the Metropolitan Police District in the 12 months ending 31st December last. 5,249 housebreakings were reported during the same period.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received satisfactory assurances regarding war criminals from the Argentine Government.

Yes, Sir. In September of last year a communication was received by my Department from the Argentine Embassy in London in which it was stated that in no event would persons accused of war crimes be allowed in Argentine territory, and that such persons would not be allowed to create capital deposits or to acquire property of any kind in the Argentine.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can now give more information about the constitution, function and powers of the proposed development companies.

The whole question of the part which Government-sponsored Development Corporations might play in the industrial development of the Colonies is still under consideration. I am not yet in a position to make the detailed statement for which the hon. Member is asking.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the seat on the Anglo-Caribbean Commission recently vacated by Sir John Macpherson has now been filled; and, if so, who has been appointed.

Sir John Macpherson will not take up his appointment as Comptroller until April, and no appointment in his place as British Resident Member in Washington of the A.A.C.C. has yet been made.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of money transferred to the U.S.A. since 1940 in payment for the exhibition of American films in this country; and what amount has been received in respect of the exhibition of British films in the U.S.A.

In the five years 1940 to 1944 the total sum transferred to the U.S.A. in connection with films exhibited here was approximately £62,000,000. Corresponding figures in respect of British films exhibited in the U.S.A. are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is able to make any statement with regard to the damage caused recently by cyclones in Mauritius; whether it is intended to provide financial assistance to the Colony; and what steps he proposes to take in order to secure supplies of the necessary foodstuffs and building materials needed to make good the damage.

I would refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave to the hon. Member for South Dorset (Viscount Hinchingbrooke) and the hon. Member for West Leyton (Mr. Sorensen) on 7th February. As regards financial assistance a grant of £10,000 was immediately made by His Majesty's Government, and this sum has been placed in the Relief Fund opened by the Governor which is managed by a representative of the Central Relief Committee, with an elected member of the Council of Government as chairman, with a fully representative membership. Distribution of relief in kind, wherever possible, is effected through local subcommittee. Special steps have been taken to arrange for the importation of the necessary food supplies and building materials.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether he has prepared, or is having prepared, a list of places or a map to indicate places of natural beauty and/or historic interest that it is considered shall not be acquired or exploited by or for commercial purposes.

The preservation of places of natural beauty and objects of historic interest is a purpose always in mind in the preparation of planning schemes, and lists such as the hon. Member has in mind are being prepared so far as war circumstances permit.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware of the suffering imposed on relatives of men reported absent without leave when serving overseas, through the stoppage of all allowances; and will he reconsider the regulations in connection therewith.

Although in time of war family and dependants' allowances are paid direct to a soldier's wife or dependant they are a part of his own emoluments and the issue of the allowances cease under the Regulations when he has been in a state of absence without leave for more than seven days. The issue is resumed as soon as he rejoins his unit or is apprehended. My hon. Friend will appreciate that there is no reason why such payments should be made for more than a limited period in respect of a man who has absented himself from his unit, thereby depriving the Army of his services.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement about the progress of the U.N.R.R.A. Conference at Sydney.

The Conference of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration at Sydney, which should more correctly be described as the 7th Session of the Far Eastern Regional Committee of the Council of U.N.R.R.A., opened on 15th February and closed on 20th February. It was held under the chairmanship of Dr. T. F. Tsiang, the representative of the Chinese Republic. His Majesty's Government were represented by Sir Paul Butler, a distinguished member of His Majesty's Foreign Service, with wide Far Eastern experience. Australia, China, France, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States of America were also represented. The Session was preceded by meetings of the five Technical Sub-Committees for the Far East, which began their labours in the last week of January. Special delegates from the United Kingdom had been sent to these sub-committees. Detailed reports of the proceedings and minutes of the meetings have not yet been received. The following information has, therefore, been compiled from such telegraphic summaries as are available.The Session of the Regional Committee was opened by the Australian representative, Dr. Evatt, with a speech which has been widely reported in the Press. After receiving a report from the staff of the Administration on the activities of its Far Eastern division, the committees proceeded to discuss reports and recommendations submitted by the technical subcommittees. Among the most important of these were a recommendation of the Sub-Committee on Agriculture about measures to increase the production of rice and encourage the use of alternative cereals in liberated areas; a proposal by the same sub-committee for the establishment of a veterinary consultative body for the Far East, similar to that suggested for Europe; and the submission by the Sub-Committee on Health of a draft agreement for the health and sanitary control of displaced persons in the Far East. These and other recommendations of the subcommittees were accepted and embodied in suitable resolutions by the committee.The committee also adopted a Resolution regarding the importance of arranging for transport facilities as early as possible; a Resolution regarding the supply of regular information to the committees and the Administration about the conditions in occupied countries; and one giving the chairman power to call another meeting of the committee, if necessary, before the next Session of the Council. The most important Resolution adopted was that proposed by Dr. Evatt, which made three recommendations: