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    <title>Sitting of 28 November 1932</title>
    <dateCreated>Mon, 28 Nov 1932 00:00:00 +0000</dateCreated>
    <ownerName>UK Parliament</ownerName>
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    <outline id='797341' text='&lt;i&gt;The House met at a quarter before Three of the Clock,&lt;/i&gt; Mr. SPEAKER &lt;i&gt;in the Chair.&lt;/i&gt;' title='Preamble' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/preamble'></outline>
    <outline id='797342' text='PRIVATE BUSINESS.'>
      <outline id='797343' text='"to confirm a Scheme made by the Minister of Transport under the Public Works Facilities Act, 1930, relating to the Huddersfield Corporation," presented by Lieut.-Colonel Headlam; and ordered (under Section 1 (9) of the Act) to be considered To-morrow, and to be printed. [Bill 23.]' title='PUBLIC WORKS FACILITIES SCHEME (HUDDERSFIELD CORPORATION) BILL,' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/public-works-facilities-scheme'></outline>
    </outline>
    <outline id='797349' text='ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.'>
      <outline id='797352' text='INDIA.'>
        <outline id='797354' text='Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Secretary of State for India whether he is yet in a position to state the number of cases during the past year in which a collective fine has been imposed on a whole town, village, or district in India; the amount of any such fine; and the reasons for which it was imposed?&lt;br/&gt;The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Sir Samuel Hoare): There has not yet been time for the reply to the inquiry I made on this subject following the question asked by the hon. Member for East Woolwich on the 31st October to reach me. I will communicate with the hon. Member when I receive it.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Are we to understand that the Government have no information in regard to the number of cases where collective fines have been inflicted?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: Yes, we have some information, but we have not the information necessary to answer the particular question asked by the hon. Member.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNERasked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;452&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;that a collective fine of Rs.80,000 has been imposed on inhabitants of Chittagong who are owners or occupants of holdings within the Chittagong municipal area, and the inhabitants of Pahartali railway colony and seven neighbouring villages; and whether it is the policy of the Government of India to adopt the system of imposing a fine on whole districts if the actual malefactors cannot be traced?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: A fine of Rs.80,000 has been imposed on Chittagong town and seven neighbouring villages, but collection has been postponed till 1st December in order to give the inhabitants an opportunity of proving the bona fides of their recently formed "Terrorism Suppression Committees." The local Government has power under the Bengal Suppression of Terrorist Outrages Act to impose collective fines of this kind on the inhabitants of any area who are thought to be concerned in or assisting offences of a terrorist nature.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNER: Does the right hon. Gentleman think that this sort of action is calculated to improve the atmosphere, when a fine is inflicted on a whole community?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I am afraid that action of this kind is necessary as we are dealing with very dangerous terrorists. This is not a question of civil disturbance, but a question of terrorism.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Is it not the duty of the police or the authorities to find the malefactors and not to inflict punishment upon innocent inhabitants of 57 districts?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: It is the duty of the police to find the malefactors, and it is the duty of the civil population to help them.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Does the right hon. Gentleman think that people who have no police responsibility at all ought to be charged with the same offence and have fines inflicted upon them without having any responsibility whatsoever?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: It is evident that in Bengal a number of people are conniving with the terrorists. It is against them that action of this kind has to be taken.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DAVID GRENFELL: To what use are these fines applied when they are collected?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: To the general use of the community.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORGAN JONES: Can the right hon. Gentleman say if there was any justification for involving people who were not conniving with or hiding these alleged criminals?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I am afraid that action of this kind is inevitable. It is taken not under an emergency ordinance, but under an Act actually passed by the Bengal Legislature.' title='COLLECTIVE FINES.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/collective-fines'></outline>
        <outline id='797355' text='Mr. PRICEasked the Secretary of State for India whether he can make a statement as to the present state of affairs in India?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: There has been no change in the situation during the past week. At the end of October the number of persons convicted of civil disobedience offences undergoing imprisonment was 18,243, a decrease of 1,615 on the figures for the previous month, and the number of convicted persons released on tendering apologies amounted to 7,261.' title='SITUATION.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/situation'></outline>
        <outline id='797356' text='Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for India whether any arrangements are being made for the farther development of inland air routes in India?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: Arrangements for the completion of the two main air routes in India are under active consideration and further extensions cannot be expected while these routes are incomplete.' title='AIR ROUTES (DEVELOPMENT).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/air-routes-development'></outline>
        <outline id='797357' text="Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Secretary of State for India whether the Government of India and His Majesty's Government have under consideration the formation of a separate Orissa province; and when a definite announcement on the matter may be expected?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: The Government of India and His Majesty's Government have this matter under consideration and it is hoped to make an announcement in due course." title='ORISSA.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/orissa'></outline>
        <outline id='797358' text='Mr. D. GRENFELLasked the Secretary of State for India whether he is aware that the district magistrate of&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;454&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;Surat has issued a notice calling upon members of the public who are in possession of funds of the Indian National Congress to surender them to the Government, and warning them that if any member of the public is found with such funds after the last day of November he will be liable to prosecution in addition to forfeiture of the funds; and whether he will state under what ordinance or regulation the Indian National Congress, or any of its agents, are prevented from possessing funds?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I understand that the notice relates not to the funds of the Indian National Congress but to those of local Congress activities which have been declared unlawful. As regards the second part of the question funds which are being used or are intended to be used for the purposes of an unlawful association may be declared forfeit under Section 63 of the Special Powers Ordinance. A prosecution would lie under Section 17 (1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1908, against any person assisting the activities of an unlawful association by administering its funds. The Indian National Congress as such has not been declared unlawful.' title='NATIONAL CONGRESS (FUNDS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/national-congress-funds'></outline>
        <outline id='797359' text='Mr. D. GRENFELLasked the Secretary of State for India why the sum of Rs.10,000, deposited by the Free Press Journal of Bombay on 1st August, 1932, has been declared forfeited to the Government?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: The securities of Rs.5,000 each deposited by the publisher of the "Free Press Journal" and the keeper of the "Free Press Bulletin Press" were forfeited in consequence of the publication and printing of matter falling under Clauses (&lt;i&gt;d&lt;/i&gt;) and (&lt;i&gt;h&lt;/i&gt;) of Section 4 (1) of the Indian Press (Emergency Powers) Act as amended by Section 77 of the Special Powers Ordinance.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNER: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the article in question is a mere reprint of an article by Mr. Gandhi published two or three years ago? In these circumstances, does he not think that action on the part of the Government is unjustified?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: No, Sir. The information I have at my disposal goes to show&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0246"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;455&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;that the article is of a very unscrupulous character. My information is not the information suggested by the hon. and gallant Member.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNER: Will the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to peruse the article if I let him have it?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: Certainly.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNER: And take any action that he thinks necessary?' title='FREE PRESS JOURNAL, BOMBAY.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/free-press-journal-bombay'></outline>
        <outline id='797360' text="Mr. MOLSONasked the Secretary of State for India to what extent official facilities for obtaining information were offered to the party which recently visited India under the leadership of Miss Wilkinson, and to what extent these facilities were made use of?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: On the understanding that the delegation intended to make a serious and impartial study of the situation in India and to take no public part in politics, the authorities in India were asked to give them help and information. I understand that the party did not entirely avoid official contacts. For example, Miss Wilkinson saw the Home Member of the Viceroy's Council. But according to detailed reports from practically every district which they visited they did not seem anxious to avail themselevs of official offers of help, and they were not disposed to credit accurate information when it was supplied to them. The party as a whole chose throughout to take its impressions from Congress workers who are known to have received for the purpose careful instructions from their headquarters as to staging for their benefit Congress demonstrations which would involve clashes with the police and so on.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MOLSON: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that as a result of that visit to India a series of public meetings to disseminate this inaccurate information has been undertaken, with the support of the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition and other prominent Members of the Opposition Front Bench?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I am not sure that the right hon. Gentleman opposite could not answer that question better than I can. I must leave it to the hon. Member for Doncaster (Mr. Molson) and other hon.&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;456&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;Members to explain the real state of affairs to the country.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. T. WILLIAMS: Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with his hon. Friend that any information obtained other than through official Government sources is necessarily inaccurate?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. CAMPBELL: Has the right hon. Gentleman any information as to whom the party purported to represent and from what sources they received funds?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I believe that the mission was arranged by a body in London called the India League, which no doubt gave financial support. The India League received a substantial donation from a prominent Indian Congress leader about the time that the mission was being arranged." title='MISSION (OFFICIAL INFORMATION).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/mission-official-information'></outline>
        <outline id='797361' text="Major MILNERasked the Secretary of State for India whether he can yet make any statement as to the progress of the Round Table Conference now sitting?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I do not think it will be necessary to make any formal statement as to the results achieved by the Conference until its deliberations are completed. There is no reason to be dissatisfied with the progress made in the first week.&lt;br/&gt;Major MILNER: Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with the reflection made by the right hon. Member for Epping (Mr. Churchill) on the limited authority and capacity of the Indian delegates to that Conference?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: I did not hear my right hon. Friend's observations. In point of fact, practically every Indian member of the Round Table Conference is there in some kind of representative capacity. In the case of the State's representatives, the Ministers actually directly represented the States that sent them." title='ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/round-table-conference'></outline>
        <outline id='797362' text='Mr. D. GRENFELLasked the Secretary of State for India whether he has received any information regarding the action of the British adviser of the Sheikh of Bahrein in May last sanctioning the arrest and imprisonment of pearl fishers in the Persian Gulf who were dis-&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0247"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;457&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;satisfied with their pay, and the subsequent action of the British Consul involving the shooting by Hindu sepoys of a number of the pearl fishers, the result being the total suspension of pearl fishing; and whether he will institute an inquiry into the circumstances which led to the affair?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: A serious riot, the reasons for which appear to have been partly economic, took place in Bahrein on the 26th May, in the course of which a mob broke into the police station and released a diver who had been imprisoned. The situation was rapidly brought under control. No shots were fired by the Indian police but two divers appear to have been killed and four or five wounded by sporadic firing by local Arab watchmen. There was no suspension of the pearl fishing, the pearling boats leaving for the banks in the first week of June. I see no occasion for further inquiry into the incident which appears to have been satisfactorily dealt with by the local authorities.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. GRENFELL: Is it true that the casualties amount only to two? Were there not a larger number killed in addition to the number seriously injured?&lt;br/&gt;Sir S. HOARE: The information at my disposal is that two people were killed and four or five wounded.' title='PEARL FISHERIES, PERSIAN GULF.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/pearl-fisheries-persian-gulf'></outline>
