asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what was the establishment of, and the expenditure incurred by, the Fuel Research Station during the year 1953–54; and what is the present establishment and the estimated expenditure for 1954–55.

The staff establishment at the Fuel Research Station in 1953–54 was 292. The expenditure incurred was £268,535. The corresponding figures for 1954–55 are 311 and £295,550.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, whether he will make a statement on the progress made in the research programme of the Committee on Industrial Efficiency in Industry.

I think the hon. Member may have in mind the Committee on Individual Efficiency in Industry. The Committee has so far sponsored 12 research projects. The work is progressing satisfactorily, and interim reports on some of the projects will be presented during a conference arranged by the Medical Research Council, to be held in Cambridge at the end of March.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, the annual expenditure of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in each of the years 1944–55 to 1953–54, inclusive, expressed in terms of 1946 values.

No appropriate price index exists for converting the figures of annual expenditure by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to 1946 values. If, however, the price index for all consumer goods and services is used, the figures are estimated as follows:

—		Gross Expenditure(1)
			Actual	Converted to 1946 values Estimate(2)
		£'000s	£'000s
1944–45	…	1,427	1,491
1945–46	…	1,648	1,685
1946–47	…	2,242	2,208
1947–48	…	3,062	2,825
1948–49	…	3,697	3,198
1949–50	…	4,347	3,662
1950–51	…	5,008	4,019
1951–52	…	5,452	4,035
1952–53	…	5,773	4,085
1953–54	…	5,865	4,076

(1) Excluding capital expenditure for buildings which is borne on the Ministry of Works Vote.(2) Based on price index for all consumer goods and services calculated by the Central Statistical Office annually for calendar years. The figure for 1953–54 is provisional.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made with the geological survey of the United Kingdom; and when this survey will be completed.

About 60 per cent. of England and Wales, 90 per cent. of Scotland and all of Northern Ireland, have been geologically surveyed in detail. Progress in completing the detailed survey is slow, due to the limited resources available, and it is not possible to say when it will be completed.

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made in the experiments for the quick freezing of fish.

I understand that the first experimental trip of the commercial trawler carrying the quick-freezing equipment is expected to start in March.

asked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider simplifying the Army pay system.

We have done everything possible to simplify the Army pay system; but it is difficult to go further for many reasons. It has to be adaptable to war conditions and frequent moves of individuals and units and to cover men employed in many different trades. Furthermore, it is designed to give incentives for additional skills and therefore has many different rates.

asked the Secretary of State for War what practical difficulties prevent him causing the obstacle in the garden of 42, The Mount, Shrewsbury, from being demolished as an exercise by an Army unit.

Explosives would have to be used and, as the obstacle is over a drain and close to the house, I think this method would be unsatisfactory.

asked the Secretary of State for War why cadets undergoing training with the Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards at Catterick Camp have been detailed once a fortnight to act as beaters on day-long shoots organised for the officers.

There are no cadets with the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. There are, however, often candidates for commission waiting for a few days with their units at Catterick before going to an officer cadet school. Many of them volunteer for this job, and I see no harm in it.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Christmas parcels despatched from the United Kingdom to Service men in Korea have not yet been received; and what action he intends to take to prevent their continued delay or loss.

I have heard of no general delay. May I have details?

asked the Secretary of State for War how many members of the Army serving abroad applied for leave during the past year to attend the funeral of a parent; and how many were granted leave of absence on compassionate or other grounds.

We have no central record of the number of applications on the death of a parent.

asked the Secretary of State for War the number of acres of land held on requisition under the Defence Regulations in Wales, Scotland, and England, respectively; and what are these figures in percentage of the land of each country.

On 31st December, 1954, the land held or used for military purposes by my Department under Defence Regulations 51 and 52 was about 108,000 acres for England, 14,500 acres for Scotland and 11,500 acres for Wales. These holdings represent 0·335 per cent. in England, 0·074 per cent. in Scotland and 0·224 per cent. in Wales of the acreage of the country.

