§ MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAM (Lanark, N. W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War if he will state why the present slackness of work exists at Woolwich Arsenal; why men (some of whom have been employed there for years) are being dismissed; why men are "suspended" for no apparent reason, sometimes for a week at a time; if he can explain why, although £101,000 were voted this year to Woolwich Arsenal, which is a larger sum than was voted the year before, about 40 men have been discharged within the past few weeks; if sub-contracting is permitted, and, if so, on what grounds; whether Messrs. Easton and Anderson have received 30 gun-breech mechanisms from Messrs. Vickers, of Sheffield, and if these gun-breech mechanisms were given out from Woolwich to Messrs. Vickers; and, if so, will he explain why; if it would be possible to put down the system of working overtime at Woolwich Arsenal; and, if not, will he state the reason; and why is work given out from the Arsenal to Messrs. Anderson, of Leith?
§ MR. E. STANHOPEThere has been no general reduction in the Ordnance Factories. But I should like to say at once that, as the special work to be undertaken under the Imperial Defence Loan is now drawing to a close, and employment in the factories is coming to its normal state, there must of necessity be reductions, but they shall be made with all possible regard to the importance of doing so at a time of year when other employment can be found. There is very little overtime at the Arsenal, and that only under special circumstances. There are no sub-contracts in the Ordnance Factories. The contract made by me with Messrs. Vickers is for heavy guns. The War Office is aware that they have entrusted the breech mechanisms to Messrs. Easton and Anderson, but the matter is not one that concerns us. As to work being given out from the Arsenal to Messrs. Anderson, of Leith, my inquiries do not enable me to find out anything whatever about them.
§ MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAMIs it the fact that 40 men have been discharged within the last three weeks?
§ MR. E. STANHOPEI am unable to answer that question directly. There is a total number of 16,000 men of different classes employed; some men have been discharged, and some may have been taken on, and it is quite possible that there might have been a balance of discharges of the number stated.
§ MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAMWill the right hon. Gentleman take into consideration the advisability of shortening the hours in order to meet the slackness of work, as this is a most inclement season at which to discharge men?
§ MR. E. STANHOPEI do not think that would be possible. What the country require is that the warlike stores should be turned out by the time they are needed.
§ MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAMThe point is, whether the men employed by Government are to be worse treated than they would be if employed by private firms? Will the right hon. Gentleman endeavour to introduce some system to alter the overtime working?
§ MR. E. STANHOPEI am happy to say that these men are better treated than they would be by any private firm. With regard to overtime, I have already stated that it is only worked under special circumstances.