asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons the expatriation payments to Colonial officials are pensionable; if he is aware that this policy is causing dissatisfaction in Colonial territories; and whether it will now be reconsidered.

It is normal in the Civil Service for pensions to be based on the full permanent emoluments of the office. In some Colonies these emoluments are divided into basic salary, payable to all officers, and expatriation pay, payable in addition to basic salary to officers recruited from outside. If this expatriation pay were not pensionable, the pensions payable to the officers concerned would be substantially less than those earned by their opposite numbers in Colonies where the system of expatriation pay does not obtain. Indeed, the pensions would often be less than those earned by service in the same posts before the war. I am aware that there has been some local criticism in some of the territories, but it is not widespread or well-informed. I have no intention of reconsidering the position.

Does not the Colonial Secretary appreciate that in Malaya, Sierra Leone and Mauritius strong objections have been raised locally? Will he take those objections into consideration and see if a case has in fact been made out for altering the policy?

The criticism made is, of course, uninformed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the death rate due to pulmonary tuberculosis per 100,000 of the population for Uganda, British Honduras, Mauritius, Sierra Leone and Singapore, respectively.

The 1947 figure for Mauritius was 38.38 and for Singapore 155.

In British Honduras, the number of deaths certified by medical practitioners as being caused by pulmonary tuberculosis gives a rate of 70 per 100,000 of the population, but only about 45 per cent. of total deaths are so certified.

I regret that it is not possible to give figures for Sierra Leone or Uganda. In these territories arrangements for registration of deaths are still incomplete.

Is the Secretary of State aware that all the figures given are inevitably on the low side owing to inadequate notification, and can we have an assurance that, if he accepts this, he also accepts that conditions there are inadequate for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, and that we will do all we can to improve them?

Conditions are inadequate, and it is regrettable that the circumstances in most of these Colonies make the preparation of vital statistics and other figures very difficult indeed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what date Mass Education Officers were re-named Social Development Officers; and whether this change signifies any alteration, in or enlargement of their duties.

The title of the Mass Education Officer in the Gold Coast was changed to Social Development Officer in April of this year. I am not aware that a similar alteration has been made elsewhere. The answer to the second part of the hon. Member's Question is in the negative.

Would the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance, in order to allay misgivings, that this change of name is not merely a technique to disguise any failure, or partial failure, in the mass education experiment in Africa?

I cart give the hon. Gentleman completely the assurance for which he asks. There was some difficulty in the case of the Gold Coast because in the Twi language it was difficult to find a phrase which covered the title "Mass Education Officer" and the term "Social Development Officer" has been suggested because in Twi it would read: "The man who teaches people to live better."

Will my right hon. Friend ensure that these officers are not tied to the routine duties of offices, but are encouraged to make living contact with the native peoples?

Yes, that follows.

Will my right hon. Friend be able to give the House at some early date an account of how well the mass education experiment is proceeding in Africa?

I will certainly make available to the House any information I have.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the Protectorate and Provincial African Councils were not consulted in regard to projected changes in the constitutions of various Colonies; and whether the procedure of consultation now being used in Sierra Leone may be followed in discussion on the Nyasaland constitution.

In all African Colonies where changes in the Constitution have recently been made or proposed, representative African opinion has been fully consulted, although not necessarily through Protectorate or Provincial Councils, which, as my hon. Friend will be aware, do not exist in all the Territories.

In Nyasaland, as stated in my answer to my hon. Friend of 16th June, the Protectorate and Provincial Councils are being kept informed of constitutional developments. These Councils have only recently been established and one of the objects of their formation is to provide a means for consulting African opinion on matters of major importance. I should wish to have further experience of this procedure, which I have no reason to suppose will not have to be satisfactory in practice, before considering whether any change is necessary.

Does not my right hon. Friend agree that a much happier state of affairs now exists in the Colony of Sierra Leone following the new procedure of consultation adopted after earlier protests?

It is a very good practice and we shall, of course, try to follow it wherever possible.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why he was not consulted by the Governor of Malaya in connection with the decision to outlaw the Pan-Malayan Federation of Trade Unions, the nine State Federations of Trade Unions and the Trengganu General Labour Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

There was no occasion to consult me. These bodies do not comply with the requirements of the Trade Unions law of the Federation of Malaya. On application for registration they have not been registered because of this. They are consequently deemed by law to be unlawful associations but they have the right of appeal within 30 days against the refusal of the Registrar of Trade Unions, in the first instance to the Chief Secretary and in the second to the Supreme Court.

