asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that excavating machinery imported into this country from America is being re-sold for sterling to French customers; and whether this transaction has his approval.

No. These machines can only be exported under licence and no such licence has been granted for export to France.

asked the Minister of Supply if he is prepared to negotiate with the motor trade in order to ensure some priority in the delivery of new cars to those persons who surrendered them to the Government at nominal figures during the war.

No. The difficulties would be prohibitive.

asked the Minister of Works when Dr. Hibberd's Survey of the Welsh slate industry will be published.

Dr. Hibberd's Report was not prepared with a view to publication. It is now being considered and discussions will follow with the industry.

asked the Minister of Works under what authority he has offered Mrs. E. L. Friday, the freehold owner of 47 Effingham Road, N.8, 25s. as compensation for her cast-iron gate and railings which were taken away as scrap during the war, when the cost of replacement in the cheapest form in wood or other material would be from £10 to £12; and if he will reconsider this matter.

The authority for the offer of compensation is contained in Section 6 of the Compensation (Defence) Act, 1939. This Section of the Act provides only for the payment of compensation based on the value of the chattels at the time of requisition but not for the cost of replacement. I regret that there are no grounds on which I may consider the claim on the basis of the cost of replacing the fixtures.

asked the Minister of Works to what extent foreign slates are being imported into this country.

During the first three months of this year import licences were issued to the value of £20,000

asked the Minister of Works how much steel was allocated for the re-building of Vernons' Pools premises at Aintree, Liverpool, which were burned down last Summer and are now completely re-built; and why such high priority was given to this allocation when steel was being refused to a textile firm nearby whose output is for export and dollar-saving purposes.

No steel was allocated for the rebuilding of Messrs. Vernons' Pools premises at Aintree.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the riots in Kobe and Osaka in which attacks were made by Koreans on the offices of the prefectures.

The apparent cause of the recent disturbances in Kobe and Osaka, fairly full accounts of which have appeared in the Press, was the decision of the Japanese authorities to close certain Korean schools. Koreans now in Japan were given the option of repatriation in 1946 and were told that if they decided to remain they would be subject to Japanese law, retaining their Japanese nationality until a duly-established Korean Government should recognise them as Korean nationals. Their subjection to Japanese law includes liability to give their children eight years of compulsory education under the Japanese curriculum, although the teaching of Korean language and culture in addition is not prohibited. The Koreans have resisted this ruling, and have forcibly occupied Japanese state school premises. It was when the Japanese police tried to evacuate them that rioting began. Some 1,300 arrests have been made, and latest reports indicate that the situation is under control.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what instructions have been given to the British representative at the conference now being held in Madrid to consider the ownership of the gold acquired by Spain from Germany during the war.

The British representative at the negotiations now proceeding at Madrid has been instructed to join his French and American colleagues in pressing the Spanish Government to make restitution of any gold which can be proved to have been looted by the Germans.

asked the Minister of Food why information concerning changes in the distribution of proprietary infant foods was withheld so as to pre vent pharmacists or the general public from obtaining advance information of this impending change.

Full details of these changes were given to the Press by my right hon. Friend, at his conference on 20th April, five days before they were to take effect. At the same time local food offices were instructed to advise all pharmacists and retailers of the impending change.

asked the Minister of Food (1) how many of the 673,000 and the 932,000 ration books reported as lost or destroyed during the ration years 1945–46 and 1946–47 respectively were subsequently 'returned to his Department; and on what grounds he is satisfied that these losses do not represent a black market leakage;(2) how many persons who reported the loss of a ration book during the ration year 1946–47 had reported the loss of a ration book during the previous ration year.

I am afraid the statistical information for which the hon. Member asks is not fully available. We, have, however, had special inquiries made in the London Division, where about 20 per cent. of lost books are recovered. In Scotland 2 per cent. of those applying for duplicate ration books lost more than one in a year. There is no evidence of an organised market of any sort in ration Looks.

asked the Minister of Food if he has considered the demand recently sent to him by the Scottish Old Age Pensioners' Association for increased supplies of food for old people; and what action he is taking in the matter.

