asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that whilst the cost of living estimate for single Africans in the principal towns of Tanganyika is 50s. per month the average wage for unskilled labour is 30s. to 35s. per month, including the value of rations; whether he appreciates the social unrest arising from this; and what steps he proposes to take towards adjusting the position.

I am in communica-with the Governor regarding the first part of the Question. With regard to the last two parts of the Question, the Governor has instituted an inquiry as to the conditions of employment of labour employed by the Government.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the backward state of Nyasaland's economy his development adviser in that territory is looking into hydro-electric irrigation and commercial forestry possibilities.

My right hon. Friend is not aware whether the Development Adviser has yet had an opportunity of examining such projects, but they certainly fall within his province.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, with a view to accelerating the social and economic development of the 13,000,000 inhabitants of the East African territories, and to permit of larger grants and loans under the Development and Welfare Act to other Colonies not so well financially situated, he will consider authorising the raising locally in East Africa of a guaranteed loan to help forward the general development of the three territories in such directions as may be approved by their governors in conference.

The possibility of supplementing the funds available for development expenditure by the raising of local loans by any Colonies which are in a financial position to provide for the service of such, loans is being kept very prominently in mind in the examination of general development programmes. Proposals for the raising of such a loan in Kenya are now under consideration, but no specific proposals have so far been submitted by the other East African territories.

asked the Postmaster-General how many years his Department have been seeking sites for a new telephone exchange at Oxford; whether one has yet been acquired; and how long it is estimated it will be before the new exchange will be in full working order after the site has been found.

Search for a site for a new telephone exchange at Oxford was begun in 1937. Compulsory powers to purchase a suitable site were obtained from Parliament in the Post Office Sites Act, 1938, but the complete acquisition of the site was deferred upon the outbreak of war. Town planning proposals have since arisen affecting the site and these are at present the subject of discussion with the Oxford Corporation. A period of between four and five years is likely to elapse between the acquisition of a site and the opening of the new exchange.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the need of telephone kiosks in the village of West Quarter, Stirlingshire, to enable urgent calls to doctors, etc., to be conveniently made; and if he will see that one is installed.

Yes, Sir. The work involved is greater than can be undertaken at present, but the provision of a kiosk will be put in hand as soon as the necessary materials and labour are available.

asked the Postmaster-General why not more than one twopenny air-mail letter-card can be obtained at a post office by a parent who wishes to write to two or more sons serving overseas; and whether he will take steps to make the required number of air-mail letter-cards available in such cases.

The only difficulty is one of supply; the 2d. Forces letter has proved so popular that demand has temporarily outrun supply in some places. I hope that in spite of war-time difficulties adequate supplies will be forthcoming very shortly.

asked the Minister of Food if, in the interest of our export trade, food products made from sugar will now be permitted to be exported.

I regret that the supply position does not at present permit the export of food products made from sugar, apart from the minimum requirements of certain Colonies and Dependencies.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that because of the temporary shortage of potatoes merchants and wholesalers in the markets, especially at the Borough and Spitalfields markets, are imposing a condition of sale on retailers by compelling them when buying 3 or 5 cwts. of potatoes to accept 10 bags or more of stale greens which are often of poor quality but sold at high maximum prices; and will he increase the severity of his warning to all traders who promote this system of bargaining for essential foodstuffs.

As my hon. Friend is aware, conditional sales are illegal. If he will supply me with particulars enabling an investigation to be made, I should be glad to have them thoroughly examined immediately.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will now consider discontinuing the pre-emption of soft fruits in the case of holdings under one acre; and whether he will discontinue the preemption of strawberries in 1945.

I regret that the shortage of available supplies of fruit for jam manufacture is still such that the preemption of soft fruits (including strawberries) cannot yet be discontinued, even in the case of holdings under an acre.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport on what grounds the Coastguard Service is excluded from the war gratuities scheme.

I would refer my Noble Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8th March last, in which he set out the conditions on which the Government had decided to extend the payment of the war gratuities made to the Armed Forces to certain other analogous classes of the community. These conditions apply to the Auxiliary Coastguard, to whom this benefit has accordingly been extended; they do not apply to the Regular Coastguards, who are a peace time force.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Trans- port whether he is aware that the Highways Committee of the Buckinghamshire County Council has recommended the purchase for £3,250 of the island site at the junction of Aylesbury End, Beacons-field, of 426 square yards with buildings upon it; and what is the present rateable value of the property.

I understand that the property at Aylesbury End, Beaconsfield, to which my hon. Friend refers, was bought by the Buckinghamshire County Council in October, 1944, for £3,250. The property is assessed under Schedule A for tax at £97 8s. 6d.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he can give the figures of cyclists killed on the roads during February, when the black-out was partially raised, as compared with the casualties caused to cyclists during the similar period last year and in a pre-war year.

