asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is in a position to make any further statement in respect of Mr. Sylvester.

Mr. Sylvester, having been acquitted and released, left Palestine by air on 22nd November and has, I understand, just arrived in this country.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the extent of the damage sustained by the installations of the Palestine Potash Company at the Dead Sea.

According to my information, the Palestine Potash Company's works at the northern end of the Dead Sea have been very largely destroyed. The works at the southern end, and the boats used as transport on the Dead Sea, are said to be intact.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been drawn to the payment of moneys to the funds of A.K.E.L. by firms in Cyprus as protection against Communist-promoted strikes and arson; and what steps he proposes to restore confidence in law and order and to remove the need for such measures by individuals to safeguard business premises.

My information is that, while some firms in Cyprus have paid money into the funds of A.K.E.L. under threat of trade boycott, there is no evidence that such payments have been extorted as protection against strikes or arson and that of recent weeks even threats of trade boycott have been largely abandoned. With regard to the second part of the Question, I do not consider that the position I have described calls for special measures.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in the development Of summer and winter tourist facilities in the Island of Cyprus.

Hotels at several resorts have been enlarged and improved. New hotels have been opened and more are being built. Roads are being improved. The use of snow ploughs in winter now makes Troodos accessible by car for skiing. A new post of Director of Tourism has been created to assist in promoting the development of the tourist industry.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now concluded arrangements with the Government of the United States and completed all necessary steps in order to provide that the reciprocal agreement between His Majesty's Government and that of the United States of America, whereby dividends on United States securities held by British citizens domiciled in the United Kingdom are now subject to tax reductions at source by the United States authorities of 15 per cent. as against 30 per cent. previously deducted, will be extended to colonial territories; and whether he will now state when this will come into effect.

His Majesty's Government is now in a position to approach the Government of the United States of America regarding the extension of the Double Taxation Relief Convention, to those colonial Governments which have expressed a wish to be included therein. As the consent of the United States Government is required to any such extension, it is not possible to say if and when it will come into force.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement about the recent African Conference in London; and what developments are likely to result.

The African Conference, which met at Lancaster House from 29th September to 9th October, was attended by 66 delegates representing the Legislative Councils of ten African territories and from the East African Central Legislative Assembly. All but 12 of the delegates were unofficials; 33 of them were Africans. Observers attended from France, Belgium, Portugal, the Union of South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, the Sudan and the South African High Commission territories.Delegates heard addresses from four Cabinet Ministers on different aspects of general policy from Lord Trefgarne on the work of the Colonial Development Corporation and from the C.I.G.S. on Africa in relation to world strategy. Representatives from East, West and Central Africa discussed common problems and exchanged views with Ministers and officials on economic development, educational and medical policy, public relations and local government. Arrangements were made to enable delegates to discuss several of these subjects regionally so that they could deal more effectively with their territorial and regional points of view.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether police reserves have been established in all Colonies, so that the police establishment can be strengthened at the shortest notice.

Police reserves are not maintained in all Colonies, but several have a reserve force either in the form of special constables or otherwise. Some months ago Governors were asked to review the strength and efficiency of their Police Forces, and to take all measures necessary to enable them to deal with any task with which they may be faced.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will now indicate whether it is proposed to proceed with the Tana River irrigation scheme in Kenya.

The report on the survey of the Upper Tana which has just been received indicates that the cost of the works there would be prohibitive. According to an earlier report on the Tana Delta area it would be impossible to control the river for irrigation purposes, but further investigations will be made. The East Africa Rice Mission have considered the advisability of surveying the Middle Tana and their report is expected soon.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is being taken as a result of the petition alleging inequalities of treatment between Nigerian and Gold Coast civil servants who entered the R.W.A.F.F. during the late war, signed by the members of the Union of Ex-Service men who are civil servants, and presented by them to the Colonial Secretary at Accra.

This petition was addressed to me direct, and has been referred to the Governor for his comments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any progress has yet been made in connection with the Owen River Hydro-Electric development scheme in Uganda.

The scheme has received considerable attention, but without consultation with the Uganda Government we are not able to state the position reached.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the estimated return to the Sierra Leone Government from Income Tax payments by mining companies operating in Sierra Leone; and whether there are any agreements still existing which prevent the collection of a satisfactory return to the local exchequer.