Will my right hon. Friend now take us to the next stage and resist any plea by the Governor to obtain powers to deport British citizens who are the leading figures in these trade unions, knowing as he does that the object of the Governor is to send these proposed deportees to that small part of China still governed by Chiang Kai-shek where the will be executed?

That is an entirely different matter; the Question is concerned with the registration of the Federation

But is it not the case that the big rubber planters and tin monopolies are responsible for the suppression of the trade unions, and that they feel they can do anything now that there is a Labour Government in office?

There is no suppression of trade unions at all. This is an application for registration of federation, and all that is asked is that the law shall be complied with.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many members or former members of the Palestine Police have been offered employment on police duties in Malaya.

Staff requirements are being reassessed in the light of the present disturbances. I cannot yet say what the total requirement will be, or what proportion of any new posts will be recruited from former members of the Palestine Police, who are of course eligible for consideration.

Does that mean that no definite offer has been made to any of these men so far, and if so, does the right hon. Gentleman realise that these extremely experienced and capable men will undoubtedly find themselves other employment before very long?

The hon. Member will realise that there are practical difficulties in introducing people with just this kind of experience in Malaya, but the problem is being actively explored and discussions are going on.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how many former members of the Palestine Police Force are now unemployed?

That is another question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the effect in Singapore of the Japanese occupation on the death rate due to phthisis and to tubercular meningitis; and what improvement has taken place since.

My reply contains a number of figures and, with my hon. Friend's permission, I will circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Whilst thanking my right hon. Friend, may I ask him if he is aware that the essential difficulty there is the shortage of beds, and that in spite of the gallant fight by the Medical Director he is grossly handicapped inasmuch as he can only admit either moribund or very early cases into the sanatorium there?

We will (pay attention to this problem, but there has been quite a considerable recovery in the last year.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the present rates of wages in Singapore for the following classes of workers: civilian labourers and labourers employed by Government Departments, including Navy, Army and Air Force, respectively; and how these rates compare with those prevailing in December, 1947.

I am obtaining the required information regarding civilian labourers and labourers employed by the Civil Government from the Governor of Singapore. As to labourers employed by the Navy, Army and Air Force I would refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends who are responsible for those Service Departments. I will write to the hon. Member later.

May I ask my right hon. Friend whether there is any truth in the statement which appeared in the Press recently that labourers in Singapore have been getting as much as £4 per day?

I think that is very unlikely.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how the cost of living in Singapore now compares with the cost in December, 1947; and the cost of rice at the latest available date.

I have asked the Governor of Singapore for this information and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as I have his reply.

Can my right hon. Friend say whether the cost of living in Singapore has risen during the last 12 months?

I should require notice of that question.

As regards the cost of rice, will the right hon. Gentleman get the two prices—the official price and the open market price—both of which are used by the Government and everybody else?

Does not the Colonial Secretary get this information sent over every so often so that he is kept up to date with what is going on? Why will he have to telegraph?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he is aware that United States citizens are permitted to enter Jamaica on a visit without a passport; and whether British subjects are granted the same permission.

Yes, Sir.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what accommodation he has been able to arrange for the 400 unemployed West Indians who were due to arrive at Southamption on 22nd June.

Considerable efforts were made by a number of Government Departments to provide adequate and suitable accommodation for the men arriving. Some 240 of them were given assistance to travel to places to which they wished to go, having made their own arrangements. Of the rest, about 25 men who have volunteered for the Army and Air Force have been accommodated at the Colonial Office Servicemen's Club at 77, Wimpole Street; and the remainder, approximately 200 men, have been put up and are being looked after for the time being at the War Department's deep shelter at Clapham South, pending dispersal to employment.

Would my right hon. Friend convey to his Welfare Department, and particularly to the officer who was on board the ship, some appreciation of the very sensible and imaginative way in which they have handled this problem?

Yes, Sir. They have done a very good job.

In view of the fact that the Colonial Office Welfare Club in Wimpole Street is shortly to close down—according to information received by the people running the club from the Minister's Welfare Department—will the Minister say what steps are being taken to find alternative accommodation for these people?

We have reached a decision with the owners of the property that we can occupy it for a period longer.

While the people of South London will make these men in the underground shelter as welcome as possible whilst they are there, will the Minister nevertheless make very early efforts to get them fixed up in more suitable accommodation?