The numbers of cyclists killed on the roads, for which my hon. Friend asks, are as follow:

In February, 1945: 52, including 17 during hours of darkness.

In February, 1944: 79, including 27 during hours of darkness.

In February, 1938: 104 during all hours.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether the proposals for the system of motor-ways in the North is intended to be a permanent feature of a final road plan or as experimental stretches for obtaining further information as to the merits of motor-ways in general.

As my hon. Friend is aware, His Majesty's Government intend to construct suitable lengths of motorway, if Parliament grants them the necessary powers. These lengths of road will form part of a general long-term plan.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he will rescind the order preventing the delivery to a farm near Oxted, particulars of which have been sent to him, of wet grain for cattle feeding.

My Noble Friend sent my hon. Friend a full explanation of this case last month. I understand that since then the operator has applied to the Regional Transport Commissioner, and that the Commissioner has given the necessary authority for the transport and delivery of the grain.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport the profits earned by the railway companies to the year ended 31st December, 1944; the amount which has been paid to the railway companies under the hire agreement; the profit which has accrued to the Treasury; and the total profit which has accrued to the Treasury for each of the financial years from the commencement of the control.

Estimates for the year are contained in a White Paper issued last week, a copy of which I will send to my hon. Friend. The estimated excess of net revenue over the fixed annual sums payable to the controlled undertakings is £46,787,000 in 1944. The corresponding figure for 1941 was £21,656,000; in 1942, it was £45,657,000; in 1943 it was £62,099,000.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in the course of the discussions culminating in the Yalta agreement, a procedure was contemplated such as that now being followed in the negotiations initiated on 15th March, 1945, between the Vice-Premier of the Polish Government in London, the Polish underground leaders, and representatives of the Government of the U.S.S.R.

No, Sir. But the main aim of the Crimea declaration on Poland was the establishment of a new Polish Provisional Government of National Unity by the reorganisation of the present Provisional Government on a broader democratic basis with the inclusion of democratic leaders from Poland itself and from Poles abroad. Although the Crimea declaration did not contemplate discus- sions of the character described by my hon. and gallant Friend, there is no reason why they should be ruled out if they contributed to achieving the main aim of the Crimea declaration.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that on 28th March, 1945, after several preliminary meetings with a high officer of the N.K.V.D., the Vice-Premier of the Polish Government in London, who is resident in Poland, together with three other Ministers and eight representatives of four political parties, visited the headquarters of the Russian General Ivanoff, at his invitation, in order to discuss means for sending 12 delegates from Polish political parties and the underground movement to London; and when the arrival in London of these delegates may be expected.

The reports which my right hon. Friend has received of such meetings as are referred to in the question do not suggest that their purpose was to discuss means for sending Polish political leaders to London, and I have no information as to their possible arrival here.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if His Majesty's Government is aware of the concern felt by officers and other ranks of the Polish forces serving with the British Navy, Army and Air Force who, unable to obtain definite news of their relatives in Poland, are a prey to rumours of deportations and arrest's among their families; and what steps are being taken to obtain information from the Soviet Government for our Polish allies as to the safety and whereabouts of their parents, wives and children.

His Majesty's Government are indeed aware of the concern felt by those who are serving so gallantly in the Polish Armed Forces under British command about the safety of their relatives in Poland from whom they have for so long been separated. It will be understood, however, that His Majesty's Government are not in a position to make inquiries of this sort of the Soviet Government on a large scale, although they have done so in certain special cases. They have been given to understand by the Soviet Government, however, that the pressure of business upon the Soviet administration makes it difficult for them to carry out the necessary investigations in cases of this nature, and that they can only undertake to do so in so far as means are available for doing so.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that Victor Cecil Burgess and Edgar Frederick Boismaison, carrying on business as Corporate Utilities, in Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, are selling anti-Semitic literature, particulars whereof have been communicated to him; and whether he will consider prosecuting them for libel, or for interfering with the war effort.

I will have these publications considered as requested by my hon. and learned Friend.

asked the Minister of Information whether he proposes to continue the organisation set up by his Ministry to ensure the circulation of reliable news in the event of newspaper works being bombed; why the Department so formed is now providing lecturers and exhibitions for the purpose of boosting public morale; and whether he is satisfied of the necessity for continuing this branch of his Ministry, in view of the need for economising in national expenditure.

The work of the emergency information service, which always depended on voluntary workers, is naturally in suspense and will be formally terminated with the end of hostilities in Europe. The work of this organisation has nothing to do with the Ministry of Information's regular activity of supplying lecturers and exhibitions to spread information about subjects connected with the war.

asked the Minister of Information what is the time usually occupied by the censorship of letters between Paris and London.

Censorship of mail between this country and France in both directions occupies from one day to a maximum of three days, according to volume.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what parts of our sea coast are at present barred to amateur fishermen or to any fishermen, respectively; and when he proposes to raise this ban.