There is one agreement under which the company pays a 27½per cent. Profits Tax and is not liable to Sierra Leone Income Tax. As regards the first part of the Question, I am consulting the Governor and will communicate with my hon. Friend when his reply is received.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to improve transport facilities in Northern Nyasaland in view of the urgent necessity to provide outlets for the products of the territory.

Work has begun on the road from Fort Hill to Karonga and a survey of the road from Nkwendeni to Ekata Bay is in progress. The Governor also has under consideration the reconstruction of the North Road from Lilongwe to the Tanganyika border.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in the light of entirely fresh evidence which has been submitted to him in a letter dated 17th November, he will reconsider the case of Head Constable Waller of the Palestine Police Force who was dismissed from the service following a court martial.

Further consideration is being given to this case and I hope to be in a position to notify the hon. Member of the decision at an early date.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present position of the loan made to British Honduras to help the Colony in the reconstruction of Belize after the hurricane of 1931.

The total sum advanced under this loan was£242,191 18s. 10d. Repayments up to date, including principal and interest, have amounted to£246,948 9s. 7d. Principal still outstanding amounts to£100,418 3s. 7d. The charges on this loan, which was made at a time when interest rates were high, have involved a heavy drain on the Colony's finances.British Honduras has for some years been receiving a grant-in-aid from His Majesty's Government and in order to help the Colony to balance its budget I have decided to ask that the necessary funds may be voted to enable further repayments to His Majesty's Government to be remitted; on the understanding, however, that the Colonial Government will continue to collect amounts due in interest and repayment of capital from those who borrowed money from funds provided by the loan. Amounts so received would be devoted to a Hurricane Insurance Fund.

asked the Minister of Food if, in view of the increased allocation of sugar to the cooperative societies for flour confectionery and biscuits, it is his intention also to increase the allocation of flour; and why Mr. Waite, baker and confectioner of Pudsey, has been refused additional flour allocations in spite of his increased trade.

The answer to the first part of the Question is "No." As regards the second part, Mr. Waite is receiving all the flour to which he is entitled under the Flour Restriction Scheme.

asked the Minister of Food if he has considered the communication forwarded to him by the Poultry Association of Great Britain giving their views on the storage in the country of origin of any surplus imported eggs; and what reply he has made.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Members for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) and Moseley (Sir P. Hannon) on 22nd November. A letter in that sense is in course of being sent to the Association.

asked the Minister of Food whether he will consider controlling the price of potato crisps, in view of the fact that in some places they are being sold at a rate equivalent to 8s. 6d. a pound.

I am satisfied that the great bulk of the output of potato crisps is sold at prices little more than half the price stated by my hon. Friend. Consumers should certainly refuse to pay anything like this price, but the commodity is not one that would lend itself very readily to price control.

asked the Minister of Food what is the controlled price of hard wheat flour to the bakery trade; and to what organisations or class of organisations price concessions are made.

The only hard wheat flour released to bakers is a small quantity of imported Canadian flour supplied to Scottish bakers for barm making, at the same price as national flour, i.e., 40s. per 280 1b. delivered.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement with regard to the complaints, made by Mr. George Cooper, of 26, Vanbrugh Park, S.E.3, about certain transactions in onions at Spitalfields Market, which resulted in recent convictions at the Old Bailey; why the London Divisional Food Office refused to prosecute upon ascertaining the facts at the instance of Mr. Cooper in May, 1947, or shortly thereafter; and why no prosecution was commenced until Mr. Cooper had approached Scotland Yard and subsequently his Department's enforcement headquarters.

The London Divisional Food Office did not prosecute in April, 1947, because at that time the evidence available was not considered sufficient to justify proceedings. Prosecution took place when the case had been thoroughly investigated and it was considered that the evidence was complete; convictions resulted.

asked the Minister of Food whether, instead of allocating extra supplies of sugar to catering establishments and sweet manufacturers, he will use this additional supply in order to raise further the individual ration.

I would remind my hon. o Friend that we used the bulk of the extra sugar available for four purposes—first, to increase the domestic ration; second, to enable us to de-ration jam; third, to increase the sweet ration, and as soon as the extra sweets have been made, to de-ration the cheap sweets; and fourth, to give us a few more cakes and biscuits and points foods. The amount given to catering establishments was very small. I agree with him that the domestic ration should have a very high priority.

asked the Minister of Food whether, with a view to increasing our exports to dollar countries, he is taking steps to provide increased quantities of grain for making whisky.