        <outline id='797363' text='Commander OLIVER LOCKERLAMPSONasked the Secretary of State for India when the Vizagapatam Harbour will be available for ships; when it will be officially opened; and whether the Viceroy will open it in person?&lt;br/&gt;The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Butler): My latest information is that the harbour may be opened to traffic by April, 1933, but that it may be necessary to postpone the opening for another year. I am unable at present to answer the second and third parts of the question.' title='VIZAGAPATAM HARBOUR.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/vizagapatam-harbour'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797364' text='Sir JOHN HASLAMasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is yet in a position to state whether the Argentine national and provincial&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;458&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;governments have discharged the longstanding unpaid debts for freight due to the railways working in the Argentine with British capital?&lt;br/&gt;The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir John Simon): I understand that negotiations about the state of the account current between the railway companies and the authorities concerned are still proceeding between them.' title='ARGENTINE RAILWAYS (BRITISH CAPITAL).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/argentine-railways-british-capital'></outline>
      <outline id='797365' text="Sir JOHN WARDLAW - MILNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to say whether any action has been taken in the case of Mrs. Tebbitt, wife of a British subject, who lost her property in the Rhineland during the period of British occupation?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: A minute examination of Mrs. Tebbitt's case has been made in my Department, and His Majesty's Ambassador at Berlin has also been consulted. Major Tebbitt has been asked to obtain copies of some further legal documents and as soon as these have been received it will be possible to reach a final decision as to what action, if any, can be taken in this case." title='WAR CLAIM (MRS. TEBBITT).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/war-claim-mrs-tebbitt'></outline>
      <outline id='797366' text='Mr. RHYS DAVI ESasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps the Polish Government have taken to carry out the suggestion made in the report of the League of Nations Council, on 30th January, 1932, that they should compensate the Ukrainian victims of police and military violence in Eastern Galicia?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: The report adopted by the Council of the League of Nations contained an expression of regret that the Polish Government had not found it possible to grant compensation to certain Ukrainians. This view was shared by the British representative, speaking as chairman of the committee which had placed the matter on the agenda.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DAVIES: Is there any power in the League of Nations to see that when representations of this kind are made compensation is given?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: It is, of course a matter for the Council of the League, but as far as the British view is concerned representations were made by the British Government at the Council.' title='POLAND (UKRAINIAN CASUALTIES).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/poland-ukrainian-casualties'></outline>
      <outline id='797367' text="Sir J. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the posts vacated by 48 British officials in Egypt in 1930 of Class V and upwards have been filled by other British subjects; how many of the 27 vacancies in Class V and upwards in 1931 caused by the departure of British officials have been filled by other nationals; and to which nations these persons belong?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: The answer to the first part of the question is contained in the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend on the 31st of October. With regard to the second and third parts, I have asked His Majesty's High Commissioner for a report on the subject, and will communicate with my hon. Friend on its receipt.&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. WAR D LAW-M ILNE: My right hon. Friend is no doubt aware that the reason I put the question is that his previous reply seemed to show that the higher posts vacated by British subjects were not filled.&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: I am quite sure that the hon. Member had perfectly good reasons for asking the question, and I am not in the least criticising him. I was merely observing that the information asked for in the first part of his question had already been supplied by way of question and answer. May I add that there is no reason to suppose that any of the vacancies which have not been filled by citizens of this country have been filled by citizens of any country other than Egypt.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORGAN JONES: Is the appointment of these higher officials solely a matter for the Egyptian Government or have His Majesty's Government any say in the matter?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: I think I know the answer to the hon. Member, but I would rather have notice. It is better not to make a mistake.&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. WARDLAW-MILNE: Will my right hon. Friend let me know when he has further information?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: Certainly." title='EGYPT (OFFICIALS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/egypt-officials'></outline>
      <outline id='797368' text="Mr. MORGAN JONESasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in order to obtain full consideration of the Lytton Report on the situation in Manchuria, His Majesty's representative on the League of Nations Council is authorised to recommend the calling of a special session of the Assembly or of the Committee of Nineteen?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: I have just received information that this matter has been further considered by the Council this morning, and that the Council decided to transmit the report for the consideration of the Assembly. This decision was taken with the full concurrence of the United Kingdom delegate, who is at the moment my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. JONES: Does that mean a special meeting of the Assembly, or have we to wait until the next meeting of the Assembly?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. SIMON: It means a special Assembly, which, as the hon. Member knows, has already met on the matter, and which will now be re-summoned." title='MANCHURIA.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/manchuria'></outline>
      <outline id='797371' text='TRADE AND COMMERCE.'>
        <outline id='797372' text='Mr. GUYasked the Secretary of the Overseas Trade Department the estimated cost to the taxpayer of the British Industries Fair to be held in February, 1933?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel J. COLVILLE (Secretary, Overseas Trade Department): The answer is "Nil." It is estimated that the total cost of the British Industries Fair to be held in February, 1933, will be met from the proceeds of space rents and other receipts.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLS: How does the hon. Member account for the figure of &amp;#x00A3;105,000 given in the Economy Committee&apos;s Report as the charge against the public funds for this purpose?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel COLVILLE: I take no responsibility for that figure. I can only assume that in the provision made for receipts this has not been taken into account.&lt;br/&gt;Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUEL: Does the reply mean that the grant from the Empire Marketing Board and the advertisements&apos; subsidy have both been dropped?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel COLVILLE: There is no grant-in-aid this year.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HANNON: Is it not the case that the part of the exhibition held at Birmingham was self-supporting, and paid for itself?' title='BRITISH INDUSTRIES FAIR.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/british-industries-fair'></outline>
        <outline id='797373' text="Mr. WISEasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can make any statement as to the negotiations which, arising out of the resolutions of the Ottawa Conference, have taken place with the High Commissioner of Canada or the Agent-General for British Columbia about the proposed purchase by Timber Distributors, Limited, of 450,000 standards of timber from the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics; and whether he will use his influence to obtain any diminution of this quantity?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel J. COLVILLE: I am not in a position to make any statement at present, but His Majesty's Government are in close touch with the discussions which are taking place on this matter.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORGAN JONES: May we take it, then, that this is in accord with the decisions which were reached at Ottawa?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel COLVILLE: As I have said, discussions with the interests concerned are taking place which, I hope, will have a satisfactory issue. I cannot say anything more than that.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. JONES: May I have an answer to my question? Do the Government regard this agreement between Canada and the Union of Soviet Republics as any violation of the agreement arrived at between this country and Canada?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel COLVILLE: The hon. Member is under a misapprehension. There is no agreement." title='RUSSIAN TIMBER.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/russian-timber'></outline>
        <outline id='797374' text='Mr. BERNAYSasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the Official Reports of the Debates in the Canadian and Australian Parliaments on the Ottawa Agreements?&lt;br/&gt;The SECRETARY of STATE for DOMINION AFFAIRS (Mr. J. H. Thomas): Yes, Sir, this is being done.' title='OTTAWA AGREEMENTS.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/ottawa-agreements'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797378' text='AGRICULTURE.'>
        <outline id='797380' text='Mr. PERKINSasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his Department are still investigating foot-and-mouth disease; whether any results have been achieved during the past two years; and whether the policy of inoculation has been a success?&lt;br/&gt;The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE and FISHERIES (Major Elliot): Yes, Sir, the Foot and Mouth Disease Research Committee appointed in 1924 is still actively at work. During the last two years the committee has investigated, amongst other matters, questions of immunity, the susceptibility of small rodents, the identification of "carriers," the comparative value of virus of various strains and of the different methods of sterilising animal products. This work has contributed materially to our knowledge of the disease. It is not yet possible to come to any definite conclusion concerning preventive treatment by inoculation, which is still in the experimental stage.' title='FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/foot-and-mouth-disease'></outline>
        <outline id='797382' text='Mr. LAMBERTasked the Minister of Agriculture whether having regard to the announced intention by Imperial Chemical Industries that British sellers will increase the price of sulphate of ammonia forthwith, he will take steps to secure the repeal of the present import duty on that product so as to enable land cultivators to secure fertilisers at the world price?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: I would remind my right hon. Friend that the question of recommending additions to the items included in Schedule I to the Import Duties Act (the "Free List") is one for the Import Duties Advisory Committee, and it&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0250"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;463&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;is for the interests concerned in any particular commodities to make representations direct to the committee.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAMBERT: Does the right hon. and gallant Gentleman propose to take any steps to protect farmers against these combines?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: It is the business of the agricultural industry, if it thinks that sulphate of ammonia should be placed on the Free List, to bring the matter before the statutory body set up by the House to consider these matters.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAMBERT: Are these combines to dictate to farmers the price of fertilisers without competition?' title='SULPHATE OF AMMONIA.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/sulphate-of-ammonia'></outline>
        <outline id='797384' text="Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether any calculation has been made as to the expected reduction in the price of cattle and sheep in South America on account of the reduction of the imports into this country of beef and mutton; and whether any representations on these points have been made by the Government or by the interests concerned in this country as to the effect on the ability of South American countries to import British and other goods and to pay the interest on their foreign loans?&lt;br/&gt;The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of TRADE (Dr. Burgin): So far as the reduction of imports has the effect of raising wholesale prices in this country, it should ultimately result in an increase of price to the producer. According to Press reports such an increase has already taken place in Argentina. Suggestions of the kind contained in the last part of the question have no doubt been made but I am not aware that any formal representations of the kind suggested have been made to His Majesty's Government.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: If the ordinary manmade law of supply and demand operates in the Argentine will that not necessarily cause a fall in prices of beef and mutton in the Argentine, and will not that reflect itself in the inability of the Argentine to meet its obligations and to buy goods from this country?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: A Reuter's telegram of 16th November says that the price of&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;464&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;steers has risen from 23 cents to 25 cents per kilo.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. D. GRENFELL: Who pays the cost of that increase in price in the Argentine?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MAXTON: Would the hon. Gentleman communicate with the Argentine and ask them who is responsible for this fearful breach of the law of supply and demand?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has made any calculations as to the total amount of extra profits which the British meat importing companies will make out of the operation of the quota scheme in respect of stocks of meat held in this country and of imports in the next six months, respectively?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: No, Sir.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that it is already estimated that the extra profit of the importing companies approximates to &amp;#x00A3;600,000; and has he made any calculation as to what extra profit the importers are likely to get out of this arrangement?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: I am not aware of anything of the kind.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Will the hon. Gentleman state whether the importers gave any guarantee to the Government when accepting the new policy of restrictions that they themselves would hand on the increase of wholesale prices to the producers in the Argentine&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: That is a question of which I should require notice.&lt;br/&gt;Captain McEWENasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he has in contemplation any measures regulating the flow of meat already in cold storage in this country into the market?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: I have reason to believe that the trade is fully alive to the desirability of regulating as far as possible the flow of meat supplies on the market, and is working with that object in view.&lt;br/&gt;Captain McEWEN: Is the hon. Gentleman's Department satisfied, having regard to the question of wholesale prices, that the amount in cold storage is not excessive at the present time?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAMBERTasked the President of the Board of Trade the firms that have consented to restrict meat imports from South America; and whether he proposes to take steps to limit the profits of monopolistic importers?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: The names of the firms in question were stated in the answer I gave to the Noble Lady the Member for Kinross and West Perth (Duchess of Atholl) on 9th November. I am sending my right hon. Friend a copy. The reply to the second part of the question is in. the negative.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. WILLIAMS: Is it not the case that there is a monopoly of importers consisting of five companies combined together; and do we understand from the hon. Gentleman that the Government have secured no guarantee that the importers will not exploit the position?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: The hon. Member must understand nothing of the kind." title='MEAT IMPORT RESTRICTIONS.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/meat-import-restrictions'></outline>
