asked the Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the shortage of married quarters for R.A.F. personnel in this country; if he will take steps to provide more accommodation; and if he will consider issuing instructions that waiting lists should be displayed so that those applying for married quarters can know their position.

The Royal Air Force had 6,200 married quarters in this country before the war. Most of them needed extensive renovation when the war was over. At the end of December, 1946, 5,000 had been repaired and were already occupied; I hope the rest will very soon be ready for occupation. As the first step in our future programme, the provision of 850 new married quarters has been approved, and 450 of them are already being built. I am glad to assure the hon. and gallant Member that I shall do everything in my power to press forward with the provision of further married quarters. I have considered his proposal for the dislay of waiting lists, but, as at present advised, I am afraid it might create more difficulties than it solved.

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether a decision has now been reached as to the future of Stracathro aerodrome; and what is the decision.

Stracathro aerodrome is no longer required by my Department and will be transferred to the Department of Agriculture for Scotland. It is already being farmed under arrangements made by the Local Agricultural Executive Committee.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what number of people in Vienna, up to the latest date, are suffering from hunger œdema, and the percentage increase of tuberculosis since 1938.

There are no known cases of hunger œdema in Vienna except among certain recently returned prisoners of war. The incidence of all forms of tuberculosis in 1938 was 1.28 per thousand. The rate for the whole of 1946 was 2.95, an increase of 130 per cent., but this is not comparable since it includes the late registration of many cases not recorded currently in 1945 owing to the disruption of the public health services in that year.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Krupps works, Essen, are being used for the manufacture of railway engines.

No, Sir. These works have been instructed to concentrate on heavy repairs to locomotives.

asked the Secretary of State for War how many Belgian troops are in the British zone in Germany; the number of relatives they have brought with them; and the total number of Germans evacuated from their homes in order to provide accommodation for these persons.

The total number of Belgian troops in the contingent is 30,834. They have brought 716 families, comprising 2,191 people. It is estimated that about 9,600 Germans have been evacuated to provide accommodation.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that mail posted by R.A.F. personnel stationed at Buckeburg, N., Germany, has taken five weeks to reach this country; and if he will take steps to remove this delay which is causing anxiety to their families at home.

I am not aware of any such delays, as letters from Buckeburg should only take about two days to reach this country. I am, however, making inquiries on the basis of the information recently sent by the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Air.

asked the Minister of Food what countries are represented on the International Food Emergency Council; and what are their powers of allocation.

Thirty-one countries are represented on the International Emergency Food Council, and I will circulate the list in the OFFICIAL REPORT. In reply to the second part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Aberdeen and Kincardine, Central (Mr. Spence), on 27th January. I am having a copy of the document referred to placed in the Library for the information of all Members.

asked the Minister of Food if he will lift the ban on the export of kippers so that they can be sent to hard currency countries and so help this country to earn more dollars.

The export of kippers has been permitted since last summer on a limited scale, and a small quantity has gone to hard currency countries. While I hope it may be possible to increase exports this year I fear it will be necessary to retain export control in the interest of the home consumer.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make chocolate biscuits available on the personal sweet ration in order to avoid accumulation of stocks of this commodity in shops at the present time owing to high pointing.

No, Sir. Chocolate biscuits, as the name indicates, are biscuits and not sweets. The simple remedy of adjusting points values will be adopted at the proper time to regulate stocks.

asked the Minister of Food the retail price of cauliflower, sprouts and other vegetables before the lifting of the controls, and at the latest available date.

The latest information at my disposal (which is for the week ended 1st February, 1947) about retail prices in England and Wales of cauliflower, sprouts and other vegetables which have been freed from price control, as compared with the maximum prices in operation at the corresponding date last year, is as follows:

asked the Minister of Food what steps he proposes taking in regard to the excessive prices now being charged to the public for such vegetables as cauliflowers and cabbages.

