MR. J. LOWTHER (Kent, Thanet)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, inasmuch as the practice of giving contracts to foreign manufac- 474 turers for the supply of pencils, matches, and other articles used by the Public Departments involves a contravention of the Resolution passed by the House of Commons upon 13th February, 1891, the Government will, in view of the serious depression prevailing in so many home industries, make it a condition that all such contracts shall be executed within the British Empire?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR, Manchester, E.)In reply to my right hon. Friend, I have to say that it does not appear to me on the face of it that giving contracts to foreign firms is directly connected with the Resolution to which he refers in his question. That Resolution was directed against what is called "sweating" in English manufactories, and has no reference to what may be done in manufactories abroad. Of course, in regard to the rest of the question, I, like everyone else in the House, desire that Government contracts should be executed by manufacturers and workmen in this country; but I cannot accede to the novel principle, as deduced from that, that we should deliberately buy in the more expensive market at the cost of the general taxpayer when elsewhere, at a cheaper rate, we can get such goods as we require.
MR. J. LOWTHERI would ask the right hon. Gentleman if the hours of work abroad are not very much longer than in this country; and I would further ask his attention to the Resolution of the House last Session on the subject?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIf my recollection serves me right, the Resolution of this House referred to the wages and labour of workmen in this country, and not to wages and labour in foreign countries.
MR. J. LOWTHERI would ask the right hon. Gentleman if he is aware that the hours worked by foreign workmen are much longer than those of English workmen? The Resolution adopted by the House was—
Resolved, That, in the opinion of this House, it is the duty of the Government in all Government contracts to make provisions against the evil which has been disclosed before the Sweating Committee, and to insert such provisions as may prevent the evils arising from sub-letting, and to make every effort to secure the payment of such wages as are generally accepted as current in such trades for competent workmen.475 I wish to ask whether there was anything in that Resolution which contained an exception in favour of the foreigner?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURThe evils exposed before the Sweating Committee were domestic and not foreign evils. They examined into the hours and work of British working men and the wages paid to them. Their inquiry had no reference to the hours of work or the wages given to foreign workmen.