asked the Minister of transport why some of the exits to the Turnpike Lane Underground Station have been closed; and if he will arrange to have them re-opened at once, in view of the danger to pedestrians crossing the road at this point.

I am informed that the subway leading to Ducketts Common and the adjacent tramway island was closed because water, seeping through the ceiling, affected the stair-treads, the tiles and the lighting circuits, and made the subway dangerous to pedestrians. It will be reopened as soon as repairs have been made

asked the Minister of Transport how many Liberty and Victory ships have been purchased from the U.S.A.; how much was paid for each type; and why it was not possible to keep these ships on time charter in view of the surplus of unused ships in the U.S.A.

United Kingdom shipowners have been authorised to buy from the United States approximately 100 "Liberty "ships and about 40 ships of faster types, including "Victory" ships Bids for eight of the faster ships have been accepted by the United States authorities and seven of these have been delivered to the purchasers. The remaining bids, including all those for "Liberty" ships, are still under consideration by the United States Government. The terms of sale are laid down in the United States Ship Sales Act. The price for the ships varies according to age, but on average amounts to about one million dollars per ship for the faster type and about half that amount for the "Liberty" type.On the last part of his Question, the hon Member will understand that, whilst the "Liberty" ships concerned are some of those on bareboat charter to His Majesty's Government, the faster type ships have not been on such charter. The United States Government still has under consideration the proposals made by His Majesty's Government regarding the rate of return of those "Liberty" ships now on bareboat charter and not to be pur- chased. I would refer the hon. Member on this point to the reply I gave on 10th February to the hon. Member for Montrose Burghs (Mr. Maclay).

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will arrange for the emergency mobile power stations, built during the war for use by the services or in bombed towns, to be used during the present fuel crisis.

I assume my hon. Friend refers to the mobile generating stations built for shipment to the U.S.S.R. These mobile generating stations have now been either allocated or despatched to countries overseas. I am advised that their use in this country would only be possible after substantial modifications had been carried out.

asked the Minister of National Insurance when Mr. Ernest Nuttall, 2, Lower Lark Hill, Moorside, Cleckheaton, who retired from work on 24th August, 1946, whose old age pension number is 48464815, and, who, although eligible for the 26s. pension as from the first pay week in October, only received it as from 15th November, 1946, will receive the additional £4 16s. to which he is entitled.

asked the Minister of National Insurance when he proposes to issue a payments book entitling Mrs. L. J. Goodwin, Ashbracken, Cropwell Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts, to her increased old age pension, due in October last.

I am having inquiries made into these cases and will write the hon. Members as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Pensions if Mr. Charles Quin, 10, Albany Road, Southsea, pension No. 35484823, may now have his new pension book for which he applied on 12th October 6th November and 8th January last.

I have been asked to reply. Inquiries are in hand and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of trade which has taken place during the six months July to December, 1946, between this country and Yugoslavia, Poland, Bulgaria and Rumania, respectively.

The following table shows the trade of the United Kingdom with the countries named during the period July to December, 1946:

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General when he expects the Chiswick automatic exchange to be in operation.

If no unforeseen difficulties arise, I expect the new automatic exchange at Chiswick to be ready for service by about the end of 1949.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Burma whether he is now in a position to say who has been selected to preside over the committee of inquiry as to the best method of associating the frontier peoples with the working out of the new Constitution for Burma foreshadowed in the conclusions reached with the Burma delegation.

I am glad to say that my hon. Friend the Member for South Croydon (Mr. Rees-Williams) has agreed to serve as chairman of the Committee of inquiry. He has provisionally arranged to leave by air for Burma early next week. The invitation to him was of course made in agreement with the Government of Burma. The Committee of inquiry will start its work as soon as possible after his arrival in that country.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether he will review the airmail rates to Cyprus, in view of the fact that current charges are in excess of those made on airmail to other British Colonies, and also greatly in excess of those to Greece.

The airmail postage rate to Cyprus, which was reduced on 17th January from is. 3d. to 6d. a half ounce, is no higher, and in most cases considerably less, than the rate to other British Colonies, except Malta and Gibraltar which, like Greece, are in the European zone and benefit from the cheaper rate applicable to the whole of Europe.

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) for what reasons he has been unable to include the paper, "Dziennik Polski i Dxienik Zolnierza," on the approved list for circulation in the British zone of Germany;(2) for what reason permission to include the Polish daily newspaper "Slowo Polskie" among papers circulated in the British zones has been refused by him.

There is no prohibition on the admission, subject to censorship, of either newspaper to the British zone of Germany through ordinary postal channels. The approved list refers to a restricted number of newspapers which are given facilities for free distribution in displaced persons camps through official British channels and this list cannot be extended to include papers having a consistent tendency to discourage repatriation or indulge in propaganda against the Allied Powers.