The former maximum retail control price for cauliflower and cabbages at this time of year was 6½d. and 3½d. per lb., respectively. The latest information at my disposal, which is for the week ended 1st February, shows that the average retail price in England and Wales was 9¾d. and 3¾d. per lb., respectively. Supplies of cauliflower are at present scarce and my right hon. Friend has accordingly arranged for further imports, but there are still good supplies of cabbages and savoys and root vegetables available at reasonable prices.

asked the Minister of Food if, over a period, he will arrange to issue a definite proportion of the cooking fat ration in pure lard, as no lard has been available to housewives for many months.

The cooking fat ration has to be supplied in the form of lard or of compound cooking fat, according to what is available. Lard has been very scarce in recent months. I hope the supply will improve somewhat but I am afraid we cannot guarantee to distribute it in any specified proportion.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware of the hardship caused by the recent snowfall to people living in isolated farms and cottages in the Lincolnshire Wolds; and if he will make special arrangements for emergency food supplies to be made available.

Conditions in the outlying parts of the Lincolnshire Wolds are certainly difficult, but I am informed that so far relief has been given wherever it was needed. I can assure the hon. Member that all preparations have been made to bring help to those in need of food supplies, with the assistance of the R.A.F., if necessary.

asked the Minister of Food upon which Income Tax groups he based his calculation that the upper third of the community were eating less, the middle third were eating the same and the lower third were consuming far more than before the war; and how many were included in each group, respectively, both now and before the war.

The proportions referred to were not intended to be pre- cise statistically but merely to be broadly approximate. They were not based upon Income Tax groups and cannot in fact be related to these, primarily because the Income Tax statistics do not disclose the income per head of the population within the various income groups.

asked the Minister of Defence what steps he proposes to take to deal with the discrepancies between the three Services and between trades inside each Service in relation to release which amount, in some cases, to a difference of over 20 groups as between certain trades in the R.N. and other trades in the Army and R.A.F. and involve the release of some men who joined the R.N. after the end of hostilities, whilst airmen of the same age have completed four years' service before release.

Some disparity in the rate of release between the three Services is unavoidable. This was made clear when the release scheme was announced. The possibility of reducing the disparity, by transferring men or duties from one Service to another, has been closely examined, but I am satisfied that little or no real improvement could be achieved in that way. The disparity is a diminishing one, and we are regulating the intake, as between the Services, to speed up equality of treatment, but it will take time for the full effect of this process to be felt.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what recommendations the committee appointed by the Governor of the Malayan Union to consider the application to Malaya of the principles set out in his Department's Memorandum, Organisation of the Colonial Service (No. 197), has made for bridging the gap between the salary rates of European and Asiatic officers.

I am informed that the Governor has not yet received any recommendation on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action has been taken in response to the petition of the Singapore Teachers' Association sent to the Governor of Singapore some six months ago praying for the redress of grievances in relation to the pay of Asiatic teachers.

I have asked the Governor of Singapore for a report and will write to the hon. Member when I have received it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the need of fresh fish to supplement the rice ration in Malaya and of the fact that the Malay fishermen are short of fishing equipment, he will render these fishermen such assistance as is necessary to make good this deficiency.

Every effort is being made to supply the fishermen in Malaya with the necessary equipment to enable them to increase their catches, and the Special Commissioner for South East Asia is paying particular attention to this matter.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken to implement the proposal for Kenya inter-territorial organisation with communal parity.

Consultations have been proceeding locally on the question of inter-territorial organisation in East Africa but I am not at present in a position to make a statement on the subject.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present use of the military hospitals at Lagos, Abeokuta. Ibadan, Zaria and Enugu, Nigeria.

The military hospital at Lagos is still in use as such. The military hospital at Abeokuta has been con- verted into a barracks for an infantry battalion and that at Enugu has been bought by the Nigerian Government. The hospital at Ibadan is vacant and I am communicating with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War about its future use. The only other military hospital is at Keduna and is still in use as such.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made with the construction of an airfield at Hong Kong, capable of use by large airliners.

This matter is still under consideration; the decision involves difficult technical and financial problems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) which Colonies levy export duties on non-luxury goods purchased for use in Britain; and if he has taken any steps to prevent this indirect method of securing Colonial revenue from British taxpayers;(2) which Colonies levying export duties on commodities exported to Britain have received, or are to receive, grants from the British Colonial Welfare and Development Fund or special treatment for their overseas trade under the Imperial Preference system.