        <outline id='797386' text="Captain CAZALET (for Mr. GROVES)asked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has received any information as to experiments conducted by the Government of Northern Ireland in connection with Spahlinger's vaccine for tuberculosis in cattle; and, if so, whether he can give any information regarding these experiments?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: I have communicated with the Minister of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and am informed by him that satisfactory progress is being made and that an interim Report will be issued by his Department in a few days.&lt;br/&gt;Captain CAZALET: Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether the results do not show that, in the case of vaccinated cattle, the experiment has been 100 per cent. successful?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: It would be well to await the report, which is just about to be published.&lt;br/&gt;Captain CAZALET: Will the right hon. Gentleman make the report available to the House?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: I will consider that suggestion." title='TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE (SPAHLINGER TREATMENT).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/tuberculosis-in-cattle-spahlinger'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797388' text='Mr. PRICEasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the burden imposed upon British agriculture by the payment of tithes in accordance with the stabilising Act of 1925, he will consider the possibility of appointing a commission to make a full inquiry into the working of this Act?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: The Tithe Act, 1925, stabilised at &amp;#x00A3;105 the annual amount payable in respect of each &amp;#x00A3;100 tithe rent-charge par value. If the Act had not been passed the amount payable would have ranged between &amp;#x00A3;131 and &amp;#x00A3;138 in the years since 1925. With regard to the question of the appointment of a commission of inquiry, the position remains as stated by my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council in his reply to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Maldon (Colonel Ruggles-Brise) on 22nd June last.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. T. WILLIAMS: Are we to understand that the Government have now made up their mind that there is no case against paying tithe on the basis of the 1925 Act?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: The answer given by the Lord President of the Council was that the Government could hold out no prospect of legislation on the question.' title='TITHE RENTCHARGE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/tithe-rentcharge'></outline>
      <outline id='797389' text="Sir MURDOCH McKENZIE WOODasked the Minister of Agriculture if he has considered the report of the committee which recently investigated the condition of the fishing industry; and if he proposes to adopt any of the committee's recommendations?&lt;br/&gt;Major ELLIOT: The report referred to is being re-examined by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself, but I am not yet in a position to make a statement on the subject." title='FISHING INDUSTRY.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/fishing-industry'></outline>
      <outline id='797390' text='POST OFFICE.'>
        <outline id='797391' text="Captain CAZALETasked the Postmaster-General what arrangement and alterations, if any, he has made in regard to the publication and reproduction of postage stamps in philatelic journals?&lt;br/&gt;The POSTMASTER-GENERAL (Sir Kingsley Wood): I have decided, subject to certain conditions, not to interfere as regards the reproduction of postage stamps other than current British stamps for purposes of advertisement. The concession is restricted to stamp dealers' advertisements of such stamps offered for sale. Stamp dealers and the Press generally have been notified of the new conditions." title="STAMP DEALERS' ADVERTISEMENTS." type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/stamp-dealers-advertisements'></outline>
        <outline id='797392' text='Mr. BROCKLEBANK (for Sir JOHN SANDEMAN ALLEN)asked the Postmaster-General whether he can give an assurance that, as a result of the International Telegraph Union and Radio Conference now sitting at Madrid, there will be no increase of charges to any section of British users; and whether, if possible, the status quo will be maintained, at any rate as regards Great Britain?&lt;br/&gt;Sir K. WOOD: The International Conference is not yet at an end, and I cannot say at present what its results will be. I can, however, assure my hon. Friend that the British delegation has done and is doing all that is possible to protect the public against proposals for increasing rates.' title='INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAPH UNION AND RADIO CONFERENCE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/international-telegraph-union-and-radio'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797393' text='Lieut.-Colonel MOOREasked the First Commissioner of Works if he will consider the installation of indicators in the public galleries of the Chamber so that visitors unable to see may know who are taking part in the Debates?&lt;br/&gt;The FIRST COMMISSIONER of WORKS (Mr. Ormsby-Gore): I feel that the installation suggested is not such as would commend itself to hon. Members generally, on grounds both of detrimental appearance and noise.&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel MOORE: Does the right hon. Gentleman not think that this would be an admirable way of allowing the general public who frequent the galleries to become acquainted with their Members?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: Quite frankly, I do not.&lt;br/&gt;Miss HORSBRUGH: Are there not other places where an indicator is more required, such as the room now occupied by the lady Members?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I have received a round robin from all the lady Members but one asking for an indicator in their room. I would point out that the cost is &amp;#x00A3;100, but I will see what I can do next year.&lt;br/&gt;Miss HORSBRUGH: Would it not be possible to remove an indicator from another room where it is not so much required?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I am going into the matter.' title='HOUSE OF COMMONS (INDICATORS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/house-of-commons-indicators'></outline>
      <outline id='797394' text='Sir NICHOLAS GRATTAN-DOYLEasked the Attorney-General for how many days the autumn assizes at Newcastle-upon-Tyne lasted; during how many days the learned judge was sitting alone; during how many days the judge and the commissioner were sitting together; and during how many days the commissioner was sitting alone; and whether he is aware of the inconvenience and expense caused to litigants and others by the delay in the appointment of the commissioner of assize?&lt;br/&gt;The SOLICITOR-GENERAL (Sir Boyd Merriman): The assizes lasted for 15 days excluding commission day and Sundays. The judge sat alone on five days; he was assisted by a commissioner on four days; and a commissioner sat alone on six days. As regards the latter part of the question, I am informed that a commissioner was despatched as soon as the Lord Chancellor was satisfied as to the necessity of doing so.&lt;br/&gt;Sir N. GRATTAN-DOYLE: Can my hon. and learned Friend give an assurance that there will be no recurrence of this unfortunate position, and will he state what was the cost to the parties concerned of this delay?&lt;br/&gt;The SOLICITOR-GENERAL: I could not possibly, without notice, state what were the costs. As to the earlier part of the question, I can only repeat that the Lord Chancellor, so I am informed, sent a commissioner as soon as he was informed of the circumstances.&lt;br/&gt;Sir N. GRATTAN-DOYLE: Will my hon. and learned Friend give an assurance that there will not be any recurrence of this extraordinary state of affairs?' title='AUTUMN ASSIZES, NEWCASTLE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/autumn-assizes-newcastle'></outline>
      <outline id='797395' text='PUBLIC HEALTH.'>
        <outline id='797396' text='Sir A. M. SAMUELasked the Minister of Health whether his records show an increase or a decrease in the incidence of cases of cancer in the lung over a period of recent years; and whether various users of coal-tar products in general, and the use of coal-tar on roads in particular, have been investigated as possible causes of cancer in the lung among the public and those employed in spraying roads with tar?&lt;br/&gt;The MINISTER of HEALTH (Sir Hilton Young): No figures are available as to the incidence of this disease, but the mortality statistics show an increase in recent years in the number of deaths attributed by medical certificate to cancer of the lung. I am advised that a proportion of this increase may be assigned to improved means of diagnosis. The answer to the second part of the question is in the affirmative. These investigations are being continued, but I am advised that prolonged inquiries will be necessary before any definite conclusions can be reached.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. D. GRENFELL: Will the right hon. Gentleman say whether the investigation will include the examination of the figures derived from industrial occupations, or will it be confined simply to the question of coal-tar on the roads? Will the right hon. Gentleman make a special independent investigation into the incidence of cancer of the respiratory organs in certain industries in which such cancer is found to be prevalent?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: The investigation will cover the question of the effects of coal-tar only, but will, of course, embrace the whole field of information, including industrial occupations.&lt;br/&gt;Sir A. M. SAMUEL: Does my right hon. Friend mean that the investigation is to range over a wide field of all coal-tar derivatives, apart from the effects of coal-tar?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: I should require notice as to the exact scope of the investigation,&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;470&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;but I can say that the investigation certainly will include the whole field of knowledge that can lead to a useful conclusion on the effect of coal-tar.&lt;br/&gt;Commander LOCKER-LAMPSON: Is not smoking one of the greatest contributory causes of cancer, and will that question also be examined?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: I should like to give an accurate answer to that question, though it does not arise from the question on the Paper. Perhaps my hon. and gallant Friend will give me notice of the question.' title='CANCER.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/cancer'></outline>
        <outline id='797397' text='Mr. LEVYasked the Minister of Health if he will make arrangements for a survey of our water resources and of the areas which have no adequate supply and consider, in conjunction with the appropriate local authorities, the provision of proper water supply for such areas?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: A survey comprehensive enough to be of value is possible only after detailed local investigation, and to embark on a special survey would cost a good deal of public money. The policy of the Ministry is to encourage the formation of Advisory Regional Water Committees for ascertaining local needs and formulating a programme of the best means of meeting them. Officers of the Ministry collect information locally. Applications for loans for water schemes are being constantly made to me and are carefully considered by my expert advisers.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LEVY: Whatever may be the present system, does not my right hon. Friend agree that an adequate water supply in rural areas is essential in view of agricultural expansion, and will he go ahead in this vital matter?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. RHYS DAVIES: What response has there been from local authorities that have not an adequate water supply, in view of the encouragement that the Department has given for the provision of a better supply?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: I certainly cordially agree with the principle suggested in the first supplementary question. The second supplementary arises on the next question to be asked.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LEVYasked the Minister of Health what schemes for the provision or improvement of the water supply have been submitted to his Department during the past 12 months; and what action, if any, was taken on them?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: The information requested would have to be specially prepared, and therefore I am not able to furnish my hon. Friend with it at the moment. I may, however, state that during the 12 months ended 30th September, 1932, loans amounting to &amp;#x00A3;2,180,000 were sanctioned. I am not aware of any case where an application for loan has been refused for satisfactory works which were self-supporting.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LEVY: Will the Minister define what he means by "satisfactory works" and "self-supporting," because I underStand&amp;#x2014;[HON. MEMBERS: "Speech&amp;#x0021;"] With great respect and humility, I hope I have not said anything out of order.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. SPEAKER: The hon. Member was embarking on a speech.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LEVY: May I put it in another form? May I ask the right hon. Gentle-man what he means by "self-supporting"?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. SPEAKER: The hon. Member had better leave it at that.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LEVY: The third time is generally fortunate. May I ask the right hon. Gentleman&amp;#x2014;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. SPEAKER: The hon. Member had better put his question on the Paper.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DAVIES: In view of the very serious apprehensions on this matter, will the right hon. Gentleman say whether in the &amp;#x00A3;2,000,000 which has been sanctioned there are included any new water supplies, or does the &amp;#x00A3;2,000,000 cover only the extension of existing water supplies?&lt;br/&gt;Sir H. YOUNG: I should require notice in order to give an accurate reply, but I think I can state on the spur of the moment that undoubtedly some new works are included. I should like to cover myself by asking the hon. Gentleman to put a question on the Paper, and I will then give a full reply.' title='WATER SUPPLIES.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/water-supplies'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797398' text='Mr. REMERasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the fact that British shipping companies, both on Atlantic crossings and on cruises, show few British films; and if he will initiate legislation on the lines of the Act applicable to films shown in this country to apply to films shown on ships flying the British flag?&lt;br/&gt;Dr. BURGIN: I am afraid that I cannot see my way to initiate legislation on the lines proposed by my hon. Friend. I understand that certain British lines already make a practice of showing a proportion of British films, and I hope that, in the interests of British industry, the practice will be generally followed by British shipowners.' title='MERCANTILE MARINE (BRITISH FILMS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/mercantile-marine-british-films'></outline>
      <outline id='797399' text='UNEMPLOYMENT.'>
