§ MR. ROWLANDS (Finsbury, E.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War a question of which I have given him private notice—namely, whether there is any truth in the rumour that instructions have been given to the foremen of various departments at the Small Arms Factory, Enfield, to reduce the output of rifles to 700 per week by the end of March; whether this will not necessitate a further reduction of 400 employés: and whether this is not the smallest number of rifles turned out per week for the last ten years?
§ MR. BRODRICKI explained to the Committee on Friday night, in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, that, although the number of magazine rifles to be turned out at Enfield per week will be reduced to 700 during the next financial year, the reductions, in consequence of other employment given, will only affect the factory in the same ratio to its highest strength as the other factories in which the manufacture of the magazine rifle is proceeding; and it is not intended to reduce the number of men employed at Enfield below the strength at which the factory stood before the recent temporary increase.
§ MR. ROWLANDSOn the question of reductions, what are the reductions that are to take place? How many more men will be discharged in addition to those who are already under notice to be discharged?
§ MR. BRODRICKI am not able to say the number exactly; but the number will not be brought below the normal number of 2,000.