Export duties are a normal method of raising Colonial revenue and a full list of such duties is available in the Colonial Office Library. Where the price paid by the United Kingdom for Colonial products is based on the world market value, export duties are borne by the producer and not by the consumer in Britain or elsewhere. Where sales are made under some form of bulk contract, provision is normally made in the agreement covering the arrangement to prevent the purchaser having to bear any new, or additional, export duties imposed by the Colonial Government concerned. Thus, there is, as a general rule, no question of the British taxpayer indirectly subsidising Colonial revenues in this way. With the exception of Ceylon and Bermuda, all Colonies are open to receive assistance under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts. All Colonial Dependencies may receive the benefit of Imperial Preference.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many new private motor cars of U.S. manufacture were imported into the Colonies, Protectorates and Mandated Territories during the year 1946.

I regret that statistics of imports for 1946 are not yet available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the export duty per ton on Ceylon copra at present; how much this indirect tax on British users of this copra will amount to per annum, approximately; how the price of Ceylon copra compares with the price of copra purchased from other coconut-growing countries; and which of these countries exporting to Britain do not levy an export tax on copra.

The duty on copra exported from Ceylon is 200 rupees per ton and the yield in a normal year as total export, including exports to India, should be about £2½ million. I understand that the price of Ceylon copra, including the new duty, is appreciably less than the price now being paid by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of Food, for copra of foreign origin, but it is higher, by the amount of the new duty, than the current prices for copra from other British Colonies exporting copra to the United Kingdom. All Colonies exporting copra to the United Kingdom levy export duties and I understand that this is also the case in most other exporting countries

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many trade union members are still detained in prison in Trinidad following the recent riots; and what proportion of them are still untried

My latest information is that the number of persons remaining in custody as a result of the recent disturbance in Port of Spain is 99; but I have no information as to how many of these are members of registered trade unions. So far 22 have been convicted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many people were wounded in Colonel Muller's raid on the oilworkers' union hall in Trinidad on 22nd January.

Three persons were treated in hospital, two of whom were detained but have now been discharged. Five other persons who were arrested required casual attention for minor injuries No other persons except the police are known to have received injuries in the course of this disturbance. Of the police, two officers and eleven other ranks were injured, the Commissioner being severely wounded by a shot fired from the building.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the police in Trinidad destroyed a printing press belonging to one of the oilworkers' trade unions in a raid on 22nd January.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will appoint an independent inquiry to investigate the recent disturbances in Trinidad.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware of the concern felt by the people of this country, particularly trade unionists, with the situation now confronting the workers of Trinidad since the recent dispute; and what steps he has taken, or contemplates taking, with a view to improving the lot of the workers of Trinidad.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has any further statement to make on the position in Trinidad; how many tenants were evicted by the United British Oilfields; and under what circumstances a printing press belonging to the Workers' Oil Union was smashed by the police.