Certainly.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made up to date towards establishing a customs union in the West Indian Colonies.

As all the Legislatures concerned have agreed to participate, I am now arranging to appoint a Commission to investigate this question.

Will the Minister expedite the connected matter of federation of the West Indies so that these Colonies may take responsibility for their own welfare?

Yes, certainly. Sir Hubert Rance is now in the West Indies carrying on this work.

Will this Commission work under Sir Hubert Rance and his organisation?

It will work in conjunction with it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what immediate steps are being taken to increase the carrying capacity of the railway from Mombasa to Nairobi.

Eighteen locomotives and 475 wagons have been ordered in this country. Increased carrying capacity on the section of the railway between Mombasa and Nairobi depends upon the supply of this additional equipment.

Whilst I fully realise the implications of the Minister's reply, is it not also a fact that there is a lack of adequate crossing places on this single line and that at present only six trains a day can leave Mombasa? Will the Minister consider the allocation of a small quantity of steel in order to make more crossing places on this line?

Yes, that point is under consideration. We are, of course, trying to get more steel from the general supply available in this country.

Can the Colonial Secretary say when the locomotives and wagons will be delivered?

The 18 locomotives are in course of production.

When will they be delivered?

We will apply all possible pressure to get them delivered as soon as they are made.

Can we understand clearly that the interests of this railway will not be sacrificed in favour of the groundnuts scheme?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the total number of Africans serving on the main legislative and administrative bodies in West Africa; how many of these are women; and how many legislative or administrative members are, respectively, official and nonofficial, nominated and elected.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give any reliable statistics or estimate respecting the calorific value of food consumed by the average rural and urban

With my hon. Friend's permission, I will circulate a detailed answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I have assumed that the Question refers to the Executive and Legislative Councils of the four territories, but if my hon. Friend has any other bodies in mind I will obtain the information for him.

Would the Secretary of State say whether it is the practice of his Department, or whoever is responsible, to consult the trade unions or other representative organisations of the natives in the territories concerned when nominations are considered?

It is the practice of the Governors, in the case of nominated members of these bodies, to consult all organised sections of African opinion.

Before any reliable estimate can be made dietary surveys must be carried out, and the nutritional values of many African foods must be further investigated. There are, in addition, wide variations in the food intake, not only in different areas, but at different seasons of the year. Work is at present in progress in the Gambia on the collection of data covering a one-year period with the object of providing more accurate knowledge on this subject.

Can the Secretary of State say when the information will be available because, in its absence, it is difficult to determine whether or not Africans are getting healthier.

A very considerable amount of information has been collected over a period of years on the subject of nutrition. The working committee in Gambia have been operating there for nearly a year and we hope before long to know the results of their first experiments.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether in examining applications for transfers from continuous service engagements to special service engagements, he will give consideration not only to compassionate cases but to cases where it can be shown that the applicant, through no fault of his own, genuinely believed that he would be able to purchase his discharge at the end of hostilities.

As I informed the House in reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Portsmouth, North (Major Bruce) on 17th March last, the scheme which allowed men who entered the Royal Navy on continuous service engagements early in the war to transfer to special service engagements is now closed. This scheme was limited to those cases in which there were compassionate circumstances because any extension beyond that would have resulted in too great a loss of men serving on regular engagements. When the regular strength of the Royal Navy allows discharges by purchase, or otherwise, on a less restricted basis than at present, applications from those men to whom the hon. Member refers will be given sympathetic consideration.

May I ask, first, that not only sympathetic consideration, but priority over others, will be given; secondly, does not the Minister think that the very real sense of injustice and grievance of these men, who enlisted at the beginning of the war and were given a definite undertaking which has not now been carried out, should be redressed?

No, Sir. I cannot guarantee to give definite priority, although I will give sympathetic consideration. Secondly, I cannot agree that there should be a real sense of injustice. I would remind hon. Members that, as a result of the scheme to which I have referred, there have been 667 applications; 569 have been approved and the men have been released.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary say whether special consideration was given to those who entered the Royal Navy as boys at the beginning of the war, when there was no other method of entry?

That is another problem, which shows how complicated is the whole matter.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what financial settlement has been made in respect of the pier at Lamlash, Arran.

In July, 1946, a settlement was made with the owners of the Pier, the Arran Estate Trustees, under which a lump sum was paid in full and final settlement of all Government use of, and damage to Lamlash Pier during the war and up to 31st May, 1946.