        <outline id='797400' text='Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Labour when the National Council of Social Service is to begin its work among the unemployed as an agent of the Ministry of Labour; the nature of the work proposed; and whether it is his intention to give equal recognition to other organisations which have been doing voluntary work in many areas for some time?&lt;br/&gt;The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of LABOUR (Mr. R. S. Hudson): The National Council of Social Service which, as the hon. Member knows, is a widely representative body, has been engaged for some time in co-ordinating and guiding voluntary efforts to provide occupation for the unemployed and has recently taken steps to strengthen and widen its organisation still further. The Government attach the greatest importance to the development of these voluntary efforts and has invited the Council to act as the central national body for this purpose. I should make it clear that the work is essentially voluntary and unofficial and the Council will not be in any sense an agent of the Ministry. The Government recognise to the full that there are many separate organisations doing admirable work in this field. The help of all of them is needed and the Government trust that they will all be prepared to co-operate with the Council in a common object.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAWSON: Do we understand then that the Government are not making any financial contribution towards this organisation?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: I think the hon. Member had better put a question down if he desires further information.' title='NATIONAL COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/national-council-of-social-service'></outline>
        <outline id='797402' text='Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Labour the policy of the Government in respect to the provision of work for the unemployed?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: The general policy of the Government was stated in the course of the Debate on the 4th, 7th and 8th November. There is at present nothing to add to this statement.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAWSON: Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that the Minister of Labour stated in the House that the Government were considering proposals made from this side?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: There is nothing at present to add to the statement made during the Debate.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. BATEY: Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that during the Debate nothing was said about any proposals and no work was proposed; and can he not tell us what the Government propose to do, this winter, for the unemployed?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: I am afraid the hon. Member cannot have listened to the answer which I have already given. I said that at present there was nothing to add to the statements made during the Debate.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAWSON: Does that mean that the Government are doing nothing?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. GURNEY BRAITHWAITE: Is it not the case that unemployment is already decreasing?' title='GOVERNMENT POLICY.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/government-policy'></outline>
        <outline id='797404' text="Mr. BATEY (for Mr. THORNE)asked the Minister of Labour the salaries and emoluments of the new Commissioners of the Durham and Rotherham Public Assistance Committees, respectively; and whether they are retired civil servants?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: The annual rates of salary of the Commissioners are Dur-&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;474&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;ham, First Commissioner, &amp;#x00A3;1,200, Second and Third Commissioners, &amp;#x00A3;700; Rotherham, &amp;#x00A3;700. In addition, subsistence allowance when applicable is being paid within the usual scale, together with necessary travelling expenses incurred in the performance of official duties. The Second Commissioner in Durham has served in the Egyptian and Sudan Civil Service. The new Commissioner at Rotherham is a retired British civil servant.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. BATEY: As the Government consider &amp;#x00A3;700 each is sufficient for three Commissioners, why are they paying &amp;#x00A3;1,200 to one of the other Commissioners, especially seeing that he was only paid &amp;#x00A3;700 in Rotherham?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: I should have thought the hon. Member would have been the first to agree that Durham was possibly more important than Rotherham.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAWSON: Is the hon. Member aware that for the past year 360 people have been doing this work for nothing, not charging a single penny?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: Yes, but unfortunately, owing to the fact that they were not carrying out their duties efficiently, we were compelled to appoint Commissioners.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAWSON: Is not this one of the very few areas in the country in which there was peace, and that means good government?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MAXTON: What is the amount of the subsistence allowance referred to in the answer, per day or per week, or whatever it may be?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: I should like notice of that question, but I think, from memory, it is a maximum of &amp;#x00A3;25 per week.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. RHYS DAVIES: To which account are these salaries charged?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: They will appear on the Estimates of my right hon. Friend's Department.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORGAN JONES: Is a means test applied to these gentlemen?" title='PUBLIC ASSISTANCE COMMISSIONERS (DURHAM AND ROTHERHAM).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/public-assistance-commissioners-durham'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797407' text='Sir PERCY HURDasked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0256"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;475&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;currency differences which have been accentuated since the Imperial Economic Conference are tending seriously to nullify the benefits to Canada and other parts of the Empire of the compacts made at the Conference; and whether, in order to promote the success of the World Economic Conference, the British Government will invite the other Governments of the Empire to confer together at the earliest possible moment on this one matter?&lt;br/&gt;The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald): I do not feel able to adopt my hon. Friend&apos;s proposal for a further conference, and I have no reason to suppose that it would be welcomed by any part of the Empire.&lt;br/&gt;Sir P. HURD: Might not the Dominions themselves feel the desirability of unity of action between the Governments of the Empire on this vital matter; and how can that be brought about if they do not confer?&lt;br/&gt;The PRIME MINISTER: The only suggestion that has ever come to my notice for such a thing, is in this question.&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. WARDLAW-MILNE: Does that mean that the Government of this country would welcome any suggestion for a conference of this character, coming from the Dominions?&lt;br/&gt;The PRIME MINISTER: I doubt if it would be effective.' title='BRITISH EMPIRE (CURRENCY).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/british-empire-currency'></outline>
      <outline id='797410' text="Mr. LAMBERTasked the Prime Minister if this House will be consulted before any further payment of War Loan interest is made?&lt;br/&gt;The PRIME MINISTER: If a request for a discussion of this matter should be made through the usual channels it would of course receive careful consideration, but it would not be in the public interest to have a Debate at this moment?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LAMBERT: As there are other Members in the House beside those on the Front Opposition Bench, may we take it that, if there is a general request from this side of the House, for a discussion later on, we may have it?&lt;br/&gt;Captain CAZALETasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;476&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;the debt due to the United States of America from this country in December is interest and what amount constitutes repayment of capital, expressed in gold pounds; and whether, under the existing agreement, we have the right to postpone payment of the latter until a future date?&lt;br/&gt;The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. Hore-Belisha): The instalment due on 15th December is 30 million dollars in respect of capital and 65,550,000 dollars in respect of interest. The payment in respect of capital can, under the existing agreement, be postponed for not more than two years provided that not less than 90 days' advance notice has been given. Such advance notice was not given in the present case. The United States Treasury may, under the agreement, waive such notice at its discretion.&lt;br/&gt;Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has yet received any reply from the American Government to the note sent recently about the next instalment of our debt to that country; whether we can pay all in gold; and when in that case it must be shipped?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HORE-BELISHA: The right hon. Gentleman will have read the reply received from the United States Government, which was published on the 26th November. My right hon. Friend is not in a position at present to make any further statement.&lt;br/&gt;Colonel WEDGWOOD: What has been done to give the impression in America that we are arm-in-arm with France on this question?" title='UNITED STATES (BRITISH DEBT).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/united-states-british-debt'></outline>
      <outline id='797411' text='Mr. TEMPLE MORRISasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the fact that the defence created by Section 2 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1922, and available to men of 23 years of age or under, of reasonable cause to believe that a girl is over the age of 16 years, in charges of carnal knowledge of girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years under Section 5 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, does not apply to offences under Section 52 of the Offences&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0257"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;477&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;against the Person Act, 1861, of indecent assault on girls of similar ages, he will introduce legislation as early as possible to extend the law in this direction?&lt;br/&gt;The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir John Gilmour): I am aware of the anomaly to which my hon. Friend refers, but in the present state of public business, I regret that I cannot see my way to introduce a Bill on this subject.' title='OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ACT.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/offences-against-the-person-act'></outline>
      <outline id='797412' text='TRANSPORT.'>
        <outline id='797415' text='Sir A. M. SAMUELasked the Minister of Transport the number of inquiries held by his Department under the powers conferred upon him by Section 23 of the 1930 Traffic Act, and Section 12 of the 1924 Act, in respect of the 309 fatal road accidents in the Metropolitan Police area and the City of London, recorded during the three months ended 30th September last?&lt;br/&gt;The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of TRANSPORT (Lieut.-Colonel Headlam): Eight of these accidents were reported to the Ministry in accordance with the provisions of Section 12 of the London Traffic Act, 1924, and inquiries were made into four of them.&lt;br/&gt;Sir A. M. SAMUEL: How does the hon. Gentleman expect to reduce the number of fatal road accidents unless his Department looks into the causes of them, and is he not aware that a very grave responsibility rests upon his Department for not carrying out the relative provisions of the Act?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut. - Colonel HEADLAM: Only accidents alleged to be due to defects in vehicles and roads are reported under this section of the Act. That is why they are such a small proportion of the total number reported.&lt;br/&gt;Sir A. M. SAMUEL: But is it not a fact that all fatal accidents on the roads have to be investigated under Section 23 of the Traffic Act just as fatal accidents in mines or railways or elsewhere would be dealt with?&lt;br/&gt;Lieut.-Colonel HEADLAM: There is no object in duplicating inquiries into accidents except as the Act directs and that is what is done.' title='ROAD ACCIDENTS, LONDON.' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/road-accidents-london'></outline>
        <outline id='797417' text='Mr. BATEY (for Mr. THORNE)asked the Home Secretary whether he will make representations to the omnibus companies in London with a view to the provision of fare boards on the top deck of covered motor vehicles?&lt;br/&gt;Sir J. GILMOUR: It has never been the practice for fare boards to be displayed on the upper deck of covered top, omnibuses, and I have no evidence of any general public demand that they should be so displayed. I understand that one the omnibuses to be introduced next year, the fare table will be displayed near the staircase, where it will be available to passengers proceeding to either deck.' title='LONDON OMNIBUSES (FARE BOARDS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/london-omnibuses-fare-boards'></outline>
      </outline>
      <outline id='797418' text='Mr. BATEY (for Mr. THORNE)asked the Minister of Labour how many ex-service temporary clerks in the Department have been put in the employment clerk grade during the past 12 months, to the latest convenient date; whether there are any vacancies in that grade; and if ex-service temporary clerks will be appointed to fill the said vacancies?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HUDSON: Ex-service temporary clerks are not eligible for direct promotion to the employment clerk grade. Their, line of promotion has been to the "P" Class and there have been 31 such promotions in the past 12 months. Further, a new class, known as the "S" Class, is being formed under the agreement made with the staff representatives embodied in the Report of the Temporary Staffs Committee, 1932. To the new "S" Class (the members of which will have permanent and, in most cases, established status), there are being appointed over 1,400 male temporary clerks, in addition to the whole of the "P" Class.' title='GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS (EXSERVICE TEMPORARY CLERKS).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/government-departments-exservice'></outline>
      <outline id='797420' text='Mr. TRAIN (for Mr. MILNE)asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has anything to report regarding the proposed amalgamation of all the colliery undertakings of Fife?&lt;br/&gt;The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Ernest Brown)No, Sir; this is a project of the Coal Mines Reorganisation Commission, not of my Department. If my hon. Friend desires information on any specific point, I shall be glad to apply to the Commission for it.' title='COAL INDUSTRY (FIFE).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/coal-industry-fife'></outline>
      <outline id='797422' text='Mr. RHYS DAVIES (for Mr. HICKS)asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if there are any proposals under consideration for the inauguration of an air-mail service extending the present England-India route to Singapore, via Calcutta?&lt;br/&gt;Captain AUSTIN HUDSON (Lord of the Treasury): I have been asked to reply. Yes, Sir; proposals are under active examination.' title='AIR SERVICES (ENGLANDSINGAPORE).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/air-services-englandsingapore'></outline>
      <outline id='797424' text='Major MILNER (for Mr. LEONARD)asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of the floating debt at the last convenient date, and the amount on 31st October, 1931, and on 31st October, 1930?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. HORE-BELISHA: The figures are &amp;#x00A3;885,600,000; &amp;#x00A3;661,035,000; and &amp;#x00A3;706,500,000, respectively. The first figure gives the amount of the floating debt as at 26th November, 1932.' title='NATIONAL FINANCE (FLOATING DEBT).' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/national-finance-floating-debt'></outline>
    </outline>
    <outline id='797427' text='BILLS PRESENTED.'>
      <outline id='797428' text='"to provide for the humane and scientific slaughter of bovine animals; and for purposes connected therewith," presented by Mr. Herbert Williams; supported by Mr. Emmott, Mr. Mabane, and Mr. Price; to be read a Second time upon Monday, 5th December, and to be printed. [Bill 24.]' title='HUMANE SLAUGHTER OF BOVINE ANIMALS BILL,' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/humane-slaughter-of-bovine-animals-bill'></outline>