I am glad to say that the position in Trinidad is now normal. The curfew has been lifted and the proclamation declaring a state of emergency has been revoked. No tenants have been evicted by the United British Oilfields. I understand that a number were served with notice to vacate their houses unless they returned to work. Some of these have since applied for re-employment, and in these cases the notices have been withdrawn As regards the printing press, I would invite attention to my reply of 5th February to my non. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Central (Mr. Wilkes) I have since received a further assurance from the Acting Governor that no damage was done by the Police.I am aware that concern is felt over recent events in Trinidad, and I share that concern. Severe criticism has appeared of the administration of the Colony and the measures which were taken to maintain public order. That there were acts of violence and mass intimidation is not in question. The Governor has acted throughout the troubles with the unanimous support of the official and nonofficial members of his Executive Council. The Police and other authorities were concerned to take steps for the protection of the general community, including the large majority of trade unionists. Only 1,470 out of the 11,340 workers in the oilfields came out on strike, and 1,113 out of the 8,900 public employees. I am calling upon the Acting Governor to furnish me with a full report on these occurrences on the conclusion of the legal proceedings, some of which are not yet decided. This information together with the Reports I have already received will receive my close attention.Meantime, the Government of Trinidad are desirous of discovering and removing any possible causes of the recent strikes and the resulting disturbances, and Committees are at work on the revision of wages and salaries of Government employees and the means whereby the high cost of living could be reduced. The Price Control Committee has also been requested to re-examine the percentage mark-up of goods with a view to reducing prices. Recent increases in the prices of imported foodstuffs and other commodities have undoubtedly entailed hardship for large numbers of people in Trinidad.My information suggests, however, that the disturbances were brought about by the formation by Uriah Butler of a rival union in opposition to the Oilfield Workers' Union, which had negotiated an agreement with the oil companies, providing amongst other things for the ad- justment of wages in accordance with the cost of living index: and by Butler's endeavour to control the workers and conditions in the oilfields. I am anxious to do all I can to help in securing improvement of working standards and labour organisation generally and the observance of trade union procedure and practice as understood in this country, and I hope to arrange for a visit by some person with wide experience in these matters with a view to discussions with all parties concerned in Trinidad.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many persons were injured in the police raid on the oil-workers union premises in Trinidad on 22nd January; how many of these are still incapacitated by their injuries or undergoing treatment; how many police took part in the raid; and if he will order a special reinvestigation of the circumstances in which these trades unionists' printing press was destroyed.

As regards the injuries suffered by persons in the police raid I would refer to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dagenham (Mr. Parker). Three police officers and 85 other ranks took part in the raid. I have caused special inquiries to be made into the question of damage alleged to have been done to the printing press by the police. I am definitely assured that the damage was not done by the police.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will assure the House that workers of Trinidad have the same trade union rights, procedure agreements and negotiating machinery as the workers in this country; or what steps he proposes to take for their early introduction.

The trade unions and the Trade Disputes and Protection of Property Ordinance of Trinidad are based on United Kingdom law. At present they include some of the provisions (for example, Sections 3 and 4) of the United Kingdom Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act, 1927, but some time ago I invited the Government of Trinidad to repeal these provisions and this was being considered when recent disturbances occurred. The policy of the Government of Trinidad is to encourage, whenever possible, collective bargaining by direct negotiation between employers and workers; and successful agreements have been reached in this way in the oil and sugar industries, where there are a Joint Conciliation Board and a Joint Consultative Committee respectively. In any case, it is a primary function of the Industrial Adviser to the Government and his staff to endeavour to bring about the settlement of disputes by conciliation. The Trinidad Trade Disputes (Arbitration and Enquiry) Ordinance, 1938, which is based on the United Kingdom Industrial Courts Act, empowers the Governor, where a trade dispute exists or is apprehended, and subject to the consent of both parties to the dispute, to refer the matter for settlement to an Arbitration Tribunal.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider sending an industrial adviser to Trinidad who is a trade unionist and understands fully trade union rules and procedure.

As indicated in my reply to other Questions on today's Paper, I hope to arrange for a visit to Trinidad by an individual with full knowledge and understanding of trade union rules and procedure. I should add that recently the post of Industrial Adviser became vacant and I have been considering the selection of a suitable candidate. The Deputy Industrial Adviser is acting as Head of the Department, which also has a Labour Officer and an adequate clerical staff.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any action has been taken by the Government of Jamaica to abolish or curtail the activities of its Labour Department; and whether he is satisfied that labour relations in Jamaica are adequately handled.

The staff of the Jamaican Labour Department has been reduced during the past two years because it was found by experience that labour conciliation activities were better conducted from headquarters in Kingston than from subsidiary offices in country districts. Those offices were therefore closed, but the Government of Jamaica has neither abolished the Labour Department nor curtailed its activities; and, so far as I am aware, the adequacy of the Department has not been affected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how long has elapsed since a request was received from the Government of the Seychelles for an amending Order in Council to enable the elective principle to be introduced into the legislature; what is the reason for the delay and when the proposed Order in Council will be enacted.