Yes. The distilleries are being supplied this year with about the same amount of grain as they used before the war. But current exports are limited by stocks of mature whisky and no large increase can be expected until these stocks, depleted during the war, have been rebuilt.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty in what circumstances it recently occurred that two Fleet Air Arm pilots on the same day had to make forced landings in the Mediterranean through their petrol running out.

One aircraft had a complete engine failure and the pilot had to bring it down into the sea. The aircraft sank and it is unlikely that the cause of the engine defect will be established. In the other aircraft, the subsidiary fuel system failed and the pilot, having only a small margin of fuel available for return to base, made a precautionary landing. The cause of the fuel system failure is being investigated.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty when he will inform the trade union concerned of the retrospective date of the agreement for wage increases for certain Admiralty employees at Taunton, which was settled in June last.

I assume that my hon. Friend refers to the pay of chart sales staff. The staff association concerned in that case was informed on 18th November of the retrospective date proposed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty if, as a result of his inquiries, he can now make any statement to the death of 2nd Class Boy Gordon Lindsey.

Yes. As hon. Members will appreciate, it is of the utmost importance that officers and men of the Royal Navy should be able to swim, and the regulations provide that all boys entered in training establishments are to pass the prescribed swimming tests as soon as possible. There are two of these tests:

(a) a provisional test carried out in a swimming bath;

(b) the standard test carried out in the open sea.

In order to pass the boy has to swim 40 yards in a duck suit in deep water, after which he must be able to keep himself afloat by whatever means he chooses for three minutes. No boy is rated "Boy 1st Class" until he has passed both these tests.Lindsey had joined H.M.S. "Ganges" five weeks before the end of the Summer term. Although he had shown some reluctance to undertake swimming instruction, he had been treated sympathetically and had made fair progress though without succeeding in passing his test. He had never shown any resentfulness of instruction or physical nervousness. By 8th October he was already well able to swim and this needs to be borne in mind in considering the degree of compulsion that was used to get him into the swimming bath. Despite his progress, Lindsey had apparently retained his reluctance to enter the water and on the day of his death he had to be escorted to the baths. On this occasion, as on former occasions, he was sympathetically treated. On the evening of 8th October, Lindsey first entered the water at about ten minutes to six and swam some 60 yards under the supervision of the physical trainer. He then took off the duck suit in which the test has to be performed and came out, being apparently unwilling to complete his test by remaining afloat in the water for three minutes. After ten minutes rest and putting on a dry suit he entered the water again and swam fifteen yards. He then came out and said he was tired.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty how many naval vessels are being fitted with laboratories for the purpose of using live animals as experiments for atom bomb research; and what animals will be involved.

I have nothing to add to what I have already said on the subject on 10th November in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping (Mrs. Manning).

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1) if he is aware that at the King George VI Dock at Singapore, 126 chief petty officers from H.M.S. "Birmingham" are sharing two water-closets, three hand basins and three showers; that the conditions of the lower ratings are worse; and if he will make a statement on the position indicating his intentions in the matter;(2) if he is aware of the unsatisfactory sanitary facilities provided for men in the King George VI Dock, Singapore; and if he will take immediate steps to improve these conditions.

A report on the chief petty officers' sanitary accommodation at King George VI Dock, Singapore, has been called for and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as this is available. As regards the total sanitary accommodation available at this Dock, additional facilities are now being provided under the rehabilitation programme.

asked the Postmaster-General how many of his staff are authorised to open and to re-seal letters between private citizens, or to examine the contents of letters; and by what standard those employed are selected.

The number varies with the number of postal packets required to be examined under the several authorities mentioned in the Answer given on 17th November to the Noble Lord the Member for South Dorset (Viscount Hinchingbrooke). The work is done by supervising force or the senior manipulative grade employed in sorting offices.

asked the Postmaster-General what average delay in delivery is caused by the opening of private letters by his Department.

I assume that the hon. and gallant Member refers to those postal packets mentioned in the second part of the reply given to the Noble Lord, the Member for South Dorset (Viscount Hinchingbrooke) on Wednesday, 17th November. I regret that information which would enable me to assess delay with any degree of accuracy is not available. But I can assure the hon. Member that all practicable steps are taken to eliminate delay or alternatively to minimise it.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the reason for the censorship of mails addressed to the Right Rev. Monsignor Hendley, parish priest of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Falls Road, Belfast, and the members of the Redemptorist Order of Fathers, Clonard Monastery, Clonard Street, Belfast; and whether he will take steps to have this censorship discontinued.