Can the Minister tell us how much was the lump sum and whether there was any condition of payment that it should be spent on repairing the pier, which has not been repaired?

While the Minister is answering that question, will he say how much the Duke of Montrose got out of the deal?

I do not know anything about the Duke of Montrose. I am informed that the settlement was made with the Arran Estate Trustees and accepted in full and final settlement of all Government dues up to 31st May, 1946. We have received no further representations from them. We have, in fact, spent £293 on repairing damage there.

Cannot my hon. Friend do anything to get the pier brought into use again, because its continued closure operates very harshly on traders in the Lamlash area?

We have no control whatever over this pier. It was handed back in 1946 and the onus of getting it back into use lies with its owners.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what expenditure has been incurred on the naval bases at Singapore since the war; and what further expenditure is to be incurred.

I presume that the Question refers to capital expenditure. The total of such expenditure incurred since the occupation of the base after the war amounts to about £1,600,000, including that on rehabilitation. As regards the second part of the Question, I cannot, of course, anticipate future policy, but further expenditure on capital services already approved will amount to about £800,000 including rehabilitation.

Is this £1,600,000 spent since the war in addition to the £26 million which the "Daily Telegraph" estimate says was spent in the war; and is the statement true that up to the present 10,000 people have been working daily at Singapore and that the local naval authorities say that it is an absurdity?

The Question asked the amount of money spent since the war. Quite obviously that excludes any amount spent before or during the war. In regard to the number of people employed there I can assure my hon. Friend that there has been no statement by the naval authorities that the number of people employed are far more than there should be.

May I ask that no considerations of economy will prevent the full re-equipment of this base both as regards defence and dockyard facilities; and further whether the transference of the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief from Hong Kong to Singapore will not in any way lessen the strength and effectiveness of Hong Kong itself?

The second part of the supplementary question does not come within this Question. In regard to the first part, the Admiralty naturally have in mind the valuable position of Singapore and quite obviously, within financial limitations, they will do everything to see that it is kept in a proper state.

In view of the ineffectiveness of the £26 million—

Speak up.

Address the audience.

I am addressing the Chair. In view of the ineffectiveness of the £26 million previously spent and of the fact that military and naval experts have all proved wrong in their prognostications, is it now proposed to proceed to pour several more millions down the drain to give us another white elephant in Singapore such as the last?

Is the amount that the Civil Lord has mentioned the minimum amount required to bring this base into effective use and to rehabilitate it after the damage suffered during the war?

It does not necessarily follow that the figures I have given represent the minimum amount, but that is what we have spent after the war in capital purposes up to the present.

Have the deficiencies revealed during the war as regards attack from the land to the north been remedied?

The hon. Gentleman can certainly take it that any lessons we learned as a result of war action are being very carefully taken into account at the moment.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many acres of-land are owned by Greenwich Hospital in the constituency of Berwick-on-Tweed; what is the total capital value of this land; and how much has been spent since June, 1945, in improvement of the land, houses and buildings.

Greenwich Hospital land in the constituency of Berwick-on-Tweed amounts to 7,741 acres at an estimated Capital value of £201,000. The sum expended on improvements on land, houses and buildings from June, 1945, to date is £4,173. This does not include the normal expenditure on repairs and maintenance.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the total number of Sea Cadet Units; the total strength in officers and ratings; the total annual cost; the number of units, strength and cost of those run by the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Navy League and otherwise, respectively; and the amount of money paid to the Navy League for Sea Cadet Units during the financial year 1947–48.

As the answer to this Question contains a number of figures, I will, with my hon. and gallant Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the amount of new naval tonnage, and the number of warships in the major classes, likely to be completed this year.

Such particulars of His Majesty's ships under construction as can be disclosed are given on pages 228–231 of the current Navy Estimates. Parliament and the Press are informed on each occasion when a new ship in the major classes is launched and when she commissions.

Are there any alterations in the pages which the hon. Gentleman has quoted?

No, Sir.

As regards the pages indicated by hon. Gentleman, and as regards ships which will not be completed according to Admiralty plans, is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that when a ship like the aircraft carrier "Powerful" is left in an incomplete state and nothing is done for months and years it deteriorates very much, whereas it ought to be completed in a reasonable time?

Naturally we bear that in mind with other considerations.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he will state the policy of the Admiralty in respect of the disposal of His Majesty's ships to foreign countries.