At the end of 1945 the Governor was authorised to announce that steps would be taken in due course to amend the Constitutional Instruments to introduce the elective principle in respect of up to three unofficial members of the Legislature. I greatly regret the delay but it was unavoidable because of the need for extensive amendments to the Instruments and the heavy volume of Constitutional work now falling upon the Colonial Office. The detailed proposals are now ready and are about to be despatched to Seychelles. The date when the new constitution will be brought into force will depend on the course and results of local discussions of these proposals.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General the average time taken for ordinary mails posted in the British zone in Germany to reach the United Kingdom.

Thirteen days.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware of the large number of residents in the Chislehurst area awaiting telephone installations; and if he will take steps to reduce the present estimated period of 12 months for urgent works to be completed.

I am sorry to say that there are about 460 waiting applications for telephone service at Chislehurst, and to provide for them all it will be necessary to lay three miles of ducts and 18 miles of new cable, as well as to enlarge the exchange switchboard. This work will be carried out as quickly as possible, and it is hoped that about 350 applications will be met by the end of the year.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General, in view of the likelihood that Alexandra Palace will no longer be available for the television service, what steps the B.B.C. propose to take to acquire commodious premises with suitable studio space for an expanding service in the London area.

The B.B.C. has the future housing of- the television service under consideration. Tenure of the part of Alexandra Palace now occupied for the service is assured for several years.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that in South-west Scotland reception of the present transmissions of the B.B.C. Light Programme is unsatisfactory; and what steps he is taking to effect improvement in the reception of these transmissions in this area.

No, Sir. Good reception of the B.B.C. Light Programme can be obtained in South-west Scotland on the long wavelength of 1,500 metres if suitable and efficient receivers and aerials are used.

asked the Secretary of State for War the average time taken in the transmission of letters from German prisoners in Britain to their homes in Germany; and the average times taken in the transmission of letters from the various zones of Germany to prisoners in Britain.

Samples of letters over the last 10 days, when bad weather has been slowing transport, give averages of 10 days for letters from this coun- try to the British zone, 8 days to the French zone and 14 days elsewhere. For inward letters the averages were 18 days from the British zone, 13 from the American, 11 from the French and 15 from the Russian.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the delay in the receipt of mail from the United Kingdom by members of His Majesty's Forces at 316 Medloc. C, Transit Camp, C.M.F., and of the loss in transit of parcels sent from the United Kingdom to this camp; and whether he will take steps to remedy this.

I am not aware of any delay in the delivery of mail or loss of parcels in transit but will have inquiries made if the hon. Member will send me particulars. Mails for the camp are sent daily by the overland route and during the last two months the average time to the base in Austria has been four days.

asked the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been drawn to a party, held at DÜsseldorf, to mark the change of the 53rd Welsh Division into the 2nd Infantry Division; what expense was involved in providing a banquet for 500 guests who were present; and what action he proposes to take having regard to the possible effect of this incident upon a population already suffering privations.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday to my hon. Friends the Members for Bedford (Mr. Skeffington-Lodge) and West Wolverhampton (Mr. H. D. Hughes).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if, in view of the details forwarded to him by the hon. Member for Maldon of the preparations made for a dance, held recently by the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, Hong Kong, he is satisfied that there is no redundant manpower at this station; and if he will, in this connection, examine the possibility of using R.N. personnel for duties at present performed by the Army and so assist towards the release of some of those whose demobilisation has been delayed.

In the short time available it has not been possible to obtain a report from the Commander-in-Chief at Hong Kong upon the matter raised. Inquiries are being made and I will inform my hon. Friend as soon as a reply has been received.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many passenger ships are now requisitioned by his Department; and how many have been released since V J-Day

No requisitioned passenger vessels remain on Admiralty service. Since V J-Day 6o such vessels have been released from naval service.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will make a statement on the terms and conditions of service for officers and men of the R.N.V.R.

Entry to the R.N.V.R. for officers is at present confined to released officers who held temporary commissions during the war; their conditions of service are broadly the same as before the war. As regards ratings, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the very full reply given on 5th November, 1946, to the hon. Member for South Cardiff (Mr. Callaghan). A comprehensive booklet dealing fully with terms and conditions of service of both officers and ratings of the R.N.V.R. is in course of preparation and will be issued as soon as possible.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if he will make a statement outlining the effective technical and administrative liaison between the Naval Air Inspection and Aeronautical Inspection Directorate; if he will report on the progress achieved by the Naval Air Inspection since its inception; the date of such inception; its functions in the service; and whether it is now proposed to retain and further develop this branch.