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that Llywel Church, Breconshire, is scheduled as a building of historical and outstanding interest; whether he is aware that it is in the direct line of firing from the proposed Trecastle gunsite to the Sennybridge Range; and whether he will make arrangements for a alteration of the field of fire.

The church is not in the line of fire.

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will agree to factories being erected on the Fforestfach Trading Estate as an inducement to industrialists to develop business interests in South Wales.

My right hon. Friend does not consider that the building of Government-financed factories in advance of demand is justified in present circumstances, but he will certainly consider on its merits any application from an industrialist who is prepared to go to the South Wales Development Area.

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) why the percentage of total United Kingdom imports of raw cotton coming from Commonwealth countries fell from 34·9 per cent. in 1953 to 26·7 per cent. in 1954; and what steps he is taking to redress the position;(2) if he is aware that the percentages of our raw cotton imports coming from the dollar area rose from 28·3 per cent. in 1953 to 34·6 per cent. in 1954; and what steps he is taking to reduce the undue dependence of Lancashire on the United States of America for supplies of raw cotton.

The figures given by the right hon. Gentleman for Commonwealth cotton include cotton from the Sudan. The fall in such imports of raw cotton was due to reduced imports from Pakistan and the Sudan largely caused by uncompetitive prices. The proportion of imports from the other Commonwealth countries was fractionally higher in 1954 than in 1953. The percentage of raw cotton imports from the dollar area rose as stated. It is our policy to give the Lancashire cotton industry freedom to buy its raw materials from the sources which suit it best and the Government do not propose to interfere with the commercial judgment of the industry in this respect.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the absorption margin of water in coke for domestic consumption allowed by his weights and measures inspectors; what evidence he has on the maximum effect on weight liable to be produced in household coke by the presence of water; and what action is taken to protect the public from paying for water when buying coke.

There are no statutory requirements in the Weights and Measures Acts relating to the sale of coke. A number of local Acts, however, contain provisions dealing with the sale of coke and these invariably make the wilful damping of coke an offence. These local Acts do not prescribe a limit to the amount of moisture which may be present in coke supplied for domestic consumption. The amount of water present depends upon a number of factors including the manufacturing process and the conditions of storage. Precise figures of the maximum absorption of water by coke are not available in the Board of Trade.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the number of cotton mills which have been closed down and sold for the purpose of storage or other uses since 1st October, 1954; and whether he will take powers to prevent further similar sales.

Regular returns are not made to the Board of Trade disclosing that cotton mills have been sold for storage or other uses. My right hon. Friend does not intend to take powers to prevent sales of cotton mills.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking to promote greater production of British films so as to save dollars and facilitate a higher standard of observance of the quotas.

The quota legislation and the facilities provided by the National Film Finance Corporation are designed to create circumstances favourable to British film production. The Government are not prepared to go further.

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further relaxation has taken place in respect of the embargo on export goods to China and other countries; and what general expansion has taken place in respect of exports to and imports from China.

As regards China, I have nothing to add to my answer to the hon. Gentleman on 9th November, 1954. As regards the Soviet bloc countries in Europe, I have nothing to add to the statement which my right hon. Friend made on the 26th July, 1954. As to the second part of the Question, exports to China have increased steadily from £2·7 million in 1951 to £6·8 million in 1954. Imports have also increased though the trend has been irregular; they amounted to £9 million last year.

asked the President of the Board of Trade how far he is able, without undue extra cost, to give in future issues of Parts I and II of the Trade and Navigation Accounts the total figures of trade with Commonwealth countries under each commodity in all cases where individual countries of origin or destination are shown.

I have examined sympathetically this suggestion from my hon. Friend but find that it would, at present, add substantially to the cost of preparing the Trade Accounts and would delay their publication.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to give a decision in regard to implementing the Beaver Committee's Report as to Purchase Tax on domestic fuel appliances.