I am not aware that correspondence for the persons mentioned has not been delivered in ordinary course of post.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the present estimated weekly total of postal packages received by his Department from football pool organisations; the estimated weekly total of packages posted by the public to such organisations; and how such totals compare with the corresponding figures of 1938, 1945, 1946 and 1947.

Based on October traffic in each case, the estimated weekly postings are as follows:

—		Posted by the organisations	Posted by the public
1948	…	9½million	7½million
1938	…	13¼ million	5½million
1945	…	2 million	1½million
1946	…	7½million	5¾ million
1947	…	8¾ million	6½million

asked the Postmaster-General the average number of football pool packages received each week by his Department at post offices in Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Stockport, Swansea, Blackpool, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Worcestershire, and Middleton, Lancashire, respectively, together with the figures of deliveries to football pool firms in each of these areas.

The estimated weekly average number of football pool postal packages posted by and delivered to football pool firms at the towns named is as follows:

Liverpool:
posted	…	…	6,568,300
delivered	…	…	5,474,800
Glasgow:
posted	…	…	162,900
delivered	…	…	109,300
Cardiff:
posted	…	…	1,280,700
delivered	…	…	691,700
London:
posted	…	…	680,700
delivered	…	…	405,766
Birmingham:
posted	…	…	2,800
delivered	…	…	2,800
Manchester:
posted	…	…	Postings too small to be separately recorded.
delivered	…	…
Stockport:
posted	…	…	Postings too small to be separately recorded.
delivered	…	…
Swansea:
posted	…	…	6,200
delivered	…	…	2,800
Blackpool:
posted	…	…	55,800
delivered	…	…	36,500
Nottingham:
posted	…	…	7,400
delivered	…	…	6,800
Wolverhampton:
posted	…	…	Postings too small to be separately recorded.
delivered	…	…
Dudley:
posted	…	…	Postings too small to be separately recorded.
delivered	…	…
Middleton, Lancashire:
posted	…	…	2,000
delivered	…	…	2,000

asked the Postmaster-General what is the estimated weekly profit made by his Department from the handling of postal packages to and from football pool organisations; and the estimated profit accruing from postal order and money order purchases made by the public to meet football pool obligations.

Precise figures are not available, but it is estimated that the profit on postal packages is of the order of£50,000 weekly, and the profit on postal orders and money orders of the order of£5,000 weekly.

asked the Postmaster-General if he is aware that the morning delivery of letters in the Drayton Gardens, S.W.10, area does not take place until 9.0 a.m. or later; and whether, in view of the great inconvenience caused to businessmen who leave home before their letters are delivered, he will take immediate steps to remedy the situation.

I regret that, due to increased traffic, there has been delay in completing the delivery in the Drayton Gardens area. Under re-arrangements already made, delivery should be completed in future within the standards applicable under present-day circumstances, namely, by 9 a.m.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applicants for the installation of telephones in the City of Aberdeen are on his waiting list; and what is the rate of progress towards reducing the number of those awaiting installation.

On 31st October, 1,550 applicants were awaiting telephone service in the City of Aberdeen. In recent months, engineering construction staff in the Aberdeen telephone area have been heavily pressed with essential work and it has been possible to give service to only 77 applicants in the City of Aberdeen since June. I am examining the possibility of increasing the staff in the Aberdeen area.

asked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that a year has elapsed since he was requested to supply a telephone to the rector of Haworth; and, as the absence of such a telephone causes inconvenience and annoyance to visitors to the Bronte country, including many Americans, whether he will supply it forthwith.

I regret that owing to shortage of equipment at the Haworth exchange, I am at present unable to provide a telephone for the rector of Haworth, but I hope that spare equipment will become available to provide him with service within about six months.

asked the Postmaster-General if he will consider, in order to facilitate emergency telephone call number 999 being dialled in the dark, the practicability of this number being made luminous.

The possibility of using luminous material in the telephone dial has been considered from time to time, but so far no satisfactory solution has been found. I fully recognise the advantage of the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion and the matter is being kept under constant review.

asked the Postmaster-General if, in order to facilitate telephone calls by the public to the police, he will arrange to alter all chief constables' office numbers to 1212 or to 12121.