      <outline id='797429' text='"to make unlawful the issue and redemption of Gift Coupons; and for purposes connected therewith," presented by Lieut.-Colonel Moore-Brabazon; supported by Lieut.-Colonel Sandeman Allen, Lieut.-Colonel Applin, Sir Reginald&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;480&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;Banks, Mr. Hall-Caine, Colonel Crook-shank, Mr. Fielden, Mr. Lovat-Fraser, Mr. Hacking, Mr. Mabane, Mr. Ramsden, and Major Salmon; to be read a Second time upon Friday, 10th March, and to be printed. [Bill 25.]' title='GIFT COUPONS BILL,' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/gift-coupons-bill'></outline>
      <outline id='797431' text='"to provide for the more effectual prevention of Banditry by and against persons using mechanically propelled vehicles and to provide the police with additional powers; and to amend the Law for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid." presented by Mr. Hall-Caine; supported by Sir George Hamilton, Commander Marsden, Lieut.-Commander Bower, Mr. George Harvey, Sir William Lane Mitchell, Lieut.-Colonel Mayhew, Captain P. Macdonald, and Mr. Herbert Williams; to be read a Second time upon Friday, the 24th March, and to be printed, [Bill 26.]' title='BANDITRY BILL,' type='link' url='http://hansard.millbanksystems.comhttp://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1932/nov/28/banditry-bill'></outline>
    </outline>
    <outline id='797435' text='ORDERS OF THE DAY.'>
      <outline id='797436' text="KING'S SPEECH.">
        <outline id='797438' text='[FIFTH DAY.]&lt;br/&gt;Order read for resuming adjourned Debate on Amendment [25&lt;i&gt;th November&lt;/i&gt;] to Question [22&lt;i&gt;nd November&lt;/i&gt;].&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, as followeth:&amp;#x2014;&lt;/quote&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Most Gracious Sovereign,&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;We, Your Majesty&apos;s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament."&amp;#x2014;[&lt;i&gt;Mr. Roy Bird.&lt;/i&gt;]&lt;/quote&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Which Amendment was, at the end of the Question, to add the words:&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"But humbly regret that Your Majesty&apos;s advisers, returned to power with an overwhelming majority on extravagant pledges to restore the economic position of the country, have failed to carry out their mandate, and whilst realising, as implied in the Gracious Speech, that prosperity cannot be achieved under capitalism, lack the courage to adopt the alternative socialist policy of attacking the fundamental causes of the poverty problem."&amp;#x2014;[&lt;i&gt;Mr. Attlee.&lt;/i&gt;]&lt;/quote&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Question again proposed, "That those words be there added."&lt;br/&gt;3.36 p.m.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LANSBURY: My hon. Friends and myself have no cause to complain of the manner in which our Amendment has been discussed so far. Those who were present on Friday will, I think, agree that in the main the speeches from all parts of the House consisted very largely of complaints, and of rather back-handed compliments to the Government on their work. There was hardly a speaker who expressed anything like satisfaction with the present position of the country, and, if I may be allowed to say so, we bad some very excellent speeches diagnosing the situation and putting before the House very clearly indeed the situation in which this country and the world find themselves. I think those who were present on Friday will also agree that there was a tone of almost complete pessimism among the supporters of the Government, and it is worth while pointing out how different that attitude is from the attitude which prevailed 12 months ago. All&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;488&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;the hopefulness and all the faith in the Government&apos;s policy that were then expressed have dissipated into thin air, and from the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy) to the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Macmillan) the speakers were unanimous in telling us, first of all, the seriousness of the situation and in putting forward, in a very extraordinary manner, first one proposal and then another for rehabilitating the condition of trade and industry. None of them agreed with the proposition put forward by the Opposition. They all, it seemed to me, wanted some measure of Government action and control, but while suggesting that, they were loud in their disapproval of anything in the nature of Socialism.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I would like, first of all, to clear one point out of the way. The Noble Lord the Member for Hastings raised the question of charitable effort on behalf of the unemployed and was rather inclined to reprove me for something that. I had said during a previous Debate. I thought that I had made it clear that, while we are willing that the victims of typhoid in Denby Valley, Yorkshire, should be dealt with and treated kindly and cured of their disease, we are not satisfied that a tainted water supply should be left to go on poisoning other people. It is surely consistent and logical that, when we see an army of men and women who are unwanted and are gradually being thrown on to a kind of human scrap heap, we should all want to do whatever is possible in whatever way is possible to stop deterioration of that kind. Only to that extent do we on these benches think that charitable effort should be brought into the field at all. The business of this House in a crisis such as that through which we are passing is not to rely on the Society of Friends or on the Churches for a cure. It is the business of the House to find the remedy, and there is no remedy in merely setting up reading rooms or places where man may mend their clothes or the boots of their children. That is not dealing with the problem in anything like the manner in which Parliament ought to deal with it, and we do not want these two things mixed up.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;If any of us saw a person in need, we should want to help him, but, if we knew the cause of his need, we should want to try and remove the cause. In a bigger&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0263"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;489&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;sense that is what we want done in regard to unemployment. During the whole of the discussion on Friday, during the two days&apos; discussion on the Address which preceded it, and during the period when we discussed unemployment in a nonparty friendly sort of way, we arrived at no conclusion whatever as to anything practicable that could be done here and now to deal with the problem. About that there cannot be any denial from anyone. We have heard again to-day that no public works are to be started. No one on these benches&amp;#x2014;and no one is more emphatic than I am on this subject&amp;#x2014;merely wants work put forward for work&apos;s sake. We do not want to dig holes and to fill them up again. Our contention, however, is that there is in the country an abundance of good work of benefit to the whole community needing to be done, and that this is a time when that work ought to be undertaken. I am sorry to have to be repetitive, but every propagandist knows that you must be repetitive, and on this issue I want to repeat, and we shall go on repeating until the conditions change, that there is plenty of money, plenty of labour and plenty of material in the country with which to build houses, clear slums and develop agriculture in a comprehensive manner.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;About that there is no question whatever, and no one from the opposite benches has up to the present put the contrary point of view; no one has yet attempted to deny our premiss. The Prime Minister and others run a hare of their own creation; they talk about what happened under the Labour Government. I remember writing to the Prime Minister and the Dominions Secretary when the Prime Minister was more or less my chief urging them to undertake the very things that I am urging to-day. I would ask Members representing mining areas if one of them would deny that the one thing needed for the mining industry is the unification of the whole coalfield? Will anyone deny that what is further needed in that industry is for the whole question of the utilisation of coal to be brought to a decision immediately? The Lord President of the Council may say that the Government have undertaken this, but I should like to ask how many centuries have to pass before a decision is arrived at. Ever since I have heard discussions&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;490&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;about coal in the House this question has been mentioned. The right hon. Gentleman himself, when he was on this side of the House and also when he was on that side during the coal dispute, again and again said that there ought to be unification of the coalfields.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;The Labour Government did not do it, and hon. Members can blame me as much as they like and say that we ought to have done it, but the Government are in the dock just now, and not me, and the Government have to answer. They are much more vulnerable than I am, because, whatever may be said against the Labour Government, the fact is that they were all the time in a hopeless minority, whereas the present Government have a gigantic majority, and, if they wanted to do it, they could do so. I repeat, especially for the Lord President of the Council, who knows it perfectly well, that there can be no solution of the coal trouble and no real improvement until the coalfield is unified. Even if I wanted to do so, I could not use harsher language about the gentlemen who run the industry than the Lord President has used because of their incapacity and because they never will unite. If we had a Government with courage enough they would take these men in hand and put them on one side and see that the industry was properly organised and dealt with in a national manner.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I have always been an advocate of the development of agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture drops down every now and then and tells us of another commission and another set of people who are going to do something or other for agriculture, but the fact of the matter is that all that the Government are depending on are more tariffs and yet more tariffs. There is no real comprehensive scheme for the re-organisation of agriculture. There is a little bit here and there, but nothing of a comprehensive nature. Further, no proposition is put forward to prevent landlords in the country being able to take advantage of the imposition of tariffs. There will be no real re-organisation of British agriculture until the land belongs to the nation again and is controlled in the interests of the nation. At present each area goes its own sweet way and agricultural Members do nothing but stand up and ask for more money. You&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0264"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;491&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;have only to live a long while to see how history repeats itself. When sitting upstairs I used to hear the late Lord Chaplin, when Mr. Henry Chaplin, who was as consistent about reform in agriculture as the hon. and gallant Member for Bournemouth (Sir H. Croft) has been about tariffs. His plea all the time was for more and more assistance for agriculture.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;That has been going on for 40 or 45 years, and agriculture is still in the plight which the hon. Member for one of the Divisions of Devonshire is continually describing to us. Land goes out of cultivation, men are driven off the soil, and still we are told that we must help agriculture further. It is said that we must in some way force up prices. That is no new song. It is as old as the hills. If a trade union were urging that wages should be forced up in an artificial manner the majority of the House would tell us it was an uneconomic proposition; but when it is a case of bolstering up agricultural prices, all we hear is that we must do something to save the industry. As a matter of fact, we shall never save the industry in that way. It is totally impossible. In this connection I would call attention to the fact that a great industrial dispute is likely to arise. I think the causes of it are being discussed today. The railway workers are faced with a demand for another reduction in their standard of living, and no one, so far as I know, on the benches opposite or around us is taking very much notice of the situation. Some time ago a committee was appointed under the chairmanship of Sir Arthur Salter, and it made certain recommendations. I am not proposing to discuss them, but long ago, directly road transport looked like reaching its present development, any far-seeing Government would have brought in a Bill to unify the whole business of transport.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Transport ought not to be left to what is called the "free play of competition." As a matter of fact, it has not been left entirely to the free play of competition, and that, I think, is something worthy of note; but it would be more worthy of note if, in order to prevent the demoralisation of the men who are now being attacked by a proposal to lower their wage standard, the Government were to compel the House to face up to the problem of how the transport in-&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;492&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;dustry can be unified. The difference between ourselves and hon. Members opposite like the right hon. Member for Hillhead (Sir R. Horne) and the hon. Member for Stockton-on-Tees (Mr. Macmillan) is that though they want a good many of the things which we want under any scheme of re-organised industry, they want them in order to preserve the power of making private profit, while we want industries reorganised on the basis of service for the community. That brings me to the crucial point of all this business, because this is where we part company with the hon. Gentlemen who have put the following notice of motion on the Order Paper:&#x000A;&lt;ul&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;"Sir Robert Horne,&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;Mr. Macmillan,&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;Sir Geoffrey Ellis,&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;Sir Philip Dawson,&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;Mr. Law,&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;li&gt;Mr. Caporn"&amp;#x2014;&lt;/li&gt;&#x000A;&lt;/ul&gt;&#x000A;All good, solid Tory Members of this House, real good&amp;#x2014;I was going to say something else. [HON. MEMBERS: "Go on."] No, I am afraid I might shock you. The first name is that of a serious Member, the right hon. Member for Hill-head. The Motion reads:&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"That, in the opinion of this House, there is urgent need for a comprehensive plan providing for the organisation of national industries under the advice of industrial councils,"&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;Who said "Socialistic"?&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"the co-ordination of financial, industrial and political policy,"&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;I hope that when the Secretary of State for the Colonies comes to reply he will tell us something about this.&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"through the assistance of a representative investment and development Board."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;They must have been within earshot of Scarborough last year when the Labour Conference was being held.&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"and the raising of prices to an economic level by methods which would include (&lt;i&gt;a&lt;/i&gt;) controlled monetary policy,"&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;I am sorry the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not here. When I said this one day he replied: "Oh, he does not know anything about it." The right hon. Member for Hillhead does, because he is an authority on it. And listen&amp;#x0021;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"(&lt;i&gt;b&lt;/i&gt;) the direction of new capital into the channels which would produce a better equilibrium in production,"&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;That is a nice long word. I do not know exactly what they mean by it, though perhaps they do; but there it is.&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0265"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;493&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"and (&lt;i&gt;c&lt;/i&gt;) the provision of credit facilities for desirable developments for which the necessary capital cannot be readily obtained under the existing methods of banking and issuing houses."