This is one of a number of matters arising on the Report which are at present being examined.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the Hammersmith Palace Theatre closed a few years ago, that the Shepherd's Bush Empire closed a few months ago, that the Granville Theatre, Walham Green, closed a few weeks ago, that the King's Theatre, Hammersmith, is now in the market, and that the Chiswick Empire may have to close in the near future; and whether, in these circumstances, he will urgently review the present burden of entertainments tax on the living theatre, with a view to preventing further closing of theatres in this country.

I shall review the Entertainments Duty, with other taxes, before my next Budget. I cannot say any more at present than that I shall consider all representations made to me on behalf of the living theatre.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow the pensioners' tobacco coupons to be used for the purpose of purchasing tobacco or tea.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Shoreditch and Finsbury (Mr. Collins) on 3rd February.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proportions of gloves, leather, woollen, and fabric, manufactured in the United Kingdom, are subject to Purchase Tax; and what is the total annual revenue which results;(2) what proportion of gloves, manufactured in Hong Kong and imported into the United Kingdom, are subject to Purchase Tax.

I regret that I have no separate figures for gloves, whether manufactured in the United Kingdom or in Hong Kong.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total increase, after deduction of tax, has taken place in company dividends between 1951 and 1954.

It is provisionally estimated that total payments of dividends and interest by companies and public corporations increased by about £150 million between 1951 and 1954. This is a net figure after deduction of Income Tax at the standard rate. Information is not available to enable an adjustment to be made for cases where the recipient of the dividend is not liable to tax at the standard rate or is liable to Surtax as well as Income Tax. Comparable figures for dividends paid by companies alone are not available because of changes in the company sector due to nationalisations.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the relative changes in index prices of imports and retail prices, respectively, in each year following the war to the latest available date.

The following index of average values of United Kingdom imports gives a rough measure of price changes from year to year:

1945	…	…	…	…	59
1946	…	…	…	…	63
1947	…	…	…	…	77
1948	…	…	…	…	86
1949	…	…	…	…	87
1950	…	…	…	…	100
1951	…	…	…	…	133
1952	…	…	…	…	129
1953	…	…	…	…	114
1954	…	…	…	…	114

This index is obtained by comparing the actual value of trade in each year with its estimated value at prices of a base year. Changes from year to year are therefore affected by changes in the composition of trade as well as by changes in prices, so that the index gives only an approximate measure of changes in average prices. Index numbers originally published with 1938, 1947 and 1950 as years of reference are here shown in a linked series with 1950 = 100.The index of prices of all consumer goods and services compiled for each calendar year by the Central Statistical Office for use in connection with the estimates of national income and expenditure, has moved as follows:

1945	…	…	…	…	100
1946	…	…	…	…	103
1947	…	…	…	…	110
1948	…	…	…	…	118
1949	…	…	…	…	121
1950	…	…	…	…	125
1951	…	…	…	…	136
1952	…	…	…	…	144
1953	…	…	…	…	147
1954	…	…	…	…	150

The figure for 1954 is estimated by reference to the Interim Index of Retail Prices compiled by the Ministry of Labour and relating to goods and services bought by households of wage earners and others with relatively small incomes.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that, based on the Interim Index of Retail Prices, the purchasing value of the £ has fallen from 20s. in October, 1951, to 17s. 10d. in November, 1954; what has been the reason for this decline; and what action he proposes to take to restore the purchasing value of the £ to its October, 1951, level.

Taking the various groups of the Interim Index of Retail Prices, some have been stable or have fallen slightly. The increases have occurred chiefly in the food, rent and rates, fuel and light, and services groups. As to the last part, I cannot add anything to my answer to the previous Question.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of licence fees received from bookmakers on greyhound and horse racecourses during 1954.

The amount received in licence duty from bookmakers on greyhound racecourses in 1954, was £1,691,934. Bookmakers on horse racecourses are not liable to this duty.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the revenue obtained each month by his Department from the 10 per cent. Pool Betting Duty on greyhound racing totalisators during the years 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954, and for the months of October, November, and December, in each year.