Representations have reached my Department from various sources which urge that extra allowances of rationed food should be made available for elderly people. My right hon. Friend regrets, however, that he cannot see his way to grant such people extra rations since circumstances will vary very widely, and my Department has not the staff or resources to examine each individual case on its merits.

asked the Minister of Food whether catering licences for public refreshment rooms operated by the Transport Commission are given on the understanding that they shall serve the purpose of feeding the public in addition to catering for the needs of railway employees.

Yes.

asked the Minister of Food in how many cases in the last two years has a catering licence been revoked because the licensee discriminated against a would-be customer on account of his race or colour; and to how many were warning letters sent.

No licences have been revoked on account of racial discrimination and no warning letters have been sent. In previous cases of racial discrimination brought to the notice of my right hon. Friend, and where on investigation the allegations have been substantiated, an undertaking to prevent it happening again has been obtained from the offenders.

asked the Minister of Food what steps are being taken to ensure that the meat sold in this country is fit for human consumption; and if he is satisfied that no appreciable proportion of meat sold is, by the highest standards, unfit for human consumption.

I am satisfied that, as the result of the supervision exercised by our officers in co-operation with the local authorities and port health authorities, everything possible is done to ensure that no meat issued by my Department for human consumption is unfit for that purpose.

asked the Minister of Food what allocation of points goods will be made under the new system of distribution to retailers who do not have registered customers.

The new distribution applies only to canned fruit, canned meat, canned fish and condensed milk. Four per cent, of total releases of each of these foods will be reserved for distribution to retailers with no ration registrations.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that English growers of lettuces, cabbages, cauliflowers and other vegetables are unable to find a market in this country; and, in view of the importance of growing as much food as possible in this country, whether he will take steps to assist these growers to avoid losses.

My information is that during recent weeks vegetables of good quality have not lacked a market and were earning reasonable returns for the' growers.

asked the Minster of Food, why his Department have withheld the licence proposed to be granted in the case of 84 Lumley Road, Skegness; and whether he is aware that this matter has now been outstanding for several months.

I am glad to be able to say that a building licence for £648 was issued to Mr. Hannam by the Ministry of Works for building extensions to his catering establishment at 84 Lumley Road, Skegness, on 27th April. Some delay has unfortunately occurred in considering this application due. I fear, to a misunderstanding.

asked the Minister of Food if he is aware that displaced persons at the Bottisham Camp receive five additional meals each week; that they have a main meat dish for lunch and a similar dish consisting of meat as a rule for tea; and how this compares with the rations of farm workers.

Bottisham Camp is one, of four camps at which displaced persons are being trained for work in coal mines. They receive allowances of food equivalent to the normal domestic rations together with an allowance of five additional meals per head each week on the ordinary catering scale. How these allowances of food are used is left to the management of the camp. Agricultural workers who live at home and have no canteen facilities at their work may draw the special allowance of 12 oz. of cheese (instead of 1½ oz.) and the bread that goes with it, in addition to the six extra bread units for manual workers. They may also obtain the season allowances of rationed foods while engaged on certain farming operations, and tea, sugar and milk for brewing tea.

asked the Minister of Food what control is now exercised over the price of soft drinks since the end of the system of sale under S.D.I. label; and what changes in prices have occurred since that time.

There has been no control of prices of soft drinks since the concentration scheme came to an end on 1st February. Since that date the prices of some drinks, consequent on improved quality, have been increased. Other prices have been reduced.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is his estimate of the loss of food to the nation in the last two years by the retention by the Army of the Stanford battle area in Norfolk.

In view of the many unknown factors involved, I am not in a position to give an authoritative answer to this hypothetical Question.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what items of normal expenditure are summarised under columns 2 and 3, described as Maintenance and Protection respectively, of Table IIIA of the Forestry Commission's Report for 1946–47.

In column 2: replacement of failures, weeding and cleaning of plantations, the upkeep of fences, and drains, and underplanting. In column 3: protection against fire, trespass, vermin, insects, fungi, etc.

asked the Minister of Agriculture why he approved the requisitioning of 12 acres of the 67-acre dairy farm of Mr. G. C. Denton of Loves Farm, Burghfield, Berkshire, for the purpose of making a playing field for W.R.N.S.