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;I remember saying here on one occasion that the issuing houses, the moneylenders, and the bankers of the City of London had made such an unholy mess of things that I would sack the lot, and certain hon. Gentlemen who replied were rather shocked, but this is only a roundabout way of saying the same thing in a very polite manner. Here are hon. and right hon. Gentlemen confessing that it is not the late Labour Government who were all wrong and who brought about all these evils, but the people who control the existing banking and issuing houses. I like this phrase:&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"desirable developments."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;I would like to know who is going to settle what is a desirable development. I call attention to this matter mainly because of the speeches of the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy) and the First Commissioner of Works, both of whom made great play with the fact that we should be obliged to have a lot of officials under Socialism.&lt;br/&gt;Lord EUSTACE PERCY: I never mentioned the word "officials."&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LANSBURY: The Noble Lord is a little too quick. I was referring to the speeches made by him and by the First Commissioner of Works, and was dealing with both at the same time. I apologise for mixing them. We were challenged as to whether we believed in a monopoly or not. We said that we wanted industry organised, owned by the community, and so on, and my right hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield (Mr. Greenwood) was challenged immediately with the question: "Will you make it a monopoly? Will you allow private people to come in? "The Noble Lord and his right hon. Friend really ought to remember what their own party have done. Under the leadership of the Lord President of the Council, their own party, quite recently, took the whole of the electricity supply &amp;#x2014;the production and a great part of the distribution&amp;#x2014;out of the hands of municipalities and of private people. [HON. MEMBERS: "No&amp;#x0021;"] Excuse me. A firm can make its own electricity and use it, but it cannot sell electricity. It has all to be produced and sold through one&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;494&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;channel. It is no use the Noble Lord shaking his head. That does not alter the truth of what I am saying. People can supply themselves, but they are not allowed to trade in electricity in this country. That was part of a Bill passed by the Tory Government before the Labour Government came in.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;It is also true that in a hundred different directions, municipal and national, there are monopolies. There is one very famous monopoly, the Post Office, which prevents you from sending a letter except through the Post Office, and I understand that they take good care not to allow people to send their circulars except through the Post Office. The reason is perfectly obvious. From our point of view, the Post Office is an extremely good example of what Socialism in practice really means. You could not send a letter to Australia at the present postage rate without any other letters being delivered at the same time. It is because you balance the long distance letters with the short distance letters that you are able to send a letter to India, Canada or Australia at the present rate. I thought that that was really accepted. It is exactly the same, or ought to be the same, in the production of any set of goods which the nation requires.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;The Noble Lord and his right hon. Friend the First Commissioner of Works have made a very great point about the sort of personal liberty that would be attacked. All through life personal liberty is curtailed. The liberty of the man who earns his living is curtailed. It is nonsense to talk about everybody having perfect freedom in this society. It is time, I think, that we had outgrown that theory altogether. There is no such thing as real personal liberty, and it is because there is not that personal liberty that we want to substitute for the archaic and chaotic competitive system of to-day, order and management for the community and on behalf of the community, which Socialism means. There is an idea that the Socialism of which we are speaking is something that is impossible of achievement in this House. I hope the Noble Lord will not shake his head at this. I think there was a sort of suggestion in the discussion that this House might not be able to carry through the kind of legislation that would be needed to establish the owner-&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0266"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;495&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;ship either of land or of industries, and so forth. This House can do whatever it pleases. This House has got the power, whenever it cares to exercise it, to take over and to order the management of any industry. I have been one of those who have often said that this House could not possibly carry through the sort of Socialistic legislation that we want because of the waste of time that might be occupied in getting Bills through; but the present House of Commons has convinced me that, given a sufficient majority, you can do whatever you please. When I hear about dictatorship, I remember that three persons have been set up to determine whether tariffs shall be put on or off, and, to a very large extent, any discussion of their work is almost nil. No one will deny that.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We are fighting this fight for recognition of Socialism for two or three reasons, but the main reason&amp;#x2014;and I want to press this&amp;#x2014;is that hon. and right hon. Gentlemen in all parts of the House have told us not only in words but in legislation, that within the present system, within the present social order, it is impossible, first, to employ all the people who need employment, and, secondly, that it is impossible to give to those who are not allowed to go to work the maintenance that they need. Therefore, there is no way out but ours. You cannot imagine that 2,000,000 people are going to sit down and semi-starve. Hon. and right hon. Members cannot sit here and contemplate that a population, to whom has been given some measure of education, is going to accept the position that for years to come anything from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 people are to live on 13s. or 14s. a week, and so on. No population would ever submit to that, and when you say to us, as often you do, "Who is going to manage these businesses?" I would point out that the people who manage the Army and Navy are people not on the Treasury Bench but people who are chosen for their particular jobs. And when soldiers are not at work, they are kept in decent physique, well clothed, well housed, and well fed. We say that those who support the sort of system which says to 2,000,000 workers on whom the soldiers depend for their&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;496&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;daily bread, "You must go out and just stand outside, walk to the Employment Exchange and once a week draw a petty, paltry dole," are not the best servants of the nation.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Finally, the difference between us is simply this: We do not believe that private profit-making out of industry is the right basis on which men should produce goods. You may say to me, as has been said to me, that people produce goods because there is a demand. That may have been true years ago, but it is no longer true, because there are millions and millions of pounds&apos; worth of goods lying waiting for consumption. They have been produced in a chaotic manner, having no relation between one set of people and another. The commodities have been just turned out without any reference to whether there is any market or not, and, in the end, because of that glut, people have to go without, and to-day are starving in civilised nations in the midst of plenty. The report just published in regard to East London shows that there are 250,000 people in that tiny area living below the poverty line. I may be told that this is a God-ordained system, that the judgment of God has produced this position of affairs, that, in a world teeming with goods, 250,000 people in that tiny area of East London are living below the poverty line.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;For my part, if nothing else made me a Socialist, that would, and when I am told, "You cannot manage things through Government machinery," when I am told of what other people have failed to do in other countries, I quote what capitalism has failed to do. It has failed in the one big essential for which it exists&amp;#x2014;to produce goods for the use of the community, and to provide employment for those who need employment. It has failed utterly and abjectly to do those things, and to-day there are 3,000,000 people knocking at these doors asking this House, "What are you going to do?" It is not sufficient to say that our proposals are the wrong proposals. It is not sufficient to prove the failure of Russia. You have got to justify capitalism, to make capitalism work. You cannot do that, and, therefore, you will be bound ultimately to accept Socialism.&lt;br/&gt;4.11 p.m.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. J. P. MORRIS: The right hon. Gentleman the Member for Bow and Bromley (Mr. Lansbury) has delivered one of his characteristic speeches. At the outset, he stated that the speeches during this Debate were expressions of dissatisfaction at the record of the Government, and that pessimism prevailed among the supporters of the Government. He stated that the hopefulness expected at the time of the Election had been dissipated into thin air. I will endeavour to remove that fiction of the right hon. Gentleman, and to say right away that, so far as I am personally concerned, there is no pessimism, there is no dissatisfaction, and my feeling of hopefulness still remains with me. The Amendment refers to "extravagant pledges," and to the Government having "failed to early out their mandates." If I remember rightly She Manifesto of the Prime Minister contained no extravagant pledges.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. BATEY: His speeches did.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORRIS: The Manifesto clearly stated the true financial position of the country, nod the Prime Minister warned the people, if they were so foolish as to return to power that section of the Labour party led by Mr. Henderson, what the consequences would be to our economic position. In fact, I join issue at once with the official Opposition, and I deny that the Government have failed to carry out their mandate. The Manifesto issued by my leader, the Lord President of the Council, and the Manifesto issued by my right hon. Friend the Member for Darwen (Sir H. Samuel) also contained no extravagant promises. Indeed, I go so far as to say that every promise contained in all those Manifestos has either been accomplished or is in process of being accomplished.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I am entitled to ask my hon. and right hon. Friends of the Opposition what man in his right senses would have prophesied 12 months ago that the &amp;#x00A3;130,000,000 of credit we received from France and America could have been repaid in the first 12 months? Am I not entitled to say to them, Is it not a wonderful achievement, with the magnificent return of foreign confidence in the stability of our country in the same period of time? Am I not entitled to say that a man would have been rash, and thought fit&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;498&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;for a mental institution, if he had prophesied 12 months ago that we could ever have initiated a scheme of Conversion, let alone witnessed its consummation? I am entitled to ask, Have the Government failed to implement their promise to introduce legislation to restore the balance of trade? Almost the first Act of the Government was to bring to the Statute Book the Abnormal Importations Act, followed by the Import Duties Act. Both those Acts of Parliament achieved the object set out at the commencement of this Government. Have the National Government failed to make arrangements for the conclusion of advantageous agreements with the rest of the Empire? The record at Ottawa was the most wonderful that the Government have achieved.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;The Government have done everything in their power to assist the agricultural industry. We have had the Wheat Quota Act, and the Horticultural Products (Customs Duties) Act, and at last we have a Minister of Agriculture who is determined and resolute to remove the causes of the depression in agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture has laid his finger on the root cause of the depression in agriculture. He has stated in this House&amp;#x2014;and I well remember the occasion of his first speech after his appointment&amp;#x2014;that the town and the countryside must sink or swim together. It was a welcome sign of the break-up of the 50 years&apos; frost which has hung over the land. The Minister informed the House that we shall have to decide upon a reconstruction of our economics, and not only of our economics but of our philosophies. The state of agriculture is one of the root causes of the depression to-day and of the high figures of unemployment. If we could restore prosperity to agriculture, we should bring prosperity to the towns. I am certain that in our present Minister of Agriculture we have a man resolute and determined to carry out what he preaches.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Have hon. Members forgotten that we have balanced our Budget? May I point out that the budgets of France and America still remain unbalanced? How happy the people of those countries would feel if, within a short period of time, they could attack their problems as our National Government have attacked the&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0268"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;499&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;problem in this country, and could balance their budgets&amp;#x0021; Far from regretting that the National Government have not tackled the job in a businesslike way, I am proud of what they have accomplished. What other country in the world has held on to the position in the past 12 months like this country? From the point of view of production, we have increased our position by 4 per cent., whereas every other country has decreased its production, with the exception of Japan whose production has increased by per cent. The figures of unemployment in this country are more or less stationary, whereas the figures of unemployment have risen to an alarming degree in France and America, our two chief competitors. Furthermore, in so far as exports are concerned, I find that we are the only country in the world where the volume has increased this year. There has been an increase in our exports, but the converse is the position in every other country in the world.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I should like to address a question to the Members of the Opposition. Are they aware that one of the chief causes of the depression, not only in this country but throughout the world, is the repercussions of having to pay war debts and reparations? Have they forgotten what the Prime Minister achieved at Lausanne? Are they not aware that he alone of the people there was responsible for that achievement? Are they going to blame us because America did not see fit to fall into line? I will ask them this question: If they were in power with a Socialist policy, would that have any influence in determining the action of America? I think I am entitled to say, in view of the record of the National Government, that the indictment in the Amendment is entirely unfounded. Of course, it is the duty of the Opposition to oppose, and no matter what kind of Gracious Speech bad been delivered by His Majesty there would have been the usual Amendment. The last sentence in the Official Amendment reads as follows:&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"lack the courage to adopt the alternative Socialist policy of attacking the fundamental causes of the poverty problem."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;Of all the sentences in the King s Speech the one which most appealed to me was that which foreshadowed a new Rent Restrictions Bill. I want to ask the&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;500&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;Opposition: Can they deny that the Bill will alleviate the position of poor people who are suffering from exorbitant rents?