—				1951	1952	1953	1954
				£	£	£	£
January	…	…	…	406,318	489,884	431,971	358,264
February	…	…	…	437,975	406,143	388,497	330,321
March	…	…	…	534,240	478,003	445,212	450,544
April	…	…	…	546,809	539,896	576,243	535,370
May	…	…	…	694,858	619,237	531,780	475,161
June	…	…	…	586,402	598,626	550,667	576,407
July	…	…	…	634,082	725,448	666,819	614,257
August	…	…	…	750,945	651,950	599,981	598,350
September	…	…	…	546,209	545,089	541,981	562,294
October	…	…	…	564,243	575,791	527,144	460,207
November	…	…	…	517,462	440,014	425,272	419,708
December	…	…	…	445,806	401,188	483,983	412,652
				6,665,349	6,471,269	6,169,550	5,793,535

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the revenue obtained each month by his Department from Pool Betting Duty on football pools during 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954.

—				1951	1952	1953	1954
				£	£	£	£
January	…	…	…	1,712,464	1,798,750	2,302,953	2,401,943
February	…	…	…	1,804,278	2,237,532	2,140,996	2,290,617
March	…	…	…	2,148,413	1,995,164	2,218,357	2,496,651
April	…	…	…	1,710,761	2,108,835	2,252,858	2,533,819
May	…	…	…	1,396,398	1,556,803	1,431,265	1,136,310
June	…	…	…	382,472	411,477	446,503	548,952
July	…	…	…	220,512	349,815	405,423	506,151
August	…	…	…	242,344	335,320	359,800	265,390
September	…	…	…	1,486,927	1,588,742	1,853,120	1,990,045
October	…	…	…	1,980,707	2,638,925	2,653,214	2,724,423
November	…	…	…	2,188,999	2,276,785	2,374,357	2,430,596
December	…	…	…	1,944,117	2,474,494	2,639,291	2,981,623
				17,218,392	19,772,642	21,078,137	22,306,520

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the figures of the receipts, for the year ended 31st December, 1954, from tax on football pools, tax on greyhound racing, and tax on bookmakers.

The receipts from these duties in the year ending 31st December, 1954, were:

	£
From the duty on football and similar pools	22,306,520
From the duty on greyhound totalisators	5,793,535
From the bookmakers' licence duty	1,691,934

The monthly receipts of Pool Betting Duty from greyhound race-track totalisators during the years 1951 to 1954 were:

The monthly receipts of Pool Betting Duty charged on football and similar pools during the years 1951 to 1954, were:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will now bring forward proposals to assist local authorities whose services are affected by mining subsidence.

I am not yet in a position to make a statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government (1) what action is being taken on the petition sent to him by the inhabitants of huts at Doddington Road, Lincoln, dealing with their housing conditions;(2) what is being done to re-house the inhabitants of the Royal Air Force huts on Doddington Road, Lincoln.

I have taken the matter up with the two local authorities concerned.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what progress has been made to date with the implementation of the Town Development Act, 1952.

Work is proceeding on schemes at Bletchley, Swindon and Worsley and proposals in respect of several other places are being discussed between local authorities.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how far he is prepared to make increases in the Government contribution to local authorities in respect of extra expenditure incurred when the principle of equal pay is extended to women employees by local authorities.

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to Exchequer equalisation grants. Any increased expenditure resulting from equal pay agreements affecting local authorities generally would automatically be taken into account in calculating these grants.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on his proposals for the future of local government.

I hope to make a statement before the end of this, month.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he can now give his decision in respect of the Essex Development Plan, particularly as it will affect inhabitants in the borough of Leyton; and, in view of the uncertainty and anxiety experienced by those who may be affected, what action is being taken to allay this and to meet the requirements of householders involved in the implementation of the plan.