The possibility of adopting the hon. Member's suggestion has been fully examined in the past, but I regret that it is impracticable. I am sending the hon. Member a full explanation of the technical difficulties.

asked the Postmaster-General what is the approximate cost of operating the television service; to what extent this is met by revenue obtained from television licences; and when it is expected that the service will be self-supporting.

I understand from the B.B.C. that the cost of operating the television service chargeable to revenue account during the financial year 1947–48 was about£700,000, including depreciation on capital. The gross revenue from television licences for the same period was£91,128. I cannot forecast when receipts will balance expenditure, but the number of television licences has more than doubled since last Christmas.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the terms and conditions under which expenses of removal are reimbursed to civil servants who are transferred for departmental purposes from one place to another.

It is impossible to state these terms and conditions in a short answer: they vary according to the type of transfer and with the official status and domestic circumstances of the civil servant. I am sending a copy of them to the hon. Member.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements have been made under the European Recovery Programme for making available to foreign countries oil supplies which, but for such arrangements, would have been available to Britain; what descriptions and quantities of oil have been used for that purpose; and what financial loss or gain to Britain has resulted from the making of those arrangements.

There have been no special arrangements of the sort that the hon. Member has in mind. The participating countries are continuing to take their oil supplies from their accustomed sources and E.R.P. enables them to finance these and other essential purchases.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the average weekly amount of the tax now being collected in respect of football pool betting; the number of firms from whom such tax is being received and give some indication as to the percentage of such firms from whom less than£20 a week is paid to meet pool tax obligations.

Pool Betting Duty amounting to about£340,000 weekly is being collected during the present season. Some 135 firms are involved, of which approximately 60 per cent. pay less than£20 a week.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the estimated revenue received from Purchase Tax payments on football pool coupons in the present football season; and how this figure compares with the receipts of such tax during the 1947–48 season.

I regret that the information is not available.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the anomaly that whilst a few sets of deaf aid apparatus are now becoming available and supplied free of charge under the National Health Scheme, those with previously bought apparatus are still having to pay 5s. 8d. Purchase Tax on renewal of valves costing 13s. and 5s. tax on valves costing 11s. 6d.; and whether he will take steps to remove this anomaly.

The only valves chargeable with the Purchase Tax are those suitable for use with wireless receivers. When wireless valves are used in deaf aids—which I understand to be very unusual—it would not be practicable for me to provide special relief.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what is the estimated harvest of sugar beet in West Sussex; how much has now been removed to the factories; and at what rate will the remaining quantity be removed.

Approximately 43,000 tons, of which about half was removed to factories by 20th November. The remainder is being removed at the rate of 2,750 tons a week, and the whole should be away before the middle of January.

asked the Minister of Health if he will place in the Library of the House of Commons copies of his circulars, purporting to sub-delegate requisitioning powers, which circulars were criticised on 19th November by Mr. Justice Streatfield in the King's Bench Division as inaccessible to those whose rights were affected.

Yes, but the circulars in question relate to a procedure which is no longer operative.

asked the Minister of Health what steps his Department takes to control the pollution of the River Thames and other rivers from sewage outfall and other causes, in view of the anxiety about the danger to health from such pollution felt by many anglers and other river users.

I have no direct power of controlling river pollution. Responsibility for enforcing the provisions of the River Pollution Prevention Acts, 1876 and 1893, rests with county councils, local authorities, and joint committees, while prevention powers under the Salmon and Fresh Water Fisheries Act, 1923, are exercisable by fishery boards. Special powers and duties for the prevention of pollution for some rivers are conferred by local Acts, for example, on the Conservators of the River Thames in respect of the non-tidal part of the Thames.I am however very much concerned, both in the interests of maintaining the purity of water supplies and on other public health grounds, in the progress which is being made to solve this important and difficult problem and local authorities are encouraged to proceed as quickly as the present conditions as to materials allow with improvements in their sewerage and sewage disposal works. Loans sanctioned for these purposes since the war amount to£15 million, much of which expenditure benefits rivers. Action is also being taken to ensure that the administrative organisation and the legal powers available for the purpose are as effective as possible. In accordance with the provisions of the River Boards Act, 1948, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and I are at present engaged in setting up the new River Boards, each of which will wield, as a single authority and as respects the whole lengths of the rivers in its area, all the powers for the prevention of pollution at present exercisable by a number of different local authorities over different stretches of river.At the same time a sub-committee of the Central Advisory Water Committee is at present investigating measures for strengthening the existing law on the subject with a view to ensuring that the River Boards have powers which are in all respects adequate for their task. I understand that the sub-committee is likely to report shortly.

asked the Secretary of State for Air what financial help will be given to officers towards the cost of their new uniform in view of the difficulty in which many will be placed through its adoption.