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. LANSBURY: The hon. Member has asked us such a lot of questions, but this is one upon which, if he does not mind, I will ask him a question. Will he tell us what the Rent Restrictions Bill is going to be?&lt;br/&gt;Mr. MORRIS: It is impossible to anticipate what any Bill may be, but if the right hon. Gentleman will listen in patience, I will suggest what might be in the Bill. I do not propose to address myself to the question of rents which may legally be charged in the case of controlled houses, under the various Rent Restrictions Acts, nor do I intend to enlarge upon the extortionate rents that certain landlords are now charging in the case of decontrolled houses. I am convinced that when His Majesty&apos;s Government frame the new Rent Restrictions Bill they will be guided by the findings of the Inter-Departmental Committee presided over by Lord Marley. That Committee issued its report in July, 1931.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I wish to call attention to what I consider is the biggest scandal in connection with housing that is allowed in this country to-day. I refer to the taking of premiums, or what is generally called in the north of England "key" money, by landlords, upon a change of tenancy, and more particularly from working-class people in regard to working-class houses. In February of this year, I put down a question to my hon. Friend the Minister of Health, asking him if he was aware that in my Division certain landlords of property were not only charging extortionate increases of rent upon a change of tenancy, but were demanding and were receiving large sums in the way of key money. The Minister replied to the effect that he could add nothing to the findings of the Marley Committee. As a result of my question, I was inundated with letters from people all over the country explaining their own experiences in this respect. The hon. Member for Leith (Mr. E. Brown) who is now Minister of Mines, but who was then the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, saw over 70 of those letters. I was informed that the Government would take notice of the point that I raised, and that the Marley Committee had made reference&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0269"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;501&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;to the matter with regard to controlled houses. I took the trouble to get a copy of that report, and I studied it. I found to my dismay that, so far as controlled houses were concerned, it was a penal offence for a landlord to demand key money or premiums, punishable by a fine of &amp;#x00A3;100. Not a single word was there in that report with reference to decontrolled houses occupied by the poorest of the people.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;It is only on very rare occasions that a house still remains controlled on a change of tenancy. In 99 cases out of 100, the house automatically becomes decontrolled. It is a seeming paradox that the law protects one person in 100 and to the remaining 99 allows no protection against Shylock landlords. My contention is that in regard to all decontrolled houses that fall within categories (&lt;i&gt;b&lt;/i&gt;) and (&lt;i&gt;c&lt;/i&gt;), as laid down in the Marley Report, it should be a penal offence for any landlord to demand a premium or key money on a change of tenancy. I am not concerned with better-class houses. The people who occupy that type of house are in a position to fend for themselves, but I am principally concerned with the poor and unemployed people who, on a change of tenancy, are subject to the exactions and exploitations of unchristian and Shylock landlords. I hope that the suggestions that I have made to His Majesty&apos;s Government will be taken up, and that the Minister of Health in the framing of his new Bill will see fit to include a Clause dealing with this housing scandal. If I never do anything else in this House than be successful with a suggestion of that kind to His Majesty&apos;s Government, I shall feel that I have done something to assist the poor of our land who are not in a position to help themselves.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I shall vote against this Amendment, because the alternative policy which the Opposition say that the Government lack courage to adopt, namely, Socialism, is one which, wherever it has been tried, has been proved a failure. For another reason, I maintain that an isolated policy of Socialism in this country, and in no other country in the world, would do nothing to bridge the gap between overproduction and under-consumption about which the hon. Gentlemen who have moved the Amendment are so fond of talking. I shall not support the Amendment, because I know perfectly well that&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;502&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;in any international advance this country must always take the lead, and set an example. Unless other countries of the world have confidence in us, our taking the lead will be of no avail. I know that if we ever have a policy of Socialism, that confidence will be dissipated into thin air.&lt;br/&gt;4.30 p.m.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. FRANK CLARKE: In rising to address this honourable House for the first time, after having attempted on several occasions to get in with a maiden speech, I am confident that I shall receive that indulgence which this great Assembly always extends to a "new boy," especially having kept my virginity so long. So far as this Amendment is concerned, I know of no way of judging the future but by the past, and, as regards the past, I have in my own division&amp;#x2014;one of the largest industrial divisions in the country, and certainly the largest industrial division in the county of Kent&amp;#x2014;a unique experience which I think will be of interest to the House. In the north-west corner of that division, which is an industrial urban district teeming with skilled artisans of every type&amp;#x2014;riot artisans of any particular trade, but of nearly every trade&amp;#x2014;some few years back a Socialist administration came into existence. That administration was styled by the Socialists "the first Soviet in England."&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We have heard many times in this House, and also in the country, that Socialism has never been tried because the Socialists have never had a real working majority; but in this particular case they had a very strong majority, and in three years of ruthless and reckless administration they gave this urban district the highest urban rate in England, a rate of 29s. 8d. in the &amp;#x00A3;. They also created at the bank, within a short period, an overdraft of &amp;#x00A3;180,000, and on one Friday night found themselves in a difficulty in regard to providing the wages to pay to the council&apos;s employ&amp;#x00E9;s. That was the state of affairs under a strong Socialist rule in an industrial area, and I think many will agree that we have seen similar experiences in the Colonies and in the crisis in this country 12 months ago. The result in that area was that large industries prepared to move away, large orders were lost as a result of the heavy rating, men were stood off from&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0270"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;503&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;the factories in very large bunches, and, instead of the poverty line being improved under Socialist administration, it was very much damaged. That is a true example, a practical illustration.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Nevertheless, whatever may be the opinions of people in various parties in this House on the subject of unemployment, it is obvious there is a feeling at the back of everybody&apos;s mind that they would like to find a definite solution as soon as possible for this great problem. It seems to me that all parties have been very much like gallant knights of old stalking round a big dragon looking for the vital spot to aim at first. Surely, that vital spot is the tragedy of unemployed youth. The King, in his Gracious Speech from the Throne, touched this vital spot when he deplored the fact that many young people have never had an opportunity of regular employment&amp;#x2014;are, at the threshold of life, on the industrial scrap-heap, faced with idleness, with all the educational facilities of the last decade of no avail, with opportunity, enthusiasm, ambition, blighted, in a state of idleness which means to those young people perpetual despair.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;If we safeguard the youth of the nation, we safeguard the future of the nation. Surely this is a starting point for some constructive ideas, and I would suggest that the Government should seriously consider the setting up, with as little delay as possible, in each petty sessional or convenient area, a body which for purposes of illustration I would call a special social council&amp;#x2014;an organisation distinct from magisterial and existing administrative authorities, and recruited from those who are willing and able to devote themselves to this section of social reform on a voluntary basis. To these social councils could be given the task of formulating measures and methods for assisting these young persons &amp;#x2014;too old for the ministrations of the education authorities, not old enough to lift themselves out of the difficulties of their position, and needing special help. These social councils should be linked together under a central authority, such as a Government Department. I would also humbly suggest that some great man with true vision for the future should be invited by the Government to come in as an adviser, if not a leader&amp;#x2014;a man who&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;504&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;has the genius, the understanding of youth&amp;#x2014;such a man, I would suggest, as the Chief Scout, Lord Baden-Powell. On behalf of the unemployed youth of this nation, I implore the Government seriously to consider some such scheme, and if it be done, it were well that it were done quickly.&lt;br/&gt;4.38 p.m.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. PRICE: First of all, I would ask the House to join with me in tendering to the hon. Member for Dart-ford (Mr. Clarke) our congratulations on his maiden speech. I am sure we shall all agree that he has made himself perfectly clear, and, although I differ from him in nearly everything that he said, nevertheless I feel certain that we shall all he glad to hear him in future Debates in the House. I rise with the greatest possible pleasure to support the Amendment moved by my hon. Friend the Member for Limehouse (Mr. Attlee), regretting the failure of the Government in dealing with our great national and international problems and their lack of courage in introducing legislation on Socialist lines, and also expressing the opinion that the capitalistic system has failed.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;It has been stated more than once during this Debate that we on this side of the House have failed to explain clearly what Socialism means, but, anyhow, I think the House will agree that capitalism has been explained clearly enough during the Debate, and also its inherent consequences on the great masses of the community, with poverty, unemployment and privation rampant. I propose to build up my case in support of the Amendment without touching upon the speeches that have been made from this side of the House, but citing some of the speeches that we have heard from Members and supporters of the Government, and to see how far they have admitted that capitalism has now failed to function and to provide the necessities of life for the big community which it is the duty of the present Government to control.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I wish, first, to take the speech of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Epping (Mr. Churchill). He came down to the House to address us on the King&apos;s Speech. He commenced his speech by congratulating the Prime Minister on his recovery from ill-health. He looked at His Majesty&apos;s Gracious Speech as he sat&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0271"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;505&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;in his corner seat, and, seeing nothing in it, he put it down, and he never said a word about it, but went on straight away as a supporter of the Government to criticise the administration of the National Government during the last 12 months. He said that the Government had failed in the four major problems affecting the nation and the world to-day. In the first place he said&amp;#x2014;these are not our words, but those of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Epping &amp;#x2014;that unemployment had increased tremendously during the last 12 months, that taxation had been increased during the last 12 months, that obstruction of the world&apos;s trade had been intensified by the Government&apos;s policy of the last 12 months, that gold prices had gone up to a soaring height, and the pound had depreciated in value. That was the statement which was made by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Epping on the administration of this National Government.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We listened to the Prime Minister&apos;s speech a few days ago on unemployment, in which the right hon. Gentleman admitted that unemployment was a natural outcome of our present system of society, and that we could not hope that unemployment would be cured under our present system. As a matter of fact, he forgot himself for five minutes and became once more a Socialist, declaring that only by a fundamental change of our system of society, both financially and socially, could we ever expect to deal efficiently with the unemployment problem. Surely, after listening to such hopeless speeches as these from leading Members or supporters of the Government, we need make no apology whatever for bringing forward this Amendment suggesting that the Government should bring in legislation on Socialistic lines.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;During the Debate on Friday we heard a speech from the Noble Lord the Member for Hastings (Lord E. Percy). After having put in a good deal of time over a considerable period in reducing, so far as he has been able to bring pressure to bear on the Government, the social services affecting the poorest people in the land, he now comes to the House and says to us, "We know that things are bad; many of us on this side of the House are not satisfied with the Government&apos;s actions; and, if you will trust us, we are prepared to support a more go-ahead&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;506&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;policy; but we cannot support Socialism." The Noble Lord complains that we do not make Socialism clear to him, and says that he would like to know what Socialism really is. If hon. Members opposite desire to know more as to what Socialism really means, why not ask the Prime Minister to call a special meeting of his supporters and to give them a lecture? He used to give us plenty. He is the man who made me a Socialist 26 years ago, and he has preached Socialism ever since, till he betrayed the party that made him.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We have also had a speech from the Lord President of the Council, who said Europe was at the moment in a worse state than it had been for years, and he was afraid that we should have to face another war. He told us what war would mean and how science had developed in chemicals and that kind of thing, so that one bomb as big as a nut could be dropped on a community of people and wipe them out. He said that warfare under Capitalism, to obtain markets for their produce, was so keen that he was afraid we were likely to be faced with another war. We also had a speech from the President of the Board of Trade, the Rip Van Winkle of the Treasury Bench, who, when he saw that the policy of the Government was wrong and that they had gone as far as he could support them, declared from that Bench that he would never be a party to the taxation of wheat and meat. I think that Rip Van Winkle is still asleep, and he will wake up one morning to find that his colleagues have left him and that during his long sleep the Government have imposed taxation on wheat and meat.