No. I am afraid that this will take some time yet. There were a great many objections to the plan and these must be properly considered.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will expedite consideration of the sewerage scheme for Tollesbury, Essex, an application in respect of which has been with his Department since 6th October, 1954.

The Maldon Rural District Council, before deciding to go ahead with this scheme, have asked what grant I can offer them under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Acts. An offer of grant was sent to them on 28th January. If the council are now ready to carry the scheme out, I am prepared to authorise it.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what scientific tests and research in Scotland are now in progress directed to the elimination from Scotland of the afflictions of poliomyelitis and spastic illness and of the consequential incapacity; where such tests and research are taking place, and with what result.

As regards poliomyelitis, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on 23rd November last. As regards spastic disease or cerebral palsy, a survey was recently begun in the Dundee area, with financial assistance from the Scottish Hospital Endowments Research Trust, covering the age group up to 21. The object of this survey is to obtain more accurate knowledge about the incidence and causes of cerebral palsy and about the most appropriate methods of rehabilitation.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider restoring Lairg School to its former status of a senior secondary school in view of the increase in population, industrial development and accessibility to rural districts.

No. Any developments of which I am aware would not, in my opinion, justify restoring this school to senior secondary status.

asked the Lord Advocate whether he will implement the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Scottish Affairs that the informal committee on Scottish law reform should be reconstituted as a permanent body and given wider functions, and, in particular, that its terms of reference should empower it to consider any aspect of Scottish legal reform on its own initiative.

The reconstitution of the Law Reform Committee for Scotland, under the chairmanship of Lord Walker, was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 7th December last. Its terms of reference are as follows:

"To bring to the attention of the Lord Advocate aspects of the law of Scotland which seem to the Committee to require consideration; to consider these or other aspects of the law in Scotland which may be remitted to the Committee by the Lord Advocate; and to report whether any changes in the law are desirable; the Committee to have power to co-opt for such periods as they may require such person or persons as the Lord Advocate may approve."

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Government have yet approved the request from the East Kilbride Development Corporation for permission to erect a community hut in the westward area.

Yes. This project was approved on 1st February.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can now say what special financial assistance is to be made available to agricultural producers in the islands of Scotland.

I am now able to say that, on the basis of returns to producers during the current financial year, special assistance will be made available to the island producers, in respect of that period, up to a maximum of £25,000. Having regard to all the circumstances, including particularly the emphasis placed by the Taylor Commission on the need to relate schemes of assistance to land improvement in these areas, I propose to disburse this special assistance by means of a two-part scheme which, while ensuring that most island producers will be eligible, will have land improvement as its general purpose. The scheme will comprise (i) direct assistance towards the purchase of lime and phosphatic fertilisers by island producers supplementary to that already available to producers generally under the existing lime and fertiliser schemes; and (ii) additional grants through the M.A.P. Scheme for land reclamation, reseeding and regeneration of grassland in the islands. Full details of the scheme will be issued as soon as possible.

asked the Attorney-General if he will make over to Paddington Borough Council housing property at one time owned by Brady or Waters and now vested in the Crown by decision of the courts.

I assume that the hon. Member's Question refers to properties affected by the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Morelle Ltd. v. Waterworth last year. The question whether the title to those properties has vested in the Crown is the subject of proceedings now before the Court of Appeal, and I do not of course propose to deal with them in any way while the matter is sub judice.

asked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that, when a legally-assisted person gains a favourable verdict in the High Court and damages are awarded, he may not, in some cases, receive any compensation at all for his losses or sufferings because the whole of the amount of the award is seized to pay the costs of his suit; and what steps he proposes taking in this connection.

