asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation whether he will give a general direction to the British Transport Commission that, in deciding priorities of passenger traffic during the present railway dispute, special consideration is to be given to the needs of industrial towns with fixed annual holidays.

No, there is no need for this.

asked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation when he expects to start work on the re-building of the Bridge of Don, Aberdeenshire; and when he expects this work to be completed.

I expect work to start on this scheme in the early autumn and to take about two years to complete.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consider the publication at an early date of the verbatim reports of the disarmament talks recently adjourned in London.

It is for the Sub-Committee itself, and not for Her Majesty's Government, to decide whether, and when, verbatim records should be published.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reasons now prevent the return of the Kabaka to Buganda.

The return of Kabaka Mutesa II to Buganda is dependent on the acceptance and putting into force of new constitutional arrangements for Buganda. My right hon. Friend is at present engaged in discussions with the Lukiko delegations, which he hopes will result in agreement on this matter. I would prefer to make no further statement until these discussions are complete.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the prospects of success for the salt industry in the Turks Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Following an investigation carried out by experts last year, efforts are being made to find markets for the industry's salt in North America and the West Indies. Some small shipments have recently been made to Nova Scotia, and negotiations with Newfoundland are in progress. It is not yet possible to say whether these attempts to revive the industry will be successful.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on the present emergency in Singapore.

Yes. There has been an organised attack on the authority of the newly-elected Labour Front Government by extreme left-wing politicians, including members of the People's Action Party. These, with the help of well-organised pupils from the Chinese Middle Schools, have worked to prevent any compromise in industrial disputes and to excite strikers to acts of violence. Their aim has clearly been to discredit moderation and to subvert constitutional processes. These reckless tactics resulted on the night of 12th May in an outbreak of rioting in which four men were killed.I should like to express on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, and, I am sure, of the whole House, our deep sympathy with the families of all those who lost their lives. Only the magnificent forebearance and firmness of the police prevented further and more extensive damage and casualties. The strike which was the ostensible cause of the agitation leading up to the earlier troubles has been settled. It is, however, clear that those responsible for the riots are undeterred by the bloodshed which has been caused and are prepared to continue using the same tactics. Sudden strikes have been called by unions dominated by the People's Action Party and on Monday last there was an attempt to call a general strike.The Singapore Government have warned the persons responsible for these troubles that they will not tolerate these attempts to use violence to thwart the mandate so recently given to them. Responsible leaders of the Trades Union Congress have warned their members not to allow themselves to be used as tools to further the political ambitions of persons who have no real regard for their interests. On Saturday last the Government authorised the arrest of a number of key agitators who were playing a large part in the general strike threatened for Monday. About 15,000 men were on strike on Monday, but in a statement in the morning papers of that day the T.U.C. called upon "all trade unions to maintain restraint on their activities and not to take hasty action which might worsen the present Industrial unrest."I have no doubt that the great body of ordinary, decent people in Singapore are anxious to help their Government in carrying out the paramount duty which it owes to all citizens of the Colony, the maintenance of law and order. In this they may be assured of the full support of Her Majesty's Government. Upon the maintenance of law and order depend alike the economic stability of this great centre of trade and the success of the bold constitutional advance which it has just made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what damage was done and how many people were rendered homeless by the recent fire at Soufriere in St. Lucia; and what steps have been taken to provide immediate relief in this area.

Three hundred and eighty-seven buildings, or about three-fifths of the town, were destroyed. It is estimated that some 2,400 people were made homeless. The St. Lucia Government, with valuable help from the local Red Cross and other voluntary workers, are doing everything they can to relieve distress. Food and temporary shelter have been arranged and precautions taken to safeguard health. Public utility services have been restored.The Governments, the local Red Cross Societies and the public of neighbouring territories, and the British Red Cross, have responded to the Acting Governor's appeal with prompt and generous offers of help. Some relief supplies have already arrived by air. I feel sure that the whole House will wish my right hon. Friend to convey their sympathy with the victims of this disaster.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will now make a statement upon future constitutional advance for Mauritius; and whether he will invite a delegation from the Colony to visit the United Kingdom for discussions.

My right hon. Friend has invited the Governor and leading representatives to come to London for discussions about the middle of July. Air passages are now being arranged and the actual date will be fixed as soon as these have been confirmed.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement on constitutional changes in Nyasaland.