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We on this side, who have gone through the mill and were brought up in industry where we have had to work for our living, have recognised long ago, and more now than at any time, that the capitalistic system has failed to function. We have at the moment more privation and poverty than we have had during the last 100 years. There are 3,000,000 men who cannot find employment. The only thing the Government have done for them is to reduce their pay and allowances. It is on record that unemployment pay has been reduced by &amp;#x00A3;10,000,000 through the operation of the means test, benefits have been reduced by &amp;#x00A3;12,500,000, increases in contribution have been imposed, on men who are&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0272"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;507&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;working, of &amp;#x00A3;5,000,000, the pay and pensions of soldiers, sailors and airmen have been reduced by &amp;#x00A3;3,600,000, teachers&apos; salaries have been reduced by &amp;#x00A3;6,000,000, general educational facilities have been reduced by nearly &amp;#x00A3;5,000,000, National Health Insurance benefits have been reduced by &amp;#x00A3;8,500,000, married and unmarried women&apos;s benefits have been reduced and thousands of men who have paid into the insurance scheme for years are to have their old age pensions at 70 instead of 65. We on this side have now come to a definite conclusion. Nothing but legislation on Socialistic lines can bring back prosperity to the country.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I should imagine that not only the Prime Minister but the Chancellor of the Exchequer could give information to supporters of the Government as to what Socialism means. He was very proud when they municipalised the bank at Birmingham. That, with gas works, tramways and electrical works, has been a huge success when run under municipal control. The hon. Member who spoke last referred to an urban council which has increased the rates because members who believe in the Socialist theory were dominating it. But he left the other side of the picture out. I can cite the case of a council dominated by Conservatives in whose area people have recently been dying from disease, whereas if money had been spent those deaths might have been prevented. I lost a child of 12 when an epidemic visited the district where I live and that epidemic would have been prevented if there had been proper sanitary arrangements. We give credit to Socialist councils, not only at Dart-ford but all over the country, who have tremendously increased the social services.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Capitalism has entirely failed. Take the mining industry. The Government have sat still for 12 months and done nothing except compel the men to work 7&amp;#x00BD; hours for another five years, giving them no security for wages after next July. They have done nothing towards the unification or nationalisation of mines. They have done nothing to promote hydrogenation or low-temperature carbonisation. The cost of what they have done for agriculture has been placed on the shoulders of the poorest people in the country to the extent of some &amp;#x00A3;50,000,000 to &amp;#x00A3;60,000,000. We have argued for years that the time is overdue&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;508&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;for agriculture to be properly organised, but the first step is to nationalise the land. Farmers and smallholders are paying a higher price for land than in any other country in the world. If you are to reorganise agriculture with our support, start at the right end and do not impose taxation on the food of the poorest.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;We feel that Capitalism has totally failed, and we appeal to the Government to take a bold step in the reorganisation of our industries by introducing Socialist legislation. That is the only possible step for men and women who have to work to get a reasonable standard of living. I am not expecting in the least to convert hon. Members opposite. Nearly everyone of them represents finance, in more senses than one, and they have come here for protection. Every Act that the Government have passed has been rearing up bulwarks to maintain the privilege which has been enjoyed for centuries by the landed aristocracy. But if we fail we have a bigger authority to appeal to&amp;#x2014;the people outside. We shall go on preaching the sermon that the Prime Minister has preached for the last 30 or 40 years, till he ran away and betrayed his trust, and the trust of thousands of honest workingmen. He cannot look anyone in the face. I see him shrugging his shoulders, but he knows perfectly well that he is an uncomfortable man. He has sacrificed all the principles that he has stood for. He has sacrificed his soul for a mess of pottage. Let him do it. We do not mind him. The masses outside still have hope in Socialism, and we shall go on preaching it. Whether we fail with our Amendment or not, we shall crowd into the Lobby feeling that the teaching that we were given at our Sunday schools when boys is embodied in the policy that we stand for, which is the only policy that can bring emancipation to the great working-class masses of the world.&lt;br/&gt;4.57 p.m.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DORAN: In the short time at my disposal, I shall try to refrain from, shall I say, recrimination. I have noticed in this Debate that the majority of hon. Members opposite are more concerned with vilifying Members of the Government than in providing a constructive policy which may possibly bring a little light into human progress. I cannot help being&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0273"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;509&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;amused when I look at the would-be re-constructors of the universe, who are prepared to put the world right at a moment&apos;s notice. They consider that everything is wrong and nothing is right. The hon. Member for Limehouse (Mr. Attlee) a day or two ago told us that the Socialists are the only people in the world who have any sympathy with the downtrodden workers and who can bring about that wonderful Elysium that they call social democracy.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. ATTLEE: I said nothing of the sort.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DORAN: That is what the hon. Gentleman&apos;s words conveyed, and I have them before me. I only ask him to weigh his words before he uses them. I am reminded of certain lines from the Biglow Papers:&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"So they march in processions and get up hurrahs,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;And they tramp through the mud for the good of the cause,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;Where A sat before, B&apos;s comfortably seated,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;One Socialist&apos;s victorious, but the other&apos;s defeated.&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;And they say they&apos;re a kind of fulfilling the prophecies,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;When as a matter of fact they&apos;re only changing offices,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;And the poor working-man, no matter what he axes,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;All that lie gets is soft sodder and taxes."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;If I may be permitted to say this without being nasty&amp;#x2014;for I always try to play the part of the little gentleman&amp;#x2014;I have noticed those raging waves of the sea foaming at their own shame on the rocks of the National Government. Carried about on the winds, they merely tear the bandages from the sores of Lazarus. I am going to waste no further time upon them. I am going to ask Mr. Speaker if he will kindly listen to one little constructive idea which may, after all, bring employment and contentment at least to a few thousand people in this benighted country of ours. Hon. and right hon. Gentleman opposite have told us that Capitalism has failed. If you have a pack of fools constantly throwing sand and gravel into the complex machine of industry, you will never get it to work. They remind me of the child swinging on the pendulum of a grandfather clock and complaining to his father because the clock does not keep correct time. I am hoping at a not very distant date to have something to say to these wonderful self-constituted disciples of a new&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;510&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;Jerusalem of social democracy, but the time is not now. The time is too tragic and urgent for one to indulge in this kind of bitterness and rancour. I want, with the co-operation of every party in the House, to do something which will bring a little contentment to all independent of whatever class to which they happen to belong.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I, like many other hon. Members of the House, have travelled throughout the length and breadth of this country. We have witnessed in many towns many things which we have not liked. For instance, when I have gone to that wonderful and salubrious atmosphere of Manchester, where the sun is always shining, I have noticed in the neighbourhood many gigantic slag heaps which are really eyesores. When I visit Newcastle I see the same thing. When I go to Middlesbrough, and also to many towns in the Midlands, I see those artificial mountains of slag not only as an eyesore to the towns but as occupying many very valuable land sites. They are utterly useless to the community. In my travels, I have left Manchester and gone through the Cotswolds into Derbyshire and along the Great West Road, and I have seen thousands of gravel pits long since abandoned, many of them filled with water. They are also an eyesore to the countryside. At this moment, when the railways are so frightfully handicapped and when we know that they are so anxious to keep up their whole complement of men, I seriously suggest to the Government of this country that they should enter into an agreement to subsidise the railways and transport, that they should get into touch with the councils of these various towns, and agree to take this slag from the North in order to fill up the gravel pits in the South and thereby reclaim the land which has been lost for many years.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;It may sound very foolish perhaps, but as far as I have heard this Debate, all that you have suggested is to make roads on which traffic will never travel and bridges over which traffic will never go. In other words, all that you can suggest is the digging of holes in the ground and the filling of them up again. I may be accused of being somewhat Socialistic in my ideals. [HON. MEMBERS: "No&amp;#x0021;"] But you will in a moment. I will tell you why. I suggest that, instead of paying out these terrific doles, we should put the&#x000A;&lt;image src="S5CV0272P0I0274"/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;511&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;unemployed men into their rightful occupations. It is not only foolish but, economically, suicidal to ask your electrician, cabinet maker, watchmaker or your artisan to go on to road making and thus deprive him in 12 months&apos; time of the talent necessary to enable him to resume his rightful occupation. I mention this because at the present time hon. Members opposite are asking everybody to go on to road making. I could not make roads any more than could the right hon. Member for Bow and Bromley (Mr. Lansbury). I do not understand how a road is made. If an employer in a particular industry were granted a little bounty in respect of every type of man he took on in his rightful occupation, you would enable that private employer to put the right man in the right place and to compete successfully with the rest of the world. In the long run I believe that it would be cheaper. I do not wish to elaborate this point except to say that my friends the Socialists live in the valley of dreams. Although they talk about the failure of capitalism, they know that if they were given full power tomorrow they could not run an omnibus with success. They know that their strength lies in the glorious story they tell, and that whenever they go to the unthinking democracy and promise them a Garden of Eden upon earth, the poor devil who happens to be up against it does not ask them how they are going to do it. God help them when they do ask&amp;#x0021;&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;Impracticable as my scheme may seem, if you transferred those slag heaps from the north to the south you would gain extra land equal to Lancashire and Yorkshire combined. In other words, it would add two counties to the country. There are many road making firms in London who require slag for ordinary road making. The transport difficulty is a very great one, but they would be willing to purchase the slag from the Government if they could get it at anything like an economical rate. I am only making a suggestion. I leave it to the experts of the Government Departments to think out the details. The man who can show where two blades of grass will grow where one blade grew before is the man who will be of benefit to this country. It will not be the dreamers of the Socialist party.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;&lt;col&gt;512&lt;/col&gt;&#x000A;We have recently passed the Ottawa recommendations. I am not satisfied with them. I should have liked to have seen the Government go to the Dominions and make a 20 years&apos; contract with them, telling them that such a contract could not be interfered with by any successive Government during that time. Those of us who recollect what Lord Snowden did with regard to the McKenna Duties realise how he put business into the pockets of the foreigner and made bankrupt many of our business men, and we see the need of encouraging employers and manufacturers to put down new plant and machinery in order to develop the resources of the Empire and industry at home. I, for my part, whether my party agrees with it or not, will do my best to try to bring about an agreement with the Dominions for 20 years, and put it out of the power of these would-be Socialists to upset the economic situation of this country. That is only by the way.&lt;lb/&gt;&#x000A;I must congratulate hon. Members opposite. I am one who tries to give honour where honour is due, and I wish to take this opportunity of congratulating them. After all, there is always something good in the worst of us and always something bad in the best of us, although last Easter when I had a bad egg and offered it to my friend, asking him to take out the good and throw away the bad, he refused to take the egg. How often have I sat in this House and seen little teardrops fall from hon. Members&apos; blue eyes on behalf of their foreign comrades, mainly German and Russian&amp;#x0021; How often have I witnessed their tremulous lips uttering pathetic nothings on behalf of their foreign friends, and how often have I seen the little teardrops roll down their pallid cheeks when they have been discussing their foreign comrades&amp;#x0021; I congratulate them now because, for the first time, they are able to spare five minutes to discuss the woes and troubles of British working men. I want to say this. I know that Mr. Speaker will kindly allow me to do so; he is very tolerant to-day because it is my birthday.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. J. JONES: That accounts for a lot&amp;#x0021;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DORAN: Like the hon. Member for Silvertown (Mr. J. Jones), I am 27 to-day.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. JONES: You tried to be once.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. DORAN: Any man can make a try but&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;"He who fights and runs away,&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;&lt;quote&gt;May live to fight another day."&lt;/quote&gt;&#x000A;I have never known you chaps to fight even once, or live for another day. However, that is by the way. We can all indulge in these little quips, and we love them, but when my friends on the opposite side claim a monopoly of sympathy for the worker, I would remind them of this fact. I have gone through just as hard a mill in the industrial life of this country as any of them, and more than many of them. I agree that no man who has not been through the eye of a needle knows what it is to be really squeezed. I have been through the eye of a needle and I have been squeezed, and I know what it is to suffer in the industrial sense. In view of all this talk about unemployment I have received letters from my constituents in regard to their condition in London. I have spent four nights at St. Martin in the Fields. I have slept with the unemployed. I have lived with them, and I have eaten with them as far as I possibly could. I have slept on the Embankment with them. The only reason why I have mention