asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, what percentage of passengers carried by B.O.A.C., B.E.A. and B.S.A.A. during 1946 were carried without charge.

None, Sir, except for members of the staffs of the Corporations travelling on duty, persons travelling for publicity purposes in the interests of the Corporations, and wives and families of members of the staff entitled to free passages, in accordance with staff contracts.

Does not the Parliamentary Secretary consider that rather a misleading answer to my Question? Surely a great many civil servants of all Departments have travelled on these lines without paying. The trips might have been "paper" ones, but will the hon. Gentleman try to give the information asked for?

The answer was not misleading, and was not intended to be so. Every passage for every civil servant has been paid for by the appropriate Govern- ment Department, and the payments made by those Departments have appeared, and do appear, in the accounts of the Corporations.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary indicate the number of these publicity experts who have had free passages?

They are not publicity experts, unless one so terms a member of the Press. If the Corporations have invited them to see something which they are doing, they have not, of course, charged fares when they have taken them up.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what premises in London B.O.A.C. are preparing to surrender and at what date, in view of the acquisition of large premises adjoining the Great West road.

This is a question of management, and therefore outside the scope of a detailed Parliamentary reply, but I can assure the hon. Member that when the British Overseas Airways Corporation occupy their new premises they will vacate accommodation of almost equal area in the London and Bristol areas.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation whether the recommendations of the Scottish Advisory Council to the Corporations will be laid before Parliament.

No, Sir. The Council was formed under Section 3 of the Civil Aviation Act to advise the Corporations in relation to the discharge of their functions in respect of matters of interest to Scotland.

Does that mean that the public will have no way of knowing what recommendations the Advisory Council have made?

No, Sir, except that the recommendations are made to the Board of B.E.A., and B.E.A. are required to make a report annually to Parliament. I shall be surprised if their annual report does not include a statement on the work and functions of the Scottish Advisory Council.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation which civil airfields have been taken over and what was the purchase price paid by his Ministry.

As the list of aerodromes is long, I will, with permission, circulate the answer to the first part of the Question in the OFFICIAL REPORT. As to the second part of the Question, none of the aerodromes referred to have yet been purchased by my Department, although some were purchased in whole or in part by the Service Departments.

Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that because payment has not been made, there is no real authority over any of these aerodromes? Neither the original owners nor the Government accept responsibility. Will he see that the buildings are maintained, because nothing is being done about that at the moment?

Yes, Sir. I will certainly do that.

Aberdeen (Dyce), Belfast (Sydenham), Benbecula. Birrningham (Elmdon), Bristol (Whitchurch), Cardiff (Pengam Moors), Carlisle (Kingstown) (administered jointly with R.A.F.), Doncaster, Gatwick, Grimsby, Exeter, Inverness (Longman), Islay (Port Ellen), Liverpool (Speke), Nottingham (Tollerton), Prestwick, Renfrew, Ronaldsway (by arrangement with Isle of Man Government), Shoreham, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree, Westonsuper-Mare, Wick, Yeadon and York.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when a security check was last made prior to 10th December in Germany; now many officers were so employed; what steps have been taken since the recent loss of "top secret" files; and how the loss arose.

In Berlin and Hamburg, where regular daily checks are made, the last checks before 10th December were made on 9th December. Elsewhere checks are made at various intervals as considered necessary in the light of local conditions. Manpower is limited and the number of officers engaged on this work varies according to locality; in Berlin one or two officers in each Division or Group are normally so employed. I am not aware of the loss of any "top secret" files.

Will the Minister say how a report appeared in the Press that a "top secret" file was lost, and that it could not be found out what had happened to it?

I am afraid I can give no reasons why the Press should report certain things in a certain way, but there have been no "top secret" files lost, to my knowledge.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if it is the intention of the British Administration to follow the lead set by the U.S.A., as announced by General J. T. McNarney, in granting an amnesty to minor Nazi offenders.

No, Sir.

What is to be gained by keeping these minor prisoners in captivity?

There are no minor Nazis in captivity in the British zone. In my opinion, the measures taken in the British zone are much more effective than those taken in the American zone, and the numbers of those who have still to be dealt with under the de-Nazification procedure in the British zone are certainly much less.

Could the Chancellor of the Duchy consider shortly fixing some date, after which there would be no preferring of charges for offences long past?