The circumstances postulated in the Question occur only when the damages awarded and recovered are too small to meet the Law Society's charge under section 3 (4) of the Legal Aid and Advice Act, 1949, under which the costs which the Legal Aid Fund has incurred on behalf of the assisted person, over and above any contribution paid by him or costs recovered from opposite parties, are met from the damages. I would not regard the repeal of this provision as desirable for that would put assisted litigants in a more favourable position than ordinary litigants, who when deciding whether to take proceedings have to balance the possible cost of litigation against the amount of damages that may be recovered.

asked the Minister of Defence whether he will give instructions that a full statement on the production of Service aircraft be published in addition to the usual defence White Paper and service memoranda.

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Air Commodore Harvey) on 2nd February.

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty the period of oversea service now in force.

Hitherto the maximum period has been 2½ years but this is being reduced on the majority of overseas stations as a result of the General Service Commission scheme about which I informed the House when introducing the Navy Estimates for 1954–55 on 9th March, 1954. About two-thirds of the ships due to be manned under this scheme are already so manned; for these the maximum period of service abroad is 12 months. For men on other forms of overseas service, we are making good progress with the reduction of the maximum period for men not accompanied by their families to 18 months. There will, however, still be men who choose longer periods of service in posts in which they can be accompanied by their families.

asked the Minister of Agriculture what payments he has made under Sections 20 to 25 of the Mineral Workings Act, 1951; and whether he will make a statement as to arrangements in respect of the management and farming of worked ironstone land, their progress and results.

Arrangements under Section 20 of the Act have been made in respect of the management and farming of approximately 420 acres of worked ironstone land, and initial payments amounting to £1,186 and £6,030 have been made to owners and occupiers respectively. Arrangements for a further 250 acres are at present under discussion. No grants for afforestation have been made under Section 25 of the Act, but a number of schemes are under consideration. The arrangements made so far have been largely directed to the establishment of a sward on land restored or levelled without topsoil. Results have been most encouraging.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the date of the Air Ministry specification upon which the Short Sunderland and Royal Air Force flying-boat was designed; when the last flying-boat, now in service with the Royal Air Force, was built; and what is his policy with regard to the development of water-based aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

The original specification for the Sunderland flying-boat was issued in November, 1933, and the last aircraft of this type now in service with the Royal Air Force was completed in May, 1946. An announcement about policy will be made shortly in the Memorandum accompanying the Air Estimates.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air the period of oversea service now in force.

The normal tour of duty abroad is 2½ years for men and two years for women. The tour is shorter, however, in areas such as Iraq and the Persian Gulf where the climate is trying.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will publish in Hansard the Cairo and Berlin declarations on Formosa as signed by the British and United States Governments.

Yes. The following are the relevant extracts.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reports he has received from the United Nations Organisation in regard to the intervention of non-Chinese naval, air or land forces in the Chinese civil war now being fought in the Formosa area.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what information he has as to the detention in Siberia of a British subject named Chapman; and what steps are being taken to obtain the release of this man.

I would refer to the reply I gave yesterday to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Arundel and Shoreham (Captain Kerby).

asked the Minister of Labour the number of men classified as Medical Grade III who were conscripted in 1954, 1953, and 1952, respectively.

Eight thousand and fifty in 1954, 7,699 in 1953 and 8,189 in 1952.

asked the Prime Minister if he can yet make a statement indicating what kind of machinery is to be set up to safeguard the interests of consumers following dissolution of the Ministry of Food.

I have nothing to add to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal on my behalf on 26th January.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what arrangements have been made for distributing in the United Kingdom the report of the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on the first five years' work of that organisation; and if he will make copies of the report available to the House.

The report, "N.A.T.O.—The First Five Years," was published on 30th January by the North. Atlantic Treaty Organisation and is on sale at Her Majesty's Stationery Office at 9s. 6d. a copy. It may also be obtained from the British Atlantic Committee. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House of Commons for the convenience of Members. Five hundred and seventy copies have been purchased by the three Service Departments for troop information. The report provides a comprehensive account of the way in which the machinery of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation works and of what has been accomplished in all fields since the foundation of the North Atlantic alliance five years ago written in a form which should appeal to the general public. I strongly commend it also as a valuable work of reference.