Five acres of Mr. Denton's land at Burghfield was requisitioned by the Ministry of Supply some six years ago and later transferred to the Admiralty. It remained in Mr. Denton's use for grazing or for hay but is now needed, together with an adjoining three acres, to provide a playing field for 500 to 600 members of the W.R.N.S. My Department agreed to its diversion for this purpose only after the Admiralty had offered Mr. Denton the use of an almost equivalent acreage of grassland within the depot which could not be used for sports. The Admiralty are now purchasing the eight acres. The remaining four acres of Mr. Denton's land adjoining the depot are included in the acquisition at Mr. Denton's own request and will be let to him for unrestricted agricultural use.

asked the Minister of Agriculture if he is satisfied that actions taken by the Ministry of Food enforcement officers are conducive to full cooperation by farmers with his production programme.

This campaign was undertaken after consultation with my Department to secure the proper observance of the regulations relating to the sale of pigs and other fat stock and should not interfere with the agricultural expansion programme.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many dispossession cases have been heard by the Agricultural Land Tribunals; and in how many cases he has subsequently decided to dispossess the farmer or landowner.

The hon. Member doubtless refers to the non-statutory tribunals that operated for some two years up to 1st March this year when Agricultural Land Tribunals were constituted under the Agriculture Act, 1947. During that period 31 appeals were heard. In 28 cases the appeals were rejected and the occupiers were subsequently dispossessed.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many harvester combines it is expected will be working in England during the 1948 harvest; what the total output is estimated to be; how many grain drying plants will be in operation to deal with this output; what will be their capacity; and what steps he is planning to take to deal with the surplus, which would result from 1948 proving to be a wet harvest.

It is estimated that about 6,400 combined harvesters will be working in Great Britain during the 1948 harvest and that their total output should be rather over one million tons of grain. Grain drying plants will be operated by various interests, including millers, maltsters, merchants, the Ministry of Food and farmers. Precise information as to the total capacity is not available, but it is expected to be generally sufficient, if used to the best advantage, even if the harvesting season is wet. Within the limits imposed by existing shortages of labour and material the provision of additional drying and storage facilities is being supported by my Department and the Ministry of Food.

asked the Minister of Agriculture how many applications have been received from ex-Service men for training in agriculture and horticulture; how many have been granted; and what are the figures for each of the Welsh counties.

By 5th April, 1948, 14,347 applications had been received in England and Wales; 12,081 applicants had been accepted, but a proportion of these did not start training or gave up before completing the course. The figures for each of the Welsh Counties are as follow:

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will give instructions that R.A.F. bombs stored over three years in the open shall be collected and used for scrap.

Most of the bombs which are stored in the open are required as part of the permanent stocks of the R.A.F. All surplus bombs which are useful as scrap are handed over to the Ministry of Supply, who boil them out as fast as the factory capacity allows.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that Czech refugees, at present in a displaced persons' camp in Germany, have been informed that they can proceed to England without passports, visas or guarantees for employment; whether any special arrangements are being made to enable those refugees who escaped from Czechoslovakia to enter this country; and what conditions are laid down.

I have no knowledge of any such statement as that to which reference is made in the first part of the Question. Czech nationals require visas before they can travel to the United Kingdom, but the grant of a visa is not necessarily dependent on the possession of a national passport or a guarantee of employment. Immigration into this country must he carefully controlled, and I could not justify the admission of all such persons as claim to be refugees from Czechoslovakia but—apart from any arrangement that may be made to recruit Czechs under the European Volunteer Workers' Scheme—sympathetic consideration is given to applications from those who have special claims to come to this country, including men who served during the War in His Majesty's Forces, Czechs with near relatives resident in this country, and Czechs who were admitted to this country as refugees before the war, lived here for substantial periods, and subsequently returned to Czechoslovakia.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue a White Paper giving statistics and all available information on the subject of capital punishment both in this country and in the principal countries where it has been abolished, with an analysis of sentences which have been commuted and all available information on the subsequent careers of individual murderers who have been released.

I am considering what further information can be made available, and what form it should take.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer under which clauses of the Financial Agreements between His Majesty's Government and the Royal Egyptian' Government releases from sterling balances totalling £80,000,000 were made between 14th July, 1947, and 1st February, 1948; and the amounts released under each clause.

The information asked for is contained in the following statement:

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action has been taken by His Majesty's Government to ensure that exporters from this country of goods sent to sterling area or soft currency countries for subsequent transhipment to hard currency countries, surrender the hard currency ultimately received to the Treasury.