I mentioned in the Debate the other day that we do not consider that the fixing of an arbitrary date is the answer, but we are making a target of the end of this year for the whole of the problem, and the middle of this year for the bulk of the problem. We believe that that procedure will best meet the case.

Will the hon. Gentleman consider directing the attention of the Secretary of State to minor Nazi sympathisers in this country?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what grounds he has refused permission for a delegation from the Council for Education in World Citizenship to visit Germany; and whether he will reconsider his decision.

I am always anxious to encourage contact between British and German youth. But staff and facilities are already fully extended in dealing with delegations of teachers, educationists and older students. I should certainly not wish to exclude the possibility of a visit at a later date.

Will the Minister bear it mind for the future?

I have already said so

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of the present supply of pitwood to the Ruhr coalfield is being drawn from the Soviet zone of Germany or other territories of Eastern Europe.

The first deliveries of pit wood from the Russian zone were received at the Ruhr mines during December, 1946, and amounted to 5,500 metric tons or 7.5 per cent. of the total receipts during the month. Deliveries from the Russian zone during January, 1947, have been very satisfactory amounting to about 23,000 metric tons up to 27th January There have been no deliveries from other territories of Eastern Europe.

Has the hon. Gentleman any arrangements by which these supplies can be regular and assured?

These supplies are part of the barter arrangements which are in operation between the two zones.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress is being made with the work of making the Rhine again fit for navigation.

The first emergency channel was opened up from the sea to Basle in September, 1945, and in the ensuing month nearly 600,000 tons were carried on the Rhine in the British zone. In December, 1946, before ice produced the usual winter restrictions on traffic, over 1,100,000 tons per month were being carried. In the British zone this entailed the salvage of over 2,000 sunken vessels, and the removal of the wreckage of 16 major bridges.

Can the hon. Gentleman say now that amount of traffic compares with a typical prewar year?

I am afraid I need notice of that Question.

Would the Minister speak more slowly, because hon. Members behind him cannot catch what he is saying?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what automatic civil disabilities are in force against Germans for no reason except that they have held a commission in the German armed forces.

None, Sit

Would the hon. Gentleman ensure that that information is widely circulated, because it is believed that there are such disabilities, and rumours of that kind do not redound to the credit of our administration?

There are no automatic disabilities for the purpose referred to in the Question. There are certain categories of regular officers of the Wehrmacht which come within certain restrictions.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the new educational appointment indicates that the direction of all educational policy is still to remain under our control in the British zone of Germany.

Yes, Sir.

Can we take it, therefore, that under the educational policy pursued in the British zone, every encouragement will continue to be given to the appreciation of the democratic way of life?

Yes, Sir. That is the purpose of the appointment of the new educational adviser to the Commander-in-Chief.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he proposes to take to nationalise those industries in Germany whose decartelisation has been announced; and whether, in the process of decartelisation, care will be exercised to avoid financial control being obtained by non-German interests.

With regard to the first part of the Question I would refer my hon. Friend to the answers which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Bexley (Major Bramall) on 4th December and 29th January. With regard to the second part of the Question, the extent to which non-German interests can participate in these industries will depend upon developments in the policy for allowing foreign investment in German industry generally. The present policy is not to permit such investment.

Is my hon. Friend aware that a large number of people responsible for the economic planning of Germany are seriously concerned about what will happen as a result of this policy, and will he take steps to clarify it?

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will state the names of the two officers employed by the British Control Commission in Germany who do not at present receive official salaries; and whether he will state the positions which they occupy or the appointments which they hold.

These officers are Mr. C. B. Dyson, the chief of the Commerce Division, and Mr. T. H. Y. Bonsey, the controller of the aluminium, magnesium and light alloys sub-section of the Metallurgy Branch.

Will my hon. Friend state what are their commercial connections in this or any other country?

In the case of Mr. Dyson, the chief of the Commerce Division, he was in private business on his own account and is in receipt of no payment from any other source. In the case of Mr. Bonsey, I understand the balance of his salary is paid by the British Aluminium Co.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding telecommunications for business purposes to and from Germany.

Quadripartite agreement has now been reached on the provision of international telephone and telegraph communications with Germany, and the date of opening will be announced as soon as the administrative details have been worked out. Business communications will initially have to be confined to the exchange of information but the question of extending the service to permit the closing of business transactions is under urgent examination.

Would the hon. Gentleman say who is to decide the nature of the communications; will there be a censorship?

All communications to and from Germany are subject to censorship.