Officers are required to purchase uniforms of the new pattern only when their old pattern uniform becomes worn out. As the new uniform does not cost any more than the old, officers should not be placed in any difficulty.

asked the Minister of Education at what date was the camp at Lilford taken by the Committee of Education for Poles; what expenditure has been incurred in alterations and renovations up to the nearest possible date; how many pupils and what staff are engaged at the school; and at what date is it expected that the school will be terminated.

I understand that the camp at Lilford was taken by the Committee on 12th December, 1947. The expenditure on the buildings up to 31st October (including rent, fuel, and maintenance as well as the cost of making the premises habitable) was£4,500. The school has 484 pupils and the staff consists of 22 teachers, 10 technical instructors and 41 administrative, domestic and cleaning staff. It is expected that the school will be closed in about five years' time.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what is the quantity of paper required annually in this country for book publishing, magazines, including weeklies, and newspapers, respectively.

It is not possible to estimate the amount of paper which could be used at the present time if supplies were freely available; the approximate quantities used annually before the war for newspapers (including weekly newspapers), periodicals and books were respectively 1,110,000 tons, 300,000 tons and 63,000 tons.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what changes are being made in the method of controlling utility clothing prices.

During the war, and for some time afterwards the price of most utility clothing was governed by cost-plus, subject to ceiling prices. The method of price control generally known as cost-plus has considerable advantages, particularly where it is necessary to control by means of a simple formula a great range of goods of a similar description and of widely varying quality. It helps to ensure that the benefits of cheaper production are passed on to the consumer and, in so far as quality is a function of price, cost-plus may be said to encourage the maintenance of quality. At the same time, this method of control has the disadvantage, which is of particular importance now, that it may discourage the reduction of costs because the profit allowed is expressed as a percentage of the cost. For this reason we have for some time been trying to find other effective means of control wherever possible, and I have noted that the Working Parties for the Light Clothing, Heavy Clothing and Rubber Proofed Clothing Industries all commented adversely on the use of cost-plus as a means of controlling the price of utility clothing. The search for alternative methods of control had been started even before the Working Parties were set up and about the middle of 1946 the cost-plus control was removed from utility knitted goods.An alternative to the present dual system of control is a system of cash maximum prices only, to be fixed rather lower than the ceiling prices would have been fixed under the old system. Such a system was introduced for knitted goods, and discussions along these lines have been taking place with other sections of the clothing industry during the past year. Cost-plus has now been removed from men's, youths' and boys' utility outerwear; utility waterproofs; utility gaberdine raincoats, and women's utility woven rayon underwear. In all of these cases the old method of control, which limited a manufacturer's price to his cost of production and sale plus a net profit margin or a cash ceiling price, whichever was the lower, has now been replaced by a system of cash maximum prices only. I hope to make a similar change with other utility garments in the near future.The abolition of cost-plus may admittedly enable manufacturers with particularly low costs of production to charge higher prices and so earn higher profits than in the past, but I hope that any manufacturers who may be in such a position will respond to the appeal made by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in February of this year to sell below the legal maximum price whenever they can.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning from what sources it is proposed to provide water for the new towns of Harlow and Stevenage.

Both Stevenage and Harlow Development Corporations intend to apply to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Health to become statutory water undertakers. Any proposals which the Corporations may make, which, I understand, will probably be for obtaining water by means of abstraction from underground sources, will require his approval.

asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning how it is proposed to dispose of the sewage effluent of Harlow and Stevenage and other new towns which drain into the Lea; what is the cost of each of these proposed schemes; and whether he will give an assurance that the purity of London's water supply will be safeguarded.

A scheme for the disposal of sewage from the new towns is at present being worked out in consultation with the Ministry of Health and other interested parties. It is not, as yet, possible to give any reliable estimate of the cost. I can assure the hon. and gallant Member that the importance of maintaining the purity of London's water supplies is being borne well in mind.