asked the Postmaster-General how many applicants in the Reading area have been waiting for two years or longer for a telephone line; if he is aware that businessmen living in the Loddon Bridge district have been informed that the local exchange is full to capacity and that the estimated date for the installation of additional equipment is April, 1952; and what action he is taking to hasten the provision of an adequate telephone service in the area.

In the Reading area there are 484 applicants who have been waiting for telephone service for two years or more. Of these, five business and 10 other applicants are in the Loddon Bridge district. There is a serious shortage of equipment at the exchange serving this district, and I regret that at present it is only possible to meet applications essential in the national interest. In view of the restricted supplies of telephone switching equipment for home use, it will be some two years before we can provide relief for this predominantly residential neighbourhood.

asked the Postmaster-General how many villages in Devonshire have only one public call box which is not available to the public after post office closing hours.

Of about 550 public telephone kiosks and call offices in the rural areas of Devonshire, 30 are not available to the public after post office business hours. Arrangements are in hand to replace eight of these 30 call offices by kiosks.

asked the Postmaster-General how many applications he has received for a telephone from people living in rural areas in Devonshire which he has not been able to supply.

At the end of June 1949, there were 3,390 outstanding applications for telephones in rural areas of Devonshire. 800 applications in these areas were met during the first six months of this year.

asked the Secretary of State for Air why low-flying aircraft are allowed to alarm villages in the East Riding of Yorkshire by flying so low almost daily; and whether this practice could be done further from habitation.

Low-flying practice is an essential part of aircrew training. Authorised low-flying areas and routes are carefully planned to give the least possible disturbance to the civilian population and I regret that it is not practicable for the low-flying areas in the East Riding to be moved elsewhere.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation why an application for a charter service between Aberdeen, Perth, Turnhouse, Prestwick and Belfast was rejected in view of the unanimous and repeated recommendations of the Air Transport Advisory Council that such a service should be provided.

After careful consideration, my noble Friend came to the conclusion that the grant of an associate agreement for a scheduled air service on this route would not fulfil condition (X) of his directive to the Air Transport Advisory Council, in that the section of the service between Prestwick and Belfast would hamper the planned development of the Corporation's services. He was, therefore, unable to approve the application. The company was offered a route between Aberdeen, Perth, Turnhouse and Prestwick or Renfrew but was not prepared to operate it.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation when his undertaking made three years ago that Perth and Dundee would be given a scheduled air service using Errol as the airport will be fulfilled.

British European Airways Corporation's present plans do not envisage air services to Errol. In a reply to Questions by the hon. Members for North Edinburgh (Mr. Willis) and for Dundee (Mr. Cook) on 18th February, 1948, I explained that services between Errol and Renfrew or Turnhouse would involve considerable operating loss and also expenditure on the improvement and operation of Errol aerodrome. That is still so, and the need for economy is at least as great now as then, so that the introduction of these air services to supplement existing rail communications would still not be justified.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation what has been the average passenger load per aeroplane on the Edinburgh—London air service for each of the three months recommencing on 1st April.

The average passenger load per aeroplane on the Edinburgh—London service has been as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what compensation is to be paid to small traders in distress who suffered serious damage and loss during the rioting in Accra.

The possibility of making ex gratia grants was considered in April last by the Legislative Council of the Gold Coast which decided that funds should not be provided for this purpose.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the negotiations with the United States Government for the establishment of guided-missile checking stations in the Bahamas.

I have nothing to add to the reply which was given to the hon. Member on 25th May. The negotiations with the United States Government are still not completed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in respect of the disposal of mining royalties in Nigeria; and when it is anticipated the inquiry will be concluded.

I am not yet able to add anything to the reply given to my hon. Friend on 16th March.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if the Nigerian Government has now decided to establish a central accountancy school; and to what extent endeavours are made in this country to secure firms who will give facilities for Africans needing experience and training in accountancy and who will employ them temporarily.

I have asked the Acting Governor for information on the first part of the Question and will write to my hon. Friend when it is received. Twenty-two Nigerian students are receiving practical accountancy training in this country and arrangements have been made for 14 others to begin training in October.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement as to the estimated success so far achieved by mass education; what figures exist to indicate how many have profited by colonial mass education schemes during the past five years; and what further progress has been made in the implementing of mass education and community development schemes in African territories.

By the term "mass education" we mean a movement designed to promote better living for the whole community with the active participation of the community and if possible on their initiative. It is not possible to estimate the numbers who have profited by schemes during a given period. What can be said is that increasing numbers of schemes of community development are being initiated and encouraged by Colonial Governments throughout Africa with evident success in many areas. Recent reports from Governments give most encouraging evidence of the progress of mass education.

asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement as to the latest developments in the prices and movements of sugar between Great Britain and the West Indies.

The current agreement with Commonwealth sugar producers provides that the Ministry of Food will find a market in the Commonwealth at prices to be negotiated annually, for all the sugar which the West Indian Colonies can produce for export up to 1952. The possible extension of the arrangements beyond 1952 is under consideration, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies and I will take advantage of the presence in this country of two deputations from the West Indies to discuss the matter with them. The current price is £27 5s. per ton, including preference.

asked the Minister of Food what is the Government flat rate for white fish in use on British Railways: and what is the rate per cwt.

The flat rates agreed by my Department with the Railway Executive for the carriage of white fish in Great Britain are 119s. 7d. per ton by passenger train and 48s. 8d. per ton by goods train which are equal to 5s. 11¾d. and 2s. 5–1/5d. respectively per cwt.

asked the Minister of Education what is the present composition of the Burnham Committee; what proportion of its members represent the National Union of Teachers; and how is that representation arranged.

I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the current report of the main Burnham Committee. The list of members printed in the report shows that 16 out of the 26 members of the Teachers' Panel represent the National Union of Teachers. The Committee was reconstituted in April, 1944, by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Saffron Walden (Mr. R. A. Butler), in order that its constitution might be more in keeping with the new conditions resulting from the Education Act of that year.

asked the Minister of Education what reduction he has effected in the number of school buildings black-listed in 1925 and still used as classrooms in the national schools.

The number of blacklist school buildings has been reduced by 24 since I took office as Minister of Education on 11th February, 1947.

asked the Lord President of the Council whether, in view of the fact that the Festival of Britain is primarily intended to mark the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, steps can be taken to stage a reproduction on a small scale of the kind of exhibits which were shown in the Exhibition of 1851 in order to emphasise the changes which have taken place during the past hundred years.

Besides reference to the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the main exhibition of the Festival of Britain on the South Bank, it is hoped that the Victoria and Albert Museum will arrange a display of exhibits from the Great Exhibition. Its scope will depend on the financial resources that can be allocated, and no funds will be available for the purchase of additional exhibits. I am confident that arrangements on these lines will adequately represent the Great Exhibition in the Festival of Britain. I would remind my bon. Friend that the object of the Festival is to display the contribution of Britain to civilisation, past, present and future, in the arts, in science and technology and in industrial design, so that its scope will not be confined to a review of past achievements in the past hundred years, but will look forward also to future developments in these fields.