And still will be under this arrangement?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will see that the headmaster's bonus, in respect of the year 1945. is paid to the headmasters of government and native authority schools in Northern Nigeria is well as in the rest of Nigeria.

I am informed that no bonus is paid to headmasters of Government or native authority schools anywhere in Nigeria. The question, therefore, does not arise.

Now that the Nigerian Legislative Council includes elected representatives of Northern Nigeria, would it not be proper that these headmasters should ask one of their representatives on that Council to raise the matter there instead of referring it to this House particularly in view of the reply given?

I am not aware that this matter has been raised by the headmasters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if, when he takes his final decision on the report of the Harrigan Commission on Salaries, he will secure that the salaries of non-government teachers in Nigeria are levelled up to those of government teachers.

The Nigerian Government are appointing a committee to make early recommendations for new salary scales for teachers employed by voluntary agencies, and until it has reported I shall not be in a position to give a definite answer to this Question.

Has my right hon. Friend given advice to the committee that the salaries of non-Government teachers should approximate those of teachers employed by the Government?

Surely, this is a matter for the committee and the representatives from the National Union of Teachers.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) whether he is aware that considerable quantities of groundnuts are rotting in African ports because of the refusal of export licences by the controller of oil seeds in Uganda; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter;

The Tripartite Produce Agency buys cotton seed in Uganda on behalf of the Ministry of Food. It buys at railway stations up-country and sells to the Ministry of Food free on board at Mombasa. The difference between the two prices is made up of transport, storage arid other charges, plus a profit to the Agency of 5s. per ton. The Agency does not purchase any groundnuts as there is no surplus of groundnuts in East Africa over local needs, and export is not at present allowed. My hon. Friend's statement as regards Uganda groundnuts rotting in African ports is, therefore, incorrect. The Ministry of Food is purchasing groundnuts in Nyasaland at a price of £27 7s. per ton free on board. These purchases are made direct from Government and not through the intermediary of the Tripartite Agency.

Is the Minister aware that this is a typical instance of the failure of bulk buying, and will he also explain what proportion of the £7 difference between f.o.b. Uganda and c.i.f. Mombasa, is made up of these mysterious 'other charges"?

In the first place, this is not a failure but a success of bulk purchasing In regard to the difference Between the two prices, that is a matter which I am looking into at the present time.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say what percentage five shillings a ton represents?

No, Sir, I cannot give that information without notice.

Can the Minister say how much below world prices are those which have been paid by the Ministry of Food, and, if the difference is considerable, why the native is not getting the full price for his products?

I believe that in this particular case the prices paid were in line with the standard prices.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the loss on the Jamaican nationalised railway for the latest period for which figures are available; if this loss includes amortisation on capital or is only an operating loss; and what has been the total loss on this railway since it was acquired by the Jamaican Government.

The operating loss for the financial year ended 31st March, 1946, was £128,000, not including interest and redemption charges amounting over that period to £99,700. The accumulated loss since the Jamaica Government acquired the railway in 1900 up to the end of the current year will, it is estimated, be approximately £5,500,000.

Will the right hon. Gentleman pass those figures to the Minister of Transport, in order that they may be of some use to him in his advocacy of the nationalisation of transport?

It was because of the hopelessness of private enterprise that the Jamaican Government took over this railway and ran it as a national concern.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he is aware that the Jamaican Government radio station is inaudible in many parts of the island except on expensive sets and that it only operates for six hours a day; and when he expects that Jamaica will have a radio system comparable in efficiency and general reception with surrounding Latin-American countries.

Yes, Sir. I understand that the provision of a widely audible service in this mountainous Colony, with the limited wavelengths allocated under international agreements, involves certain technical difficulties; but the possibility of improving the service is under examination.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say what sort of improvement likely to take place and when, in view of the fact that this service is absolutely disgraceful?

Experiments have recently been made for extending the present basis of the service, and schemes for the Caribbean are also under examination.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the original estimated cost of the Mona reservoir in Jamaica; how the cost was originally allocated as between local revenue and the Colonial Welfare and Development Fund; how much the scheme has actually cost; and if he is satisfied that the reservoir is likely to fulfil the purpose for which it was built.

The original estimated cost of the Mona Reservoir in Jamaica was £382,000 It later became necessary to provide an additional £80,900. These sums were provided as a loan from the C.D. and W. Vote. The fixing of the terms of the loan, or alternatively, its conversion into a free grant. are due to be considered shortly. It is estimated that the actual cost of the whole scheme will be £460,385. Technical tests of the reservoir have not yet been completed but there is so far no evidence that it will not fulfil the purpose for which it was built.