The exporter of any goods to any place abroad for transhipment therefrom to a country outside the scheduled territories is required to surrender with the export entry a form C.D.3 showing a method of payment approved under the Exchange Control Act in respect of that country of ultimate destination as shown in the entry. Steps are subsequently taken to see that payment is duly received in the prescribed currency and is surrendered.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the annual profits of the licensed trade for the year ended December, 1939; and for each subsequent year to December, 1947.

pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 27th April, 1948, Vol. 450, c. 211], supplied the following information:The following table gives the profits of the brewers for accounting years ending in the Income Tax years 1938–39 to 1946–47. The profits are after allowance for wear and tear of plant and machinery and after deducting National Defence Contribution, Excess Profits Tax and Profits Tax payable. The figures include profits arising from trade ancillary to the main business.

asked the Minister of Labour whether he will revise the number of building operatives scheduled for release in 1948 by employing them on brick construction and diverting labour engaged on factory production of houses to manufacturing for export.

I have been asked to reply. I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on a similar subject on the 8th and 15th April by the Minister of Health, to which I have nothing to add.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants have been dismissed since 15th March; how many have had their political records inquired into; and with what results.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has agreed to suspend for a short time action under the policy which he announced on 15th March pending discussions with the Staff Side of the National Whitley Council on the detailed procedure to be followed.

asked the Minister of Health whether he will institute immediate inquiries into the possibility of supplying water from local sources for residential purposes and for the use of the local school in the parish of Breage, near Helston.

I understand that the Helston and Porthleven Water Company within whose limits of supply the village of Breage is situated, have under consideration a scheme for providing piped water to the village including the local school. When the proposals are submitted they will receive my immediate attention.

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the straitened circumstances of Mrs. Wright and of the fact that the Birkenhead local authority is sympathetic to the application, he will consider granting a licence for the erection of a bungalow on the north side of Sparks Lane, Thingwall, Birkenhead.

I cannot agree to the issue of a licence in this case at the present time.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that gift parcels from Australia clearly addressed to Mrs. Ella Halton of 78c Lexham Gardens, kensington, W.8, have been delivered by the postal authorities to poor persons in this country who have written letters of thanks to the donors in Australia; whether this state of affairs is general; and if he will take steps to remedy the situation.

I have received a complaint that certain parcels addressed as stated have reached persons other than the addressee. I have no reason for thinking that postal parcels are, in fact, being delivered otherwise than as addressed. Full inquiries are being made and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Education if he is aware of the inconvenience caused to education departments and lecturers in training colleges, as exemplified in the case submitted to him, by the delay in making known his decision on the salary scales for lecturers in training colleges and departments of education; and if he will now make a statement.

I have approved the recommendations of the Committee on Salaries of Training College Staffs for salary scales to apply with effect from 1st April, 1948. The Committee's report embodying these scales was distributed to local education authorities and governing bodies of non-local education authority training colleges on 22nd April.

asked the Minister of Education how many uncertificated teachers have taken or started the one-year course for certification; and how many have taken or started the two-years course during the last 12 months.

The first special one-year courses for uncertificated teachers began in the autumn of 1947. 444 uncertificated teachers were admitted to these courses. Of the students who completed two-year courses in teachers' training colleges in 1947, 527 had been employed as uncertificated teachers before their entry into college. I could not, without laborious investigation, give similar information for the students now following two-year courses.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that many members of the Forces died in Canada; that parents are anxious to visit their graves; and if he will arrange facilities for such visits in 1948.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer last Thursday. As regards the scheme for assisting relatives to visit war graves which I announced in reply to a Question by the hon. and gallant Member for Petersfield (Sir G. Jeffreys) on 13th April last, I regret that it is not possible eat present to extend that scheme to countries other than those mentioned in that reply.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in the case of firms, however large, in which only one individual signs cheques, the banks are forbidden to supply more than 25 cheques in a pocket cheque book, instead of larger cheque books of 250 or more cheques in paste board covers; that this leads to waste of time and loss of business efficiency; and whether, since the small saving of paper on each cheque is not counterbalanced by the waste of special covers for every 25 cheques, he will rectify this position.

I am not aware of the existence of any restriction of the kind referred to by the hon. Member.