Only those ships which are surplus to the requirements of the Royal Navy are transferred to foreign Governments. The principles observed in such transfers are:

• Firstly: the fulfilment of the strategic interests of the United Kingdom by assisting in the reconstruction of the navies of former allies and other friendly Powers.

• Secondly: the strengthening of the close relations between the R.N. and these Navies, which grew up to their mutual advantage during the war.

Are the Admiralty aware of the strength of feeling in this country against the sale of His Majesty's ships to countries still occupying British territory in the Antarctic, and especially against the possible sale of H.M.S. "Ajax" to the Chilean Government? In addition, has the hon. Gentleman any statement to make about the later stages of negotiations in regard to that ship?

No, Sir; that is another question. If there is any strong feeling, I have no doubt that it can be conveyed to my right hon. Friend, and no doubt he will take it into account.

In reference to the original reply, and to the sale of ships no longer required, has the estimates requirement of the minimum cruiser strength of the Navy been lowered below 50?

No, Sir.

Will my hon. Friend not add, to complete his statement of policy, that the requirements of the Navy are now defined in Washington, and no longer in London?

These constant and rather insulting references to a friendly Power do deserve reproof.

Withdraw.

On a point of Order—

On a point of Order, very well.

May I not rise on a point of Order, first?

If the hon. Member wishes to put a point of Order first, he may do so.

Perhaps my voice was not so loud as it should have been, but I did mean to make a point of Order. Is it not open to me continually and, if I think right, at all times, to draw the attention of the House to the fact that in my view certain right hon. Members are taking steps in relation to the United States of America that virtually amount to the betrayal of our country to certain powerful interests in that country? If I hold that view, may I not press that point, in season, and out of season?

Not at Question Time. There is a rule that insinuations and imputations should not be made, either in Questions at the Table, or in supple-mentaries, and I reproved the hon. Member because I thought his constant references to America were imputations and insinuations of an unfriendly character. That is my Ruling.

On a further point of Order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the fact that you have given that Ruling, will you give a similar Ruling when not only innuendoes, but open slanders are made against a friendly Power, the Soviet Union?

I am very careful about what I hear, but these things are not always said in the same way.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary add to the other conditions which he has mentioned the condition that he will not transfer warships of the British Navy to any country which is attempting to annex British territory?

It is obvious that if any country is acting against the British Empire we shall not transfer ships to that country.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the answer, especially in regard to H.M.S. "Ajax,"I give notice that I shall raise the matter on the earliest possible occasion.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware of the irregularities and delay in the air mail service to East and Central Africa; and what planes are being used to carry this mail.

I am not aware of any serious irregularity or delay on these services, but if the hon. Member will let me have particulars I will gladly have inquiry made. The mails are conveyed by the scheduled services of B.O.A.C. and South African Airways, and for destinations off the trunk routes by local air services.

Is the Postmaster-General aware that it often takes about a month for an air mail letter to be delivered, which is about the same time as it takes to send a letter by sea, and that it makes the extra charge appear quite ridiculous?

I am not aware of that but if the hon. Member has any information on the matter I shall be glad to have it.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that copies of "The Times," "News Chronicle" and "Church Times" regularly posted during the last five months to Germans in the American sector of Berlin have not been delivered; what is the reason; and what action he is taking to deliver these mails.

In accordance with a decision of the United States authorities of the Control Commission, printed papers may not be sent to addresses in the American sector of Berlin; and newpapers posted in error would be withheld from despatch and treated as undeliverable.

Is there any connection between that ruling and the fact that the sorting office for the whole of Berlin is in the Russian sector? Should not some alternative means of delivering mails from England be devised?

What about the "Daily Worker"?

asked the Minister of Food whether it is necessary to proceed with the arrangements, laid down in a letter to the British Employers' Confederation, dated 24th May, for the distribution of the extra bread unit coupons

Will the Minister confirm that this will not in any way affect the present pensions schemes in force for men of the Forces?

Not so far as I am aware, for personnel now serving, but I will look at that point carefully.

Was this compulsory payment allowed for when the new pay codes were drawn up?

I think that all the current circumstances were then taken into account.

Would the right hon. Gentleman say whether these rates apply to Territorials and members of other volunteer Forces doing full-time service in camp, etc.?

This applies to Service personnel embodied in the Services. Territorials are dealt with separately.

I am afraid that it will be necessary to proceed with the arrangements to which the hon. Member refers.

Is the Minister aware that the continuation of bread rationing without any evidence in support of the assertion that it is still necessary, involves the misemployment of thousands of people?