Can my right hon. Friend say what is the capacity of this reservoir?

No, Sir. Perhaps my hon. Friend will put down a Question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the figures for the increases in the cost of living and wages in the various West Indian Colonies.

As the answer includes a long tabular statement, I pro-

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the cost-of-living index is worked out on the same archaic system as we have in this country. or on a more realistic basis?

The experience of this country is not being ignored, but, in many of the Colonies, they have built up their own cost-of-living index.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies having regard to the recent disturbances in the West Indian

As the reply must be a long one, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission. circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The information given in the reply, which has been compiled at very short notice, is, to some extent, supplementary to that contained in the statement of the action taken on the recommendations of the Royal Commission which was presented to Parliament in June, 1945.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in order to assist Malay farmers in Malaya and to stabilise their economy, he will introduce the Kedah Scheme for rural industries to other States.

I am advised by the Governor of the Malayan Union that there are certain features of the Kedah Scheme which he considers could profitably be adopted in other Malay States, and he is arranging with the resident commissioners to consider details, in consultation with the Directors of Agriculture, Co-operation and Commerce and Industry.

Will the right hon. Gentleman say how he will stabilise the economy of the Malay farmers?

That question does not arise.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in view of the fact that the housewife in Singapore is Still paying approximately eight times the controlled price for halt her main foodstuff, namely, rice, what steps he is taking to smash the black market.

Though the rice ration in Singapore is admittedly inadequate, a supplementary flour ration is available, and it is not the case that recourse to the black market by the housewife is essential. Apart from bulk importing and controlling the distribution of the major portion of rice which is consumed locally, vigorous action is taken by the Government to overcome the black market including the confiscation of illegal imports and the prosecution of offenders against the Food and Price Control Proclamations. It will, however, be appreciated that, so long as the present difficult supply situation persists, complete eradication of the black market necessarily presents a difficult task.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the so-called black market is the unofficial market and a corruption due to the Government's complete failure to provide surplus rice in Siam, and that the only means left to the good employer, in order to supplement the meagre Government ration of five ounces a day, is to use this market, which is well known and is not discouraged by the Government?

I am astonished that the hon. Member, after his recent visit to Malaya, should rise and make such suggestions.

In view of the fact that the content of this Question has been widely published in Malaya will the Minister make known to the Press of Malaya his answer today, together with the evidence upon which be based it?

Yes, Sir, certainty.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the only way to overcome the black market in Singapore, as elsewhere, is to tree the economy of the country?

asked the Minister of Defence, approximately, how many of the 20,000 deserters, then at large in the United Kingdom, have responded to his recommendation of 22nd January that they should surrender voluntarily.

asked the Minister of Defence the number of deserters who have surrendered voluntarily in response to his appeal made on 22nd January, how many have been sentenced; and what was the average sentence.

The number of deserters who surrendered voluntarily between 23rd January and the latest date for which figures are available is: Army, 294; Navy, 58; Air Force, 40. One hundred and twenty-six of these men have already been sentenced. Sentences vary from one day's to two years' detention, and the confirming officer has power to suspend the sentence in whole or in part if there are strong mitigating circumstances. Substantial use is being made of this power. I would also remind my hon. Friends that machinery exists fur the periodic review of these sentences. In the majority of cases, therefore, the sentence actually served will he much shorter than that imposed.

In view of this rather disappointing total response, could my right hon. Friend say whether the number has tended to increase or decrease as the weeks have gone by, and also whether he is satisfied that his original offer was presented to the public in sufficiently detailed and definite form?

I think last week's figures are much the best of the weeks which have intervened since the original statement. I hope, therefore, the figures will very much improve in the future, especially as the actual experience of those who have surrendered will become more widely known. It may have been, perhaps, that the statement as broadcast to the public through the Press might have been in rather more detail, but I think the supplementary information which has since been given is now widely known.

Can my right hon. Friend make it clear that family allowances are paid to the dependants of the men while in detention, because that may act as an incentive to deserters to give themselves up?

That statement has been widely broadcast quite separately from the others.

Could that information be exhibited on public notice boards, for instance, at town halls?

Is it wise to say in advance that whatever sentences are imposed by those who constitute the personnel of courts martial will be automatically reduced?

I have not actually said that at all.