§ MR. WEIR (ROSS and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether the contract for the Carloway Harbour Works is signed; if not, why not, and if signed, why operations have not been commenced; and whether he is aware that there is great distress at the present time in the Island of Lewis, and that hundreds of Lewis men would be glad to find employment on those works at an average pay of 2s. 3d. per day?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANThe contract for the Carloway Harbour would have been signed some time ago, had not a sudden difficulty arisen from the contractor believing that the people of Carloway demanded a higher wage than the contractor thought he could give. I am glad to be able to inform the hon. Member that all difficulty has been got over, and only yesterday a letter was written asking the Trustees to have the contract signed and the work commenced 964 at once. It is believed that work was actually begun on the Carloway Road yesterday, so there should be no want of employment for the Lewis men for some time to come.