I regret that it would not be in the public interest to state the precise localities in which fishing is still barred. As a result of recent relaxations fishing, amateur or otherwise, by small vessels which do not normally stay at sea for more than forty-eight hours, is now permitted on many parts of the coasts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland subject to such restrictions as the local naval authorities deem it necessary to impose.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the recommendations of the Rushcliffe Report have been adopted in Royal Naval mental hospitals.

No, Sir, but the conditions of service of the Admiralty staffs concerned are being reviewed in the light of the Rushcliffe Report with the object of determining what modifications in those conditions are warranted. A decision on this matter will, it is hoped, be reached at an early date.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, in regard to the death of naval ratings at Portland Harbour and the compensation of the relatives, why no such compensation has yet been paid; and if he can now state the specific amounts agreed upon and when they will be paid.

Agreed compensation of £200 was paid on 16th March, 1945, to the solicitors acting for the personal representatives of one of the ratings. A sum has been tentatively agreed with the representatives of another of the ratings to which the approval of the Court is required. Payment will be made im- mediately such approval is given. As regards the other two ratings the position has not changed since I replied to the hon. Member's previous question on 28th February. An offer was made on 2nd January to the father of one of the men to which a reply is still awaited, and the solicitors acting for the other man's relatives have still not replied to the letter sent to them in December last.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he has any statement to make concerning future arrangements for supplying civilian clothing to discharged naval personnel, in view of previous difficulties to which attention has been drawn.

Steps are being taken to establish naval civilian clothing centres at which men discharged or released from Naval service will be issued with their civilian clothing outfits. These arrangements will correspond to those in force in the other Services, and will supersede the present system whereby men obtain their civilian clothing from retailers on presentation of vouchers.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many of the men who are now employed at a maintenance unit of which has has been informed are of military age; and to what extent the clerical work of the unit has been transferred from women to men.

Eight hundred and twenty-three men of military age, of whom some 90 per cent. are in industrial grades, are employed at the unit in question. The distribution of duties between men and women has remained substantially unchanged over a considerable period, and there is no tendency to transfer clerical work from women to men.

asked the Secretary of State for Air how many buildings in Brighton and Hove are now requisitioned by his Ministry; how many of these are normally hotels, boarding-houses and private dwellings, respectively; and if he will state the approximate number of rooms involved in each category.

Forty-six properties in Brighton and Hove are held on requisition by my Department. The answer to the second and third parts of the Question is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Air why he has refused to recommend the release from the R.A.F. of 933977 Corporal L. C. Enguell, whose civil occupation is that of a builder's cost and invoice clerk, employed by Messrs. Ashton's Development Company, Limited, 1, High Road, Chadwell Heath, in view of the fact that this firm desires to employ him on urgent house damage repairs; that his release has been requested by the Ministry of Works; that he is now redundant in the R.A.F.; and that the Ministry of Labour have hitherto been unable to find a cost and invoice clerk for this firm.

The application for the release of Corporal L. C. Enguell has been carefully considered both my Department and by the Ministry of Labour and National Service in accordance with the approved procedure. I regret, however, that in view of the continued heavy demands upon the man-power available to the Forces it is not at present possible to release this airman.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what employment, salary and military rank have been offered to Mr. Newberry, Milton Street, Northampton, by the Control Commission for Germany.

My hon. Friend has been misinformed. No offer of employment has been made to Mr. Newberry by the Control Commission for Germany.

asked the Minister of Works what stocks of building materials were formed and are still held in the country for emergency purposes; and what reasons are there for withholding such supplies from merchants and builders in need of these stores.

Stocks of emergency repair materials such as corrugated iron, asbestos sheeting, tarpaulins and roofing felt were collected at suitable points to meet urgent needs. These stocks, in all parts of the country, have been heavily drawn upon for the repairs in London and are, of course, freely issued to builders where a shortage arises.

asked the Minister of Works what other staff of Anti-Aircraft Command besides General Sir Frederick Pile are to be employed by his Ministry to assist Sir Frederick Pile.

One Brigadier and one Junior Commander A.T.S.

asked the Minister of Works if he is aware of the 100 tons or more of ornamental gates and railings that have been deposited in a yard at a place of which he has been informed; whether they have been stored there by his Ministry as scrap metal; or what are his intentions in regard to them.

These ornamental gates and railings form part of stock acquired by the owner of the yard between the years 1902 and 1938. They were examined earlier in the war and 60 tons were selected and melted for war purposes. The rest were exempted on the grounds of their artistic value.

asked the Minister of Works the number of persons employed in the Royal Parks; how many are women; and whether these women are paid the same wages as the men engaged in similar work.

Four hundred and seventy-four men and 35 women. The answer to the last part of the Question is in the negative.

asked the Minister of Works whether he can give any estimate of the accommodation which could be made available to ease the housing shortage if houses requisitioned by his Ministry and other Government Departments were now made available to their owners.