The Aeronautical Inspection Directorate of the Ministry of Supply is concerned with the inspection of new material under production. The Naval Aircraft Inspectorate on the other hand is concerned with Naval material before and after repair by the Navy and periodical examination during storage. During the war it was found necessary to introduce a Naval Aircraft Inspectorate to deal with the inspection of repairs carried out by the R. N. aircraft repair yards. The Naval Aircraft Inspectorate assumed full responsibility for this inspection in August, 1944, and for inspection at Aircraft workshops attached to air store depots in June, 1945, and at air store depots themselves in January, 1947.Although the functions of the two bodies are quite distinct, effective technical and administrative liaison is maintained both at headquarters level on the preparation of inspection instructions and between the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate inspectors at aircraft firms and the headquarters of the Naval Aircraft Inspectorate at the Admiralty to ensure that special Naval requirements are taken care of both in production and in such overhauls as are carried out by the industry. The Admiralty are satisfied that there will be a continuing need for inspection work of this character, but no final decisions have yet been taken on the permanent lines of this organization.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will list for the convenience of the House all the technical branches of the R.N.; whether any reform is envisaged in regard to the administration of such branches in relation to each other; and whether he will consider appointing a committee to formulate long-term planning and policy in this connection.

All branches of the, Navy are to some extent employed on what may be described as technical duties, but I assume the hon. Member has in mind those branches whose principal duty is the maintenance of technical equipment. I therefore exclude the seamen, communication, supply, sick berth and similar branches. The remaining branches are as follow: engine room, electrical, ordnance, the artisan ratings of blacksmith, painter, etc., and the technical personnel employed in connection with aircraft maintenance.The long-term policy for those branches has been under consideration by a series of expert Admiralty committees. Various changes in administration have already been introduced, for instance in connection with the electrical branch, and any others will be promulgated as soon as decisions are reached. In the circumstances I do not think it necessary to appoint a further committee at the present time.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty which of the Orders in Council made under the Naval and Marines Pay and Pensions Act, 1865, are still in force and to what extent; and whether he will make copies of them available to Members.

I am trying to arrange to a complete set of the volumes of Admiralty Orders in Council, including those issued under the Naval and Marine Pay and Pensions Act, 1865, to be placed in the Library. The hon. and gallant Member will see that many of the Orders included in these volumes have been cancelled or modified by subsequent Orders. It would, however, be a large task to produce amended volumes or lists showing which of them are still in force, and to what extent, as desired in the Question

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many ratings are undergoing vocational training in manning depots in the respective employments of bricklayers, plumbers and decorators; and how many of them have enjoyed practical ex- perience in their respective vocations by improving the conditions in the depots.

The numbers at present attending pre-vocational courses in the educational vocational training centres attached to the manning depots are as follow: bricklaying 15, plumbing 25, decorating 29. E.V.T. Courses do not exceed one month, and generally speaking it is not practicable to employ E.V.T. trainees on improving conditions in the barracks.

asked the Minister of Transport if he is aware that British export trade is hampered by excessive charges made by British shipping companies; and if he will seek powers to control freight rates.

No, Sir, but if my hon. Friend has any particular difficulty in mind and will send full details to my right hon. Friend he will consider the case.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will consider prohibiting officials of county A.E.Cs. from using steel-jawed gin traps to catch rabbits as this type of trap results in the maiming of, and not the killing of, large numbers of the animals that contact them.

I assume my hon. Friend refers to the setting of gin traps in the open. I am advised that there are localities where this method affords the only practicable means of keeping rabbits under adequate control, and in view of the serious food position I do not yet feel justified in prohibiting the use of that method in such cases. I have, however, laid down stringent conditions governing the issue of permits, and these were published in the OFFICIAL REPORT OF 7th March. 1946