Since the conference between African, Asian and European representatives which was held in Nyasaland on 4th March, I have been giving much thought to the problems of constitutional development in Nyasaland.Both the African and the non-African communities have great contributions to make to the future of the territory and each community needs to be given a feeling of security: the African community needs to feel safe from domination by the smaller, but much more advanced, non-African community and to be assured of opportunity to develop its potentialities and of help in doing so; the non-African community needs to be assured that it will not be swamped by the Africans, who are so much more numerous but whose experience of modern forms of government and organisation is still so recent. They must not have any cause to fear that they may be prevented from continuing their work in the country or from contributing to its further progress. At the same time there must be an eager—indeed, an adventurous—searching after some new form of constitutional arrangements which will assure security and opportunity to all and will at the same time be less likely than the present system to foster a purely racial approach to politics.Nothing to my mind is more important for the future of Nyasaland than that during the next few years a real effort should be made in the Territory to devise arrangements along these lines which will be acceptable to all concerned.Such arrangements may have to be unusual and are bound to take time to work out. There would have been much to be said for leaving things alone meanwhile. But some changes within the ambit of the present system have been expected for some time and, by Africans, felt to be overdue; that indeed is why I authorised the Governor to put forward the proposals which were discussed at the conference in March.These proposals have been criticised from all sides. In particular, the Africans have put forward suggestions for African representation on Executive Council and parity with the non-African unofficials on Legislative Council.I do not consider that the time has yet come for the inclusion of an African on Executive Council. I have considered very carefully the suggestions for parity on Legislative Council. The immediate practical effect of having a sixth African member would be slight; for there is to be an official majority over all unofficials and it is, I think, generally agreed that this should be so. But, in Central Africa, parity—and in this context we mean parity between Africans and non-Africans and not the parity between three races which we have in Tanganyika—has become a sort of magic word, conjuring up all the emotions on which racialism thrives. I believe that if we introduced now something which could be called parity we should stir up these emotions and all our hopes of real progress along the lines I have outlined above would rapidly fade away.So I have decided that my original proposals should be put into effect. This means that there will be an increase in the total membership of Legislative Council from 21 to 23. There will be 12 Official Members including the Governor, six non-African Unofficials and five African Unofficials. The non-African Members of Legislative Council will be elected on a non-African electoral roll by constituencies. The African Members will be elected by the African Provincial Councils instead of being selected by the Governor, as hitherto, from a Panel of names submitted to him. There will be no change in the composition of Executive Council.The decision that non-African members of Legislative Council will be elected on an electoral roll has raised the question of the property and income qualifications for voters on that roll. The appropriate level of these qualifications for the various electoral rolls in Central Africa is a matter which will shortly have to be considered by all the four Central African Governments and, in particular, there will, under the Federal Constitution, need to be consultations between the Federal Government and the Government of Nyasaland about the property and income qualifications for registration as a voter in Federal elections in that territory. This is because the constitution provides that until such date as may be appointed by the Legislative Council of Nyasaland, Federal electoral regulations applying to that territory are to be made with the agreement of the Governor. Pending these consultations I have decided that the electoral roll to be introduced for non-African elections to the next Legislative Council in Nyasaland will, purely as an interim measure, be subject to the same property and income qualifications as those which were used in the Federal elections held in Nyasaland in 1953.With the introduction of elections it will be necessary to set a term to the life of the Legislative Council in Nyasaland. It is proposed to set a term of four years. This period will, I sincerely hope, be used by all concerned in Nyasaland to join together in trying to work out a new approach such as I have described in the opening paragraphs of this statement, so that, if agreement is reached on new arrangements as a result of such consultation, they can be introduced at the beginning of the following four-year period.It has been a great disappointment to me that I have not yet been able to visit Nyasaland, and I hope very much that before too many months have passed I shall be able to repair this omission and also to visit Northern Rhodesia. If my wish is fulfilled, I hope that I may perhaps in personal discussions out there be able to make my contribution to the development of thought on these matters.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the findings of the Hong Kong Director of Civil Aviation into the crash on 11th April of an Indian airliner carrying Chinese Communist officials.

The aircraft crashed in Indonesian territorial waters and, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Indonesian Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry which investigated the cause of the disaster. The Hong Kong Director of Civil Aviation joined the Commission as his Government's accredited representative. He was advised by the United Kingdom Chief Investigating Officer of Accidents.2. The report of the Commission established that an explosion in the right wing of the aircraft caused the crash and was due to sabotage. Since it seems likely that the explosive device employed was placed in the aircraft during its stop in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Government are making every effort to ascertain the facts and bring those responsible to justice.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the names of the consumers' representatives appointed to the Potato Marketing Board.

Persons appointed by the Minister under Section 1 of the Agricultural Marketing Act, 1949, are not representatives of particular interests. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have appointed four members to the Potato Marketing Board. Their names, which were announced to the Press on 26th May last, are as follows:

• Sir Patrick Laird, K.B.E., C.B., F.R.S.E.
• Mr. L. G. Fisher, C.M.G.
• Mr. E. P. Harries, C.B.E.
• Mrs. M. Courtney, J.P.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the prospects of the potato crop; and how far it is anticipated that a shortage will be avoided.

The yield of the first earlies is expected to be satisfactory and, as harvesting progresses, increasing supplies should be available. It is not yet possible to give any indication of the prospects for the main crop.

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now consider authorising advance factory building by Scottish Industrial Estates in areas threatened with economic or social decline due to the closure of collieries.

I am always ready to consider applications from industrialists for the building of Government-financed factories in such areas, but I do not consider that building in advance of demand is justified in present circumstances.

asked the President of the Board of Trade the figures for imports

asked the Minister of Education whether, under his regulations, a teacher on retirement has the option of taking an alternative pension to cover his wife if she survives him.

Under the Teachers' Superannuation (Allocation of Pension) Rules, 1937, a teacher of good health may, subject to conditions, surrender part of his pension in return for actuarially equivalent benefits for his wife. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the rules together with an explanatory memorandum.

Imports from India into the United Kingdom (in thousands of square yards) were as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet able to make a statement upon the Government's plans for setting up a national monitoring organisation to give warning and to measure radio-activity in the event of air attack on the United Kingdom.

Yes. I am glad to be able to inform the House that arrangements are being made for the Royal Observer Corps, in conjunction with the Air Raid Warning Organisation, to undertake this important new function in addition to their existing duties.