§ COLONEL HUGHES (Woolwich)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War the decision as to the Petition of certain labourers in Woolwich Arsenal for increase of wages on account of heavy rents in London?
§ *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. E. STANHOPE,) Lincolnshire, HorncastleThe position of the labourers employed under the War Office was fully considered by the Government at the same time as that of those employed in the Dockyards. We came to the conclusion that no general case was made out for increasing the pay of labourers in the Ordnance Factories. But as regards the unskilled labourers in the employment of the Army Ordnance Store Department, we propose to follow generally at Woolwich, Portsmouth, Devonport, and Chatham the lines recently announced in the Circular from the Admiralty.