About 100,000 dwelling houses of all types are held on requisition by Government Departments, including 3,000 by the Ministry of Works. A very substantial proportion of this total is made up of houses requisitioned, with delegated powers, by local authorities, for the purpose of housing homeless persons.

asked the Minister of Works how many buildings in the Bournemouth district are still under requisition by his Department; how many are in actual use; and whether he will derequisition the unused buildings forthwith and give any further indication of his plans in this respect.

Eighty-five premises of various kinds, half of which are garages, are held on requisition by the Ministry of Works in Bournemouth. Except for one which is temporarily vacant during a change in occupation, all these properties are in use by various Government Departments. We shall release these premises at the first possible moment, but I cannot, I am afraid, give any firm indication as to how soon this will be practicable.

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the present use of Bentley No. 2 Hostel as a home for refugees being of a temporary nature, whether he will take into account the number of families dishoused in nearby mining villages due to ejectment orders and convert this hostel by slight adaptation into homesteads or housing accommodation.

The premises cannot at present be spared, but I am considering whether they can be converted for family use when they become surplus.

asked the Minister of Works (1) the number of aluminium houses designed by the Aircraft Industrial Research Organisation on Housing which it is proposed to order; and what are the approximate dates of delivery and the price;

(2) how the estimated cost of the aluminium house is built up; how much goes on kitchen and other fitted equipment; how much on transport and erection; how much on the manufactured structure; and what is the cost of site preparation.

The number of aluminium houses to be produced will depend upon the rate of deliveries which cannot as yet be accurately forecast. The terms of the contract are now in course of negotiation with the manufacturers.

asked the Minister of Aircraft Production if his Department contemplates using the facilities existing in South Wales for the manufacture of aluminium and re-rolling in connection with the houses which are to be built of this material.

It is intended to use to the fullest possible extent for aluminium houses the facilities which exist in South Wales for the fabrication of light alloy materials.

asked the President of the Board of Trade for what purpose the Midland Regional Board of his Ministry has issued Form R.T.M./F.I., Appendix II.; and by what authority does he seek to compel manufacturers to supply the information requested.

The inquiry to which my hon. Friend refers is being made throughout the country on behalf of the Board of Trade. Firms in the engineering industry employing more than 250 workers are being asked to fill in the form, the object of which is to facilitate the switch of capacity and materials from war contracts to civil pro- duction. No firms are compelled to fill in this form, but it is in their interests that this information should be readily available to the Board of Trade, both at headquarters and in the Regions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement as to what arrangements are being made to control or look after the millions of slave workers who have been captured during the war by the Germans and who are now being liberated; and whether anybody accepts responsibility for them.

Responsibility for the care of nationals of the United Nations liberated by the Allied Armies in Germany rests at present with the military authorities. Under an Agreement concluded at the end of last year between General Eisenhower and Governor Lehmann, U.N.R.R.A. will act as the agent of S.C.A.E.F. for this work in the areas of Germany for which S.C.A.E.F. is, or will be, responsible. S.H.A.E.F. have already set up special branches to handle displaced persons. As and when they are uncovered, they are fed, accommodated, listed and generally controlled and cared for at assembly centres and camps under military arrangements. The Governments of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have by agreement with S.C.A.E.F. undertaken to adminster the camps within territory under their control. As agreed, U.N.R.R.A. is already co-operating with S.H.A.E.F. in the care of displaced persons. U.N.R.R.A. officials have been attached to various military headquarters and U.N.R.R.A. teams are operating in the field in ever-increasing numbers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that in some districts where farmers are anxious to increase the milk supplies it has been found impossible to obtain permits for material to erect cow sheds, covered yards, etc; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made as to the amount of tubular steel and steel joists, etc., that are being collected from camps and other establishments erected for war purposes in order to ascertain whether some of these materials, especially asbestos sheeting, corrugated iron and light girders, could be made available on purchase.

I am not aware of farmers finding it impossible to obtain permits for materials for buildings for milk production purposes, but if the hon. Member will give me details of any case I will look into it in conjunction with the Minister of Works, by whom such permits are issued. I understand that there is no difficulty in the supply of quantities of materials, e.g., joists, to meet demands for this purpose, and in these circumstances an inquiry of the nature suggested would appear to be unnecessary.

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power if any arrangements have been made for working miners to visit the U.S.A. and make an investigation of American mining methods.

By agreement with the American authorities it is now possible for arrangements to be made for visits to the U.S.A. of working miners from this country, with the object of obtaining firsthand experience of American mining methods. I am happy to say that the National Union of Mineworkers have agreed to give full support to visits of this kind by suitable candidates, and have in fact approved an application on behalf of workmen from a South Yorkshire Colliery.